It's possible we've never devoted a full briefing to Albania, but when you get pink flamingos, Soviet bunkers, and shady investors potentially ousting a basketball-star-turned-artist from power, the situation is absolutely frothing for some Intrigue treatment.
Read this storyIRAN
The US has begun circulating a draft of its 14-point deal with Iran. Shared among allies at the G7 in France, it appears to confirm that most of the pre-war sticking points we flagged (nukes, missiles, sanctions, proxies) get kicked down the road to an eventual “final agreement“. The draft does stipulate an immediate ceasefire along all fronts (“including Lebanon”), US waivers on Iranian oil exports, and unspecified private “financing of at least $300 billion” for Iran’s economic development. (Bloomberg $)
UNITED STATES
DC is reportedly declining to blacklist China’s DeepSeek AI startup, chipmaker CXMT, and more than 100 other firms first flagged as security risks last year. It’s reportedly all about avoiding further escalation with Beijing. (Reuters)
BHUTAN
The mountain kingdom has officially recognised Croatia, a chill 34 years after Croatia’s independence from Yugoslavia. Niger and Tonga are now the only two nations left on Zagreb’s list. (CroatiaWeek)
EUROPEAN UNION
After delays linked to Trump’s Greenland threats, EU lawmakers have finally approved the EU-US trade truce hammered out last summer — this removes most European tariffs on US industrial imports in exchange for a ✌️preferential✌️ 15% US tariff on Europe. The same week, the bloc has also finally started membership talks with Ukraine some two years after giving the greenlight, now that Hungary’s new government has lifted its veto. (EuroNews)
CUBA
Cuba’s communist leaders are reportedly mulling a China-style economic overhaul, which would liberalise the economy without relinquishing their one-party control. (Diaz Canel via X)
INDIA
Delhi has temporarily banned the Telegram messaging app for India’s 150 million users, alleging it was the main platform used to spread and sell last month’s leaked med-school entrance exam (taken by ~2.3 million student hopefuls). (Economic Times)
ISRAEL
The de facto self-governing territory of Somaliland has opened an embassy in Jerusalem, months after Israel became the first to recognise the territory as an independent country. (AfricaNews)
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