World Report - June 20: Friday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: June 20, 2025

Iranian and European foreign ministers hold talks in Geneva today as part of diplomatic effort to end the Israel-Iran conflict.UN Security Council meets on Israel-Iran conflict.The Liberal government set to pass its major projects bill as the House rises for the summer.Local businessman Mike Pemberton becomes the new leader of Yukon's Liberal party and the new premier.Mixed progress on health-related calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.Summer blockbuster, Jaws, turns 50.

If you want to hear daily news that doesn't hurt your soul and might even be good for your soul, check out As It Happens. I'm Chris Howden. And I'm Nielke Oksal. Every day we reach people at the center of the most extraordinary stories, like the doctor who restored a patient's eyesight with a tooth. Or a musician in an orchestra that plays instruments made out of vegetables. Take the scenic route through the day's news with As It Happens, and you can find us wherever you get your podcasts. Israeli air defense systems intercept incoming missiles over Tel Aviv as Iran launches new missile barrage. The coastal city of Haifa was hit by at least one rocket today. The ongoing attacks come as European leaders push for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Some European foreign ministers are meeting with their Iranian counterpart in Geneva today. It comes as US President Donald Trump says he'll decide within two weeks whether to back Israel militarily. CBC correspondent Chris Brown has more from Jerusalem. Despite Israel's multi-layered anti-missile shield, ballistic rockets fired by Iran continue to get through. One hit Beersheba, destroying several buildings, the second time in as many days a southern Israeli city was targeted. Speaking on Israeli television, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said U.S. President Donald Trump will do what is good for the United States and he will do what is good for Israel, implying Israel's attacks on Iran's nuclear and military facilities will not let up while Trump ponders

his next moves. Netanyahu has continued to hint he hopes Iranians will help him meet his war aims by overthrowing their Islamic leaders, although there is no evidence any kind of popular uprising is imminent in Iran. Former Mossad official and analyst Seema Shahin says it's likely this war may only end with some kind of U.S. involvement, either by joining in the attacks or waiting until both sides get fatigued. At the end of the day, probably it will be the U.S. that will make the change and make both sides stop. Iran has said it will not enter any negotiations over the future of its nuclear program as

long as Israel keeps attacking, keeping expectations for today's talks with European leaders and Iran in Geneva low. Chris Brown, CBC News, Jerusalem. The Iran-Israel conflict is being debated at the UN Security Council. Secretary General Antonio Guterres is warning the stakes are high. The world is watching with growing alarm. We are not drifting toward crisis. We are racing toward it.

We are not witnessing isolated incidents. We are on course to potential chaos. The expansion of this conflict could ignite a fire that no one can control. We must not let that happen." Guterres says there is what he calls a trust gap with Iran over its nuclear ambitions. The US and Israel both claim Tehran is intent on building a nuclear bomb. Iran says its program is only about nuclear power. As the Iran-Israel conflict enters its second week, the number of deaths continues to climb.

Israeli officials say at least two dozen civilians have been killed. In Iran, it's believed that number is in the hundreds, but exact figures are difficult to come by. Nahayat Tezush is in Florence, but following developments in Iran. Nahayat, what are you hearing about the number of Iranians who have been killed or injured? Diana, it's been incredibly difficult to get a clear picture of the human toll. Israel insists it's targeting military infrastructure with precision strikes, but it has hit targets in densely populated

areas. At the same time, inside Iran, there's no independent media, so the regime controls the information that comes out. One of the few credible sources outside the country, the Washington-based human rights activist group, estimates Israeli attacks have so far killed at least 657 people and wounded over 2,000. Now they say 263 of those killed were civilians, 164 were military personnel, and for the rest they are still investigating. But behind every number is a human life, and slowly some of those stories are beginning to surface. One name that's been shared widely online is Parna Abassi,

a 23-year-old poet, who friends describe as sharp-witted and full of life. She and her family were among the first killed in the strikes. And, Hayat, there's also growing concern over political prisoners in the country. What are you hearing about that? Right. So while the regime is under military attack, it's also doubling down on repression at home, cracking down hard on any sign of dissent. So instead of offering shelter or aid, it cut off internet access nationwide for at least the last 36 hours. Security forces are carrying out arbitrary arrests of known dissidents and accusing others

of spying for Israel. In several cases, political prisoners have also been transferred to undisclosed locations, raising urgent fears for their safety and of course the safety of the many political prisoners across the country. Many remember that in an effort to consolidate power in the late 1980s, the regime executed thousands of political prisoners to crush opposition. So now as the Islamic Republic faces what some see as an existential threat, activists worry what it could do next.

Nahayat Tzouche in Florence, Italy. Nahayat, thank you so much for this. Thank you, Diana. In this country, the Liberal government's major projects and internal trade bill will be voted on before the House of Commons rises for the summer. The legislation gives cabinet sweeping powers by letting it quickly grant federal approvals for big industrial projects like mines, ports and pipelines. Indigenous and environmental groups and some opposition MPs and senators have

criticized the bill. The Yukon Liberal Party has a new leader this morning and with that its next premier. The vote was necessary after Ranch Pelé announced he was stepping down. This was the first contested leadership race for the party in two decades and it came down to just a handful of votes. The CBC's George Moratis reports. The evening began with excitement. The Yukon Liberal Party finally with a choice for leader. The first contested race in 20 years. Vying for the job, Mike Pemberton, a long time Yukon businessman and Doris Bill, former chief of the Kwanlin Dunn First Nation. And then 90

minutes after voting closed, the results. Ballots for Doris Bill, 429. Ballots for Mike Pemberton, 442. Just 13 votes separating the two candidates. This is the honor of my life. For Bill, disappointment. She was looking to become the first First Nations Premier of the Yukon. Bill would have also been the first born and raised Yukonner to serve as Premier. It's a disappointing loss. I mean, it was so close. It is what it is. I mean, you know, at this point, I'm just very tired.

Bill, who attended residential school, says she's not sure at this point if she will run for the Liberals in the next general election. Right now, she's just processing what might have been. Maybe someday, you know, this territory will be ready to an Indigenous person in the Premier's office. After swearing-in ceremony, Pemberton will serve as Premier until at least the next general election. That has to take place no later than November 3rd.

Another fact about Yukon's new premier? He's the third premier in a row from Nova Scotia. George Moradis, CBC News, Whitehorse. Rescue crews are resuming their search in the rubble of yesterday's rock slide in Banff National Park. One hiker was killed and at least three others injured when a rock face gave way yesterday. Josh McLean reports. At the base of Bow Glacier Falls, a plume of dust rises up into the sky. Caught on video,

moments after a rock cliff face broke off and collapsed on a group of hikers. The falls, about 30 minutes north of Lake Louise, are a popular spot for day hikes. Nicholas Brundell was nearby when it happened. We had heard the rock falls before so we decided to kind of keep a little bit lower down a place we thought would be safe because there were kind of small rock falls and then all of a sudden we heard this much louder noise and I turned around and I see basically a whole shelf of a mountain come loose. Parks Canada says the first report of the rockfall came in in the early afternoon. Its visitor safety teams responded along with the RCMP. They found one person dead at the

scene, two more were airlifted to hospital and a third was taken by ground ambulance. The search continues today with dogs and drones. Josh McLean, CBC News, Lake Louise, Alberta. And finally... Are you running away yet? It's been 50 years since that music sent chills down millions of spines of moviegoers, and Jaws is still as popular as ever. Steven Spielberg's tale of a great white shark stalking the waters off a small island community broke records when it hit theaters. People lined up for hours just to see it. It also linked sharks and summer forever. And in Martha's Vineyard, where the plot took place, there is a summer-long blowout event

to mark the anniversary beginning today. And that's the latest national and international news from World Report. I'm Deanna Sumanak Johnson. This is CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.