World Report - May 09: Friday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: May 9, 2025

Russian President Vladimir Putin portrays war in Ukraine as a battle against fascism, during Victory Day commemorations.Danish Prime Minister says "you cannot spy against an ally" after US intelligence agencies were reportedly ordered to gather information about Greenland's independence movement.Canadian defence experts questions whether armed ice breakers are sensible government policy.US vice-president JD Vance say India-Pakistan conflict is none of America's business.The benchmark price for a barrel of oil has gone down, and that has different implications for Canada and US.Pope Leo XIV holds first Mass at the Sistine Chapel.

In 1977, the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club opened up a chapter in Montreal. Their enforcer was a man named Yves Trudeau. And over the course of his criminal career, Trudeau would murder no fewer than 43 people. And he would only spend seven years in prison. I'm Kathleen Gholtar, and this week on Crime Story, the soared tale of Canada's deadliest assassin. Find Crime Story wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC podcast. This is World Report. Good morning, I'm John Northcott. Russia is using a celebration of its past to send a message about its current war in

Ukraine. Russia's defence minister greeted troops during a massive parade in Moscow's Red Square. The event marks the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. President Vladimir Putin presided over the display of military might. Breyer Stewart has more details. As the band played, thousands of soldiers and cadets marched in front of Red Square. Most were from Russia, but there were troops from 13 other countries, including China, whose leader Xi Jinping was

sitting right beside Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia has been and will continue to be an indestructible wall against Nazism, Russophobia and anti-Semitism, said Putin. We will fight against the atrocities committed by those who support these aggressive, destructive ideas. On display in the parade, Russian drones currently being used in Ukraine. Putin had declared a unilateral three-day ceasefire to mark the anniversary. A move which Ukrainian officials saw as a manipulative stunt. They say the fighting hasn't stopped on the front line.

Russian authorities warned that security would be stepped up during the parade and that there would be widespread internet and mobile outages to protect against any Ukrainian drones. It used to be a conversation about loss and sacrifice. Sam Green is a professor in Russian politics at King's College London and says Victory Day in Russia has gone through a transformation. I mean they have framed certainly the entirety of the conflict in Ukraine going back to 2014 in the language of World War II. It's an effort he says to try to convince the Russian public

that the country is fighting a just war even as it refuses to agree to a 30-day proposed ceasefire. Briar Stewart, CBC News, London. The top U.S. diplomat stationed in Denmark is being asked to answer some difficult questions about a Wall Street Journal report. The paper reported that U.S. intelligence officials were ordered to learn more about Greenland's independence movement. It says they were also asked to find out how Greenlanders feel about US resource extraction there.

Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, but President Donald Trump says he wants it to be part of the United States. Today the Danish Prime Minister responded to the report by saying, you cannot spy against an ally. As Russia strengthens its relationship in China and Trump muses about expanding the United States, a lot of attention right now on Canada's Arctic sovereignty. The Liberals have embraced the idea of giving armed icebreakers to the Royal Canadian Navy. But as Murray Brewster explains, some defence experts wonder whether it's a sensible policy

or political theatre aimed at a U.S. audience. The notion of arming an icebreaker is overly simplistic and to be honest a little confusing. Former Vice Admiral Mark Norman, who looks at the proposals of both the liberals and the conservatives with a raised eyebrow. I'm puzzled because I don't know what it is we're trying to achieve other than the political objective of demonstrating a commitment to Arctic sovereignty. Check. I get it. However, it needs to be sensible. Other defense experts say icebreakers, while good for showing the flag, are slow and noisy. Not exactly the qualities you want in a combat vessel. Submarines, they

say, are better. The Conservatives in 2006 proposed heavy military icebreakers only to back away because of the enormous cost and limited utility. They decided instead to construct smaller Arctic offshore patrol ships. Canada's defenses in the Arctic came up this week in the Oval Office meeting between Prime Minister Mark Carney and US President Donald Trump. Defense expert Wesley Wark warns the strategy to secure the North should be about more than political theater. Every step we take in that direction needs to be ultimately to Canada's benefit, not as some kind of peace offering to the Americans.

The Coast Guard is usually the home of Canada's unarmed ice-breaking fleet. The Liberals, however, have promised to rewrite the services mandate to conduct maritime surveillance and integrate them into Canada's NATO defence capabilities. Whether that means arming them is unclear. Murray Brewster, CBC News, Ottawa. The Trump administration says it has no plans to get involved in the growing conflict between India and Pakistan. In an interview with Fox News, Vice President JD Vant says he's concerned about violence between the nuclear neighbors, and he says he wants the situation to de-escalate quickly. But he added that's not up to the US.

What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate a little bit, but we're not going to get involved in the middle of of war that's fundamentally none of our business and has nothing to do with America's ability to control it. Meanwhile, tension over Kashmir continues to rise. Pakistan says five people were killed overnight by shelling in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and India is accusing Pakistan of attacking three of its military bases with drones and missiles. Islamabad

denies the claim. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is headed to Switzerland, where he will be meeting with Chinese officials this weekend. The world's two biggest economies are locked in a trade war. Roughly 80 percent of Chinese exports are affected by U.S. tariffs, and these talks are aimed at relieving some of the tension. Trade wars and tariffs taking a toll on the oil patch since the beginning of the year the benchmark price of a barrel of oil has gone down from around $80 US a

barrel to around 60. That's partly because of concerns about a recession possibly tanking the world's demand for energy but as the CBC's Paula Duhatschik reports lower oil prices have different implications for Canada and the U.S. You know, it's a bit of a wait and see. Brian Schmidt, CEO of Calgary's Tamarack Valley Energy, staying calm as oil prices plunge. There's no use putting adding production when prices are this low.

The benchmark price of a barrel of oil has fallen about $20 U.S. since January. South of the border, companies aren't just holding oil production steady. Some are actually starting to scale back. The CEO of Diamondback Energy, a large independent U.S. producer, says he's dropping some of his rigs and not only that, he thinks U.S. onshore oil production has peaked and will soon start to decline. Max Peugeur is with the Energy Policy Research Foundation, a U.S. think tank. He made a similar prediction.

My expectation is that you're going to see degradation in U.S. oil production beginning with the late first quarter going in and the second quarter 2025. But American companies tend to need a higher price for oil just to break even, unlike in Canada where it's a different story. The largest companies here in Canada, they all have cost structures that are among the best in the world. Randy Ollenberger is an analyst with BMO Capital Markets. He says Canadian companies are still profitable now and he expects production to remain the

same even if prices keep falling. So the position of the Canadian companies here is actually, on a comparative basis, much better. Analysts say Canada can also benefit from the weaker dollar to send more product into the U.S. market, even with a trade war. Paula Duhaczek, CBC News, Calgary. In Domine Patris et Fili et Spiritus Santim. Pope Leo XIV has held his first Mass at the Sistine Chapel. Robert Francis Prevost made history by becoming the first American-born pope.

That news came as a surprise to many in the US, but many Catholics there say they are optimistic about the new papacy. Steve Futterman is in Los Angeles with reaction. In many parts of the US the announcement was met with shock and elation. At Villanova University where the Pope went to college, bells rang. At this Catholic elementary school in Texas, everybody at the cafeteria started going crazy. In Pennsylvania, the Sisters of Mercy were watching on a church TV when they learned where the pope was from. We lived together in Peru 10 years. This priest in Wisconsin first met the pope in college, then spent time with him in South America. In the pope's hometown Chicago, his brother John said, almost from the start, Pope Leo had a fascination with the church.

You know how some kids like to play war and leave soldiers, and he wanted to play priest. Here in Los Angeles, at the midday mass at the downtown cathedral, they said prayers for the new pope. Allison Espinoza says it's a good choice. He knows about the US and like the battles that are going through here. And father John Ochoa feels Pope Leo, even though he is American, has an international mindset. A lot of his life he lived in Peru, so he's not just a pope of the United States, but

he's a pope of the Americas. Here and in many other US cities, the faithful are hoping for future visits from the American Pope. Steve Fetterman for CBC News, Los Angeles. And that is the latest national and international news from World Report. If you're enjoying the World Report podcast, and we hope you are, please follow us and tell a friend. It helps spread the word.

I'm John Northcott. This is CBC News.