The Morning Three: Shared Medicine, Kept Promises, Cloudy Days

Monday, 9 November 2026. Today: Europe’s fight against drug-resistant infections, a Jamaican utility’s unpaid compensation and solar power’s first cloudy winter test. Each asks whether what we rely on will hold when we need it.

Life: Treat Antibiotics as Something We Share

What happened: Antimicrobial resistance causes an estimated 35,000 deaths a year in the EU, Euronews reported on 7 November, citing the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. A Lancet study cited in the article projects that resistant bacteria could directly cause 39 million deaths worldwide between 2025 and 2050. Drivers include overuse in people and animals, poor sanitation and pollution.

The lesson: In our view, the useful shift is to see antibiotics as something we share, not something we own. Each unnecessary course makes them a little weaker for the next person. The article cites a WHO estimate that better use of vaccines could cut global antibiotic use by 2.5 billion doses a year, so prevention protects the medicines too.

Try today: Check your medicine cabinet for leftover or expired antibiotics. Do not keep them for later or share them; ask your pharmacy how to dispose of them safely.

Source: Euronews, “When antibiotics stop working: Europe’s growing superbug threat” by Giedre Peseckyte (7 November 2026)

Leadership: A Promise Is Only as Good as Its Payout

What happened: Jamaica’s National Water Commission paid J$23.76 million of the J$73.78 million in compensation potentially due for 14,817 breaches of its Guaranteed Standards between April 2025 and March 2026, the Jamaica Observer reported on 7 November, citing the Office of Utilities Regulation’s annual report. That is 32 per cent. Reasons included customers not submitting claim forms and regulatory relief after Hurricane Melissa.

The lesson: One way to read this: a guarantee that people must chase is weaker than one that is delivered without being asked. When payment depends on a form, many never claim. Leaders build trust by making it easy for others to receive what was promised, and by checking whether they actually did.

Try today: Write down one promise you made in the past month to a customer, colleague or family member. Check whether you delivered it. If not, act on it or send an honest update today.

Source: Jamaica Observer, “NWC customers miss out on $50m” by Jerome Williams (7 November 2026)

Solutions: Plan for Your Cloudy Season

What happened: Cloudy weather cut solar’s share of EU electricity from 25.4 per cent in June to 13.2 per cent in October, Euronews reported on 8 November. Bloomberg forecasts cited in the article put German day-ahead power prices for 29 October above €300 per megawatt hour, about double October’s average.

What worked: Euronews reports that solar has saved the EU €42.9 billion in avoided gas imports since 28 February. Analysis by the think tank Ember found solar performed better than usual during June’s heatwave, when daily demand rose by up to 28 per cent in Italy. These are demonstrated results.

The tradeoff: Winter output drops sharply. One UK household with panels and a battery generated 2.40 kWh on 5 November but imported 20.60 kWh from the grid.

The lesson: A good system can still have a predictable weak season. The answer is backup and planning, not abandoning what works. Caribbean islands adding solar, and businesses with seasonal income, face the same question.

Try today: Name one thing you rely on that has a low season, such as income, volunteers or energy. Write down one backup you could set up before that season arrives.

Source: Euronews, “‘We’re hardly producing any power’: Can Europe’s solar boom survive a cloudy winter?” by Liam Gilliver (8 November 2026)

Your Three for Today

Choose three priorities and give each a time:

• Move something forward: the one task that would make the biggest difference today.
• Support someone: who needs your attention, encouragement or a decision?
• Invest in yourself: one thing for your health, learning or wellbeing.

For example: plan a backup for your quiet season by 10:00, follow up on an overdue promise to a colleague at 12:00, and clear out old medicines at 19:00. Your three will differ, and that is fine.

Today’s Question

Which promise have you made that someone would find hard to collect on?

This briefing was prepared with AI research and writing assistance under Colin Beharie’s editorial direction. Every fact links to its original source. Spot an error? See our Sources & Corrections policy.