The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/05/19 at 17:00 EDT

Episode Date: May 19, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/05/19 at 17:00 EDT

Carly Fortune became the queen of Canadian romance with her breakout hit Every Summer After. On my podcast Bookends, Carly told me all about the life-changing success of that book, and she dished on her newest summer love story. Two young women wait to the end of my signing line once and then said, we have a bone to pick with you. And they said, we need Charlie's happy ending, justice for Charlie. Check out Bookends with Matea Roach to hear the rest of that conversation wherever you get your podcasts.

From CBC News, the world this hour. I'm Stephanie Scanderis. Canada Post says it has received strike notices from the union representing its workers. They indicate the Canadian Union of Postal Workers intends to begin strike activity at midday on Friday, May 23rd. The last work stoppage led to the pile-up of millions of packages around the holiday season. The Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered both sides back to work and extended the collective agreement to May 22nd. The union and the Postal Service have been holding talks but without much progress.

Donald Trump says Russia and Ukraine will once again work towards a ceasefire. The renewed diplomatic push comes after the U.S. president spoke with the leaders of both nations. But there are few details and many doubts about future peace talks. Aaron Collins has the latest. I think some progress has been made. Donald Trump happy with his call with Vladimir Putin, hopeful that it might be a step towards peace. It's a terrible situation going on over there.

Five thousand young people every single week are being killed. So hopefully we did something. Vladimir Putin also positive, calling the two hour call productive. Putin saying Russia is willing to work on a memorandum on future peace talks. And President Trump also spoke to Vladimir Zelensky, the Ukrainian president expressing skepticism

over Russia's commitment to peace. Our side, we really want to finish this war. I'm not sure that Russia is ready and we don't trust them. The calls come as fighting escalated in recent days. Russia launched its largest drone attack of the three-year conflict over the weekend. Erin Collins, CBC News, Washington. Meanwhile, Amnesty International says it's redoubling its efforts to expose human rights violations by Russia.

The country has labeled Amnesty an undesirable organization and has outlawed it. Anyone cooperating with or supporting the group can be prosecuted criminally. Amnesty says Russia is committing human rights violations at home and abroad, and today's ban is part of a broader effort to silence dissent. Israel says a handful of aid trucks have entered Gaza after a nearly three-month blockade. Food security experts warn Gaza is now on the brink of famine. Israel's prime minister says it's allowing limited aid because of international pressure. Crystal Gomancing has more.

Manzalas Motridge, Israel's finance minister, says aid will allow civilians to eat and friends in the world to keep giving Israel diplomatic protection at the UN Security Council and in the Hague. No aid has entered Gaza since March 2. Israel's director general of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Eden Bartal, says limited amounts of aid will be entering. In the coming days, Israel will facilitate the entry of dozens of aid trucks. Aid groups say hundreds of trucks are needed daily with a catastrophic food shortage.

There are also calls for a ceasefire. Israel's prime minister ended the blockade while escalating military operations. Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will capture and control all of Gaza as it looks to dismantle Hamas and return all of the hostages. Crystal Gamansing, CBC News, London. Canada is condemning that expansion of Israeli military operations. In a joint statement with the UK and France, Ottawa says it has always supported Israel's right to defend against terrorism, but it calls this escalation wholly disproportionate.

The nations say if Israel does not end its renewed military offensive and lift aid restrictions, they will take further concrete actions, including targeted sanctions. The European Union and the UK have signed their biggest trade and defence deal since the Brexit vote nine years ago. We're turning a page. We're opening a new chapter. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says European neighbours need to stick together in unstable times.

This deal makes it easier for the UK to sell its food in Europe and allows it to take part in joint procurement projects. It also grants European ships access to UK fishing waters. And that is Your World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Stephanie Scanderis.