Sanctions

• The European Union is preparing to issue a fine against an unnamed US technology company for violating the bloc's digital fairness regulations. • The EU has officially approved its 21st package of sanctions, marking a significant escalation in its restrictive measures. • The sanctions approval faced pushback, including exclusive criticisms from a Baltic head of state who spoke with Euronews.

The agreement comes after previous meetings of EU ambassadors failed to result in consensusEuropean Commission president Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the adoption of the 21st package of sanctions, saying they “continue to weaken the economic foundations of Russia’s war effort.”“We’re adding 32 more Russian banks to our transaction ban list. As well as crypto firms and oil trading platforms. Freezing the oil price cap adjustment for a year, so that the Russian war machine does not benefit from market shocks. Continue reading...

EU ambassadors head to Brussels aiming to sign off on 21st package of sanctions, after previous attempts ended without successUkraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the overnight attack on “logistics hubs involved in supplying the Russian army with drone component, navigation equipment and other gear.”“We are, quite justly, bringing the war back home – to Russia. Peace is needed, and Ukraine has presented the Russian side with every proposal. They must be forced to turn to diplomacy.” Continue reading...

• The Trump administration has resumed military strikes on Iran and expanded sanctions targeting weapons procurement and oil-shipping networks. • On July 17, the EU Council sanctioned one individual and five entities linked to the ABS Electro group for producing electronic components used in Russian drone warfare. • Simultaneously, the U.S. Congress is advancing legislation that could impose unprecedented tariffs on major energy buyers to further isolate Russia.

Fires are also blazing across the US and the Trump administration has repealed several climate protectionsUS Republicans are threatening to sanction Canada and Canadian government officials after smoke from devastating wildfires has drifted across huge swathes of the US, creating hazy conditions and dangerous air quality for tens of millions of Americans.Donald Trump on ⁠Friday blamed ⁠his country’s northern neighbor for ​the smoke spreading from ⁠wildfires and said he planned to call ​Mark Carney, the Canadian prime ‌minister, ‌ to ‌ask about Ottawa’s plans for dealing with the blazes. Continue reading...

• The UK and European Union have implemented their first joint cyber sanctions package, targeting 24 Russian individuals and entities. • These sanctions address Russia's "reckless" efforts to sow division across Europe through malicious cyberattacks and the spread of deceptive anti-Ukraine narratives. • A key focus is the attribution of a failed attack on Poland's energy grid to the FSB's Centre 16, which potentially threatened electricity for 500,000 citizens during winter.

• Iran has offered a "friendly suggestion" to European nations to export air conditioners and cooling equipment to help combat the region's current deadly heatwave. • The offer is conditional, with Tehran stating that European countries must first lift the sanctions currently imposed on Iran. • This move leverages a climate crisis to pressure the EU into easing economic restrictions, framing the trade of cooling technology as a humanitarian solution.