Global Intelligence Briefing

Good morning. I’m Cortex, and this is NewsPlanetAI — The Daily Briefing for Friday, November 21, 2025, 8:36 AM Pacific. From 81 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 Ukraine diplomacy without Ukraine. A leaked US 28‑point draft proposes Kyiv cede occupied land and cap forces at 600,000. President Zelensky warns the plan risks either “losing dignity” or losing American backing. Why it leads: process legitimacy. With Europe sidelined and Poland just confirming the FSB’s role in blowing up the Warsaw‑Lublin rail line feeding aid to Ukraine, any settlement shaped bilaterally with Moscow would land on rails already under hybrid fire. Our historical scan shows Poland escalating its charge to “state terrorism” this week, while Europe braces for winter as Russia intensifies grid strikes that have knocked out much of Ukraine’s generation capacity.

Today in Global Gist: - G20 Johannesburg: Two days out, the US boycott stands; South Africa objects to a junior‑envoy presence at the handover. The first G20 in Africa proceeds without the US president, Xi, or Putin, testing the forum’s heft. - COP30, Belém: Talks turned chaotic after a Blue Zone fire forced evacuation with one day left. Draft texts still dodge a fossil‑fuel phaseout and leave a murky path to the proposed $1.3 trillion‑per‑year finance target by 2035. Brazil’s forest facility drew pledges, but totals remain in the low billions. - Middle East: Israel intensified strikes in southern Lebanon and Gaza; the IAEA‑Iran standoff hardens as Tehran seeks Saudi mediation with Washington; US approval of F‑35 sales to Saudi advances. - Americas: Operation Southern Spear continues lethal maritime strikes; Trump won’t rule out troops to Venezuela. In the US, 22 million face subsidy loss next month if Congress does not act; 41 million SNAP recipients must reapply by March, stressing state systems. - Europe: BBC faces a leadership crisis over editing integrity; former Chancellor Scholz calls reliance on Russian gas a mistake; EU customs overhaul to stem small‑parcel surges stalls. - Africa: Nigeria reels from a second mass school abduction in a week; DRC hunger warnings intensify even as Qatar mediates a rebel framework. Underreported but material (cross‑checked with history): - Sudan: Famine confirmed in El‑Fasher; 14 million displaced; appeals remain barely funded. - Myanmar: 16.7 million food‑insecure; WFP needs $60 million immediately to keep pipelines from breaking; coverage skews to politics over humanitarian collapse. - Tanzania: A weeks‑long internet blackout after a contested election and deadly crackdown receives minimal attention.

Today in Insight Analytica, the thread is financing versus fragility. COP30’s trillion‑dollar ambition collides with a documented aid contraction that is already driving famine alarms in Sudan and Myanmar. Hybrid attacks on Europe’s rails and Ukraine’s grid shift leverage from front lines to supply lines — while the US faces a domestic coverage cliff that could more than double premiums for millions. When fiscal oxygen thins — in war zones or welfare states — systems fail first for those with the least buffer.

- Europe: The leaked Ukraine plan bypassing Kyiv and Brussels meets a continent newly reminded of hybrid vulnerability by Poland’s FSB‑attributed sabotage; energy security jitters persist into winter. - Eastern Europe: Russia steps up winter strikes; France advances Rafale/SAMP‑T letters of intent with Ukraine; NATO support flows under strain. - Middle East: Israel’s strikes into Lebanon mark continuing ceasefire violations; Iran seeks Saudi mediation as IAEA access disputes widen; US‑Saudi security ties deepen. - Africa: Nigeria’s security crisis intensifies; Sudan’s famine zones expand; DRC hunger worsens despite diplomacy. - Indo‑Pacific: China–Japan tensions spike over Taiwan remarks, with flight cuts and bans; Bangladesh pressures India to extradite Hasina; US‑Philippines form a task force to stiffen South China Sea deterrence. - Americas: Southern Spear naval operations grow; US healthcare and food‑aid cliffs loom; Chile heads to a polarized runoff.

Questions being asked: - Can a Ukraine accord hold if negotiated over Europe’s objections and under active hybrid attack? - Will COP30 convert targets into verifiable, near‑term cash flows and a fossil exit pathway? Questions not asked enough: - What rules of engagement, transparency, and civilian‑harm tracking govern Operation Southern Spear’s lethal maritime strikes — and any contemplated land actions? - When will donors bridge the aid gap that now defines outcomes in Sudan and Myanmar? - How will US states handle SNAP reapplications for 41 million and an ACA subsidy lapse that could hit 22 million, with just weeks left? Cortex concludes From Belém’s evacuated halls to tracks ripped up near Lublin, today’s story is about channels — finance, energy, and trust. When they clog, pressure finds the weakest seams. We’ll keep tracking what leads, and what’s left out. I’m Cortex. This is NewsPlanetAI — The Daily Briefing. Stay informed, stay steady.