Your World Tonight - Black smoke: first vote of the conclave, ransom paid in school boards’ security breach, Canadian debut for baseball’s new star, and more

Episode Date: May 7, 2025

Cardinals began the ancient and secret tradition of electing a new Pope. After the first vote, black smoke indicated that a new Pope had not been chosen.And: School boards that were subject to a data breach last year notify parents that a ransom was paid, but sensitive data was not deleted.Also: In a league of her own. One of Japan’s top female baseball stars gets set to take the mound for a pro men's team in Canada.Plus: PM Carney speaks to premiers after D.C. trip, India and Pakistan on the brink of a bigger conflict, the troubling warning about the effects of future climate events, and more.

1942, Europe. Soldiers find a boy surviving alone in the woods. They make him a member of Hitler's army. But what no one would know for decades, he was Jewish. Could a story so unbelievable be true? I'm Dan Goldberg. I'm from CBC's personally, Toy Soldier. Available now wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC Podcast. Francis left an idea, he left a horizon for the church, he left a direction where he wanted the church to go to.

And the big question is, will the cardinals from all over the world continue this roadmap? It's a ceremony that has existed for centuries and its latest installment will go on for at least another day. With cardinals sequestered inside the Vatican's Sistine Chapel and the Catholic world focused on its small chimney, black smoke emerged and the ancient ritual to elect the next Pope continues. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Susan Bonner. It is Wednesday, May 7th, coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. I don't think I'd have the restraint that he had yesterday to be very frank,

but in saying that, I think it's a good start. From the president's office to a meeting with the premiers, Mark Carney is back from Washington talking to provincial leaders who are hoping the Prime Minister's good start with Donald Trump can end the tariffs on Canadian exports. It is the largest and most diverse gathering of Roman Catholic cardinals in history, now locked in the process to elect the next pope and start a new era for one of the oldest institutions in the process to elect the next Pope and start a new era for one of the oldest institutions in the world. Senior International

Correspondent Margaret Evans is in Vatican City and has more on how day one of the papal conclave unfolded. The cardinals, the so-called princes of the Church, bathed in the red glow of their robes as they filed into the Sistine Chapel and saw the history books, tasked at this conclave with choosing the Catholic Church's 267th Pope, each taking an oath of secrecy before being locked in to deliberations. For many of the faithful gathered outside in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis has left big shoes to fill.

Yolanda Ermsijo is from Mexico. Everything that goes to the extremes are not good. So I think the track that Francisco was following was okay. Professional Pope watchers say the choice of a new pontiff is inevitably a judgment on the legacy of the old. Hendro Munsterman is the Vatican correspondent for the Dutch Daily Netherlands Dagblad. Pope Francis left an idea, he left a horizon for the church,

he left a direction where he wanted the church to go to and the big question is will the cardinals from all over the world continue this this roadmap? Conservative critics of Pope Francis say he was too liberal especially on issues including divorce and the blessing of gay couples. Others say he didn't go far enough. Smoke out sexism! These campaigners for the ordination of women priests launching pink smoke of their own on a hill overlooking the Vatican.

Kate McKelvie is the executive director of the Women's Ordination Conference. Women are tired of endless study about the question of women in ministry. It can feel like justice deferred and very heartbreakingly I think many women are losing hope, losing faith that something will happen soon. This transition for the Catholic Church takes place as much of the world itself feels in transition and for many here it makes this choice feel all the more significant. Pietro Scotiata is Italian. In a world which is shattered by war,

the war in Pakistan, India, Gaza war, so in Ukraine. By day's end, St. Peter's Square was full of those watching for the results of the Cardinals' first vote even though few expected a result this early in the process. And when the smoke started to flow from that much-watched chimney, it was black. More deliberations tomorrow. Margaret Evans, CBC News, Vatican City.

The day after his high-stakes meeting with Donald Trump, Mark Carney is getting positive reviews. He met virtually with Canada's premiers today and although they're happy with the Prime Minister's performance, provincial leaders are still waiting to see relief in the trade war hurting Canadian businesses. Tom Perry reports. You're a transformational president and I've been elected to transform Canada. The reviews from the White House are glowing. Not long after Donald Trump sat down with Mark Carney, Trump's office posted a highly polished and highly positive video on social media,

showing the two leaders shaking hands, laughing, and even sharing one of Trump's trademark thumbs up gestures, both grinning from ear to ear. I like him, you know, he's a nice man. We get along very well. We had a great meeting. Really good. I think the relationship's going to be very strong.

Trump spoke yesterday after his sit down with the Prime Minister and was, in Trump terms, gushing in his praise, calling Carney a step up from his predecessor Justin Trudeau. Carney spoke with Canada's premiers today to brief them on his meeting and what comes next. Ontario Premier Doug Ford says to him, Carney's encounter with Trump went about as well as it possibly could. No one expected to sign a deal, but I'll tell you, it was a massive step forward that he went down there, and they seemed to

be getting along quite well and I think this is huge compared to the last Prime Minister. B.C. Premier David Eby also breathing a sigh of relief over a meeting that could have ended poorly. There's a consensus among the Premiers that the Prime Minister did well yesterday and we were all grateful that the meeting went the way that it did knowing how some other meetings have gone in that exact same office with other world leaders. But despite all the relief and the kind words from the US President, US tariffs remain in place on Canadian steel, aluminum and other products. Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Jolie, who was with Carney in the Oval Office yesterday, says

the goal of the meeting was to make a fresh start on Canada-U.S. relations and establish a relationship between the Prime Minister and President. Why? Because we know that President Trump is the sole decider of what's going on within the U.S. administration. And therefore that relationship is key. Jolie says the federal government will keep pushing on tariffs, with Carney and Trump set to meet again next month at the G7 summit in Cananaskis, Alberta. Carney will sit down with the premiers in Saskatchewan

prior to that meeting, looking to turn a fresh start with the U.S. president into concrete results for Canada and its economy. Tom Perry, CBC News, Ottawa. MUSIC Coming up on the podcast, on the brink, India, Pakistan and the threat of war. Living with a lifetime of threats from the environment and an exciting change on the

baseball field in Ontario. Global leaders are calling for calm and de-escalation from India and Pakistan as the two nuclear-armed neighbors edge closer to war. After weeks of rising tension, Indian strikes on Pakistan have put both countries on high alert and left the rest of the world waiting for the next move. South Asia correspondent Salima Shivji reports from Mumbai. The explosions shatter the night's silence, causing panic. Missiles hitting numerous locations inside Pakistan and Pakistan controlled Kashmir. The chaos continued when day broke. Pakistani

forces exchanging heavy artillery fire with Indian soldiers. Along the line of control, the contested border in disputed Kashmir. We were sound asleep, this man says. We felt so much fear. India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri describes it as precision strikes. These actions were measured, non-ascalatory, proportionate and responsible. Only targeting camps were New Delhi says militants trained, no military installations. But Pakistan sees it very differently. As an act of war, says military spokesperson, Lieutenant General

Ahmed Sharif Chaudhary. It is India which cowardly attacked Pakistan and violated our territorial integrity and sovereignty. He says more than two dozen people died in the strikes. As families of the victims mourn and bury their dead, the angry rhetoric has reached a fever pitch. the angry rhetoric has reached a fever pitch. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif joyfully told his fellow lawmakers that the armed forces shot down several Indian fighter jets, a claim that can't be verified, as Islamabad vows to take corresponding action to retaliate.

In India, the strikes against a hated neighbor were celebrated seen as vengeance. For this militant attack last month the deadliest targeting civilians in years in Indian controlled Kashmir, the divided region that India and Pakistan have been fighting over for decades. India blames the attack on Pakistan, it denies involvement. I want to see them work it out. And hopefully they can stop now. The international community is speaking with one voice on this. Not just US President Donald Trump. There's a chorus, all urging calm,

hoping the two nuclear-armed countries will dial down the tension and avoid all-out war. Pakistan can't not retaliate, saysyesha Siddiqua, political scientist at King's College London. The issue is is there a neutral international arbiter strong enough which can control and stop these two countries. With the world distracted and multilateralism weak as those in Kashmir along the line of control pack up and flee, bracing for more strikes.

Salima Shivji, CBC News, Mumbai. Palestinian health officials say Israeli airstrikes in central Gaza have killed dozens of people. They say one strike hit a busy market in Gaza City. Israel's military has not commented. The attacks come ahead of the US president's trip to the Middle East. Speaking at the White House today, Donald Trump hinted at a new proposal to end the fighting. Well we're gonna see what's happening. There's a lot of talk going on about Gaza right now, you know that right? So you'll be knowing probably in

the next 24 hours. Israel wants a deal before Trump's visit or is threatening to launch a wider military operation in Gaza. Hamas says it won't negotiate or release Israeli hostages until Israel ends its two-month blockade of the territory. At the trial of five former Team Canada hockey players, the defence was focused on the issue at the heart of the case, consent and whether it was given by the complainant, a woman known only as EM. She says she was sexually assaulted by the players in a hotel room. They have all pleaded not guilty. Katie Nicholson was in the courtroom.

Former World Junior Hockey goalie Carter Hart, flanked by his lawyer Megan Savard, strides past a cluster of activists and into the London courthouse. Inside, Savard questioned EM about how she may have behaved in the hotel room that night as it filled with hockey players. E.M. previously testified after she met Michael McLeod at Jack's Pub. The two went to his hotel and had sex. That act is not the focus of the case. E.M. told the court she was surprised when other men entered the room afterwards. In previous testimony, she described how they placed a bed sheet on the floor and solicited sexual acts from her. Savard prompted E.M. One of your coping mechanisms on this unusual night may have been offering sex.

E.M. replied, I was not acting like myself. You were acting like a porn star, Savard asked. Yes, I felt that was the thing they wanted. They were trying to recreate a porn scene, EM replied. Savard suggested, another way you adopted the persona of a porn star, you were offering certain sexual services. I don't have a memory of that, EM said. It could be possible. It really has to do with whether or not there's a reasonable doubt being raised as to her consent.

Sam Puhalla is a criminal defence attorney based in London. She isn't involved in the case but has been following the trial closely. So if there are words and acts that are being performed or said that suggest consent, that is a subjective element of hers that she is offering explanations to. And what the jury will have to determine is if the Crown has proven beyond a reasonable doubt whether or not she subjectively consented at that time. At one point, EM stated she felt flustered by the cross-examination. She testified it could have appeared as though she was consenting.

But she also repeatedly spoke of feeling disconnected from her body and said she was very drunk and that the men ought to have known that. Savard also pushed E.M. on how she didn't initially identify Carter Hart as the suspect, noting she at first wrongfully accused two others as being in the room that night. E.M. agreed she did have trouble distinguishing the men. After two days of intense grilling, EM still faces more cross-examination from the three remaining defense teams. Katie Nicholson, CBC News, London, Ontario. Some parents and caregivers in Canada received worrying news today.

Their children's personal information was stolen in a major data breach last year and it's not been deleted as promised, despite a ransom being paid by the company that was hit. Jamie Strachan explains. In late December, PowerSchool, a data storage platform used by hundreds of school boards in Canada and across North America suffered a massive data breach affecting millions of students.

It assured clients, including multiple Canadian school boards, that the data of students and staff hadn't been exposed. It paid a ransom. In exchange for assurances from the hackers, the stolen data would be deleted. It now turns out that never happened. Predictable says technology analyst Carmi Levy. It's absolutely clear that the data is being used for subsequent attacks,

which is exactly how these things play out whenever a ransom is paid. That's the risk you run and unfortunately in this case they gambled and they lost. Now the hackers still in possession of a massive amount of data are targeting individual school boards. The Toronto District School Board, Canada's largest, says it was the target of a ransom demand this week. Levi says typically demands can run into the millions. The TDSB is highly exposed and that they are essentially out of control here. They can't control what happens next because they're not directly responsible for the technology that was compromised here.

It's their service provider who was breached. A number of other provinces were also affected including Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador. In the TDSB's case, students attending Toronto schools between 1985 and 2024 had things like home addresses, phone numbers, academic information and health card numbers exposed. Levy says information like old home addresses and report cards may seem innocuous but can be dangerous in the wrong hands. They will use it often in concert with data that has been leaked or breached from other cyber events, combine it into kind of a package,

and then use that to launch additional identity theft attacks or financial attacks against us. And so it's a cumulative risk. It builds up over time. Toronto Metropolitan University professor Charles Finlay says attacks like this can be difficult to thwart and even harder to contain once they happen. Certainly we can make it more difficult for threat actors to access systems and to exfiltrate information. It's not, you know, always possible to be perfect in cyber security. Finlay advises vigilance for those affected to change passwords

and be wary of unwanted solicitations, but points out it could be months, even years, until the true implications of this massive breach are known. Jamie Strash in CBC News, Toronto. Crews on two sides of the country are battling large wildfires. In Newfoundland and Labrador several are burning including one along Conception Bay North. Police are evacuating parts of the region. In Alberta hundreds of people have been forced from the village of Boyle about 150 kilometers north of Edmonton. Heat and high winds

are fueling the flames and officials expect the dry conditions to last until the weekend. We know we're seeing more extreme weather events than we used to. Now researchers say the next generation will suffer through heat waves and other catastrophes far more severe and far more often. As Anne Unran tells us, some are hoping it's a wake-up call to the world to start reversing the impacts of climate change. Even by a cool fountain, it's unseasonably hot in the heart of Lyon, France. And a young student, Pauline Marx, can't help but wonder.

If it's 29 degrees in May, what's August going to be like? Her friend Noah agrees, saying it's a sign of climate change. And new research suggests these 22-year-olds and those younger will feel unprecedented climate extremes like heat waves, floods, and crop failures far more than previous generations. Unprecedented refers to an extreme frequency of exposure in your lifetime. Luke Grant is a scientist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. His new study looked at these climate exposures across lifetimes, comparing those born as

far back as 1960 to as recently as 2020, calculating just how often these once rare climate events would hit them in a warming world. Even limiting climate change to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial temperatures, we still have about half of the global 2020 birth cohort projected to experience unprecedented exposure. And if it warmed to 3.5 degrees Celsius, the study says of the 120 million kids born in 2020, most would see extreme heat waves in their lifetime. And I think we as a parent community

feel this injustice really deeply. Maya Mailer is with Our Kids Climate, a global network helping parents and caregivers navigate the climate crisis. While no one is spared, she says the study highlights who can't defend themselves. It's children who are already vulnerable, who are living in marginalized communities, and it tends to be those families living in countries who've done the least to contribute to the carbon pollution. It's quite damning, and I hope that most people find this concerning.

Someone who is fighting back, Zoe Keery Metzner, part of a group of several young people suing the Ontario government claiming it has failed to uphold their charter rights by weakening climate targets. It shows how strong our case is and also just further demonstrates the reality that our government is failing to acknowledge and that they need to be held accountable for. We don't have to choose this future for our kids. Dr. Joe Vipond is with the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. He says the scenarios modeled in the study aren't set in stone,

instead serve as a call to action. Just because we're not seeing people marching in the streets every Friday doesn't mean this threat has gone away and our leaders need to lead on this really really important topic. But keep in mind the study didn't account for future intensity and if we reach three, four, five degrees warmer driven by humanity's burning of fossil fuels, it could further shift the meaning of the word unprecedented. Anand Ram, CBC News, Toronto. When she steps onto the baseball field, it's as if Japan's Ayami Sato is in a league of her own.

Her pitches fly faster than most highway speed limits. Now, she's in Canada to break new barriers and make history. Megan Fitzpatrick has that story. At a baseball diamond in Toronto, the Maple Leafs, the other Leafs, not the hockey ones, are practicing ahead of their home opener on Sunday. When their new pitcher takes to the mound, she will make history. Ayami Sato, who has come all the way from Japan, will be the first woman to play in a professional men's league in Canada. I'm so happy and very excited.

Sato's English is limited and through a translator she explained that when the team reached out she jumped at the chance to play here. I couldn't believe it. I wasn't sure if it was legit but just gave it a go and tried something new. The 35-year-old is considered a legend in women's international baseball. She helped lead Japan's national team to six world championships and won MVP three times. Maple Leafs manager Rob Butler said he hopes Sato will be a star attraction. We're so excited to see something new, something different, something fresh, and to give a woman an opportunity to do something that women usually don't get a chance to do.

Sato said her new teammates have welcomed her warmly. At practice, they were giving her high fives and fist bumps. Very good, very good. You looked awesome. Sato has played against Canadian women before. The best pitcher I ever faced in an international competition, for sure. Ashley Stevenson, who was on Canada's national team, is now rooting for her former competition,

but wants to see more for women at Sato's level. There's all these female leagues now that are doing so well and they're so successful and so a part of me wishes we had that for baseball too. At a girls baseball practice not far from where the Maple Leafs play Danielle Wasserman agrees. It's not fair that women don't have their own league and it's very strong of her to play in a men's league and I really look up to her. Sophia Bonder has this message for Sato. You go like show everyone what you're capable of represent women in sports you go we're all proud. Back at the Maple Leafs practice Sato said she's both nervous and excited about the season ahead and she was happy to hear what the young girls said about her.

Sato said she hopes playing with men shows the girls courage and that her performance will inspire them. It seems she's already hit that goal out of the park. Megan Fitzpatrick, CBC News, Toronto. Finally tonight, they are sounds some music fans have been waiting a long time to hear searching the internet and record stores for a concert recording they weren't sure even existed. That is what's believed to be a recording of the one and only Calgary performance of the legendary grunge rock band Nirvana. At the Westward Inn on March 4th, 1991, recently uncovered by Calgary music fan Mike Jenkins, bootleg recordings of Nirvana concerts are common, but for years enthusiasts like Jenkins struggled to dig up that Calgary performance. He says the breakthrough

came a few weeks ago at a collector's show. I came across one stall that was the, I guess, the archive of Lex Larry Smith, who used to run a record store in Calgary called The Attic. And apparently he was known for having some of this more underground material. And it came packaged with a beautiful letter that he'd written about how he got the recording, how he had stashed away for all these years and how he hung out with the band afterwards. The quality of the recording isn't great, but Jenkin says it's still an important artifact of a turning point. About 250 people were at that show on a cold Monday night in Calgary. At one point the band asked staff to sweep up

all the broken beer bottles on stage. Just two months later, Nirvana was in Los Angeles making a slightly higher quality recording that was about to become one of the biggest albums of all time. This has been Your World Tonight for Wednesday, May 7th. I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.