“Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi landed in Moscow on Thursday to deliver a message from the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian state media reported. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran with bombing and secondary tariffs if Tehran does not come to an agreement with Washington over its disputed nuclear program, and the United States has moved additional warplanes into the region. The U.S. and Iran held talks in Oman last weekend that both sides described as positive and constructive. Ahead of a second round of talks set to take place in Rome this weekend, Araqchi said on Wednesday that Iran’s right to enrich uranium is not negotiable.” (04/17/25)
“Google has illegally built ‘monopoly power’ with its web advertising business, a federal judge in Virginia has ruled, siding with the Justice Department in a landmark case against the tech giant that could reshape the basic economics of running a modern website. The ruling that Google violated antitrust law marks the US government’s second major court victory over Google in less than a year amid claims the company has illegally monopolized key parts of the internet ecosystem, including online search. And it is the third such decision since a federal jury in December 2023 found that Google’s proprietary app store is also an illegal monopoly.” [editor’s note: Google is the biggest player in online advertising, but has numerous competitors. They’re not even close to being a “monopoly” – TLK] (04/17/25)
“Turkey’s central bank surprised markets on Thursday when it raised its key interest rate, the one-week repurchase rate, from 42.5% to 46%, ending the easing cycle it began in December of last year. The decision comes on the back of economic disruption due to U.S. tariffs and major political unheaval and investor flight following the arrest of Istanbul mayor and opposition leader Ekrem Imamoglu in March.” (04/17/25)
“Bulgaria’s government on Thursday survived a second no-confidence motion in parliament in as many weeks. The motion tabled by the Mech party and backed by two other nationalist and pro-Russia groups accused the government of failing to effectively combat rampant graft and bribery. It was defeated in a 130-72 vote in the 240-seat parliament. The government’s coalition Cabinet is led by the center-right GERB party. The government condemned the motion as an attempt to derail Bulgaria’s plan to adopt the euro at the beginning of 2026, which would consolidate its European integration.” (04/17/25)
“A federal judge says he won’t dismiss a lawsuit from labor unions seeking to block Elon Musk’s team from accessing systems at the Labor Department. The labor unions say that allowing Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to access the systems violates the federal Privacy Act because they contain medical and financial records of millions of Americans. They also contend DOGE doesn’t have the legal authority to direct the actions of congressionally created agencies like the Department of Labor. In a ruling Wednesday, U.S. District Judge John Bates said those claims could move forward in court. But some other, more specific arguments made by the unions — including that the U.S. Health and Human Services Department violated health care privacy laws by allowing DOGE access — were dismissed by the judge.” (04/17/25)
“Russia’s Supreme Court on Thursday lifted a ban on Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, a group that was designated as a terrorist organization more than two decades ago. The move was a diplomatic victory for the Taliban, who were put on Russia’s list of terrorist organizations in 2003, making any contact with them punishable under Russian law. At the same time, Taliban delegations have attended various forums hosted by Russia as Moscow has sought to position itself as a regional power broker. The court’s ruling on a request by the Prosecutor General’s Office followed last year’s adoption of a law stipulating that the official designation as a terrorist organization could be suspended by a court.” (04/17/25)
“An immigration judge denied bond for a Tufts University student from Turkey who has been [abducted] by authorities in Louisiana for three weeks over what her lawyers say is apparent retaliation for an op-ed piece she co-wrote in the student newspaper. Meanwhile, Rumeysa Ozturk’s lawyers filed a new request with a federal judge in Vermont considering whether to take jurisdiction of her detention case. … Lawyers for Ozturk, 30, had asked an immigration judge that she be released on bond as her immigration case proceeds. That judge denied her request Wednesday, the same day Ozturk had a hearing, they said in a statement released Thursday morning.” (04/17/25)
“Moldova’s parliament voted on Thursday to hold parliamentary elections in September, a poll that is expected to be closely fought and could significantly reduce the number of seats held by President Maia Sandu’s pro-Western PAS party. Sandu is seeking to take Moldova into the European Union and move away from Moscow, which formerly ruled the small eastern European nation sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania. Alexander Stoianoglo, the former prosecutor-general who came closer than expected to unseating Sandu in a presidential election last year, is leading a coalition of three parties to challenge PAS'[s] majority.” (04/17/25)
“U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday launched a stinging attack on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, saying his ‘termination cannot come fast enough!’ In an early morning post on Truth Social, Trump rehashed long-held grievances about Powell’s leadership of the U.S. central bank, namely that he is not lowering interest rates quickly enough, and therefore failing to stimulate the economy. There has long been speculation that Trump would try to remove Powell from his Fed position in what would be significant interference in an institution that has jealously guarded its independence. Powell has previously said that the president doesn’t have the authority to fire him.” (04/17/25)
“In a breakthrough that could mark a major step in the search for life beyond Earth, scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope have identified gases in a distant planet’s atmosphere that, on Earth, are produced solely by biological processes. K2-18b, a planet located 124 light-years from Earth and orbiting a cool red dwarf star, had already intrigued astronomers with signs it may host a vast global ocean. Now, things have become even more compelling — researchers believe they’ve detected dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in its atmosphere. On Earth, this gas is only produced by living organisms, mainly tiny ocean-dwelling microbes like phytoplankton. There is no known non-biological source. While the discovery remains tentative, astronomers are eager to verify whether this potential biosignature stands up to further scrutiny.” (04/17/25)
