World Report - May 17: Sunday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: May 17, 2026

Global health authorities have triggered their highest warning system as a severe Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo threatens to spill into neighboring Uganda.Canadian health officials are scrambling to contain a presumptive case of a rare, deadly hantavirus strain detected in a traveler isolated in British Columbia.US prosecutors reveal an Iranian-proxied terror plot targeted Toronto's US consulate and local synagogues, triggering a massive RCMP national security investigation.A drone hit the perimeter of the U — A — E’s sole nuclear power plant amid long — standing accusations against Iran and escalating wartime rhetoric on Iranian state media.The Montreal Canadiens must face a winner-take-all Game Seven in Buffalo after a defensive collapse led to an 8-3 loss against the Sabres.No matter who wins Game Seven, Quebec remains a central part of the NHL playoffs as the exclusive manufacturer and printer of all official game pucks.Bulgaria wins the 70th Eurovision contest, bagging the award for the first time.

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Good morning. I'm John Northcott. A major international response is underway this morning as global health authorities sound the alarm over an expanding Ebola crisis. A severe spike in cases within the Democratic Republic of Congo has now threatened communities across the border in Uganda, forcing international agencies

to deploy their most severe warnings. With the latest on the ground, we're joined by reporter Michael Belike in Kampala. Michael, what are we hearing from the World Health Organization? Well, the World Health Organization has declared this a public health emergency

of international concern. Essentially, it's the highest level of global alarm. But importantly, WHO is stressing this is not a pandemic. and there is no recommendation for border closures or travel bans. The concern is really about mobilizing international support and putting neighboring countries on higher lot because of the cross-border movement involved in this outbreak.

WHO says the outbreak is being driven by the Bundibuja strain of Ebola, which is more complicated because they are currently no approved vaccines or treatments specifically for this strain. So, Michael, we're talking about Uganda and Congo, what are we hearing in terms of the situation on the ground? On the ground, the epicenter remains the Ituri province that is in the eastern side of the Democratic Republic of Congo near the Ugandan border, where authorities have reported eight laboratory confirmed cases, and there are also about 250 suspected cases.

Among these 80 people believed have died from Ebola, across seven. zones in this area. And health teams are racing to trace contacts, isolate suspected infections, and strengthen screening. But insecurity in the East Andyra Congo is making that response much harder. WHO and Africa CDC say the population movement, especially through mining towns and busy border routes, raises the risk of wider spread.

On the Ugandan side, though, officials have confirmed two laboratory cases. One of them is dead. and several suspected contacts are under quarantine. Uganda has experienced handling Ebola outbreaks before, so the surveillance and screening have already been intensified, especially at the border points and health facilities. The declaration hasn't sparked panic, but it has clearly raised concern

with health authorities emphasizing vigilance rather than alarm. Reporter Michael Belike in Kampala, thanks, Michael. You're welcome. Turning to Hanta virus now, samples from a Canadian traveler who was on that virus-stricken cruise ship have been sent to the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg. The new round of testing comes after a man in his 70s received a presumptive positive result.

He's among four passengers who left the ship last week and have been under quarantine in British Columbia. Dozens of other low-risk and high-risk contacts nationwide are actively being monitored. We're learning new details about alleged terrorism offenses linked to a shooting outside the U.S. consulate in Toronto back in March. U.S. prosecutors say Iranian proxies were behind at least two shooting attacks in the city. Canadian officials treated the case as a major national security investigation from the very start

leading to an extensive RCMP probe. New court documents say the plot also targeted local synagogues exposing a coordinated foreign-funded campaign operating on Canadian soil. A drone strike targeting the United Arab Emirates' sole nuclear power plant sparks a perimeter fire. The UAE has been accusing Iran of launching drone and missile attacks in recent weeks. While officials report no safety breach, the attack comes amid a dangerous spike in regional tensions. Meanwhile, on Iranian state television, presenters have begun appearing on air holding firearms. Atash?

Oh, no, your Allah. Attash. During one live broadcast, a host even simulated firing a weapon at a UAE flag. This is all part of an effort to prepare the Iranian public for what could be a prolonged war. In sports, the Montreal Canadiens are heading into another game seven. Canada's lone team at the NHL playoffs missed a massive opportunity to clinch the series on home ice after a defensive collapse against the Buffalo Sabres. It means their entire season now comes down to a final,

Winter take-all showdown tomorrow night. The CBC's Alexander Silverman has the details. The electric and energetic atmosphere outside Montreal's Bell Center, with nearby streets packed with thousands of Habs fans, started off strong and loud. The Canadians opened the first period with a three-two lead. But the savers stormed back to score three goals in both the second and third periods. Buffalo, going on to defeat the Canadians 8-3 in game 6,

silencing the party inside and outside the arena. It wasn't our best tonight. Canadians coach Martin St. Louis visibly disappointed in his team's performance, now turning to game 7. We've been good at bouncing forward, and that's what we intend to do. We wanted this for our fan, you know, for us. We wanted this game, and we just didn't play well. The Canadians and Sabres are now set to play in a decisive game 7 in Buffalo on Monday.

The winner will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the conference final. Alexander Silberman, CBC News, Montreal. Regardless of how that decisive game seven plays out in Buffalo, Quebec will still be represented on the ice right through to the Stanley Cup final. That's because every single official NHL puck is manufactured and printed in the province. Natalia Whitesell takes us inside a local factory supplying the playoffs. Every time the Montreal Canadians hit the ice, they're carrying a little piece of Quebec. That's because official pox for the National Hockey League are produced in the province.

It all starts in a rubber manufacturing plant in St. Jerome, just north of Montreal. Raw ingredients are mixed together and then carefully molded into individual discs. Those blank pucks are then shipped to Sherbrooke in southern Quebec. where the official logos are carefully printed on. So you're seeing the cleaned raw pucks basically going on to the Sultesprime machine. Anita Chandon is with in Glasgow, the company that's behind the printing. As she walks around a fast-moving conveyor belt, she explains the machine applies the logo layer after layer.

Chandon says NHL teams can go through dozens of pucks in a single game. So the printing process has to go fast, especially during the playoffs. Logos need to be updated every time a team is eliminated, showing the exact date and the exact round that's being played. We can run probably 12 to 1,500 pucks in an hour. Jason D'Gale's family has been involved with the printing company for decades. He says it's a sense of pride knowing their product is being used by Quebec's favorite team. And honestly, it's just exciting to see that a puck made in Sherbrook is hitting the ice every Stanley Cup playoffs, every game. From factory floors in Quebec, these pucks are then shipped out to arenas across the continent.

A reminder that Canada's game is also made in Canada. Natalia Vikesell, CBC News, Montreal. And finally, history is made at the Eurovision Song Contest, Bulgaria, claiming the top prize for the first time after a dramatic grand final. Daniel Rossni reports. 25 acts from 25 countries performed in what is the world's most watched entertainment show, with a global audience estimated to be around 160 million. Finland's act was a hit with the crowd in the arena,

and despite being the favourite to win for months, the dramatic pop ballad failed to get enough points from either the public watching or the juries made up of music experts. In a repeat of last year, Israel placed high on the leaderboard for a significant chunk of the voting. The country's involvement this year was controversial, prompting five countries to boycott over Israel's war in Gaza. Israeli singer Noem Betan's ballad scored points with home audiences,

but his participation and high-ranking received this reaction at the venue. And it may fuel more conversations about Eurovision's voting system and which countries it welcomes into the competition moving forward. In the end, it was Bulgaria Zdara who leaked frauded Israel, marking the first time the Eastern European nation has won the competition. It's a short win, but this catchy pop song And its clever choreography means next year's Eurovision song contest

will be held in Bulgaria Daniel Rosny for CBC News in Vienna, Austria And that is the latest national and international news from World Report. 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.ca slash podcasts.