Miner threat

Good morning. It’s hard out there for singles no matter where you are. But in Singapore, things have gotten so bad that the government has decided to step in. The city-state launched a dating app called FirstDate, specifically meant to help its public servants find love. 

Government workers aged 21–35 are eligible to sign up and be matched with a suitable date. The process is powered by a Nobel Prize-winning mathematical formula called the Gale-Shapley Stable Marriage algorithm. How romantic!

Today’s reading time is 5½ minutes.

Markets: Trading was subdued yesterday with many firms out of office for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Still, Canada’s main stock index fell and finished the month of September in the red, ending its five-month streak of posting monthly gains.

A Canadian mining company asked Panama “r u still mine?” and got a crushing response.

What happened: A Panamanian government commission recommended that President José Raúl Mulino negotiate the reopening of the Cobre Panama copper mine — operated by Canadian miner First Quantum Minerals — though only as a means to fund its eventual closure.

Catch-up: In 2023, mass protests disrupted operations at the mine, with activists decrying the mine’s environmental impacts and a deal they viewed as unfavourable and exploitative. Later that year, Panama’s Supreme Court ruled that the law approving the deal between the country and First Quantum was unconstitutional; Panama’s president then ordered its closure.

Why it matters: For one, it’s bad news for one of Canada’s largest miners. Cobre Panama accounted for about 40% of the company’s revenue when it was up and running. While it could oversee operations for a few more years, it won’t be anywhere near its original 20-year deal.

Plus: Cobre Panama accounted for around 1.5% of the copper supply. The metal — which is used in pretty much all electrical wiring — is already in short supply, with an S&P report from this year warning that continued shortages pose “systemic risk” to global economic growth.

Bottom line: President Mulino still needs to give the recommendation a final approval, but bucking the report could be politically contentious. Even though there has been economic fallout from the mine shutting down, many Panamanians are still vehemently against it.—QH

West Coast oil pipeline will be fast-tracked under the Major Projects Office. Ottawa is expected to officially designate the new pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast as a project of national interest, a path that would speed up regulatory approvals and consultations. While some Indigenous and environmental groups have voiced opposition, advocates say it will open up new markets for Canadian oil and produce billions of dollars in royalties for the government. (Globe and Mail)  

Cohere’s new backer is eyeing a Canadian data centre buildout. German conglomerate Schwarz Digits, which is leading Cohere’s next financing round, said it is looking to build significant compute capacity in Canada as part of its backing of the recently merged AI company. The firm currently has four data centres in Austria and Germany. (The Logic)

Canada and the EU are planning a critical minerals stockpile. As part of a wide-ranging (yet to be announced) partnership agreement, Ottawa and Brussels are planning to jointly stockpile critical resources to mitigate “market fluctuations.” The deal also includes a joint purchase of 50 De Havilland water bombers that will be used to fight wildfires. (Politico)

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A new study conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer found that 12% of all new cancer cases in 2024 stemmed from infections — which aren’t necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when we think of cancer causes. Helicobacter pylori — a bacterium that infects the stomach and can increase the risk of stomach cancer — caused the largest number of infection-related cancer cases, notching 760,000 of them.

Why it matters: Some of these infections can be treated or mitigated with vaccines before they become cancerous, and others can be caught early thanks to advanced screenings. Global expansion of these treatments and services could help bring that 12% number down.

OpenAI will have to prove in court that the nefarious actions of its AI agents aren’t its fault. 

What happened: A legal advocacy group has filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit against OpenAI, arguing that the company should be held liable for its AI agents’ rogue cyberattack on Hugging Face. Meanwhile, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he would delay the company’s IPO until it had addressed its safety concerns. 

Why it matters: Experts say that this is likely the first of many lawsuits AI companies will face over the rogue — and, in some cases, criminal — actions of their products. 

Zoom out: When it comes to rogue cyberattacks during testing, the obvious party that would be held responsible is the AI developer. However, as more people deploy their own AI agents, the picture becomes a lot murkier as to who would be liable for an agent's actions: the company that built it, or the user who prompted it.—LA

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🇨🇦 8. Conservative Members of Parliament who will have left Pierre Poilievre's caucus since last year’s election after Muskoka region MP Scott Aitchison vacates his seat following the fall session. Of the eight departures, half have crossed the floor to join the Liberal caucus.

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Rise up and tackle today’s mini-crossword, the daily sudoku, Codebreaker, and Who’s Who.