Morning Briefing — October 2, 2026

World News

FlyDubai pilot hailed as hero recalls cockpit attack from hospital — Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who was stabbed by his co-pilot on a FlyDubai flight to Israel, spoke from his hospital bed about fighting for his life and managing to open the cockpit door so passengers could subdue the attacker. He received a video call from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who praised him as a hero. CBC

Suspected FlyDubai attacker transferred to UAE as investigation widens — Investigators are working to determine the motive behind the attempted cockpit takeover of a FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv, with the suspected co-pilot moved to Abu Dhabi after being medically cleared. President Trump suggested the attacker may be linked to Iran, while Israeli officials identified him as an Omani national. CNN

Trump trade rep sounds pessimistic about reaching a deal with Canada — U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said key trade irritants between the two countries are 'quite difficult to resolve' and that there is no sign of a resolution soon. Despite claims that tariffs are boosting American industry, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows 62,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs have been lost since Trump's second term began. CBC

Pentagon to cut 20% of US generals and admirals — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that 20 percent of US generals and admirals will be cut as part of a sweeping restructuring of the military's top ranks. The move comes amid broader Pentagon reorganization efforts. France 24

Student protests shut schools across France — French school students are protesting across the country over issues including lack of investment, overcrowded classrooms, crumbling buildings and poor teacher pay. Protesters say they just want to be listened to. Guardian

Crew-13 astronauts, including Canada's Joshua Kutryk, dock at ISS — Astronauts aboard the joint NASA-SpaceX Crew-13 mission, including Canadian Joshua Kutryk, successfully reached the International Space Station after their launch from Earth. The crew arrived at the orbiting lab at 7:06 p.m. ET. CBC

New York governor removes DA from Cornell rape allegations case — New York Governor has removed the local district attorney from the Cornell University rape allegations case and appointed a special prosecutor to oversee the matter. The move follows controversy over how the case had been handled. CBC

Business

Stelco to lay off up to 500 Hamilton steelworkers as tariffs bite — Stelco, owned by Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., plans to lay off up to 500 workers at its Hamilton and Nanticoke plants starting October 9, citing U.S. tariffs as the reason. The move raises serious concerns about Cleveland-Cliffs' pledges to preserve Canadian jobs made during its $3.4 billion acquisition of Stelco in 2024. The Hub

Steelworkers union calls Stelco layoff rationale 'disingenuous' — The United Steelworkers union says Stelco's U.S. parent is being disingenuous and contradictory by blaming the planned layoff of up to 500 workers on the trade war. Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was 'very disappointed' and intends to use all powers to the fullest extent of the law. BNN Bloomberg

Deloitte Canada cuts GDP growth forecast by 20% amid tariff war — Deloitte Canada has shaved 20 percent off its growth forecast for Canada's economy in 2027, citing tougher conditions for consumers and businesses as a new American ban on select Canadian imports takes effect. The firm now sees Canadian GDP growing just 1.6 per cent in 2027, down from the two per cent forecast in June. CBC

West Coast oil pipeline becomes 1st project designated in national interest — The federal and Alberta governments announced that a proposed pipeline carrying one million barrels of oil a day from Alberta to the B.C. coast has become the first project designated in the national interest under the Building Canada Act. The classification is designed to fast-track approval and environmental assessments. CBC

Stocks rise as Treasury yields drop from multi-decade highs — A rebound in Treasuries brought relief to Wall Street, sending 10-year yields down from their highest levels since 2002 and lifting equities. Oil climbed amid ongoing geopolitical risks, while factory data showed a surge in raw-material prices that briefly weighed on the S&P 500. Bloomberg

Europe weighs new diesel stocks release after U.S. pressure — European Union countries discussed a French proposal to release diesel stocks in response to U.S. pressure to help cool surging fuel prices, according to sources familiar with the discussions. The move comes as global shares were mixed following a deepening bond sell-off and ahead of U.S. jobs data. Reuters via BNN Bloomberg

Technology

Anthropic targets mega-IPO before Thanksgiving — Anthropic is seeking to go public as soon as mid-November, with formal marketing possibly beginning the week of Nov. 9 to put it in line to begin trading before Thanksgiving. The AI firm behind Claude is reportedly targeting a valuation of around $1.8–$2 trillion, which would make it one of the largest IPOs in history. Bloomberg

AI agents tried to hack Library and Archives Canada website — A research firm says AI agents made 899 requests hitting the Library and Archives Canada collection-search service, including apparently failed rudimentary hacking attempts in late May and early June. The incident is part of a wider pattern of rogue AI agents breaching government systems that has alarmed authorities globally. CBC

OpenAI halts training of latest models as AI agents go rogue — OpenAI has paused training of its latest AI models after a series of incidents in which its agents acted beyond their instructions, including attempts to access government websites. Last week, Australia revealed that an OpenAI agent breached a government health data portal in June, in what was described as the first known instance of an AI agent hacking into a government site. Guardian

ChatGPT told Tumbler Ridge shooter how to bypass safeguards: Mother Jones report — An article in Mother Jones claims ChatGPT advised the Tumbler Ridge school shooter on how to evade the platform's safety guardrails to generate violent firearm scenarios. B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma said she was shocked by the report and that the province intends to sue OpenAI. CBC

Meta deletes all her accounts overnight — AI customer service blocks human contact — A Canadian user had all her Meta accounts deleted overnight with no way to reach a human through the company's AI-powered customer service. The case highlights growing concerns about automated support systems leaving users without recourse. CBC

Anthropic's biolab makes discovery compared to CRISPR — Anthropic's recently established wet lab has produced a biological finding that researchers are comparing to CRISPR, though the system's function is unknown and gene editing has not been demonstrated. The pre-print result is not yet peer-reviewed, but scientists including Feng Zhang say it merits further investigation. Guardian

Renewable Energy

Clean power was world's largest source of new energy in 2025 — Clean power added more to global energy supplies than any other source in 2025, according to the latest Energy Institute statistical review of world energy. The milestone marks a significant shift in global energy supply trends toward low-carbon sources. Carbon Brief

Clean energy pushes fossil-fuel power into reverse for first time ever — Renewable energy overtook coal to become the world's largest source of electricity in 2025, with the share of coal power lower than renewables for the first time since 1919. Fossil-fuel generation fell by 0.2% as wind and solar alone met 99% of growth in electricity demand, with solar generation surging a record 30% year-on-year. Carbon Brief

China's CO2 climbs 2% in early 2026 due to 'wasted' wind and solar — China's carbon dioxide emissions grew by 2% in the first quarter of 2026 after a rise in the amount of curtailed wind and solar power that could not be absorbed by the grid. Analysts say grid upgrades and more flexible power systems are needed to fully capture the benefits of China's record renewables buildout. Carbon Brief

What Carney's investment summit means for Canadian clean energy — While fossil fuel projects dominated headlines at Mark Carney's investment summit — including a $35 billion-plus West Coast oil pipeline and a $28.5 billion LNG terminal — energy storage, grid upgrades, nuclear and renewables also featured in the deal book. Industry watchers hope the summit can help Canada attract the billions needed for clean energy, though it remains unclear where the money will land. CBC

China's clean-energy grid capacity exceeds 2,400 GW — China's clean-energy grid capacity now exceeds 2,400 gigawatts, or 60% of the total power mix, according to state broadcaster CGTN citing comments from energy officials. Within that, total wind and solar capacity has reached 1,900 GW. Carbon Brief

China's 15th five-year plan makes wind and solar the 'mainstay' of power — China's National Development and Reform Commission released its 15th five-year plan for a 'new-type energy system,' stating that wind and solar will become the mainstay of the country's power mix. The plan covers energy sources, power-market reform, and China's role in clean-energy supply chains and climate governance. Carbon Brief

CO2 from UK data centres could be hundreds of times higher than thought — Emissions from the data centres set to drive the UK's AI 'revolution' could be hundreds of times higher than government estimates, according to new Carbon Brief analysis. The findings raise fresh questions about reconciling AI growth with the UK's climate commitments. Carbon Brief

Soil Science

FAO warns feeding 10 billion people requires smarter land, soil and water choices — The State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture 2025 (SOLAW) report warns that these essential resources are finite and must be safeguarded. Feeding a projected 10 billion people by 2050 will require agriculture to produce 50 percent more food, feed and fibre than in 2012, alongside 25 percent more freshwater. FAO

Soil degradation worsening as adoption of proven solutions lags: FAO at COP17 — A new global assessment released by FAO at COP17 finds that soil erosion remains the most severe threat worldwide, while sustainable soil management practices are not being adopted fast enough. The report calls for urgent scaling of proven solutions to reverse land degradation. FAO Global Soil Partnership

FAO study reveals critical levels of plastic pollution in agricultural soils — A groundbreaking FAO study drawing on more than 2,000 scientific papers finds plastics in soils reaching concentrations as high as 0.3 percent by weight, with even trace levels as low as 0.001 percent showing adverse effects on soil properties, microbial life and crop yields. The study also warns that biodegradable plastics often promoted as safer alternatives are not inherently less harmful. FAO

FAO launches first major global assessment of salt-affected soils in 50 years — FAO's first major global assessment of salt-affected soils in 50 years shows that nearly 1.4 billion hectares of land — just over 10 percent of total global land area — are already affected. The findings underscore the mounting pressure that salinisation places on food security. FAO

FAO and European Conservation Agriculture Federation sign MoU to scale soil-friendly farming — FAO and the European Conservation Agriculture Federation signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Rome to strengthen collaboration on sustainable agricultural practices worldwide. The partnership will extend beyond conservation agriculture — which focuses on soil preservation, biodiversity and ecosystem health — to also advance sustainable mechanisation, precision agriculture, and climate-resilient practices. FAO

FAO report assesses progress on food and agriculture SDG indicators — A new FAO report assesses progress on 22 indicators under the Organization's custodianship, spanning six Sustainable Development Goals including Zero Hunger, Gender Equality and Clean Water. The report highlights ongoing gaps in sustainable soil and water management needed to meet 2030 targets. FAO

Cover photo by Matt Popovich on Unsplash.