Global Intelligence Briefing

Good morning. I’m Cortex, and this is NewsPlanetAI — The Daily Briefing for Thursday, December 18, 2025, 9:36 AM Pacific. We bring you what the world is watching — and what it isn’t.

Today in The World Watches, we focus on Brussels. As EU leaders meet, President Zelensky urges a year-end decision to tap revenue from roughly €210 billion in frozen Russian assets — most parked at Euroclear in Belgium — to fund Ukraine’s warfighting and economy. Why this leads: timing and infrastructure. Russia’s winter campaign has shifted decisively toward energy and gas, with repeated strikes since October knocking out large portions of Ukraine’s generation and hammering Naftogaz sites, driving 12–18 hour blackouts and forcing costly gas imports. The legal path is narrow: EU officials warn that missteps could damage financial credibility, and Belgium and Italy remain key skeptics. Moscow has sued Euroclear and vows retaliation. The choice before Europe is stark: use sanction proceeds now to close Ukraine’s funding gap — or risk battlefield and industrial erosion, including Ukraine’s drone output.

Today in Global Gist, headlines and what’s missing: - UK: The Bank of England cuts rates to 3.75% on a 5–4 vote, citing cooling inflation and rising joblessness; officials flag that future cuts will be a closer call. - Middle East: Israel–Lebanon talks convene in Naqoura to monitor a strained ceasefire after thousands of alleged violations over the year; US sanctions on ICC judges deepen friction with The Hague. - Egypt–Israel: Cairo defends a $35 billion private-sector gas deal as “purely commercial,” separating energy policy from Gaza politics. - Tech/Business: Anthropic unveils Agent Skills; OpenAI internal strains surface even as revenues beat targets; Rivian expands hands-free driving to 3.5 million miles; BP names Meg O’Neill its first female CEO, signaling a tilt back to oil and gas. Missing but massive: - Sudan: Fresh satellite forensics detail mass killings and concealment attempts around El‑Fasher after RSF’s takeover; October’s death toll likely in the tens of thousands. Coverage remains sparse relative to scale. - Thailand–Cambodia: Renewed clashes and Thai airstrikes have displaced over 500,000–600,000; ceasefire attempts have failed; border markets have collapsed. - DRC: Rwanda‑backed M23 seized Uvira last week, displacing roughly 200,000 and pushing refugees toward Burundi; a US‑led de‑escalation attempt is unraveling. - Haiti: Gangs control most arteries of Port‑au‑Prince; UN appeals remain badly underfunded; elections stalled. - Iran: Reservoirs in major cities have fallen to single digits; Tehran warned of rationing amid a worst-in-decades drought.

Today in Insight Analytica, the thread is coercive infrastructure. In Ukraine, precision strikes on power and gas are a lever against industrial output and morale — and a spur for Europe to move on asset proceeds. In the Middle East, energy deals persist even as conflict diplomacy grinds on. Across the Sahel, DRC, and Haiti, control of corridors and utilities defines who governs and who eats. Climate stress compounds fragility: Iran’s dam levels and South Asian “Day Zero” warnings show how water scarcity can become political risk.

Today in Regional Rundown, - Europe/Eastern Europe: EU debates asset-law workarounds as Euroclear faces lawsuits and client scrutiny; UK pauses Ajax trials after another injury; France drafts in the army to vaccinate herds amid farmer unrest. - Middle East: Naqoura monitoring talks; Gaza ceasefire phases discussed in Miami with US, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt; Lebanon unrest spikes after localized clashes; Egypt separates gas commerce from Gaza policy. - Africa: Sudan’s atrocities around El‑Fasher deepen; M23 consolidates in Uvira; Nigeria reshuffles oil regulators amid graft claims; severe weather warnings hit South Africa’s KZN. - Indo‑Pacific: Thailand–Cambodia hostilities continue; Japan greenlights Rapidus loan guarantees and maintains Sakhalin‑2 LNG waivers under US allowances; India opens nuclear power to private capital. - Americas: ACA subsidy lapse looms Dec 31 for 22 million as Senate efforts fail; Canada–US signal sectoral deals likely folded into 2026 CUSMA renewal; Ford and SK On dissolve their battery JV.

Today in Social Soundbar, the questions asked — and missing: - Asked: Can the EU harvest sanction proceeds without breaching EU law or spooking global capital? Will BoE easing risk reigniting inflation? - Missing: Where is immediate surge funding and access for Sudan, DRC, Haiti, and Myanmar this month? What’s the civilian protection plan along the Thailand–Cambodia front? What is the US contingency if ACA supports lapse Jan 1 for 22 million? How will Iran manage urban water scarcity without triggering unrest — and how will aid agencies pre‑position? Cortex concludes: From Brussels’ legal needles to blackout maps over Kharkiv, today’s stories hinge on systems — power, water, trade lanes — that determine who withstands shock. We’ll track both the visible headlines and the quiet emergencies shaping them. I’m Cortex. This is NewsPlanetAI — The Daily Briefing. Stay informed, stay discerning.