The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/12/24 at 14:00 EST

Episode Date: December 24, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/12/24 at 14:00 EST

The PWHL is back for the third season of heart-stopping women's hockey. And this season, there are two new teams looking to make their mark on the ice. The Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Golden Eyes. When the world's best women's hockey players face off, anything can happen. Will the Minnesota Frost achieve a three-beat? Will a new team take home the trophy? There's only one way to find out. Watch the PWHL for free on CBCJ.

From CDC News, the world this hour, I'm Hallie Cottenham. Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canadians need to be prepared to make sacrifices before life becomes affordable again. Many are already struggling to pay for essentials, such as groceries. As Michelle Allen reports, Carney says the government will have to balance cost-cutting with social supports. Pressure, food prices, pressure, just literally the cost of limit. Prime Minister Mark Carney says that pressures especially felt by low-income Canadians. He says there's no quick fix, but adds the government can cut costs without cutting programs benefiting those under the most pressure. Carney says they plan to cut the federal public service by 10%.

This will reduce government costs without impacting things like pharmacare and provincial transfer payments. Those tough decisions, we're preserving all the transfers, we're cutting taxes, we're preserving the transfers to individuals, support for individuals, and transfers to the province. including the increase of the provinces and territories. Carney says it will take time for people to feel the impacts of these changes, but says they'll pay off. Michelle Allen, CBC News, Toronto. Canada and more than a dozen other nations are condemning the Israeli government's approval

of new settlements in the occupied West Bank. On Sunday, Israel's security government approved 19 new settlements. They are considered illegal under international law. Since 2022, the number of settlements approved in the West Bank has grown by nearly 50%. In a joint statement, Canada says these actions risk undermining a lasting peace in Gaza

and harm prospects for long-term regional security. The nations are calling on Israel to reverse its decision. The Ukrainian president is asking for peace in his Christmas message. Vladimir Zelenskyi says the country is marking the holiday in difficult circumstances,

with Russia launching massive attack. tax contrary to Christian values. Zelensky says the updated peace offer has now been presented to the Kremlin. It was hammered out by Ukrainian and U.S. negotiators in Florida over the weekend, and for the first time, Zelensky says, it includes the potential withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the east of the country and the creation of a demilitarized zone. The European Union has condemned a visa ban issued by the United States to former European Union Commissioner, Thierry Breton, and four other citizens. Breton helped shape Europe's digital rulebook, which the Trump administration says unfairly

targets American companies. William Denzel reports. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls former EU Commissioner Tieri Britain and others ideologues and accuses them of leading organized efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints their pose. Breton helped shape the European Union's digital. laws aimed to address issues including unfair competition and harmful online content. Several US tech giants such as Meta and X have been handed substantial fines under these

regulations. The EU maintains that it treats all companies fairly, but insists that any tech firms seeking to operate in Europe must play by the rules. The blocked Foreign Affairs Chief Cai Calas caused the visa ban unacceptable and a challenge to the EU sovereignty. Breton has also hit back at the decision, taking to social media to question whether the McCarthy witch-hunt era seen during the Cold War had returned to the U.S. For CBC News, I'm William Denslow in Brussels. U.S. weather officials say a dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation is unfolding in Southern California.

A powerful storm hammered parts of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Santa Barbara overnight. Across several counties, evacuation warnings and orders. are in place. More than 7 million people in those areas are at high risk of flash flooding. The rains and winds have knocked out power to more than 100,000 homes and businesses. Meteorologists say more rain will come on Christmas Day and continue into Friday. And that is the world this hour. For news, anytime you can visit our website at cBCNews.ca. For CBC News, I'm Hallie Cottenham. Thank you.