Morning Briefing — May 24, 2026
Morning Briefing — May 24, 2026
World News
Trump says Iran peace deal 'largely negotiated', will reopen Strait of Hormuz — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that a memorandum of understanding on a peace deal has been 'largely negotiated' with Iran and will reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with details to be unveiled soon. He posted the announcement after separate calls with leaders of Muslim majority nations and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Reuters / US News
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda a global health emergency — The World Health Organization declared the Bundibugyo virus Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 17 May. As of 22 May, more than 836 suspected cases and 186 deaths had been reported, with the WHO upgrading its country-level risk to 'very high'. WHO
Newsom declares California state of emergency as Orange County chemical tank nears catastrophic failure — Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Orange County as firefighters worked to prevent a catastrophic explosion of a failing chemical tank. Crews moved from defensive to offensive operations at significant personal risk, while diversions aimed to prevent toxic chemicals from reaching storm drains and the ocean. Fox News
Staten Island shipyard explosion kills one civilian, injures 34 FDNY personnel — A major explosion and fire at a Staten Island shipyard left one civilian dead and 34 FDNY members hospitalized. The two most seriously injured were a fire marshal in critical condition with a temporal fracture and brain bleed, and a firefighter in serious condition, both suffering blast-energy internal damage. Fox News
WHO Assembly adopts Strategy on the Economics of Health for All — At the closing of the 79th World Health Assembly on 23 May, member states adopted the Strategy on the Economics of Health for All (2026–2030), aiming to align economic systems with health, equity and sustainable development. Delegates also approved the Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance for 2026–2036. WHO
Gaza reconstruction plan strained as more than 800 Palestinians killed since ceasefire — Trump's plan to rebuild Gaza is under growing strain as violence persists, with more than 800 Palestinians killed since the ceasefire began. His 'Board of Peace' blames Hamas's refusal to disarm for stalling progress, while $17 billion in pledges remain largely undisbursed. CBC News
Business
SpaceX confirms $15bn invested in Starship as Musk announces IPO — In an SEC filing this week, SpaceX disclosed it has invested more than $15 billion in Starship development, with the Space segment recording a $657 million operating loss in 2025 including $3 billion of R&D for the next-generation launch vehicle. The disclosure came as CEO Elon Musk announced plans to take the company public in what some expect to be the biggest IPO ever. Spaceflight Now
CRTC triples Cancon cash contributions required from streaming giants — Canada's broadcast regulator ruled that large online streaming providers including Disney+, Netflix and Prime Video must contribute more of their Canadian revenue to Canadian content. Industry groups warned the decision triples the cost of doing business in Canada and could push up subscription prices for consumers, while the U.S. trade representative has cited the legislation as a trade irritant. CBC News
Bloomberg: S&P 500 set for longest weekly rally since 2023 — U.S. equities closed out their longest weekly rally since 2023, with the S&P 500 finishing at 7,473 on Friday. Bloomberg also flagged warnings from BofA's Michael Hartnett that mega-IPOs risk a 'Roaring 20s' style bubble as Musk's space and AI ventures fuel market enthusiasm. Bloomberg
Canadian businesses exposed by end of easy U.S. trade era, report finds — A new report says Canada's era of easy, proximity-based trade with the United States has ended, exposing a massive preparedness gap among Canadian businesses. The findings come amid ongoing CUSMA renegotiation talks ahead of the July 1 review deadline. BNN Bloomberg
Yahoo Finance: Markets close higher, Bitcoin tops $76,900 — U.S. markets closed Friday with the Dow up 0.58% to 50,580, the S&P 500 up 0.37% to 7,473 and the Nasdaq up 0.19%. Bitcoin jumped 3.15% to $76,927, while Brent crude held above $100 a barrel amid continuing Middle East uncertainty. Yahoo Finance
Thomson Reuters: AI adoption in professional services hits 'critical mass' — Thomson Reuters Institute's 2026 report finds organization-wide AI usage has almost doubled, with 15% of organizations already adopting agentic AI tools and 53% more actively planning or considering them. Half of lawyers now describe AI as a major threat to the unauthorized practice of law, up from 36% in 2025. Thomson Reuters
Technology
SpaceX launches biggest, most powerful Starship yet on Flight 12 — SpaceX launched its first next-generation Starship V3 megarocket from Starbase, Texas on May 22, deploying 20 mock Starlink satellites before the upper stage made a controlled fiery splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The 407-foot vehicle lost one engine but completed most planned objectives, while NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the flight brings the program one step closer to landing astronauts on the moon. NPR / AP
Reuters Institute: AI-generated misinformation reshaping fact-checking — A Reuters Institute report on AI and the future of news found that 16% of the 619 claims fact-checked by Brazilian outlet Aos Fatos in 2025 involved AI-generated content, up from 7% the previous year. In Brazil alone, AI-generated 'fast content' reached over 32 million TikTok views and 2.1 million Facebook and Instagram interactions tied to AI-powered disinformation. Reuters Institute
Bloomberg: Salesforce touts AI 'promise over reality' in SaaSpocalypse fight — Bloomberg's daily AI tracker captured a flurry of corporate AI moves on May 22, including Salesforce defending its AI strategy against fears of a 'SaaSpocalypse', UK reseller Softcat recasting itself as an AI winner with upgraded guidance, and reports that AI-generated film 'Critterz' is hunting for a new tech partner after parting ways with OpenAI. Bloomberg
SpaceX Starship Version 3 debuts after costly test-stand setbacks — SpaceX's Starship Version 3 made its debut after extensive testing including two separate explosive setbacks on the test stand that destroyed a Super Heavy booster and a Starship. Eventually capable of carrying 100 metric tons or more of payload, the redesigned vehicle features a much larger fuel transfer line and more robust grid fins for booster recovery. Spaceflight Now
AI investigations and 'agentic' tools transform newsrooms — Reuters Institute panelists described generative AI as a watershed moment for journalism comparable to the early days of the internet — disruptive, democratising, and destabilising. Investigative journalists are increasingly using AI to surface stories from large data sets, including Reuters' AI-powered investigation into atrocities in Syria. Reuters Institute
Canada wants sovereign AI data centres — what does that mean? — CBC analysis examines Ottawa's push for 'sovereign AI' data centres housed and controlled within Canada, asking what the policy actually entails for compute infrastructure, foreign cloud providers and domestic AI startups. The piece is part of broader CBC coverage of Canada's industrial response to the U.S. tariff shock. CBC News
Renewable Energy
BloombergNEF: Solar to become world's largest electricity source within six years — BloombergNEF's New Energy Outlook 2026 finds that solar will become the world's single largest source of electricity in the next six years, driven by a major supply glut, technology advances and falling prices. The report says global energy transition investment reached a record $2.3 trillion in 2025 but warns $235 trillion is needed by 2050 to hit net zero. BloombergNEF
Wind and solar saved UK £1.7bn in gas imports since Iran war began — Carbon Brief analysis finds wind and solar generated a record 21 TWh on the island of Great Britain since the end of February 2026 when the US and Israel attacked Iran, avoiding the import of 41 TWh of gas — roughly 34 LNG tankers worth around £1.7bn. The output cut gas-fired generation to record lows for March and April. Carbon Brief
EU considers exempting fossil-fuel firms from methane rules — The European Commission is considering changes to its flagship methane emissions regulation that would give fossil-fuel companies leeway to avoid penalties, according to draft guidelines seen by Politico. National authorities would be able to grant exemptions on energy security grounds, after intensified pressure from the Trump administration. Carbon Brief / Politico
Norway approves reopening of three North Sea gasfields amid energy crunch — The Guardian reports Norway has been heavily criticised for approving plans to reopen three North Sea gasfields nearly three decades after they closed, justified as helping to fill supply gaps created by the Middle East war. Oslo has also approved oil and gas exploration at 70 new locations across the North, Barents and Norwegian seas. Guardian / Carbon Brief
EIA: 80 GW of new US solar, wind and storage capacity coming through Feb 2027 — U.S. utility-scale solar, wind and battery storage will add more than 80 GW of new generating capacity by 28 February 2027, while fossil and nuclear capacity falls by almost 5 GW, according to EIA data reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign. Solar's share will grow from 12.7% to 15.5% of total utility-scale capacity, while wind adds another 14.5 GW including 4.1 GW offshore. Electrek
Australia to offer free midday electricity under Solar Sharer Offer — Energy Minister Chris Bowen announced that from 1 July certain Australian customers will receive free electricity for three hours each day under the Solar Sharer Offer program, designed to shift demand into times of abundant solar generation. The program is part of broader efforts to fast-track clean energy and meet climate targets. Energy Digest
Investors pile into clean-power funds at fastest pace in five years — The Financial Times reports investors are piling into clean-power funds at the fastest pace in five years as the Iran war accelerates a global push for energy security and alternatives to oil and gas. More than £3bn flowed into global renewable energy funds in April, lifting their total net asset value to about $43bn. Financial Times / Carbon Brief
Soil Science
Frontiers in Science: AI could accelerate soil research and climate-resilient farming — A new Frontiers in Science paper led by Prof Budiman Minasny of the University of Sydney outlines how multi-agent AI systems could speed up soil research by creating 'digital soil twins', enhancing microbiome monitoring and trialling climate-adaptation strategies in silico. The authors stress AI should augment, not replace, human scientific judgement and warn of data-quality and bias risks. Frontiers in Science
Phys.org: AI tools could help scientists secure a 'vital global resource' — Phys.org's coverage of the new soil-AI paper highlights that soils store carbon, sustain ecosystems and underpin global food and water systems, yet current AI systems lack the integration and reasoning needed for the multifaceted nature of soil. The authors say AI could help land managers detect nutrient loss, water stress, compaction and erosion earlier. Phys.org
FAO-WFP: Acute food insecurity deepening in 16 hunger hotspots — A new joint FAO-WFP Hunger Hotspots report warns that acute food insecurity is deepening in 16 hotspots and threatens to drive millions more into famine, with conflict and violence the primary driver in 14 of them. Haiti, Mali, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen are flagged as facing an imminent risk of catastrophic hunger (IPC Phase 5). FAO / WFP
FAO: Strait of Hormuz closure rippling through global agrifood systems — The FAO warns that the Strait of Hormuz, effectively closed since 28 February, remains shut as of mid-May, with the chokehold on global energy and fertilizer supplies expanding through agrifood systems worldwide. A special FAO podcast lays out short, medium and long-term policy options to manage the disruption. FAO
Biochar emerges as cost-effective tool for remediating microplastic-contaminated soils — A review in the Soil Science Society of America Journal evaluates biochar as a promising, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable strategy for remediating microplastic-contaminated soils. The authors note that biochar's surface area, porosity and functional groups interact with soil texture, organic matter and pH to determine performance, but warn that field-scale evidence remains thin. Soil Science Society of America Journal
UC Riverside robot maps soil moisture tree-by-tree for precision irrigation — A new system from UC Riverside's Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment uses a robot moving through orchards to measure soil electrical conductivity, then pairs the readings with fixed moisture sensors to predict water content across an entire field. Researchers say the approach could finally let growers know how much water they have and target individual trees, with a patent already filed. UCR News
Soil science reimagined: from farmland to forensic and extraterrestrial frontiers — A perspective in Pedosphere by Prof Gan-Lin Zhang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposes a framework for 'nontraditional soil science' covering urban engineering, forensic soil analysis, planetary exploration and cultural-heritage conservation. The authors argue current tools remain tailored to agriculture, leaving critical gaps in emerging fields like global change, infrastructure safety and space agriculture. EurekAlert / Pedosphere