World Report - February 7: Saturday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: February 7, 2026

Speed skater Valérie Maltais wins Canada’s first medal of the Winter Games with bronze in the 3000-metre.Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand opens a new consulate in Greenland to bolster Arctic security and trade.Legal fallout mounts from Project South corruption arrests as lawyers brace for a wave of appeals and Peel police suspend three more officers.UK: Gordon Brown regrets Mandelson appointment as Epstein ties trigger police searches and calls for Starmer to resign.Zelenskyy confirms June deadline for peace deal as Trump administration moves to host trilateral talks in Miami.Islamic State claims responsibility for a suicide bombing at an Islamabad mosque that killed at least 32 peopleJapan’s ruling party pushes stricter immigration controls as foreign worker numbers hit record highs on the eve of a snap election.Federal government launches multi-billion dollar auto strategy with renewed rebates to jumpstart lagging electric vehicle sales.

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This is World Report. Good morning. I'm John Northcott. No, she said four. Canada is on the board at the Winter Olympics. Val Maltay skated to bronze in the 3,000 meter today, giving the 35-year-old from Saginae, Quebec, a complete set of Olympic medals. Teammates Isabel Whiteman and Laura Hall finished 6th and 13th, respectively.

But the hardware hunt, Continues today in big air snowboarding and ski jumping. And this afternoon, the women's hockey team takes on Switzerland. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is wrapping up a two-day trip to Greenland after officially opening Canada's new consulate in Nook. Greenland's foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeld, is calling the mission, quote, a peace of Canada in Greenland. Anand says the move is about strengthening ties

and signaling to the Greenlandic people, rather, that they are not alone. This diplomatic formalized presence here with the formal opening of the consulate is an example not only of our physical presence, but the spirit within which we came and will stay. The minister says the two neighbors will prioritize security, defense, and trade, as well as deeper connections between indigenous peoples across the Atlantic. A massive police corruption investigation in Toronto, is threatening to upend hundreds of criminal cases across the province.

After the arrest of seven active duty officers in Project South, legal experts warned that any conviction relying on their testimony is now in jeopardy. Prosecutors and defense lawyers already scouring years of files for evidence that may have been compromised. Nana White Garden has more. This wasn't on my bingo card for 2026. Criminal Lawyers Association President Adam Wiseberg says the charges police officers face in Project South are shocking. If they're involved in any cases that depend on their credibility,

I think it would be very difficult for a prosecutor or a Crown attorney to proceed with that trial. The officers are facing accusations like leaking information and drug trafficking, and they spent years with the service. That means they've made arrests, testified in court and handled evidence. Toronto police say they aren't able to tell us the number of investigations they were involved with, but confirmed during contact with Crown attorneys to quote, determine any impacts on active investigations and prosecutions. We'll all do our due diligence to see if any of these officers are involved in cases that we're currently involved with.

Criminal defense lawyer Boris Betensky says current cases will be most at risk. Older cases are more complicated, including one from 2013, where a man was found guilty of gun charges and cannabis possession. One of the arresting officers, Carl Garlett, has the same name as an officer from Project South, accused of taking bribes from illegal cannabis dispensaries. It's much more difficult to open an appeal now. Lawyers in Peel region just west of Toronto may need to review their cases too. On Friday, the police force there said it suspended three officers in relation to Project South.

Nama Wyngarden, CBC News, Toronto. To British politics now and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who says he regrets appointing Peter Mandelson to his government after new revelations emerged about Mandelson's ties to Jeffrey Epstein. It comes as police search properties linked to Mandelson, and current Prime Minister Kier-Starmer faces calls to resign. Julia Chapman reports from London. Investigators were seen carrying boxes out of Peter Mandelson's London home.

A second property in southern England was also searched. Police launched an investigation earlier this week, after the Epstein files suggested misconduct while in public office. The former British business secretary and ambassador to the US says he wishes he'd never met Jeffrey Epstein. But emails published by the US Department of Justice paint a picture of a deep friendship lasting beyond Epstein's conviction for child sex offenses. They also suggest Mandelson took payments from Epstein and later appeared to provide market-sensitive information to him while in office. Mandelson says he doesn't remember receiving any money.

He is a person who's betraying his country. Gordon Brown was Britain's Prime Minister between 2007 and 2010. He says he regrets appointing Mandelson and is calling for greater scrutiny of government ministers. This is information that was 15 years old that is now becoming available to us. And it's remarkable that our checks and balances in the system have not found out about this before now. Brown defends current Prime Minister Kier Starmer, who sent Mandelson to Washington as his ambassador last year. Some MPs, including from his own party, say the Prime Minister should step down. Stomer says he's sorry for believing Mandelson's lies.

He's agreed to release documents related to the appointment. Julia Chapman, CBC News, London. Repair work underway at a Kiev power plant after Russia launched a massive wave of more than 400 drones and missiles overnight, triggering emergency blackouts. The strikes come, despite a U.S. pushed end the war by June, with a new round of talks possible in Miami next week. But major hurdles remain. Russia still demanding Ukraine pull out of the Donbass.

A move Ukrainian president, Vladimir Zelensky, says, will never happen. Funerals are underway in Islamabad today for the dozens of people killed in yesterday's suicide bombing at a Shia mosque. While the community buries its dead Pakistani authorities say they have arrested four suspects, including the alleged mastermind behind the attack that left at least 31 dead and more than 160 injured. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for what is being called the deadliest attack in the Capitol in nearly two decades. Japan is dealing with rising numbers of newcomers, more foreign workers and residents than ever before.

And as the numbers spike and an election fast approaches, the country remains divided on how to deal with them. The CBC's Malone-Mullen reports. Tax cuts, rising food prices, and stricter rules for outsiders wanting to move to Japan. This election, party leaders are zeroing in on the country's 4 million foreign national. Prime Minister Sanei Takeichi wants to bring in steeper fees to renew visas and force newcomers to learn Japanese. But one expert says those moves are less about populism

and more about raising the bar for immigrants as more people clamor to move in. lose, you know, consider to, you know, other countries. Sofia University professor Midori Okabe says the policy changes are a kind of natural progression for Japan. They show the country is adapting, not necessarily that it's leaning in to nationalism. But on the campaign trail, some far-right parties still want to slash immigration numbers and put Japan first. To be honest, I really don't see too much of a change. Shai Me Shah moved here over a decade ago. Despite the anti-immigration rhetoric, he says he's not getting treated any differently.

But lately, he has noticed one change among foreign residents. I think a lot more people are becoming more conscious about how they act in public because they're a bit worried about, oh, hey, how will this reflect on foreign? Takeichi is hoping to solidify her power with a majority after Sunday's vote. Her Liberal Democratic Party has led Japan almost continuously for the last 70 years. Malone Mullen, CBC News, Tokyo. And finally, the federal government has now a new auto strategy with a multi-billion dollar bet on getting more Canadians into electric vehicles.

But with sales lagging and questions about charging capability, some are asking, will it all work? Host of CBC Radio's The House, Catherine Cullen, takes a closer look. The future of the auto industry is increasingly electric and connected. The Prime Minister is going big on electric cars. part of the new auto strategy involves bringing back rebates, up to $5,000 this year to help boost sales. They've been sluggish after a previous rebate expired.

Canadians tend to prefer more affordable cars, says Greg Mordew, a former general manager at Toyota Canada, now teaching engineering at McMaster University. Mordu says right now there aren't a lot of affordable EVs on offer. The auto industry has been responding, at least in the electrified version, electrified portion of the industry with vehicles that are in the quote-unquote luxury phase. The federal government recently agreed to allow the sale of a limited number of cheaper Chinese-made EVs.

And other cars will be eligible for this rebate. Still, Mordu says a shift will take time. It's going to be slow. It will be incremental. But the $5,000 rebate will give an immediate boost. Industry Minister Melanie Jolie is hoping to see more cheaper EVs built in Canada. Because what we think is we can attract new investments from Korea, Germany or China in Canada to increase the supply of cheaper EVs.

The push is clearly on. The question now is how both manufacturers and, importantly, Canadian buyers, will respond. Catherine Cullen, CBC News, Ottawa. And Catherine will have more on. on the house coming right up, or wherever you get, your podcasts. That's 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.com.