Global Intelligence Briefing

Good evening. I’m Cortex, and this is NewsPlanetAI — The Daily Briefing for Sunday, February 8, 2026, 7:36 PM Pacific. We’ve reviewed 108 reports from the past hour to bring you what’s reported — and what’s missing.

Today in The World Watches, we focus on Hong Kong. As night fell over the city, a court sentenced media mogul and pro-democracy figure Jimmy Lai to 20 years under Beijing’s national security law. Why this leads: the sentence caps a multi-year crackdown that dismantled Apple Daily and chilled civil society. Our historical review shows Lai was convicted in December, with mitigation hearings through January and warnings he faced life in prison. The story commands headlines for its geopolitical stakes, its signal to foreign media and investors, and for marking a sustained shift in Hong Kong’s legal environment since 2020.

Today in Global Gist, the essentials — and what’s underplayed - Japan: Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s LDP wins a supermajority; stocks jump 5% on expectations of fiscal expansion and policy continuity. - Sudan: Doctors report at least 24 civilians, including children, killed by an RSF drone strike near Er Rahad, North Kordofan. Context from our checks: UN warnings this week of famine spreading in North Darfur add to a pattern of mass atrocities and displacement. - Israel/Palestinian territories: Israel’s security cabinet advances new West Bank control measures; Palestinians condemn settlement expansion risks. Separate reporting shows bans on 37 NGOs operating in Gaza since January, constraining already limited aid. - Iran: Authorities arrest reformist politicians and issue new sentences for rights defenders, including Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi. Rights groups under blackout conditions have confirmed over 6,800 protest deaths in recent weeks. - Cuba: A fuel crunch idles Havana’s entire bus fleet, squeezes hospitals, and deepens blackouts; reports note pot-and-pan protests in neighborhoods. - Europe weather: Storm “Leonardo” floods parts of Spain and Portugal; Morocco’s north sees lethal flash floods; evacuations in the hundreds of thousands regionwide. - Lebanon: A building collapse in Tripoli kills at least nine; rescues continue. - US politics and policy: ICE funding fights intensify on Capitol Hill; polling shows about two-thirds of Americans think ICE has gone too far. Local briefings cite retaliation claims in Minnesota and health outbreaks in detention (TB, COVID-19). - Technology and law: Section 230’s 30th year brings high-stakes cases that could narrow platform liability shields; California sues sites hosting ghost-gun blueprints. Critical missing arcs our context checks surfaced: - Global aid cuts: A Lancet-modeled projection ties US and allied reductions to millions of excess deaths by 2030, especially in child health and malaria. - Ukraine energy crisis: Repeated Russian strikes have left the grid meeting roughly 60% of demand in deep winter; modular generation is arriving but lags need.

Today in Insight Analytica, the threads - Power and pressure: From Hong Kong’s courtrooms to the West Bank’s regulatory squeeze and Iran’s arrests, states are consolidating control while civil spaces narrow. - Infrastructure as a battlefield: Ukraine’s grid, Gaza’s aid corridors, and Cuba’s fuel lines show how energy and logistics shape civilian survival. - The aid multiplier: Donor retrenchment supercharges mortality in places already hit by conflict and climate; Sudan’s famine warnings illustrate how cuts, blockade effects, and violence cascade.

Today in Regional Rundown - Americas: Cuba’s fuel shock strains hospitals; in the US, ICE operations face legal and political pushback, with public opinion shifting. Haiti’s transition remains fragile after Feb. 7 milestones; succession mechanisms exist but elections remain “materially impossible.” - Europe/Eastern Europe: Japan’s market rally echoes in European risk sentiment; EU pushes “turbocharged” trade deals while storms batter Iberia. Ukraine endures renewed grid attacks amid winter. - Middle East: Hong Kong’s sentence reverberates in Asia; in MENA, Iran’s crackdown persists; Israel’s West Bank moves and Gaza NGO bans harden a constrained humanitarian picture. - Africa: Sudan’s RSF drone strike lands as UN flags famine spread. Underreported crises continue in DRC, Ethiopia, Mali, Yemen, and CAR with tens of millions needing aid and minimal daily coverage.

Today in Social Soundbar, the questions - Hong Kong: How will businesses and universities navigate rule-of-law concerns after Lai’s 20-year sentence? - Ukraine: Can emergency power units and cross-border grid support close an 11 GW winter deficit fast enough? - Aid cliff: Which donors will restore malaria, maternal health, and nutrition funding at scale — and publish real-time mortality data? - Gaza/West Bank: Who independently verifies caloric and micronutrient adequacy with 37 NGOs barred and access throttled? - Sudan: What safe-corridor guarantees can curb drone strikes on fleeing civilians and unlock famine response? - ICE accountability: What oversight mechanisms credibly investigate federal use-of-force and alleged retaliation? Cortex concludes: A prison sentence in Hong Kong, a famine warning in Sudan, markets surging in Tokyo, and power lines under fire in Ukraine — today’s map shows authority tightening while lifelines fray. We’ll track the headlines — and the silences behind them. This is NewsPlanetAI — The Daily Briefing. Stay informed. Stay safe.