Morning Briefing — May 18, 2026

World News

WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda a global health emergency — The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern, after 80 suspected deaths and nine laboratory-confirmed cases. The outbreak involves an extremely rare strain for which there is no vaccine. CBC News

Ukrainian drones strike near Moscow in one of war's largest attacks — One of Ukraine's largest drone strikes on Russia killed at least four people, including three near Moscow, and wounded a dozen others, according to local authorities. Russian state media described the assault as the largest on Moscow in over a year. NPR

Tensions rise near Strait of Hormuz after vessel seized off UAE — A ship anchored off the United Arab Emirates was seized and taken toward Iran while another vessel was attacked, escalating tensions near the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway. The incidents come amid the ongoing Iran war and stalled diplomatic efforts. NPR

Pope Leo XIV warns AI and high-tech weapons risk 'spiral of annihilation' — Pope Leo XIV denounced how investments in artificial intelligence and high-tech weaponry were leading the world into what he called a 'spiral of annihilation.' He used the speech at Sapienza University in Rome to call for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine. NPR

National Mall prayer rally sparks church-state separation concerns — Thousands gathered on the National Mall for the 'Rededicate 250' prayer event, part of the Trump administration's plans to mark the country's 250th anniversary. Critics, including some faith leaders, warned the government-sponsored rally eroded the constitutional separation between church and state. Al Jazeera

Trump troop withdrawal rattles small Bavarian town — President Trump's recent decision to withdraw at least 5,000 troops from Germany has sent shockwaves through Vilseck, a Bavarian town that has hosted U.S. forces for decades. The mayor said the impact on his town would be 'dramatic' as residents fear losing their main source of revenue. NPR

Two Navy F-18 jets collide midair at Idaho air show — Two F-18 fighter jets collided during an airshow at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, prompting a lockdown of the base. Crew members safely ejected from the aircraft, according to officials. Guardian / PBS

Xi and Trump map out new framework after Beijing summit — Following President Trump's trip to Beijing, the US and China outlined a new framework for the relationship, with the White House touting deals on soybeans and rare earths. However, no major breakthroughs emerged on issues like Taiwan or the Iran war, leaving markets disappointed. Bloomberg

Business

Global bond markets plummet on Iran war price shock fears — Government bond markets fell worldwide, sending yields surging from Japan to the US as fears mount that the Iran war-driven price shock will force central banks to raise interest rates. The selloff came as crude oil prices climbed and the US-Chinese summit failed to deliver any breakthroughs. Bloomberg

US 10-year yields cap worst weekly bond rout in a year — US 10-year Treasury yields rose 12 basis points to 4.6%, capping the biggest weekly jump since President Trump's tariffs threw markets into a tailspin in April 2025. The selloff reflects mounting inflation fears tied to the Iran war and surging oil prices. Bloomberg

Tech stocks drag Wall Street down after Trump-Xi summit — The S&P 500 shed 1.24% to close at 7,408.50 and the Nasdaq slipped 1.54% as tech stocks led losses after the Trump-Xi summit left traders worried about a lack of policy breakthroughs. Intel retreated more than 6% while AMD and Micron also posted sharp declines. CNBC

New US tariffs to hit Canadian mushrooms ahead of CUSMA review — With the July 1 deadline to review the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement approaching, new U.S. tariffs are set to take effect on Canadian mushrooms next week. The move adds to trade tensions ahead of the broader CUSMA renegotiation. BNN Bloomberg

Detroit automakers cut more than 20,000 salaried jobs as AI looms — Detroit's major automakers have eliminated over 20,000 U.S. salaried positions amid the growing threat of AI-driven automation. Separately, Starbucks announced plans to lay off 300 U.S. employees and shutter some regional support offices. CNBC

Oil tops $98 as fears of further Iran war disruption mount — US crude prices settled around $98 a barrel, with the near-halt of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz reigniting worries about further energy disruptions. Some analysts warn that 10 of the last 12 recessions were preceded by an oil price spike. Bloomberg / CNBC

Adani agrees to pay $18 million in SEC fraud settlement — Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and his nephew have agreed to pay $18 million to settle SEC fraud allegations. The settlement closes one chapter in a long-running probe involving the Adani Group conglomerate. CNBC

Chinese EVs are coming to Canada as some dealers prepare to sell them — Chinese electric vehicles are heading to the Canadian market, and several Canadian dealers say they are eager to start selling them. The development could reshape the EV competitive landscape in North America amid ongoing tariff debates. CNBC

Technology

Google I/O 2026 set to unveil Gemini 4.0 and Android XR Glasses — Google I/O 2026 begins Monday, May 19 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre, with the keynote expected to cover 'the latest Gemini model updates' and 'agentic coding' — widely interpreted as a Gemini 4.0 reveal. Android XR Glasses with hardware partners Samsung, Warby Parker, Gentle Monster, and XREAL have also been confirmed. Build Fast with AI

Anthropic closes in on $900 billion valuation funding round — Bloomberg reported that Anthropic's fundraising round of at least $30 billion at a $900 billion-plus valuation is expected to close by the end of May 2026, co-led by Sequoia, Dragoneer, Greenoaks, and Altimeter. If it closes, Anthropic would surpass OpenAI's $852 billion March valuation for the first time. Build Fast with AI / Bloomberg

Apple settles $250M class action over delayed 'personalized' Siri — Apple reached a $250 million settlement in a California federal court in a false advertising class action over its 2024 announcement of a 'personalized' Siri. iPhone buyers had sued Apple for promoting features in 2024 that have yet to launch. Techmeme

PwC and Anthropic expand strategic Claude alliance — On May 14, Anthropic and PwC announced an expanded strategic alliance under which PwC will roll out Claude Code and Cowork to its global workforce of hundreds of thousands of professionals, and certify 30,000 US professionals on Claude. PwC is launching a new finance business group built entirely on Claude, making it the largest professional services deployment of Claude to date. Build Fast with AI

Cerebras IPO surges as AI chip rivals challenge Nvidia — Cerebras Systems began trading on the Nasdaq with shares surging 68%, fuelling enthusiasm around Nvidia challengers. The blockbuster IPO has boosted hype for upcoming SpaceX and OpenAI offerings while squeezing out smaller players. CNBC

Grafana refuses to pay ransom after GitHub breach — Grafana disclosed that hackers accessed its GitHub environment and demanded a ransom to prevent the release of its codebase, but the company has decided not to pay. Grafana said it has identified the source of the credential leak, invalidated compromised credentials, and implemented additional security measures. Techmeme

Malta offers every citizen free ChatGPT Plus via OpenAI partnership — OpenAI partnered with Malta's 'AI for All' initiative to provide every Maltese citizen with a free year of ChatGPT Plus if they complete a University of Malta AI literacy course. Malta becomes the first country to offer free ChatGPT Plus to its entire population. Techmeme

Meta's next AI model 'Avocado' delayed amid benchmark concerns — Meta's frontier-class model codenamed Avocado, originally due in May or June 2026, remains unannounced as of mid-May. Internal tests reportedly placed Avocado below GPT-5.5 and Claude Opus 4.7 on developer benchmarks, making a June launch the most likely window. Build Fast with AI

Renewable Energy

IRENA: 24/7 renewables now outcompete fossil fuels on firm costs — A new IRENA report finds that solar and wind paired with battery storage deliver cost-effective, round-the-clock electricity, with firm levelised costs ranging from $54-$82 per MWh in prime regions, compared to $70-85 for new coal in China and over $100 for new gas globally. Since 2010, solar PV costs have fallen 87%, onshore wind 55%, and battery storage 93%. IRENA

EIA forecasts US to add over 80 GW of solar, wind and storage by 2027 — Utility-scale solar, wind, and battery storage will add more than 80 gigawatts of new generating capacity in the US by February 28, 2027, according to the EIA. Solar will add 42.6 GW and wind 14.5 GW, including over 4 GW of new offshore wind capacity. Electrek / Renewables Now

UK government doubles down on clean power amid Iran war energy crisis — The UK government has announced a series of measures to 'double down on clean power' in response to the energy crisis sparked by the Iran war. Carbon Brief analysis recently found that record wind and solar saved the UK from £1 billion worth of gas imports in March 2026. Carbon Brief

China and EU form carbon pricing alliance as US backs fossil fuels — China and the European Union have joined forces to create a global alliance on carbon pricing, positioning themselves at odds with the Trump administration's push to invest more in fossil fuels. The move comes alongside EU approval of a €5 billion German state aid scheme for industrial decarbonisation. Clean Energy Wire / Bloomberg

China's clean-tech 'new three' exports surge 70% year-on-year — China's exports of the 'new three' clean-energy technologies — solar cells and panels, EVs and lithium-ion batteries — surged 70% year-on-year in March 2026 to reach $21.6 billion. The Iran war and falling silver prices are among the factors driving the rapid increase. Carbon Brief

Mingyang explores Spain after UK blocks Scotland wind turbine factory — Chinese wind turbine maker Mingyang Smart Energy is exploring locations in Europe, including Spain, for a new factory after its plan for a £1.5 billion manufacturing hub in Scotland collapsed following a formal block by the UK government. The decision marks a setback for UK offshore wind manufacturing ambitions. Renewables Now / Reuters

NERC Category 2 deadline reshapes oversight of inverter-based resources — The May 15, 2026 NERC Category 2 deadline marked a major shift for inverter-based resources across North America, bringing many solar, wind, battery storage and hybrid assets under new registration and compliance expectations. Asset owners are scrambling to determine whether their facilities are now in scope. Renewable Energy World

China's CO2 emissions flat or falling for 21 straight months — New Carbon Brief analysis shows China's CO2 emissions have been flat or declining for 21 consecutive months even as electricity demand grows, with an estimated 0.3% annual decline. The shift is driven by China's unparalleled clean energy expansion, with the country investing $625 billion in clean energy in 2024 — 31% of the global total. Climate Action / Carbon Brief

Soil Science

Soil health practices dramatically reduce locust crop damage in Senegal — Scientists working with farmers in Senegal have shown that improving soil health can dramatically reduce damage from locust swarms that wipe out crops across entire regions. By enriching soil, farmers strengthened crop resilience against one of agriculture's most devastating threats. ScienceDaily

UC Riverside robot maps soil moisture tree-by-tree for precision irrigation — A new UC Riverside system uses a robot that measures soil electrical conductivity in orchards to map soil moisture tree-by-tree, allowing growers to water only where and when it's needed. The system, detailed in Computer and Electronics in Agriculture, combines robot data with buried sensors to build a statistical model predicting water content across entire fields. UCR News

Researchers call for 'nontraditional soil science' expansion — A perspective in Pedosphere by Prof. Gan-Lin Zhang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences outlines a conceptual framework for 'nontraditional soil science' covering fields from urban engineering to forensic analysis and planetary exploration. The paper argues soil science must evolve beyond agriculture to tackle urban floods, contamination, and even space agriculture. Newswise

Biochar emerges as promising remedy for microplastic-contaminated soils — A new comprehensive review in the Soil Science Society of America Journal evaluates biochar as a sustainable approach to remediating soils contaminated with microplastics. Biochar can stabilize soil aggregates, improve porosity and moisture retention, and promote microbial diversity, though field-scale knowledge gaps remain. Soil Science Society of America Journal

Food Tank explains how regenerative agriculture restores soil — A Food Tank explainer details how regenerative agriculture prioritizes soil restoration to address widespread degradation, after decades of intensive farming relying on heavy machinery, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Organizations like RegenAG in Australia, Kiss the Ground in California, and La Delia Verde in Argentina are scaling soil-centered farming worldwide. Food Tank

FAO publishes Ukraine 2026-2028 emergency agriculture recovery plan — The FAO has published its Emergency and Early Recovery Response Plan for Ukraine for 2026-2028, outlining priority actions to protect agricultural livelihoods, restore productive capacity and support the country's agrifood sector. The plan focuses on getting Ukrainian farmers back on degraded and war-impacted land. FAO

Africa Food Systems Transformation Meeting opens in Accra — From May 18-20, 2026, the 4th Africa Food Systems Transformation Meeting in Accra, Ghana brings together National Food Systems Convenors and African countries to advance implementation of national food systems pathways. The meeting follows CAADP-Kampala and the UN Food Systems Summit +4 Stocktake. Coalition for Soil Health

FAO warns 825,000 children at risk of severe malnutrition death in 2026 — FAO reports that conflict, displacement and restricted humanitarian access leave more than 825,000 children at risk of death from severe malnutrition in 2026. The agency is calling for urgent humanitarian action across multiple conflict zones to prevent a wave of preventable child deaths tied to food insecurity. FAO

Cover photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash.