Your World Tonight - Mboko’s rise, military to Newfoundland fires, Israel’s plans for Gaza, and more

Episode Date: August 7, 2025

Canadian tennis phenomenon Victoria Mboko’s meteoric rise to the Canadian Open final. Showing up in Montreal to take on — and take down — three former women's singles Grand Slam champions. She��s just the 4th Canadian woman ever to reach the Canadian Open finals.Ottawa has approved military and humanitarian help for wildfire-ravaged Newfoundland and Labrador. The province is having an unprecedented wildfire season, that’s led to a sweeping fire ban. But that hasn’t stopped people… and now the premier says those who disobey will be fined at least $50,000.Israel plans to take military control of all of Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the military will push ahead, despite intensifying criticism at home and abroad over the devastating almost two-year-old war in the Palestinian enclave.Plus: The Canadian military is facing a resurgence in hateful and racist conduct within the ranks, talks of a U.S.-Russia summit on Ukraine, bus travel still tricky in rural Canada, and more.

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The words cannot even describe how I feel right now, you know, like, I'm truly a believer of you can do anything you inspire to do. And, you know, the sky is always the limit. And I think that's just how I like to go about things. The thrill of Victoria, taking tennis by storm and taking a shot at glory. in Montreal. Home court advantage for Canada's Victoria Mboko, the young sensation riding a wave of national support all the way to the final of this country's biggest tennis tournament and her toughest challenge yet. Welcome to your world tonight. I'm Paul Hunter. It's Thursday, August 7th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern. Also on the podcast, as of midnight, the tariffs went up,

I think we're going to be heading towards $50 billion a month. From India to Brazil to Switzerland, countries that haven't struck a deal with Donald Trump now coming to terms with punishing new tariffs, rates that haven't been seen in decades, hitting exporters around the world, and U.S. consumers are starting to notice. What a week it's been for Victoria Mboko, the 18-year-old from Burlington, Ontario, is on a dream run at the Canadian Open Tennis Tournament.

She's already taken on and taken down three Grand Slam champions, and tonight she's facing another one, matched up against Japan's Naomi Osaka in the final. Few Canadians have made it this far, this fast, and the young star may just be getting started. Jamie Strassion with more on how she got here. The storybook continues. Vicki Mboko is true to the bottom. For 18-year-old Victoria Mboko, it's been quite a year. Just 12 months ago, she was playing challenger tournaments, the lowest rung of professional tennis.

Now she is the talk of the tennis world and the darling of Montreal tennis fans who have had a front row seat. You always have everyone pumping you up as much as they can, and it really pulls me through in the tough moments. And Boko began the year outside of the sport's top 300 players. Her run in Montreal will catapult her into the top 40. She's done so by beating some of the top names in the sport.

Canadian teenager upsets the number one seed at home. Looking calm and cool beyond her years. I feel like if I don't really think about it too much and I keep it all cool in my head, that's what I'm projecting on court. In Boko's journey to this point has been unconventional. Her parents moved from war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo to Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was born, before her family eventually settled in the Toronto area, her mother quickly finding a local tennis club. She was there at the beginning of the year with her three kids and Vicky, who was then four years old.

Coach Pierre Lamarish remembers meeting the family, recalling Vicky initially watched from the sidelines, as her two brothers and sister played. Vicki would walk on the court when I would work with Gracia, her sister, and Grasio would be picking up the ball, and Vicki would go and stand at the baseline, and simply the man that we feed her some balls. Things have worked out pretty well. The question now is can and Boko sustain and build on this success?

Not always easy, says longtime tennis journalist Stephanie Miles, pointing to Canadians Jeannie Bouchard and Bianca Andrescu, both of whom faded after initial success. The Ascension part is the fun part. You know, it's fun and the traveling is great and all I love signing autographs. Can you believe that they recognize me and nobody really knows you yet?

And all this, like that's the best part. The challenge is once you get sort of up there and try to stay up there. Right now, Mboko is enjoying her well-earned moment. So too are people like Lamarche who have been there since the beginning. One of the things that really fascinates me and I'm so proud of them is when I heard, her speak on television, how much she has matured. When she was young, she never talked. The only

thing she showed emotion was when she lost. She hated losing. Not a problem these days, as the winds pile up, Mboko is letting her game do all the talking. Jamie Strash and CBC News, Toronto. Talking and listening has been the focus today for the prime minister. Mark Carney met with some Métis leaders in Ottawa about his plan to build information. infrastructure projects across the country. Some indigenous groups argue the new legislation ignores their treaty rights. Mark Carney says respecting those rights is at the core of the policy. This law requires meaningful consultation with indigenous peoples, both in the process of determining which projects are in the national interest and in the development of the conditions for each project.

This is a meeting about discussing the overall approach. This is not the start of consultation. Bill C-5 allows the federal government to fast-track projects of national interest. Carney met with First Nations and Inuit groups last month about the legislation. He calls the discussions crucial to protecting Canadian interests through the U.S. trade war. And just days after Canada was hit with another wave of Donald Trump's tariffs, the U.S. has now slapped extra duties on some 90 other countries, anywhere from 10 to 50 percent. and the U.S. President says he's not done yet,

even though the tariffs are starting to hit his own country's economy. Karen Paul's reports from Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump started the day celebrating on social media, writing, it's midnight. Billions of dollars in tariffs are now flowing into the United States of America. He and his economic advisors say tariffs already in effect have raised billions. So last month it averaged just over 30 billion? Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnik on Fox News.

As of midnight, the tariffs went up, I think we're going to be heading towards $50 billion a month. But the hardest hit countries are not backing down. In India, protesters burned Trump posters and shouted down with Trump. India got hit Wednesday with an extra tariff, bringing its rate to 50%. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, defiant, saying India will never compromise on the well-being of its farmers, dairy, and fishermen. India is ready. But Trump advisor Peter Navarro says they brought it on themselves.

This was a pure national security issue associated with India's abject refusal to stop buying Russia oil. Brazil has taken its 50% tariff to the World Trade Organization, saying it's political. tied to the prosecution of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, something Trump describes as a witch hunt. Switzerland is still in shock over its 39% tariff, the Swiss president in Washington for meetings this week, but Karin Kaler Zuter left empty-handed.

She's hoping to continue negotiations, but calling for internal measures to prepare for difficult times. But the uncertainty of the global trade war is also starting to rattle the U.S. economy. Job growth has slowed, inflation is rising. Things like appliances, electronics, furniture, the consumer prices in the United States are rising at an unusual rate. Ernie Tedeshi of the Budget Lab at Yale University says the timing of those price increases points to tariffs. U.S. consumers are absorbing most of the cost of the tariffs. The remainder is probably almost all being shouldered by American businesses

in the form of smaller margins, lower profits. The next tariff front could be computer chips and semiconductors. Trump saying they could be subject to tariffs as high as 100 percent unless they're built in the U.S. Karen Paul's, CBC News, Washington. Coming right up, extremism in the ranks of the Canadian military, concern about a new trend that isn't going in the right direction. And Israel's Prime Minister is poised to move ahead with a plan for a temporary takeover of Gaza.

The Canadian military is facing a resurgence in hateful and racist conduct within the ranks. New data obtained by CBC News from the Department of National Defense shows after a couple of years of decline, the number of reported incidents has spiked. CBC's Murray Brewster has more on the change and what could be causing it. We can think of it as getting ready and getting everything in place in order to commit the terrorist activity. RCMP Sergeant Camille Hable, as police showed off the arsenal of weapons, allegedly being set aside by four men in an anti-government plot near Quebec City. The fact two of the accused are serving members of the military and a third is a former member

gets under the skin of the commander of the Canadian Army, Lieutenant General Mike Wright. I think the soldiers of the Canadian Army should be as livid as I am about the impact that this is having on their reputation. While that may be, new data shows the number of incidents of hateful conduct rebounded last year after several years of decline. There were a total of 54 incidents reported last year, including engaging in hate speech and propaganda and uttering threats, almost double the previous year. And it comes despite a crackdown on hateful conduct

initiated by the army almost five years ago. I'm asking soldiers to be prepared to ultimately go into combat, to have the courage to go into combat. Yet there are some who did not have the moral courage to step forward and call out inappropriate. behavior when they saw it. Over the last five years, the military has acknowledged that 21 incidents of hateful conduct have led to the release of members under the disciplinary system.

But there may be another explanation for the resurgence. There's a link between that rise and the election of Donald Trump. Andy Knight is a political scientist at the University of Alberta who researches far-right extremism. He believes the social and political forces unleashed south of the border can help explain what we're seeing in the military data. Views that some soldiers and individuals would have kept to themselves in the past are now being aired publicly.

But there's a movement now, and I think Donald Trump has played a major role, they're trying to sort of empower those individuals. The Canadian military has, for more than a decade, been trying to root out not only hateful activity, but sexual misconduct with a series of stringent new policies. There is pushback against that culture change. Barbara Perry is a researcher who has,

studied extremism in the forces. Seeing that as intrusive or, you know, stepping on their rights and freedoms, that sort of thing. So again, drawing people into extremist narratives. The Canadian military has faced unusual challenges in this area, notably with part-time soldiers who have one foot in the civilian world, making it sometimes harder to hold them accountable. There have been calls for the military to be more proactive in notifying civilian police whenever they've uncovered hateful conduct cases, efforts that have so far gone nowhere. Murray Brewster, CBC News, Ottawa.

Evacuation orders have been issued for two more communities in Newfoundland as hot, dry weather fuels more wildfires. Hundreds of people have already been forced to leave their homes. Now, with the threat getting worse, officials in the province are asking for federal help and increasing fines for violating firebans. Jessica Singer reports. Officials in Newfoundland and Labrador say the province is a tinderbox.

I'll compare to stepping into health. It's dangerous. It's hot. There's no relief from the heat. Dwayne Antle is the president of the province's Association for Fire Services. He says he's never experienced anything like this. Three wildfires have been burning out of control for days, forcing hundreds of people to flee.

their homes and cabins. It's been an unusually hot and dry summer in the province with an unprecedented number of wildfires. Nearly 200 wildfires have burned in the province already this year, compared to around 60 wildfires up to this point last season. You know, we have a nice town, and it's hard to believe. Glenn Trickett doesn't know if his home and cabin still exist. He fled a wildfire that is raging out of can.

in Conception Bay North on Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula. Distress. I was down to the doctor the other day myself. Blood pressure was on the bus. It's not easy. Trying to run my own business and dealing with this is heartbreaking. People across Newfoundland have had to leave everything behind and flee to evacuation zones in nearby towns. Scott Chandler found out his house was destroyed by a wildfire Monday evening. I'm so numb. It really is a trauma when you have to pack up.

You know, you have less than 30 minutes to grab and go. Provincial wildfire crews are working to contain the flames from the air and on the ground, as well as volunteer firefighters from nearby communities. They are working really, really hard, and they're putting themselves directly in the path of harm's way. The federal government is also sending in the Canadian forces and the Coast Guard to help with evacuations, firefighting efforts, and transporting supplies. A province-wide fire ban has been put in place, but not everyone is following the rules. St. John's firefighters have responded to eight bonfires over the past few days,

and that has angered Premier John Hogan. He says he's going to increase the fines for breaking a fire ban to a minimum of $50,000. We feel that this is the right decision now for people who are disobeying the laws, not paying attention, doing this recklessly. or selfishly. While there is no rain in the forecast, firefighting crews hope waning winds will work in their favor.

Jessica Singer, CBC News, St. John's. Manitoba is extending a state of emergency for another two weeks because of its wildfire situation. The province says this is one of the worst seasons on record. Flames have torched about 15,000 square kilometers and pushed 14,000 people from their homes. More than 700 fires are currently burning across Canada. One fifth of those are in Manitoba.

Israel could be on the verge of charting a new course in its war in Gaza. Leaders there are moving towards approving a controversial strategy that would see the Israeli military completely occupy the territory. Susan Armistin has more on the plan, the pushback, and what could happen next. We intend to, in order to assure us. our security, remove Hamas there, enable the population to be free of Gaza and to pass it to civilian governance. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telling Fox News his plans to take over all of Gaza. We want to have a security perimeter. We don't want to govern it. We don't want to

be there as a governing body. The goal is to route Hamas. Out of the 25% of territory, it still holds, mostly in and around Gaza City, a mission that could take for more. months. Hamas's response accused Netanyahu of sacrificing hostages for his own personal interests. The two sides have failed to secure a new ceasefire. In recent days, Hamas has hardened its position, refusing to disarm before the guarantee of a Palestinian state. Israel's deputy foreign minister, Sharin, has skelled, told CBC News today the government has run out of options. When we understand now that there isn't a diplomatic path, There isn't a ceasefire we can reach with Hamas because they don't want one.

Then we will go into a military campaign and we will finish to clean the areas from Hamas. Phase one would reportedly begin with the evacuation of Gaza City and areas around. Nearly one million Palestinians would be forced to move further south. They have nothing, basically. They have their tents and then they need to move again. Yulia Novak with Bethlehem an Israeli human rights organization says extending the war inside Gaza ensures further suffering. It will get worse. We'll see more people dying, more people starving. So yes, the world needs to take very seriously this Israel announcement. The situation is already something that humanity is not supposed to accept.

According to the World Health Organization, in July, Gaza suffered the worst month ever of acute malnutrition, Nearly 12,000 cases with children younger than five. Hostages families surrounded the cabinet offices tonight in Jerusalem, calling the Prime Minister's plan a disastrous decision which could sacrifice the remaining hostages. The Deputy Foreign Minister says the alternative is risky. If we wait for a few more months, where Hamas is wasting our time and doesn't want to reach a deal,

Those hostages will surely die. The cabinet may continue to debate beyond tonight, but Netanyahu does have enough support from the hard right to ultimately push through his plan. Susan Ormiston, CBC News, Jerusalem. A high-stakes meeting between President's Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump may finally be about to happen. The breakthrough comes as Trump pushes to end the fighting in Ukraine

with an ultimatum. Moscow has until tomorrow, to come up with a ceasefire plan or face economic consequences. Chris Reyes reports. On the ground in Ukraine, little sign of Russian attacks easing. This week, Ukrainian officials reporting

more deadly strikes in different parts of the country, among the dead, children. While in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin seemed to confirm that meeting would President Donald Trump, suggested soon after U.S.

Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff's visit with him earlier this week. Both sides showed their interest, Putin said, and hinted the United Arab Emirates might host the meeting. On when, a Kremlin aide would only say approximately next week. President Trump has been just as vague. They would like to meet with me, and I'll do whatever I can to stop the killings. The possibility of a summit between the two leaders comes as Russia has ramped up its attacks on Ukraine. this year. In July, it launched its largest aerial bombardment of Kiev since the start of the war.

All of it angering Trump. He talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening. There's a little bit of a problem there. I don't like it. Trump's latest threat, a deal before this Friday or else, more sanctions. Thomas Graham is a Russia expert with the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. He says the two leaders now seem willing to restart their relationship. I think the two presidents realize that getting along personally is critical to moving the relationship between the two countries going forward.

We're not going to have this meeting unless they believe there's something of substance to announce at the end. A new Gallup poll suggests a significant shift in public opinion in Ukraine, where nearly 70% now say they're in favor of a negotiated end. to the war, up from 22 percent three years ago. A peace deal may be a tall order for one meeting, says Graham. I think the best that you could hope for out of a meeting between the two presidents is an agreement to negotiate what you might call a framework agreement. That is a set of principles and parameters that would guide any final settlement of the war. Seemingly left out of the Trump-Puton meet, President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Who's been visiting troops, and making public statements about his own meetings with Trump and other European leaders. Meanwhile, Putin told reporters he's not against meeting Zelensky, but added, it's far from happening. Chris Reyes, CBC News, London. Well, it's been a summer of staycations for a lot of Canadians.

And with trips to the U.S. down, more travelers are taking up a different form of transportation to get around their country. The bus. It's relatively cheap and easy compared with other options. But as Paula Duhatchik explains, service in some communities is still lagging. At the Calgary International Airport, travelers Tristan Choi and Leo Fritch are in town from Boston. They're heading out to Banff and not bothering with a rental car. We're taking a Flixbus. We were trying to stand a budget, so... Well, we're kind of like broke college students, so we just got the cheapest thing we could.

Flixbus is a German company that first launched in 2013 and quickly expanded across Europe. It entered the U.S. market in 2018, bought the Greyhound brand in 2021, and started. started offering domestic Canadian roots the following year. The company says it's doubled its Canadian mileage two years in a row. What we're going to do, we're going to make Flix trouble top of mind for anyone planning long journey in Canada. Kai Boisand, the CEO of Flix North America, says the company started with trips across the U.S. Canada border, followed by routes in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan. The company targets travelers from all walks of life, but one age group stands out.

What do you think is the average age of people on this bus? I'd say in their early 20s maybe, around 20, yeah. They don't want to drive. They prefer public transportation, no hassle, actually travel. So that is an increasing trend. This is a strong trend actually underlying our growth. Flicks Bus is growing fast, but it's not the only game in town. It has Canadian competition from companies like Red Arrow, E-Bus and Rider Express

who say they're beefing up their service as well. David Cooper is with the transportation planning firm leading mobility consulting. At the end of the day, having more companies come in and provide those services and the inner city bus market is helpful. But Cooper says companies tend to offer routes between major centers, leaving plenty of rural and remote communities without a good way to connect. We still need additional services when it comes to providing trips for people who need specialized medical in the big centers or trying to get to post-secondary education opportunities

and things like that, you'll need government support when it comes to looking at some of those further out places. Arriving in Banff, customers like Luke Willis in town from Ireland say they got what they paid for. What do you think? Would you do it again? Definitely, yeah. So I went on number four back home in Europe and it was very similar experience. As for Flixbus, the company says it eventually hopes to connect all provinces in Canada

from east to west. Paula Duhatchek, CBC News, BAMF, Alberta. We close tonight. We close tonight with rock and roll and rugby, coming together for a collaboration to help Team Canada capture the sports biggest prize. They are one of this country's biggest bands. And even after the death of lead singer Gord Downey, the surviving members of the tragically hip

are still active with other musical projects and still embracing the band's Canadian pride. Sevens coach part of the side. Numbers, Sophie de Goetie, the in and the right, and the try. Peltier provides the pass and the goodies over the line. I am so excited for this team.

Canada's national women's rugby team last week in Ottawa, topping the United States in a tune-up game for the Rugby World Cup later this month in England. Canada is among the favorites, ranked number two in the world. But the team is not, as the hip would say, fabulously rich. They have far less funding than other rugby powerhouses like England,

France and New Zealand. Ahead of the World Cup, the team launched a fundraising campaign to bridge the gap. They're not there quite yet, so the band stepped in this week, releasing a special, tragically hip rugby Canada t-shirt with all proceeds going to the team. If you'd like to support it, well, the shirts sold out in two days, but you can still cheer the team on. Canada's first game is August 23rd. Thanks for being with us.

This has been your world tonight for Thursday, August 7th. I'm Paul Hunter. Take care. For more CBC podcasts, go to CBC.