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The US has been holding secret talks with Denmark over opening military bases in Greenland, with some officials floating the idea of designating them as sovereign American territory, while the UAE has been reported to have covertly struck Iran during the recent conflict.

This comes as Pakistan denied allegations it sheltered Iranian military aircraft while publicly positioning itself as a neutral mediator, and South Africa's parliament moved to establish an impeachment committee to investigate President Ramaphosa over the "Farmgate" scandal.

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Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇪🇺🇮🇱 EU greenlights sanctions on Israeli settlers: EU foreign ministers unanimously approved sanctions against Israeli settlers over West Bank violence, marking the first such measures since the Gaza crisis began, after Hungary’s new government dropped its opposition. Several states are pushing for further action including trade restrictions on settlements, while Israel’s foreign minister rejected the move as politically motivated and without basis.

2️⃣ 🇺🇸🇩🇰 US in secret talks to open Greenland bases: The US has been holding regular closed-door negotiations with Denmark to open three new military bases in southern Greenland focused on surveillance of Russian and Chinese maritime activity, per a BBC exclusive. US officials have floated designating the bases as sovereign American territory, though no formal agreement has been reached as negotiators work to satisfy Washington’s demands while respecting Denmark’s boundaries.

3️⃣ 🇫🇷🌍 Macron courts new African allies at Nairobi summit: French President Macron hosted a French-African summit in Nairobi — the first time the event has been held in a non-francophone country — as France seeks to rebuild its standing after being forced to withdraw troops from Mali, Niger and Chad following coups driven by anti-French sentiment. Analysts described the choice of venue as an attempt to reframe France’s Africa policy as broader and less tied to its colonial past.

4️⃣ 🇪🇺🇷🇺 EU rejects Putin’s pick for Ukraine mediator: The EU rejected Putin’s suggestion that Gerhard Schröder serve as a European mediator in Ukraine peace talks, with top diplomat Kaja Kallas saying he cannot be impartial given his history lobbying for Russian state energy firms. A US-brokered ceasefire expires Tuesday with Moscow refusing to extend it, while analysts say a breakthrough is unlikely as both armies sustain heavy casualties and trade strikes on energy infrastructure.

5️⃣ 🇨🇳 Ex-World Bank chief urges China to release food and fertiliser stocks: Former World Bank President David Malpass urged China to stop accumulating food and fertiliser stockpiles, arguing Beijing could ease a global supply crisis worsened by the Strait of Hormuz closure, with nations scrambling to secure fertiliser ahead of spring planting. Malpass also challenged China’s status as a developing nation at the WTO and World Bank, while expressing hope Beijing would help resolve the deadlock ahead of the Trump-Xi summit.

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Major Story

🇵🇰🇮🇷 Pakistan sheltered Iranian aircraft amid mediation role

While publicly positioning itself as a neutral intermediary in the U.S.-Iran conflict, Pakistan quietly allowed Iranian military aircraft, including a reconnaissance variant of a C-130 transport plane, to park at Nur Khan Air Base near Rawalpindi, according to anonymous U.S. officials speaking to CBS News. Iran also reportedly sent civilian aircraft to Afghanistan, though whether military planes were among them remains unclear. 

A senior Pakistani official denied the claims, arguing the base's urban location made concealing a large fleet impossible, while the Taliban's chief spokesman also rejected reports of Iranian aircraft in Afghanistan. The disclosures come as the ceasefire continues to deteriorate, with small-scale clashes near the Strait of Hormuz persisting over the weekend and Trump publicly rejecting Iran's latest peace proposal.

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Other News

1️⃣ 🇪🇬🇾🇪 Egyptian tanker hijacked off Yemen, taken to Somalia: Egypt confirmed that an oil tanker carrying eight Egyptian sailors was hijacked off Yemen’s coast and taken to Somali waters, with Cairo’s foreign minister instructing its Mogadishu embassy to engage Somali authorities at the highest level to secure their release. Pirates have reportedly demanded a ransom, as Somalia’s coastline sees a resurgence of piracy activity that had largely subsided between 2018 and late 2023.

2️⃣ 🇦🇪🇮🇷 UAE secretly struck Iran during the war: The UAE carried out covert military strikes on Iran, including an attack on a refinery on Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf in early April, making it the only country besides the US and Israel to join the conflict, per a Wall Street Journal report. Washington reportedly welcomed Abu Dhabi’s involvement after other Gulf states refused to participate, while the UAE has not acknowledged the strikes and its foreign ministry declined to comment.

3️⃣ 🇺🇸🇻🇪 Trump floats making Venezuela the 51st state: President Trump told Fox News he is “seriously considering” making Venezuela the 51st state, months after a US military operation led to the arrest of former President Nicolás Maduro, though acting President Delcy Rodríguez swiftly rejected any annexation. Legal experts note the move would be constitutionally implausible without congressional approval and Venezuela’s consent.

4️⃣ 🇺🇦 Zelenskyy’s former chief of staff charged with corruption: Ukraine’s anti-corruption bureau formally charged Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s former chief of staff, with corruption and money laundering involving an alleged €8.9 million tied to real estate near Kyiv. The charges connect to a broader €85 million scandal at state energy firm Energoatom that has ensnared other Zelenskyy associates, with Yermak dismissed last November on the same day investigators searched his office.

5️⃣ 🇿🇦 South Africa launches presidential impeachment probe: South Africa’s parliament is set to establish an impeachment committee to investigate President Cyril Ramaphosa over the “Farmgate” scandal, after the constitutional court ruled last week that blocking an inquiry four years ago was unconstitutional. The scandal centres on the 2020 theft of $4 million hidden in a sofa at Ramaphosa’s game farm, though he has denied wrongdoing, refused to resign and plans to legally challenge the panel’s findings.

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