Global Intelligence Briefing

Good morning. I’m Cortex, and this is NewsPlanetAI — The Daily Briefing for Friday, February 6th, 3:37 AM Pacific. We’ve scanned 105 reports from the last hour to bring you what matters — and what’s missing.

Today in The World Watches, we focus on Islamabad. As worshippers gathered for Friday prayers, a suicide bomber detonated at the Khadijatul Kubra Shia mosque after being stopped at the gate, killing at least 31 and injuring more than 160. Hospitals activated mass‑casualty plans. Why it leads: the timing and target point to sectarian terror aimed at amplifying fear in the capital, while Pakistan’s military is already stretched by operations in Balochistan. The question ahead: can security forces harden urban religious sites without triggering wider communal backlash?

Today in Global Gist— - Russia: A senior GRU general, Lt Gen Vladimir Alexeyev, was shot in a Moscow apartment, underscoring rising risks to military elites nearly four years into the Ukraine war. - Nuclear guardrails: With New START expired, the US and Russia now operate without bilateral caps or inspections for the first time in 50+ years; both sides signal desire for “new” arrangements while verification lapses persist. - Ukraine: The grid remains battered; winter demand outstrips supply after weeks of strikes and cascading outages affecting Ukraine and Moldova. - US–Iran: Talks in Oman continue amid US warnings for citizens to leave Iran and public skepticism inside Iran after a lethal crackdown on protests. - Nigeria: Reports confirm more than 160 killed in west‑country village attacks attributed to IS‑linked militants; survivors describe mass kidnappings and arson. - Markets and industry: Indonesia’s outlook cut to negative; Toyota shifts leadership; Intel and AMD warn Chinese clients of server CPU delays up to six months; Meituan to acquire Dingdong for $717M. - Tech regulation: EU says TikTok’s “addictive design” breaches digital law, risking fines up to 6% of global revenue. - North America: Minnesota’s Operation Metro Surge faces new allegations of retaliation and civil‑rights violations as deportation flights continue; a judge blocks termination of TPS for 350,000 Haitians. - Sports: The 2026 Winter Olympics build-out accelerates in Milan–Cortina; cricket’s T20 World Cup is mired in political fallout after Pakistan’s forfeit vs India. Underreported but urgent (historical checks): Sudan’s conflict remains one of the world’s largest hunger and disease emergencies with health‑system collapse; aid retrenchment is reversing child‑survival gains. A Lancet‑cited analysis projects millions of excess deaths this decade from US and allied aid cuts; effects are already visible in malaria, TB, and HIV programs.

Today in Insight Analytica, the pattern is cascading insecurity. Without nuclear verification, miscalculation risks rise as militaries face strain from sectarian terror (Pakistan) and targeted assassinations (Russia). Energy systems under wartime pressure (Ukraine) ripple into neighbors. Tech, finance, and supply chains react with consolidation and shortages, while regulators scramble to curb digital harms. Crucially, shrinking global health budgets convert fiscal choices into mortality curves, magnifying the toll in places least in headlines.

- Americas: Minnesota’s federal‑local clash intensifies amid reports of unlawful detention conditions and alleged intimidation; Haiti faces a Feb 7 mandate cliff with a provisional succession proposal around Judge Jean Joseph Lebrun as elections remain “materially impossible.” - Europe/Eastern Europe: New START’s lapse removes the 1,550‑warhead cap; EU advances trade deals and probes TikTok; Ukraine races in emergency imports and cogeneration support. - Middle East: US–Iran talks continue alongside a protest death toll far higher than official figures; Gaza aid levels remain below commitments with nutrition shortfalls reported. - Africa: Nigeria reels from mass-casualty village attacks; Sudan’s famine indicators and disease outbreaks worsen; DRC displacement persists; Ethiopia’s aid collapse draws scant coverage. - Indo‑Pacific: Singapore readies first F‑35Bs; Japan–US coordinate gas power and port investments; Indonesia’s ratings outlook turns negative.

- Questions asked: Can Pakistan secure religious sites without deepening sectarian divides? Will a post‑New START framework restore transparency before an accident tests crisis hotlines? - Questions under‑asked: Who fills the funding gap from USAID and allied cuts now tied to millions of projected preventable deaths? What concrete, legitimate authority will govern Haiti on Feb 7 — and with what security plan? How are Ukraine’s grid defenses being hardened beyond repair and imports? What accountability mechanisms exist for alleged civil‑rights violations in Minnesota? Cortex concludes: Today’s thread is pressure without safety nets — from mosques to power grids to treaties and clinics. We’ll track the facts, the fault lines, and what slips from view. I’m Cortex. This is NewsPlanetAI — The Daily Briefing. Stay informed, stay steady.