The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation on July 26 issued a general license, titled "Payment to UK Insurance Companies for Building and Engineering Insurance," under its autonomous sanctions regimes. The license indefinitely permits designated individuals and entities to use a frozen bank account to pay U.K. insurers insurance premiums, reinsurance premiums and broker commissions for building and engineering insurance coverage. The license further allows U.K. insurers to receive these payments and to make return payments to frozen U.K. bank accounts due to overpayments and the payment of funds due as a result of a claim made relating to the payments. Sanctioned parties can also receive return payments from U.K. insurers into frozen bank accounts.

The EU dropped Mahmoud Mustafa Busayf al-Werfalli from its Libya sanctions list following his death, the European Council said in a July 27 implementing decision. Al-Werfalli was originally listed in 2020. A former commander of the Benghazi-based al-Saiqa Brigade, he allegedly was involved in various human rights abuses, including executions in Libya. The council also updated the statement of reasons for the sanctions listings of Russian businessman Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin and Quren Salih Al Qadhafi, a former Libyan ambassador to Chad.

The U.K. created two new instruments under its Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 to address certain gaps in its sanctions enforcement regime. Both instruments introduce new powers to authorize government agencies to share information to assist HM Treasury in carrying out its sanctions functions, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said, with the new powers coming into force Aug. 9. The instruments also widen the definition of a "relevant firm" to include crypto-asset exchange providers and custodian wallet providers, with this change entering into force Aug. 30, the FCDO said.

The EU extended its Lebanon sanctions framework for another year, setting up the restrictions system to expire July 31, 2023, the European Council announced July 26. The framework was adopted in July 2021 to allow the EU the possibility of imposing sanctions on individuals and entities that undermined democracy or the rule of law in Lebanon. Instances of this action include hampering the formation of a government or undermining the holding of elections; obstructing the implementation of plans approved by the Lebanese government to boost accountability and good governance in the public sector or implementation of critical economic reforms; and serious financial misconduct concerning public funds. No sanctions have been imposed under the framework.

A U.K. tax tribunal absolved exporter Lynton Exports of paying nearly $12 million in value added tax after finding that the company couldn't be held liable for its new customer's alleged tax evasion scheme. The Tax Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal ruled against HM Revenue and Customs, finding no convincing evidence to back the position Lynton had actual knowledge that its shipments of soft drinks and sweets were connected to the evasion of VAT.

The U.K. added 42 entries to its Russia sanctions regime and five entries to its Syria sanctions list in a pair of July 27 notices. The additions to the Russian sanctions regime consisted of 41 individuals and one entity. The listed parties include Vitaly Pavlovich Khotsenko, prime minister of the Donetsk People's Republic; Russian Justice Minister Konstantin Anatolyevich Chuychenko; Graham Phillips, U.K. national and video blogger who "has produced and published media content that supports and promotes actions and policies which destabilise Ukraine"; and 29 Russian regional governors.

The European Commission opened four different infringement procedures against the U.K. over its alleged failure to comply with certain parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol. The commission launched the infringement proceedings following the UK's "unwillingness to engage in meaningful discussion" and the UK Parliament's "continued passage of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill." The four infringement procedures are for failing to (1) comply with the customs requirements on the movement of goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, (2) "notify the transposition of EU legislation laying down general EU rules on excise duties," (3) notify the transfer of EU rules on exicse duties on alcohol and alcoholic beverages, and (4) implement EU rules on value added tax for e-commerce.

The EU extended its sanctions regime on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine for another six months, until Jan. 31, the European Council announced July 26. In 2014 in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine, the restrictions were expanded following this year's invasion to include various sectoral sanctions with bans placed on finance, energy, technology, dual-use goods and luxury goods, among other things.

EU member states agreed July 26 to voluntarily reduce their natural gas demand by 15% this winter in a bid to reduce shocks from any disruptions to the supply of Russian gas, the European Council announced. The agreement lays out the possibility of triggering a "Union alert" that would make the gas demand reduction mandatory. The agreement calls for 15% reduced demand Aug. 1 through March 31 and specifies some exemptions and chances for member states to request a derogation from the reduction target to boost the security of the gas supply.

Kazakhstan recently announced the second stage of its 2022 meat and poultry tariff rate quotes, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said in a July report. The country “approved the distribution” of 8,505 tons of beef and 94,500 tons of poultry, USDA said, unchanged from the 2021 volumes and rates.