Your World Tonight - Growing protests in Iran, Colombian drug investigation, Preparing Milan's Olympic Hockey rink, and more

Episode Date: January 11, 2026

Hundreds of people are reported dead, as nationwide protests in Iran grow. Demonstrations that continue, despite the violent government crackdown. U.S. President Donald Trump is renewing his threats to step in, as Tehran warns the Americans to stay out.Also: The U.S. government has long accused the Venezuelan government of involvement in the drug trade - using it to justify multiple military strikes the country, and the capture of president Nicolas Maduro. Now, CBC News recently obtained a wire tap recording from a Colombian drug investigation - capturing discussions between members of an organized crime group and Venezuelan generals. You'll hear the recording - and how they could be used as potential evidence against Maduro.And: As the 2026 Winter Olympics approach, questions are swirling about Milan’s new Olympic hockey arena, and whether it's ready for action. Organizers staged test games this weekend - giving players a chance to try out the rink. Canada's Olympic hockey teams will obviously be going for gold - but could the rink hold them back?Plus: More federal agents deploying to Minneapolis, Bushfires in Australia, Snowbirds trying to sell their homes in Florida, and more.

Hey there, I'm Gavin Crawford, and if you're the type of person who would have enjoyed the band on the Titanic, well, you're going to love the Because News podcast. Each week, I quiz comedians about the headlines, and they try to get the answers, mostly wrong. This week is Jennifer Whalen from the TV show Small Achievable Goals, along with Andrew Fung and Grieslin Kung. Why are we listening to the Imperial March from Star Wars? What was the new category added to the Golden Globes? And when is a good time to get your toilet to call your family? That's related to a news story, I swear.

You can get all the answers from this week's episode simply by following the Because News podcast. This is a CBC podcast. More protests, more violence in Iran. As the full picture becomes more clear, hundreds are now believed to be dead and more than 10,000 arrested in the regime crackdown. And Tehran issues a warning to the U.S. to stay out. This is your world tonight. I'm Stephanie Skandaris.

Also on the podcast, a look at the potential evidence. the U.S. may be using to accuse Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro of drug trafficking. You'll hear the wiretap recordings. Plus. It was a little soft. The puck was kind of sticking, but I mean, overall, I think it was okay for the

first few games. Canada's Olympic hockey teams will obviously be going for gold. Could the Olympic rink hold them back? Hundreds of people are reported dead as nationwide protests in Iran grow. Demonstrations that continue despite

the violent government crackdown. US President Donald Trump is renewing his threats to step in as Tehran warns the Americans to stay out. Katie Simpson has the latest from Washington. Outside the coroner's office in Tehran, mourners wailed as their loved ones, many already in body bags,

are slowly identified. Activists say more than 500 people have been killed, another 10,000 arrested, as government forces cracked down on growing nationwide protests. Thousands marched and chanted in the Capitol. Fires burned in the streets. The scenes captured in videos posted online this weekend. Few images and sounds are making it out

because authorities continue imposing an internet blackout while also blocking international phone calls. Iran's president saying he is determined to resolve the economic problems that first sparked this latest wave of protests, which began in late December after the country's currency collapse. Masoud Peseshkian also blaming outside forces for the unrest. The United States and Israel are sitting there giving instructions to these people, he said, accusing both countries of supporting what he called sabotage.

So Iran's in big trouble? US President Donald Trump is considering American military intervention, According to multiple U.S. news agencies, he has already been briefed by national security officials on possible strike options in Iran. Late Saturday, he wrote on social media, Iran is looking at freedom, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help, echoing comments he made the day before. They start killing people like they have in the past. We will get involved. We'll be hitting them very hard where it hurts.

The Trump administration ordered targeted strikes in Iran last June, hitting key sites. connected to Iran's underground nuclear weapons development facilities. In this moment, Tehran is warning the U.S. to back off. Lawmaker shouted, God is great and death to the USA, as the parliamentary speaker vowed to retaliate. I have advice for the delusional president of the United States, he said. Israel, as well as U.S. military bases and ships in the region, will be legitimate targets. According to U.S. news reports, Trump has not made up his mind about carrying out any new strikes in Iran,

though he does appear emboldened after the success of his military operation in Venezuela. Katie Simpson, CBC News, Washington. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is tightening the screws on Minneapolis. DHS Secretary, Christy Noem, says hundreds more federal agents are being deployed to the city to bolster ICE operations. The new deployment comes days after. an agent shot and killed a woman sparking nationwide protests.

Katie Nicholson is in Minneapolis for us tonight. Mike Hodap was having breakfast with his kids when he heard whistles and horns outside his home. And we went and looked out the window and we saw two ice vehicles that pulled up in front of our house. It was a small red

Prius that was behind them and a few other cars. Hodap started filming. Oh my God. As ice agents smashed the red car's windows and pulled out its two occupants. Hodap says it appeared ICE arrested the two people because they were following their vehicles. CBC News has asked the Department of Homeland Security why the two were taken into custody,

but hasn't yet heard back. Yeah, so it was terrifying. I have two kids, six and eleven, and they're both really scared. You know, it felt unsafe outside. My younger daughter has been scared all morning about. what if ice breaks our windows of our home? Hodap and his family live roughly eight blocks south of where an ice agent killed 37-year-old Renee Good on Wednesday.

The polarized debate over whether Good was killed in cold blood, error or self-defense spilled over into the U.S. Sunday political shows. Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar. She's sitting in her car, peacefully waving cars to get by. It's not okay to impede and interfere when our... While the Trump administration's borders are, Tom Holman, reinforced the federal government's assertion, good was obstructing officers. These are targeted enforcement operations.

They're arresting bad people. And it's illegal. Let's remember. What she did was a crime. Homeland Security Secretary Christine Nome pledged hundreds more agents would join what is already the largest ice operation in its history with more than 2,000 on the ground in the state. These sanctuary cities such as Minneapolis are extremely deep. dangerous for American citizens. And Jake, since we've been there, we've arrested dozens and dozens

of murderers and rapists, individuals who have assaulted children. She's calling Minneapolis like this dystopian hellhole. Mayor Jacob Fry sharply pushed back. You know how many shootings we've had so far this year? Two. And one of them was ICE. Two shootings in a large city, so far this entire year, and one of them is ICE. This is a safe city. Ice and Christy Knoam and everything they're doing is making it far less safe. And caught in the political fray, Mike Hode-out. I don't know what to tell my kids right now. I think I'm like, I'm shocked and I'm afraid and disappointed. Faced with soothing his children as their neighborhood becomes the center of a national firestorm. Kitty Nicholson, CBC News, Minneapolis. The U.S. government has long accused the

Venezuelan government of involvement in the drug trade, using it to justify multiple military strikes against boats, it says, are smuggling drugs, and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and his wife. CBC News recently obtained a wiretap recording from a Colombian drug investigation. It captures discussions between members of an organized crime group and Venezuelan generals. Jorge Berrera has the details. This is a wiretap recording of a cell phone conversation between members of a Colombian organized crime group discussing. Venezuelan generals by a nickname, the Sons, a reference to their lapel insignias displaying their rank.

They are the ones with the sons who are sending loads of drugs, says a broker, Alias Luis. He's arranging a shipment of 32 kilograms of cocaine in a container from a Venezuelan port to Libya for a contact in Bogota, Colombia. They tell me there is one with a high rank and three underlings, he says. You have to pay them up front. They don't give discounts, says the broker. This wiretap recording was captured in 2016 during a Colombian federal police investigation

started at the request of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. This was a transnational organization with routes into Europe, Central America, the U.S. and Asia, says this former Federal Colombian Police Anti-Narcotics Officer. CBC News is not naming the former agent and distorting their voice because they are not authorized to speak about internal police matters. The agent says this wiretap and other evidence shows that the so-called cartel of the Sons exists in Venezuela. And this group is made up of high-ranking members of the Venezuelan military who controlled all shipments of cocaine leaving the country, he says. He says the Venezuelan regime controls all aspects of the drug trade

and used secret airstrips to send plane loads of drugs. He believes cases like this make a part of the evidence U.S. authorities have used to charge captured Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores, who are facing federal cocaine trafficking and other charges in New York City. Jorge Berra, CBC News, Kukuta, Colombia. Still ahead, should they go or should they stay? Canadian snowbirds who usually heads south for the winter are feeling apprehensive about that choice in the current climate. But for some, staying out of Florida is easier said than done. The full story is coming up on your world tonight. Canadian firefighters are being deployed to Australia. Two teams will arrive in the country in the coming weeks at Australia's request. Bushfires in the state of Victoria have so far killed one person.

person and burned 3,900 square kilometres, which is like 2.5 million hockey rinks. Philip Lee Schenach has more. You just don't realize how bad it is until you're in the middle of it. Noel Brown returns to charred brick and sheet metal in the town of Harcourt, an hour and a half's drive northwest of Melbourne, Victoria's Capital. His home was spared by the Ravenswood South Bushfire, but little else. I was extremely lucky, but there's a lot of it was off than I was. It's terrible, terrible to see.

The county fire captain Andrew Wilson says flames scorched most of the structures in town. It's gut-wrenching. It's destroyed Harcourt. Hopefully we come out of this bigger and stronger. About 200 kilometres directly east near the central Victorian town of Gober, the Longwood bushfire continues to rage. Police confirmed that a body was discovered in a remote hilly area not far from a vehicle. No identity or cause of death was released by the cross. corner, but authorities say it may be the first death caused by the bushfires.

Victoria's Premier Jacinta Allen warned that following a prolonged heat wave, the bushfires in Australia's southeast would burn for weeks. We will see fires continue for some time across the state, and again that is why we are not through the worst of this by a long way. There are fires that are continuing right now that are threatening homes and property. Alan ordered the emergency level raised to its highest danger rating. This declaration provides that additional support for our emergency services because we are seeing these fires continue to be widespread and fast moving.

We've seen how the existing fire activity has become more extreme. With the fires themselves creating additional weather, lighting, starting new fires in a number of locations across the state. Bush fires have been reported in Victoria's northeast on the border with New South Wales. Across the state, hundreds of homes have been. destroyed and thousands are without power. Longwood area resident Ali McIver escaped the flames only to return to burned wreckage on a charred hillside. I mean nothing's left and I ran away yesterday with nothing. Nothing. My husband's

away so always closer here. Everything we have is here. It's gone. This season's fires are the most destructive in Australia's southeast since the black summer blazes of 2019-2020 when 33 people were killed and fired. has destroyed an area the size of Turkey. Fulte-Li-Shanock, CBC News, Toronto. Prime Minister Mark Carney is heading to China on Tuesday. It's the first visit by a Canadian Prime Minister in nearly a decade. The relationship between the two countries has been strained in recent years.

David Thornton explains what the Carney government wants to achieve and whether he can meet the high expectations that come with the trip. It's a significant impact. Bill Pribilski is not hiding the impact of China's tariffs on Canadian canola. It's an estimate, but he figures his family's farm has taken a hit worth nearly $500,000. Well, ultimately, an end to the tariffs. That's what we need.

He and others have high expectations when Prime Minister Mark Carney leaves Tuesday for China. There, he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Not since 2017 has a Canadian Prime Minister visited the world's second largest economy. The Prime Minister believes that there's an opportunity. opportunity to look bigger and longer term about where the partnership is going. Cody Blois, the parliamentary secretary to the prime minister, is joining Carney. On the issue of canola tariffs, he stopped short of promising relief. I know you want to put a lot of focus on what I would call meaningful, but short-term irritants.

The prime minister also sees a longer-term opportunity to cooperate. One of Ottawa's goals for the trip, recalibrating a relationship that in 2018 went downhill. After RCMP arrested a Huawei executive, Beijing, detained Michael Covrig and Michael Spavore. Then in 2024, a tit-for-tat trade spat. Canada slapped a tariff on Chinese electric vehicles. China responded with a tariff on canola. This is a high-stakes visit, and it will be real test for Prime Minister Carney's pragmatic foreign policy.

Vina Najibullah is with the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada. While a reset is in the works, a word of caution, as Ontario's auto sector struggles under Donald Trump's tariffs. From China's perspective, it's simple. They will remove the tariffs if we remove tariffs on EVs. But I think from Canada's perspective, that decision has to take into account what kind of a future we want for our auto sector. What level of integration will continue to have with the U.S. on the auto sector? Also in Asia, a British Columbia delegation visits India. Another country Canada has a strained relationship with after the killing of a Canadian sick leader.

BC's Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth, Rabbi Callan, says he's focused on diversifying forestry exports. In India, there's a great deal of interest in our forest products in making doors, in making furniture, and that's what we're exploring here. A sector hard hit also by the U.S. tariffs and sawmill closures, including on Vancouver Island, where conservative leader Pierre Paulyev stopped Saturday night. This is a failure by both the NDP government in B.C. and the liberal government in Ottawa. The NDP government here has been hammering our forestry sector with high-tax.

The solution, Polly have said, is to cut taxes and regulation for businesses and to take a stronger stance with Washington in trade negotiations. David Thornton, CBC News, Ottawa. As the era of bad blood between Canada and the U.S. drags on, some snowbirds are facing a tough choice, either continue to go south to warmer weather or boycott their home away from home. But for those who want out of Florida, a bad health. housing market is making it harder to leave. J.P. Tasker reports.

I do not like the direction that the United States are going in. I just don't want to be here anymore. I can take my dollars elsewhere. Canadian snowbird Donna Lockhart wants out of the U.S. President Donald Trump's 51st state talk and the ongoing trade war has made her feel unwelcome in a place she has long made her second home. It's kind of a bit like a slap in the face after you've been

dating for a long time is what do you mean you don't like me anymore you know but when the time came to list her condo in penta gordova florida lockhart encountered a big complication the ongoing canadian exodus from the state has pummeled the real estate market southwest florida is in the throes of a snowbird induced sell-off there aren't the people looking yet a supply is way above demand. There's more than 100 units on the market in her picturesque boating community. Rather than sell into a down market, Lockhart and her husband have decided to wait it out and list in early 2027. Despite some misgivings, she decided to go down this winter while she still has the condo. It's obvious by the cars on the road, other Canadians are sitting this one out.

Like I've only seen one Ontario plate and it's not like we're staying home. Southwest Florida is grappling with a whole host of housing troubles. Southwest Florida is characterized right now by an exceptionally high level of inventory. Realtor.com economist Joel Berner says the COVID boom that juice prices is over. And recent hurricanes have caused home insurance rates to soar. Add in the stampede of Canadians trying to get out and it's just not an ideal time to sell. Berner says he's expecting home prices to drop by another 10% there in 20. A number of Canadian buyers in Florida and in the U.S. as a whole has kind of shrunk.

Real estate firm Royal LaPage recently commissioned a poll. It found a stunning 54% of all Canadians with home stateside are considering selling them. Annalise Kula di Alagritti speaks for the company. And among those people, close to two-thirds of them actually pointed to concerns over the current political administration. At least one Florida politician is trying to. to get skeptical Canadians to stay put or come back. Not everybody here believes in what Donald Trump and Ranta Santos are spewing. Alan Spence is a Democrat running for the U.S. Congress in Sarasota. While he says the Canadian Exodus has hurt business up and down the Gulf Coast,

it's not just about the money. We were allies in both World Wars. We're basically cousins, if we can say that. but I wish that we treated our family with a little more respect. Something some snowbirds say is in short supply. J.P. Tasker, CBC News, Washington. You're listening to Your World Tonight from CBC News. And if you want to make sure you never miss one of our episodes,

follow us on Spotify, Apple, wherever you get your podcasts. Just find the follow button and lock us in. The Southern Italian City of Naples has been enjoying. a tourism boom, but it's still a city with high unemployment and poverty. In a once-crime-ridden district, a local cooperative is transforming local cultural heritage into jobs, skills, and a reason for young people to stay. Megan Williams has that story. In the corner of a crowded cafe entrance to the catacomb of San Gennaro and Naples,

Antonio Avita Jada Colasurdo, Rue. read aloud from a history book, the story of the miracle of San Genaro. They're preparing to guide visitors through the ancient catacombs beneath their neighborhood, Rione Sanita. Below ground, Antonio de la Corte takes me through the ancient burial sites. Those two are San Gennaro on the right and a Benedictine monk on the left. 37-year-old Delacorte grew up nearby and now trains. new guides for La Paranza, a local social cooperative, founded nearly 20 years ago by priest

Antonio Alfredo. For decades, this neighborhood was defined by crime, poverty and isolation from the rest of Naples. I mean, it was dangerous. Due to the construction of a bridge, the area was completely isolated. The criminality got the control, drug market. There was unemployment, poverty. La Paranza began reopening the catacombs. vast underground burial networks tied to the cult of San Genado, Naples' patron saint. Today, those same catacombs provide jobs. Antonio Avita grew up here, took part in La Paranza's after-school programs,

though only visited the catacombs once as a child. In high school, he got into trouble with the law. Now he's learning to become a guide. I never imagined I'd be able to be a historical guide, he says, realizing I can do something so unexpected motivates me. New confidence that has already led to new responsibility. Avita has just been hired as one of the three educators to run the same after-school program he once attended.

Jaada Kola Sourdo is 20 and lives just above the Sanita in Capodimonte. Before coming here as part of Italy's civil service volunteer program, she was planning on leaving Naples. Now she's thinking of staying. In these months, I had the opportunity to discover the beauties that my neighborhood offers to the rest of the world. The idea also extends above ground. Locanda del Monacone, a restaurant offshoot, a restaurant offshoot, of La Paranza just down the street from the catacombs, offers training and steady work to about 20 young people, keeping economic value in the neighborhood.

It's a counter-model to a city grappling with over-tourism, says manager Giuseppe Yaccarino. It's all about keeping kids in the sanita, giving them skills and decent jobs where they live, he says. La Paranza is now expanding the model, beyond Sanita, helping reopen churches across Naples' historic center run by young people who live there. Changing the vision of the cultural heritage, not something for few people, but something that can make the people protagonist of their growth. In a city where tourism often passes through without leaving much behind, De La Corte says this is one way to make sure it does.

Megan Williams, CBC News, Naples. As the 2026 Winter Olympics approach, questions are swirling about Milan's new Olympic hockey arena and whether it's ready for action. Organizers staged test games this weekend, giving players a chance to try out the rink amid concerns about construction delays and ice quality. Kubino Oduro reports. I'm really hopeful that they'll have the arena done in time for Team Canada when they come into town. Canadian Curtis Roach, who now plays hockey in Italy, was one of the first players to try out the ice at Milan's Olympic hockey arena. He says it was better than he expected, but still far from perfect.

It was a little soft. The puck was kind of sticking, but, I mean, overall, I think it was okay for the first few games on this new arena. And, yeah, hopefully by Olympic time, it'll be, you know, ready to go. This weekend test games were held to assess the quality of the ice amid rising concerns about the arena. On Friday, a game was paused at one point when a whole development. in the ice. Milano-Cartina-2020-2020 CEO, Andrea Varnier, says this is normal.

It happens all the time in hockey matches, and it was very, very limited. And again, that was the first time the ice been used at all. Off the ice, the arena itself has faced construction delays. Vangier says some areas won't be finished in time for the games. Field to play, the hospitality areas, the arena inside, and most of the future outside would be finished for the games. The National Hockey League has raised concerns about the quality of ice because of the construction delays,

at one point, threatening not to send its players to the Olympics. International Ice Hockey Federation President Luke Tardif says there's no reason for NHL players not to come. You've got European players. We don't make any difference when we organize a world championship. We want to make sure about the quality of ice, the security for the player. It doesn't matter where they come.

So now I can say we're ready for the competition. International Olympic Committee sports director Pierre Ducre says they are very happy with the size of the arena and the quality of the ice. I think this arena right now already shows signs to be a fantastic place for hockey or for any activities that will take place here in the future. So we are very excited to see it take its final shape. Despite concerns, Olympic events at this venue are set to go ahead, with Canada hoping to score some hockey wins on its ice. The games begin on February 6th. Kubino Duro, CBC News, Montreal. In the lead-up to the Olympic and Paralympic games,

a new CBC docu-series called Making Canada's team goes behind the scenes to bring you the stories of some of the athletes vying for their shot at the podium. One of them is Rafael Toussignan. She's a para-hockey player, hoping to be the first Canadian woman to play the sport at the Paralympic Games. But a recent shoulder injury is putting her spot at the games into question.

How I feel about my chance right now. It's hard to say. I think the only thing I can say right now is I don't know. But at the end of the day, it's out of my control. So I tried, and I don't want to say, like, I don't want to be like, no, I'm not going to go because I refuse to say that. So I control everything in my power and we'll see. You can watch Raphael's story on Making Canada's Team, which airs tonight and each Sunday. at 7 p.m. Eastern leading up to the Winter Games on CBC News Network and CBC Gem.

We also know one more of the voices who will help kick off the Winter Games, and it's a big one. Famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will be performing at the opening ceremony on February 6th, and it won't be his first kick at the cauldron. Boccelli performed this song because we believe at the closing of the Tour in Winter Games in 2006. For this year's three-hour event at Milan's Sancero Stadium, he'll be joining Italian singer Laura Pousini. And Mariah Carey, who are both also performing at the ceremony, which will celebrate the theme of harmony. There are big shoes to fill. Celine Dionne, remember, stopped the show at the Paris Olympic opening ceremony with her first live performance in years. But Bocelli is surely up for the challenge.

He'll be fitting in the opening ceremony in the midst of a world tour. And now, it's time to say goodbye. You knew I was going to do that. So here's more of one of Andrea Boccelli's most famous songs. On Your World Tonight. I'm Stephanie Skandaris. Thank you for listening. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbcbsc.ca.