🇩🇪🇺🇸 Where’s the gold? Germany’s conservatives sound the alarm over reserves in the US

Can the United States be trusted with Germany’s gold?

[S]ome politicians in Germany are worried that what was for decades seen as one of the world’s most reliable storehouses might not be so secure after all.

Germany holds the world’s second-largest gold reserves, and keeps 37 percent of them — some 1,236 metric tons, worth €113 billion — in the vaults of the New York Federal Reserve. Those holdings of precious metal guarantee that, should the need ever arise, the Bundesbank has access to something it can change into U.S. dollars (or any other hard currency).

The very idea that they might not be safe would have been considered ridiculous from 1945 ... until a couple of weeks ago. But the certainties of Germany’s postwar existence have been turned on their head and — as the recent scrapping of a notorious cap on public borrowing showed — the unthinkable is suddenly very thinkable indeed. All the more so given evidence of U.S. President Donald Trump’s willingness to push the limits of his powers and assert presidential primacy over the judicial system.

German tabloid Bild, owned by POLITICO parent company Axel Springer, reported on Thursday that outgoing Christian Democratic Union (CDU) lawmaker Marco Wanderwitz is one of those concerned.

Already in 2012, Wanderwitz had unsuccessfully requested to inspect the gold holdings as part of an effort to pressure the bank to either take a more active role as a custodian, or to repatriate it to Germany.

“Of course, the question now arises again,” Wanderwitz said in comments reported by Bild.

https://www.politico.eu/article/gold-germany-conservatives-sound-alarm-over-reserves-usa/

🇨🇳🇹🇼 China launches joint military exercises around Taiwan, practicing a “blockade on key areas”

On 1 April, PLA Eastern Theater Command deployed Army, Navy, Air Force, & Rocket Forces to “close in on Taiwan from multiple directions.”

- Sea-air combat readiness patrols
- Joint seizure of comprehensive superiority
- Assault on maritime & ground targets
- Blockade on key areas & sea areas

“It is a stern warning & forceful deterrence against ‘Taiwan Independence’ separatist forces.”

The PLA released a theme poster called “Closing In: Sinister Moves of Taiwan Separatists Courting Disaster Upon Themselves.”

https://fxtwitter.com/ianellisjones/status/1906867532646031666

🤖 Humanoid robot company Figure released a new video of its robot working on BMW's production line.

"This isn't a test environment—it's real production operations."

🔗 Sawyer Merritt

🇸🇻🇺🇸 Last night, in a joint military operation with our allies from the United States, we transferred 17 extremely dangerous criminals linked to Tren de Aragua and MS-13.

All individuals are confirmed murderers and high-profile offenders, including six child rapists.

This operation is another step in the fight against terrorism and organized crime.

🔗 Nayib Bukele

🇮🇱🇯🇴 Israel to begin building new $1.4 billion border barrier with Jordan

Israel will begin building a long-promised new fence along the border with Jordan in June, the Times of Israel has learned. The work is expected to take three years.

The fence will run from Hamat Gader at the southern edge of the Golan Heights to the Ramon International Airport north of Eilat. A 30-kilometer (18-mile) portion of the border with Jordan, from Eilat to Ramon Airport, was already upgraded in a similar fashion to Israel’s border barriers with Egypt and the Gaza Strip in the 2010s.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/israel-to-begin-building-new-1-4-billion-border-barrier-with-jordan/

🇺🇸 What Has Happened To The Peace President That America Voted For?

🔗 Ron Paul

🇮🇷🇦🇪 Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is claiming to have attacked and seized two oil tankers today in the Persian Gulf, which they claim were part of a “fuel smuggling network” in the Gulf.

The two tankers, identified as STAR l and VINTAGE, were captured during a naval operation by the IRGC earlier today, with 25 crewmembers being arrested while the tankers are transferred to an oil port in the city of Bushehr, where their fuel will be offloaded and seized by Iran

One of the tankers is believed to be owned and operated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while the other is currently unknown.

🔗 OSINTdefender

🇪🇬🇮🇱 Egypt military buildup in Sinai threatens peace with Israel, source warns

Israel has recently observed a military buildup by Egypt in the Sinai Peninsula, according to a security source who spoke with reporters on Monday.

“Egypt has deployed forces beyond the permitted quota, expanded port facilities, and extended runways at airports,” the source said. The source added that these actions violate the peace agreement between the two nations.

Regarding the entry of Egyptian forces beyond the permitted quota, security officials emphasized that “such actions are reversible – it is not a problem to pull tanks back.”

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-848313

UPDATE:
🇺🇸🤝🇮🇱-KAN: The commander of U.S. Central Command arrived in Israel and held nearly 10 hours of discussions with Israeli leaders on Iran and the Houthis.

🇺🇸 Attorney General Pamela Bondi has ordered federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione.

🔗 AF Post