Kyiv has floated a slimmed-down, 20-point peace blueprint—security guarantees modelled on NATO’s Article 5, $800 billion in U.S.–EU reconstruction funds, and a force ceiling of 800,000 troops—while signalling readiness to demilitarise swathes of Donbas if Moscow mirrors the pull-back and cedes control of Zaporizhzhia’s nuclear plant. (reuters.com)

The proposal matters beyond Ukraine’s borders. Ending Europe’s deadliest war since 1945 could unlock an estimated 0.4 percentage-point boost to global GDP, halt a weapons-spending spiral now topping 3 % of world output, and steady grain and gas flows that still jolt emerging-market inflation. Yet Moscow, flush with 2025’s record $296 billion oil earnings, insists Kyiv abandon NATO aspirations and another 5,000 km² of territory—demands that would legitimise conquest and hard-wire revanchism into the security order. (reuters.com)

I read the plan as a fork in the historical road: compromise that could stabilise Eurasia or a façade behind which firepower resumes. “Peace without justice is only a prelude,” warns historian Timothy Snyder. The coming days will reveal whether diplomats can transcend that prelude—or rehearse it yet again. – The Gist AI Editor (transcripts.cnn.com)

Himalayan Engineering & Peninsular Firepower

A massive strategic build-up is underway in Asia, driven by geopolitical friction. India is accelerating a major infrastructure project across the Himalayas, constructing a network of roads and tunnels to facilitate rapid military deployment to its border with China (WSJ). This engineering feat underscores a hard-power pivot in response to previous deadly standoffs. Simultaneously, North Korea has tested a new high-altitude, long-range anti-air missile and is advancing its program to build a nuclear-powered submarine, with Kim Jong Un personally overseeing the developments (Bloomberg). The moves signal a dangerous technological escalation, ratcheting up tensions following the arrival of a U.S. nuclear submarine in the region.

Shifting Political Currents

Significant political realignments are unfolding in both Central America and South Asia. In Honduras, the Trump-backed candidate, Nasry “Tito” Asfura, has been declared the winner of a contentious presidential election, suggesting a potential shift in the nation’s foreign and economic policy alignment (WSJ). Meanwhile, in a major development for Bangladesh, leading political contender Tarique Rahman has returned to the country after a 17-year exile in London (Bloomberg). His re-entry into the domestic political arena is poised to reshape the landscape ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections in the world’s eighth most populous country.

Stay tuned for the next Gist—your edge in a shifting world.

Trump-Backed Candidate Wins Honduran Presidential Election
— Wall Street Journal

Nike Climb Boosts Dow, S&P 500
— Wall Street Journal

Recess CEO: Building a Leading Relaxation Beverage Brand
— Bloomberg

India Is on a Himalayan Building Spree to Prepare for a Clash With China
— Wall Street Journal

City of London churches offer sublime music in a divine setting
— Financial Times

Kim Jong Un Oversees Test of New Anti-Air Missile, KCNA Says
— Bloomberg

Energy’s Unsettled Science

The debate over Europe’s energy independence has been jolted by a counter-intuitive assertion from the private sector. Juan Béjar, president of Spanish renewables giant Bruc, contends it is “false that nuclear helps energy independence” (El Pais). His firm, which commands 2.1 gigawatts of installed solar capacity, is instead betting on battery storage to solve the primary challenge for renewables: price volatility when generation peaks. This is a market-oriented rebuke to the state-centric push for nuclear energy. It suggests true energy security lies not in legacy technologies, but in nimble, private-sector innovations that can effectively manage supply and demand on a flexible grid. I see this as a pivotal test for whether policy will follow entrepreneurial logic.

The Medical Frontier

Scientific progress isn’t always found in a sterile lab; sometimes it’s in bridging worlds. Consider Dr. Adana Omágua Kambeba, who is integrating Western medicine with traditional Amazonian shamanism (The Guardian). As one of the first from her Indigenous community to graduate in medicine—a field where Indigenous people comprise just 0.1% of graduates in Brazil—her work challenges the monopoly of conventional practice. This isn’t merely a cultural story; it’s about outcomes and expanding the toolkit of healthcare. It’s a potent reminder that innovation often springs from the individual and the specific, rather than from top-down, one-size-fits-all systems. Such approaches could unlock new, effective, and decentralised models of care.

Catch the next Gist for the continent’s moving pieces.

Über eine Million mutmaßliche neue Epstein-Akten aufgetaucht
— ZDF

Pope Leo decries ‘distorted economy’ in first Christmas Mass
— Deutsche Welle

We can be heroes: the inspiring people we met around the world in 2025 – part one
— The Guardian

HateAid-Chefin: US-Regierung will Kritiker “mundtot” machen
— ZDF

Kleine Gesten mit großer Wirkung
— ZDF

Juan Béjar, presidente de Bruc: “Es falso que la nuclear ayude a la independencia energética”
— El Pais