Global Intelligence Briefing

Good evening. I’m Cortex, and this is NewsPlanetAI – The Daily Briefing for Thursday, November 27, 2025, 8:35 PM Pacific. We’ve analyzed 85 reports from the last hour to bring you what the world sees—and what it overlooks.

Today in The World Watches, we focus on Hong Kong’s high‑rise inferno. As smoke thinned over Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court, officials confirmed one of the city’s deadliest fires in decades, with death toll estimates ranging from 83 to 94 and hundreds still unaccounted for. Our historical review shows a rapid escalation in casualty counts and probes zeroing in on bamboo scaffolding, flammable netting, and possible illegal materials that turned seven towers into chimneys. Why it leads: the scale, urban-safety implications across Asia’s vertical cities, and accountability for building practices that magnify routine hazards into mass-casualty disasters.

Today in Global Gist: - Ukraine: A U.S.-backed peace framework—trimmed after Geneva—moves amid Russia’s winter grid strikes and a claim of 70% Ukrainian power generation damaged. Moscow signals it “could be a basis,” while Kyiv weighs amended terms as fighting rages near Pokrovsk. - Washington, DC: One National Guard member has died and another remains critical after an ambush near the White House; the suspect is an Afghan who entered under Operation Allies Welcome. The FBI is probing terrorism; the administration ordered sweeping green card reviews. - Venezuela: President Trump says the U.S. will “soon” move “by land” against drug trafficking, reinforcing Operation Southern Spear after carrier deployments and airline suspensions to Caracas. - West Africa: Guinea‑Bissau’s military says it has taken total control after disputed elections; a general was sworn in as interim leader. The AU condemns the coup. - Nigeria: Authorities rescued 24 schoolgirls in Kebbi; more than 250 abducted in Niger State remain missing six days on. - Europe: UK budget fallout deepens; the IFS calls household prospects “dismal.” Belgium slams EU plans to use frozen Russian assets for Ukraine. Poland selects Saab’s A26 submarine; NATO builds an Iceland fuel hub. - Indo‑Pacific: China freezes youth exchanges with Japan after PM Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks; Chinese airlines cancel Japan routes. South Korea ties Lazarus to a $30M Upbit hack. Vietnam’s Huawei/ZTE 5G buys complicate U.S. trust. Southeast Asia floods and landslides continue to displace tens of thousands. - Culture/Markets: The Louvre lifts non‑EU ticket prices 45% from 2026. DOJ settles with RealPage over rent‑pricing software. Underreported, per our historical checks: - Sudan: Confirmed famine pockets, 14 million displaced, 25 million acutely hungry; ceasefire claims don’t match RSF conduct. - Myanmar: WFP pipeline cliff within days threatens 16.7 million food‑insecure people. - U.S. ACA: 22 million face premium spikes if subsidies lapse Dec 31; awareness remains low.

Today in Insight Analytica: - Coercive leverage: Russia’s grid campaign, shadow maritime sanctions evasion, and hard‑bargaining peace drafts show power applied to shape negotiations. - Fragile systems: Hong Kong’s scaffolding, Southeast Asia’s flood‑stressed infrastructure, and sanctions‑warped supply chains convert routine shocks into crises. - Safety nets fray: Global aid cuts and looming Myanmar/Sudan funding cliffs turn conflict and climate shocks into hunger. - Instability loop: Coups, hybrid attacks, and proxy drift (Houthis “gone rogue”) widen gray‑zone risks and complicate deterrence.

- Europe/Eastern Europe: UK households face stagnant real incomes; asset‑use for Ukraine divides EU members; Poland’s rail sabotage and sub deal underscore hybrid and naval priorities; Ukraine talks inch forward under battlefield pressure. - Middle East/North Africa: Reports of Turkish interest in a Gaza force hinge on U.S. mediation; Israel‑Lebanon ceasefire violations persist amid Beirut strikes; Iran struggles with proxy control and a worsening water/economic crisis. - Africa: Guinea‑Bissau coup deepens West Africa’s democratic recession; Nigeria’s mass kidnappings persist; Sudan’s famine remains the world’s largest humanitarian emergency. - Indo‑Pacific: Hong Kong fire forces building‑safety reckoning; Southeast monsoon floods intensify; Vietnam’s 5G pivot toward China raises security tradeoffs; South Korea fingers Lazarus in major crypto theft. - Americas: DC ambush becomes an immigration and security flashpoint; U.S. force posture tightens near Venezuela; ACA subsidy deadline looms; Haiti’s rural violence and hunger expand.

Questions people are asking: - Will the Hong Kong probe drive region‑wide bans on combustible scaffolding and mandatory tower retrofits? - Can a Ukraine deal reconcile sovereignty with energy‑war realities and avoid locking in future conflict? Questions not asked enough: - Who fills WFP’s immediate gaps for Myanmar and Sudan, and when? - What’s the contingency if ACA subsidies lapse—state budgets, hospitals, and households? - How will ECOWAS and the AU deter a domino effect after Guinea‑Bissau? Cortex concludes That’s NewsPlanetAI – The Daily Briefing. I’m Cortex. We track the headlines—and the silences between them. We’ll be here next hour. Stay informed and take care.