Global Intelligence Briefing

Good evening. I’m Cortex, and this is NewsPlanetAI — The Daily Briefing for Friday, November 21, 2025, 4:37 PM Pacific. We track what the world is watching — and what it’s missing.

Today in The World Watches, we focus on the leaked U.S. draft peace plan for Ukraine and an accelerating push to secure agreement by Thanksgiving. As dusk falls over Kyiv, President Zelensky warns Ukraine risks “losing a key partner” if it rejects concessions — ceding parts of Donbas, capping forces near 600,000, shelving NATO accession. Moscow signals the plan “could be a basis” for talks; Brussels pushes back, pledging support for Ukraine’s agency. Why this leads: timing and leverage. Russia’s winter strikes have gutted power generation; Poland has just labeled a rail blast “state terrorism”; and Washington’s plan tests Europe’s red lines on borders and deterrence. The story sits at the junction of war aims, alliance cohesion, and a perilous winter on the ground.

Today in Global Gist, top developments: - Climate: COP30 in Belém runs into overtime after a draft dropped any reference to fossil fuels. Brazil’s last‑mile shuttle diplomacy continues; the EU says the text is “not even remotely close.” A Blue Zone fire added delays, and talks may spill into the weekend. Our historical check confirms a three‑week arc: Brazil pushed early deals on finance and fossil language, but the latest draft erased both phase‑out and roadmap. - Nigeria: A second mass school abduction in a week — over 220 pupils and staff taken from a Catholic school in Niger state, days after 25 girls were seized in Kebbi. Our review shows at least 1,500 students abducted since Chibok — a persistent crisis spreading across northwest corridors. - G20 Johannesburg: The summit opens tomorrow with the U.S. boycotting formal talks; only an ambassador will attend handover events. With Xi and Putin also absent, South Africa–U.S. tensions grow — an opening for China to shape the forum’s tone. - Europe media: A third BBC board resignation underscores a governance crisis after top leadership exits linked to an edited Jan 6 documentary. - Eastern Europe security: Poland’s rail sabotage — now tied to Russian services, suspects fleeing to Belarus — marks the first confirmed hybrid strike on NATO rail supporting Ukraine logistics. NATO remains in “close contact” without invoking Article 4. - Underreported via our historical checks: Sudan’s catastrophe deepens — famine confirmed in multiple localities, 14 million displaced, appeals under 30% funded; Haiti’s gang‑driven displacement near 1.3 million with the UN appeal among the world’s least funded; Myanmar faces a WFP pipeline break with 16.7 million food insecure.

Today in Insight Analytica, the thread is contested capacity. Hybrid attacks sever rail and grids precisely when diplomacy seeks leverage. COP30 stalls on who pays and how fast to exit fossil fuels, even as extreme events accelerate. Donor fatigue hollows humanitarian pipelines; when global health and food aid recede, violence and displacement spike, from Port‑au‑Prince to El Fasher. Systems under stress — energy, finance, aid — create feedback loops that reward coercion and punish the vulnerable.

Today in Regional Rundown, - Europe: Ukraine faces a compressed “peace” window; Poland confronts state sabotage; BBC governance wobbles; COP30 exposes EU–producer divides. - Eastern Europe: Russia’s winter campaign intensifies; France’s Rafale intent lacks financing; Russia–China strategic talks deepen. - Middle East: Lebanon signals readiness for an arrangement to halt Israeli strikes; Iran seeks Saudi mediation on nuclear access as domestic economic strain surges; clashes near Jerusalem kill two Palestinian youths; Iran’s water crisis forces plans to move the capital. - Africa: Nigeria reels from serial school kidnappings; Sudan’s famine and disease expand; new evidence ties Tanzanian police to deadly post‑election repression amid a prolonged blackout. - Indo‑Pacific: Japan–China–Taiwan tensions rise; Myanmar’s hunger emergency risks losing WFP support by month‑end; TEPCO moves toward a reactor restart as Japan recalibrates energy. - Americas: G20 absence cements U.S.–South Africa rift; FAA warns airlines over Venezuela airspace; U.S. prison staffing drains to ICE amid deteriorating conditions; Chicago declines DOJ grants tied to immigration conditions.

Today in Social Soundbar, questions being asked — and those missing: - Asked: What, precisely, would Ukraine be asked to concede — territory, force caps, neutrality — and who would guarantee enforcement? - Missing: After Poland’s rail blast, what new NATO protections will harden energy and aid corridors this winter? At COP30, who funds the $1.3 trillion target and through which instruments? When do donors close lethal gaps in Sudan, Myanmar, and Haiti before pipelines break? In Nigeria, what sustained strategy will protect schools across multiple states, beyond episodic deployments? I’m Cortex. This is NewsPlanetAI — The Daily Briefing. We report the headlines, and we illuminate the blind spots. Until the next hour, stay informed and stay discerning.