World Report - October 2: Thursday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: October 2, 2025

U-K police say a deadly attack on a synagogue in Manchester, England was a terror attack.Experts tell Canadian military it needs to shift from defence procurement to defence production.Chief says First Nations on BC's North Coast won't support Alberta premier Danielle Smith's pipeline proposal "now or ever."Israel intercepts multiple ships with Global Sumud Flotilla, says activists detained onboard will be deported.The number of dead climbs above 70 from Tuesday's earthquake in the Philippines.The Trump administration warns the firing of federal workers could start as early as today, as the government shutdown enters its second day. Internal report raises concerns about the conduct of the president of Saskatchewan's First Nations University. 

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This is World Report. Good morning. I'm John Northcott. UK police say a deadly attack on a synagogue in Manchester, England, was a terror attack. Two people were killed and four others in serious condition. The suspect shot dead by police. Lawrence Taylor is with the National Counterterrorism. police, he says authorities have also made two arrests. Based on what we know, counterterrorism policing has declared this as a terrorist incident. And I want to be clear, UK policing is

mobilizing, and it's mobilizing fast. Police forces are stepping up patrols across the country at synagogues and Jewish sites to provide reassurance to all those communities who have been affected by this incident. It happened as people gathered at the synagogue to observe Yom Kippur. say a man rammed his car into a crowd outside the building. He then got out and began stabbing people. Prime Minister Kirstarmer has called on an emergency COBRA meeting for later

today. Cobra meetings are held in response to national crises and security threats. The Carney government is unveiling what it calls the Defense Investment Agency. It's a new government agency designed to coordinate and speed up the purchase and delivery of military equipment. But as Murray Brewster tells us

experts say that will require a renewed focus on Canadian in defense production? I am both hopeful and cynical at the same time. Wendy Gilmore is a Canadian and a former senior NATO official. She says politicians, officials, and the public in Canada need to understand there's a difference between defense procurement and defense production. I think that Canada is still looking at, yes, we want a military,

but we think of a deterrent mindset that we're going to do just enough to prevent our having to actually use it, which is a great goal, but perhaps not realistic. day's environment. In announcing the rearmament of the Canadian military, Prime Minister Mark Carney promised to create a new defense investment agency. Jordan Miller, an analyst and executive, says the fine print of that agency will be very important. What's needed, he says, is an organization that can decide what to prioritize in terms of defense production. In other words, what Canadians should be building themselves in order to protect their sovereignty. Miller says the current go-to-the-market approach won't work in a crisis.

that we can just buy and that's the end of it, I think is quite short-sighted. Miller says the last time Canada did defense production on a massive scale was during the Korean War. Lately, it has experimented with the national shipbuilding strategy, constructing Arctic warships and now destroyers. But that program has been plagued with cost overruns and delays. Marie Brewster, CBC News, Ottawa. First Nations along BC's North Coast are already opposing Alberta's plans. to build a new pipeline.

The president of Coastal First Nations Great Bear Initiative says the project would devastate the ecosystem and her group won't support it now or ever. Paula Duhatchik is more on the plan and the pushback. And so we've got to do something to break the logjam. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith blames federal environmental policy for the fact that no private company

has stepped up to build a new oil pipeline. We'll work with the federal government to clear away some of those barriers and I would fully anticipate that we would end up with a private. private sector proponent who would come forward at that time. Alex Porbe, executive chair of Sonovas Energy, joined the Premier at a news conference earlier in the day. He says the province is making a smart move.

We have a revenue problem with our country and with our government. And the Premier hit this in her remarks. This is truly a nation building kind of a project. Others disagree. One of the policies Smith wants repealed is the so-called tanker ban. BC Premier David Eby says getting rid of the policy could erode support for other types of major projects. The challenge that I have is that this proposal from the Alberta Premier for taxpayers to do this work comes at the expense of real private sector projects that are going to lift our economy and lift the national economy and for no apparent reason. Premier Danielle Smith pledged taxpayers won't be on the hook for the project itself.

She says the government is consulting with First Nations and plans to submit a proposal to the major projects office next spring. Paula Duhajek, CBC News, Calgary. In cities around the world, people are rallying in support of the global smooth flotilla and its effort to end the naval blockade of Gaza. All through the night, the Israeli military intercepted flotilla ships, boarding them, and detaining the activists on board. There were more than 40 boats in the flotilla. Just one boat has made it to Palestinian territorial waters, but the Israeli military is vowing it will not reach Gaza. It says everyone who was detained will be brought safely to Israel and then deported.

Cruise in the Philippines continue their search for survivors of Tuesday's deadly earthquake. Rescures use jackhammers to break up large pieces of rubble from a collapsed building only to discover more bodies. The number of those killed has climbed to 72. The central province of Sibu took the brunt of the 6.9. magnitude quake. With the U.S. Senate now adjourned, there's growing concern the government shutdown could drag on. It began yesterday as congressional Republicans and Democrats failed to agree on a federal funding plan, and there's no sign either side is prepared to compromise. Now, the White House is threatening action of its own. The CBC's Willie Lowry is in our Washington Bureau. Willie,

what are we expecting? Well, the Trump administration has been pretty adamant. It wants to use this shutdown as an opportunity to cut what it perceives as government. waste. And that very well may mean laying people off. President Donald Trump on social media directing his administration to look into ways to reduce spending. He said, quote, Republicans must use this opportunity of Democrat forced closure to clear out dead wood, waste, and fraud. Billions of dollars can be saved, make America great again. Now White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt echoing the president's comments. Unfortunately, because the Democrat shut down, the government. The president has directed his cabinet and the Office of Management and Budget

is working with agencies across the board to identify where cuts can be made. And we believe that layoffs are imminent. They are unfortunately a consequence of this government shutdown. And this all comes after a tumultuous year for federal employees. The Trump administration has already laid off tens of thousands of workers as part of the Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to reduce spending. Well, this is only day two. of the shutdown, but how could it all play out? Well, historically, shutdowns have only lasted a few days, but the most recent one back in 2018 during Trump's first term was also the longest, 35 days. Now, both Democrats and

Republicans are engaged in a messaging battle, each trying to convince Americans the other party is to blame for the shutdown. But Republicans appear confident that they can chip away at Democratic support. They need five more votes in the Senate. to pass their resolution to fund the government through October and much of November. Willie Lowry in Washington. Thanks, Willie. My pleasure. Finally, CBC has obtained a scathing internal report, which raises concerns about the conduct of the present of Saskatchewan's First Nations University.

It says Jacqueline Otman was involved in the destructive practice of empire building, hiring family and friends, and disregarding many university policies. As Jeff Leo tells us, she then fired the whistleblower who raised those concerns. The 2023 report recently obtained by CBC found that President Jacqueline Otman was involved in nine cases of nepotism, hiring family and friends and skirting other university governance and finance rules. After that investigation was launched, Otman fired the whistleblower, the university's VP of finance and administration. Investigators found that firing was, quote, at least in part, retaliatory. Alan Adam, vice chair of the board at the time, says the final report made clear to him that Otman had to go.

The president is not the right person for the job. He says the board chair at the time agreed. But a group of new board members, mostly First Nations chiefs, had a different view. They said we're behind our president 100%. Adam says he and the board chair were pushed out by the chief-led board. He worries history is repeating itself. Fifteen years ago, the federal and provincial governments cut funding to the university because it was being run by a politically appointed board that was not always acting in the best interests of the institution. The governments eventually restored funding after new rules were established banning politicians from the board.

But recently, the chief-led organization that runs the university decided to once again give politicians the majority on the board. That worries assistant professor, Audrey Drever. you've got them meddling again and potentially protecting the president. Otman didn't respond to CBC's request for an interview. In an email, the board says it continues to have complete confidence in her. Jeff Leo, CBC News, Regina. 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 to spread the word. on Northcott. This is CBC News.