The European Union renewed sanctions against Bosnia and Herzegovina for one year, according to a March 24 notice. The sanctions now expire March 31, 2021.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control made “minor technical amendments” to two Nicaragua-related general licenses, according to a March 25 notice. OFAC issued amended General License No. 1A, which authorizes certain transactions with Nicaragua by the U.S. government, and General License No. 2A, which authorizes the wind down of certain transactions involving the Nicaraguan National Police.

Members of the United Kingdom’s Parliament asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to include corruption as a basis for sanctioning people and entities once the U.K. leaves the European Union, according to a March 23 post on the EU Sanctions blog. In a letter to Raab, the lawmakers said the U.K.’s sanctions authority should extend beyond human rights abusers, citing U.S. and Canadian authorities that allow the countries to target corruption. “Failing to harmonise our sanctions measures with those of our allies may have far reaching unintended consequences,” the letter said.

The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation renewed a designation under its terrorism and terrorist financing sanctions, according to a March 24 notice. OFSI renewed sanctions for Syrian national Mohammed Fawaz Khaled, who was designated for “Islamist extremist activities.”

The European Union renewed sanctions against Egypt for one year, according to a March 20 notice. The sanctions, which now expire March 22, 2021, apply asset freezes to certain people and companies in Egypt.

The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation amended an entry under its sanctions for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to a March 20 notice. OFSI amended identifying information for Ignace Murwanashyaka, who is still subject to an asset freeze, the notice said.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control extended the expiration dates for two Ukraine-related general licenses that authorize certain transactions with U.S.-sanctioned GAZ Group, OFAC said in a March 20 notice. General License No. 13N authorizes certain transactions necessary to divestments and debt transfers. General License No. 15H authorizes certain transactions related to the maintenance or wind down of operations of existing contracts, and activities related to certain automotive safety and environmental systems in vehicles produced by GAZ Group.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned five United Arab Emirates companies for buying Iranian oil, Treasury said in a March 19 press release. The companies bought “hundreds of thousands” of metric tons of petroleum products from the National Iranian Oil Company, which was sanctioned by OFAC in 2008. The companies include Petro Grand FZE, Alphabet International DMCC, Swissol Trade DMCC, Alam Althrwa General Trading LLC and Alwaneo LLC Co.

The United Kingdom amended entries under its Ukraine sanctions list, according to a March 18 notice from the U.K.’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation. The U.K. removed asset freezes from two entries -- Evgeni Viktorovich Bushmin and Valery Kirillovich Medvedev -- and updated identifying information for 154 people and 11 entities.

The State Department sanctioned Amir Muhammad Sa’id Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla, the new leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, according to a March 17 news release. The agency also released identifying information on Ali Abdullah Ayoub (see 2003170042), the Syrian official sanctioned by the Treasury Department March 17. Ayoub was sanctioned for contributing to the country’s humanitarian crisis, the agency said.