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

Episode Date: March 15, 2026

Iran expands threats to UAE ports as the U.S. looks to build a global naval coalition for the Strait of Hormuz.It has been nearly two weeks since the Strait of Hormuz has been closed off by Iran, essentially choking off the world's oil supply.Three Iranian soccer players return home after seeking asylum.President Zelenskyy warns that Russia is supplying Iran with drones and intelligence as Ukraine faces a fresh wave of strikes.Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with Nordic leaders in Oslo to address Arctic security and strategic cooperation.Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty meets with Kashechewan evacuees in Niagara Falls as the community's water crisis enters its third month.The future of a historical courthouse in London, Ontario has locals questioning Canada's preservation of heritage sites. 

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This is a CBC podcast. This is World Report. Good morning. I'm John Northcott. Air raids are wailing across central Israel as a fresh barrage of Iranian missiles targets the country. Regional tensions are spiking after Iran threatened to attack major ports in the United Arab Emirates. Tehran claims the U.S. is using the sites to launch strikes and allegation the U.S. denies. In Lebanon, the humanitarian crisis is deepening with the death toll surpassing 800 as Israeli strikes continue. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump is calling for a global coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The strait remains closed choking off a significant portion of the world's oil supply. The CBC's Sasha Petrusik has more on how this narrow channel has become a weapon of war. Warnings crackle over ship radios for. Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Passages banned through the Strait of Hormuz. The narrow waterway, 33 kilometers wide, handling one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas, is normally packed with more than 100 tankers a day. This week, barely a handful of brave ones.

At least 18 have been hit. U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to make it sense. safe again, threatening military action by escorting ships, maybe even by taking over the strait. It's very much a kind of gunboat diplomacy style. Naval experts like Sal Mercogliano at Campbell University in North Carolina say the U.S. wasn't prepared for this. They don't have enough ships for the job. And the U.S. completely blew that. I mean, they did not understand what they had to do. Iran has likely already laid minds. It's a lot of it. It's Small, nimble boats can attack, so can drones and missiles from shore,

says retired Canadian Vice Admiral Mark Norman. These are advanced guerrilla capabilities. And here, it's easier to attack than to defend. It actually doesn't take a lot to wreak havoc in a very tight piece of water. Or it turns out to send energy prices soaring. Sasha Petrissik, CBC News, Toronto. Three members of the Iranian women's soccer team who sought asylum in Australia are returning home. The Australian government says the women made the choice themselves.

Seven players originally asked for humanitarian visas last week, fearing persecution after they refused to sing the national anthem at the Women's Asian Cup. Australian minister, Christy McBain, says the government provided a safe environment for the players. I think our government's been very open with the Australian people about the steps that we've taken to ensure that these women in the Iranian soccer team and the support staff had every opportunity to make their own decisions in this regard. Four of those seven women have now decided to leave Australia. Their tournament ended just as air strikes in Iran killed the country's supreme leader.

For many, the war in Ukraine is being eclipsed by the escalating conflict in the Middle East, but Ukraine's president is warning allies that the two wars are now deep, interconnected. Lordemir Zelensky says the conflict in Iran could drain desperately needed air defense supplies from Ukraine, especially as Tehran and Moscow ramp up their military cooperation. Dominic Valaitis reports. Ukraine is on the front line of drone warfare. The lessons it's learned fending off Russian attacks and now being shared with Middle Eastern allies facing the threat of Iranian drones. But that has put Ukraine in Iran's firing line.

With the head of the country's Parliamentary Committee on National Security, declaring Ukraine is now a legitimate target for providing Israel with drone support. The warning comes after President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN, Iran was now using Russian-made Shahid drones in the current Middle East conflict. I have 100% facts the day that Iranian regime used against American bases and against our Middle East, in Middle East. We saw intelligence shared with us some details, and it was Russian details in these Iranian drones. Not only that, Zelensky is also claiming Russia is now providing Iran with intelligence. The claims come as Ukraine deals with the aftermath of another huge Russian strike.

As well as missiles and guided bombs, Russia has reportedly launched hundreds of drones this weekend, killing and injuring several people. Another example of the devastation drones cause and the increasingly central role they play in modern warfare. Dominic Velis for CBC News, Bristol, England. Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Oslo today. He's meeting the leaders of five Nordic countries to discuss a growing list of shared challenges. Carney says the group is focused on a more secure Arctic region

while also looking to bolster digital infrastructure and climate sustainability. Challenges to Arctic security, challenges that come from the changing nature of warfare, the challenges which interact with changing technologies and conflicts, both actual and virtual, that are moving closer to all of us. Carney says the leaders are also looking at ways

to strengthen their economies by creating more jobs and enhancing security beyond traditional defense. A Cree community in Ontario's north has been in a state of emergency since January the 4th. Keshawan First Nation doesn't have clean drinking water due to issues with the water treatment plant and around 2,000 evacuees are now living in hotel rooms across Ontario. Now the Federal Indigenous Services Minister has visited the largest group of evacuees in Niagara Falls. Jonathan Migno reports. I have questions of frustration on my part. Kassetuan Chief Ozae Wesley says he's had a change of heart.

A week ago, he wanted Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Galmasti to resign. But that was before evacuees shared their frustrations with her at the Niagara Falls meeting. I truly believe that in the Chetron Fish Nation and Government of Canada will work together to resolve this issue. A long, outstanding issue. People from the community say they're frustrated with the people. the government's response to a clean water crisis. Wesley says six people have died since January 4th. He did not give the causes of death out of respect for the families. But he says he believes

three of those people would still be alive if it weren't for issues with the water plant and the evacuations. Repairs to the water treatment plant are at least eight weeks away, and the community has asked for over a decade to be relocated to an area not prone to flooding every spring. Susan Wynne is a member of Kassetuan's band council. She's not doing her job. She's not helping In the First Nation people, ignoring people. That's what I feel me. I'm angry. I'm mad. Minister Galmasti says she understands the community's frustration

and has made strides with local leaders. Wasn't my favorite day to hear that kind of feedback, but I know that comes from a place of frustration, and I'm here to be as supportive and open as I can with this while. Galmastie says the federal government supports the community's plans to relocate the higher ground. Jonathan Migno, CBC News, Niagara Falls on And finally, in London, Ontario, a courthouse modeled after an Irish castle is at the center of a debate over Canada's heritage protection laws.

The nearly 200-year-old structure is a national historic site, but as Colin Butler reports plans for a 54-story residential tower next to it, has locals worried. It's very much a symbol of the city, but it's also the most recognizable building in the city of London. That's local historian and tour guide Steve Liggett. talking about the Middlesex County Courthouse. It looks like a medieval castle planted in a modern city. For decades, he's walked visitors through its long memory of kidnappings, murders and executions. His gift is bringing the past to life,

but now Liggett finds himself worrying about the building's future. I would like to believe that nobody is crazy enough to try and tear it down. York developments bought the building in 2019. Now it wants to build a 54-story tower next door, engineering documents obtained by CBC News show the excavation will come close to the nearly 200-year-old building, testing the limits of protections meant to preserve it. When a place becomes a national historic site, there's no protection for that place. Patricia Kell is the CEO of National Trust Canada, a charity for historic preservation. Canada is the only G7 nation that does not have this kind of legislation.

Instead, protection falls to the province. York developments declined to comment, but to build it. its tower, it needs the green light from Ontario Heritage Trust. The agency says it is yet to receive the developer's plan to ensure the courthouse isn't damaged. Colin Butler, CBC News, London, Ontario. And that is the latest national and international news from World Report. News anytime, our website, cBCnews.ca. 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 slash podcasts.