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get your passports folks

 The Doors Are Closing: Global Immigration Tightens Across the Board

 Tables have turned. If before it was just a matter of gathering documents and trying your luck at the consulate, now the process of obtaining residency, citizenship or a visa seems to be experiencing one of its most rigorous moments, in a global trend.

• This week alone, Italy, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Argentina announced changes that target those who wish to settle outside their country of origin.

It seems that the governments are moving to tighten the noose against what they are calling “abuses” of the immigration and citizenship systems, a strong banner of globalism.

• In Italy, only children or grandchildren of Italians will be entitled to citizenship - no more of that generations-old stuff;

• The UK has doubled the length of residence required and cut back on facilities for students and workers;

• Portugal wants to extend the period for naturalization to 10 years;

• In Argentina, Milei was even tougher. Foreigners with a criminal record will no longer be allowed in, and health insurance will become compulsory.

Speaking numbers: According to updated data from the United Nations (UN), the number of international migrants has reached 304 million in 2024, representing around 3.8% of the world's population.

Zoom out: If the “fashion” used to be to open doors and welcome people in, it seems that with the rise of conflicts between different ethnic groups, this trend may be changing, with countries increasingly closing themselves off.

What else in on

• USA: A judge has blocked Trump-era executive orders affecting the Department of Education, siding with Massachusetts teachers and school districts who argued that the orders went beyond a simple reorganization and effectively left the department unable to carry out its congressional responsibilities. (Read)

• Russia: With fake names, trained accents, front companies, and real Brazilian documents, Russian intelligence agents used Brazil as a launchpad for covert missions abroad. According to a NYT investigation, they spent years building clean identities before deploying to operations in the U.S., Europe, or the Middle East. (Read)

• Turkey: Turkey has announced the discovery of a new natural gas reserve in the Black Sea. It amounts to 75 billion cubic meters, enough to supply Turkish homes for 3.5 years. The estimated value is around US$ 30 billion. That’s what I call a Billion-dollar find. (Read)

• UK: Millionaires are saying goodbye to the country. The reason is one: higher taxes and tougher fiscal rules. In the last year, London has lost 11,300 millionaires, which means that not only the mansions are leaving, but also their money, impacting on the British economy. (Read)

• Portugal: The Portuguese went to the polls for the third time in three years, and elected the center-right coalition of current Prime Minister Luís Montenegro. However, the current party is likely to encounter resistance in Parliament as it won't win a majority of seats. (Read)

• Austria: The country won Eurovision 2025 thanks to JJ, a counter-tenor with the Vienna State Opera, and his rendition of “Wasted Love.” (Read)
  

 Is this a time of monsters or miracles? TED by Angus Hervey: To be honest, I’ve been on the hunt for a good TED Talk to recommend here for a while — and kept coming up short. That is, until I discovered this gem from last month: A talk by one of my favorite journalists, Angus Hervey.

• His work has long inspired me (including the “Wholesome News” section of this newsletter, which appears every once in a while), and this TED is a powerful reminder of something we often forget: The world is messy — but it’s always been messy. That doesn’t mean progress isn’t happening.

In this talk, Hervey highlights real, data-backed examples of human triumph that rarely make the headlines: The rollout of malaria vaccines, the return of sea turtles, and other stories that show how change does happen, even if it doesn’t go viral. He reveals the hidden progress that perseveres even as it feels like the world is falling apart, and challenges us to decide which future we'll help write. (Rating 9/10)

 My heart has been so full these past two weeks. Three dear friends came to visit me in Milan, and I reconnected with an important friendship here too. It reminded me of something I hadn’t felt in a while — that deep, simple joy of being with people who really know you.

Now that we’re adults, we don’t make friends on the playground anymore. The comings and goings in our lives slow down, and honestly, the scale starts to tip more toward people leaving than arriving. Over time, I’ve come to accept that some friendships just fade because they no longer make sense for where we are — and that’s okay. Life happens. But relationships — all relationships — require care and time.

• No extreme is good. If you’re constantly exhausted by a friendship, maybe something’s off. But if you never invest in it, it weakens too. And lately, I’ve felt this happening in my own life.

My routine is chaotic — too much work, keeping up with the house, eating right, writing here… And when the weekend comes, all I want is to rest. Alone. I used to be the person who messaged friends regularly, who sent endless audios or had my weekend packed with people. And somewhere along the way, I stopped. And I got lonelier.

• Our productivity culture sells us the idea that all our free time should be used to optimize ourselves — exercise, self-care, therapy, meditation. All good things, yes. But all inward-facing. And when all your energy goes into yourself, you stop showing up for others. We become more selfish, not out of malice, but because our lives are built to make us that way.

Friendship is an exercise in stepping outside your own bubble. It’s not just about what feels good for you, but about showing up for someone else — even when it’s inconvenient. Even when it’s just a 10-minute voice note. Even when you’re tired. Because the truth is: time doesn’t grow friendships. Attention does.

And these past few days reminded me of that. Being surrounded by friends, laughing over dinner, walking through the city together — it filled me up in a way that no solo routine ever could. It was a warm reminder that yes, self-care matters, but so does letting yourself be cared for. Letting people in and caring for them as well.

Thanks for the amazing friends that were part of these magical encounters.

With love,

M.

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