Your World Tonight - Nepal flood update, Looking ahead to three federal byelections, New space telescope launches into orbit, and more

Episode Date: August 30, 2026

Rescuers in Nepal are drilling and digging through debris as fast as they can. Hundreds of workers are believed to be trapped inside tunnels at five hydro power sites. The number of people killed in last week's flash floods along the border with Tibet has risen to nearly 800, and thousands are still unaccounted for.Also: The trade war looms large over three federal byelections being held on Monday. Seats are up for grabs in Ontario, B.C. and what's shaping up to be a tight, three way race in Quebec.And: A new space telescope launched from Florida today. It's being hailed as a giant leap forward in how we search for life beyond our planet. NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will look for cosmic mysteries such as dark matter but also for Earthlike planets that could harbour life. And its relying on some Canadian designed technology to do the job.Plus: Alberta day celebrations amid separation debate, A disapearing island in B.C., Quebec seniors practicing karate, and more.

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This is a CBC podcast. It's very sad because there are many small children and senior citizens and a lot of the people lost their family. The hope of finding survivors in Nepal grows more dim, but rescuers continue their search. Specialists are being called in to access tunnels beneath hydro power sites filled with mud and debris and trapping hundreds of workers. This is Your World Tonight.

I'm Stephanie Scandaris. Also on the podcast, it's triple by-election Eve, the issues like tariffs on voters' minds in Ontario, B.C. and Quebec, where no outcome is guaranteed. Plus. One of our main goals at NASA is answering the question, are we alone in the universe? A new space telescope launches to help search for life beyond Earth,

able to detect planets outside our solar system, all with the help of Canadian. Canadian technology. Rescuers in Nepal are drilling and digging through debris as fast as they can. Hundreds of workers are believed to be trapped inside tunnels at five hydropower sites. The number of people killed in last week's flash floods along the border with Tibet has risen to nearly 800. Thousands are still unaccounted for. CBC's Breyer Stewart is in Nepal and reports on the frantic efforts to find survivors. In the forest in Nepal's Chitwan district, crews wear white protective suits and carry stretchers.

Some bodies are so badly damaged that it could take time and DNA tests to identify them. With not enough space to store the dead, crews have begun burials. Tumen Bogan says for the past four days he's been searching for his brother who's missing. There are many families like mine who are suffering and they too must be desperately trying. to identify their loved ones, he said. His brother was working at a hydro power project at the time when a torrent of ice, rock, and water ripped through the river system. Fourteen of the country's hydropower projects were damaged.

Around 900 workers are still missing. Many are believed to be trapped in tunnels, now buried in meters of thick mud. Nepalese crews, along with specialists from China and India, have been trying to reach the tunnels. in some cases drilling holes to pump in oxygen and send in food and water. A video taken by a Chinese worker and shared with CBC News shows what was the Upper Treschule River Project,

where workers from Nepal, China and South Korea were stationed at the time. It was all flattened by mud. I stayed here for two nights, he says, adding that he escaped through two tunnels and was airlifted out on Saturday. At the military command center, helicopters fly in and out all day. The army call us here to rescue the people. And now my work is with Nepal's National Cadet Corps.

It's very sad because there are many small children and senior citizens, they are suffering. And a lot of the people lost their family. There are remarkable stories of survival. A five-year-old girl was pulled from the mother. in rubble after rescuers heard what they first thought was a cat. She's been reunited with her family. Around 3,000 people are still missing. More than 500 foreigners remain unaccounted for, including 31 Canadians.

It's believed that many of them were at the Nepal-Tibet border crossing just as the flood hit. The last from there, it's about 9 a.m., and there the connection was lost. Jonathan Ilan is with an Israeli search and rescue team. They were deployed but are not yet searching the area. We have a lot of effort to get an helicopter, and we've been told that every helicopter has been like now in a national mission, so maybe tomorrow. Nepal isn't allowing most foreign crews in to help with the rescues right now,

only the tunnel specialists, as hundreds are still trapped below the mud and rock, and the window to find more survivors is narrowing. Breyer-Stewart, CBC News, Trishuling Nepal. Iceland has voted not to restart talks on joining the European Union. More than 52% of voters rejected any further steps, with fears over vital industries outweighing geopolitical concerns. Julia Chapman has more.

More than 82% of Iceland's eligible voters cost ballots. A slim majority rejected the idea of resuming talks with the EU. Iceland walked away from the process over a decade ago. Prime Minister Christrin Frosted daughter called this vote because she says the world has changed since then. Close to half of the country wanted to continue these negotiations, but over half of the population did not.

We will respect that result. Supporters argued Iceland might be better off in the EU to help it weather geopolitical turmoil. But many Icelanders were worried about giving up control over fishing and farming. The vote laid bare those divisions. I'm happy with this result, but I'm not happy with that it has divided the nation. For me, that would have been safer to have a stronger alliance with Europe. But for Iceland, this referendum will likely settle the issue for many years.

Julia Chapman, CBC News, London. Still ahead, you're never too old to learn something new. And if you don't believe that, we have a story that'll change your mind. featuring a youthful non-agenarian who can put up a serious fight. That's coming up on your world tonight. With just over a week before Canada's reciprocal tariffs on U.S. goods kick in, the cross-border jabs show no sign of slowing down. But the squeeze is already being felt in some border states

ahead of the important fall midterms. Catherine Tunney has more from Washington. Three, two, one, go ahead. Yeah. Ontario Premier Doug Ford helps unfurl a billboard-sized sign over the weekend. Looming over the shoreline, it reads Lake Ontario, now, and always. A clear clapback, a U.S. President Donald Trump's crusade to rename the body of water, Lake America. The giant sign, just the latest retort from Ford, in an escalating trade feud marked by cross-border taunting.

Yeah, it got heated. Less than a week after calling Trump a loser. a tone down forward, returned to American Airwave Sunday on an ABC news show, calling for the focus to be on securing an agreement. It's unfortunate that he stooped down to that level, and I just think that we need to focus on a free trade agreement. Trump showed no signs of doing that, spending part of the weekend trolling Canada online,

including an animated video showing Canadian geese and Trump wigs carrying guns. The executive order he signed last week already seen results, with Google Maps adopting Trump's preference for Lake America for its U.S.-based users. The tariff war, though, goes far beyond memes and online maps, with Canadian and American businesses staring down a brutal and uncertain future. That's putting pressure on states like Michigan, home to America's auto industry, ahead of the November midterms. Stop acting like children.

John James, the Trump-backed Republican nominee for governor of Michigan, wouldn't outwardly criticize the president's trade war on CBS Sunday, but urged negotiators to resume talks for the good of his state. The prime minister has also said that he's targeting politically sensitive states. He should not be bullying Michigan because the negotiators can't come to a deal. Candidates are already facing voter frustrations over the cost of living under Trump. Revitalized trade war and taunt could make that harder for Republicans. Despite those concerns, Trump isn't showing any signs of backing the law.

away from the trade brawl. President Trump is really driven by MAGA politics, not American politics. Robert Pape is a political scientist at the University of Chicago. He says that's because Trump is appealing to MAGA workers impacted by the loss of manufacturing jobs in the United States. This isn't so much about trying to get a gain out of Canada. As much as it is just sheer anger, he needs MAGA to show up in the midterms, which are barely 70 days away. He's building his relationships with his own MAGA base and lashing out at Canada

to do it. With Canada's retaliatory tariffs set to kick in in just over a week and midterms just around the corner, there's no sign the trade trolling will stop. Catherine Tunney, CBC News, Washington. Some Canadian companies and government agencies appear to be caught up by the U.S. renaming of Lake Ontario. Websites with embedded Google Maps are showing the name as Lake America. Affected companies include Loblaw, Canadian Tire, and Scotia Bank. In a statement to CBC News, the Ontario-based utility Hydro 1 says the issue is related to a third-party mapping service, and it's working with the vendor to correct the issue. The trade war looms over three federal by-elections being held tomorrow. Seats are up for grabs in Ontario, BC, and what's shaping

up to be a tight three-way race in Quebec. Sarah Leavitt sets the stage ahead of the vote. In a coffee shop in downtown Sagni, Quebec, politics aren't always discussed between André Talbot and his friends, but with a by-election on Monday in their home riding of Shikoutimi Le Fjold, about five hours north of Montreal, it's come up a few times. He says now the topic at hand is thinking about finding alternative markets from the United States. Top of mind for many right across the country, says writer and journalist John Ibbotson. The by-elections will be an interesting referendum on how much Canadians support the liberal government in its negotiations or lack of negotiations with the United States. Seats in BC's North Vancouver, Capilano and Toronto's beaches, East York Ridings will also be decided Monday.

with voters there offering mixed views. I'm concerned now, to be totally honest. I think people have already made their decision. The seats in Toronto and BC are both longtime liberal strongholds held by former cabinet ministers and considered safe bets for the party. But Chikudemi Lefjold was held by a conservative. The liberals were there also, but it was always between the conservatives and the bloc. And now that's an old other scenario.

Liberals are there. They are even leading in the polls. Christine Michaud is a former bloc-Kewa MP. She says it was an interesting strategy for Prime Minister Mark Carney to trigger a by-election here. It was his decision to nominate Conservative MP Richard Martel to the Senate that led to the vacancy. Because of all that is happening with the tariffs and counter-ter tariffs and the trade war with the United States, there are a couple of regions that are more impacted than others. Like in Chicoudemi Lefiel, the economic engine is run by aluminum, forestry and dairy, all major industries implicated in the trade negotiations.

For the people to live here, it's not good. Anthony Ladiouz says he thinks it's going to be a tight race, all the more reason to go out and vote. I can go vote because it's necessary. It's important. The liberal majority, though, not at stake with several vacant seats and by-elections still to come. Sarah Levitt, CBC News, Sagni, Quebec. One hundred and twenty-one years ago this Tuesday, Alberta became a province. These days, a vocal subset of Albertans say they wish that never happened.

With Alberta Day celebrations happening this weekend, pro-separation campaigners have been out in full force, as were their pro-confederation counterparts, Stephanie Cram reports. We want to preserve our home because it's beautiful and it's ours. By the steps of the Alberta legislature, a sea of blue Alberta flags for a rally organized by the separatist group Alberta Prosperity Project. With the referendum vote less than two months away, CEO Mitch Sylvester says more people are talking about independence than ever before. We're mad at the liberal government. We're not mad at Canada.

I think Alberta's got to send a strong enough message to Ottawa, so we have the leverage to negotiate. And no matter what, Alberta will end up being a better place because of it. The list of grievances of those in attendance range from the rising cost of living to the federal deficit. Canada should be one of the richest countries in the world, and we are failing. We're not racist. We don't hate Canada. We don't want to wreck things. We just want things better for our children and grandchildren.

In Calgary, another rally with a call for unity with Canada. Are you proud Canadians? Are we ready to save Canada? Alberta NDP leader Nahed Nenshi. The two rallies happened days before Alberta Day on September 1st, which marks when the province joined Confederation in 1905. Nenshi says the day means just as much for Canada as it does for the province. It's a great day to celebrate who we are as Albertans,

and remember that the core part of being Albertan is being a proud. Canadian. Today, Premier Daniel Smith spoke at an Alberta Day event in Calgary, reminding Albertans just how important the province is to the rest of the country. We are Canada's economic engine. More than ever, Canadians understand what Alberta brings to the country. The Premier refrained from waiting into the debate on separation, but said Alberta values could unify the province. And it means making sure that Alberta remains the home that we all know and love, which is a place that believes in freedom, a place that honors our Western roots, because despite our differences, we have far more in common than what divides us.

As the referendum date gets closer, Albertans from both sides of the debate will be able to show their support with several rallies planned in the coming months. Stephanie Cram, CBC News, Edmonton. A new space telescope launched from Florida today is being hailed as a giant leap forward in how we search for life beyond our planet. The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will look for cosmic mysteries like dark matter and planets that could harbor life. As Philip LeShanock reports, it'll rely on revolutionary Canadian camera technology to do it. Three, two, one, ignition, and lift off. Sitting atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope,

disappears into the sky above the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. We're going to open Roman's eyes. We're going to see the sky in a new way. Astrophysicist Julie McEnery is the project's senior scientist at the Goddard Space Flight Center. She says the telescope is named after a pioneering astrophysicist, who in 1959 theorized a way to directly observe distant planets. So she wrote down the calculation and she basically said, it's clearly ridiculous. We're never going to be able to build observatories that sufficiently stable and sufficiently sensitive.

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will be able to detect thousands of planets outside our solar system using a special camera called a coronagraph imager. Roman is going to change the way we look at the universe. Vanessa Bailey is the Roman coronagraph instrument scientist at NASA's jet propulsion laboratory. One of our main goals at NASA is answering the question, are we alone in the universe? We are going to make this giant leap forward with the coronagraph technology that is going to allow us to look at these distant, distant worlds. That technology designed to suppress the light of stars in order to reveal planets that orbit around them is Canadian. Marie-Eve Ducharm is head of Montreal-based Newview cameras.

Our technology actually makes it possible to detect one photon per pixel. You can use our camera for detecting cancer cells. She says another Quebec firm, ABB, helped adapt new views, highly sensitive cameras for use in the $4 billion project. I didn't thought that at the end we were doing a NASA mission. It's a few billion dollar mission. And we're the eyes of an important instrument to discover life somewhere else in the universe. And I'm supplying you all that money.

U.S. President Donald Trump called into the NASA Media Conference in Florida to take credit, although at one point he sought to cut its budget. He also didn't mention that Canadian know-how was crucial to the mission. We're the hottest there is. We're the hottest space. And we have the hottest country anywhere in the world. Roman is well on its way. Over the next 100 days, it will travel 1.6 million kilometers from Earth, well beyond the moon.

It will then open its eyes and peer into it. space. If successful, Canadian tech could be part of a proposed future space telescope called the Habitable World's Observatory that could one day find Earth-like planets. Filtly-Shannock, CBC News, Toronto. Here's a story about something else to be found. It's not exactly clear where it came from or where it went. A mystery island in central BC, bigger than a football field, is making all kinds of waves online. It was first spotted last month floating in a reservoir, but as Katie De Rosa explains, has since vanished.

Islands like this are rare. BC hydro spokesperson Bob Gammer says when he first saw a video of a floating carpet of trees the size of a football field in the middle of a lake, he thought the video was AI generated. Several local fishing guides say they spotted the forested landmass floating in Williston Lake, a man-made lake and BC's biggest located about 150 kilometers north of Prince George. Satellite imagery dated July 21st confirmed the island was in fact real. But when guide outfitters returned to the original spot, it was gone. By August 5th, the island was no longer visible by satellite.

Gammer says the island was estimated to be about 70 meters wide and 140 meters long, bigger than a Canadian football field. He says the reservoirs, Water levels haven't been this high in 14 years. It's filled to the brim because of high winter snowpacks and steady summer rains. When we have full reservoirs, these higher water levels can lift material that may have been lodged along the shoreline in a sheltered bay and then allowing it to float free. Williston Lake is a reservoir created by a hydroelectric dam in BC's northern interior, the seventh largest reservoir in the world visible from space. I've never seen anything like it. John Clegg is a professor emeritus in Earth Sciences at Simon Fraser University.

I think that's what you're looking at is an island formed of this woody debris that is probably quite thin, big aerial extent, but very thin, that is pulled off from the shoreline during a period of high water. Clague says strong winds and waves could have pushed the debris to the middle of the lake. It's disappeared now. As for the island's current whereabouts, Gammer says it could have returned to a more sheltered area along the shoreline. It doesn't mean it's gone to the bottom of the reservoir.

An island of intrigue lost but not gone. Katie DeRosa, CBC News, Vancouver. For the first time in 32 years, Canada's national women's volleyball team is heading to the Summer Olympics. The team defeated the Dominican Republic 3-1 in Santo Domingo on Saturday in a qualifying tournament. Alexa Gray delivered the match-winning point. I don't think I can put it in towards how this feels

since I started on the national team. In 2017, I think this has been my lifelong dream. We are so, so close last quad, and we were heartbroken, and I'm just so proud of how we came out today. The win caps off a multi-year push to bring the team back to the world's biggest stage. The last time the team competed in the Olympics was in 1996, where they tied for ninth place. People like to say age is just a number.

A group of seniors in a small Quebec town is proving it, getting together a couple times each week to practice karate. As Jay Turnbull tells us one student in particular is inspiring others. About an hour south of Montreal in Santa Ramon's Community Center, nearly a dozen people sweep across the hardwood floor, kicking and punching in the air. There's a lot of gray hair here. One of the requirements to join this dojo is you have to be at least 50 years old. Denny Messier didn't have to show ID to prove he qualified.

I started when I was 85, about six years ago. Most people his age, like it or not, have slowed down. Not Denny Messier. I mean, we've all heard of late bloomers before. but starting at combat sport in your mid-80s? It just takes me away from boredom, I guess. You know, at 85, you don't really care about what people think about you. So I came and tried it and was pretty ridiculous, I would think.

I learned a long time ago not to be afraid of being ridiculous. Messier says the sport has been great for his overall health. He says his reflexes are sharp, he thinks it's helped stave off Alzheimer's, and he's physically fit. I've always trained somehow. I do push-ups, chin-ups, still do. May I ask you how many push-ups and pull-ups you can do? Push-ups, 50 is a year.

Pull-ups, I can do about 20, I guess. I can do four. Oh, that's good for you. No, looking ridiculous in that first class, as he puts it, did not dissuade him. Messier kept at it, and he kept improving. Finally, this summer, it all paid off. Messier went in front of a panel of judges to show his skills.

At 91 years old, Messier earned his black belt. What a thrill that must be. Honestly, I don't really care about the black belt. Oh, okay. Messier says the achievement is fine and all, but that's not really why he's here. It gives me confidence, I guess, in my balance has increased a lot.

In a class of mostly older-ish people, Messier is an inspiration. Third-degree black belt, Manique Le Tourneau, created this dojo, knowing how to provide a great benefit for her students. Good health, cardio, flexibility, balance. So it's very rewarding to see people more in shape, to see older people to be more confident in themselves.

Leiternot was there the day Messier earned his black belt. It's years of training, years of training. So I was very, very proud of him. Messier has a message for people getting on in years. Don't watch life pass you by from the sidelines. Get into it, kicking and punching. It's more fun than to stay home and to eventually suck on a lemon.

That's one way to put it. Jay Turnbull, CBC News, St. Ramah, Quebec. This is not your typical performance, and it's not your typical audience. Classical music can be really, like, for people who has money and for people who can go to the concerts, and this is not really what we do. Elise Poulin is the oboe player

for the Montreal-based Orchestra de Lagora, which performs monthly concert workshops for men incarcerated at the Bordeaux jail. The session started in 2021 and include performances and discussions about the music. It's provocative. We don't like, in general.

Stefan Roy is the jail's chaplain and the workshop coordinator. He says the music can help the men rediscover a belief in life and faith in themselves. Michael is one of the inmates who appreciates the concerts. People like to come here

because we can just think about something else than prison and being by ourselves and ourselves. Those little moments are moments where we can appreciate and where we can let our mind be free for a moment. It was good to get out of our, let's say, our daily routine, which are an eventful. Normally, our nights or my nights is think about my kids, thinking about what I had before. The musicians say they include a mix of songs, from film to contemporary to Baroque,

and their audience likes it all. And even if they had initial reservations, they have felt respected and appreciated. First time I was the only woman in the room, so it can be a bit scary, but everyone is so welcoming. And I think they really love it and they come back every month. It's a really nice experience and a really human experience for us and for them. This has been your world tonight. I'm Stephanie Skendaris. Thank you for listening.

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