Your World Tonight - Five U.K. men arrested in alleged terrorism plot, and more

Episode Date: September 27, 2026

A small, English village remains evacuated tonight following the arrests of five men near an air-base. Counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation, and bomb disposal units were called to the sceneAlso: A day after flatly rejecting a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. President Donald Trump tells Axios negotiations with Iran could resume as early as this week. Though Iranian state media says no talks are planned. With the price of gas creating strong headwinds for Republicans in November's midterms, some Trump allies are now trying to distance themselves from the President.And: In Mexico City, Thousands flooded the streets to mark a grim anniversary. After twelve years, there are still no clear answers for the families of forty-three missing students. They're demanding the military turn over hundreds of pages of case files, as President Claudia Sheinbaum prepares to release a major update on the case.Plus: One week left in the Quebec provincial election campaign, Imran Khan's son speaks out, the toxic haze choking much of southeast Asia, and more.

Canada makes good stuff, and we carry a lot of it. At HealthyPlanetCanada.com, more than 10,000 products are Canadian and all 100% authentic. So whether you need soup season groceries, clean beauty for dry air, or sports nutrition and supplements, shop with confidence at HealthyPlanetCanada.com. Family-owned, proudly Canadian since 1995. From here, life looks good. This is a CBC podcast. These arrests will no doubt have caused some shock and anxiety. A quiet English village is the center of a takedown by counter-terrorism police in the middle of the night.

Five men are arrested near an air base, drawing possible links to the war in Iran. This is Your World Tonight. I'm Tanya Fletcher. Also on the program, some Trump allies are distancing themselves from the president ahead of the midterms. As fuel prices soar and approval ratings plummet, with no signs the U.S. is ready to end that war in Iran. Plus, the desire for change of Quebecers is still very strong. Advanced polls are open in Quebec's election. Voters there will choose their next provincial government in T-minus eight days. A small English village remains evacuated tonight following the arrests of five men near an airbase.

Counter-terrorism police are leading. the investigation, with some indication it may be linked to the U.S. war with Iran. Julia Chapman has our top story tonight. Police received a call at 1245 in the morning. Three suspicious vehicles were heading towards an Air Force base in Gloucestershire in Western England. Armed officers intercepted the vans in the neighboring village of Wellford and arrested five men. Bomb disposal units were called in and aerial footage showed a robot examining three white vans. The entire village was evacuated. There were three police cars in the drive,

all flashing lights. Julian Tudsbury woke up this morning to a knock on the door from police officers. They said there's been a major incident and we need you to leave immediately. Residents have been told they will have to spend the night away from their homes as the police operation continues. Richard O'Con is from the local police force. Work to establish the full nature of this incident is ongoing. We are working closely with our partners in counterterrorism policing. RAF Fairford is one of several air bases in Britain used by the US Air Force. The US has used Fairford to launch attacks on Iran. The UK government was initially reluctant to allow that, but former Prime Minister Kierstarmur eventually gave the green light to defensive operations. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said that made the base a legitimate.

legitimate target. The American forces are a target when they're based in the UK. Sean Bell is a military analyst and former member of the Royal Air Force. He says security has been stepped up at bases in the UK used by the US since that Iranian threat was made. Officials are also on high alert for potential hybrid attacks from Russia. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the war in Iran, there's lots of other conflicts around the world. These things are coming to ash oars. And if we're not better prepared, the best way as a military guy to avoid conflict is to prepare for it. UK and American officials have been in close contact throughout the day. President Donald Trump has welcomed the arrests. We had them under investigation. They were looking to do

big damage to our fort. And working with the British worked out great. Those comments appear to contradict the police statement, saying officers responded to a call from a member of the public. But local residents had reported heightened security in the area in recent weeks. For now, police have made no mention of a potential motive and released no details about the five suspects they're currently questioning. Julia Chapman, CBC News, London. Meanwhile, a day after flatly rejecting a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. President Donald Trump tells Axios, negotiations with Iran could resume as early as this week. though Iranian state media says no talks are planned.

And with the price of gas creating strong headwinds for Republicans in November's midterms, some Trump allies are now trying to distance themselves from the president. Katie Nicholson reports. Clutching an umbrella as he headed toward Marine One, U.S. President Donald Trump paused to address the affordability crisis, brought on in part by the war he started with Iran in February. Oil will come dropping down as soon as Iran gives up, as soon as the war is over, which will be soon, oil is going to come plummeting down, and all prices are coming down.

But on Saturday, Trump rejected an Iranian plan that would have reopened the street of Hormuz in a week and gotten both sides back to the table on nuclear non-proliferation talks. In order to get there, Iran wanted the U.S. to lift sanctions on its oil and end the naval blockade on Iranian ports. Iran even signaled it would be willing to allow nuclear inspections. It was not a serious offer. The president's not Bambi's baby brother. He turned it down.

Republican Senator John Kennedy, among those defending Trump's decision. Still, he acknowledges the pressure of the unpopular war and its surging prices. And it's painful as hell. And we've got to either figure out a way to settle this thing, to get the straight open, or to escalate. I would not send in troops. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Arachi, says his country is ready for either eventuality. We are ready to negotiate as much as we are ready to face any challenge. We stand firm in the face of any aggression, sorry.

we stand firm in the face of any aggression against us, even it comes to a doomsday war. The Iranians, he says, are only focused on their own national interests. We don't care about, you know, U.S. midterm elections. But a handful of Republicans on the campaign trail do care, now breaking with Trump. Michigan families are struggling with the price of everyday life. Like Mike Rogers in a tough Senate race in Michigan. The war with Iran needs to end. President Trump and I are different people.

and the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Minnesota, Lisa Damath. It is time to put an end to that war. Iranian and U.S. officials did meet behind the scenes in New York last week, but there's little sign of the deadlock loosening as the months-long conflict threatens to continue to pull Arabian neighbors into proxy conflicts. Katie Nicholson, CBC News, Washington. Still ahead, 12 years later, questions. They're still swirling around the case of 43.

missing students in Mexico City. The families are demanding the military release details of the investigation as they flood city streets in protest this weekend. We have a reporter there. We'll bring you the latest coming up on your world tonight. Quebec authorities and the Transportation Safety Board are investigating that helicopter crash that killed four people southeast of Montreal yesterday.

The pilot has now been identified as Suzanne Jutra. She was a commercial pilot who offered helicopter tour. Also, local radio host Gabrielle Gizmine has also been identified as one of the victims, along with his mother-in-law, Chantal Rema, and brother-in-law, Lucas Perrault. Advance voting is now open in Quebec's provincial election. Quebecers will elect a new government a week from tomorrow, and it seems voters are hungry for change. The projected frontrunner is calling for an eventual third referendum on independence. Katie, Senate, looks at how that's playing out on the campaign trail.

Antoine Pinchot and his friends enjoy a sunny fall afternoon on the patio of a cafe in Quebec City. The three students say they'll vote for Quebec Sudedeer, the Progressive and Pro-Independence Party. Pinchot says they don't share the same political views as their classmates. A lot of conservative people in that process. program, yes. And do you discuss politics during classes? Not during classes, but in between classes and during things like that, we do talk about it a lot. Yeah, it's, we keep it mostly civil,

because at the end of the day, we spend all day together and we're not a big program so everyone knows each other. Not too far from Antoine's table, Matthias Trambly also reflects on the election campaign. I guess it's hard to say it's not about a third referendum because they're leading party is the party Quebecua. So, which is like kind of their main thing, the referendum. So I guess it's hard to say it's not about that. But I don't think it's a main concern. Trambley says even though Quebec independence is a ballot issue,

he has more pressing concerns. I think there's a lot of problems that need to be solved before solving this issue, which I think is a really, really great issue that has to be solved. But maybe not right now. Maybe later. But there will a moment adequate where I'll pose the question. There will be a moment for Quebecers to vote on independence.

Said Party Quebecuan leader Paul St. Pierre Plamondon, the pre-Q promises to hold a referendum if elected, but only after U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the White House in 2009. Its opponents are trying to make this election campaign about preventing a referendum. Quebec Liberal Party leader Charmeliard. I think it's time for federalists to consider what is the best option if they want to prevent another referendum.

Coalition Avenir Quebec leader, Christine Frechette. People will not get a referendum if we get elected. And Quebec conservative party leader Eric Duem. There is no way that we will support a referendum on sovereignty of the party Quebecois if they form a minority government. The desire for change of Quebecers is still very strong. University Laval, political science professor, Valerian, Mael, has been following Quebec's election campaign closely.

She says the CEQ has been in power for eight years and voters are tired. The party Quebeco has been leading in the polls since the fall of 2023. But at the same time, she says about 40% of voters are still undecided. Some citizens have made up their mind, but they're still not ready to see for certain that they're going to vote for that party. And now we see five political parties contesting for the electorate. If they have a desire for change and they don't want to vote for CAG, they have four other options. Mayo says that means many Quebecers may be questioning their choice until the last minute.

Katzis-Soney, CBC News, Quebec City. Alberta's referendum is less than a month away, and support for separation appears to be losing steam. As ABC News polls suggest Danielle Smith and her UCP are losing ground with voters as well. It should be noted, the margin of error is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points nine times out of 20. Stephanie Kramm has the latest. As Albertans are readying for the upcoming referendum, the United Conservative Party is watching its support take a hit,

falling from 49% in April to 41% this month. Well, I think the UCP is having a struggle navigating this difficult situation that we're in right now, having a controversial referendum. Janet Brown, the Calgary-based pollster who conducted the research for CBC News. The poll shows if there was an election today, support for the UCP and opposition NDP are tied. And of the 1,200 Albertans polled 51% of respondents said they are not impressed by Daniel Smith. She has to turn her attention to the election, which is only a year away, and has to do something about her fading approval numbers.

Lisa Young, a political science professor at the University of Calgary. She says the dip in the premier's support is in part influenced by her position on separation. Smith has made it clear she wants Alberta to stay in Canada, but is facing backlash within her own party. There are separatist activists who have made it clear that they don't think that she has been sufficiently supportive through the campaign. Among those surveyed who said they would vote for the United Conservative Party, 53% said they would vote for separation. Now one UCP riding association in southern Alberta wants a party vote to review Smith's leadership.

The Premier has been very clear that she wants Alberta to remain in Canada. She's entitled to that position. I disagree with the adversarial role she has taken toward independence during this referendum because I believe our highest elected representative should have remained neutral. Tanya Clemens posting to social media, she's a board member of the Highwood UCP Association and co-founder of the separatist group

Let Alberta decide. Clemens says she will be watching what happens after the referendum. What Daniel Smith does after October 19th will naturally inform how I eventually vote in a leadership review. I can respect Daniel Smith and still hold her accountable. Earlier this week, the Premier responded. You always do have alternative voices in every political party. You've got to listen to them.

respect them, but in the end, we make decisions based on the things that we can agree on. The CBC News poll measured the favorability of provincial and federal party leaders. Alberta NDP leader Nahed Nanshi polled slightly better than Smith, but the leader that prevails, Prime Minister Mark Carney with 52% of respondents saying they are very impressed with his performance. Stephanie Cram, CBC News, Edmonton. The Canada-U-S trade war is entering a new phase. Starting Tuesday, Washington will outright ban a range of Canadian products from crossing the border.

The overall economic hit may be relatively small, but for some Canadian businesses, the consequences are anything but. J.P. Tasker has more. What's at stake? Well, not anything good. BC-based fit foods is grappling with a nightmare scenario. The sports supplements manufacturer is facing an American import ban as of Tuesday. U.S. President Donald Trump is blocking any shipments of Canadian way, a cheese byproduct used in protein powders. It's just a sad state of affairs that we have to go through all this.

That's left company owner Jim McMahon on edge. We have 200 loyal staff in pork quillum, the home of Terry Fox, and we just want to show up and go to work and not have to worry about all this stuff. Trump is also barring imports of all Canadian-made molasses and motorcycles, among other products. But it's the U.S. restrictions on Canadian alcohol that will be the most. damaging. Canada shipped $1.2 billion worth of liquor south of the border last year, most of it from Ontario. We have to be respectful of the people who will be affected. But again, I'm going to

look at this through a positive lens. Frank McKenna, a former Canadian ambassador to the U.S. says these trade actions will hurt, but they could be worse. Putting liquor aside, Canadian exports of the ban products are relatively small, he says. The president seems to enjoy trash-talking Canada. but beneath all of that, life goes on and it will go on. And the pendulum will switch again. It's the U.S. threat to cut off all diesel exports that has conservative leader Pierre Pahliav concerned. President Trump was busy blustering the other day,

blustering that he might stop diesel exports. As prices spike south of the border, some Republicans want to keep that supply stateside, which could affect Canadians who rely on that fuel source. We need to go to the American people. and make the case for tariff-free trade-on. And the American people appear to be on side. A new poll shows a majority are opposed to Trump's tariffs on Canada.

Just 26% of those surveyed say it's the right thing to do. Democrats say there could be an electoral price to pay in the upcoming midterms. It's just another example of President Trump throwing things out there and not really thinking through on the consequences. Sheila Nix is the former chief of staff to First Lady Jill Biden. She's working with some swing state Democrats. and has this advice for Canadian officials. I think right now the way to get the attention

and to actually get more bargaining powers to stand tough. Canada U.S. Trade Minister Dominic NBenz says the government is not desperate to make a deal with the Americans. U.S. officials have said something similar. As the two sides dig in, tariffs and import bans are the new status quo. J.P. Tasker, CBC News, Ottawa. Thousands flooded the streets of Mexico City this weekend to mark a dark, day. After 12 years and three presidential administrations, there are still no clear answers for the

families of 43 missing students. They're now demanding the military turnover hundreds of pages of case files as the country's president prepares to release a major update on the case. Our Jorge Berrera is in Mexico City with more. Thousands in Mexico City March Saturday to mark a grim anniversary For one of Mexico's most infamous atrocities, the September 26, 2014 disappearance of 43 students from a rural teachers college in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero states. Ayotzinapa will not rest until we find them, says this 22-year-old student. His face is masked and would only give his first name, Rodrigo. At the front of the march, the families of the 43, including Maria de Jesus Latempa.

They took them alive, we want them back alive, she says. Her son, Jose Eduardo, one of the 43, who vanished 12 years ago. He was 19 when they took him. He was detained by the police and the military, she says. Latempa says the military's role in what happened still remains shrouded in secrecy. Everything points to the army. the military, she says. The Tempa and other family members

went to meet with the Chief Justice of Mexico's Supreme Court Friday. Outside. Protests in support. The families want a March federal court ruling enforced, ordering the military hand over over 800 pages of related documents.

The chief justice said he's going to review the issue, says Melitone Ortega, who was in the meeting and whose missing nephew, Mauricio Ortega-Balerio, was 18. The previous Enrique Peña Nieto government said the students, who had commandeered buses to join a protest in Mexico City, were intercepted by corrupt police and cartel members in Iguala Guerrero. On the night of September 26, their bodies later burned in a garbage dump.

But that version was shown to be a lie based on confessions produced by torture. We want to know where they're, what they were. We want to know where they are. What happens, says Lourdes, Caballero Sanchez. Her brother, Israel, Caballero Sanchez, was 21. Their mother died in 2025 without answers. The Shame Bomb government says it's still investigating the case. It's already arrested the former governor of Guerrero and is seeking the extradition of two suspects from the U.S. Shame bomb said Friday, an update on the case. would be released Monday. Jorge Berera, CBC News, Mexico City. Serbian president Alexander Vucic has resigned,

but his political career is not over. He's leading his right-wing populist party into the upcoming parliamentary election in a bid to become prime minister. Vucchich's government has been in power for 14 years, but is facing major opposition from a student-led anti-corruption movement. That movement was triggered by the collapse of a train station, nearly two years ago that killed 16 people.

The election will take place next month. Imran Khan's family and supporters are stepping up demands for the former Pakistani Prime Minister's release from jail. It's been over three years since he was arrested on corruption charges. With family visits cut off and widespread reports that his health is deteriorating, Khan's 27-year-old son is speaking out, warning that his father is being kept in jail by opponents who are threatened by his popular support. Our senior international correspondent Margaret Evans has been speaking with the son in London and has this report.

When was the last time he spoke to your dad? March of this year, meaning over seven months ago. Kasim Khan's father, Imran Khan, is one of the best, if not the best known figures in Pakistan today, even from a jail cell and despite a de facto ban on local, media from mentioning him by name or even showing his image. The 27-year-old's fear is that his father's enemies, including the powerful military chief General Assim Munir, want to ensure Imran Khan never emerges from prison. To be honest, I find it hard to imagine that I will see him again.

That's why we've stepped it up so much with this kind of stuff. Speaking in London, where he and his brother grew up with their English- mother, Kasim hopes to raise awareness about the conditions in which he says his father is being kept, long periods of solitary confinement, court orders for medical attention ignored, family contact blocked. If there's any way that we can support and try and get him out of this situation, we know it's wrong what's going on over there. If there's any way that we can help, we will.

Most analysts say if an election were held tomorrow, Imran Khan and his Pakistan-Thery, K-Insaf Party would win hands down in a free and fair vote. Dozens of party activists have been arrested in Pakistan in recent days, along with three of Imran Khan's sisters, ahead of a protest march planned in Islamabad. The army and the current government have done whatever they can to dismantle the party. They've put all of the leaders of the party behind bars, enforcing them out of politics. It's very hard to be a Pakistani who is fighting for what's right now.

Your own father came to power with the support of the military. It is now the military, although different generals, presumably orchestrating these moves against the public who support him. Did he make a deal with the devil? And he agreed to play on these terms, and basically that's the way things are playing out. It's the complete opposite of making a deal with the devil in terms of going into politics.

It's frustrating for when people say, oh, you know, Pakistani politics has always been corrupt. He's in prison because of corruption. His whole life in politics has been fighting against this level of corruption. There have been unconfirmed reports of a potential deal between Khan and the establishment, perhaps an easing of his conditions in exchange for silence. If it were on offer, his son doesn't believe he would take it,

even if he might want him to, for personal. personal reasons. Margaret Evans, CBC News, London. CBC News did reach out to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry for comment on the alleged mistreatment of Imran Khan, but we didn't get a response. You can watch Margaret Evans' full interview with Kasim Khan at cbc.ca.com at cbc.ca.com. A toxic haze is choking out large parts of Southeast Asia. Wildfires in Indonesia are sending smoke right across the region. That haze is turning the sky a deep. seepia tone and creating a health hazard for millions of people. Relance reporter Dave Grunabalm has more from Malaysia.

Dr. Arvin Kumar Thivakaran is examining 13-year-old Venchika Pravina, who has been ill for about a week after toxic haze swept across Larswats of Southeast Asia. I've been having a really bad headache and I feel really tragic and I feel like I'm about to get a fever. Breathe in. Breathe out. Dr. Thieva Karin says during the past few weeks, he's seen a significant increase in the number of patients with particular health issues due to the haze. It will cause difficulty in breathing. It will cause sinus issue, block nose, and other upper respiratory taxis infections. The smog has struck several countries, including Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, and Malaysia, where hundreds of schools have been closed. In the country's capital of Kualaumor,

the gray haze obscures the city's skyline, including the famous Petronus Towers. The country's health ministry says there has been a surge in asthma cases. In some communities, the pollution has exceeded 15 times the World Health Organization's recommended level. The haze stands from wildfires in Indonesia, where more than 200,000 hectares of land have burned this year, according to government data. Environmental groups say the fires often start on industrial plantations that are clearing land. Countries like Malaysia and Singapore have limited control over what happens in Indonesia,

but we bear the impacts. Randolph Jeremiah is with the non-government organization Environmental Protection Society in Malaysia. Of course, fires that are started will actually go into other areas, sometimes forests which are not meant for clearance. This year, the impact of these fires has been amplified by Super El Nino that is intensifying drought conditions in Indonesia. In Malaysia, many road races as well as club sports. gains and practices haven't called off. Koss constantly interrupted my interview with Firdaus Ismail and his wife Amira. Participants in a local echo run that was actually more of a walk.

I cannot run right now. Because it feels suffocating. Hard to breathe. It's hard to breathe. It's uncomfortable. Pauline Plois says she normally runs about 30 kilometers a week. But that's off the table due to the table due to the the current conditions. Looking at the weather like this, you know, really lost all your appetite for running, you know.

Environmental activist Randolph Jeremiah says, unfortunately, decades of discussions between governments across the region and civil society has not led a substantial progress on preventing the wildfires behind the haze. And we've been discussing people have been coming up with papers, they have been coming up with action plans, etc. But up to today, there's been no resolution. forcing people across the region to suffer the consequences. Dave Brunabam for CBC News, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Finally tonight, we all know the benefits of using the local library, but how about the benefits of an instrument library?

Over the past eight or nine months, we have been fundraising to purchase instruments for students to borrow this academic year. Jenny Massey is with the Katie Sullivan Instrument Library in St. John's. She says months and months of fundraising have culminated this weekend as they now get to hand out dozens of instruments to music teachers across Newfoundland and Labrador. Music impacts the brain, impacts friendships, impacts leadership. There's so many ways in which children grow and learn from being part of their school programs. The main goal is to provide those benefits by way of an instrument to students who don't have access to their own. Susan

Alexander is a high school music teacher. a game changer for a lot of students, but I have kids coming into me all the time saying, can I play this instrument or this instrument for applied music? And I just didn't have it. So now I can say yes. I can say yes, I can get you that instrument. Amanda Dahl-Edwell also teaches a high school music class, and she's seen the limitations firsthand. I actually had a student come to me last year looking to join band and wanted to play alto sax and just couldn't get access to an instrument. And this year when he came to me, he said, I really want to do it? And I said, do you have access to an instrument this year?

No, I said, don't worry, I've got it. Doing what they can to make sure no student misses an opportunity for musical expression. This has been your world tonight for Sunday, September 27th. I'm Tanya Fletcher. Good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca slash podcasts.