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The Secretary of State has imposed sanctions on four individuals in connection with the enforcement of the National Security Law in Hong Kong. These sanctions, effective from November 9, 2020, are part of Executive Order 13936, related to Hong Kong's autonomy and stability. The individuals, Li Jiangzhou, Edwina Lau, Steve Li Kwai-Wah, and Deng Zhonghua, have been added to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Person List, which means their assets in the U.S. are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them.

The Department of State will hold a public meeting on March 7, 2025, in preparation for the upcoming 49th session of the International Maritime Organization's Facilitation Committee in London. Participants can join either in-person in Washington, DC, or virtually via Microsoft Teams. The meeting will discuss various agenda items related to maritime regulations, digitalization, cybersecurity, and other issues important for maritime operations. Interested individuals must contact James Bull by February 21, 2025, to RSVP or request accommodations.

The State Department has released a notice about a Delegation of Authority that was signed by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on December 19, 2024. This delegation gives the Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs the power to approve certain types of assistance under U.S. law. The authority given can also be exercised by other high-level officials within the department and may be re-delegated as allowed by law. The complete details are published in the Federal Register.

The U.S. Department of State has announced a decision regarding a culturally significant object that is being imported for display in an art exhibition called “The First Homosexuals” at the Wrightwood 659 Gallery in Chicago, Illinois. This object, which comes from abroad, is considered important for cultural reasons and will be on temporary display. The Department of State has determined that this exhibition is in the national interest, and a public notice about this determination has been published in the Federal Register.

The State Department has issued a notice proposing to extend an existing agreement with Italy. This agreement, known as the Italy Agreement, involves placing import restrictions on certain types of archaeological materials from Italy to the United States. The proposal is made under the authority of the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, and further information, including the current list of restricted materials, can be found on the Cultural Heritage Center's website. For more details, Andrew Zonderman at the Cultural Heritage Center can be contacted.

The State Department has decided that certain culturally significant objects will be temporarily brought to the U.S. from abroad for an exhibition called "Christine Sun Kim: All Day All Night." This exhibition will take place at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and possibly other locations. These objects are considered important for cultural reasons, and their display in the U.S. is viewed as serving the national interest. The details of this decision have been published in the Federal Register.

The State Department has issued a notice regarding the temporary import of culturally significant artworks for an exhibition titled "Soutine/de Kooning: Conversations in Paint" at The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. These objects are being brought from overseas under agreements with foreign owners and will be displayed in the U.S. because they are deemed culturally important and beneficial to the national interest. The determinations were made under various legal authorities to ensure compliance with international cultural agreements.

The State Department has received a request from the Government of Vietnam seeking U.S. help to protect Vietnam's cultural heritage. This request, made under a UNESCO convention from 1970, seeks to impose U.S. restrictions on the import of certain Vietnamese archaeological and ethnological materials. These materials are significant to Vietnam's cultural heritage, and more information will be provided to the public for comment. The document published is a formal notice of this request.

The State Department has determined that certain culturally significant objects are being brought to the U.S. from abroad to be temporarily displayed in the "Rachel Ruysch: Nature Into Art" exhibition at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, among others potentially. This decision is in the national interest, and public notice will appear in the Federal Register. The determinations are based on legal authority from various acts and executive orders. For more information, contact Reed Liriano at the Office of the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State.

The U.S. State Department has officially designated Yahya al-Sayyid Ibrahim Musa and Alaa Ali Ali Mohammed Al-Samahi as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. This decision was made under the authority of several Executive Orders aimed at targeting individuals associated with terrorism. Both individuals are recognized as leaders of Harakat Sawa'd Misr, a group whose assets have been previously blocked by the Secretary of State. The designation means their assets in the United States are frozen, but no prior notice of this action was given to them, as it was determined that such a notice could compromise the effectiveness of the restrictions.