The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/08/21 at 07:00 EDT

Episode Date: August 21, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/08/21 at 07:00 EDT

We are gathered here today to celebrate life's big milestones. Do you promise to stand together through home purchases, auto-upgrades, and surprise dents and dings? We do. To embrace life's big moments for any adorable co-drivers down the road. We do. Then with the caring support of Desjardin insurance, I pronounce you covered for home, auto, and flexible life insurance. For life's big milestones, get insurance that's really big on care at Dejardin.com slash care. from cbc news it's the world this hour i'm joe cummings

israel says it has launched the initial phase of its military offensive on gaza city Israeli troops have already established a foothold on the outskirts of the city as hundreds of Palestinians are now fleeing their neighborhoods margaret evans reports Israeli strikes in the early hours of the morning. A spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces says Israeli troops already control the city's outskirts and call-up notices have been issued to 60,000 reservists for an operation expected to begin in earnest in September. The UN Secretary General Antonio Gutierrez added his voice to those warning of catastrophic implications for Palestinian citizens. civilians. It is vital to avoid the massive deaths and destruction that a military operation

against Gaza City would inevitably cause. The Israeli decision, which it says is aimed at rooting out what remains of Hamas and rescuing hostages, has dampened optimism that a 60-day ceasefire might be agreed. Margaret Evans, CBC News, Jerusalem. Ukrainian officials are calling Russia's overnight aerial assault. one of the largest bombardments of the year. It's a cleanup underway in Leviv after a drone strike on a residential building. It was one of more than 500 drones

and 40 missiles fired overnight into the country. Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky says most were intercepted, but at least one fatality is being reported along with dozens of injuries. Meanwhile, German police have arrested a Ukrainian citizen suspected of damaging the Nord Stream Pipeline System. The underwater pipelines deliver Russian natural gas to Germany,

and they were damaged by a series of explosions three years ago, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine. The suspect was taken into custody in Italy. Ukraine has long denied any involvement in the targeting of the pipelines. The Texas House of Representatives has approved a controversial plan to redraw the state's electoral map. 88 I's and 52 days, House Bill 4 has finally passed. The move would gerrymander a number of districts to improve the chances of Republicans winning more seats in the U.S. Congress.

The plan still needs approval from the Texas Senate and the governor. Here's Democrat Mihaila Piercy, a state representative. The next battlefield is the courts, and we will win there. And then we take the battlefield to the ballot box. To slow the process, more than 50 Democratic politicians from Texas temporarily left the state this month to try to delay that vote. It's a potentially deadly tick-borne illness known as Rocky Mountain spotted fever. And while for years it's been predominantly found in the southern U.S., it has now crossed the border into Canada. Jela Bernstein reports.

Don't stop enjoying the Great Outdoors, but do take precautions. That's the advice of McGill University biologist Vergeny 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 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. And that is the world this hour.

For news any time, go to our website. CBCNews.ca. For CBC News, I'm Joe Cummings.