President Joe Biden this week extended for one year beyond July 24 a national emergency that authorizes certain sanctions against transnational criminal organizations, the White House said. The groups continue to “pose a direct threat to the safety and welfare of the United States and its citizens,” the White House said July 21.
The U.K. imposed new sanctions on Russia, the Export Control Joint Unit announced in a July 21 notice. The restrictions include a ban the import, acquisition and supply or delivery of oil and oil products and coal and coal products. The coal ban comes into force Aug. 10; the oil ban, on Dec. 31. The new measures also prohibit exports of items listed on the G-7 Dependency and Further Goods List to, or for use in, Russia, along with bans on the supply of these items from a third country to Russia. The restrictions also expand bans on the export or supply of energy-related goods, and ban the import of gold from Russia.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control should clarify its rules surrounding sanctioned ransomware groups, which are vague and are leading to industry confusion, a senior FBI official said this week. Bryan Vorndran, assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, said the FBI has specifically urged OFAC to change its procedures around ransom payments and incident reporting for victims.
The EU this week adopted new sanctions and export controls against Russia in an effort to tighten existing restrictions against the country for its war in Ukraine. The package imposes new bans on the purchase, import or transfer of gold originating in Russia and restricts more exports of dual-use technologies. The measures also extend the EU’s port access ban to better limit Russia’s ability to evade sanctions and expand the scope of restrictions surrounding certain deposits.
Although the U.S. should be concerned about university espionage and research theft, it shouldn’t place restrictions on fundamental research, said Arati Prabhakar, President Joe Biden’s nominee for director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, speaking during a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing this week. She said the U.S. has some “real issues” involving research security, which “have to be wrestled with” but not in a way that stifles innovation and hurts American competitiveness.
MidFirst Bank violated the U.S. Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators Sanctions Regulations when it processed payments for two sanctioned people after they were designated by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, OFAC said in a July 21 enforcement notice. OFAC said the bank, headquartered in Oklahoma City, maintained accounts for the people and processed 34 of their payments in the two weeks after they were added to the Specially Designated Nationals List.
Ivan Komaritsky, former corporate regulatory attorney at DLA Piper, has joined Rimon PC as counsel in the New York office, the firm announced. Komaritsky's practice centers around Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. and U.S. economic sanctions matters. Throughout his career, Komaritsky has conducted internal investigations and FCPA corporate audits in countries around the globe, including in Russia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, the firm said.
The Bureau of Industry and Security recently revoked export privileges for two people after they illegally exported controlled items from the U.S.
Although climate advocate Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., has hopes of introducing a bipartisan carbon border adjustment tax, he said it may take American exports being hit with carbon border tariffs in Europe to get Congress to move.
The U.N. Security Council this week amended one entry on its sanctions list. The change revises the entry for Abu Zayd Umar Dorda, a Libyan official, to reflect his presumed death.