The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/12/21 at 20:00 EST

Episode Date: December 22, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/12/21 at 20:00 EST

This ascent isn't for everyone. You need grit to climb this high this often. You've got to be an underdog that always overdelivers. You've got to be 6,500 hospital staff, 1,000 doctors, all doing so much with so little. You've got to be Scarborough. Defined by our uphill battle and always striving towards new heights. And you can help us keep climbing.

Donate at lovescarbro.cairbo. from cbc news the world this hour i'm kate mcgilfrey israel is greenlighting more settlements in the occupied west bank ministers who proposed the move are explicit about their purpose permanently blocking the establishment of a Palestinian state dominic volitus has more israel's security cabinet has now approved proposals of 19 new settlements in the occupied west bank The move brings the total number of settlements approved in the past three years to 69. Despite the fact the settlements are considered illegal under international law, the Israeli government is pushing ahead with expansion.

Far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who co-sponsored the move, said it's designed to block the establishment of a Palestinian state. The United Nations claims approvals are now at their highest level since 2017, with Secretary General Antonio Guterres warning the policy fuels tensions and restricts Palestinians access to land. Arab nations say it undermines hopes for a two-state solution. And in an earlier interview with Time magazine, US President Donald Trump warned Israel would lose all support if it approved more settlements.

Dominic Volitus for CBC News, Riga, Latvia. The U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing another sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. The U.S. has already seized two other tankers in less than two weeks. As part of the Trump administration's efforts to stop Venezuela from using what it says are false-flagged ships meant to avoid sanctions on oil sales. The interceptions come just days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced what he called a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers leaving and entering Venezuela. It's an escalation in his pressure campaign on Venezuelan president, Nicholas Maduro.

In Washington, the partial Epstein files released. release has left some lawmakers furious. Pam Bondi is breaking the law. I believe we're going to get bipartisan support in holding her accountable. That's Democratic Congressman Roe Kana. He's calling on the U.S. Department of Justice under Attorney General Pam Bondi for failing to release all Epstein files and for heavily redacting the ones that did come out. Kana says House members are working on a bipartisan deal. It would fine Pam Bondi for every day that she's not releasing these documents. The problem here is that there are rich and powerful people who either engaged in this abuse, covered it up, or were on this island. And what the American people want to know is who are

these people. Kana also wants a congressional committee set up to look at which redactions are justified and which are not. Australians held a day of reflection to honor those affected by the mass shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach last weekend. Thousands gathered to honor the 15 people killed at a Hanukah celebration by gunmen inspired by ISIS. Philip Lishanek, reports. Where there was horror and panic last Sunday, on Sydney's Bondi beach today, there was defiance and solidarity. Like the grass here at Bondi was stained with blood, so too has our nation been stained. David Ossip is head of a Jewish community group in New South Wales. Hanukkah teaches us that light can illuminate even the biggest of places.

Alan Kessel is a former assistant deputy minister and legal advisor to the government of Canada. He says Bondi Beach is a warning that Canada cannot ignore. When we look at what is happening to that country and what we have seen in Canada, there's almost a doppelganger effect. Canada is very similar to Australia, not only in its makeup, but in its laws. Kessel warns that terrorist entities like ISIS and Al-Qaeda have vowed to exploit the tolerance for freedom of expression in open societies like Australia and Canada. Philip Lishanaw, CBC News, Toronto.

And Canada's Reese Howden earned his second gold medal of the weekend and his third this month in World Cup men's ski cross. That's a cross between alpine and freestyle skiing, where four racers ski head-to-head on a course featuring big jumps and high-banked turns. Howitt will be a member of Team Canada at the Winter Olympics in Italy coming up in February. That's the world this hour. For CBC News, I'm Kate McGilfrey. Thank you.