World Report - November 27: Thursday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: November 27, 2025

Memorandum of understanding expected between Alberta and government over pipeline.Quebec to table new secularism bill today banning prayer rooms in universities, CEGEPs.Number of people killed in Hong Kong apartment complex fire climbs to 75. Hundreds more missing.Authorities: Suspect who shot National Guard soldiers in DC worked with CIA in Afghanistan.Hundreds of animals killed by trains on B.C. railroads, documents reveal.

In 1983, Paladin Press published a book called Hitman. This book offers specific tips for the aspiring contract killer. Things like where to find employment, how much to charge, basically how to get away with murder, and also not feel bad about it. Ten years later, the book was linked to a triple killing. This week on Crime Story, can a book be an accomplice to murder? Find Crime Story wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC podcast.

This is World Report. Good morning. I'm Marcia Young. Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Calgary today for an expected energy announcement with Alberta. The memorandum of understanding is intended to clear the way for a new oil pipeline to the West Coast. This agreement is meant to end years of political fighting, but one crucial piece remains missing. a private company willing to step forward and build the line. The CBC's Paula DeHatchuk has reaction from the Alberta oil patch. Everybody nationally might look at this as a champagne-popping opportunity,

but for us, a lot has to happen in order for us to see progress. Grapreet Lale is CEO of Inserva, which represents oil patch service companies. For years, the oil and gas industry has complained federal rules have made it too difficult for companies to build new projects. The MOU between Alberta and Ottawa is seen as a step in the right direction. Still, they're not opening the bubbly just yet. We might, you know, toast with a glass of wine. John Gorman, Vice President with Halliburton in Canada,

says to get a new pipeline off the ground, there's still a major piece of the puzzle that's missing. A company that wants to do it would be one. Randy Olinberger, an analyst with BMO Capital Markets, says companies are likely still thinking about the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion. Costs ballooned from an estimated $7.3 billion to more than $34 billion. There's no publicly traded pipeline company that's going to step up and say, I've got a blank check. More details about the energy agreement are expected today, but Olinberger says he doesn't think there'll be enough new information to completely undo the industry's concerns.

I mean, I would kind of view this as, you know, the starter gun has just gone off and it's a marathon, and so we're really far away from the finish line yet. Still, Olinberger thinks if the cost issues can be dealt with and a new pipeline built, it would give a much-needed boost to the country's economy. Paula Duhacchek, CBC News, Calgary. The Quebec government is expected to table a new secularism bill today. The bill would ban prayer rooms in public colleges and universities. It would also ban full-face coverings like the NICAB for post-secondary students. Some students argue the measures unfairly target the Muslim community.

They say the new rule will simply. forced students to find other places to prey on campus. This was not just an attack. It was a direct challenge to law and order in our nation's capital. We will not allow this to be normalized. U.S. Attorney for D.C., Janine Piro, is among officials given an update on yesterday's attack on two National Guard members in Washington. They had surgery and are in critical condition in hospital. The suspected shooter is an Afghan National who worked with the CIA in Afghanistan. Rafi Bucci Canyon is in our Washington Bureau and Rafi, what else are official saying? Marcia, we're hearing more about the suspect as well as

his two victims, Sarah Bextram and Andrew Wolfe 20 and 24 years old had apparently enlisted with the National Guard less than 24 hours ago. As for the suspect, he appears to have driven across the country from Washington State, according to officials, with the intent of perpetrating this crime. The FBI says they have searched his residence in Washington State, seized multiple cell phones as well as laptops, determined that there were associates to interview in San Diego, which they say they have now done overnight. The suspect is facing charges of assault with a weapon. Janine Piro, the U.S. District Attorney for D.C., says that could be upgraded to murder in the first degree if one of the victims does not come through. My message to the individual who committed these acts is you picked the wrong target, the wrong city, and the wrong country, and you will be sorry for the violence and the evil that you perpetrated in our nation's capital.

Rafi, what has U.S. President Donald Trump been saying about the attack? The Department of U.S. citizenship and immigration services says it has indefinitely stopped processing any immigration requests linked to Afghan nationals. In 2021, the Biden administration had set up various special measures to fast-track migrants from Afghanistan who had ties to U.S. military operations in that country after Kabul's takeover by the Taliban. Trump says all of that has to be re-examined. Thank you, Rafi. You're welcome. The CBC's Rafi Bucci Canyon in Washington. 75 people are now confirmed dead in the fire that consumed an apartment complex in Hong Kong.

But close to 300 others are missing. Many of the 4,800 residents are elderly people. Authorities say fires in four of the buildings are out. The remaining three towers are under control. The complex had been under renovation. My World Report co-host, John Northcott, joins me now with the latest. And, John, this is Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades. What might have caused it?

Marcia, very early in the investigation, to be sure. But a wide range of potential causes exist. The buildings built in the 1980s with materials that would not be allowed today. But they were being renovated, and some are pointing to the towering bamboo scaffolding. While commonly used throughout the building industry in Hong Kong, they were due to be phased out because of safety concerns. Residents reported seeing scrap cardboard, paint thinner, and cigarette butts on the scaffolding, as well as foam that could also catch fire.

They also report that fire alarms were turned off during the renovations, and then the weather, hot and dry, with high winds. Add to that, when you consider 40% of the building's residents were elderly, many of whom could have had mobility issues making escape difficult. Perhaps in the end it may not be a single cause, but a deadly domino effect that triggered this tragedy. Nonetheless, authorities have raided the offices of the contractor and have arrested two senior executives of prestige construction

as well as an engineering consultant. Hong Kong is such an international city. It's home to so many people from around the world, including hundreds of thousands of Canadians. 300,000, in fact, Marcia, the greatest number of Canadian citizens living outside the country after the U.S. So that means there are many here who trace their roots back and still have many family members there.

We reached out to some of the men. many organizations here that support the community waiting to hear back from them. So far, federal officials say they don't know yet if any Canadians in Hong Kong are among the dead or missing. Thank you. Thank you. My World Report co-host John Northcott in studio. A dangerous winter storm system is moving across the country, threatening travel across

Canada's busiest regions. Environment Canada has issued severe warnings for northern and central Ontario. Those regions should brace for up to 60 centimeters of snow through Friday, causing near zero visibility. And southern Ontario and the greater Toronto area are under a separate wind threat. Prepare for strong winds up to 90 kilometers an hour and reduced visibility in blowing snow. Officials are urging caution if people must travel today. Wildlife is paying a high price for the thousands of kilometers of railways criss-crossing British Columbia's forests. Big mammals are being killed in rail collisions. The land is home to moose, big horn

sheep, and grizzly bears. This data comes from a new CBC investigation. It was produced in partnership with the Narwhal and the Global Reporting Center. CBC's Jackie McKay is one of the journalists on the story. It was pretty shocking to come here and find four dead grizzly bears. Wildlife scientist Clayton Lamb stands under a rail bridge where the animals were killed. But it's something he is seen before, tracking animals using wildlife collars in the Elk Valley of southeastern BC for more than a decade. The true extent of the carnage is hard to know. Journalists at the Narwhal publication filed a Freedom of Information request to the BC government and shared the responses with CBC. Data shows that CN Railway reported 340 wildlife

collision incidents between 2020 and 2023. Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway Company's data shows at least 182 animals in the Kootenies were hit on its rails between 2022 and 2023. There's costs of having people on the landscape and doing things to wildlife, but I think it feels better when everybody's trying to make it better for wildlife. Biologist Colleen St. Clair has studied the problem around Banff. She says the best thing trains could do is slow down. Places where they know that collisions are more likely. St. Clair also worked on a warning device that flashes lights and beeps to let animals know a train is coming. It found that large animals left the tracks six seconds earlier. But the rails aren't using the device.

In a statement, CPKC says it prioritizes practical mitigation strategies. CN says the company is actively evaluating a range of detection devices. Jackie McKay, CBC News. Elk Valley, BC. And that is the latest national and international news from World Report News anytime at cbcnews.ca.com. I'm Marcia Young. podcasts.