World Report - February 15: Sunday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: February 15, 2026

Mikaël Kingsbury makes history in Italy — capturing Canada’s first gold medal of the 2026 Games.Canada launches its largest-ever trade mission to Mexico to hedge against U.S. trade uncertainty.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits Bratislava and Budapest to bolster ties with Donald Trump’s key European allies.Gunmen on motorbikes kill dozens in a raid on northwest Nigerian villages.A White Rock curling club launches an adaptive program to get residents with mobility challenges back on the ice.Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival goes to the dogs as pet owners parade in costume to protest animal cruelty.

At Nethris, we are Canada's payroll experts. For more than 45 years, we have proudly supported local businesses. Powered by CGI, we provide a robust and secure technological infrastructure. Let our specialists handle your payroll so you can maximize your efficiency and focus on what truly matters. Try Nethris now. The first month is free. Certain conditions apply. Visit Nethris.com.

N-E-T-H-R-I-S dot com. Nethris, much more than just a payroll software. This is a CBC podcast. This is World Report. Good morning. I'm John Northcott. It took until day nine, but O Canada is finally echoing around the mountains of Lavinia, Italy. Mikhail Kingsbury has won the country's first gold medal at the Winter Games. Kingsbury took the top spot this morning in the Olympic debut of men's dual moguls.

The 33-year-old from Dumontine Quebec defeated a lot. his longtime rival Ikuma Horishima in the final. It's the fifth Olympic medal for Kingsbury's career and is second in Italy. Before his winning run, Kingsbury says he knew it was likely his final Olympic race. I just went through my old career. You know, I just remembered that the eight years old me that watches the Olympic for the first time in 2002

and dreamed of being an Olympic champion. And I got to do it in 2018. Got close in 2022 again, in the singles also. And today I just gave everything I had. Kingsbury now stands alone as the most decorated freestyle skier in history with two gold and three silver medals. The victory brings Canada's total to nine medals, including three silver and five bronze. Ottawa is launching an unprecedented economic push into Mexico today. More than 370 delegates are arriving in Mexico City for what officials call the large,

trade mission Canada has ever sent to the country. It comes as businesses look to diversify their portfolios and protect against trade uncertainty with the U.S. CBC's Jorge Barrera is in Mexico City. We are all living in trade uncertainty, I think, right now. Chad Watson, CEO of Peterborough, Ontario's Quickmill, which builds industrial machine tools, says he sees a path through Mexico to grow his business. We currently have a small number of customers in Mexico, and we are looking to expand and balance our global portfolio of customers. He is joining a team Canada trade mission to Mexico that will hit three cities this week.

We feel that it's a great opportunity. Canada, U.S. trade minister Dominic LeBlanc is leading the trade mission. It's been the most significant bilateral trade mission ever undertaken by Canada. He says this will lay the groundwork for signed deals soon. Our plan would be to come back at the end of March again and hopefully ink deals. Mexico is our launch markets. Solfium co-founder and CEO, Andres Friedman, says his clean tech startup firm decided to bypass the U.S. Solfium started with three employees in the Mexican city of Kedero in 2021.

Now they have 60. He says the sun is only just starting to rise over the vast opportunities with Canada, Mexico trade. There's an under-exploited potential, so there's a lot more that we could be doing. Hundreds of Canadian entrepreneurs will get a chance this week to see if that's true. Jorge Brera, CBC News, Mexico City. U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, is in Central Europe today for high-level talks with two of Donald Trump's most vocal supporters. After spending the weekend reassuring allies in Munich, Rubio is visiting Slovakia and Hungary to discuss energy security and nation.

commitments. Julia Chapman reports. After providing some reassurance to European partners in Munich, Marco Rubio heads to Slovakia and Hungary. Its leaders are Donald Trump's closest ideological allies in Europe. They often clash with other European counterparts, particularly over their ties with Russia. The State Department says energy and NATO commitments are on the agenda. Rubio's first stop is Bratislava, where he'll meet Prime Minister Robert Fidzzo. Slovakia's leader traveled to Florida to see President Trump last month. But the two diverge on defense spending, with FIZO resisting U.S. calls for an increase. Fizzo also criticized America's actions in Venezuela last month.

In Hungary, Rubio's visit comes at a pivotal moment. The country will hold elections in April. Prime Minister Victor Orban is trailing in the polls, but he's received an endorsement from Donald Trump. The U.S. President calls him a true friend, a fighter and a winner. The two share many values, including a tough stance on immigration. Ahead of his visit, Rubio was asked whether he was visiting Hungary to give Orban a boost with voters. Well, the President has said he's very supportive of him, and so are we. Both Slovakia and Hungary continue to buy energy from Moscow.

The White House gave Budapest a one-year exemption from sanctions. Rubio says that will be discussed, and his... he'll talk to both leaders about what needs to be done. Julia Chapman, CBC News, London. To Nigeria now where more than 30 people are dead after armed bandits on motorcycles, burned houses and raided shops in three villages in the country's northwest. It's the latest in the surge of attacks.

Tessa McKenda is in Josh Nigeria. Tessam, what happened? A lot of tension has come to the communities where this happened. A lot of people, we are told we're also adopted. these reports from locals across the communities. A police station in that area was also destroyed. But at the moment, we understand there's a deployment of police personnel to the area. People are hopeful that with these deployments,

their lives will be made better, and there will be an end to these abductions and killings very soon. Tessam, what could be driving the attacks, and how is the government addressing the situation? there. Part of it is the fact that it has become an enterprise of some sort, talking about kidnapping people for ransom payments. The government as well believes that these are extremists. We understand a few days ago we had a similar attack in the state of Quara. Quora is just, it's very close to Niger state where we have this attack now, where the terrorists came in, you know, and we're trying to recruit

young people to join the criminal gangs. And when they actually refuse to join them, we understand they were killed. At the moment, a battalion of military personnel just a few days ago was ordered. Soon, Quarastied where we had the last attack. We also understand that there's a joint operation of security personnel talking about the police, the army, and the Air Force all working together to ensure that people across communities, you know, are protected and their livelihoods made better. Tessa McCandey in Joss, Nigeria. Thanks, Tessam.

Thank you very much. The Paralympics get underway in just under three weeks, and wheelchair curling is the Paralympic version of the sport Canadians know so well. A curling club in White Rock, BC, is showing people with mobility challenges, the physical and social benefits of the sport. Tunisia B. Nagar reports. Some residents of White Rock, BC, were at the Peace Arch Curling. Club on Saturday, where they learned that there is always a way to play one of Canada's most

iconic sports. The club hosted one of its first adaptive curling sessions for people with mobility issues and those recovering from strokes. Disability advocate and city councilor Susan Baines says activities like these helped her confidence after she became a permanent wheelchair user five years ago. By having adaptive sports, adaptive recreation available, it allowed me to participate again and relearned We learn new ways to do things. The club is partnering with CurlBC and White Rock Stroke Recovery. In the program, newcomers will learn to use a specialized stick to grip and slide curling stones across the ice.

So a person who uses a wheelchair or can't play low to the ice can still curl. Dale Mitchell is recovering from a stroke. He gave the sport a shot Saturday for the first time. I know more strength than my arms. His wife Carol says curling will allow him to be active and also connect with people. It's not only a good physical outing, but it's a wonderful social outing,

which is one of the most important parts of all of this, that gets them out there and doing something they've never even dreamed of doing before after they've had strokes. The program will have two more sessions on February 21st and the 28th. Tanoshi Bhatnagar, CBC News, Vancouver. And finally.

Rio de Janeiro is in the middle of the world's biggest, Party. Carnival officially got underway in Brazil this weekend, which includes some four-legged revelers. From golden retrievers in tutus to poodles dressed as superheroes, the pets shuffled their paws to live samba, while their owners used the gathering to protest animal cruelty. In a city known for its feathers and glitter, even fur, it's a reminder that everyone is invited to the dance. And that is the latest national and international news from World Report. I'm John Northcott. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with us here at CBC News.

For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.ca slash podcasts.