arewefree

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has launched on its website a “Reconsideration Portal” for sanction decisions. It will allow individuals included in U.S. sanctions lists to submit requests remotely to be removed from those lists. Through the portal, applicants can also request the text of the decision imposing sanctions against them in order to challenge it.

On Tuesday, June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a decree by President Donald Trump limiting the right, provided by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, to automatic citizenship for all children born on the territory of the country was unlawful. The corresponding decision has been published on the website of the highest judicial authority in the United States.

The Spanish visa center in Moscow has increased the processing time for applications for Schengen visas for Russian citizens. As reported on the website of the international visa company BLS on Monday, June 29, the processing time for documents at their Moscow branch may take up to 45 days from the moment the documents are submitted to the consulate.

ИИ-infrastructure and modern communication systems for drones depend on a single resource—fiber-optic cable. Due to a shortage, the cost of some brands has risen by 500%, and China, which controls more than half of the global market for these materials, has gained the ability to set supply terms. Other countries are trying to increase their own capacity, but so far they are clearly lagging behind.

The Italian antitrust authority on Friday opened an investigation into Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ: MSFT) over alleged unfair business practices related to raising the price of Microsoft 365 subscription.
The regulator said that Microsoft did not properly notify consumers that Copilot and Designer artificial intelligence tools had been integrated into the Microsoft 365 service.

Lockheed Martin Corp. (New York:LMT) snagged a contract modification worth $83.2 million from the US Department of Defense for producing additional missiles under the Army's Conventional Prompt Strike program, the agency reported.
The modification of the existing contract with the US Navy under the 'cost-plus-incentive-fee' scheme involves funding the procurement of ready-made munitions for the needs of the US Army. The work will be carried out by Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado, under contract N00030-22-C-1025.

Prysmian will be manufacturing cables for the underwater power transmission line between Italy and Tunisia at their facility near Naples, the company announced on Monday.
The Italian electricity transmission operator Terna and the Tunisian electricity and gas operator STEG have greenlit the construction of the interconnector known as the ELMED project.

The Madrid court has ruled to bring Begonia Gomez, the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, to trial on charges of influence peddling, business corruption, and misappropriation of public funds, according to Bloomberg.
The decision made by Judge Juan Carlos Peinado also requires Gomez to surrender her passport, remain in Spain, and report to the court twice a month.

Bolivia has declared a state of emergency after nearly two months of roadblocks and unrest that disrupted economic activity across the country, reports Bloomberg.
President Rodrigo Paz stated he has issued a directive to implement emergency measures to unblock roads and restore the flow of goods and services.

New data on Germany's population was released on Tuesday, June 16, by the country's Federal Statistical Office. According to the latest counts, by the end of 2025, the population of Germany will have decreased by 110,000 people compared to the previous year. In percentage terms, that's a slight drop - just 0.1%. Up until this point, starting from 2011, Germany's population had been on a steady uptrend. The only exception was during the COVID year of 2020.

Almost every fifth Russian is stashing away for retirement, but most only start doing this after hitting 40. On average, respondents want to rake in ₽56k a month during retirement and believe it's necessary to have ₽6 million in savings to live comfortably after hanging up their work boots, according to a study by 'SberNPF' – a partner of 'SberInvestments' for the PMEF-2026 (available at 'RBC Investments').

Since 2022, Russian entrepreneurs have been increasingly concerned about the potential confiscation of assets. Billionaires in Russia are facing mounting pressure from the state: they are being charged with everything from corruption to providing non-military support to Ukraine, and even having dual citizenship. This was reported on Wednesday, June 3, by Bloomberg.

Apple announced that CEO Tim Cook will leave his position on September 1 after more than a decade at the helm of the company. The startup Project Prometheus, backed by Jeff Bezos, is close to raising $10 billion at a valuation of $38 billion. These and other topics are covered in our review of key events by the morning of April 21.

Google has struck a secret deal with the Pentagon for its AI models to be utilized by the U.S. Department of Defense. This was reported by Reuters, referencing The Information's announcement. The company has also confirmed this information to the agency.
The Information, citing sources familiar with the situation, notes that the agreement allows the Pentagon to use Google's AI products for any legitimate government purposes. The deal requires the company to assist in setting up security parameters and AI filters at the government's request.

In France, the results of a large-scale investigation into a series of attacks on cryptocurrency holders have been summarized. The situation, which analysts at Chainalysis previously labeled as a "worrying trend" for the crypto market, continues to gain traction worldwide, forcing investors to rethink not only their digital security but also their physical safety.

Since the regime change in Syria at the end of 2024, around 1.63 million people have returned to the country, according to the UNHCR. As of April 30, 2026, nearly 640,000 Syrians returned from Turkey, about 630,000 from Lebanon, and roughly 285,000 from Jordan.

The superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov made its way through the Strait of Hormuz last Saturday. This is confirmed by vessel tracking data, reports Reuters.
It became one of the few vessels to successfully navigate the blocked sea route, which has found itself at the epicenter of the conflict between the US and Iran.

The European Union has taken another step in the procedure for creating deportation centers for illegal migrants in third countries (Return Hubs). The European Parliament and representatives from EU countries announced on Thursday, May 21, that they have reached an agreement to approve a new law that allows the deportation of migrants without the right to stay in the EU to countries with which they have no connection.

Samsung Electronics (KS:005930) shares took a hit on Wednesday after the company and its largest union couldn't strike a deal on wages, raising the stakes for a potential major strike.
Samsung shares dropped over 5%, sinking to 264,000 won during trading in Seoul, after talks with the National Union of Samsung Electronics Workers, mediated by the authorities, hit a deadlock following marathon negotiations that dragged on into early Tuesday morning.

Those hitting up the world's largest industrial Hannover Fair this week are gonna be blown away by the multitude of robots powered by AI technology. These bots can shake your hand, respond to questions in multiple languages using search engines, or even weld metal parts.