Morning Briefing — May 10, 2026

World News

Tehran evaluating U.S. proposal to end war, but Iranian lawmaker calls it 'American wish list' — Iran is reviewing a U.S.-proposed 14-point memorandum of understanding aimed at ending hostilities, but a senior Iranian lawmaker has dismissed the framework as a 'wish list.' Meanwhile global oil supply remains pinched, with analysts warning the world will lose 1.2-2.0 billion barrels of supply equivalent to 16-27% of pre-war global inventories before shipments normalize. CBC

Pentagon releases decades of declassified UFO files — The Pentagon released and declassified numerous files on UFOs, including eyewitness testimony, photos and reports — including a report that NASA's Apollo 17 crew witnessed mysterious dots and sparks resembling fireworks. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the documents have long fueled speculation and it is time Americans see them for themselves. CBS News

Frontier Airlines plane strikes and kills pedestrian on Denver runway — A Frontier Airlines plane struck and killed a pedestrian who jumped a perimeter fence at Denver International Airport during takeoff, sparking an engine fire. Passengers were evacuated due to smoke in the aircraft after the collision. CBC

Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship sparks human-to-human transmission concerns — Authorities suspect human-to-human transmission of a deadly hantavirus following an outbreak aboard the MV Hondius, which Spain has insisted will dock in the Canary Islands despite local objections. WHO officials are reassuring residents as a carefully planned operation prepares to disembark passengers. CNN

North Korean troops join Putin's scaled-down Victory Day parade in Moscow — Russian President Vladimir Putin presided over a scaled-down Victory Day parade in Moscow, with North Korean troops taking part in the procession. The display comes amid continued strain on Russia's military commitments abroad. CNN

Massive cyberattack hits universities worldwide, including Canadian schools — Thousands of schools around the globe, including in Canada, have been hit by a massive cybersecurity incident involving Canvas, the online learning-management system that connects millions of students with their instructors. Canadian universities are among those affected. CBC

Alberta secession vote vulnerable to foreign interference, CSIS warns — The head of Canada's intelligence agency says Alberta's potential secession vote is susceptible to disinformation and foreign interference from players like Russia. Premier Danielle Smith said she and Prime Minister Mark Carney are committed to working through issues between Alberta and Ottawa as separatist sentiment rises. CBC

Disarming Hezbollah more complicated than guns and rockets, analysis finds — A CBC analysis examines why disarming Hezbollah is about much more than weapons, examining political and social ties that complicate any disarmament push in Lebanon. The piece is part of ongoing coverage of post-conflict Middle East dynamics. CBC

Business

Canada's economy dropped 18,000 jobs in April as unemployment hits 6-month high — Canada's unemployment rate rose to a six-month high of 6.9% in April as the economy lost 18,000 jobs, with full-time employment falling by 46,700. The country has now shed jobs in three of the first four months of 2026, totalling 112,000 lost since January, as U.S. tariffs and Iran war fallout continue to weigh on the labour market. CBC

China exports rose 14.1% in April despite Iran war and U.S. tariffs — China's exports rose 14.1 per cent in April from a year earlier, the government said Saturday, despite headwinds from the Iran war and lingering impacts of higher U.S. tariffs. The figures suggest resilience in Chinese trade even amid global supply disruptions. BNN Bloomberg

Trump Media posts $405 million loss driven by crypto holdings — Trump Media reported a $405 million loss largely driven by its cryptocurrency holdings, while traders looking for the next leg in the global stocks rally bet on Asia. The job market for recruiters showed UK weakness alongside U.S. strength. Bloomberg

Honda halts $15B Ontario EV plant development — Honda is more definitively halting development of its $15 billion electric vehicle plant in Ontario, according to reports, dealing another blow to Canada's EV manufacturing ambitions. The pause reflects broader industry uncertainty around EV demand and trade policy. CBC

Air Canada cuts more flights as jet fuel prices soar — Air Canada is cutting more flights due to soaring jet fuel prices stemming from disruptions in oil supply. The cuts add to industry-wide cancellations including Lufthansa axing 20,000 flights between May and October to save fuel. CBC

Airbus secures 150-plane order with AirAsia in boon for Quebec aviation — Airbus has secured a multi-billion dollar order from AirAsia for 150 planes, providing a major boost for Quebec's aviation sector. The deal underscores continued growth in Asian aviation despite global economic headwinds. CBC

Sherritt pulls back from Cuba mining joint venture amid U.S. sanctions — Toronto-based Sherritt is pulling back from its mining joint venture in Cuba amid the expansion of U.S. sanctions on the island nation. The move highlights how renewed sanctions pressure is reshaping Canadian commercial ties to Cuba. CBC

Average Canadian rent fell 5% in April — Average rent across Canada fell by 5% in April according to a new report, providing some relief to renters amid an otherwise weakening labour market. Condo sales also picked up in April as lower prices and borrowing costs drew buyers back. CBC

Bell fires employees over alleged falsified attendance records — Bell Canada has fired employees it claims falsified attendance records, though some of those dismissed deny the allegations. The dispute comes as the telecom giant faces broader workforce restructuring pressures. CBC

Technology

Telecom workers say AI being used to monitor employees, disguise offshore call-centre accents — The Canadian Telecommunications Workers Alliance, representing 32,000 workers across Bell, Rogers and Telus, told a House of Commons committee that AI is being used to monitor employees and even mask the accents of overseas call-centre agents. Unifor's Roch Leblanc said roughly 20,000 telecom jobs have been lost over the past 10-15 years to automation and offshoring, and the alliance fears AI will accelerate the trend. CBC

As AI creeps into telecoms, Telus call-centre agents fear replacement — A Telus employee told CBC that company emails require agents to use a specific AI 'co-pilot' on '100% of retention calls,' and that an AI system listens in on calls and produces performance reports for managers. The market for autonomous AI agents is projected to grow from $10.4 billion in 2025 to more than $190 billion by 2033. CBC

Pentagon expands AI contracts with Google, OpenAI, Amazon, Microsoft and others — The U.S. military plans to increase its use of artificial intelligence after the Pentagon agreed to new and expanded contracts with Google, OpenAI, Amazon, Microsoft, SpaceX, Oracle, Nvidia and Reflection. The Pentagon said AI technology would now be used for any 'lawful operational use.' World in Review

Intel shares soar on Apple chip deal report — Intel shares jumped on reports of a chip deal with Apple, as Wall Street sees a 'changing of the guard in AI' with Intel and AMD soaring while Nvidia lags. Analysts say it is a major potential turning point for the embattled chipmaker. CNBC

Big Tech's $725bn AI spending spree pushes cash flows to decade low — Big Tech groups are expected to generate the smallest amount of cash in more than a decade this year amid a $725 billion AI spending spree, while investors are dumping Indian assets as the energy shock sends the rupee sliding. The capital intensity is reshaping how investors view the sector's profitability. Financial Times

AI's hidden debt: $120 billion vanishes off Big Tech balance sheets via SPVs — Big Tech firms including Oracle, Meta, xAI and CoreWeave have moved roughly $120 billion of AI infrastructure debt into special-purpose vehicles, keeping reported debt manageable while exposing investors to mounting AI capex risk. Oracle alone has funneled $66 billion in data centre obligations into SPVs, with total obligations approaching $111 billion. Financial Times / WebProNews

Samsung workers demand bigger slice of surging AI chip profits — Samsung Electronics is locked in a feud with its workers over how to share the spoils of the AI-driven semiconductor boom. The dispute reflects mounting labour tension at one of the world's most important AI hardware suppliers. Financial Times

Federal AI strategy reveals 6 pillars amid Tumbler Ridge fallout — The Canadian federal government has unveiled the six pillars of its forthcoming national AI strategy, which will include large-scale Canadian compute infrastructure. AI Minister Evan Solomon also met with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman following revelations that the Tumbler Ridge shooter's ChatGPT account had been flagged and banned eight months before the attack. CBC

Renewable Energy

Wind and solar saved UK £1.7bn in gas imports since Iran war began — Carbon Brief analysis finds that wind and solar have now beaten fossil fuels in Great Britain for a record 15 months in a row, generating roughly twice as much electricity as fossil fuels since the Iran war began. A decade ago, fossil fuels generated four times more than wind and solar combined. Carbon Brief

24/7 renewables outcompete fossil fuels on costs, IRENA reports — A new IRENA report finds firm levelised costs of solar plus storage range from $54-82 per MWh in high-quality resource regions, compared with $70-85 per MWh for new coal in China and more than $100 per MWh for new gas globally. Costs have fallen from above $100 per MWh in 2020, with further reductions of about 30% by 2030 projected. IRENA

Renewables overtake coal as world's largest electricity source for first time since 1919 — According to thinktank Ember, renewable energy overtook coal in 2025 to become the world's largest electricity source — the first time since 1919 — with solar generation alone growing a record 636 TWh. Fossil-fuel generation fell 0.2%, marking the first structural year-on-year drop driven by clean power rather than economic crisis. Carbon Brief

Santa Marta summit: 60+ nations chart roadmaps away from fossil fuels — Countries attending the first-of-its-kind Santa Marta summit walked away with plans to develop national roadmaps for transitioning away from fossil fuels, with France announcing its own new roadmap. Tuvalu and Ireland will co-host the second edition in 2027. Carbon Brief

Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project more than 75% complete — Dominion Energy says its 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind park is now more than 75% complete, the company reported with its first-quarter results. It marks one of the most significant offshore wind milestones in U.S. waters. Renewables Now

U.S. judge halts Trump administration blockade on solar and wind permits — A judge temporarily halted Trump administration policies that had effectively blocked solar and wind projects on federal land, including a directive requiring Interior Secretary Doug Burgum's personal sign-off. Clean energy advocates argued the rules had put roughly 57 GW of new wind, solar, hybrid and offshore wind capacity at risk and jeopardized at least $905 million in investments. Canary Media

EU sets out 44 actions to limit fossil-fuel price shocks from Iran war — The European Commission's energy-crisis package includes cutting electricity taxes and coordinating fossil-gas storage, but stops short of major market interventions like price caps or windfall taxes. EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen warned of higher gas prices for 'a couple of years' and called for accelerated clean-energy deployment. Carbon Brief

Salt River Project to develop 3,000 MW of solar in Arizona by 2034 — Salt River Project has reached an agreement with NextEra Energy Resources to develop 3,000 megawatts of solar generation in Arizona by 2034. The deal is one of the largest U.S. utility-scale solar commitments announced this year. Renewable Energy World

China's wind and solar capacity surpasses coal for first time in history — China's solar capacity rose 35% to 1,200 GW and wind capacity grew 23% to 640 GW in 2025, while thermal capacity (mostly coal) reached just over 1,500 GW — meaning wind and solar combined now outrank coal capacity for the first time in history. Clean-energy industries drove more than 90% of China's investment growth and over half of GDP growth. Carbon Brief

Soil Science

Urea fertilizer threatens nearly half of Canadian Prairie freshwater bodies — A University of Regina/Saskatchewan study found that urea fertilizer — which helps feed two-thirds of the global population — caused rapid algal growth, oxygen depletion and ecosystem collapse in farm ponds. Researchers say nearly half of Prairie lakes, wetlands and reservoirs could be degraded, but that better runoff management can keep the product useful for farming. CBC

FAO: 1.7 billion people experience lower crop yields due to land degradation — The FAO's 2025 State of Food and Agriculture report finds that human-induced land degradation — driven by deforestation, overgrazing and unsustainable cropping — is causing yield gaps for 1.7 billion people. Reversing just 10% of degraded cropland through sustainable management could feed an additional 154 million people every year. FAO

Microplastics 'silently spreading from soil to salad to humans' — A scientific review highlights that agricultural soils now hold around 23 times more microplastics than oceans, raising fresh concerns about food chain contamination. The findings reinforce calls for stricter regulation of plastic mulches and biosolids in farming. Science Daily

Toxic metals from 2015 Brazil mining disaster move from soil into edible crops — Researchers investigating crops grown in soil contaminated by the 2015 Brazil mining disaster found that bananas, cassava and cocoa are absorbing toxic elements like lead from the contaminated earth. The findings highlight long-term food-safety consequences of mine tailings spills. Science Daily

Soil-health upgrades cut locust damage and double yields in Senegal — Working with Senegalese farmers, scientists showed that improving soil health can dramatically reduce locust damage and double crop yields. The study points to soil restoration as a powerful, low-cost defence against future locust outbreaks that threaten African food security. Science Daily

Plant-soil feedback offers blueprint for sustainable agriculture, Science review finds — A review in Science argues that the ecological concept of plant-soil feedback can restore the capacity of agricultural soils to provide nutrients, suppress pathogens and enhance crop resilience. It highlights advances in rhizosphere microbiome engineering, multiomic methods and crop diversification as nature-based pathways to sustainable food production. Science

Chickpeas grown in simulated moon soil offer step toward lunar farming — Researchers successfully grew chickpeas in moon-like regolith mixed with worm-produced compost and beneficial microbes, marking a promising step toward farming on the lunar surface. The work illustrates how soil biology might unlock food production beyond Earth. Science Daily

Iran war drives up global food prices, Carbon Brief reports — Carbon Brief's Cropped briefing reports that the Iran war is pushing up global food prices, while a UN FAO and World Meteorological Organization report warned that global food systems are being 'pushed to the brink' by increasingly common heatwaves on land and at sea. Forest loss has fallen but new deforestation regulations are reshaping commodity markets. Carbon Brief

FAO Global Soil Partnership warns soil compaction is a major and growing driver of land degradation — The FAO Global Soil Partnership says soil compaction is a major and growing driver of land degradation worldwide, ahead of an international symposium in Aarhus, Denmark in September 2026. The agency continues to call for action to monitor and protect the world's soils, noting it takes about a thousand years to create just a few centimetres of topsoil. FAO