World Report - December 17: Wednesday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: December 17, 2025

Australian police charge 24-year-old Naveed Akram with 15 counts of murder and other offences in connection to the Bondi Beach attack. US President Donald Trump says he is ordering a blockade of all "sanctioned oil tankers" into Venezuela. ICE in Minnesota: how the Somali community is pushing back against immigration raids and hurtful rhetoric. Advocates say children who have applied to become Canadians under the humanitarian and compassionate immigration pathway are becoming undocumented. Canada's Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden stands behind Skate Canada's decision not to hold national, international events in Alberta. VIA Rail CEO Mario Peloquin to step down after just 3 years on the job.Some parents and kids say Quebec's new winter play guidelines go too far.

Welcome to Lilith Fair! In the late 90s, a groundbreaking all-female music festival emerged, led by Canadian artist Sarah McLaughlin. Promoter said, you can't put two women on the same bill. People won't come. And it put a huge fire under my butt to prove them wrong. Representation for women in rock music wasn't there. And worse, you're being pitted against each other.

Lilith became a free train. Catch the documentary that chronicles a pivotal moment in music culture. Watch Lilith Fair, building a mystery. For free on CBC Gem. This is a CBC podcast. This is World Report. Good morning. I'm Marcia Young. Hundreds of people sing at the growing memorial on Sydney's Bondi Beach.

The morning for those killed in Sunday's attack during a Hanukkah celebration continues. And today, the suspected shooter is charged. with 59 offenses. The 24-year-old is facing more than a dozen counts of murder. Georgie Smyth has the story from Sydney. 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of wounding with intent to murder, one count of displaying a prohibited terrorist symbol. These are just some of the offenses Navid Akram is facing

after being formally charged in hospital while under police guard. Investigators say the terrorist attack was inspired by ISIS. On the same day, the parents of murdered 10-year-old girl Matilda came to the public memorial to place their daughter's shoes among the carpet of flowers and candles. Her father, Michael, says he tried to pull Matilda out of harm's way, but the shooting wouldn't stop. She wasn't shocked.

She was telling me, it's hard to breathe. And I was holding her, and I was like, calm down. Lawmakers will meet early next week to pass new emergency measures to further restrict gun ownership in the state, New South Wales. Here's Premier Chris Menz. We are proposing a bill to cap the number of firearms to reclassify straight pull-up and pump action shotguns to look at reducing magazine capacity for shotguns.

The federal government is expected to follow suit soon. Crime scene tape is slothed. slowly coming down around the beach front, but traditional New Year's celebrations here have been ruled out, and the status of other festive events at the iconic beach is unclear. Georgie Smyth, CBC News, Sydney. U.S. President Donald Trump says he is ordering a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers sailing into Venezuela. Last night on social media, Trump said Venezuela is completely surrounded by a large Armada. And he said it will only get bigger until Venezuela returns all of the oil, land, and

other assets that previously stole from the United States. Pentagon officials were not able to answer questions about what that means. But Venezuela's government says this naval blockade is designed to steal wealth from Venezuela. It is accusing Trump of violating international law and free trade. Minnesota's Somali community is expecting to be the target of of the latest round of immigration enforcement operations. 80,000 Somalis live in the Twin Cities. They heard U.S. President Donald Trump say he did not want them in the country. And as Katie Nicholson reports, they're finding ways to push back.

A handful of ICE agents surrounded by protesters in the middle of a residential street. What was a traffic stop, now an angry confrontation. Agents fire pepper balls into the ground, and the crowd retreats a little. I've been pepper sprayed twice today. I'm not deterred. This is Democratic State Representative Aisha Gomez's neighborhood. We're standing up for our community. This community is going to continue to mobilize as long as we have secret police invading our streets. While some in Minnesota welcome ICE, the governor, the mayors of St. Paul in Minneapolis,

have not. Many in the Twin Cities have signed up for rapid response training to monitor and document ice raids. From 115 to over 500 sign-ups. UDU works with one of the training groups. They're business owners, their neighbors, their teachers, their nurses, health care workers, like everyone under the sun that you can think of. Many of them inspired to take action by the U.S. president's tirades against the Somali community in the state.

Donald Trump called them garbage. Even though most of the 80,000 Somalis who live there are citizens, Somalis are scared, says Farah, who doesn't want us to use his last name because he fears repercussions. There's people that aren't leaving their house because they're scared. There's people that literally have not gone out for groceries for days and weeks and they're citizens. A fear only underscored when an American-born Somali man was dragged through the snow and briefly arrested by ICE on his way to pick up lunch last week. Katie Nicholson, CBC News, Minneapolis.

and advocates say children across Ontario are losing their legal immigration status. These youth have applied under Canada's humanitarian and compassionate immigration pathway, but they face decades-long processing times. And as Priscilla Kisang reports, some are becoming undocumented while they wait. It really hate me like last year. In his Ottawa home, surrounded by his basketball medals and trophies, John says he couldn't travel with his team to tournaments in the U.S. and can't get his driver's license. Just a toddler when he came to Canada, he's now 16 and undocumented.

CBC is protecting John's real name because of deportation risks. I mean, I couldn't really live the regularly teenager life, so I felt like I was behind. John is waiting for permanent residents under the humanitarian and compassionate stream. But this fall, the wait time ballooned from roughly two years to more than a decade

because the government slashed its immigration level. to numbers lawyers call unprecedented. Heather Neufeld is an immigration lawyer. She says without status, people can't legally work, study, or access health care. Instead of being a leader in protecting people, we're going to become just like the U.S. with an underclass of undocumented people. Liz O'Kai is with the Child Welfare Immigration Center of Excellence. She wants the federal government to expedite vulnerable youth's applications.

So that they don't spend their entire formative years, being in life. limbo and being in fear and hiding. Immigration refugees and citizenship Canada says its processing times are transparent and up-to-date and puts the onus on applicants to request urgent processing. John says he worries for other youth like him. It's a little heartbreaking and I hope that it changes a little bit. Priscilla Kisan Huang, CBC News, Ottawa. Canada's Secretary of State for Sport, Adam Vancouverden, is standing behind Skate Canada.

The National Sport Organization says it will no longer host major events in Alberta. It made that decision after the province banned transgender athletes from participating in women's sport. We believe that a sport system that is rooted in fairness and welcoming and is inclusive for all athletes is the best path forward. Vancouverden says all Canadians should have the opportunity to play sports, including those in the transgender community. Alberta Premier Daniel Smith says women and girls have the right. to play competitive sports in a safe and fair environment against other biological females. The head of Via Rail is stepping down next month. CEO Mario Pellequin will retire in January after just three years on the job.

His departure comes as some travelers are increasingly critical of the service on the National Rail Line. Just last week, nearly 300 people were stranded overnight on three Via Rail trains in eastern Ontario. The federal government also recently announced it's moving ahead with the country's first high-speed rail network. Construction is expected to begin in 2029. The province of Quebec is introducing new winter safety guidelines for schoolyards. They include complex rules and daily inspections for kids playing on piles of snow. And as Alexander Silberman tells us, those restrictions are getting a frosty reception.

A winter tradition in Canadian schoolyards, jumping, sliding and rolling down big mounds of snow. But now Quebec schools are being encouraged to follow a new list of safety rules, including possibly wearing helmets. I think that's kind of ridiculous. I think kids are kids. The idea generating strong reaction on the streets of Montreal. People who are in fear are the adults. The guidelines come from a group insurance association. aiming to avoid complaints from parents and potential lawsuits. Snow piles need to be between 1.8 and 3 meters high,

with a pitch of around 25%. But Quebec Premier Francois Lagos, argues the idea of wearing helmets in the schoolyard, is excessive. And some experts say outdoor risky play is an essential part of early childhood development. I'm a bit concerned in terms of trying to be overly prescriptive around how we provide those kinds of environments. Mariana Broussoni is a paediatrics professor

at the University of British Columbia. How fast do I want to take my speed down that slope? Those kinds of things that we want to really allow kids to make decisions for themselves. There are no consequences for schools that don't implement the guidelines, many trying to strike a balance, keeping kids safe, while letting a little bit of a tumble still be part of the fun.

Alexander Silverman, CBC News, Montreal. That is the latest national and international news from World Report, News Anytime. CBCNews.ca. I'm Marcia Young. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.com.