The Council of the European Union on Jan. 27 extended its sanctions on Russia for an additional six months, pushing them to July 31. The measures include various sectoral restrictions, including those on "trade, finance, energy, technology and dual-use goods, industry, transport and luxury goods," and also include a ban on the import of oil and petroleum products from Russia.
The U.K. and Canada announced coordinated sanctions this week against people and entities tied to human rights violations committed by the Alexander Lukashenko regime in Belarus as well as the regime’s support of Russia. The U.K. is targeting several senior Belarusian officials and entities working in the country’s defense sector. The Canadian sanctions target three Belarusian state organizations, nine entities that produced or supplied military equipment for Russia, and several senior executives working for those entities.
Hours after President Donald Trump threatened to impose sanctions, tariffs and visa restrictions against Colombia for declining to accept a plane of deported migrants from the U.S., the White House said Colombia reversed course and agreed to the “unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens.”
A new report from the National Bureau of Asian Research analyzes how Beijing may seek to use its export control authorities and how those moves will impact U.S. supply chains.
Years after the U.S. first imposed trade restrictions against Huawei, the government’s strategy to restrain the Chinese technology company remains unclear, technology policy experts said this week.
Although the Supreme Court last week granted the U.S. government’s motion to lift a nationwide injunction on the Corporate Transparency Act's new beneficial ownership information reporting requirements, the Treasury Department said it’s still blocked from enforcing the new rules because they remain blocked by a separate court.
President Donald Trump last week revoked the Biden administration’s 2023 executive order on artificial intelligence, which could have ramifications for recent AI-related export controls issued by the Bureau of Industry and Security.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., reintroduced a bill Jan. 23 to sanction entities and people that pay Palestinian terrorists and their families for attacks against Israelis. The measure, which was referred to the Senate Banking Committee, also would sanction financial institutions that facilitate such payments. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., is expected to introduce companion legislation in the House. The bill was previously introduced in both chambers in July, in the previous Congress (see 2407260039).
Reps. Young Kim, R-Calif., and Jim McGovern, D-Mass., introduced a bill Jan. 24 that could lead to the sanctioning of Hong Kong officials for human rights violations.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee plans to take up a State Department authorization bill “sometime after” the August congressional recess, committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., said Jan. 23.