The Consumer Product Safety Commission, Health Canada, and the European Commission’s Directorate General for Health and Consumers have joined together to call for strong and comprehensive international safety standards on corded window coverings from manufacturers and standards organizations.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued a final rule, effective June 16, 2010, which amends the Iranian Transactions Regulations to expand the scope of persons determined to be the Government of Iran in Appendix A to 31 CFR Part 560, and adds to the appendix 22 persons, among other things. The Treasury Department also announced new ITR designations, available here.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has published notice of the following voluntary recall:

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a closed meeting on June 23, 2010, in which the staff will brief the Commission on various compliance matters.

The Food and Drug Administration is confirming the effective date of April 27, 2010 for the final rule that appeared in the March 26, 2010 Federal Register, which amended the color additive regulations by increasing the permitted use level of bismuth citrate as a color additive in cosmetics intended for coloring hair on the scalp for exemption from certification.

The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission announces a public hearing on June 30, 2010 in Washington, DC entitled “China’s Information Control Practices and the Implications for the United States,” regarding national security implications of the U.S. bilateral trade and economic relationship with China.

U.S. Trade Representative Kirk met with United Arab Emirates Minister for Foreign Trade, Lubna al-Qasimi. Kirk and Lubna discussed a number of issues important to the bilateral trade relationship, including the potential for increasing the already strong U.S. business presence in the UAE.

The Bureau of Industry and Security announces that Messina, Inc. of Dallas, TX has agreed to pay a $10,800 civil penalty to settle allegations that it violated the antiboycott provisions of the Export Administration Regulations when it furnished to a U.S. bank two certificates signed by the agent for a vessel that attested to the vessel’s eligibility to call at the port of a boycotting country.

The Congressional Research Service has issued a report entitled, “The Future of U.S. Trade Policy: An Analysis of Issues and Options for the 111th Congress.”

On June 14, 2010, the U.S. Business Coalition for TPP sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Kirk expressing support for Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations. The Coalition also urges the U.S. and its seven TPP negotiating partners to agree not to adopt new trade or investment restrictions that would limit beyond existing levels the access of TPP countries to each other’s commercial and procurement markets or reduce levels of transparency or protections for intellectual property or investment that affects goods and services of the TPP countries.