Day: April 12, 2024

The latest Covid-19 statistics continue to show a reduced, low-level presence (s0, maybe, dengue is a more worrying threat). In the week to 6 April there were 23 new cases and no new fatalisites. There were 30 active cases, with 22 people in hospital, with none in ICU.

Meanwhile, the illustrate the potential threat from dengue, on 12 April, carried a report on the dengue situation in Argentina. In the first 8 weeks of 2024, authorities reported 57,461 confirmed cases and 47 deaths, an over 2,000% increased over the same period last year.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/apr/12/i-felt-pains-all-over-my-body-argentina-battles-dengue-outbreak-as-politicians-pass-up-vaccine-opportunity

Back in Panama, the Americas Quarterly news magazine carried an article about the current election campaign saying that ex-President Martinelli’s presence (albeit from asylum in the Nicaraguan Embassy) overshadows the race, with his proxy currently leading the polls. Certainly, the posters and online marketing appears to feature Martinelli as much as, if not more than the actual candidate – as if to imply that you are really voting for Martinelli.

https://americasquarterly.org/article/panama-placeholder

12 APRIL 2024

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On 9 April, CSIS released this report which says that export control evasion of controlled chips is a known concern, but the specifics of this activity are opaque. In addition, a systematic analysis of the entire chip smuggling pipeline, from initial procurement to unlawful distribution, remains conspicuously absent. This study aims to bridge that methodological gap.  It breaks down the smuggling pipeline into 4 distinct stages – initial procurement, evasion of customs controls, port exit, and transshipment – and identifies 11 potential smuggling tactics.

https://csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2024-04/240409_Harithas_Chip_Smuggling.pdf?VersionId=894hzMieB.qJHkVVH2HS7g2m49.a92KR

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On 12 April, OFAC advised that Slobodan STANKOVIC of Bosnia and Herzegovina, had been removed from the SDN List, as well as 3 entities connected to him.  At the same time, the entry for Ruslan Aleksandrovich PERETYATKO had been updated.

https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20240412

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On 12 April, OFAC advised that it was targeting Gaza- and Lebanon-based leaders of the terrorist group’s offensive cyber and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations.  Concurrent with this action, the EU is imposing sanctions targeting Hamas. 

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2248

https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20240412

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On 12 April, the EU advised that the FAQ had been updated, and that an updated consolidated version of the FAQ published.

https://finance.ec.europa.eu/publications/reporting-outgoing-transfers_en

https://finance.ec.europa.eu/publications/consolidated-version_en

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