Google hired Scott Deutchman, previously with Neustar, as senior policy adviser-telecom, spectrum, export controls, privacy and intellectual property.
The House plans to pass a “strong, bipartisan” sanctions package this week in response to the Trump administration's decision to lift sanctions on Turkey in exchange for a ceasefire in Syria, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. Pelosi’s comments came after the Trump administration announced last week it would be suspending further sanctions on Turkey and plans to lift recently announced sanctions in exchange for the ceasefire.
Companies and trade groups warned the Treasury Department that the proposed regulations for the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act may repel foreign investors and customers, fails to clearly define “critical technologies” and could place trusted trading partners at disadvantages, according to comments due Oct. 17.
The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security is amending the Export Administration Regulations to further restrict exports and re-exports to Cuba, BIS said in a notice. The amendments change BIS licensing policies and exceptions for certain aircrafts and vessels, establish a 10 percent de minimis level for Cuba, make the Cuban government ineligible for certain donations and clarify the scope of unlicensed telecommunication items the Cuban government can receive. The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs recently said it completed its review of the rule (see 1910150041)
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- CBP hopes to have a fully functioning electronic export manifest system up and running by the end of year, said Jim Swanson, CBP director-cargo and security controls, at the Western Cargo Conference (WESCCON) on Oct. 11. Specifically, Swanson is eyeing a “November time frame” for the ocean, air and rail modes, with truck coming at a later date after CBP completes its work on rebuilding the inbound manifest system for that mode, he said.
Two stalwart Republican supporters of the president joined with three Democratic senators to say that Congress is united in a push to levy sanctions on Turkey for its invasion of Syria.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control renewed a general license that authorizes certain transactions with Nynas AB, a joint venture between biofuel producer Neste and Petroleos de Venezuela, Venezuela's state-run oil company. General License No. 13D, which replaces No. 13C, authorizes transactions with Nynas AB and any of its subsidiaries until April 14, 2020. The license was scheduled to expire Oct. 25.
In the Oct. 11-16 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
The United Kingdom won’t issue any more export licenses on goods destined for Turkey that "might be used in military operations in Syria," U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told Parliament on Oct. 15. The policy will remain in place while it conducts a review of the U.K.’s defense exports to Turkey, he said. Raab, who noted that the EU has declined to impose sanctions on Turkey, was answering questions on the U.K.’s policies toward Turkey in light of the country’s military action in northern Syria.
A Turkish government-owned bank was charged with fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act after working with Iran to evade U.S. sanctions, the Justice Department said in an Oct. 15 press release. The bank -- Turkiye Halk Bankasi A.S., also known as Halkbank -- helped run the “multibillion-dollar scheme” by deceiving U.S. regulators and foreign banks and lying to U.S. authorities, the press release said.