Morning Briefing — May 29, 2026

World News

Netanyahu orders Israeli forces to expand Gaza control to 70% — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the military to seize a further share of Gaza, aiming to expand control to 70% of the territory despite an October US-brokered truce. Israel already effectively controls roughly 64% of the Strip, with the population concentrated in a narrow coastal area. Reuters

US and Iran agree 60-day ceasefire extension pending Trump approval — American and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative deal to extend the ceasefire by 60 days alongside fresh nuclear talks, following weeks of heightened military tensions. The agreement still awaits final sign-off from President Trump. Fox News

UN report includes Israeli forces for first time on sexual violence in conflict list — An annual UN report documenting sexual violence in conflicts worldwide listed Israeli forces for the first time in its 15-year history over their treatment of Palestinian detainees. Israel's UN ambassador said Jerusalem was given no specific cases to respond to. CBC News

Lebanon strike kills woman and two children south of Beirut — An Israeli strike on the town of Shuwayfat just south of Beirut killed three people, including a woman, her baby daughter and a Syrian child, with 15 more wounded. The IDF said it had 'precisely struck' the capital but did not identify the target. Times of Israel

Russia threatens to cut Armenia's oil and diamond supplies over EU bid — Moscow warned Yerevan it would suspend or terminate cheap supplies of oil, gas and rough diamonds if Armenia presses ahead with its application to join the European Union. The warning came as EU foreign ministers prepared to discuss possible future talks with Russia. Reuters

Zelenskiy urges Trump for air defence as Russia threatens new strikes — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to US President Donald Trump for air defence systems and interceptors, saying ballistic missiles remain Moscow's 'last major advantage on the battlefield.' Kyiv also submitted a draft law to ratify an EU loan agreement. Reuters

Feds seize $40M in gold bars from former CIA official posing as Navy pilot — An FBI raid on a Virginia home turned up roughly $40 million in gold bars, cash and Rolexes belonging to a former senior US official with top secret clearance. Authorities allege the ex-CIA officer also faked being a Navy pilot. Fox News

11 presumed dead in Washington state paper mill implosion — Eleven workers are presumed dead after a tank ruptured at the Nippon Dynawave plant in Longview, Washington. Governor Bob Ferguson called it potentially the state's deadliest industrial tragedy. NBC News

Three killed in Dallas apartment gas explosion — A gas explosion destroyed a Dallas apartment complex on Thursday afternoon, killing three people and hospitalising at least five more. City officials are investigating the cause of the blast. NBC News

Business

Carney pitches 'Fortress North America' to New York business leaders — Prime Minister Mark Carney told the Economic Club of New York that a stronger Canada would 'help make America great again,' emphasising US dependence on Canadian oil, gas, electricity, aluminum and critical minerals. He proposed re-imagining cooperation in sectors deeply challenged by global competition with China. CBC News

Landmark Canada-Germany LNG deal to be announced — Sources told CBC a major liquefied natural gas agreement between Canada and Germany is set to be unveiled, marking a significant step in Canada's energy export strategy. The deal comes as Carney positions Canada as a solution to a global 'energy crisis'. CBC News

Dell shares jump on AI server outlook ahead of Q1 earnings — Dell Technologies stock rallied roughly 24% over the past week after the company unveiled new AI infrastructure products and expanded partnerships with Nvidia, Google and SpaceX AI at Dell Technologies World 2026. The company hosts its Q1 FY2027 earnings call on May 28, with a record $43 billion AI server backlog under scrutiny. Bloomberg

Trump administration opens USMCA talks with Mexico, sidelining Canada — The US Trade Representative said it will begin the first of three rounds of negotiations with Mexico this week to revamp the North American trade agreement, with no mention of parallel talks with Canada. Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc's office said 'planning is underway' for a Washington trip. Reuters

US Treasury threatens sanctions on Oman over Hormuz vessel tolls — The US Treasury warned it would sanction Oman if it imposes transit fees on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed since late February. The chokehold continues to strain global energy and fertiliser supplies. Times of Israel

Snowflake surges, Salesforce stumbles on quarterly earnings — Snowflake shares jumped after quarterly results topped analyst estimates, while Salesforce beat on earnings but disappointed with a weaker Q2 revenue outlook. The split reaction highlights diverging fortunes in enterprise software amid the AI buildout. Yahoo Finance

Wolastoqey land claim against NB forest companies denied by Supreme Court — Private industrial forest land in New Brunswick will remain excluded from a Wolastoqey First Nations ownership claim after the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear the case. The decision marks a significant ruling on Indigenous land claims in Atlantic Canada. CBC News

Canada trade diversification driven by handful of cities, report finds — A new Canadian Chamber of Commerce report says a small group of cities drove Canada's progress on trade diversification in 2025, while many other centres fell behind. The findings raise questions about uneven economic resilience as US tariff pressures persist. BNN Bloomberg

Technology

Blue Origin New Glenn rocket explodes on Florida launch pad — A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded on its Florida launch pad while being prepared for a June mission to deliver a batch of Amazon 'Leo' internet satellites to orbit. The setback is a major blow to Jeff Bezos's space company and Amazon's Kuiper constellation buildout. CBS News

Illinois passes major frontier-AI safety audit bill — Illinois lawmakers passed SB 315, which would require frontier AI companies including OpenAI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind to submit their safety practices to third-party audits. If signed by Governor JB Pritzker, it would become one of the toughest US state-level AI oversight laws. Reuters

Google engineer charged over Polymarket insider bets on Year in Search — US prosecutors charged a Google engineer with using inside information to make around $1.2 million through Polymarket bets tied to Google's Year in Search 2025 results. The case sits at the intersection of confidential tech data, crypto-adjacent prediction markets and insider trading. Reuters

Mistral plans new French data centre as Europe seeks AI sovereignty — French AI startup Mistral announced a new 10-megawatt data centre in Les Ulis, France, due to open in the second half of 2026 as part of a broader €4 billion investment strategy. The project is part of Europe's push to reduce dependence on US AI giants. Reuters

Google's $15 billion India AI data centre raises water concerns — Google's plan to build a $15 billion AI data centre hub in Visakhapatnam, India is drawing concern from local communities and rights groups over water stress. The project highlights mounting environmental tradeoffs of large-scale AI compute expansion in resource-constrained regions. Reuters

CBS News fires 60 Minutes correspondents and top producer — CBS News fired '60 Minutes' correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega along with executive producer Tanya Simon as new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss shakes up the storied program. The move marks one of the most sweeping changes in the show's history. Fox News

Aftermath: judge weighs remedies after jury clears OpenAI in Musk suit — Following a unanimous May 18 jury verdict that Elon Musk waited too long to sue OpenAI, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman and Microsoft, attention now turns to Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers's final liability ruling. Musk has vowed to appeal what his lawyer called a 'calendar technicality' decision. NPR

Dell and OpenAI partner to bring Codex to on-prem enterprises — Dell and OpenAI announced a collaboration to deploy Codex, OpenAI's code-writing AI tool, in hybrid and on-premise enterprise environments. The deal positions Dell as a key infrastructure partner for companies that prefer to run AI on their own servers for security and compliance. TIKR / Bloomberg

Renewable Energy

Renewables overtake coal as world's largest source of electricity — According to thinktank Ember, renewables have overtaken coal to become the world's largest source of electricity in 2025, with fossil-fuel generation falling 0.2% as wind and solar met 99% of demand growth. It is the first time since 1919 that coal's share fell below renewables, marking a structural shift rather than a one-off dip. Carbon Brief

Q&A: Can China turn hydrogen into its next clean-energy industry? — Carbon Brief explores whether hydrogen could emerge as China's next major clean-energy export industry, following its dominance of solar, EVs and batteries. Analysts weigh the policy levers and infrastructure needed to scale green hydrogen. Carbon Brief

China's new carbon metric leaves Germany-sized gap in emissions — A new Carbon Brief analysis finds that China's revised carbon accounting methodology leaves a gap in reported emissions roughly equivalent to Germany's annual output. The discrepancy raises questions about transparency as Beijing prepares its next five-year plan. Carbon Brief

IRENA: cost of '24/7 firm' renewables falling rapidly worldwide — A new IRENA report introduces the 'firm levelised cost of electricity' benchmark for co-located solar, wind and battery systems, showing costs for round-the-clock renewable power have declined rapidly across all major markets. The agency says deployment pace will be among the most consequential factors in the energy transition this decade. IRENA

Investigation: floods have closed at least 67 NHS hospital facilities since 2021 — Freedom of Information requests by Carbon Brief to 162 NHS trusts revealed at least 67 hospital closures caused by flooding since 2021, including maternity units, surgical theatres and entire hospitals. The investigation highlights mounting climate-adaptation costs for British public infrastructure. Carbon Brief

China's clean-tech exports surge 70% year-on-year amid Iran war — China's exports of the 'new three' clean-energy technologies — solar, EVs and lithium-ion batteries — jumped 70% year-on-year in March 2026 to $21.6bn, up 37% from February. Analysts cite the Iran war's push for non-fossil supplies, a domestic policy deadline and falling silver prices as drivers. Carbon Brief

US clean-energy installations on track for record despite Trump opposition — Bloomberg analysis covered by Carbon Brief finds US clean-energy installations are on track for another record year in 2026, accounting for the vast majority of new power additions. The growth continues despite policy opposition from the Trump administration. Bloomberg / Carbon Brief

Wind and solar saved UK £1.7bn in gas imports since Iran war began — Carbon Brief analysis finds that UK wind and solar generation has saved the country approximately £1.7 billion in avoided gas imports since the start of the Iran war. The figure underlines how renewables are buffering Britain from acute energy-price shocks. Carbon Brief

Soil Science

Editorial: regenerative agriculture for soil health and climate action — A new Frontiers in Environmental Science editorial frames regenerative agriculture as a systems-based paradigm integrating soil restoration, climate mitigation and sustainable productivity. The collection of 27 papers advances the 'soil-plant-climate nexus' as a unified framework for agroecosystems. Frontiers in Environmental Science

Nestlé pushes regenerative farming to buffer fertilizer shocks — Writing for the World Economic Forum, Nestlé's head of sustainable agriculture argues that geopolitical disruptions are exposing the fragility of fertilizer-dependent food systems, with around a third of global urea originating in the Gulf. The company is backing farmers with financial tools and agronomic advice to scale regenerative practices. World Economic Forum

Toxic metals from Brazil mining disaster moving into crops — Researchers found that crops grown in soil contaminated by the 2015 Brazilian mining disaster are absorbing toxic metals, with bananas, cassava and cocoa taking up elements including lead. The findings deepen concerns about long-term food-safety legacies of mine tailings spills. ScienceDaily

Soil upgrade in Senegal cut locust damage and doubled yields — Scientists working with farmers in Senegal showed that improving soil health can dramatically reduce locust damage to crops, with one project doubling yields. The work suggests soil-based interventions could be a powerful tool against pest outbreaks that threaten regional food security. ScienceDaily

FAO outlines structural fixes for Hormuz-driven agrifood crisis — With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed since 28 February, the FAO is detailing short, medium and long-term policy solutions as the chokehold on energy and fertilizer supplies ripples through global agrifood systems. The agency is urging measures to avert a severe crisis within six to 12 months. FAO

FAO finds 72,000 West Bank farming families need emergency aid — A new FAO survey says more than 72,000 farming and herding families in the West Bank — nearly two-thirds of all agricultural households — urgently require emergency agricultural assistance. The findings underscore the depth of the rural humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories. FAO

FAO confirms 615 modular grain stores delivered to Ukrainian frontline farms — Ahead of the 2026 growing season, FAO completed the distribution of 615 modular storage units to small and medium-scale farmers across seven frontline Ukrainian oblasts. The Canada- and Japan-backed initiative aims to protect harvests in regions where war and drought have undermined storage infrastructure. FAO

Review: regenerative farming gains real but variable, new evidence shows — A review of hundreds of studies provides one of the clearest pictures yet that regenerative practices raise soil organic carbon and improve soil function, while confirming wide variation by climate and soil type. Researchers caution that headline gains in carbon or yield remain exceptional rather than routine. Regenerative Agriculture Summit

Cover photo by Cheung Yin on Unsplash.