Your World Tonight - War spreads in Middle East, Trump on Iran’s next leader, B.C. forestry workers retraining, and more

Episode Date: March 5, 2026

Iran may be ground zero, but as missile and drone strikes rain down, and casualties climb, neighbouring countries are feeling direct impacts of a widening war.And: Canada and other NATO allies are walking a diplomatic tightrope. Some are sending military resources, others words of support or criticism, as they balance their responses to the war.Also: As their industry gets chopped down by tariffs B.C. forestry workers are being promised re-training, paid for by government programs. But it might be too little, and too late.Plus: A CBC News investigation reveals a link between two of the biggest criminal cases in the country, Humboldt driver faces deportation, China’s economic future, and more.

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Episodes drop every weekday. This is a CBC podcast. An explosive conflict with an expanding radius. Iran may be ground zero, but as missile and drone strikes rain down and casualties climb, neighboring countries are feeling direct impacts of a widening war,

that far away leaders are being forward. to confront. One can never categorically rule out participation. We will stand by our allies. From battle lines to the diplomatic tightrope, Canada and other NATO allies are walking. Some sending military resources, others just words of support,

as they balance their response to the war. Welcome to Your World Tonight. I'm Susan Bonner. It is Thursday, March 5th, just before 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. It's very scary and intimidating for sure. There's a lot of uncertainty. Like, I don't want to leave, but at the same time, it's probably the right thing for me to do.

As their industry gets chopped down by tariffs, BC forestry workers are trying to rebound by retraining, paid for by government programs. But after years on the job, career growth won't be easy. The sights and sounds of fear and death spreading again today across the Middle East. Relentless missile and drone attacks from Iran, the U.S. and Israel have more countries and more civilians being pulled into the war. Chief correspondent Adrian Arsano has more from Tel Aviv.

Hear that drone? That is the sound of one more country getting dragged into this war. The drone diving into an airport in Azerbaijan. Four people injured and a nation left furious about why it is suddenly in its neighbor's sights, even if Iran denies it did this. Azerbaijan's enraged president not buying that, saying after offering help to Iran to evacuate embassy officials from Lebanon, this is how they were repaid? The stain will never be erased from their ugly and unsightly face, Ilyam Aliyev said,

adding the country's armed forces are ready to mobilize if needed. sirens still blare across the Middle East. Iran is not letting up, continuing to fire at Israel and the Gulf states, hitting a refinery in Bahrain, wounding several in the United Arab Emirates when debris from an intercepted missile slammed down. Some foreigners are finally being evacuated, many clearly scared, but at least they're the lucky ones who can leave. Right now it's not like, you can hear alert everywhere, like every night. Every night has a dune. attacked or have the missile attacked. And as the bombing campaign against Iran intensifies Iranians themselves, facing multiple threats, danger from the skies and from within. CBC has been in contact with one woman

who sent us a voice note from the south of the country about warnings to those considering protesting the regime. We've been getting text messages that say, if you come out of your house, we've got the right to shoot, she says, adding, they don't specifically say shoot, though. They say would confront without mercy. Civilians always pay the heaviest price in war. You see that in Lebanon, now that Iran's proxy Hezbollah has joined the fight, sending missiles and rockets into Israel. This has become a new and frantic front. Tens of thousands on the move, warned to evacuate by the IDF, a sign maybe

of what's to come. Israel's finance minister saying tonight, a Beirut suburb, what Israel considers a Hezbollah target, may face Gaza's fate. You wanted to bring hell on us, you brought hell on yourselves. Dachia will look like Han Yunus, said Bezal Smoltrich. This is the fury and the fear of a six-day-old war that's only growing. Adrian Arsno. CBC News, Tel Aviv. As for the country that is leading the war, U.S. President Donald Trump insists he should be personally. personally involved in choosing Iran's next leader. Meanwhile, other lawmakers in Washington tried again

today to stop the military engagement altogether, insisting Americans don't want to be dragged deeper into war. Paul Hunter has that story. Iran tried to kill President Trump, and President Trump got the last laugh. From the White House today on social media, another video posted on the war in Iran, with those words from Pentagon Chief Pete Hagezeth, music by Metallica, Images of U.S. airstrikes and then these words from the U.S. president. I was the hunter, and now I'm the hunter. As the assault on Iran continues, Donald Trump now telling multiple news outlets, he wants to play a role in choosing the next leader of Iran.

Other reports saying the U.S. is meanwhile reaching out to Kurdish opposition leaders in Iran and Iraq, urging them to help give rise to an insurgency in Iran against the regime. From Iran's foreign minister today, Six days after the war, it is clear that the U.S. has failed to achieve its main goal, which was a clean, rapid victory. In an interview with NBC News from Tehran, Abbas Araghchi was asked about the possibility of U.S. troops on Iranian soil, if, that is, the U.S. goes that route, said Aragchi. We are waiting for them.

We are confident that we can confront them, and that would be a big disaster for them. This as representatives on Capitol Hill voted on a resolution to halt the attacks, a day after a similar resolution was blocked in the Senate. Today's vote in the House failed. But most Democrat lawmakers remain enraged over what's happening in Iran. Senior House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries today on the White House, having said that Trump started the war based on a feeling. Can you believe that? A feeling. You send American men and women into war with a high likelihood of them dying based on Donald Trump's feeling.

That's insanity. And then there's the gas pump. U.S. gasoline prices have jumped since the start of the war. And there's reporting today that Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles, is now urging other White House advisors to find ways to reverse that with an eye to voter annoyances in the run-up already to this year's midterm elections. As one driver put it, gassing up at a pump in downtown D.C. People are not very happy about the war, not only because of the oil prices, but just because it's crazy. We have only just begun to fight and fight decisively. For any naysayers, the Secretary of Defense late today was clear, said Pete Hegseth.

And we are in it to win it. Paul Hunter, CBC News, Washington. Western and European countries, including Canada, are cautious. responding to the evolving conflict. Britain announced it will send warplains to Qatar to help defend the Gulf. It and many other European countries are also deploying resources to protect Cyprus, as Prime Minister Mark Carney reaffirms his support for the war with regret. Tom Perry reports. My focus is providing calm, level-headed leadership in the national interest. UK Prime Minister Kier Starmor laying out his government

next moves in the Iran crisis. I can announce today that we're sending four additional typhoon jets to join our squadron in Qatar to strengthen our defensive operations in Qatar and across the region. Britain is sending helicopters with anti-dron capabilities to Cyprus after a British military base there came under attack. The UK and some European countries also deploying Navy ships to defend the island. As for Starmour, he's faced. criticism for his shifting stance on Iran. The UK Prime Minister at first refused the US access to British air bases to carry out their attacks, but relented after being publicly criticized by

US President Donald Trump. Despite that, Starmor says, the bond between the US and UK, what the British call the special relationship remains strong. We're working with the Americans in the deployment from our bases. We are working together in the region. The UK and other governments have approached this conflict with caution, adopting a defensive posture but not getting directly involved in attacks on Iran. Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was traveling in Australia this week, has tempered his initial support for the operation saying now he takes that position with regret while calling for de-escalation, warning at the same time of a possible scenario

in which Canada is forced to come to the defense of its partners. One can never categorically rule out participation. We will stand by our allies. Rachel Elihus is director of Roussey, the Royal United Service Institute, a defense and security think tank in London. She says U.S. allies are right to ask questions about this conflict and how the U.S. and Israel see it playing out. I think allies and partners have a right to demand of the United States and Israel answers before they get involved. Because if you get involved in a conflict, you sort of own the whole thing. U.S. allies, however, are well aware asking too many questions could set off the U.S. president. Spain found that out after it came out against the attack on Iran and was threatened with a trade embargo.

Elohus says Donald Trump says a lot of things. America's allies can't respond to all of it. And on a matter of this important, she says it shouldn't stop them from speaking up. Tom Perry, CBC News, London. NATO has increased its missile defense posture after intercepting a missile on its way to Turkish airspace yesterday. Secretary General Mark Ruta says the alliance is not triggering the mutual defense clause, but he says the heightened posture gives the Supreme Allied commander in Europe more options to respond to threats from Iran. He did not provide any specifics on what that involves. Coming right up, tariffs and training.

With their industry set back by a trade war, BC forestry workers are branching out and learning new skills and how a police corruption case in Toronto could be connected to an alleged drug trafficker case in Mexico. Later we'll have this story. I wish I can do something that can take their pain away. I wish that day was never happened. The truck driver at the center of the Humboldt hockey team tragedy

pleading to stay in Canada, but running out of time. That's coming up on your world tonight. U.S. President Donald Trump has fired Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noam. Noem faced mounting criticism over her leadership and her handling of the administration's immigration crackdown. After two U.S. citizens were killed by federal agents in Minnesota, Nome called them domestic terrorists and defended the shootings. Both Democrats and Republicans were scornful this week as she testified at congressional hearings, including about a $300 million ad campaign focused on her. Trump has chosen Republican Senator Mark Wayne Mullen to replace her. Mullen says he won't take a partisan approach to the job.

I want people to understand. When I go into this position, yes, I'm a Republican, yes, I'm conservative. But Department of Homeland Security is to keep everybody. Regardless if you support me, if you don't support me, regardless of what your thoughts are, I'm here to enforce the policies that Congress passed, and right now I'm part of it, but once I make that transition, my focus is to keep the homeland secure. Mullen still needs to be confirmed by Congress. If approved, he'll take over on March 31st. Workers in British Columbia only wish they could slide into new jobs by the end of the month. Many sectors, including forestry, have been hard hit by tariffs. Now provincial and federal governments have announced tens of millions of dollars in funding to provide new training for laid-off workers.

But as the CBC's Tanya Fletcher reports, there's concern this support may have come too late. The new Canada, British Columbia workforce tariff response. Federal jobs minister, Patty Heidew, announcing upwards of $70 million over three years to help workers in BC sectors crippled by tariffs. The province's forestry industry has been leveled, in part by recent U.S. tariffs, with 20 mils either curtailed or closed altogether in recent years. This new money is expected to help roughly 8,000 British Columbians. This new funding will help workers in BC build new skills, get back to work, or take advantage of new opportunities in emerging in-demand industries. It's going to help me for sure I will be retraining to pursue another career. Mark Besat has lived and worked in the northern BC community of 100-mile house for decades.

For the past 27 years, he's worked in the shipping department at the local lumber mill. But right before Christmas came news of the mill's closure, suddenly leaving him unemployed. He's been looking for work ever since and has given up on finding another forestry job. He's instead prepared to enter a new sector entirely, possibly mining, but worries that might mean working far from his family for weeks at a time. It's very scary and intimidating for sure. There's a lot of uncertainty. Like, I don't want to leave, but at the same time, it's probably the right thing for me to do.

For the sector as a whole, any help is welcome and desperately needed. The softwood lumber industry is, I would say, at the brink of collapse. Jeff Dye is national president of public and private workers of Canada, which represents many pulp and sawmill workers across BC. He says most of their union workers are older. And for many, embarking on a new career later in life isn't feasible. We still are going to miss the gap on that older demographic worker. You go back and get retrained, and then you're only going to be in the workforce a very short amount of time.

So in reality, who's going to hire somebody at that level? Nearly half of Canada's softwood lumber exports come from BC, yet he says the province's forestry industry has largely been neglected by Ottawa. Forestry has been one of the cornerstones of this country, and especially in British Columbia. And forestry needs to be recognized and forestry workers need the same fairness and the same support given to other big industries. He'd like to see more robust supports tied to employment insurance, including an increase and extension of EI benefits, plus a policy to better bridge workers to retirement. Tanya Fletcher, CBC News, Vancouver. hottest economies in the world is forecasting its lowest growth in decades. China is being hit from all sides, the war in the Middle East, tariffs from the U.S., and declining domestic

consumption. President Xi Jinping is now promoting his plans for the economy at the most significant gathering on China's political calendar. Chris Brown reports from Beijing. Members of China's Politburo, including President Xi Jinping, filed onto the the stage in the great hall of the people in Beijing as thousands of delegates from across the vast country filled the audience. China's dramatic achievements in electric vehicles, robotics, and renewables didn't just happen by accident. They came about because the world's second largest economy directs the efforts of its 1.4 billion people. Premier Lee Kuang announced the growth target for China's economy will be just under five

only a little less than last year, although the document said it will strive for better. Klang said China plans to aggressively adopt artificial intelligence and continue decarbonizing its economy. He also said it intends to dominate emerging fields such as humanoid robots. Legislators will essentially rubber stamp Xi's blueprint at the end of the gathering. It's good news for the world. Delegate Nick Chan told us he believes China is on the right track. It's a huge market and we're buying a lot from Canada and we love to work closer together and you see a recent falling of previous maybe slower relationship.

But now it's a great time. The war against Iran, though, has already sent oil prices soaring and China uses a lot of it. The plan also references the uncertainty posed by U.S. tariffs, creating a riskier environment for trade, meaning geopolitical risks are a huge source of concern, says Beijing-based analyst Henry Wong. That worries me, of course, you know, is going to greatly disrupt the world, disrupt the trade picture for whole world. That's number one.

Number two is the Taiwan straight, of course, also. President Xi's blueprint also contained key passages about Taiwan, with China again vowing to reunify the Democratic island, which China sees as a brinketka. breakaway province. Previously, she's officials have refused to rule out using force to do so. With NATO countries also increasing their defense budgets, China's new five-year plan includes a significant 7% hike in spending to modernize the country's military. Chris Brown, CBC News, Beijing. Ballot counting has begun in Nepal's first nationwide election since an uprising last year.

dozens of people were killed in the two days of protests against government corruption and economic stagnation in September. The protests attacked government buildings and eventually toppled the government. Results are expected over the weekend. This is Your World Tonight from CBC News. If you want to make sure you stay up to date and 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. A CBC News investigation has revealed a link between two of the biggest criminal cases in the country.

The first is a massive probe into suspected police corruption in Toronto. The other? Is the case surrounding alleged cocaine kingpin Ryan Wedding? Thomas Degler now on the connection and the questions it raises. Video captured from a police helicopter shows a dramatic takedown last summer. A vehicle crashing outside a suburban home near Toronto, followed by a series of arrests. Let's take them down right now. Investigators say that chaotic scene led them to uncover a murder plot targeting an Ontario jail official

and then wide-ranging allegations of corruption involving Toronto police officers. Now, CBC News can report a link between a central figure charged in that massive investigation known as Project South and another man accused of smuggling cocaine for alleged Kingpin Ryan Wedding. The organized crime element just puts this in a fundamentally different level. Former Toronto Mayor John Sewell says the suspected connections between officers and underworld figures is worrying. This is unbelievable. I mean, this is very, very, very serious. This week, Brian DeCosta, a suspected transnational drug trafficker accused of bribing an officer, was released on bail. The court ordered him not to have any contact with several people, among them Gurpreet Singh,

a Toronto area man who U.S. prosecutors describe as having deep connections to organized crime abroad, including to Wedding and Mexico's Sinaloa cartel. Singh is being held at the Toronto South Detention Center as he fights extradition to the U.S. CBC News has spoken with two sources who say Singh is connected to the Project South case. It amounts to the first known link between the two high-profile investigations leading to more questions about who may have benefited from alleged police corruption. Calvin Krusty is a former RCMP senior operations officer. Transnational organized crime threats has increasingly been more common relative to global networks,

not defined by regional groups. Singh is not charged in connection with Project South. the blockbuster corruption investigation has sent shockwaves through Canada's biggest city. Last month, York Regional Police Deputy Chief Ryan Hogan said the jail manager at the center of the Project South murder plot was targeted because of his job. His commitment to integrity in his position was what spawned the criminal actions against him. York police say their investigation is still ongoing and they haven't ruled out further arrests. Thomas Daigle, CBC News, Toronto.

It has been nearly eight years since a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos hockey team collided with a transport truck in rural Saskatchewan. The crash killed 10 players, 6 staff, and injured 13 others. One man was held responsible. Now that man, the truck driver and his family, are pleading for help, asking to stay in the country with deportation getting closer. Some of the victim's families say, it's already taken too long. Karen Paul's reports.

As he faces deportation, Desquirit Sadiou and his wife, Tanvir Man, treasure their family time. It just haunts me. Nobody wants to be separated from their family. It's a nightmare and we can't even imagine like the life without him close to the family. Sadiou was responsible for the 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash behind the wheel of the semi-truck that blew through a stop sign right into the park. path of the Saskatchewan junior hockey team's bus, killing 16, injuring 13 others. I wish I can do something that can take their pain away. I wish that day was never happened. Sedu pleaded guilty and in 2019 was sentenced to eight years in prison, the longest in Canadian

history for dangerous driving causing death that didn't involve alcohol, drugs or purposeful behavior. He was granted full parole in 23. One year later, the Immigration and Refugee Board removed his permanent resident status and ordered his deportation to India. Now, his immigration lawyer, Michael Green, says one of his last avenues of appeal has been rejected. So he has a pending application for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. Now, they can try to remove him in the meantime. We are seeing the wheels in motion to, to make that happen.

We think he should be deported. Russ Harold's son, Adam, was the youngest player killed in the Humboldt bus crash. He died just six days before his 17th birthday. We've lost our child forever. It's not like he stole our car and we can go by another one. We can never replace our children. Harold says every anniversary,

every mention of Sedu is a trigger. I'm not giving him a second chance. He's been here eight years too long already. he's taxing our health care, taxing our legal system. I think it's time to move on. The Canadian Border Services Agency says its job is to remove inadmissible people as quickly as possible. But Sadiou may go alone.

His son suffers from a rare lung disorder. Doctors say living in India would put him at risk. So I'm in a limbo thinking, like, what should we do? Shall I accompany just get it? or stay back here for my son. This family, like many of those involved in the Humboldt Broncos tragedy, still deeply impacted by that fateful day. Karen Paul's, CBC News, Calgary.

Finally tonight, they say the squeaky wheel gets the grease. This last story is about Quebec's dairy industry making some noise, hoping their squeaky cheese gets a special designation. Real Quebec-style cheese curds. You hear that? It's chew it and squeaky. Online foodies love the signature sound of Quebec cheese curds. Now the producers in the province are looking for more official recognition,

a protected geographical indication. It's a special status for food, drinks, or agricultural products, similar to the legally recognized status of champagne or Bordeaux wine, In Quebec, products that already have the designation include ice wine, Neville sweet corn, and Charlevoix Lamb. Like those delicacies, producers say Quebec Kurds have distinct characteristics, including squeakiness, and the ability to withstand heat from, say, an oven or hot gravy. Charles Langlois is the Consigne.

des industrial leitiers du Quebec. He says Putin is part of Quebec's culture and heritage. The proposed name for the officially designated Kurds would be Quebec Putin cheese. The group says Quebec's de facto national dish is becoming more popular worldwide, and the designation would help promote Putin's origins. While ensuring diners, that squeak is the sound of authenticity. Thank you for joining us. on your world tonight for Thursday, March 5th.

I'm Susan Bonner. Talk to you again. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.ca slash podcasts.