The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/08/21 at 17:00 EDT

Episode Date: August 21, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/08/21 at 17:00 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 the world this hour i'm gina louise phillips we begin with new details of the case of the four men accused of building up an anti-government militia

The Quebec men, charged with weapons offenses and terrorism, all had military ties. Catherine Tunney has that story. Recently unsealed court document show one of the Canadian Armed Forces members, now charged with terrorism, allegedly spoke openly about his will to use violence against government authorities. The search warrant request showed that the RCMP were investigating Mark A Real Shabbat, a 24-year-old military member. They accused him of wanting to create a community opposed to what he saw as government overreach and defending. it by force if needed. According to these documents, police alleged Shabot was a guest on a podcast, where he spoke about, quote, another wakeo. It's a reference to the 1993 deadly

standoff in Texas between a fringe religious group and U.S. officials that left more than 80 people dead, including children. The documents were used to execute a search warrant in early 2024 when police seized a massive trove of weapons and ammunition. None of the allegations against the four have been tested in court. Catherine Tunney, CBC News, Ottawa. In 2024, there were 17% fewer opioid use deaths in Canada compared to the previous year. The findings are in a new study from the Canadian Community Epidemiology Network on drug use. The authors found the main reason for the drop in numbers is less adulterated street drugs.

Here's researcher Radia Malam. Each participating region reporting a decrease saw fewer identifications of carfentan, decrease in benzodiazepines and cease fentanyl-containing samples. Malam says there has also been a drop in the number of opioid users, in part because so many have died in recent years. There have been changes also in how users are ingesting the drugs with more smoking them. And finally, the availability of supports like drug testing sites have also made a difference. Court documents obtained by CBC News are shedding light on a home invasion in Ontario Cottage

country. Coortha Lakes police say both the resident and the alleged intruder are facing charges. The case has led to a public debate about what constitutes reasonable self-defense. Thomas Diagla has more. A charge sheet filed in an Ontario court on Thursday says apartment tenant Jeremy McDonald used a knife to attack the alleged intruder Michael Breen. Police previously declined to identify the men and it's not clear whether the two knew each other. According to Coortha Lake's police, the armed intruder burst into the home around 3 o'clock Monday morning. A fight broke out. Breen was critically injured and airlifted to a Toronto hospital. Now the resident is facing charges of aggravated assault and assault with a weapon, as court documents suggest he endangered the life of the

alleged intruder. Breen was also wanted by police at the time of the incident, and investigators say he'll be arrested and face new charges once he's released from hospital. The chief of Cawartha Lake's Police points out, Canadians are allowed to use reasonable force to defend themselves, but he says those rights are not unlimited. Thomas Dagg, CBC News, Toronto. Prime Minister Mark Carney had a phone conversation with President Donald Trump today. It's the first time the leaders have spoken since August 1st. That was the expired deadline imposed by Trump to reach a new trade deal. The Prime Minister's office calls the call, productive and wide-ranging.

Israel's Prime Minister says he has ordered the immediate start of negotiations to release hostages and end the war in Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu says a deal would have to include terms acceptable to Israel. But the Prime Minister did not comment on a proposal for a phased hostage release deal that Hamas accepted earlier this week. Netanyahu also says he is pushing ahead with plans to take over Gaza City. Many nations condemn that plan saying it further displaces Palestinians already grappling with famine and endangers the lives of hostages believed to be held there.

And that is the world this hour. Remember, you can listen to our podcast anytime. We update it every hour, seven days a week. For CBC News, I'm Gina Louise Phillips.