World Report - December 16: Tuesday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: December 16, 2025

Canadian delegation, including 5 Liberal MPs, intending to visit the Occupied West Bank denied entry by Israel.Alleged gunmen in Bondi Beach attack reportedly traveled to the Philippines for military-style training last month. Crisis in Sudan at the top of a list from humanitarian group most at risk of worsening in 2026.Clean up begins in British Columbia's Fraser Valley. The Trump administration says construction of its White House ballroom must continue as a matter of national security.Canadian snowbirds skip over the United States for winter vacations, and land in Mexico. 

Ladies and gentlemen, one of the great Canadians. Oh, here you are. You're here and we're here. No matter what race you were, what color you were, what religion you were, what language you spoke, you watched Mr. Dressup. The tickle trunk was this magical like Pandora's Box. I'm talking about Captain Dressup. Mr. Dressup, the magic of make-believe. You made me what I am today.

You know that. Watch free on CBC Gem. This is a CBC podcast. This is World Report. Good morning. I'm Arcia Young. A Canadian delegation, including five liberal MPs, has been denied entry into the occupied West Bank by Israel. They were trying to enter by road from Jordan.

NDPMP, Jenny Kwan, is also part of the delegation. She says they wanted to visit Palestinians who have been affected by... settler violence and live in displacement camps. The issue that we're pushing for is really grounded on human rights, basic human rights and humanitarian action. Having a chance to getting closer to the issue, talking to the people firsthand, I don't think that could be replaced.

The Canadian delegation also had plans to meet with the Palestinian Authority, which administers part of the occupied territory. The trip was sponsored by the Canadian Muslim vote, a Muslim-registered non-profit in Canada. The Israeli government says they were denied access for security reasons. Hundreds of mourners are showing up at Bondi Beach. They're bringing flowers, messages of love, and rejecting the anti-Semitic attacks that happened there on Sunday.

There are calls for justice for the 15 people who were killed on the beach and also calls for stronger gun laws. The CBC's Georgie Smyth is in Sydney with the latest. People stand dazed, staring at a swelling memorial for the lives lost in Bondi. Australian Jews who were hunted at the country's most iconic beach, says Australian Federal Police Commissioner Chrissy Barrett. It appears the alleged killers were interested only in a quest for a death tally. Slowly the public is learning more about the victims gunned down at the Hunnaker event at the weekend,

and more about the alleged gunmen of father and son, who had two homemade ISIS for. flags. Australia's public broadcaster reports, both men traveled to the Philippines last month for military-style training. The son who survived the attack is still in hospital, awaiting significant charges. New gun laws are on the way, says Prime Minister Anthony Albanesey. Limiting the number of guns an individual can own, the type of guns that are illegal, whether gun ownership should require Australian citizenship. No matter how much darkness, one little light can shine up.

Rabbi Yaskov-Baba lives and works in Bondai. He called on mourners to fight back against divisions. If we let what happened on Sunday flourish, not just the Jews. It's the whole society will decay. Police are expected to take down crime scene tape in the next day, returning this much-loved public space to Australians to heal. Georgie Smyth, CBC News, Sydney. The cleanup is starting in British Columbia's Fraser Valley.

The region is getting more rain, but with less intensity. Rainfall warnings have been downgraded from orange to yellow. But as Aaron Collins explains, the situation is different south of the border. We don't think it's going to get to where it's scary. Turns out David McBride was right. Despite heavy rain, the Fraser Valley avoided the worst. McBride says flooding is always a risk here. It could come up.

It's living in the valley. It always could come up, right? Like, that's part of living here. Connie Chapman with BC water management confirms the risk of more flooding has passed for now. The weather event that we had been watching has now since asked. Peak flows and streams are occurring and will continue to occur over the next couple hours before starting to recede. Environment Canada had warned of more flooding for the area, but it didn't materialize. Across the border in Washington State, residents weren't. as lucky, a breached levy leading to a flash flood warning and more evacuations. Brendan McCluskey is Director of Emergency Management in Washington's King County.

From this area, it was mostly industrial and commercial. I don't think there were any residential areas, but we've had evacuations in other places and probably upwards of 500 have been evacuated. Back in BC, most evacuees have been allowed to return home. Officials there say the worst of the rain has now passed. Aaron Collins, CBC News. B.C. The most vulnerable people around the world are not getting the help they need. That is the warning today from a global humanitarian group. The International Rescue Committee is releasing its annual report. It looks into the 20 countries most at risk of a widening humanitarian crisis in 26. Sudan is at the top of that list for the third year in a row,

followed by the occupied Palestinian territories and South Sudan. Here in Donnelly, as a vice president, at the IRC, he says humanitarian funding globally is half of what it was last year. What our clients and teams around the world are living on a daily basis is a world shaped by power politics, geopolitical rivalry and transactional dealmaking. And that shift is driving both sides of the humanitarian emergency that we're witnessing today, a surge in crisis in need and a collapse in global support. Donnelly says more than ever, war is being turned into a profitable enterprise. He says 98 countries are involved in wars beyond their own borders and there are more active wars now than at any time since the Second World War.

The Trump administration says construction of a new White House ballroom must proceed. Officials say it's a matter of national security. U.S. President Donald Trump has championed the project to replace the White House's east wing. The price tag is reportedly in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The CBC's Willie Lowry has more from Washington. And Willie, how did this argument come about? It's part of a lawsuit filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, asking a federal judge to stop the Trump administration's construction of that White House ballroom. The administration filing papers yesterday saying construction can't stop because it would pose an unspecified national security concern.

In the 36-page filing, the deputy director of the U.S. Secret Service said even a temporary halt on the current site demolition would, quote, consequently hamper the agency's ability to carry out its mandate. Of course, demolition started in October. The trust is arguing that the administration fast-tracked the process and didn't go through a proper review process. In its lawsuit, the trust said, quote, no president is legally allowed to tear down. portions of the White House without any review whatsoever, not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else. And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in. The East Wing has already been demolished. So what can they do at this stage? Well, something will have to replace what was

the East Wing, President Trump has long argued that the White House was in desperate need of a space large enough to accommodate big groups of people. But the ballroom won't just be big at 90,000 square feet. It will dwarf the White House. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a non-profit tasked by Congress to protect and preserve historic sites said it would be open to working with the White House in other entities to ensure that the ballroom that emerges is more more in line with the White House while still meeting the administration's needs. A hearing in the case is expected later today in Washington. Thanks so much.

My pleasure. The CBC's Willie Lowry in Washington. We have reached that time of the year when many Canadians head south, but this is travel in the midst of a trade war. And as Karen Pauls tells us, some snowbirds are skipping over the United States and landing in Mexico. So have you guys decided on where you would like to go? Charles Bert and Merrily Mullard are getting advice from the travel agent on where to travel this winter.

Well, on the bucket list is Porto Viarda. They usually spend weeks or even months at a trailer park in West Lico, Texas, but not this year. Since the election of Trump and the insults that he placed on our country, 51st aid and all of that garbage, We decided that, no, we're not going to spend money down there. They're not the only ones making that decision. According to the Ministry of Tourism in Mexico,

the number of Canadians flying to Mexico increased by 11.3% between January and September compared to the year before, an increase of almost 200,000 tourists. Meanwhile, the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office reports a 24% drop in Canadian tourism during the first six months of this year. Well, we are seeing really a meaningful realignment, as I would refer to, of Canadians booking less to the U.S. Amra Dorokovic is with the Flight Center Travel Group in Toronto. A year to date, we've seen on average a 37% decrease of new bookings from Canada to the U.S.

Yeah, there's tons to do in Puerto Baira. You won't be bored. Perfect. Back in Manitoba, where winter has settled in, this couple is looking forward to their Mexican vacation. You can make the choice. You can support Canada, support Mexico. Karen Paul's, CBC News, Winnipeg.

That is the latest national and international news from World Report. News anytime.cnus.ca.com.com.com. I'm Marcia Young.