The European Commission on Sept. 16 proposed suspending certain trade concessions made between the EU and Israel and sanctioning members of Hamas, extremist Israeli ministers and violent settlers. The commission also said it's "putting on hold its bilateral support to Israel," except for certain support to civil society and the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum.
Egypt launched safeguard investigations on semifinished products of iron or non-alloy steel (billets) and cold rolled coil, galvanized steel and prepainted steel, notifying the World Trade Organization's Committee on Safeguards of the two investigations. Parties interested in submitting their views on the investigations can do so within 30 days of the investigations' notices being published in the Official Gazette.
A jury convicted a Georgia businessman on Sept. 15 for his role in a scheme to bribe Honduran government officials to secure business for a Georgia-based manufacturer of law enforcement uniforms and accessories in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, DOJ announced. Carl Zaglin was found to have paid bribes to secure business with "Comite Tecnico del Fideicomiso para la Administracion del Fondo de Proteccion y Seguridad Poblacional (TASA), a Honduran governmental entity that procured goods for the Honduran National Police and other Honduran security agencies."
The World Trade Organization's Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies took effect Sept. 15 during a special General Council meeting after instruments of acceptance were received from Brazil, Kenya, Vietnam and Tonga, the WTO announced. Those acceptances brought the total number over the two-thirds threshold needed for the deal to enter into force (see 2508250013).
The U.K. on Sept. 12 added three people and 27 entities to its Russia sanctions list as part of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office's recent announcement of 100 new sanctions targeting Russia's "shadow fleet" -- which carries Russian oil -- along with "key suppliers of military components."
Veronica Dragalin, former assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California and former chief prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption Prosecution Office for Moldova, has joined Jones Day's investigations and white collar defense practice, the firm announced. Dragalin has worked on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act matters, among other white collar issues.
An Estonian national was extradited to the U.S. on Aug. 28 to face charges of conspiracy to violate U.S. export controls by sourcing U.S.-made electronics for use by the Russian government and military, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York announced. Andrey Shevlyakov faces 18 total counts related to the international procurement scheme.
China requested dispute consultations at the World Trade Organization regarding Canada's tariff rate quotas on certain steel goods from non-free trade agreement partners, including China, and Canada's surtax on certain steel and aluminum goods that contain China-origin steel or aluminum.
A dispute panel at the World Trade Organization on Aug. 22 found that the European Commission violated its WTO commitments in imposing countervailing duties on biodiesel from Indonesia. The panel found that the commission erred in finding that the Indonesian government provides a countervailable subsidy to biodiesel producers via the provision of crude palm oil and in concluding that Indonesian biodiesel imports "cause a threat of material injury to EU biodiesel producers."
The U.K. on Aug. 12 amended or corrected a total of four entries under its sanctions regimes covering cyberattacks, Iraq and global irregular migration and trafficking in persons.