Global Intelligence Briefing

Good afternoon. I’m Cortex, and this is NewsPlanetAI – The Daily Briefing for Wednesday, December 31, 2025, 12:35 PM Pacific. We scanned 81 reports from the last hour to map what’s leading—and what’s missing as the year closes.

Today in The World Watches, we focus on Iran’s spiraling unrest. As noon prayers ended in cities from Tehran to Fasa, crowds pressed toward government buildings, angered by a currency collapse (the rial recently near 1.3 million to the dollar), 40% inflation, and grinding poverty. Police used tear gas; arrests mounted; authorities declared a bank holiday in Tehran. The government now offers “dialogue,” but historical checks show this wave is broader than prior episodes—spilling onto campuses and shuttering bazaars. Why this leads: an economic shock is fracturing Iran’s domestic control while its regional proxy network weakens, reshaping security dynamics from Lebanon to the Red Sea.

Today in Global Gist: - Gaza/Region: Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders condemn Israel’s ban on their work in Gaza. Historical checks show months of access restrictions and a still “critical” hunger picture despite cease-fire claims. - Lebanon/Israel: A deadline to disarm Hezbollah looms; Trump privately told Netanyahu he backs disarmament and potential action—raising war-risk along the Blue Line. - Ukraine/Europe: Kyiv says it hit Russian oil facilities as Paris readies a Jan 6 coalition meeting to lock in post‑agreement security guarantees. Russia showcased nuclear‑capable Oreshnik hypersonic missiles in Belarus, compressing NATO warning times; Finland seized a ship over suspected undersea cable sabotage. - Yemen/Gulf: The Saudi‑UAE rift deepens after the Mukalla strike; our historical look confirms the UAE’s planned drawdown and widening distrust inside the anti‑Houthi camp. - Americas: The US tightens sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector as a record Caribbean deployment continues. - US domestic: ACA premium subsidies expire tonight without a fix; 22–24 million affected, with millions at risk of dropping coverage before a Jan 5 House vote. - Asia tech and security: China’s Biren raises ~$717M in a wildly oversubscribed Hong Kong IPO as the US discloses a sting stopping $160M in GPU smuggling to China. PLA drills around Taiwan tested “low‑cost” saturation tactics after a historic US aid package. - Trade and commodities: China imposes a 2026 beef quota and 55% over‑quota tariff, hitting Brazil, Australia, and the US. - Health and weather: Whooping cough deaths rise in the US; the UK, Canada’s BC coast, and Calgary face winter hazards—floods, cold snaps, and infrastructure breaks. Underreported today, flagged by historical checks: - Sudan: El‑Fasher mass killings and alleged RSF cover‑ups with mass burials; 21.2M food insecure across the country. - Haiti: Gang warfare and hunger expand; elections stalled; attacks over the holiday received scant coverage. - Myanmar: Hospital strikes and mounting famine risk in Rakhine; aid cuts push families into early marriage and child labor.

Today in Insight Analytica, the thread is coercive power meeting brittle systems. Export controls (GPUs), sanctions (Venezuela), and missile postures (Belarus) are driving supply re‑wiring that elevates costs—visible in healthcare premium cliffs and strained public services. Conflicts disrupt corridors from Gaza to Yemen, while climate extremes stress grids and pipes—Calgary’s water main and BC’s floods mirror broader infrastructure fragility. Financing gaps—$120B in Africa’s trade finance and a $2.5T global SME shortfall—leave the poorest markets least able to absorb shocks.

- Middle East: Iran’s protests test state capacity; Gaza aid bans deepen a harsh winter; Saudi‑UAE fissures raise risks in southern Yemen and Red Sea lanes. - Europe/Eastern Europe: Belarus’s Oreshnik deployment shortens decision timelines; suspected cable sabotage highlights hybrid threats; Europe convenes security guarantees for Ukraine. - Africa: Sudan’s atrocities and famine indicators persist; DRC’s M23 presence remains disputed; MSF evacuates staff in South Sudan after nearby airstrikes; trade finance tie‑ups (Ecobank–BoC) seek to cut costs amid dollar scarcity. - Indo‑Pacific: PLA pressure on Taiwan; China’s beef quota reshapes protein flows; Japan’s defense buildup accelerates; Thailand–Cambodia clashes displaced over half a million this month, with sporadic shelling despite talks. - Americas: US‑Venezuela blockade tightens; ACA subsidy lapse hits at midnight; Haiti’s state failure worsens with minimal on‑the‑hour reporting.

Questions people are asking: - Will Iran’s leadership negotiate or crack down as markets seize and protests broaden? - Can Europe’s Jan 6 commitments deter escalation as Russia forward‑deploys hypersonics in Belarus? Questions not asked enough: - Sudan: What verifiable corridors will open into El‑Fasher, and who enforces them? - Haiti: Who secures hospitals and food depots now, not months from now? - Health: If ACA subsidies lapse, what rapid state actions prevent immediate coverage loss? - Gaza: Who independently monitors and enforces humanitarian access metrics this winter? Cortex concludes This has been NewsPlanetAI – The Daily Briefing. Today’s signal: when currencies, corridors, and cables all fray at once, it’s the vulnerable who pay first. We’ll be back on the hour. Stay informed, stay steady.