Your World Tonight - Young people and skin cancer, AI now conducts job interviews, solar in India is life changing, and more

Episode Date: August 4, 2025

More adults, especially young ones, are turning away from sunscreen, and the results are showing up in a rise of skin cancer cases. Some doctors say a public messaging reboot is needed, and it may be time to start giving sunscreen away for free.And: That person asking questions at your online job interview could well be an AI bot.As you might expect there are glitches, glitches, glitches…Also: A lot of weather forecasters say we’ll all miss the high-res satellite pictures the U.S. military is no longer sharing publicly. Especially when the major storms come.Plus: A solar miracle in the salt deserts of India, angry protest songs re-emerge in reaction to Trump policies, and more.

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Find an agent today at Desjardins.com slash business coverage. This is a CBC podcast. No, I don't usually put on sunscreen. Sometimes I prefer to just get that tan in the moment. I'll worry about that later. At the hot and sunny peak of summer, new research shows sunscreen use for some Canadians is dipping to a low point.

We know men in particular are using less sunscreen. There may be an influence of social media and sort of a backlash against sunscreen use. A concerning trend that's pushing up skin cancer rates, especially among young people. Good evening, I'm Stephanie Scanderres. Welcome to a special edition of Your World Tonight, also on the program. Welcome to the interview for the marketing specialist, Chant Physician. We're excited to learn more about you and your background. HR meets AI.

There's a polite introduction, even some small talk, but no handshake because the interviewer isn't real. I wasn't able to really tell if my answers were landing or not. A job interview conducted by an AI-generated chat bot. In a tough labor market, more companies are relying on the technology, and more job seekers are having to navigate it.

Also on the program, how solar energy changed life forever for the residents of a small village in India. In a country that endures long, cold winters, many people want to make the most of Canada's brief summer sunshine. But new data suggests many Canadians are not protecting themselves, and young people especially are being diagnosed with more skin cancer. Alison Northcott has the details. Just popping in to remind you guys to get your skin checked. Kelly Johnston was first diagnosed with skin cancer at 24, then three years ago with the most dangerous form, melanoma.

Now, the content creator in Owen Sound, Ontario, encourages others to protect themselves. It definitely wakes you up when you get a scare like this. So your protection and what you do with the sun or how to avoid the sun is just so much more important. A recent study looking at what Canadian adults do for sun protection found that more than half never or only occasionally used sunscreen. Young adults 18 to 29 had higher odds than those 70 and up of taking risks like spending more time in the sun, using tanning beds and getting

sunburns. Our messaging in terms of engaging in appropriate sun protection habits are just not penetrating into the minds of Canadians. The study's author Dr. Ivan Litvinov is an associate professor of dermatology at McGill University in Montreal. He says some changes could help, like making sunscreen tax-free or free so more people can afford it. In Toronto, some parks and golf courses have free dispensers. Melanomas, you don't get them in the 60s. You get them by burning your skin as adolescents and young adults. Melanoma cases across the country increased an estimated 17 percent between 2023 and 2024 according to Melanoma Canada. It's one of the most common forms of cancer in people 15 to 49.

Recently we've seen more granular data on head and neck melanoma specifically showing increases in the young adult population. Dr. Mark Kirchhoff, president of the Canadian Dermatology Association, says there could be a few reasons for those increases. People may be using less sunscreen. We know men in particular are using less sunscreen. There may be an influence of social media and sort of a backlash against sunscreen use. Certainly tanning is still popular.

He says more people need to be aware of the risks. I do think that we probably can do a better job informing people online and through social media because this is the new platform by which young adults in particular are getting their information. On this Toronto beach as people enjoy the hot summer sun some lather on sunscreen but others like 18 year old Melissa Pietri prefer to go without. I don't usually put on sunscreen. I just lie right down and tan. She knows about the risks of developing skin cancer but isn't worrying about that now. Sometimes I prefer to just get that tan in the moment.

I'll worry about that later. Dermatologists say people really should try to prevent future problems by using sunscreen and protective clothing and say even having a tan is a sign your skin is damaged. Alison Northcott, CBC News, Montreal. Artificial intelligence might help you apply for a job. And as it turns out, it may also end up interviewing you. Some companies are relying on the technology to have initial conversations with candidates,

claiming it saves them time and money. Nisha Patel reports. for the marketing specialist team position. We're excited to learn more about you and your background. When Wafa Shafiq logged on for her latest job interview, she realized she was speaking to artificial intelligence. I was caught off guard. I was shocked that it was asking such good follow-up questions. She says the AI was extremely polite, but she felt something was missing.

There's no small talk, nothing personal, and I wasn't able to really tell if my answers were landing or not. These AI hiring bots can now screen, shortlist and interview job applicants. It's set up like a Zoom meeting. Candidates have a conversation with a synthetic voice. The AI will then summarize the call and score the candidates for someone at the hiring company to review. Do you have any questions about how this interview will go?

For some applicants, AI can add confusion to the process. Maureen Green had to end an interview herself because the AI wouldn't stop talking. So at an hour in, I'm like, so I don't mean to interrupt, but you know, it's been more than half an hour after the scheduled time of range of you. I just want to be mindful of your time, even though I'm like, it's an AI agent.

I decided to give it a try and test the AI's reactions. How much do you get paid? Haha, well, I'm just here to help with the interview process so I don't have a paycheck. But for this role, compensation details would be discussed later in the hiring process. Anything else you're curious about? My conversation went pretty smoothly with no glitches, though I probably didn't score the job. There are a handful of startups working on this software. One of them, Toronto-based Ribbon AI, was founded just two years ago. CEO Arsham Garamani says he already has 400 customers.

I do think this will become the norm for a lot of industries. So think like a manufacturer, really large restaurant chains, warehousing. These are all areas where it's often really hard to hire for those roles. He says the AI recruiter works around the clock, so it saves employers from running hundreds of interviews a day, and it frees up human employees from tedious tasks like scheduling. Though Garamani insists, humans make the final call on hiring. I think a lot of people are scared because AI is getting so good so fast, and I understand

those fears there. But I think ultimately humans are always making decisions. I think there'll always be a human in the loop. Still it's clear as more companies embrace the technology, who knows what's next? workers will have to expect changes too. Nisha Patel, CBC News, Toronto. Coming right up, they're like Michelin stars for natural landscapes, globally recognized

geo-parks. But Canada has some that are under review and hoping they don't lose the designation. Also, we take you to the desert landscape of Western India, where farmers have for centuries drawn salt from underground. It's a hard life, but it all changed with the simple introduction of solar power. Later, we'll have this story. There ain't no king. There ain't no king. In the USA.

In the USA. A world in turmoil has sparked a boom in street protests and in protest music, but it's a new take on the give piece a chance era. Watch the world fall off the taxes. Watch the bombs go off paid for by your taxes. One that's a lot more political and more angry. Expressing dissent or resistance to authority through non-violence

is one of the most potent weapons that we can wield. Protest music in the age of Trump. I'm Ali Shiasan and I'll have that story later on Your World Tonight. The list gets worldwide attention and can unlock a flood of new visitors and tourist dollars. UNESCO designated geoparks are special set natural landmarks like lakes, cliffs and coastlines. There are just a few of them in Canada. Kayla Hounsell tells us why some are at risk of losing their status. We are in the Cliffs of Fundy Geopark. Anna Hergert is standing on the ocean floor, pointing out unique cliffs and coves. She's the owner of Tide Rollers and Mudlarkers, taking small groups on custom tours in Nova

Scotia's UNESCO Global Geopark. When I first moved here, it had just been announced that it was a geopark region. For me that was one of the main reasons to settle in this area. It's put this area on the map. She worries that rare designation could be at risk. UNESCO Geoparks must have geology and culture of international importance. The towering cliffs of Fundy are steeped in Mi'kmaq history, boasting the highest tides in the world and telling the story of the moment the world's supercontinent broke apart. The area received its UNESCO designation in 2020, one of only five in Canada and 229 on the planet. We are held in esteem internationally. Christine Blair is one of the mayors in the area. We're held in esteem internationally. Christine Blair is one

of the mayors in the area. This is one of the most exciting things that I believe has happened in West Colchester and West Cumberland ever. Great right? Not so fast. UNESCO Geoparks are reevaluated every four years and when Cliffs of Fundy was tested it received a yellow card. A warning of sorts. We had about ten recommendations. Devin Trefry is the managing director of the Fundy Geopark. He says he was given two years to get things back in shape

or lose UNESCO's designation. It would have been lovely to have just received the green card, but in a way I think it's good that we've been motivated to really kind of hone in and focus. UNESCO recommended securing funding, putting up more signage, improving infrastructure and access roads and better sharing the area's story. The Discovery Geopark on the Bonavista Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador received a similar report card. So did Perse in Quebec's Gaspé region. Only that geopark has since gotten its green card back.

It was a party in the village. Osric Perry-Keney is the science and education manager at Perse. He has some advice for Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. It's really just continue working with your community, show UNESCO that having this geopark logo makes people understand what the rocks mean for them. This little bridge up here is thinning out. Hergert says potentially losing the advertising that comes with the designation is concerning. If I lose that, my future is kind of uncertain.

But she says there have been a lot of improvements and the evaluators have just been back for another visit. The results have not yet been released. Kayla Hounsell, CBC News, Lower Economy, Nova Scotia. A storm is brewing in the world of weather forecasting. The U.S. government will no longer share crucial data from three of its military satellites, citing security concerns. Environment Canada says it can get by

without the specialized info, but other forecasters rely on it for accuracy and to provide life-saving warnings about severe weather. Shayna Luck reports. Hurricane forecasts around the world rely on data gathered by satellites in orbit. Some crucial high-resolution data comes from three of the U.S. Department of Defense's military satellites. But the Defense Department said it will stop releasing that data for public distribution by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration, or NOAA. NOAA says forecasting won't be compromised and it still has plenty of tools to study hurricanes. Environment and Climate Change Canada said much the same, but some scientists, including some in Canada, were alarmed. Andra Garner studies climate science at Rowan University in New Jersey. It's kind of like saying, well, your steering wheel is just one tool and a whole suite of tools that makes your car function, but you need the steering wheel. Like you need that tool in your arsenal to be able to really keep people out of harm's way. Among other unique features, it can track the storms in the night, and it can help researchers

observe hurricanes quickly gathering strength. Garner's research shows rapid intensification is happening more often. We really do need every tool at our disposal that we can have to be able to keep improving those forecasts and keep predicting those kinds of storms, especially as we're seeing this kind of quick strengthening of storms happening more frequently. Hurricane specialist Andy Hazelton at the University of Miami is among those concerned about losing the military's unique data. They allow you to sort of see through the tops of the clouds and actually look at the

rain and the ice structure underneath that tells us a lot about the hurricane structure. The U.S. Space Force told CBC it is replacing the existing satellites with two newer ones. One is already in orbit, but the military isn't yet sharing its data. The other one won't launch until next year. The Space Force says it will make the new data available to users, including NOAA, when the work is finished. NOAA says the existing satellites are more than a decade past their expected lifespan. But Andy Hazelton says they're still important for this year's hurricane season.

Andy Hazelton, NOAA Chief Astronaut, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space Force, NASA Space hurricane season. They won't be around forever, but as long as the data is good, which I think it still is and that's what I don't know why they would turn it off. NOAA says the military told it the older system had a significant cybersecurity risk and planned to decommission it at the end of June. But there was widespread alarm from forecasters around the world over the imminent loss of

the data. And, after a specific request from NASA, the military delayed cutting it off for at least a month. This puts the new deadline right in the middle of the Atlantic hurricane season. Shayna Luck, CBC News, Halifax. We often get asked for news about good things happening in the world. Well, this one definitely fits the bill. It's about some simple technology completely changing the lives of farmers in Western India. They've been producing salt the ancient way for centuries. But as CBC's South Asia correspondent Salima Shivji reports,

a recent upgrade is giving them a brighter future. With slow sweeping motions, Devabai Sawadia rakes his salt pan under a blistering sun. He's cultivating the only treasure deep in this arid desert in Kutch, in India's western Gujarat state. Salt. Sawadia, who's been working these fields since he was a child, will one day teach the skills to his young grandson.

But they now have an edge over previous generations. The ability to harness solar power. We finally make a profit, Sawadia says. Before we got our two solar panels, there was barely enough money to eat, and not a rupee more. The solar panels now power the pumps that dig deep into the bone-dry earth to extract the brine needed to make salt, a big change from the diesel that used to dominate the lives of the salt farmers.

Sawadhiya would start the season already heavily in debt, borrowing thousands of dollars to buy barrels of the toxin-emitting fuel. The constant smoke made us sick, he says. Now the family only uses the diesel pump as a backup, at night or if it's cloudy. It's a new quiet piece surrounding Sawadia's wife Jessiebeng as she washes the dishes. But the main comfort is that they're saving thousands of dollars. We built a bigger home in our village and threw a wedding for our son. Our family is no longer begging for loans from salt traders, she says, or struggling to break even.

The switch to solar and the extra money that comes with it has also made the season longer, which means the salt is better quality. That's why solar panels have multiplied all across the desert in Kutch. The South Asian country, third largest producer of the staple worldwide, is now taking full advantage of its blaring desert heat. So Wadiya states it plainly. The farmers here bought their solar panels with help from the government,

a hefty subsidy that cut the price by 80%. It's an initiative very much in line with India's push to invest in renewable energy. The goal is to slowly wean the country off its reliance on coal. India still needs coal, the dirtiest of fossil fuels, for more than 70% of all the power it generates, even if solar capacity has exploded in the last decade. But for the farmers, it's not really about the positive effects

solar energy has on the climate, says Panktii Jhaag, who's with a local NGO. It's more about building a better life. That entire loop of exploitation and poverty, which was going on for almost generations, they could themselves break it in two to three years. It's still a life full of hardship and isolation. The farmers move into rickety tents near their salt pans at harvest time and camp out for eight months. There are no clinics in the desert, no family doctors. An abandoned bus parked alone in the middle of the vast arid land is actually a makeshift

school. Salt farmer Jerobai Dhammecha has four school-aged children. He's tending to his salt field with their futures top of mind. I've been able to buy a tractor, a motorcycle and build a new house, he says, all because I switched to solar panels several years ago. Before that, we couldn't even afford a bicycle. His fellow salt farmer, Kalu Bai Surela, chimes in. Our grandfathers had lives filled with sadness in this desert, he says, full of hardship. But now, after solar, there's pure joy. Salima Shivji, CBC News, Kutch, India.

You are listening to Your World Tonight from CBC News. I'm Stephanie Scanderis. You can hear Your World Tonight on the CBC News app or wherever you get your podcasts. The revolution may not be televised, but some American activists are hoping it's streamed on Spotify. Recent demonstrations accusing Donald Trump of king-like tendencies are inspiring a new generation of protest music and bringing back some oldies. Ali Shiasan runs through the playlist.

The No Kings movement against authoritarianism in the US saw thousands of protesters take to the streets in cities large and small across the country, making their voices heard through song, chanting and condemnation of the ICE raids that have seen undocumented immigrants targeted and detained. Expressing dissent or resistance to authority through non nonviolence is one of the most potent weapons that we can wield. Protest music isn't just kumbaya. Take it from artist, grandson. The music is heavy and angry because my generation is angry. His music rages against the machine of today. When it comes to activist music over the decades,

calls for peace in the 60s and 70s, resisting authority and police oppression in the 80s and 90s, the No Kings movement is a new sound in American activism. Something like this No Kings movement that is no one person is bigger than our country. No Kings motherf*****! It also inspired songs in other genres, new dubstep drops and country ditties. There are no kings in America. As with any protest, there's often a counter protest,est. And that's playing out through song, too. That I'm proud to be an American. On the right you have people like Lee Greenwood, who is a clear Trump supporter.

Benjamin Tasig is a professor of music and politics. He says oldies are popular rally cries on the right. But sometimes they get misinterpreted. Born in the USA. Bruce Springsteen. Born in the USA Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA, for example, which is about a disillusioned Vietnam War veteran feeling abandoned by America. Reagan was using it as a patriotic anthem.

So was Trump, until Springsteen spoke out. The America that I've sung to you about is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration. There's no misinterpreting this. A brass band at the Atlanta No Kings protest playing Bella Ciao. Bella Ciao is a song that is strongly linked with the Italian anti-fascist partisan movement of the 1940s.

Music history professor Noriko Manabe says protest music doesn't just call for change, it can change people. Concretizing that idea in your mind helps you to maybe do something that would actually advocate for change in a more direct manner. This sort of stuff has context in Canada too. Music is a beautiful, powerful thing. Ali Chasson, CBC News, Toronto. And that's your World Tonight for Monday, August 4th.

I'm Stephanie Scanderis. Thank you for being with us. Good night.