World Report - May 25: Sunday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: May 25, 2025

Russia and Ukraine say they have completed an exchange of prisoners of war the largest since the war began.Today marks five years to the day since George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis.Texas is a step closer to requiring all public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments.Big week ahead in Ottawa where Parliament is set to open and King Charles prepares to deliver Speech from the Throne.In southeastern Australia, floods are being blamed for at least eight deaths as the clean up continues after the region's worst floods in decades.Uganda's parliament passes a controversial bill allowing civilians to be tried in military court.The French Riviera has been hit with a second power outage in just two days in what officials say is likely arson.

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Find an agent today at Dejardin.com slash business coverage. This is a CBC podcast. This is World Report. Good morning. I'm John Northcott. We begin in Ukraine where the capital was hit by another massive Russian drone and missile attack. For the second night in a row, people were forced to take cover as hundreds of Russian missiles and drones targeted Kyiv and other regions around the country. At least 12 people are dead, including three children. The CBC's Anna Cunningham reports. Deep underground in Ky Kiev's metro stations.

This is where thousands spent a restless night in Ukraine's capital. Above ground the bombing was, once again, relentless. Some 300 Russian attack drones and 70 missiles, including ballistic ones, were fired. Not just on the capital. Regions in the north, west, northeast and south were also hit. Ukraine's emergency services working through the night to put out fires and rescue those trapped. By daylight emerging from shelters, people walk past the damaged buildings. In one area of

Mykolaiv, a child's slide and swing lies destroyed amongst the debris of a bomb blast. This weekend of heavy Russian attacks is happening as both sides carry out a prisoner swap. The agreement to release 1,000 prisoners each was made in direct talks in Turkey, the only tangible result of the negotiations. A third release this morning has completed that exchange. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky posting on social media says the world may be on a weekend break, but the war continues. He has again urged allies to use truly strong pressure on Russia.

Without it, he says, the war cannot be stopped. Anna Cunningham, CBC News, London. This is five years to the day since George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis. His death sparked widespread protests demanding racial equality and police reform. Critics say five years later, little has changed. And some advocates say the racial divide in America is the only growing Steve Futterman reports it is a death that has reverberated around the world It's estimated that hundreds of millions have watched the horrific videotape of George Floyd slowly dying Repeatedly saying he couldn't breathe

His death sparked angry and sometimes violent protests that went on for weeks. The officer responsible for his death, Derek Chauvin, We the jury in the above entitled matter, find the defendant guilty. was eventually found guilty of second degree murder and sentenced to 22 years in prison. This weekend there have been many remembrances. In Minneapolis, near the spot where Floyd was killed, an outdoor weekend celebration of his life. Remember, remember what happened here

so that it will never happen again. Floyd's brother, Philonis, says the memories do not go away. At the end of the day, my brother was murdered. It's a life sentence for us. Five years later, civil rights activist Earl LaFauré Hutchinson says George Floyd forced America to come face to face with some ugly truths. We've got a problem in America with police abuse. Floyd brought that home in black and white, live in color in your home.

But this past week, the Trump administration announced it's rescinding a number of orders brought on by the death of George Floyd that were forcing the Minneapolis Police Department to implement reforms. Steve Futterman for CBC News, Los Angeles. Texas is a step closer to requiring all public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments. The Republican proposal passed a major vote at the state legislature yesterday, a final vote expected within the week. This would make Texas the second and the largest state to impose the mandate, Arkansas being

the other. It will likely face a legal challenge, critics say it's a constitutional violation of the separation of church and state. A big week in Ottawa ahead, officials are preparing for a royal visit as King Charles and Queen Camilla get set to arrive tomorrow. But first, there is the business behind the opening of the new session of parliament with the new prime minister and government. The CBC's chief political correspondent, Rosemary Barton, joins us from Ottawa. Rosemary, for Parliament to open, what should we be

watching for? Well, first remember, John, that Parliament hasn't even sat in 2025. It hasn't sat in more than five months since well before the election. So the first thing that has to happen tomorrow is the election of a new speaker for the House of Commons. Then attention will turn immediately to the arrival of King Charles III tomorrow and the bid then and then of course the throne speech on Tuesday morning. It will be the King's 20th visit to Canada, but his first one as King. And he comes, John, at the request of the Prime Minister to deliver the speech from the throne, something that

Queen Elizabeth II did twice most recently in 1977. So an event that is usually filled with lots of pomp and circumstance will have even more. And the presence of the King and the demonstration of our democracy and parliamentary system is really meant to send a message that even in the face of threats, Canada remains a sovereign nation. The speech itself, of course, is to outline the government's priorities for the months ahead. And we'll focus on some of the things that the Prime Minister outlined in his one mandate letter to cabinet, growing the Canadian economy, bringing down costs for Canadians, building more homes and getting a new economic and security pact with the United States.

Paul Matz So before all the pomp and pageantry, politics, the Prime Minister today will have his first full caucus meeting since the election. Danielle Pletka That's right. And so by law at that caucus meeting, the Liber liberals have to decide whether they're going to adopt the Reform Act. This is a decade old law that is meant to provide more checks and balances between the caucus and the party leaders. Essentially, it allows the caucus to decide that they don't want the leader anymore and vote them out. That's

what happened to former conservative leader Aaron O'Toole back in 2022. The liberals have never adopted these powers before inside their caucus. We know that yesterday calls were being made to MPs to get a sense of where they were headed. We also know that some MPs believe that this might be the time to do it, given how long it took them to get rid of their previous leader, Justin Trudeau. Some of the MPs as well in caucus, some of the backbenchers, frustrated, disappointed. They didn't get into cabinet. Some of them, the MPs that we spoke to, frustrated that Marco Mendocino, the prime minister's

chief of staff, is staying on, given some of the decisions that he's made so far. So the caucus meeting, this first one, will be a test of how Mark Carney can manage all of these different demands and personalities behind closed doors. Rosemary Barton in Ottawa. Thanks Rosemary. Thanks. In southeastern Australia, floods are being blamed for at least eight deaths as the cleanup continues after the region's worst floods in decades.

It's the worst we've ever seen. It's the worst everybody's seen around this area. Dan Patch surveying his mud-logged farm in Guinea Guinea, some 300 kilometers north of Sydney. Days of non-stop rain turned streams into raging rivers, destroyed homes and swept away livestock. But even amongst the devastation there are moments of relief. Okay, we've found the little boy calf. We thought we'd lost one in the water, we thought he might have drowned, but apparently he's there. She had twins in the water, in the mud. Tens he might have drowned, but apparently he's there. She had twins in the water, in the mud.

Tens of thousands of people remain isolated even as floodwaters recede. Officials have been using helicopters to airdrop animal feed to farmers across the region. Uganda's parliament passes a controversial bill allowing civilians to be tried in military court. Critics claim the government will use the threat of court martial to silence its political opponents. Isabel Nakariya reports. The private members bill, the political parties amendment bill. Opposition members of parliament walked out in protest. But the chaos didn't stop the ruling National Resistance Movement party passing the bill, known as the Uganda People's Defense Bill, it will allow civilians to be tried in military court.

The court is controlled by army officers rather than legal professionals, and the penalties are in many cases harsh. Civil rights activist Sarah Birete says it will be used mainly against opponents of the government and will undermine the rule of law and threatens democracy. The bill reverses the decision to in the military courts, especially during campaign season, to curtail their freedoms, but also to disempower them. The bill reverses the decision of Uganda's highest court. The judges term the military court as a disciplinary court for serving army officers. The president is yet to sign it into law, but the opposition and activists warn they

will challenge it. Isabelle Nakiriya for CBC News, Kampala. And finally, a bit of a mystery on the French Riviera. The region has been hit with the second power outage in just two days, and authorities blame both incidents on suspected sabotage of the electric grid. A major blackout interrupted the Cannes International Film Festival yesterday and overnight tens of thousands of homes lost power in Nice. Officials say incidents were caused by fires at power substations

likely caused by arson. And that is the latest national and international news from World Report. I'm John Northcott. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with us here at CBC News. For more CBC podcasts go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.