World Report - March 5: Thursday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: March 5, 2026

Prime Minister Mark Carney warns Canada could be drawn into the war to defend allies as the global order breaks down.Iran launches a new wave of attacks as Tehran warns the duration of the war is now in its hands.European nations ramp up security and evacuations as NATO chief Mark Rutte insists the alliance is "vigilant" but not yet at war.A CBC investigation finds Canada’s "red flag" gun laws are rarely used and poorly tracked following the Tumbler Ridge tragedy.Nepalis head to the polls for a high-stakes election following the youth uprising that toppled the government.OpenAI agrees to federal oversight after failing to report the Tumbler Ridge shooter’s violent ChatGPT posts to police.

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This is a CBC podcast. This is World Report. Good morning, I'm John Northcott. One can never categorically rule out participation. We will stand by our allies. Prime Minister Mark Carney, not ruling out Canadian involvement in the Middle East if Iran attacks Canada or its allies. It follows news that a missile launched from Iran was intercepted by NATO air defenses

as it headed towards Turkish airspace. Carney says there's a clear distinction between the current U.S. mission and what happens if the conflict spirals. We're not party to those actions. But we will always defend Canadians. We will always stand by and defend our allies when called upon. The Prime Minister says it is not the time for a ceasefire.

Speaking to the Australian Parliament in Canberra, Carney told MPs there, the two Commonwealth countries must draw closer together. Meanwhile, Iran launches a new wave of attacks against Israel and American bases this morning, vowing the U.S. will bitterly regret sinking an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, the high-ranking Ayatollah, now calling for, quote, the shedding of American blood. Meanwhile, Israel says its own large-scale strikes have hit ballistic missile sites and infrastructure in Tehran.

In New Delhi, Iran's ambassador to India, Mohamed Fatali, says that the West destroyed any hope for diplomacy. They destroyed the negotiation table. They started the war. You know that the duration of the war in our hands. This is very important. The conflict is spreading rapidly with Azerbaijan now accusing Iran of a drone strike on its territory that injured two civilians. As the war enters its sixth day, the death toll in Iran has climbed above 1,000.

A number of European nations are taking action to prevent the conflict from reaching their shores. This comes after a drone hit a British air base in Cyprus earlier this week, and NATO intercepted a ballistic missile heading toward Turkey yesterday. Anna Cunningham is in our London Bureau. Anna, what's the latest on Europe's response to the conflict? Well, John, Europe, in terms of EU nation countries, has been a bit disjointed. They are not speaking as one, but what we are seeing is individual nations ramping up the defence of Cyprus, that island nation in the eastern Mediterranean Sea,

on the edge of the Middle East. We have had it confirmed that Spain is now going to be sending a warship to Cyprus. We'll reach there about March the 10th, as well as that. France is relocating the Charles de Gaul from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean. We know that Greece has sent two frigates to Cyprus and the British warship is not going to be ready to leave the UK for about another week. Meanwhile, Anna, NATO Secretary General is also speaking about the war. What's he saying? Yes, some interesting lines coming from Mark Rutter. He has actually said that he has a sense that the US knows what it's doing. And he also has said that it is important to make sure that Iran no longer poses a threat.

He was asked about the issue of Turkey and Article 5. When one NATO country is attacked, then all NATO countries are called to come to its defense. Take a listen. Nobody's talking about Article 5. And the most important thing is that our adversaries have seen yesterday that NATO is so strong and so vigilant. So they see and know and sense that our military are on this. The one thing that the NATO chief did say, which will be concerning,

is that he does not see how this ends. CBC's Anna Cunningham in London. Thanks, Anna. Thanks, John. In other news, people in Nepal are voting in an election that could mark a new chapter for the Himalayan nation. This is the first vote since last September's youth-led uprising toppled the previous regime. Dozens were killed in the two days of protests against government corruption and economic stagnation.

CBC's South Asia correspondent Salima Shivji has more from Kathmandu. An election volunteer rips off the paper ballot and explains the options to an elderly woman in the capital Kathmandu. There's a steady stream of voters for an election that could reshape Nepal's politics. The first vote since a Gen Z revolution toppled the previous government, The overwhelming anger over corruption, nepotism and a weak economy forcing a regime change. There was so much violence going on. Sisters Hanisha and Sahina Shrestha are both voting for the first time. I am excited but nervous at the same time because I don't know what the result is going to be.

I hope for the change, good chance. I also pray for justice, you know. Justice for the more than 70 people killed during the protest last fall. The youth vote is key with nearly half of the country's population younger than 24. But even though they fought for change, Nepal's younger voters aren't certain they'll get it. The country's old guard is very present in this election. The ousted Prime Minister, 74-year-old K.P. Sharma Oli, running again. His challenger, former rapper and Kathmandu mayor, Balin Shah, the candidate that most young voters see as the one who will bring change to Nepal, says 20-year-old Sirjana Gua.

He's a modern person and he understands how we want the world to see Nepal. For Madan Karki, who was shot and injured during the uprising, there's anger. We were protesting for our country, but they shot us like terrorists, he says. I'm not so optimistic that change will come, Karki says. Too many people in Nepal vote according to family tradition for the same old parties. But he's still hoping for the best. Salima Shivji, CBC News, Kathmandu. The federal government and OpenAI are working to improve how the company flags the dangerous use

chat GPT. The tech giant has faced heavy criticism for failing to report the Tumblr Ridge shooter even after banning her account for posts about gun violence. OpenAI did not notify police until after the attack. Marina von Stackleberg has the details. I told him that we were disappointed. I asked him for a number of things which he's agreed to do. Canada's artificial intelligence minister Evan Solomon says OpenAI will allow Canadian mental health and law experts into its safety office to make sure threats of violence from users on its platform chat GPT are properly identified and forwarded to police. It comes following his half-hour virtual meeting Wednesday with the tech company's CEO Sam Altman. He expressed to me horror and

responsibility in general for not flagging. This is why they're making changes. Solomon says the company has also agreed to allow officials that the Canadian AI safety industry, Institute, a federal body within his department, to do a full detailed assessment of OpenAI's new safety protocols. The minister has said the federal government is looking at all options to regulate AI companies, but has not announced any new legislative changes. B.C.'s Premier David E.B. has called on Ottawa to set minimum thresholds for when platforms must report possible violence to law enforcement. He'll be meeting with Altman later today. day. In a statement, OpenAI says it's committed to working with the Canadian government.

Marina von Stackleberg, CBC News, Ottawa. The newly announced BC Coroner's Service inquest into the Tumblr Ridge tragedy may well look at the role of red flag orders played in that case. The red flag, a type of emergency order that grants police the power to seize firearms. But a CBC News investigation into whether the relatively new policy is actually working has turned up some surprising results. Jonathan Gatheas reports. We will empower victims, communities, doctors, families.

It was a key part of the government's response to the Port-a-Novic Nova Scotia mass shooting back in 2020. Red flag orders, a faster, more direct way to remove legal firearms from those who might inflict danger to themselves or others. Then public safety minister Bill Blair touted them as a game changer. Red flag laws will empower us to keep Canadian. safe. But two years after those changes finally became law, it seems that no one knows if they are

working. In the wake of the Tumblr Ridge tragedy, where police seized guns from the shooter's family, CBC News asked how often red flag orders are being granted, approaching all chief firearms officers, provincial police services, and public safety Canada. None of them had answers. Our requests were passed on to the RCMP. They found just one red flag order, a 2025 case from Ontario. This doesn't sit right with Queen's University policy expert Dr. Christian Leopresch. Much of what we do on gun policy in this country has no grounding in evidence. Gun control advocates like Wendy Sukhir say there needs to be more focus on implementation. The fact is the police have had the power to remove firearms from people where they think

there is a threat to that individual or any other person since the law was changed in 1995. Current public safety minister Gary Ananda Sangaree declined an interview request and did not respond to questions about the data gap. Jonathan Gatehouse, CBC News, Toronto. 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.com. Podcasts.