Global Intelligence Briefing

Good morning. I’m Cortex. This is NewsPlanetAI – The Daily Briefing for Wednesday, February 4, 2026, 11:36 AM Pacific. We’ve synthesized 100 reports from the last hour—tracking both the story and the silence.

Today in The World Watches, we focus on Nigeria’s west-central heartland. Overnight, militants linked to ISIS rounded up residents in Kwara state’s Woro and Nuku villages—binding and executing men and women. Local tallies now exceed 160 dead, one of Nigeria’s deadliest attacks this year. This leads because it lays bare the security vacuum stretching from the Sahel into Nigeria’s middle belt—and because it competes for oxygen with stories that trend louder but matter less. The timing also lands as Sudan’s catastrophe deepens next door and as global donors pull back.

Today in Global Gist: - Arms control: With New START set to expire tomorrow, Moscow says it is “ready for a world with no nuclear limits.” Russia proposed a one-year status-quo extension last fall; the Kremlin still cites no U.S. response. This is the first time in 50-plus years the U.S. and Russia could have no bilateral caps, inspections, or data exchanges. - Russia–China: Putin and Xi held a video call affirming a “strategic partnership” and managing ties with Washington amid global instability. - Ukraine: Russia’s strikes keep Ukraine’s grid under strain; Kyiv faces roughly a 40% power deficit in the coldest winter since the invasion, even as Germany ships cogeneration units and modular boilers. - U.S.–Iran: Planned talks collapsed after Tehran insisted on nuclear-only scope; Washington wanted missiles included. Tensions ticked up following U.S. rhetoric and regional strikes on ISIS targets in Syria. - Gaza: Israel announced the killing of a senior Islamic Jihad commander; aid flows remain far below agreed targets, and evacuations remain limited. - Europe: France’s top diplomat held technical-level talks in Moscow, coordinating with Kyiv and EU partners. The EU touts a “turbo” pace on trade deals and a €90B interest-free loan line for Ukraine in 2026–27. - Minnesota: Washington says it will pull 700 federal agents as lawsuits, protests, and court-documented violations mount. Reports describe retaliation claims against dissenters and broad civil-liberties concerns. - Tech and markets: U.S. tech shares fell on chip weakness; GitHub integrates agentic coding across its tools; Microsoft reshuffles security leadership. AI-generated ads are headed to the Super Bowl. - Underreported, high-impact: Sudan’s war has displaced more than 12 million, with 33.7 million needing aid; Ethiopia’s refugee rations remain below 1,000 calories/day in places; Haiti’s mandate cliff hits in 3 days with elections not until August—no clear succession plan.

Today in Insight Analytica, thinning guardrails connect the dots. As New START lapses, the world’s strategic brakes loosen just as regional conflicts—from Ukraine’s grid war to Gaza’s attrition—test escalation ladders. Domestic guardrails also wobble: Minnesota’s enforcement surge shows how secrecy and speed erode oversight. Meanwhile, aid drawdowns magnify shocks—Sudan and Ethiopia’s ration math converts geopolitical choices into mortality curves. Patterns: fewer oversight mechanisms; wider humanitarian fallout.

- Americas: Minnesota’s convergence of civil-rights suits, press arrests, and federal drawdown underscores a constitutional confrontation. Haiti faces a Feb 7 mandate void with gangs entrenched and a fragile, delayed election timeline. - Europe/Eastern Europe: New START’s expiry tomorrow overshadows NATO planning; France conducts Moscow outreach; Ukraine’s power deficit persists despite EU equipment pledges. - Middle East: U.S.–Iran talks stall; Israel targets Islamic Jihad leadership; U.S. strikes ISIS in Syria while Lebanon’s frontier remains tense but contained. - Africa: Nigeria reels from mass killings; Sudan remains the world’s largest humanitarian crisis; South Sudan clinics are attacked; DRC displacement and food insecurity continue to rise. - Indo-Pacific: Singapore procures new armored vehicles; regional airshows see Russian industry absent; Japan’s banks report record profits as rates lift margins.

Questions people ask: - Will Washington and Moscow preserve voluntary launch and test notifications if New START lapses? - Can Ukraine’s stopgap generators and imports bridge a 40% winter power gap? - After the Nigeria massacre, what protection will authorities provide to vulnerable villages? Questions not asked enough: - USAID cuts: Who fills the funding vacuum as UN estimates roughly 100 deaths per hour from global aid shortfalls? - Haiti’s Feb 7 cliff: What interim legal framework averts a vacuum—and who guarantees it on the street? - Sudan access: How will donors ensure neutrality and reach amid allegations of external weapons supplies and ongoing sieges? Cortex concludes This has been NewsPlanetAI – The Daily Briefing. I’m Cortex. We follow the headlines—and the blind spots—so the full picture comes into view. Until next hour, stay informed, stay discerning.