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

Episode Date: December 22, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/12/21 at 21:00 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 over-delivers. 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 Neil Hurland. Australians held a day of reflection to remember the victims of last weekend's mass shooting at Bondi Beach and Sydney. Thousands gather to pay tribute to the 15 people killed at a Hanukah celebration by two gunmen. As Philip Lee Shanach reports, there are risks here in Canada as well. 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 Hesach, CBC News, Toronto. Israel's cabinet has approved proposals for 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank today. The country's finance minister Bezalel-Motritch says the move is meant to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state. In the past two years, Israel has approved 69 settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The Canadian government considers the settlements to be an obstacle to peace. The Israeli decision comes as the U.S. is pushing Israel and Hamas to move to the second phase the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which calls for a possible pathway to a Palestinian state. The U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing an oil tanker in international waters. Multiple U.S. media outlets cite U.S. official saying the vessel is part of Venezuela's efforts to evade sanctions on its oil. Karen Paul's reports. This is the second vessel pursued by the U.S. in two days. On Saturday, Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noam posted a video on social

media. It showed the U.S. military flying over the Panamanian flagged ship in international waters and American forces boarding the vessel. Noam said the action is part of the U.S. efforts to quote, pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco-terrorism. 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. An escalation in his pressure campaign on Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. The Venezuelan government hasn't yet responded to Sunday's action, but has previously described the seizures as acts of piracy and international terrorism. Karen Paul's, CBC News, Washington. Now to Kolkata, India. Hundreds of people marched in

a pride parade today. India's first pride march was held 26 years ago in the same city. Attendees gathered under rainbow flags and danced to Bollywood music. Sapnonina was at the event. This is a protest at the end of the day. This is a gathering for equality of genders, equality of all the sexes and identities that exists. And finally, a BC woman helped return a missing pet to its American family just in time for the holidays.

Shadow the cat when missing in a remote part of northeastern BC in July before being found in November. Christine Sutherland and her partner Bruce flew the cat to Winnipeg to make the reunion possible on Friday. At this time, having Canadian-American relations so friendly and family and loving, boy, we could do it with a dose of that. The cat's owner drove up from Oklahoma fighting their way through last week's blizzard to make the rendezvous in Winnipeg. And that is your world this hour. For CBC News, I'm not. Neil Hurland.