Jacob Kopnick

The U.K. added two entities to its Central African Republic sanctions regime June 13, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation announced. The entities are Diamville and Wood International Group Sarlu, both associates of the paramilitary Wagner Group.

The U.K. on June 13 added 42 entries to its Russia sanctions regime, imposing restrictions on seven individuals and 35 entities, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation announced.

Matt Lapin, former partner at Porter Wright, has joined Wiley Rein as special counsel in the international trade and national security practice groups, the firm announced. Lapin's practice centers on "supply chain risk, export controls, economic sanctions, customs law, foreign investment, and anti-corruption," the firm said.

World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala met with the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on June 5-6 to discuss the nation's accession to the WTO, the trade body said.

Chinese citizen Zhenyu "Bill" Wang and Texas resident Daniel Ray Lane were sentenced to 45 months in prison for trying to violate U.S. sanctions and commit money laundering as part of a scheme to "transact in sanctioned petroleum and launder the proceeds," DOJ announced.

The European Commission on June 12 provisionally set countervailing duties on Chinese electric vehicles, though there could still be changes before the provisional rates are posted, no later than July 4. The day after the publication, importers would need a guarantee to cover the amount of duties, but the duties themselves would not be collected until the definitive duties are set, which could be as much as four months later. If a majority of countries in the EU vote against the duties, they wouldn't be levied.

The European Commission on June 10 opened a foreign subsidies investigation on the Emirates Telecommunications Group Company's (e&'s) sole control of PPF Telecom Group B.V., "excluding its Czech business." The commission said that it has "preliminary concerns" that e&, a state-controlled telecommunications firm, "may have been granted foreign subsidies that could distort the EU internal market." The investigation was opened under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation and will look at "actual or potential negative effects on the acquisition process" and whether the foreign subsidies "lead to actual or potential negative effects in the internal market."

The World Trade Organization on June 7 said it upgraded its "e-GPA Gateway," its online platform on trade and government procurement, to provide "more user-friendly access to information" related to parties to the Agreement on Government Procurement 2012. The platform now includes a "tool to browse each party's market access commitments," reporting tools on the "thresholds set by each GPA party above which public contracts can be granted," an advanced search engine allowing searches of specific parties and products, a tool to search for "modifications of coverage," and greater access to data on current procurement opportunities.

Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs announced June 3 that starting June 14, the export of nitrocellulose to Russia and Belarus will be banned, according to an unofficial translation. The move comes after the island banned the export of 77 "machine tools" to the two nations earlier this year, the ministry said. Nitrocellulose is a "key component of smokeless gunpowder" and has already been designated as a controlled item in the U.S. and the EU. The ministry also reminded traders that the fine for first-time illegal exports to Russia and Belarus "has been significantly increased" to about $138,000.

Dimitry Timashev, a dual U.S. and Russian citizen, pleaded guilty on June 7 to illegally exporting firearm parts and ammunition to Russia, DOJ announced.