California dronemaker Skydio reports that Chinese sanctions are impacting its supply of lithium-ion batteries. The firm and its leadership were among those  sanctioned by the Beijing government October 10, for sales to Taipei. “This is an attempt to eliminate the leading American drone company and deepen the world’s dependence on Chinese drone suppliers,” Skydio CEO Adam Bry said in an October 30 statement.

OFAC is issuing an OFAC Compliance Communiqué: Sanctions Compliance Guidance for the Maritime Shipping Industry  This scenario-based guidance is to aid maritime sector stakeholders in identifying certain new or common fact patterns that may be indicative of sanctions evasion, addressing common counterparty due diligence issues, and implementing best practices to promote sanctions compliance

A wholesale clothing importer located in the Fashion District of downtown Los Angeles and two of its executives have been found guilty by a jury of avoiding the payment of more than $8 million in customs duties on imported clothing, and of running a scheme in which the company laundered money and failed to report on tax returns more than $17 million derived from cash transactions, the Justice Department announced October 30th.. 

A New Jersey man  pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the United States for his role in a transnational procurement and money laundering network that sought to acquire sensitive dual-use electronics for Russian military and intelligence services.

Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) imposed a civil penalty of $500,000 against GlobalFoundries U.S. Inc., a semiconductor wafer manufacturing company headquartered in Malta, New York, and its subsidiary, GlobalFoundries U.S. 2 LLC (collectively, “GlobalFoundries”). The penalty relates to GlobalFoundries’ shipments of semiconductor wafers valued at approximately $17.1 million to SJ Semiconductor (SJS), a company on the BIS Entity List, without the requisite license or other authorization from BIS.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has publicly condemned the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) recent settlement with TD Bank, alleging that the $3 billion penalty agreement enables the bank to evade full accountability for its role in money-laundering activities. In a strongly worded letter sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, Warren criticized the DOJ for structuring the settlement in a way that, she argues, shields both the bank and its executives from the full extent of legal consequences.

The US has named four Chinese textile firms to the Uyghur blacklist for involvement in the forced labor regimes in China's western Uyghur region. The added firms are affiliates of the Esquel Group, a Hong Kong–based textile and apparel manufacturer. Esquel is the world's largest woven shirt maker, producing about 100 million shirts annually. 

Citing a "blatant disregard of U.S. export controls and the TDO," the Bureau of Industry and Security has renewed the temporary denial order dating to 2008 on Iran's largest airline.   "The de facto airline of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)," according to industry observers, Mahan operates a modern fleet of western aircraft supported by a network of subsidiary airlines and service companies in African and Asian countries such as Burkina Faso, Gambia, Indonesia, and Mali.

Included in Wednesday's sanctions package, OFAC designated two Swiss lawyers for creating companies and trusts to help Russian clients evade sanctions.   Andres Baumgartner and Fabio Libero Delco facilitated the illicit flow of funds while avoiding oversight due to a loophole in Swiss law that allows lawyers to serve as non-financial intermediaries under the guise of their profession without due diligence or reporting requirements. 

Ottawa the UK and the EU Tuesday  announced sanctions against 3 individuals and 4 entities for supplying weapons and military equipment to the Myanmar military. The sanctions announced respond to the ongoing and increasing aerial attacks by the Myanmar military regime. Over the last six months, military airstrikes killed almost 400 civilians, including more than 60 children, and injured more than 750 people.

  Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg P.A., has announced that beginning Nov. 1 it will be able to accredit non-government agency training materials for purposes of the new continuing education requirement for licensed customs brokers “ST&R is proud to be one of only five organizations, and the only law firm, selected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to serve as accreditors,” said Lenny Feldman, who serves as managing partner, Operating Committee, for the firm. ST&R to Begin Accrediting Continuing Education Resources for Customs Brokers Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg P.A., has announced that beginning Nov. 1 it will be …

The State Department, Commerce and the Treasury announced sweeping sanctions on nearly 400 individuals and entities across 17 jurisdictions involved in providing advanced technology, equipment, and financial support to Russia’s military-industrial complex.

The total amount of claims of 17 Russian TV channels to Google has reached 2 undecillion rubles, according to reporting by RBC . Undecillion is a unit with 36 zeros. Dating to a 2020 decision to block YouTube accounts controlled by parties subject to the 2014 US sanctions, Google's troubles compounded when it blocked Sputnik, RT and other state controlled channels in February 2022.

President Biden has announced the allocation of $3 billion through the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Ports program, part of the Inflation Reduction Act, to 55 projects across 27 states and territories. The Maryland Port Administration will receive $147 million in funding, aimed at both implementation and planning. "The initiative will modernize port infrastructure, foster cleaner operations, and improve working conditions, while promoting economic growth and environmental justice," according to the White House.

…Monday the Treasury Department published the final language of the outbound investment requlations, governing US firm's investment in Chinese strategic technology. The Treasury issued a final rule to implement Executive Order 14105 of August 9, 2023, “Addressing United States Investments in Certain National Security Technologies and Products in Countries of Concern” (the Outbound Order).  The Final Rule provides the operative regulations and a detailed explanatory discussion regarding their intent and application. 

The WTO's Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM) convened Tuesday under the chairmanship of Dr. Wolfram Spelten of Germany. Central to the discussions were renewed disputes involving China and seven other WTO members concerning overcapacity issues. The United States called for a "reset" in the ongoing debates to enhance productivity, underscoring the urgency of resolving the long-standing disagreements.

The Treasury announced Tuesday that the United States and Taiwan, under the auspices of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO), will begin negotiations on a comprehensive agreement to address double taxation issues. The first round of negotiations is expected to take place in the coming weeks.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) failed to reach consensus on blacklisting Russia, with the opposition led by China, India, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa, and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres flew to Kazan to shake hands and bow to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, sending a tacit message to petty tyrants and hedgemonists everywhee.

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) of the United States has signed a five-year Compact with the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) to promote economic growth and reduce poverty through investments in agriculture and agro-processing. The Compact, valued at $491,750,000, includes $458,000,000 from the MCC and $33,750,000 from GRZ. The program focuses on overcoming constraints to economic growth, such as poor roads, limited private capital for agricultural investment, and an uncertain policy environment.

Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. — all members of the AUKUS trilateral partnership — participated in "Maritime Big Play," a series of integrated experiments and exercises held in the Indo-Pacific region, meant to enhance capability development and improve interoperability between the partners.  As part of the experiments and exercises, the AUKUS partners tested and refined their ability to jointly operate uncrewed maritime systems, share and process naval data, and provide real-time maritime domain awareness in support of decision-making,.