The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/12/20 at 15:00 EST

Episode Date: December 20, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/12/20 at 15:00 EST

Quincy Cross is in prison for the murder of Jessica Curran. But the story of what happened that night keeps changing. Quincy's attorney did try to flag that. I mean, these attorneys, for the five of them, were really trying to flag. There's something really wrong here. This week on Crime Story, could Quincy Cross be innocent? Find Crime Story wherever you get your podcasts. From CBC News, the world this hour. I'm Gina Louise Phillips.

U.S. officials say American forces have seized a second vessel in international waters off the coast of Venezuela. This comes just days after President Donald Trump announced a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuelan waters. The first tanker was seized on December 10th. China is the biggest buyer of Venezuelan crude oil. In Florida, members of the Trump administration are meeting with Russian officials today for another round of talks on ending Russia's war in Ukraine. But there are no signs the Russian president is prepared to compromise. Dominic Volaitis has the story.

The Russian delegation is meeting with Steve Whitkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in Miami today. This follows U.S. talks yesterday with Ukrainian and European officials, who earlier this week reported progress on security guarantees for Kyiv as part of a proposed plan to end the war. But Putin offered no compromise during his annual press conference in Moscow yesterday, insisting Ukraine abandon its ambition to join NATO and withdraw from the four Ukrainian regions Russia now controls. Meanwhile, Ukraine's president, Vladimir Zelensky, said financial support,

from the EU for Ukraine has strengthened its position in future peace talks. Dominic Volaitis for CBC News, Riga, Latvia. Meanwhile, at least eight people were killed and another 27 wounded in a Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Odessa. And Ukraine says its drones hit a Russian warship and an oil rig and other facilities in the Black Sea. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes on targets in Syria last night. We hit the ISIS thugs in Syria who were trying to regroup after their decimation by the Trump administration five years ago.

We hit them on. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is calling it a declaration of vengeance. Two members of the Iowa National Guard and an American translator were killed in an ISIS attack in Syria last weekend. Hegsteth says the U.S. targeted ISIS fighters, infrastructure and weapons sites in response. Prime Minister Mark Carney says he, has red lines when it comes to dealing with China, even as his government wades into choppy economic waters with the U.S. As Catherine Tunney reports, he made the comments in a year-end interview with CBC News. Prime Minister Mark Carney has referred to China as Canada's

biggest security threat. He's also made clear he sees potential in renewing ties with the economic power. And then the question is, how deep is the relationship and how clear are the guardrails around that relationship? In a year-end interview with CBC's Rosemary Barton Live, he was asked if he sees risks further aligning the country economically with Beijing. And there are areas, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, defense, where clearly the security threats are such that we would not have a deep relationship with China in those areas. Those proposed guardrails will be closely watched over the coming year as Carney looks to reset Canada's relationship with China. Ties between the two countries have been

deeply strained. And earlier this year, the public inquiry investigating foreign interference called China a persistent and sophisticated threat. Canadian officials have been traveling to China for talks, paving the way for a potential Carney visit next year. Catherine Tunney, CBC News, Ottawa. And you can watch more of the year-end interview with Prime Minister Mark Carney tomorrow on Rosemary Barton Live. That starts at 11 a.m. Eastern.

67,000 hospital workers in BC narrowly voted in favor of a four-year contract agreement. Just over 54% said yes to a deal that includes a 3% wage increase in each of the three years. The hospital employees union says they also won gains in recruitment, retention, and workplace safety. New Brunswick is going to spend $10 million in an effort to make home care more affordable for seniors and people with disabilities. The province will increase the income threshold for accessing home care by 10% starting New Year's Day. That's the world this hour. For CBC News, I'm Gina Louise Phillips.