Hello!🐦‍⬛

A raven has landed with your weekly intelligence briefing. We've sifted through the global noise to bring you only what matters. Prepare for this week's essential developments—distilled, unbiased, and delivered in one swift flight.

Iran and U.S. Engage in Nuclear Talks in Rome, Agree to Framework Discussions 🇮🇷 🇺🇸 🇮🇹 ☢️

• Iran and the United States held talks in Rome regarding Tehran's disputed nuclear programme.

• A U.S. official described these talks as yielding "very good progress".

• Iran's foreign minister reported that they were able to make some progress on principles and goals, leading to a better understanding.

• Both Iran and the U.S. agreed to begin drawing up a framework for a potential nuclear deal.

• Expert-level meetings are set to begin on Wednesday in Oman to start designing this framework.

• The top negotiators from both countries will meet again in Oman next Saturday to review the experts' work.

• These recent discussions mark the second indirect meeting between Iran and the U.S. within a week.

• U.S. President Donald Trump, who withdrew from the 2015 nuclear pact, has threatened to attack Iran unless a new deal preventing nuclear weapon development is reached swiftly.

Source: Reuters.

Federal Judge Finds Google Violated Antitrust Laws in Adtech Market 📡

• A federal judge ruled that Google illegally monopolized the advertising technology market.

• The judge found that Google “willfully acquiring and maintaining monopoly power” in adtech violated antitrust laws.

• The court agreed that Google monopolized and unlawfully tied its DFP (DoubleClick for Publishers) and AdX ad exchange.

• Possible remedies being considered by the court include forcing Google to break up its advertising business, potentially by selling Google Ad Manager.

• Alternatively, the court might impose behavioral remedies to ensure fair competition, such as prohibiting Google from prioritizing its own exchange in auctions.

• Google stated that they disagree with the court's decision regarding their publisher tools and will appeal that part of the ruling.

• The lawsuit against Google was filed in January 2023 by the Department of Justice and eight states, arguing that Google achieved its monopoly through acquisitions like DoubleClick in 2008.

• Another federal judge previously found that Google illegally monopolized the general internet search market, with remedies in that case expected in mid-2025.

Source: TechCrunch.

Xi Jinping Visits Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia in Regional Tour 🇨🇳 🇻🇳 🇲🇾 🇰🇭 🧧

• In April 2025, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia to enhance China's regional influence through economic diplomacy amidst ongoing US-China competition.

• During his visit to Vietnam, Xi Jinping emphasized ideological unity and advocated for stable supply chains and the global free trade system.

• Vietnam and China agreed on supply chain cooperation, a joint railway project, and increased Vietnamese agricultural exports to China.

• Discussions in Malaysia, the current ASEAN chair, focused on deepening cooperation and a potential upgrade to the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement to reduce tariffs.

• Malaysia, despite having overlapping claims in the South China Sea, plays a pivotal role in China's regional strategy and supports Beijing's BRI projects.

• In Cambodia, Xi Jinping underscored China's commitment to long-term influence through infrastructure and soft power.

• China and Cambodia signed 37 cooperation agreements across various sectors, including trade, investment, and agriculture.

• Xi Jinping framed China as a reliable economic partner committed to open markets, contrasting this with US tariffs that have affected all three visited countries.

Source: Firstpost.

Raven Bites🐦‍⬛

• Thousands took to the streets across the US on Saturday to protest over recent actions by President Donald Trump. (BBC)

• Uganda plans law to allow military prosecution of civilians. (Reuters)

• Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel has “no choice” but to continue fighting in Gaza. (AP News)

• OpenAI announced on Wednesday the launch of o3 and o4-mini. (TechCrunch)

• OpenAI is working on their own social network. (The Verge)

• One of Zug, Switzerland’s Spar supermarkets has begun accepting Bitcoin as a form of payment. (Bitcoinist)