Your World Tonight - State of Emergency in B-C, Spain-Italy border fight, Anti-AfD rally in Berlin, and more

Episode Date: August 8, 2026

A fast-moving wildfire is forcing more than 20-thousand people to flee in the B-C interior. It is just one of more than 100 fires burning in the province, almost half are out-of-control. Officials have now declared a province-wide state of emergency.Also: Spain has imposed temporary border checks on travellers arriving from Italy. The move is a reprisal against similar Italian restrictions on Spanish travellers. Italy is critical of what it views as Spain's soft approach to immigration, and its handling of a border rush on the Spanish territory Ceuta.And: Next month, German voters will go to the polls in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The election is being watched closely because the far-right, anti-immigrant party Alternative for Germany appears poised to win. Protesters in Berlin took to the streets Saturday, calling on Germany's top court to ban the party.Plus: The political fight over the Smithsonian, pulling pets from the rubble in Venezuela, and Sena Catterall joins the PWHL, and more.

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If you are under an evacuation order, please leave immediately. These orders save lives. British Columbia's Premier pleads with residents to get to safety as a fast-moving wildfire bears down on two major communities, the latest on their situation, the homes they left behind, and the measures the provinces taking to protect others. This is Your World Tonight. I'm Aaron Saltzman. Also on the podcast, Spain imposes border controls on travelers from Italy, tit-for-tat retaliation in the ongoing spat over migration between the two countries. And that's the real danger to the whole of democracy in Germany. And I think that's why we need to act now. And we cannot let that slide. German protesters say they fear for their country's future,

as support for the anti-immigrant party alternative for Germany grows ahead of elections next month. Right now, our full focus is saving lives and supporting rescue efforts. Premier David Eby on the rapidly developing and frightening situation in the beach. interior. The bald range fire has forced 20,000 people out of Peachtland and Summerland, two communities in the southern Okinawagan. And it is just one of more than 100 fires burning right now across BC. Almost half are out of control. Cliff Chapman is BC's director of wildfire operations. I cannot stress enough that the conditions we are facing right now are conditions that we have never seen before. If we recommend an evacuation order, I need to stress,

Now is the time to leave. We do not take those decisions lightly. We make those recommendations based on life, based on saving lives. Officials have now declared a province-wide state of emergency. BC's Minister of Emergency Management, Kelly Green. It will give us the ability to do things like commandeer accommodations or bring in local travel restrictions in specific areas if it should become necessary. For the latest on this, we're joined now by the CBC's Chris Walker, who is in Colonna.

Chris, what are evacuees saying? Well, the stories, Aaron, are harrowing. People driving through fire to rescue relatives, roads closing before people could get out. This fire went from 50 hectares to 10,000 within just a few hours. A mass evacuation of a lakeside community where many neighborhoods have one road in and out. Really shock from people at how quickly this erupted. There were tactical helicopter evacuations of 50-plus people. I've never heard of anything like at that scale in the last 20 years in BC. I talked to one woman Laura Dean who could not get her livestock out and declined to helicopter ride.

Her whole family left by Chopper. She is still there, surrounded now by fire hunkering down, trying to make it through a testament really to the incredible bravery of rescue crews that, as far as we know, nobody died last night. It's an amazing feat. Just a miracle. Wow. I mean, this is a region used to fire. But give us a sense of how the intensity of these fires is changing. It is scary stuff. We know that climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels is drying out this region.

Scientists at UBC predicted this 25 years ago, sure enough here we are. And here's how fire ecologists explain to me why we're now seeing what we're seeing. BC had decades of logging and replanting trees in artificially dense ways, an approach to firefighting that discouraged natural fire. And now this drying climate means these forests already mismanaged don't have a chance to recover. in the cooler months. Very little snow and very little rain over the winter. So come summer, heat and drought mean the woods are just full of tinder dry grass and leaves and bushes and of course trees. Put it all together and now these fires just explode like we saw last night in summerland.

The intensity really frightening has caught people here. People who are after all used to fire has caught people off guard. Wow. What are the conditions like right now and what can we expect over the next few days? Well, conditions continue to be dry and hot here in the Okanagan Valley. There is a natural wind pattern in this valley where each evening the wind blows down from the plateau down the valley slopes toward the lake and, of course, then, toward the communities along the lake. And the wind really drove that fire last night. Fire activity has lessened through the day, but it could pick up again before nightfall, but we still have five or six more days of heat, no chance of rain, really, in the next couple of weeks. And of course, Cruz will eventually get a handle on this fire near Summerland, but the risk for new fires, of course, is still very real here.

Okay, Chris Walker in Colonna. Thank you. Thank you. Hot, dry, and windy weather is threatening to fan the flames near Spokane, Washington. Three major wildfires there have burned about 42 square kilometers of land in that state and destroyed hundreds of buildings. Those high winds are expected to ease overnight before picking up against Sunday, Washington's Governor Bob Ferguson declared a public health emergency Friday for the affected counties. Still ahead, Senna Catterall was the MVP for Canada's national women's baseball team.

But the young baseball star has rounded her last base, saying goodbye to one dream and hello to another. You'll hear why she's trading in her bat for a hockey stick later on Your World Tonight. Spain has imposed temporary border checks on travelers arriving from Italy. The move is a reprisal against similar Italian restrictions on Spanish travelers. Italy is critical of what it views as Spain's soft approach to immigration. Philip Lyshanik reports. Border guards make random checks of travelers from Italy at the Madrid airport. Spain says the temporary screening at ports and airports will end next month.

This strikes me as utter nonsense, says traveler Luijina Cucci. There's no real justification. It's nothing more than a way to divert attention, so to speak, for propaganda purposes. Spain imposed the checks in response to Italy's own border checks on travelers arriving from Spain, introduced on August 1st, which Spain calls unjustified, discriminatory, and contrary to the interests of the European Union. Italy applied its temporary measures after 72,000 migrants. rushed the Spanish enclave of Sayuta in North Africa last week.

While most returned to Morocco, several thousand migrants remain overwhelming humanitarian resources. Itiata Murillas-Garthia studies Western Mediterranean migration dynamics of the Universite de Moria. She says the 29 European countries of the Schengen zone have removed passport and border controls at their shared borders. But individual countries have imposed border controls in emergencies or for security issues. And she says there's a danger if temporary measures become common.

That would undermine one of the EU's central achievements, which is essentially, you know, freedom of mobility. The recent migrant crush in Ceuta has created tensions among EU member states over border controls and the possible onward movement of migrants within the Schengen zone. I think for the European Union, this is just a major test of like solidarity and how member states respond. You know, by closing internal borders every time there's a crisis and blaming one mother, I think the result would just be like this renationalization of migration policy. She says Spain, Italy and Greece have taken the brunt of irregular migration. And while the center-left government of Spain appears friendlier to migrants, it has used the same tools,

detention, return and deterrence, as right-wing governments like Italy. Italy. Italy receives almost double the amount of irregular entries than Spain. Murias Garcia says what boils down to a political dispute is, threatening to disrupt EU countries' ability to work together on migration issues. Governments are increasingly, you know, restoring this national border controls, shifting responsibilities their neighbors, acting unilaterally rather than cooperatively. And she worries that migrants will be forced to undertake increasingly dangerous journeys because safe and legal routes are more limited.

Feldlich-Shannock, CBIT News, Toronto. In less than a month, voters in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt will go to the polls. A vote the entire country will be watching very closely. That's because the far-right alternative for Germany party could potentially win. And polling shows its popularity is also growing nationally. Marina von Stackleberg spoke to some today who want to stop the AFD in its tracks. In front of Berlin's historic Brandenberghate wants a backdrop for Adolf Hitler's Nazi rallies. Protesters call on Germany to use a part of its constitution. designed to stop an extremist political party from ever taking power again.

1.4 million people have signed a petition calling on Germany's top court to decide if the far-right party, the AFD, should be banned. Yanoguza is the rally organizer. And we in Germany have responsibility, yeah. I was born after 1990, so I'm not responsible for what happened in the Second World War. We are responsible for what's happening now. The AFD, which stands for the alternative for Germany, has been gaining popularity. It's already the biggest opposition party in the federal legislature. In a new national poll, 28% of respondents said they would vote for the AFD

if a federal election was held next week. And next month, the party could form government at the state level for the first time. In Saxony-Anhalt, where the AFD's support is even higher. Protester Karina Balco says the extreme views are no longer French. They were always there, but now we are talking about government positions, and that's something different. That's the real danger to the whole of democracy in Germany, and I think that's why we need to act now.

The AFD opposes most immigration, especially from Muslim countries. It calls multiculturalism a serious threat to social peace. Instead, it wants to make German culture and language. dominant. It opposes same-sex marriage and abortion and advocates for a higher birth rate among what it calls the native German population. I don't think everyone who votes for them is a bad person or a racist. A lot of them are, but I think they are just hopeless. Protester Jasper Friesel says he can understand why some Germans are turning to the AFD. The other parties mostly have missed giving an alternative vision for the country and for the

And the AFD is presenting at least a vision. The vision is absolutely despicable, but they have a vision. But some analysts argue a ban is not the answer. It could push far-right views underground, instead of allowing the AFD's political stances to be openly debated and voted on. The AFD did not respond to CBC News' request for comment, but it has rejected all accusations of extremism, saying it offers Germany a genuine political.

alternative. Marina von Stackleberg, CBC News, Berlin. The Smithsonian Museum of American History is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the United States. Millions of people visit each year to look at everything from Thomas Jefferson's writing desk to the ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz. Soon, those visitors will also have to walk by signs outside the museum warning of inaccurate information. It's the latest effort by the Trump administration to reshape the country's cultural institutions. Jamie Poisson has been reporting on this for CBC News, and she joins me now from Delaware. Jamie, what are Donald Trump's issues with the Smithsonian?

Well, he has been complaining about it for some time now. Last year, he called the Smithsonian out of control in all caps on truth social. He said, everything discussed is about, quote, how horrible our country is, how bad slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been. And the Smithsonian completely rejects these criticisms. Lonnie Bunch, the Smithsonian's head, said that the White House report was not a fair characterization of the work that the museum does. And he added, quote, at the Smithsonian, our work is driven by scholarship, accuracy,

and an uncompromising commitment to tell the fullness of America's story. The president has been trying to put his stamp on cultural institutions. First, the Kennedy Center, right? Now the Smithsonian. What did the experts you spoke to say about why this is happening? Experts that I spoke to see these latest actions against the Smithsonian as part of really a larger project by the U.S. administration and other more conservative groups in the country to reshape American culture.

Essentially, they see it as part of an effort to define the United States as a nation of European settlers. by playing down things like slavery and colonialism. And I want to just play a clip here of Susie Anderson, who is an associate professor and head of museum studies at George Washington University. This set of actions falls sort of at the confluence of two trends. The first is the longer-term right-wing project

aimed at gaining more control over cultural institutions to ensure that exhibits and educational programs are more aligned with conservative values. And the second is an attempt to reduce the influence of independent experts in areas where the administration would like more control. Okay. So could these attacks on the Smithsonian actually backfire, though, on the Trump administration? Yeah, I think this is a great question, because the thing about the Smithsonian and museums

in general is that people seem to like them and to trust them. At a time when Americans are losing faith in a lot of institutions, including the media, museums still rank very high. I will say, though, that there's still like a segment of people that are on board with this. And I will say when I interviewed people outside the National History Museum, I did meet this couple from West Virginia who thought the museum was, quote, tinged with leftist ideology. You know, I talk to other people who didn't think that at all. But I do think it's important to know that there certainly is a segment of Americans for whom these critiques resonate. Okay.

CBC's Jamie Poisson. Thank you. Thanks so much, Erin. Iran and Oman say they are close to a deal on a new temporary shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arachi says determining the route does not necessarily mean the strait is reopening. He insists that hinges on other conditions, including U.S. compensation to Iran for what Arachi calls violations of a peace deal, the two nations signed in June. It's been more than six weeks since twin earthquakes

devastated parts of Venezuela, destroying hundreds of buildings and killing thousands of people. As recovery efforts shift to clearing debris, rescuers are still pulling household pets from the rubble alive. Freelance reporter Cody Weddell has that story for us tonight. A cream-colored Siamese cat cries out in anguish. as veterinarians attempt to place an IV to administer fluids. He's skinny, his eyes don't open, and he can't stand up.

But despite spending 37 days under the rubble of a collapsed building on the coast of Venezuela, vets say four-year-old Felix the cat will survive. Sitting by the rubble of the collapsed 14-story building where her father and another pet died, Felix's owner, Francis Garcia, says her beloved pet has given her strength to deal with the difficult situation. Venezuelan authorities say well over 6,000 people died after the June 24th earthquakes, most of them in the over 180 buildings that collapsed. Rescue crews, now in their sixth week of removing rubble,

last managed to pull a person alive from the debris over a month ago. But as the operation has shifted to clearing the rubble and, recovering bodies, crews have been shocked to find small animals still clinging to life under the piles of concrete. One crew member explains how he saw the foot of a turtle move while operating a bulldozer. Another cat was rescued after 39 days. A small white poodle coated in brown dust and shaking was pulled alive after being trapped for 29 days. Veterinarians like Carlos Rodriguez can't quite explain how the animals have managed to survive. He says they must be treated slowly with nutrients and liquids as to not overwhelm their systems.

He, along with dozens of other volunteers, are working in a McDonald's restaurant that has been converted into an emergency clinic both for pets and people. Under signs, advertising Big Macs and ice cream, doctors and veterinarians alike run x-rays, give steroid shots, and administer IVs. In a cage on the floor of the restaurant, Felix, now looking healthy and sitting up and observing the activity, continues to recover. His owner calls him a miracle amidst so much pain. Cody Weddle for CBC News, La Juaida Venezuela. do Avril Levine, Justin Bieber, and Shania Twain have in common? Well, they're all singers, all from Ontario. They've also all spoken publicly about their struggles with Lyme disease. Celebrity

diagnoses keep making headlines, but as Christine Burak tells us, that's fueling confusion about the risks of the tick-borne illness. They have symptoms. They're trying to get an answer. They're frustrated. Andrea Love is a biomedical scientist and head of the American Lyme Disease Foundation. Online, she debunks health myths and shares evidence-based information about Lyme and other illnesses with tens of thousands of followers. Singer Justin Timberley says that he's been diagnosed with Lyme disease. And with so many celebrities now saying they have Lyme disease, she worries about the message that sends. This creates this perception that like, oh, Justin Timberley got it. That means that we're all at risk.

Lyme cases are increasing globally and in parts of Canada. In 2024, about 5,700 cases were reported. in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. For a lot of people, I think they might be carrying more anxiety about Lyme disease and they really need to. Dr. Lenora Saxinger, an infectious disease specialist in Alberta, says celebrity cases can distort the real level of risk. I think that there is a bit of a disconnect between the actual amount of risk, which is fairly methodical to work through.

Like, is this a place where there's Lyme? Is it near a place where there's known to be Lyme and it might have extended its range? Was there a tick bite? Lime spreads through black-legged ticks, and not every tick carries the bacteria. If a tick is removed within 24 hours, the chance of infection is extremely low. Early symptoms can include a bull's-eye rash,

and at that stage, a short course of antibiotics cures most cases. But what many celebrities talk about is chronic Lyme disease, the belief that bacteria stay in the body long-term and require ongoing treatment. Most doctors say the evidence doesn't support that. Many of us that study Lyme disease don't think after initial antibiotic treatment that there is still bacteria harbored there that would respond to antibiotics. Dr. Paul Ower, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins,

treats patients with lingering symptoms after standard Lyme testing and treatment, along with others who arrive with private test results claiming they have the disease. Experts say the private Lyme testing industry is booming, but many of those tests aren't regulated or validated for accuracy. Some celebrities have reportedly posted these tests online, but relying on unvalidated tests can be risky. One study of nearly 1,300 people with suspected Lyme found 84% of them didn't have it. They had other conditions, many of them treatable.

So I do think it's unfortunately a common scapegoat diagnosis, and the symptoms of Lyme disease can be very much like other conditions. And so if you falsely believe that you have Lyme disease because you took a test that is not accurate, Andrea Love says when it comes to private Lyme testing and treatments, it's buyer beware. Now you're ignoring the actual medical condition that is causing those real symptoms and you're delaying care. Doctors say more research into chronic illnesses is urgently needed and results from Lyme vaccine trials and other potential treatments are expected this year. In the meantime, experts say patients with ongoing symptoms deserve compassion. And while celebrities can raise awareness, evidence still has to lead the way.

Christine Beirak, CBC News, Toronto. Canadian sports fans love their slap shots, their home runs and touchdowns, but on PEI this weekend, it's all about stumps, bales, and yorkers. The best cricketers from Quebec to Newfoundland and Labrador are on the island for the Eastern T20 cricket championship. Connor Lamont watched a couple matches and brings us this report. That sound will be ringing out all weekend long at T-Hill Park and Stratford, Prince Edward Island. The island is hosting the Eastern T20 Cricket Championship.

Organizers say it's one of Cricket Canada's biggest tournaments, and has been running for over a decade. There are teams here from each of the four Atlantic provinces and Quebec. Priyam Sony is team PEI's vice captain. I've been representing PEI from last eight years, and every time I'm setting the field up, and if I'm ever representing it, it's a proud moment for me. Sony says he's had lots of questions from Islanders curious about the sport,

and he's hoping the tournament might inspire more people to give it a try. The event rotates through the five provinces each year, and PEI took advantage of home field on day one Friday, winning both games. Fahad Ahmed captain's team PEI. So we have pool of like 200 players in PEI, and we have 12 teams. So out of those 200 players and 12 teams,

we picked up our best 14. And these best 14 have been playing in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, so they're very experienced. We have a very experienced team. Three, two, one, PAEAS! Cricket PEI says the sport is growing here. Tazul Riyad is the organization's president. This creates a hype inside our cricketing community.

The kids like people, more kids will join, the families will join in the evening. That kind of grows the motivation inside them. But for some fans like Tanya Vishnoi, winning isn't everything. It just sounds like coming here to play with my friends. This is what's known as a T20. version of cricket, a fast-paced short form of cricket. So games will last a couple of hours. The standard match can run for a couple of days.

The final match for this tournament is on Sunday. Connor Lamont, CBC News, T. Hill Park and Stratford, Prince Everett Island. Senna Caterall is trading her cleats for a pair of skates. The Montrealer is getting ready to make her PWHL debut this fall, playing for Detroit. But to follow her hockey dreams, Caterall had to ditch her other love, base. ball. As she's hold our Natalia Vyxel, reaching the top of two sports, ultimately meant making a tough sacrifice. So this is where my dad would make the rink and we'd have these steps going out. Senna Catterol walks through her childhood backyard in the suburbs of Montreal, a patch of grass where

her sporting journey started. During nighttime with the lights shining on us was always my favorite part. When the ice would melt, Caterall wanted to find a summer sport. So she picked up her cleats. My dad signed me up for baseball, and I ended up falling in love with it. Ever since then, it was hockey every winter, baseball every summer, and two decades later, it hasn't stopped. Caterall dives and makes the catch. Racking up awards as she played for Team Canada in women's baseball and on the ice. Caterall trying to work it in.

The backhand shot, losing a goal! Caterall's talents led her to one of the biggest stages in hockey. BWHL Detroit selects Senna Caterall. at 51st overall, Canterol was also the first Quebecer to hear her name called the season. A moment she says felt surreal. Just so it was a blur. I saw some of my old teammates gave them hugs and I was just like, oh, I got to get up there. But the athlete says that milestone is bittersweet because chasing her hockey dream

meant saying goodbye to her baseball one. The focus had to be hockey, you know. It sucks, but it was somewhat of an easy decision with Team Canada. There's no salary along with that. And then with hockey, there comes a salary. It's tough to combine both because there's always one sport that you kind of put aside a little bit. Noemi Marins is Cadrall's former hockey coach. She says she understands the struggle behind the athlete's decision.

She's playing for a team Canada in one sport and she's been drafted in the most talented hockey league in the world. You know, it's special, but that's Senna. But Marine says she has no doubt that Caterall made the right to say. and she'll soon find her stride. I know it takes dedication and work ethic and Sena possesses both of those qualities. Katerall says her focus is now set on PWHL training camp. She says the team almost has a full roster and only has about four spots remaining.

So she'll be battling to secure one of those positions. I think the goal is to get a contract, but underlying that just to be there and to show my best self on the ice, off the ice, you know, just as a lot. a person. But she says she hasn't shed out baseball completely, hoping to step back on the diamond again in the future, this time as a coach. Natalia Vikesel, CBC News, Montreal. And finally, we leave you tonight with a taste of musical fusion. The Southwest Ontario Ismailie pipe band blends a traditional Scottish-style sound with South Asian melodies. It was nothing like this.

The band was formed in Milton, Ontario back in 2019 with just 11 people, says regional lead, Sikander Koja. It now has more than 30 members. Which includes men and women, youth, elderly. We are all working professionals, and we do this voluntary. He says they also have a youth mentorship program that includes more than 300 young musicians. The band has performed in local parades across southern Ontario, but he has performed in local parades across southern Ontario, but he is now practicing for their biggest gig yet, marching in the 105th Warriors Day parade, which honors military veterans,

active service members, and first responders. It opens the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. We are all very excited. We have started practicing for it. You will see after that we have prepared special tunes for that. Band leaders say they've learned new marches and composed an original medley specifically for the parade. And this has been your world tonight for August 8th, 2026th. I'm Aaron Saltman. Thanks for listening. And have a great night.

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