World Report - February 1: Sunday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: February 1, 2026

Gaza’s Rafah crossing reopens today in a high-stakes test for the region's fragile ceasefire.Israel bars Médecins Sans Frontières from Gaza after the charity refuses to disclose staff lists, citing safety concerns.Ayatollah Khamenei warns of "regional war" as President Trump claims nuclear talks are underway amid a massive U.S. military buildup.Five years after Myanmar’s coup, Aung San Suu Kyi remains in secret detention following military-run elections.Pierre Poilievre secures a strong leadership mandate in Calgary as strategists warn the party must link Trump’s trade threats to Canada's affordability crisis.Ottawa is cutting 840 climate and environment jobs, sparking warnings that critical research on toxins and wildlife will be lost.Auditions open for the 10th season of The Great Canadian Baking Show as the nation’s pandemic-born obsession with baking continues to surge.

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Our top story this hour, Gaza's only crossing to the outside world is open today, a major test of a fragile ceasefire. The rafa border between Gaza and Egypt had been closed for nearly two years, leaving millions cut off from travel, aid, and medical cases. Its reopening comes just a day after one of the deadliest flare-ups since the ceasefire began, raising questions about whether it will hold.

The CBC's Sasha Petrissik is in Jerusalem. Sasha, what's the situation right now at the Raffa Crossing, and is it actually opening as planned? It has started to open, John, which means that there are ambulances and buses lined up on the Egyptian side of the border. We're told that it's not going to be a large number on any. given day, probably a maximum of about 150 Palestinians will be allowed to move back and forth across this border. Israel has said that there's no real limit on the number who can leave. There is a much tighter control of who's coming back. They have to have left since the war started, and they will be screened multiple times by Israel, by the Palestinian authority that is

handling the Gaza side of this border, as well as EU officials who are there as well. So it's a complicated process. They're starting to put it into effect, but it's very, very highly anticipated on the Gaza side, because this will be the first time really since about May 2024 that people will be able to move more freely across and really psychologically, that means there is an escape from this two years of war. CBC's Sasha Petrissik in Jerusalem. Thanks so much, Sasha. My pleasure, John. Israel, meanwhile, says it will bar doctors without borders from working in Gaza after the group refused to hand over a list of its staff. Israel says the requirement

is meant to prevent militant infiltration, a claim the medical humanitarian, aid group strongly denies. The charity says it could not comply without assurances its staff would be kept safe, warning the ban will sharply limit health care in Gaza. Meanwhile, Iran's supreme leader is warning that any U.S. attack would spark what he calls a regional war, Ayatollah Ali Khomeini,

says that Iran would respond with a strong blow or threaten as the U.S. continues to build up its military presence in the Middle East, following a deadly crackdown on protests in Iran. The U.S. President Donald Trump says Iran is seriously negotiating with Washington over a nuclear deal but has not ruled out military action. Tensions remain high across the region. Myanmar is marking five years since a military coup ended the country's brief experiment with democracy.

Its deposed leader, Ansansuchi, has spent that entire time in detention, but unlike her years under house arrest, her whereabouts now remain unknown. Adam Bema has the story. February 1st, Mark. It marks five years since the military. Aung San Suu Kyi's youngest son, Kim Aris, shared this video on social media today. Aris hasn't spoken to his 80-year-old mother since 2021. The last communication from her was a letter sent nearly three years ago.

She's a strong woman. She's proven that time and time again. And I think that she can't pull through this. On February 1st, 2021, a fitness instructor caught the Myanmar military. coup unfolding behind her in an early morning workout video. A convoy of military vehicles were heading to Myanmar's parliament in the capital Nebidah to seize power from Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy Party. It won a landslide victory three months before the coup.

The military need to realize that she is somebody who can benefit them as well as the rest of the country because she's always wanted to make the military better. The USDP will form the next government. Military-run elections, which ended on January 25th, were held without the NLD on the ballot. It was disbanded by the junta three years ago. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party won a landslide. Aung San Suu Kyi is one of 22,000 prisoners jailed for opposing the coup five years ago. Aris hopes, now that elections are completed, his mother can be released.

Free her, free them all. Adam Bema for CBC News, Cheng Mai, Thailand. Party of Canada wraps up its convention in Calgary, pitching unity and a path forward. But a senior conservative strategist says the party needs to adapt, especially as U.S. President Donald Trump ramps up trade threats against Canada. The CBC's Kate McKenna reports. The conservative message is walking and chewing gum at the same time. One of Pierre Polyev's longtime advisor says conservatives can grow their support by tying Donald

Trump's trade war to the affordability crisis affecting working-class Canadians. Obviously there's geopolitical threats, there's geopolitical changes, there's obviously our relationship with the United States. All of that, though, contributes to what is going on in Canada and what's going on with Canadians in terms of affordability. Jenny Byrne ran the Conservatives' 2025 election campaign. She gave a rare interview to CBC News during the party's convention in Calgary. In the 2025 campaign, conservatives sought to make affordability the ballot question while the liberals focused on Trump. Since losing the election, there has been debate within the conservative movement over whether Polyev has been strong enough responding to Trump's threats.

Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says it's important for Polyev to speak up. There's still a lot of Canadians who wake up in the morning, they hear the latest crazy thing Trump has said about us, and they want whoever the leader is of any party to be in the corner fighting that nonsense. Burn faced criticism after the conservatives lost the last election and was replaced as campaign manager. but she says she's still advising Pollyev in the caucus and that conservatives leave the convention unified.

Kate McKenna, CBC News, Calgary. Scientists say Ottawa's plan to cut thousands of jobs could affect important climate research. Layoff notices are going out across the ranks of the Federal Public Service. And Environment Climate Change Canada says it's eliminating about 840 positions. Laura Lynch, host of CBC's What on Earth

has more on the possible impact. What were they thinking? Christine Bishop spent decades in government researching the effects of toxins on wildlife and the environment. She recently retired, but has been in touch with former colleagues who are facing the elimination of their program. Bishop says it makes no sense, especially since Ottawa relies on their work to determine the impact of a new project, like a pipeline transporting diluted bitumen called Dilbert from Alberta's oil sands. This research group has looked at the effects of Dilbert on a wildlife when they're building a pipeline here in Canada

provided that information to the government and mining is another area that these scientists have looked at over the years, yes. The head of the union representing scientists and other professionals Sean O'Reilly worries about other potential cuts as well. There is talk about them modernizing weather forecasting and relying on more automated systems. At the end of the day, I want a meteorologist that actually has been looking at weather charts for years

to tell me what's going to be hitting me. Both say the losses won't help Canada's efforts to understand and adapt to the realities of climate change, and that's why they're urging the government to reconsider the cuts. But a department spokesperson says core responsibilities will still be fulfilled, and the government remains committed to confronting the realities of a warming planet.

Laura Lynch, CBC News, Vancouver. And you can hear more on this story later this morning on what on earth. And finally, auditions getting underway across the country for a popular Canadian baking competition, now entering its 10th season. But much of that success is being attributed to the surge in popularity of baking during the pandemic. She and Desjardin explains. The smell of pies, cakes, tarts, overpowering the nearly silent room full of nerves. Amateur home bakers all waiting to audition for the Great Canadian Baking Show.

I really like how it combines the scientific side of myself and also the creative side. If I'm sad or angry, there's nothing like making a good pastry. My daughter also helps me with my baking. She's got a heart condition, so it's sort of given us something to do together. Show executive Mark Vand events says applications are on track to surpass last year. Events have been reaching capacity. Home baking grew during the pandemic. And then that's only snowballed since then. And they found they loved it and they made time for it afterwards.

The Culinary Institute of Canada is seeing the rise in popularity too. This year, auditions are happening in more places than ever, including Montreal, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and PEI. For some, like Patricia Noonan, the mental health benefits are unmatched. After a brain injury five years ago, her life looks much different. But baking, that never changed. People always appreciated it before and gushed over. it and they still do. So I feel like it's a part of me that I still have.

As the judges taste her lemon tart, her husband watches so proudly. A reminder, more than just sugar and spice, could be fueling this growing love of baking. She and Desjardin, CBC News, Shilatown. And that is the latest national and international news from World Report. I'm John Northcott. This is CBC News. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.ca slash podcasts.