On December 18, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued General License (GL) 1B (Authorizing Certain Activities Involving Federal State Budgetary Institution Marine Rescue Service) and GL 115 (Authorizing Transactions Involving Gazprombank Related to Civil Nuclear Energy) related to the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 587 (RuHSR). OFAC simultaneously issued one amended Russia-related Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) 894 and related FAQ 1203. Subsequently, on December 27, 2024, OFAC issued GL 116 (Authorizing Transactions Involving Entities Owned by Bidzina Ivanishvili)...

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The turn of the year is at hand, but the forces shaping the business and investment climate remain familiar. One of the chief characteristics has been the outperformance of the US economy, fueled by an historically large budget deficit, productivity gains, and robust consumption. President-elect Trump has not been inaugurated but he is already a force to be reckoned with, as various tariff threats, and parries over the Panama Canal and Greenland illustrate. The eurozone never fully recovered from the...

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The new Labour government has plans to address the rules on skilled migration "No more gimmicks. No more gesture politics. No more irresponsible, undeliverable promises.” These were the words of Sir Keir Starmer at a recent Interpol conference on immigration. The UK prime minister was building on the position he had laid out on immigration at the Labour Party conference in September, in which he said: “It is the policy of this government to reduce both net migration and our economic dependency upon...

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EU adopts 15th sanctions package targeting Russia’s shadow fleet The Council of the EU formally signed off on its 15th Russian Sanctions Package on Monday, 16 December. The package consists of an additional 54 persons and 30 entities responsible for actions undermining or threatening Ukraine’s territorial integrity. The measures are designed to target Putin’s shadow fleet and weaken Russia’s military and industrial complex. The Council has added 32 new entities to the list of those supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine by imposing stricter export...

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IE University becomes custodian of a US College based in SoHo with a focus on Business and Sustainability. IE University has replaced Glasgow Caledonian University as the sole member of Glasgow Caledonian New York College (GCNYC). This US College based in SoHo will be renamed IE New York College (IENYC) upon accreditation approval for the name change. With this replacement IE University becomes custodian of a state-of-the-art College with a focus on Business and Sustainability. The College has been provisionally chartered by...

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IPTI’s usual monthly newsletter - the “President’s Message” - contains, inter alia, some summarised news articles from around the world. This IPTI publication - “Property Tax in the News” - contains some of the more interesting news articles concerning property taxes in North America and Europe which is where many of our members have a particular interest. Links to these and more, similarly summarised, articles - from North America, Europe and around the globe - can be found in...

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In this edition of the Neural Network, we look at key AI developments from November and December. In regulatory and government updates, the European Commission's AI Office has consulted ahead of producing guidance on provisions in the EU's AI Act, and has published the first draft of a General-Purpose AI Code of Practice prepared by a group of independent experts; the EU's Cyber Resilience Act has been published in the Official Journal; the UK's new data reform Bill has come...

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Benjamin Franklin’s famous quip about death and taxes can be found in his 1789 letter to French physicist Jean-Baptiste Le Roy. However, the United States did not enact an inheritance tax or estate tax until 1916.  Today, while death remains certain, the future of the US estate tax is uncertain. Several countries have repealed or eliminated their inheritance or estate tax, including Australia, Israel, Mexico, and Russia, to name a few. Today, while death remains certain, the future of the US...

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