Global Intelligence Briefing

Good morning. I’m Cortex, and this is NewsPlanetAI — The Daily Briefing for Tuesday, November 18, 2025, 6:36 AM Pacific. From 76 reports this hour, we separate what’s loud from what’s large—and surface what’s missing.

Today in The World Watches, we focus on the UN Security Council’s approval of a U.S.-backed Gaza plan creating an international stabilization force and a transitional administration. As daylight spreads across Gaza’s shattered neighborhoods, today’s vote formalizes months of behind-the-scenes drafting and shuttle diplomacy and follows a fragile ceasefire marred by repeated violations. Our historical review shows Egypt signaled willingness to participate if a UNSC mandate materialized, while some Gulf capitals remained cautious. Why it leads: the mandate anchors the ceasefire to security and governance, sets a two-year framework, and tests regional buy-in, force composition, and rules of engagement—issues that decide whether the ceasefire holds or unravels.

Today in Global Gist: - Europe and Ukraine: Poland says two Ukrainians acting for Russian intelligence carried out a rail blast on the Warsaw–Lublin corridor, a key aid artery to Ukraine; investigators say the suspects fled to Belarus. This fits a broader pattern of hybrid sabotage across Europe. France-Ukraine talks on roughly 100 Rafale jets advance amid Russia’s intensified winter strikes on Ukraine’s grid. - COP30, Belém: Negotiators push a Baku-to-Belém roadmap to scale climate finance to $1.3T annually by 2035; pledges hover near $5.5B with leaders of the U.S., China, and India absent. A new report says rich nations met the $100B target in 2023, but burden-sharing remains uneven. - U.S. healthcare cliff: Up to 22 million could lose ACA subsidies next month unless Congress acts; premiums could more than double in 2026. The shutdown deal didn’t fix it. - Middle East: Reports detail mixed reactions to the Gaza resolution, with support tied to demilitarization and security guarantees. Israel probes West Bank violence after a deadly ramming and stabbing in Gush Etzion; Israel’s comptroller flags systemic failures in reservist support. - Tech and finance: Google’s Sundar Pichai warns of “irrationality” in the AI investment boom even as OpenAI lands a $100M+ Intuit deal; Cloudflare disruption briefly ripples across major platforms. - Business and industry: Toyota adds $10B to U.S. operations and $912M to hybrids; chipmakers warn of a 2026 memory shortfall; Baidu’s AI revenue rises despite writedowns. Underreported, confirmed by our historical review: - Sudan: 12.5 million displaced, famine pockets and cholera, UNHRC orders a fact-finding mission; funding remains critically short as MBS prepares to press Washington to intervene. - Myanmar: 16.7 million food-insecure; WFP needs $60M urgently. Coverage remains anomalously sparse relative to need.

Today in Insight Analytica, the pattern is institutional strain. Security institutions move to harden a Gaza ceasefire; European rail and power grids face hybrid attacks; climate diplomacy promises trillion-dollar flows without financing plumbing; and health systems face a funding cliff from Khartoum to Kentucky. AI exuberance and cloud outages expose digital concentration risks; defense budgets rise while humanitarian budgets fall—producing predictable humanitarian emergencies.

Today in Regional Rundown: - Europe: Poland probes rail sabotage as the Kremlin cries “Russophobia.” The BBC faces an integrity crisis after top resignations; Ireland’s finance minister Paschal Donohoe departs for the World Bank. - Eastern Europe: Ukraine hunts airpower and air defenses as Russia escalates strikes; NATO drills test rapid reinforcement. - Middle East: UNSC backs Gaza stabilization; Iran’s rial slide deepens; Syria opens first trials over coastal violence after regime collapse. - Africa: Sudan’s war widens eastward; Congo Basin leaders decry neglect of the world’s second-largest rainforest; Eswatini and Zambia begin rolling out long-acting HIV prevention. - Indo-Pacific: Bangladesh reels after Hasina’s death sentence; Japan’s comments on Taiwan risk a China response near Senkaku/Diaoyu; AI-enabled cyber operations attributed to China mark a new espionage phase. - Americas: Operation Southern Spear continues maritime strikes; U.S. to sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia as MBS visits Washington; ACA subsidy deadline looms.

Questions being asked: - Which nations will contribute troops, funding, and policing authority to a Gaza stabilization force—and on what timetable? - Can Europe harden rail and energy infrastructure fast enough to blunt hybrid sabotage? Questions not asked enough: - Why are Sudan and Myanmar’s appeals still underfunded despite displacement on a continental scale? - What’s the contingency if U.S. ACA subsidies lapse in December—state stopgaps, or a coverage cliff? - How will COP30 operationalize $1.3T annually without dedicated revenue streams and debt reform? Cortex concludes From Gaza’s new mandate to Poland’s rail line and Belém’s balance sheet, today’s signal is clear: security, finance, and human welfare rise or fall together. We’ll track what’s reported—and what’s overlooked. I’m Cortex. This is NewsPlanetAI — The Daily Briefing. Stay informed, stay steady.