World Report - May 02: Friday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: May 2, 2025

Canadian veterans take part in 80th anniversary events marking the 1945 liberation of The Netherlands. CBC News gets rare access inside Iran as the country talks with the United States about its nuclear program. Prime Minister Mark Carney to outline his new government's priorities today. As blockade of Gaza-bound aid reaches 2 month point, activists say their humanitarian aid ship has been hit by a drone strike in international waters. New research points to decline in Ontario's Black bear population as annual hunting season begins.

When a body is discovered 10 miles out to sea, it sparks a mind-blowing police investigation. There's a man living in this address in the name of a deceased. He's one of the most wanted men in the world. This isn't really happening. Officers are finding large sums of money. It's a tale of murder, skullduggery and international intrigue. So who really is he? I'm Sam Mullins and this is Sea of Lies from CBC's Uncovered, available now.

This is a CBC Podcast. This is World Report. Good morning, I'm John Northcott. A pipe band from Kelowna, BC is in the Netherlands for the 80th anniversary of that country's liberation during the Second World War. They're part of a large Canadian contingent marking the event. Liberation Day is Monday, but this hour there's a memorial at the war cemetery where 2300 Canadian soldiers are buried. More than 7600 Canadians lost their lives in the fight to free the Netherlands.

Veterans from those battles are present there today. The CBC's Chris Brown spoke to some of them in Appledorn. Their bodies are frail, but the Canadian veterans who stepped off the bus or were helped off in wheelchairs brought big smiles and firm handshakes to Appledorn. Among them, 101-year-old George Morash, a machine gunner who was wounded in France. I was here for the liberation. 102-year-old George Brewster was a Spitfire pilot who flew over 60 missions during the war Also part of the Canadian delegation here are sailors whose ships participated in D-Day and

Soldiers who served in Italy France and the UK Jennifer McLeod is from Veterans Affairs. They came from all over Canada It's a big journey for them But they are really excited to be here and all of them wanted to be here and are anxious to come back to the Netherlands any chance they get. The push by Canada's army through Holland's Rhineland in February and March 1945 was the last major Allied offensive of the war and also one of the most vicious. In total, Veterans Affairs says more than 7,600 Canadians were killed liberating the Netherlands. Many of them were buried in a cemetery near Groesbeek, where later

today there will be a ceremony of commemoration. The veterans will also be celebrated at street parades in Appledorn and at Wachhinegen, where a Canadian general accepted the surrender of Nazi forces in the Netherlands eight decades ago. Chris Brown, CBC News in Appledorn. The 80th anniversary of Liberation Day falls on Monday, and you can join myself and the CBC's Nala Ayaad to bring you a wrap of the events commemorating the Canadians who made the ultimate sacrifice. That's on Monday at 9 p.m. 930 in Newfoundland on CBC Radio and the CBC Listen app. CBC News is getting a rare look inside Iran at a crucial moment in time. It's been holding dialogue

with its long-standing enemy the United States over the fate of its nuclear program, but now there's uncertainty after the next round of talks between the two was abruptly postponed. Senior international correspondent Margaret Evans is in Tehran gauging the mood. On the streets here in the markets where people associate soaring prices with decades old Western sanctions there has been a thread of hope for a deal between Washington and Tehran. The value of the Iranian Rial has dropped 50% over the past year, putting pressure on the government to ease economic pain. If they reach a deal that would be great says Laleh, it will benefit both sides.

But there is also doubt and pride. My opinion is negative says printer Mostaba Abrushami. Does he want them to make a deal or not? Generally we like Iran to have relations with all countries, he says. But the question is at what price? U.S. President Donald Trump's earlier threats to bomb Iran haven't helped, although senior officials here downplay them. Ali Shamhani is a political adviser to Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Within Trump's 100 days in office, he has been unsuccessful in many of his projects, he says, in the tariff war against Canada, in Ukraine, even Yemen. He says he's neither pessimistic nor optimistic. The outline of a deal would aim to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, much like the agreement Trump pulled out of in 2018 during his first presidency. Analysts here, including Sassan Karimi, say the first three rounds of talks between the old foes have been positive, but not yet substantive.

It shows that they both have enough political will to do so. But this was only the first phase. And with new tensions emerging this week and delay in the next round of talks, the worry is that that political will has already been used up. Margaret Evans, CBC News, Tehran. Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announcing the country's spy agency has classified the Alternative for Germany party as extremist. AFD came second to the country's most recent election.

Faeser is now warning the party represents a threat to democracy. She's pointing to its members' previous comments targeting migrants and Muslims. AFD says it's all an attempt to undermine the democratic process. Activists say their Gaza-bound aid ship has been hit by a drone strike off the coast of Malta. It's about to head to the Palestinian territory with a load of humanitarian aid. Although it's now two months since Israeli authorities imposed a blockade on any aid trying to enter Gaza, Israel says it's necessary to pressure Hamas to

free hostages. Anna Cunningham has more. The moment pro-Gaza activists claimed their aid ship was hit by a drone strike. The vessel was part of an activist group called the Freedom Flotilla. It was due to dock in Malta before traveling to Gaza. Amongst those waiting to board was the Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg. This attack caused an explosion and major damage to the vessel which made it impossible to continue the mission.

All on board were rescued by Maltese authorities. No one was injured. There is growing concern about the impact of Israel's two-month blockade of Gaza. The reality here is that we are breaking the bodies and the minds of the children of Gaza. A visibly angry Michael Ryan, deputy director of the World Health Organization, speaking Thursday at the UN's headquarters in Geneva. Israel has previously denied that Gaza is facing a hunger crisis.

It says the blockade is designed to pressure Hamas to free remaining Israeli hostages and end this war. In a community food kitchen in Gaza City, people scramble to get a meal. The UN World Food Programme says food stocks are depleting. Recent Israeli strikes have reportedly hit residential buildings and tents, sheltering displaced people in Raffa and Eastern Gaza City. Israel is yet to make it clear when and how aid will resume. Anna Cunningham, CBC News, London. British Columbia is holding a day of mourning for the victims of last weekend's Lapu-Lapu tragedy.

A mass memorial is taking place today in downtown Vancouver. Eleven people were killed in the incident. More than 20 others hurt when a man in an SUV drove into a crowd attending the Filipino Street Festival. Kaiji Adam Lo was detained at the scene after being surrounded by bystanders. Lo is charged with eight counts of second-degree murder. He has his next court appearance this afternoon. And finally, it's open season on Ontario's black bears. Over the next six weeks, they're fair game for hunters, but bear advocates are pointing to new research suggesting the bear population is in decline. And that's raising questions about the hunt

and the way the province is managing the species. And Ait Singh has more. Black bear population numbers are really a social sort of decision. Right. Scientist Joe Northrup studies bears for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. He says black bear populations in the provinces north near Sudbury and Thunder Bay have declined significantly since 2010 by 20 to 40 percent, possibly due to conflicts with humans and hunting. Our mandate is to manage species, manage natural resources sustainably and so...

The estimate is based on groundbreaking research to count bears using thousands of DNA samples collected from wild bears throughout the province. We want to make sure that there's black bears around for all the different social values and cultural values and ecological values that they provide for Ontarians." But the data showing population declines is only part of the puzzle. Mark Rickman is a wildlife biologist with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. We need to decide how many bears we want in an area as a society to determine whether or not any of those declines are of a concern

and actually require management attention." The spring bear hunt brings in as much as $50 million for the tourism sector, but is divisive because it's when mother bears have young cubs and are vulnerable. The Ontario government said no changes are planned to the hunt this year, but that it is continuing to monitor the population and will take action if needed. Inayat Singh, CBC News, Toronto. And that is the latest national and international news from World Report. If you're enjoying the World Report podcast, please follow us and tell a friend.

It helps to spread the word. And remember for news anytime, go to our website, cbcnews.ca. I'm John Northcott. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.