Global National: May 21, 2026 | Air France flight to Detroit diverted to Montreal over Ebola fears

On this Thursday night, flight diverted due to Ebola fears.A US -bound plane lands in Canada because one of its passengers is from an Ebola -stricken region.

Suddenly all the flight attendants had face masks on.

Plus the scramble to create a vaccine.Two Alberta cabinet ministers quit.

They're strong opponents of separatism.

With Alberta's premier widely expected to announce an independence referendum tonight.Cuba in the crosshairs.

They don't have really anything.They don't have food.and we're going to help them along.

The fears the U .S.is about to intervene in another Caribbean country, plus the Victoire's historic victory.

It's amazing.

How Montreal's women's hockey team's first Walter Cup is about much more than a championship.Good evening and thank you for joining us.A group of Canadian aid workers is heading into the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.The team sent by the Red Cross will help with contact tracing and transporting people to treatment centres.More than 130 people have died and there are around 600 cases in the DRC and neighbouring Uganda.The outbreak is contained to those two African countries, but concerns are growing about the potential spread.

The US has introduced a travel ban targeting the region, And those restrictions prompted a plane that was headed to Detroit to be diverted to Montreal.That flight was refused entry to the U .S.because it was carrying a Congolese passenger.Our Mike Armstrong reports on the scramble to contain the spread.

The error was found mid -flight and the captain told passengers they were being diverted to Montreal.He didn't explain why.

Suddenly all the flight attendants had face masks on so that was also very concerning.

Canadian officials say the passenger disembarked in Montreal and was assessed by a quarantine officer.The person had no symptoms and flew back to Paris.The death toll continues to rise in the DRC.Health workers in the eastern part of the country Thursday removed a victim from an isolation tent.The World Health Organization is moving in more medical supplies and there are measures on the ground to prevent spread.There is also some mistrust.

These were protests over the burial of a victim.According to reports, the family denied Ebola was the cause of death and demanded custody of the body.

Let's be clear, this outbreak is not small.

Now the official numbers are being called the tip of the iceberg by vaccine experts in Geneva.The real numbers are likely much bigger according to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.The current strain of Ebola isn't as life -threatening as the strain that hit in 2014, but it doesn't have treatments or a vaccine that target it specifically.

This is not the variant that has been most prevalent up until now.Now, we are now in a very difficult position.

The group's goal is to develop and test a vaccine within three months, but that will be a challenge.Mike Armstrong, Global News, Montreal.

Alberta's premier is scheduled to make a televised address later tonight and Danielle Smith is widely expected to clarify the province's plans for an independence referendum.The address will cap off a chaotic couple of days for Alberta's government that saw surprise resignations of high -ranking cabinet ministers and the accidentalrelease of the results of a committee vote that hadn't happened yet.Heather Yerkes West reports on the political roller coaster and the consequences for Alberta's separatist campaign.I, Jason John Nixon.

Jason Nixon taking the finance minister portfolio as the Alberta premier shuffles her cabinet following the surprise exit of two key cabinet members Wednesday.On social media posts, the finance and minister of hospitals said they were stepping down because they planned not to run for re -election next year.

That's what they're saying, right?But I think there's a through line going through here.There are strong opponents of separatism.They're the ones that are leaving.

The premier is widely expected to announce the future of a separatism referendum during a taped televised address.The government paying for 15 minutes of airtime during the Alberta supper hour.

We can now move to approval of our agenda.

An Alberta referendum committee resumed Thursday, voting to recommend that a pro -Canada petition question asking do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada be put to a vote this fall, even though petition organizers said their intent had been to block a referendum on separation, not be the cause of one.The committee's vote delayed a day after the UCP caucus preemptively sent out a press release before the committee had even taken the vote.

What has happened was a rigged process.It was always abundantly obvious that this government wanted to have a referendum on tearing Canada apart by hook or by crook.

The government now risking anger on both sides.

If our question is not put on a ballot by the end of the month, we're going to be organizing a special general meeting of the United Conservative Party for August.Because enough is enough.

The last time Smith made a televised address to Albertans was back in February, when she announced a series of referendum questions related to immigration.be held this fall.Now after tonight's address, the Premier doesn't plan to take questions from the media until tomorrow.

B .C.'s premier is also speaking out following his high -stakes meeting yesterday with the prime minister.It comes after David Eby's earlier complaints that Mark Carney was giving Alberta special treatment and pushing through plans for a West Coast pipeline without consultation.Mackenzie Gray is tracking the latest developments.

David Eby promised his background wasn't a jab at a rival premier.

Oh yeah, no, the flag is not about Premier Smith.Maybe I could, you know, maybe I could bring it with me to Western premiers and gift it to her.

But his previous shots at Daniel Smith did drop multiple laughs.

What if any comments will you make to the separatist premier of Alberta?Thank you.Yeah, yeah.I mean, thanks.

Yeah.Critical of what Eby said is Alberta's bad behavior, garnering federal attention on things like a new oil pipeline.

Good morning, everybody.Nice to see you.

An issue Eby raised with the prime minister Wednesday at a meeting that didn't lead to any concrete results, only the promise of a formal deal.

I'm hopeful to enter into an agreement with the prime minister.We don't have a fixed timeline.

It might be a little awkward because we're hosting the Western premiers conference here.

Smith not firing back at EB, instead hoping the Prime Minister will smooth things over.

I think the Prime Minister has a lot of persuasion skills and he also has a lot of dollars that he can assist in moving some of these projects along in British Columbia, so I'm very hopeful that he'll be able to make a dent in some of that opposition there.

A suggested quid pro quo of supporting a pipeline in exchange for federal money to build B .C.projects, a deal E .B.

I'm not fighting for Premier Smith's projects.I'm fighting for projects for British Columbians.My goal was to convince the Prime Minister to give the same level of attention and investment to BC projects as he's giving to Alberta.

Eby also pushing back on the Prime Minister's talking point that Ottawa's supporting BC by the province having more projects designated as major projects, Jeff, calling that move symbolic, saying he wants BC's fair share of federal money to get shovels in the ground.

Mackenzie Gray in Ottawa.Thank you, Mac.And turning to breaking news now, Canada's broadcast regulator, the CRTC, is tripling the amount of money that streaming services must contribute to Canadian content.Companies such as Netflix and Apple TV will have to provide 15 % of their revenue towards producing or buying Canadian content.That levy was at 5%, though streamers aren't even paying that right now while they challenge the rate in court.Conventional broadcasters, such as Global, have been paying up to 45%, though their rate was recently reduced down to 25.

The ruling could upset trade negotiations with the U .S.President Donald Trump has railed against foreign fees on U .S.streaming companies.The RCMP have arrested a Quebec man for allegedly making social media posts supporting the so -called Islamic State.

Forty -year -old Mohamed Ali Ben Shaoua is accused of producing numerous posts on TikTok.Investigators say they received a tip and had reasonable grounds to believe he may commit terrorism offenses.Shaoua appeared in court today where a judge ordered a peace bond to monitor his activities.No criminal charges have been laid.Israel has now released all of the activists, including 12 Canadians, who were detained from a flotilla that was trying to deliver aid to Gaza.The activists have now arrived in Turkey, where the flotilla left from last week.

It was intercepted near Cyprus on Monday, and video then emerged of Israel's far -right national security minister taunting the prisoners who were bound and detained.sparking condemnation from world leaders including the Canadian Prime Minister.Canada was among several countries who summoned their Israeli ambassadors over the incident.The U .S.is now turning up the pressure on Cuba.

For months, the island nation has been reeling from an energy crisis after the U .S.effectively cut off its oil supplies.The Americans have now deployed an aircraft carrier and warships to the region.And yesterday, the Trump administration indicted Cuba's former President Raul Castro on several charges related to the downing of two civilian aircraft back in 1996.Vincent McAvinney reports on the mounting speculation that the U .

S.is preparing to intervene in another Caribbean war.

country." A show of force in the Caribbean, the USS Nimitz, with its wing of fighter jets and escort warships, dispatched close to Cuba. Some fear it's laying the groundwork for potential U .S. military action to forcibly remove Raul Castro, like the operation that ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January, which cut off oil supplies to Cuba. They don't have electricity. They don't have money. They don't have really anything. They don't have food. And we're going to help them along. Trump talking about rescuing Cubans from a crisis he exacerbated. The collapse in Venezuelan oil supplies and food shortages, leading many people struggling to survive. We're going through a very difficult time as a country with all the issues surrounding electricity, food and transportation, and this only makes things worse. If they try to do the same thing they did in Venezuela, they might succeed, but only through a bloodbath. because we Cubans are willing to die for this country. This is a diplomatic limbo that keeps the people above all on edge, and there is no better defence than the truth, and the truth always comes to light."Both China and Russia voiced their support

for Cuba Thursday, calling for an end to what they described as U .S. threats. Russia also dismissed reports it had supplied Havana with hundreds of drones. The future of Cuba belongs to the people of Cuba in terms of how they're governed, what the system looks like and so forth. But the national security threat, that's 100 percent something we're going to focus on because that's about America." The

The Cuban government has warned of fierce resistance.if the United States takes military action.Vincent McAvinney, Global News, London.

Air France and Airbus have been found guilty of corporate manslaughter in France's deadliest air disaster.The Paris appeals court found the airline and aircraft manufacturer responsible for the 2009 crash that killed 228 people.The plane stalled during a thunderstorm and went down in the Atlantic Ocean.Both companies were ordered to pay about $360 ,000.That's the maximum fine allowed.Air France says it plans to appeal.

A BC man has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison in what police are calling the most prolific case of voyeurism ever prosecuted in Canada.Yunyong Derek Chan pleaded guilty to multiple offenses related to voyeurism and child pornography.He recorded more than 650 women and girls without their knowledge, filming them at businesses, beaches, and sometimes through the windows of homes.He later shared the images online.The judge gave credit for time already served, so Chan must remain in jail for two more years.Some First Nations were in court today, accusing the federal government of dragging its feet and breaking promises to provide access to clean drinking water.

The group is asking the court to enforce an $8 billion settlement that required the government to introduce legislation guaranteeing access to clean drinking water.But that bill died when Parliament was prorogued in January 2025.Melissa Ridgen joins us from Winnipeg with those details.

Melissa.Jeff, it's been more than a decadesince the Liberals vowed to make sure there was clean drinking water for all First Nations communities, but it's not happened and First Nations are taking the matter back to court, hoping to make the federal government live up to the settlement agreements that they made.In 2015, then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised clean drinking water on all First Nations by 2021.In 2020, the Liberals said they wouldn't hit that target.A 2021 investigation by Global News with the Institute for Investigative Journalism and APTN uncovered why Canada couldn't deliver from shoddy water plant contracts to lack of funds for maintenance and operations and lack of trained water plant workers.

Also in 2021, courts approved an $8 billion First Nations safe drinking water settlement.Part of that included the promise of legislation to guarantee clean drinking water.But five years later, still nothing.And First Nations want the court to force Parliament's hand.

Where there's been a crystallized breach, as we say there has been, where the parties have provided in the settlement agreement for courts to intervene at this stage, where the rights are as fundamental as these, and where the alternative is so dire, I say far better to do it now.

Court adjourned while judges look at a new bill that the Liberals say they'll introduce next month.As of May 16th, there are 40 active long -term drinking water advisories on First Nations.Another part of this is in December, the federal court ruled that Canada is responsible for ensuring clean drinking water on First Nations because of the Indian Act that they opposed on these communities.Ottawa is appealing that decision, though.Jeff?

Melissa Ridgen in Winnipeg.Thanks, Melissa.Republicans' revolt coming up.The growing backlash against the U .S.president's multi -billion dollar spending plans.

U .S.Senate Republicans have paused a pair of Donald Trump's billion -dollar plans.They'reThey're balking at spending taxpayer money on a White House ballroom and expressing concerns about a plan to compensate victims of political persecution, which could include the January 6th rioters.Our Jackson Prosko reports from Washington.

The business of Congress ground to a halt as Republicans revolt against two of President Donald Trump's big -ticket items, his billion -dollar White House ballroom and a $1 .8 billion fund for victims of alleged political prosecution.

We got to unpack exactly what it is, what the source of the funding is. in order to stop it and or rehearse it.

The acting Attorney General was brought to the Capitol for questioning about the compensation fund after he and Trump refused to rule out payments to the January 6th rioters who assaulted police officers.

People were destroyed.They went to jail.Their families were ruined.

There's no reason that the government should be giving these people money.

Officer Daniel Hodges was among those assaulted that day.He's now suing to block creation of the fund.

So many of them pled guilty in a court of law and they had very fair trials.I was there.I testified in them.I was there at sentencing.There was no conspiracy.

There was no political railroading.Even Republicans want guardrails on who can get the money.We want to understand how it would work and who would be eligible for it.Trump's party has turned on him over his ballroom too.which was supposed to be privately funded, but now needs taxpayer money.

There's no sense of, when we ask, how did it happen to cost exactly a billion?

For now, Trump is shrugging it all off.Are you losing control of the Senate?I don't know.

I really don't know.I can tell you I only do what's right.

But in this moment, the president faces a serious challenge to his agenda.For the first time, he's taking friendly fire from his own party.Jackson Prosko, Global News, Washington.

One of Donald Trump's most vocal critics will be off the air after tonight.I'm not being replaced.This is all just going away.The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs its final episode today after an 11 -year run.Colbert and his supporters believe his criticism of Trump played a role in the program's cancellation.CBS has cited economic reasons for ending the show.

The decision came after its parent company, Paramount, agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Trump over the editing of a 60 Minutes program.You can watch the final episode later tonight on Global.A crowded climb still ahead.The world's highest peak sees a record number of climbers in a single day.New Yorkers are mopping up after a torrential downpour yesterday.The fast -moving storm swamped the streets of Queens under knee -deep water.

Vehicles were trapped and drivers stranded.Officials said the powerful weather front dropped about 152 millimeters of rain per hour.Elon Musk has filed the paperwork to take SpaceX public, potentially making him the world's first trillionaire.SpaceX is expected to list on the NASDAQ in June, and the initial public offering is expected to raise up to $75 billion, doubling the prior record for the largest IPO and valuing SpaceX at $1 .75 trillion.Musk, who founded the company in 2002, would remain in control with 85 % of the voting power.And a new record has been set on Mount Everest.

274 people reached the world's tallest peak on Wednesday.That's the most ever from the mountain's south side in a single day.Nepali officials credit a combination of favorable weather and the north side of Everest being closed this year by China.And turning to breaking news from the racing world, NASCAR legend Kyle Busch has died.The cause hasn't been released, but his family said he'd been hospitalized with a severe illness.Busch's racing career spanned more than two decades, and he's widely considered one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of his generation, winning more than 230 races and two Cup Series championships.

NASCAR says it lost a giant of the sport today far too soon.Busch was 41.Victory for the Victoire.Up next, Montreal's women's team makes Canadian hockey history.Welcome back.After three extremely close games, the Montreal Victoire emerged victorious with a 4 -0 win last night over Ottawa, claiming Canada's first ever Walter Cup.

Superstar Marie -Philippe Poulin was named MVP.And as Eric Sorensen reports, the Victoire's victory caps off a banner month for the fast -growing league.

What a spring Montreal is having, the city where hockey reigns supreme.The Victoire brought home the first PWHL championship trophy to Canada.For the team's hero, Marie -Philippe Poulin, it means so much for women and girls like her.

I was that little kid back in the day where there's not many possibility for us.There was a lot of men's hockey, but the Karen Ouellet, the Kim St -Pierre, they paved the way for all of us and being able to do that and inspire the young generation.

It was more than a championship.It was an exhibition of the joy women's hockey now brings to so many.From the unabashed beer chugging at Centre Ice, to Poulin and Laura Stacey celebrating together.teammates on the ice and partners in life off of it.

Our games are wonderful, inclusive environments that are just full of joy.Um, and you know, it just, it says that there's, there's a market for it.women's hockey.

It took years to get launched, but women's hockey is flying high now.More than a million fans attended games this year.Merchandise sales have doubled.The game is streamed and watched all over the world.And the PWHL is growing again, from eight teams that included Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and this year Vancouver, now four more, San Jose, Las Vegas, Detroit, and Hamilton.making five Canadian clubs in the 12 -team league next year.

How our fans have embraced the league and our players has certainly exceeded maybe our wildest dreams and our wildest expectations.

The PWHL may be three years old, but it is still expanding horizons, says a local mayor who came out to greet the victoire.

I think for sure it's going to motivate most of them.And even if they don't play hockey, no matter who you belong to, what group, you can achieve your goal.

also have the NHL Canadians still competing this season.But in 2026, they can already be sure of one championship making history.Eric Sorensen, Global News, Toronto.

And that is Global National for this Thursday.I'm Jeff Semple.Tonight your Canada is Montreal Central Station.Thanks for watching.Have a great night.