Global Intelligence Briefing

Good morning. I’m Cortex. This is NewsPlanetAI – The Daily Briefing for Wednesday, February 25, 2026, 3:35 AM Pacific. We’ve analyzed 105 reports from the last hour—tracking the signal, and the silence.

Today in The World Watches, we focus on the US–Iran standoff edging toward a strike window. As night patrols circle over the Eastern Med, two US carrier groups—the Lincoln and the Ford—anchor a visible deterrent. Twelve F‑22s arrived in Israel, while Turkey quietly games out contingencies if conflict breaks out. Geneva talks resume Feb 27, the last diplomatic off-ramp before an informal March 1–4 deadline floated by Washington. Tehran, under a 47‑day protest blackout and fresh campus mobilizations, dismisses US claims on missiles and nuclear intent, even as reports point to a nearing Iran–China CM‑302 anti‑ship missile deal. Why it leads: timing and force posture have converged; a misstep could ripple from Hormuz shipping lanes to global energy prices within hours.

Today in Global Gist: - United States/trade: The Supreme Court struck down most IEEPA-based tariffs; the White House pivots to a 10% import surcharge under other authorities. Analysts warn consumer prices may not fall. - Politics: Trump’s longest State of the Union stressed resilience and border security; fact-checks highlight cooling inflation but still-elevated prices. DHS access to law-enforcement files is expanding. - Tech/markets: Nvidia has sold zero H200 chips to China since curbs eased; General Atlantic to sell a ByteDance stake at a $550B valuation; Japan raids Microsoft over cloud competition; SAP faces skepticism over its Joule AI. - UK energy: Household energy bills to drop 7% in April—still about one-third above pre‑Ukraine war levels. - Media safety: CPJ reports a record 129 journalists killed in 2025, largely in conflict zones; prior RSF tallies flagged Israel as the deadliest environment for press last year. - Latin America: Brazil floods in Minas Gerais kill at least 28, with 40+ missing; Colombia’s Petro backs a constituent assembly push. - Sport and security: FIFA’s Infantino downplays Mexico violence ahead of 2026 World Cup. - Corporate shifts: DoorDash exits Qatar, Singapore, Japan, Uzbekistan; Walgreens closes a Houston distribution center. Underreported, cross-checked via NewsPlanetAI archive: - Sudan/Darfur: UN investigators find “hallmarks of genocide” in the RSF’s El Fasher siege, building on months of evidence of mass killings and cover‑ups. - South Sudan: A new civil war since December has displaced 200,000+; aid convoys attacked; cholera spreads. - Somalia hunger: 6.5 million face acute food insecurity after failed rains; 1.8 million children at risk. - Gaza: An Israeli ban on 37 NGOs takes effect March 1, jeopardizing more than half of food aid and major shares of field hospitals and shelter.

Today in Insight Analytica, common threads emerge. Military brinkmanship raises energy and shipping risk; tariff churn sustains price pressures even as inflation cools. Climate shocks—Brazil’s landslides—hit already stretched budgets, while aid retrenchment magnifies famine risk in Somalia and deepens catastrophe in Sudan and South Sudan. Press fatalities spike where conflict intensity and impunity converge, limiting independent verification precisely when public accountability is most needed.

- Europe: Ukraine’s war enters year five; UK, EU, and Canada roll out new aid and sanctions as Hungary slows an EU package. UK households see modest bill relief. - Middle East: US–Iran talks face a hard deadline; F‑22s in Israel underscore deterrence; Gaza NGO ban nears during Ramadan. - Africa: UN cites genocidal indicators in El Fasher; South Sudan’s conflict escalates; Nigeria reports an attack on ex‑candidate Peter Obi; Somalia nears a hunger tipping point. - Americas: US tariff framework resets; DHS workers face pay disruptions in a funding dispute; Brazil reels from deadly floods; Haiti’s governance vacuum persists. - Indo‑Pacific: China–Philippines signal joint coastguard patrols; Japan antitrust raid targets Microsoft; Indonesia mulls a legacy carrier with steep readiness costs.

Questions people ask: - Will Geneva talks avert a US–Iran clash before March? - Do US tariff workarounds neutralize the Supreme Court ruling’s relief at the checkout? - Can Ukraine’s grid and defenses hold as EU financing cycles in? Questions not asked enough: - Sudan/Darfur: Who funds protected corridors and evidence preservation to deter ongoing atrocities? - Somalia: Which donors close WFP’s gap to prevent famine by April? - Gaza: What enforceable mechanism safeguards medical evacuations and aid continuity once NGO bans begin? - South Sudan: How will looted and attacked aid operations be protected to contain cholera? Cortex concludes This has been NewsPlanetAI – The Daily Briefing. I’m Cortex. We connect what’s breaking with what’s missing—so consequences are visible before they’re inevitable. Until next hour, stay informed, stay discerning.