US sanctions 21 senior Venezuelan officials over election pressure
In the US, the Joe Biden administration has sanctioned 21 Venezuelan officials for their role in the suppression of protests following the disputed presidential election in July. According to a senior representative of the administration, this group, which targeted innocent civilians for repression and retaliation, includes 15 leaders from the Bolivarian national guard, national police, […]
Switzerland to vote on neutrality after accepting Russia sanctions
Switzerland is in the midst of a new debate following the country’s decision to impose sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The public wants a referendum on neutrality, which they see as a break with the country’s long-standing neutrality. Activists and the right-wing People’s Party, the largest party in parliament, want to enshrine […]
Yellen to Chinese banks: We’ll sanction them if they help Russian war machines
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced that the US could impose sanctions on Chinese banks and companies as well as the Beijing government if they help the Russian military. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen gave an interview to CNBC’s Sara Eisen and said, “We are prepared to take action if we see significant violations, particularly […]
UN expert to EU: Sanction Israel, not individuals
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese compared the West’s outrage over aid workers in Gaza to its reaction to murdered Palestinians and accused the West of racism. Albanese says the EU should sanction the state of Israel, not just extremist settlers. “Settlers operate as part of Israel’s expansionism over what is left of historic Palestine,” Francesca […]
China sanctions 2 US companies over Taiwan
China has sanctioned two US defense companies for supporting arms sales to Taiwan, which China says it can take back by force if necessary. This is a rare development. It includes freezing the assets of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems in China. It also bans company management from entering the country. […]
2 Russian billionaires win the case: They got EU sanctions canceled
Russian businessmen Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven were sanctioned by the European Union for their alleged role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They won their lawsuit and succeeded in having the sanctions against them annulled. The EU General Court ruled that the evidence was insufficient. It upheld their request to be removed from the list […]
Embezzlement sanctions in Alberta: Pay $3.4 million
More than 200 people had invested in Summerside Plaza, which opened in 2015 south of Edmonton, Canada. The Alberta securities watchdog found that a Calgary man violated the province’s laws and ordered him to pay $3.4 million. Last year, a panel from Alberta’s Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) found that Ali Ghani and five entities he […]
India digitizes sanctions and approvals
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is making the sanctioning and approval process of national highways paperless. A new standard operating procedure (SoP) has been finalized to speed up the process. The new procedure has been made mandatory for all work carried out through the National Highways Authority of India, state governments, Border […]
The EU announced the expected decision: Iran’s Censoring Tech Firm Removed from Sanctions List
Despite protests by Iranian democracy activists, the European Union has removed ArvanCloud, an Iranian technology firm accused of censorship, from its human rights sanctions list. According to the official gazette of the European Union, Arvan Cloud (also known as Abr Arvan; Noyan Abr Arvan Co.; Arwan Company; Arvancloud) has been removed from the sanctions list. […]
US Sanctions Busters Spy on Russian UBS Clients
With the takeover of Credit Suisse, UBS also acquired some clients who did not meet its risk or reputation standards. Now, the US authority responsible for sanctions is reportedly asking the major Swiss bank about its Russian clients. OFAC is said to have contacted UBS and asked questions about Russian clients. This is said to […]