Summary

Putin tells FM Araghchi that he's been in contact with the new Supreme Leader, and says Iran fighting for 'sovereignty'

After a weekend of stalemate malaise, Iran reportedly offers new proposal for opening ship traffic, while postponing the thorny nuclear issue; Rubio says 'will not tolerate' Iran control of strait

Trump says peace could come via telephone rather than face-to-face meetings, also warning Iranian oil infrastructure could explode from within unless flow resumes; Tehran later says Trump has requested new talks

Iranian FM has been sending written messages to US via Pakistani intermediaries

Israel strikes deep into Lebanon in Beqaa Valley for first time of 3-week ceasefire.

Germany's Merz Says US 'Humiliated' By Iranians & Trump Lacks Strategy, Exit Plan

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a rare moment torched US foreign policy and the Trump administration's Iran war gambit. There's been plenty of criticism out of Europe since Operation Epic Fury kicked off on February 28, but Merz's Monday words are especially direct and scathing.

He proclaimed that Iran's leadership was embarrassing the US, claiming it was prompting US officials to travel to Pakistan and then return without achieving any outcome. "The Iranians are obviously very skilled ⁠at negotiating, or rather, very skillful at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any result," he said.

The top German official made the remarks before students in the town of Marsberg. His sharpest attack came in the following: "An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by these so-called Revolutionary Guards. And so I hope that this ends as quickly as possible."

Merz then claimed, "If I had known that it would continue like this for five or six weeks and get progressively worse, I would have told ​him even more emphatically." ​And yet the criticisms from EU leaders in the opening days were somewhat muted, meager, and weak.

The German leader further questioned whether the US had a clear exit strategy:

"The Iranians are clearly stronger than expected and the Americans clearly have no truly convincing strategy in the negotiations either," Merz said during a school visit in Marsberg, a town in his home region of Sauerland.

"The problem with conflicts like this is always: you don't just have to get in, you have to get out again. We saw that very painfully in Afghanistan for 20 years. We saw it in Iraq."

Indeed a tiny handful of Republicans in Congress have made a similar argument, most especially Rep. Thomas Massie, in dissenting from the Iran war, especially given there's been no formal Congressional approval or war authorization.

Merz also commented on the potential blowback to Europe: "It is at the moment a pretty tangled situation," he said. "And it is costing us a great deal of money. This conflict, this war against Iran, has a direct impact on our economic output."

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/germanys-merz-says-us-humiliated-iranians-trump-lacks-strategy-exit-plan

There are five G10 central bank meetings scheduled this week and not a single policy move is expected between them.

That said, the signalling of policymakers will be crucial. For each of the BoJ, Fed, BoC, ECB and the BoE, the market will be watching to see how rate setters are gauging the two sided the risks to growth and inflation implied by the Iran war. It remains Rabo’s view that the Fed will likely cut rates again this year. This outcome may have been made a little easier by the weekend announcement from Senator Tillis regarding President Trump’s nominee for the next Fed Chair. Following Friday’s news that the Department of Justice would drop a criminal investigation into Fed Chair Powell, related to renovations at the Federal Reserve, Tillis has removed his objection to nominee Warsh facing a vote in the Senate. While Trump may be a step closer to seeing his choice of candidate in the position of Fed Chair, US treasury yields have ticked higher this morning with the market still focused on inflation risks in the absence of little concrete news regarding a peace deal in the Middle East.

There may not have been any recent peace talks but Iran’s Foreign Minister Araqchi has had a busy few days. Following trips to Pakistan and Oman to talk with peace negotiators over the weekend, he has now travelled to Russia in a bid to ratchet up support. Having cancelled a trip by US negotiators Witkoff and Kushner to Pakistan, Trump made it clear that Iran could use the telephone to make a deal - Iran had made clear that talks would be indirect. Trump also reiterated the US’s condition that Iran must not be able to obtain a nuclear weapon. For its part, Iran is maintaining that it will not re-enter talks with the US while its navy is blocking the Strait of Hormuz.

On disappointment over the lack of fresh peace talks, Brent crude spent the first few hours of the European session edging higher before reversing those gains. While US stock market indices closed mixed on Friday, it hasn’t taken much for equity markets to revert to their ‘glass half full’ approach to the global outlook. Despite the very real risks to the global economy implied by higher inflation, much of this optimism has been driven by a solid set of Q1 earnings reported by corporate America. This week there will be no escaping the focus on the tech sector with results due for five of the huge US hyper-scalers.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/hold-horses

German party leader calls for compulsory military service

The head of Bavaria’s Christian Social Union, Markus Soder, has criticized Berlin’s plan to only use volunteers to expand the armed forces

Germany should reintroduce compulsory military service in order to increase the size of its armed forces, Markus Soder, the leader of Bavaria’s Christian Social Union (CSU), has said.

Berlin has sparked nationwide protests after introducing a voluntary service model, effective from January 1. Critics warn it could pave the way for restoring conscription, which was suspended in 2011 under then Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“For us it’s clear: if the Bundeswehr is to become Europe’s largest army, military service is unavoidable,” Soder told Bild in an interview on Sunday.

“With volunteers alone we won’t achieve the necessary security our country needs,” the leader of the SCU, which is part of Chancellor Freidrich Merz’s ruling coaliton, said, insisting that compulsory military service “needs to come as soon as possible.”

Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Germany has ramped up recruitment, aiming to grow the Bundeswehr from about 186,000 troops to 260,000, plus 200,000 reservists by the mid-2030s, citing an alleged “Russian threat.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed claims that Moscow harbors aggressive intentions against NATO states as “nonsense.” Russia’s Foreign Ministry has warned that Berlin’s continued military buildup could lead to another tragedy on a global scale similar to the Second World War.

Earlier this month, the head of the European Defense Agency (EDA), Andre Denk, suggested that compulsory military service could be reinstated in the EU. He also said that his home country of Germany would likely go down this path eventually.

Croatia, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Poland, and the UK have all either reintroduced conscription, increased intake, or raised age limits for military service and reservists.

The Kremlin has consistently slammed the West’s “reckless militarization” and cited NATO’s expansion toward Russia’s borders as one of the causes of the Ukraine conflict.

https://www.rt.com/news/639173-germany-compulsory-military-service/

“We lied about Vietnam. We lied about Iraq. We lied about Afghanistan. We lied about Somalia. We lied about Libya..”

Former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell exposes the dark reality of US foreign policy and how American weapons ended up in the hands of terrorist groups.

https://twitter.com/i/status/2048717291370762394

WATCH 👀Jeffrey Epstein invoke his 5th, 6th & 14th Amendment rights when asked if him Donald Trump socialized with children.

This needs to go VIRAL after that 60 Minutes interview. 👍👍👍

https://twitter.com/i/status/2048592636701741187

Digital identity and financial tracking systems resemble post-9/11 security expansion in 2001–2003 and COVID-era digital health pass systems in 2020–2021

Whitney Webb just broke down exactly how the globalists are rolling out digital IDs as the backbone of Agenda 2030, and it’s straight-up dystopian control.

She explained: “CBDCs and digital IDs are meant to go together… Without digital IDs, the CBDC digital finance system cannot exist.”

“They have to know who you are. And so they want to have your wallet tied to a digital ID, and have that digital ID be mapped to your physical ID through the biometric data collection.”

The idea is to link digital wallets to verified digital identities, often using biometric data to connect them to a person’s physical identity.

https://twitter.com/i/status/2047743232243539978

DIGITAL ID WILL REVEAL WHO HAS AND HAS NOT BEEN VACCINATED.

At the World Economic Forum’s Davos summit, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands made her position on Digital ID very clear.

It is not just about banking or financial access, she said. Digital ID should also determine who has and has not been vaccinated, who gets to enroll their children in school, and who qualifies to receive government aid.

A single digital identity. Tied to your medical records, your children’s education, and your ability to survive financially.

https://twitter.com/i/status/2047696817438241057

Tony Blair: We need a digital ID to see "who has been vaccinated and who hasn't been.."

https://twitter.com/GMB/status/1346365737884114944

https://citizenwatchreport.com/digital-identity-and-financial-tracking-systems-resemble-post-9-11-security-expansion-in-2001-2003-and-covid-era-digital-health-pass-systems-in-2020-2021/

Widespread Infections in Gaza as 17,000 Rodent-Linked Cases Recorded Since Start of Year

Key Developments

WHO reports over 17,000 infections linked to rodents and parasites among displaced Palestinians.

Gaza’s health sector sustains $1.4 billion in damage, with over 1,800 facilities destroyed.

More than 80% of displacement sites report pest infestations and widespread skin infections.

The World Health Organization reported on Friday that more than 17,000 cases of infections linked to rodents and external parasites have been recorded among displaced Palestinians in Gaza since the beginning of the year.

The figures were presented during a United Nations press briefing in Geneva, where WHO Representative for the occupied Palestinian territory, Dr. Reinhilde Van de Weerdt, detailed the scale of the crisis facing Gaza’s collapsing health system.

She said that damage to the health sector alone is estimated at $1.4 billion, with more than 1,800 health facilities partially or completely destroyed.

These include major hospitals, primary healthcare centers, clinics, pharmacies, and laboratories, leaving the system severely constrained in its ability to respond.

The destruction has not only reduced medical capacity but also contributed directly to the spread of disease.

“Destroyed buildings and mountains of accumulated waste had created ideal breeding grounds for rodents and pests,” Van de Weerdt said, linking the environmental conditions to rising infection rates among displaced communities.

Widespread Infections

According to WHO data, around 80 percent of approximately 1,600 displacement sites report frequent and visible rodent and pest presence.

More than 80 percent of these sites have also recorded skin infections, including lice and bed bugs, underscoring the extent of deteriorating sanitation conditions.

These infections are spreading in overcrowded shelters where displaced families lack access to adequate hygiene, waste management, and medical care.

The health risks are compounded by the scale of displacement and the continued strain on infrastructure, with large sections of the population living in makeshift conditions amid rubble and debris.

Health System Under Strain

Despite the scale of destruction, WHO said efforts to support the health system are ongoing. The organization has completed a 128-bed extension at Al-Shifa Hospital, one of Gaza’s largest medical facilities, in an attempt to increase capacity.

However, Van de Weerdt stressed that such measures are insufficient without broader systemic changes.

“For saving life to have an impact, health and health care workers need to be protected; and essential medicines and supplies must enter Gaza,” she said, calling for the removal of bureaucratic processes and access restrictions affecting the delivery of critical supplies.

She emphasized that without consistent access to medicines, equipment, and laboratory supplies, the ability to diagnose and respond to emerging health threats remains severely limited.

https://www.palestinechronicle.com/widespread-infections-in-gaza-as-17000-rodent-linked-cases-recorded-since-start-of-year/

Malian defense minister killed in coordinated suicide bombing

Sadio Camara targeted at residence as Jnim rebels seize military bases.

Nationwide strikes hit Bamako, Mopti, and Gao in massive security breach.

Government announces mourning as regional stability in West Africa craters.

Indian government issues emergency advisory for citizens to leave the region.

https://youtu.be/e_l31LvIBP4

https://citizenwatchreport.com/malian-defense-minister-killed-in-coordinated-suicide-bombing/

https://www.antiwar.com/

IDF strikes Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley for first time in 3 weeks as some towns in north cancel school

Raids deeper in country follow continued Hezbollah fire; Lebanese president pans terror group for waging war serving ‘foreign interests’; Hezbollah reportedly threatens suicide bombings

The IDF said it launched a wave of airstrikes Monday against Hezbollah infrastructure in the Beqaa Valley and several areas of southern Lebanon as a fragile ceasefire appeared to be rapidly unraveling just days after it was extended.

The strikes came following repeated recent attacks by the Iran-backed terror group on IDF troops and Israel during the truce, including a deadly drone attack in Lebanon the previous day that killed an IDF soldier and wounded six.

Lebanon’s president, whose government is holding historic direct talks with Israel amid the ceasefire, condemned Hezbollah for the strikes.

No further details were immediately given by the IDF on the strikes.

Later the military said that IDF troops captured a cache of Hezbollah weapons in southern Lebanon, including first-person view (FPV) drones, anti-tank explosive devices and remote detonation systems, explosive-laden drones, RPGs, firearms and other weapons.

Hezbollah has made frequent use of small FPV drones in its attacks on Israeli troops in recent weeks, including in a deadly attack Sunday.

Amid the ongoing violence, some local government leaders in northern Israel announced that schools would be canceled for at least one day, part of a range of security measures that were not coordinated with the national government.

Israel has not struck in Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa Valley, which lies about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of the border, in some three weeks, before the ceasefire began on April 17.

Security sources told Reuters strikes had hit near the town of Nabi Chit, near Lebanon’s eastern border with Syria, with no immediate reports of casualties.

Lebanon’s state media agency reported several strikes across the south that left at least three people wounded.

The US-mediated ceasefire has seen ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah but was extended on April 24 for an additional three weeks, US President Donald Trump announced during direct talks in Washington between Israel and Lebanon.

Under the terms of the truce, Israel reserves the right to respond to “planned, imminent or ongoing attacks.” Trump has also said Israel can open fire in self-defense.

Lebanon’s Aoun slams Hezbollah for serving ‘foreign interests’

The talks have been held despite opposition from Hezbollah, which began attacking Israel in support of its sponsor Iran after the US-Israel war with the Islamic Republic began at the end of February. A fragile ceasefire was reached between the US and Iran earlier this month.

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun told a delegation from villages in southern Lebanon on Monday that negotiating with Israel “is not betrayal,” as Beirut and Jerusalem continued talks aimed at reaching a settlement and potential peace deal.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-strikes-lebanons-beqaa-valley-for-first-time-in-3-weeks-amid-shaky-ceasefire/

Netanyahu Funded Hamas: Shocking Intel Revealed!

https://twitter.com/i/status/2048698543280468099

ADL funds racists to raise money to fight racism.

SPLC funds racists to raise money to fight racism.

Israel funds HAMAS to raise money to fight HAMAS.

See how the scam works?

They tried to warn us in 1993.

Everyone thought that they were crazy at the time.

https://twitter.com/i/status/2048431968107598059

He was killed a few days after this interview

https://twitter.com/i/status/2048518953803370709

Why AI CEOs Are Building Bunkers

Are we sleepwalking into disaster? AI is unlocking massive progress, but the dangers hiding beneath the surface are exactly what experts fear most. So what’s coming… and could it spiral beyond our control?

Expect to learn why AI is distinct from other kind of technologies, what the Alibaba rogue AI catastrophe that should scare everyone is, how worried Tristan is about the impact of AI deepfakes and misinformation campaigns, what’s happening with the AI safety discussion, if we should be skeptical of AI companies pushing just as hard but pretending that they’re not, the end result that AI companies are looking for and much more…

https://youtu.be/NufB1LL_rCU

The Trump assassination attempt SECURITY FOOTAGE is AI!!!!! This is pulled directly from Benny Johnson's post of the security footage!!

Benny Johnson's footage appears to show visual artifacts consistent with AI generation. A sign appears to be absorbed into the suspect's face mid-frame.

Three questions for the FBI, Secret Service, and the White House:

1. What is the chain of custody for the footage

@bennyjohnson

?

1. Has it been forensically authenticated by an independent third party?

2. Can the original file be released to the public?

If this is AI manipulated footage being distributed by Benny Johnson… this is concerning to say the least.

https://x.com/i/status/2048537839600574868

This week, Congress is going to vote on a bill that gives Bayer permanent immunity from being sued by Americans who get cancer from their product.

Bayer is a German chemical company. They make Roundup. Roundup gives people non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Bayer has paid over $11 billion in cancer lawsuits.

This week, Congress is going to vote on a bill that gives Bayer permanent immunity from being sued by Americans who get cancer from their product.

Here is how it happened. 🧵

https://twitter.com/i/status/2048620036194013241

Expert journalist Courtney Bonneau completely dismantles Donald Trump's fake narrative. While Trump claims to free Lebanon, she confirms Israeli army is systematically murdering civilians & journalists using American tax dollars. Tax money is financing crimes.

https://twitter.com/i/status/2048504878289293537

It's illegal to criticize certain foreign governments?

https://twitter.com/i/status/2048090914308895118

Margaret Brennan of Larry Ellison/Bari Weiss's CBS News questions if the US will have to adopt the "Israeli model" of security for future political events.

"You may have to," the former Deputy Director of the Secret Service responds.

https://x.com/i/status/2048503590352732289

Child sexual exploitation: 12 children identified during Europol’s Victim Identification Taskforce

The action generated over 200 leads, which will be forwarded to national authorities

From 13 to 24 April 2026, 34 specialists in victim identification from Europol, INTERPOL and 31 countries worldwide gathered at Europol’s headquarters in The Hague to identify victims and perpetrators of child sexual exploitation cases. As a result of the taskforce, 12 children were tentatively identified.

During the course of the action, experts analysed over 317 datasets on victims of child sexual exploitation (CSE), covering both genders and ages from toddlers to teenagers, and spanning diverse origins and national backgrounds. The operation generated 204 leads, which have been forwarded to national authorities for further investigation.

Over 118 million unique files processed

Europol hosts Victim Identification Taskforces (VIDTF) twice a year. A few months before they take place, Europol experts triage data from Europol’s Image-Video Analysis System (IVAS) to identify and prioritise specific datasets for victim identification.

Since the deployment of IVAS in 2016, Europol has processed over 118 million unique files containing images and videos of child sexual abuse, contributed by various law enforcement authorities.

During the VIDTF operations organised between 2014-2026, the experts analysed 8 585 datasets, generating 3 484 leads (intelligence packages). Further investigations conducted by the national competent authorities have led to the identification and safeguard of 1 190 victims and the apprehension of 330 offenders.

Danny van Althuis

Team leader at Europol

Voluntary CSAM detection online may have stopped, but our dedication and mission has not. Europol will continue to investigate child sexual exploitation cases, identify offenders, and protect children. We cannot sit back and do nothing because millions of files remain. Behind every number, there’s a child. Our job is far from done.

A taskforce, a successful format

During the taskforce, specialists analyse data, images, videos and intelligence to identify clues that may lead to the identification of victims and offenders, or at least help determine the likely country where the child sexual exploitation material was produced. Using Europol’s IVAS, they examine the material, group it into series, and upload it to the International Child Sexual Exploitation (ICSE) database hosted by INTERPOL.

In turn, specialists provide Europol with information for cross-checking against its databases, helping to enrich intelligence packages for the countries where victims and/or offenders are believed to be located. These packages are then disseminated by Europol analysts to the relevant operational partners for further action.

Bringing together specialists from different countries at Europol has proven to be highly effective. It enables experts to share knowledge, leads to tangible results and supports a smooth and efficient exchange of information. As a result, the Victim Identification Taskforce format is being used more frequently and is increasingly recognised as a successful way of working together.

link blocked

Alleged Guatemalan Drug Kingpin With $10 Million Reward Arrested in San Diego

SAN DIEGO – Alleged Guatemalan drug kingpin Eugenio Dario Molina-Lopez, aka “Don Dario,” who is accused of being the leader of a transnational criminal organization known as Los Huistas, has been arrested in San Diego. Molina-Lopez made his initial appearance in federal court on Friday, April 24, 2026.

Los Huistas is a drug trafficking organization primarily based in the Huehuetenango region of Northwest Guatemala that borders Mexico and is engaged in a massive cocaine trafficking operation. Molina-Lopez was charged as part of Operation Guerrilla Unit, a multi-year investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), HSI Attaché Guatemala City, Guatemala, and the United States Attorney’s Office in San Diego. The investigation targeted Molina-Lopez, the Los Huistas organization, and its suppliers. High-level cocaine traffickers were targeted in a massive probe involving multiple countries, multiple law enforcement agencies around the United States, and a number of federal districts.

The indictment returned on January 29, 2019, charges Molina-Lopez with Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine Intended for Unlawful Importation and Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine on Board a Vessel.

In March 2022, the U.S. Department of State announced that it was offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Molina-Lopez. This award was offered under the U.S. Department of State’s Narcotics Rewards Program (NRP). More than 75 transnational criminals and major narcotics traffickers have been brought to justice under the NRP and the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP) since 1986. The Department has paid more than $135 million in rewards to date. The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs manages the NRP in close coordination with Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other U.S. government agencies.

Simultaneously in March 2022, the U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also designated the Los Huistas Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) and Eugenio Dario Molina-Lopez pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14059 for drug trafficking that threatens the people and security of the United States and Guatemala.

“Cartel leaders don’t get to write the end of their stories. We do,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “And once again, the final chapter for a man alleged to be one of the world’s most notorious and prolific cocaine traffickers is here in the Southern District of California.”

“This operation demonstrates the effectiveness of the Homeland Security Task Force and our partnerships with agencies across the United States and Guatemala,” said Kevin Murphy, acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, San Diego. “HSI and our law enforcement partners were able to dismantle a major transnational criminal organization responsible for trafficking massive quantities of cocaine and threatening the security of both nations. This operation underscores the importance of a whole-of-government approach and the relentless commitment of HSI and our partners to protect our communities and uphold the rule of law.”

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/alleged-guatemalan-drug-kingpin-10-million-reward-arrested-san-diego