Day: May 4, 2023

Well, I didn’t notice the 4.9 magnitude earthquake tremor on Tuesday…my wife claims to have noticed if around 9 pm, but I felt nothing.

Apparently, Panama is to establish 2 new free zones – Tech Valley Free Zone and Panama Digital Gateway, to increase the strategic potential of Panama as a digital hub in the region.

The high spot of my day was an obliging toucan who let me film him ad he gorged on some sort of fruit in the forest on Ancon Hill.

Meanwhile, explanation in the newspapers of why it feels so much hotter at the moment – apparently the bottom line is that it is just that it feels hotter, and is something to due with the increased humidity and the change from the dry to rainy seasons. The oppressive heat is said to be due to continue until mid-May.

4 MAY 2023

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/KoIvM842y

On 4 May, the EU Sanctions blog advised of guidance on ‘firewalls’ which allow non-designated EU entities controlled by EU-designated persons to continue their business operations in the trade in agricultural and food products, including wheat and fertilisers. The EU Commission says that several cases concerning the trade in agricultural and food products, including wheat and fertilisers, have been brought to its attention in the past months, and it is necessary to ensure that those cases may not lead to food insecurity around the globe.

https://www.europeansanctions.com/2023/05/eu-commission-publishes-guidance-on-insulating-eu-agricultural-trade-operations-from-the-control-of-designated-persons/

https://finance.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-05/230503-guidance-firewalls_en.pdf

On 4 May, US Treasury advised that President Biden had signed a new Executive Order.  In addition, OFAC has issued amended FAQ 836 (What sanctions are applicable to Sudan and the Government of Sudan?)

https://ofac.treasury.gov/media/931716/download?inline

https://ofac.treasury.gov/faqs/836

EU Regulation 2023/908/EU added Maulawi Rajab and Sultan Aziz Azam to its sanctions list, following a decision of the relevant UN Sanctions Committee.  2 existing entries were also amended.

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv%3AOJ.L_.2023.116.01.0010.01.ENG&toc=OJ%3AL%3A2023%3A116%3ATOC

On 26 April, an article from Global Trade Review said that nearly three-quarters of vessels active in international trade that do not list their ownership information are likely to have potential ties to illicit activity, fresh research has found.  The report is from Global Financial Integrity, the Institute of International Banking Law & Practice (IIBLP) and S&P Global.  An analysis of nearly 70,000 vessels – including tankers, bulk carriers and container ships – shows that 23,000 had links to watchlists or engaged in deceptive practices, such as “dark” activity during 2022.  The report identifies around 8,000 vessels involved in trade that do not list ownership information, equivalent to around 12% of the global fleet, but it is said that the impression is that checking vessel ownership is fairly low down the checklist in terms of compliance processes.

https://www.gtreview.com/news/global/vessel-ownership-information-a-major-indicator-of-illicit-trade-risk-report-finds/

https://gfintegrity.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Vessel-Ownership_Trade-Finance_and_Regulatory-Compliance_Whitepaper_April2023.pdf