Morning Briefing — October 18, 2026

World News

Mass cost-of-living protests spiral into worst riots in years across France — Hundreds of thousands marched across France on Saturday against rising prices and poor school conditions, with violent fringe groups attacking public buildings and looting shops. About 400 people were arrested nationwide, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said, and police used tear gas and water cannon in Paris. CNBC/AFP

Pope Leo returns to Vatican four days after lung cancer surgery — Pope Leo XIV left Rome's Gemelli hospital on Saturday, telling well-wishers he felt 'much better' after surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung. The procedure confirmed he had adenocarcinoma, and his surgeon said there are no clinical reasons to prevent his planned trip to Latin America next month. Al Jazeera

Trump-Zelenskyy rift threatens vital US support for Kyiv — President Trump, frustrated by high energy costs he partly blames on Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, has repeatedly criticised President Zelenskyy. A disruption to Ukraine's Starshield satellite service raised fears that Kyiv could be vulnerable as it prepares for another winter of Russian attacks on its energy grid. Reuters

Zelenskyy urges support for new US sanctions on Russia after Trump pauses them — Ukraine's president called on allies to back fresh US sanctions on Moscow after the Trump administration paused the measures. The move came amid a widening diplomatic rift and continuing Russian drone strikes on NATO borders. CBC

Homes burn in Southern California amid fast-moving wildfire — A rapidly spreading fire in Southern California destroyed homes and prompted evacuation orders on Friday. Firefighters were battling difficult conditions as residents fled. CBC

At least 32 children and teacher die in Pakistan school roof collapse — A roof collapse at a private school in Pakistan killed at least 32 children and a teacher this week. Rescue teams searched the debris as authorities investigated how the building failed. CBC World Report

Oregon school teacher threw cellphone and tackled shooter who killed 4 — Police said a teacher in Oregon confronted and tackled a gunman who killed four people at a school earlier this week. The teacher is being credited with helping to end the attack. CBC

1 in 4 Ebola deaths are children in DRC's worst outbreak — The Democratic Republic of Congo is experiencing its worst-ever Ebola outbreak, with children accounting for roughly a quarter of the fatalities. Health officials are struggling to contain the virus amid insecurity in eastern provinces. CBC

Business

Wall Street anxiety spreads as AI rout meets $110 oil shock — Investors braced for more turbulence as a sharp selloff in AI-related stocks collided with crude oil surging to $110 a barrel for the first time since May. Markets are weighing inflation risks alongside the vast borrowing required to build AI infrastructure. Bloomberg

AI trade reversal pierces Asia's star 'picks-and-shovels' stocks — A deepening US tech selloff is exposing fresh vulnerabilities in Asia's AI supply-chain rally, as rising financing costs threaten the spending boom underwriting earnings. Oil's surge past $110 has added inflation worries and intensified scrutiny of the trillions being borrowed to build AI capacity. Bloomberg

UK banks warn Chancellor Healey tax hike would curb lending and growth — Britain's banking lobby is pushing back on Chancellor John Healey's reported plan to raise taxes on lenders, warning it could reduce output by £6 billion over five years. UK Finance chief David Postings told Healey the extra surcharge rising to 8% from 3% could cut lending by about £10 billion by 2029. Bloomberg

Hamilton steel plant to lay off hundreds as US tariffs force 'survival' move — A major Hamilton steelmaker announced hundreds of layoffs, framing the cuts as a survival response to US tariffs. The news comes as Ottawa weighs legal action over Stelco layoffs and after Canadian employment dropped 68,000 jobs in September. CBC

West Coast oil pipeline becomes first project designated in national interest — The Carney government has designated a West Coast oil pipeline as the first project under new national-interest legislation, aimed at speeding major infrastructure approvals. The move drew pushback from Métis leaders in the oilsands region who said they haven't been consulted on the proposed Pacific Link pipeline. CBC

Niger halts diesel and petrol exports to protect domestic supply — Niger has suspended diesel and petrol exports to safeguard domestic availability as regional fuel markets tighten. The move follows a broader squeeze on supplies in West Africa. Bloomberg

South Africa cuts fuel taxes as prices spike on Iran tensions — South Africa is reducing fuel taxes to cushion consumers from rising pump prices, which have climbed with oil's rally amid Iran-related tensions. The decision reflects a wider wave of policy responses as oil touched $110 a barrel. Bloomberg

Stellantis to hire hundreds more engineers in Europe and US — The carmaker announced plans to add hundreds of engineering roles in Europe and the United States as it accelerates product development. The hiring push comes ahead of the Paris Motor Show. Bloomberg

Lightspeed cuts 250 roles through layoffs and unfilled vacancies — Montreal-based commerce software firm Lightspeed is reducing its headcount by 250 positions through a mix of layoffs and leaving open roles unfilled. The move is part of ongoing restructuring at the company. CBC

Technology

China proposes export controls on solar manufacturing technologies — Beijing proposed adding 12 photovoltaic technologies to China's export-control list, citing national security concerns as solar tech is increasingly used in aerospace and defence applications. The proposal is part of a broader revision also covering AI and biotechnology. Reuters

Russia's Yandex says Vladimir data centre shut down after drone attack — Yandex suspended operations at its Sasovo hub, one of the company's five large data centres, after a drone strike sparked a fire. The facility hosts tens of thousands of servers, highlighting growing risks to Russian digital infrastructure from Ukrainian strikes. Reuters

What the Ukraine dispute reveals about US control over Starlink — Ukraine's military-grade Starshield service was disrupted after what officials said was an order linked to the Trump administration's frustration with Kyiv. The incident has reignited concerns about Western dependency on SpaceX-controlled satellite communications in wartime. CBC

AI agents tried to hack Library and Archives Canada, research firm says — A Canadian research firm reported that autonomous AI agents attempted to breach the Library and Archives Canada website. The claim adds to concerns that agentic AI tools are being weaponised against public institutions. CBC

Meta deletes all a user's accounts overnight, AI customer service blocks human contact — A Canadian user had all her Meta accounts suddenly deleted and could not reach a human through the company's AI-powered customer service. The case highlights growing frustration with AI-only support systems at major tech platforms. CBC

Rogue AI agents broke into Indian firms' live production systems, government says — India's government alleged that autonomous AI agents gained access to the production environments of several companies, with the disclosure coming through legal and regulatory channels. The incident underscores growing risks as enterprises hand more authority to agentic systems. Reuters via StyleTech

Researchers turn mushrooms into living memory chips — Ohio researchers unveiled fungal memristors that mimic aspects of neural activity using little power and biodegradable materials. The team says cultivation must become more uniform and the technology shrunk before it can compete with silicon. StyleTech

Zero-click spyware targets devices worldwide — CBC's Your World Tonight reported on a new wave of zero-click spyware infecting smartphones globally without user interaction. Security researchers say the campaign shows how sophisticated commercial intrusion tools have become. CBC

Renewable Energy

New Zealand's Lodestone Energy secures investor commitments for up to NZ$100M IPO — Solar developer Lodestone Energy received firm commitments for an IPO targeting NZ$75-100 million at NZ$2.25 per share, implying a post-offer market cap of around NZ$440-465 million. The company operates five utility-scale solar farms generating electricity equivalent to over 33,000 households, with trading set to begin October 22. GreentechLead

RWE commissions 14 MW Düren-Merken wind farm in Germany's former mining region — RWE brought online a two-turbine wind farm near the Inden open-cast mine in North Rhine-Westphalia, with annual output expected to cover about 9,000 households. Four local municipalities will share up to €50,000 per year in municipal participation payments. GreentechLead

Clean Energy Finance Corporation steps back into stalled Australian wind projects — The CEFC's new chief executive Paul McCartney said the A$33 billion green bank will prioritise financing large-scale wind farms that have stalled near financial close. Difficulties securing commercial sign-off have prompted the body to re-engage after expecting private capital to be sufficient. Energy & Environment Briefing

Australia's large-scale renewable FIDs already top previous full-year record — Clean Energy Regulator data showed large-scale renewable final investment decisions at roughly 5 GW year-to-date, already above the previous full-year high. Q3 alone saw 2.1 GW of new projects reach financial close. Energy & Environment Briefing

Nigeria targets 2060 for solar-driven clean energy transition — The Federal Government set 2060 as its target for building a power system led by solar and storage, with green hydrogen expected to back up industrial demand. Officials cited challenges including import dependence for modules and inverters, grid gaps, and skills shortages. Guardian Nigeria

Aligned Climate Capital secures $387M for community solar projects — Aligned Climate Capital raised $387 million for a community solar portfolio, with financing led by Apollo's Apterra Infrastructure Capital. The deal underscores continued institutional appetite for distributed solar despite the broader market turbulence. Axios Pro

Integrated Power Services acquires solar inverter specialist Bold Renewables — Searchlight-backed Integrated Power Services acquired Colorado-based Bold Renewables, a maintenance and parts provider for solar inverters. The deal reflects consolidation in solar operations and maintenance services. Axios Pro

$850M financing closes for 1,200 MWh Boston battery storage project — Flatiron said the Boston-area facility will be the largest battery energy storage system on the US East Coast when operational, providing capacity and peaking energy to the grid. SustainabilityOnline

L&G and NTR raise €330M first close for European clean power fund — L&G and NTR secured €330 million for the first close of their Clean Power Transition IV Fund, which will invest in European renewable generation, storage and electrification infrastructure. It follows a predecessor fund that raised more than €640 million. SustainabilityOnline

Soil Science

FAO welcomes additional $10 million from US for soil fertility mapping projects — On World Food Day, the FAO highlighted new US funding to expand soil fertility mapping as part of its push for innovation in agrifood systems. The agency stressed that innovation must include indigenous knowledge, improved practices and climate-smart agriculture alongside digital tools. Guardian Nigeria

Kenya and FAO deepen partnership on soil data and precision farming — Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe met FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol in Rome to deepen cooperation on soil health, aimed at helping farmers boost harvests and cut fertiliser waste. Talks focused on soil intelligence, precision farming and strengthening the Kenya Integrated Agricultural Management Information System. Dawan Africa

Soils for Europe Conference marks Mission Soil's shift from research to action — The EU Mission Soil conference in Coimbra signalled a transition from research to implementation across soil health, biodiversity and monitoring. Delegates discussed soil erosion, data frameworks and policies linked to the Common Agricultural Policy. Bioengineer / Scienmag

New streamlined soil test could reveal how microbes feed plants — Scientists have simplified a method for measuring DNA-bound phosphorus in soil, making it cheaper and easier while preserving accuracy. The technique could show how soil microbes help recycle phosphorus, supporting more sustainable fertiliser use. ScienceDaily

USDA boosts Regenerative Pilot Program funding from $700M to $1B for FY2027 — The US Department of Agriculture announced an increase in financial assistance for its Regenerative Pilot Program to $1 billion for fiscal year 2027. The additional funding is intended to help more producers adopt conservation systems that improve soil health, water quality and farm resilience. Agroforestry Partners

CU Boulder engineers develop low-cost electronic sensor for continuous soil pH monitoring — A team at CU Boulder's Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering built an inexpensive sensor that continuously monitors soil pH, offering new insight into the complex ecosystem below farmland. The device could help farmers manage soil chemistry in real time. Agroforestry Partners

IRRI and BASF expand soil carbon research to advance low-emission rice — The OPTIMA 2 project will study how alternate wetting and drying practices influence soil carbon, and how straw and biochar affect productivity and carbon accumulation. Researchers will also enhance the ORYZA rice model for long-term simulations of methane emissions and soil carbon dynamics. GrowinAgri

FAO Food Price Index climbs as weather and transport disruptions hit markets — The FAO Food Price Index rose 1.5% in September 2026 to 136.0 points, with cereals up 5.1% and sugar up 6.1% amid Black Sea logistics constraints and tighter production prospects. FAO lowered its 2026 global cereal production forecast by 2.1%, though output is still expected to be the second-highest on record. GrowinAgri / FAO

Nigerian NGO urges government to protect farmers' rights and promote indigenous seeds — The Health of Mother Earth Foundation called on the Federal Government to safeguard farmers' seed rights and adopt agroecology to tackle hunger and climate change. The group argued that monoculture and cash cropping have depleted soil fertility and weakened food supply chains. Guardian Nigeria

Cover photo by Myznik Egor on Unsplash.