The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/08/21 at 02:00 EDT

Episode Date: August 21, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/08/21 at 02:00 EDT

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From CBC News, the world this hour, I'm Neil Hurland. The United Nations Secretary General is speaking out against Israel's plan to launch a new military operation in Gaza City. Antonio Guterres made the comment today during a visit to Japan. I must reiterate that it is vital to reach immediately a ceasefire in Gaza and the unconditional release of all hostages and to avoid the massive deaths and destruction that a military operation against Gaza City would inevitably cause.

The Israeli military says Gaza City is home to one of the last strongholds of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The Texas House of Representatives has approved a controversial plan to redraw the election map in the state. 88 eyes of 52 days, House Bill 4 has finally passed. The move would gerrymander districts to improve the chances of Republicans winning more seats in the U.S. Congress.

The plan still needs to be approved from the Texas Senate and the governor. Michaela Plessa is a Democratic state representatives. The next battlefield is the courts, and we will win there. And then we take the battlefield to the ballot box. More than 50 Democratic politicians from Texas temporarily left the state this month to try to delay the vote. There are questions about claims of indigenous investment in a proposed natural gas plant in New Brunswick.

The plant is to be built by an American company and it's been controversial on a number of fronts. Now it appears a First Nations ownership stake is only hypothetical. Jacques Potra has more. North Shore-Migma Tribal Council is a minority equity holder in the project. That claim by Pro Energy Executive Landon Tessner at a July online meeting is a calling card for the proposed 400 megawatt natural gas plant. New Brunswick's power utility needs the extra electricity the plant would provide, but there's growing opposition, including to the choice of pro-energy, a U.S. company, to build it.

So far, though, there is no equity investment by any First Nation. So I think there was a step missed. Pabinot First Nation Chief Terry Richardson says the MiGMA agency working with the U.S. company may have moved too quickly. Richardson supports the plant but says the process has to be right. It's important that we have that down, you know, how we're doing this consultation and how we're moving forward. So we don't end up with stumbling blocks that cost money and cause bad feelings. The U.S. company refused to comment. Jacques-Protra, CBC News, Fredericton.

A deadly tick-borne illness is spreading to Canada. More common in the United States, the infection is being carried north. As Jela Bernstein reports, it is treatable if caught early enough. Don't stop enjoying the Great Outdoors, but do take precautions. That's the advice of McGill University biologist, Virginie Millien. Proper closing. Then when will you get back home, tick check. Human-driven climate change means ticks are surviving farther north,

and Lyme disease isn't the only threat they carry. This week, a case of raw. Rocky Mountain spotted fever was reported in Quebec. Doctors suspect that infection was picked up in southern Ontario or Quebec's eastern townships. This is sadly not surprising. Dr. Isaac Bogosh is an infectious diseases specialist with Toronto General Hospital. It's a very serious infection and it can result in death if it's not identified quickly and treated quickly. The signs of Rocky Mountain spotted fever are right in the name.

Fever, headache, nausea, and a rash, usually pinpoint spots or red splotches. Jela Bernstein, CBC News, Montreal. In California, parole hearings for the Menendez brothers begin Thursday. Eric and Lyle Menendez are serving prison sentences for murdering their parents in 1989. The case drew sensational headlines, and thanks to a recent Netflix show, there's renewed interest in the story. and may a judge reduce their sentences amid new evidence that their father sexually abused them. And that is your world this hour. For CBC News, I'm Neil Hurlitt.