World Report - Sunday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: December 29, 2024

Plane bursts into flames after skidding off runway at South Korea airport, killing 179. Georgia inaugurates new president, complicating its path toward EU. Police in Canada and its Five Eyes alliance countries are worried about the rise in youth radicalization.

Every language is a note in the symphony of our heritage. Together they create a harmony that cannot be silenced. Discover your voice on the new APTN Languages TV channel. This is a CBC Podcast. This is World Report. Good morning, I'm John Northcott.

South Korea is to observe a week of national mourning. That's the declaration today following the country's deadliest plane crash ever. Authorities say 179 of the 181 on board the Boeing 737 are dead. It burst into flames after crash landing and skidding off the runway. First responders were able to rescue only two crew members from the tail section of the aircraft. Patrick Falk has more. Family members of victims aboard Jeju Air Flight 7C-2216 are inconsolable as authorities read out the names of those who've died one by one. The passenger jet was returning from Bangkok when it crash-landed onto its belly

at Muang Airport in the country's southwest. It then careened down the runway before hitting an embankment and erupting into a fireball. The collision was so severe the plane broke into several pieces. The official in charge of rescue operations said only the tail was identifiable. Lee Jong-hyun added that his team would get to the bottom of what caused the accident as soon as possible. Initial reports say the plane's landing gear may have malfunctioned after the plane flew into a flock of birds. The airport warned about a potential bird strike moments before a Mayday alert. Speaking to media, the airline's CEO said there was no sign of anything unusual with the aircraft. He then bowed his head in apology to the victims. It's the first fatal crash for Jeju Air, a low-cost carrier that flies to dozens of countries

in Asia. The tragedy comes amid political disarray in South Korea. President Yun Suk-yol has been stripped of his powers following a short-lived martial law order. The man who stepped in as acting president, Han Deok-soo, was impeached by parliament on Friday for his role in the fiasco. Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok is now left handling a tragedy just two days after taking over. Patrick Falk, for CBC News, Macau. And in this country, a landing gear problem may have contributed to an incident at Halifax Airport last night. Part of the plane caught fire during a rough landing, forcing the temporary closure of the airport. The incident involved an Air Canada flight being operated by PAL Airlines. 73 people were on board the flight from St. John's.

Nikki Valentine was one of them. We landed and the plane started to sit at about a 20 degree angle to the left. We heard a pretty loud, what almost sounded like a crash sound. The wing of the plane started to skid along the pavement, along with what I presume was the engine. The plane shook quite a bit and we started seeing fire on the left side of the plane and smoke started coming in the windows. Minor injuries were reported by Nova Scotia RCMP and local paramedics. The cause of the incident is under investigation. Georgia's new president took the oath of office in Tbilisi this morning, Mikhail Heveshvili.

It represents a major shift in the former Soviet republic. The incoming government has moved closer to Russia and suspended talks of possible EU membership. His election sparked massive protests in Georgia, with critics saying the process to elect him was fraudulent. In leaving the presidential palace, the outgoing president said she was still the legitimate leader. Azerbaijan's president is accusing Russia of downing the airliner that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day. Ilham Aliyev says it was an accident. 38 people died when the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed while making an emergency landing. It's widely believed it was shot down by Russia's air defense system.

Aliyev says the act was not intentional, but today he accused the Kremlin of trying to cover up the cause. Police in Canada and other Five Eyes countries are raising concerns about a troubling trend. The Intelligence Sharing Alliance says there's a rising number of young people being radicalized online. As the CBC's Catherine Tunney reports, the RCMP say they need help. 13, 14, 15, 16 years old. Mental health worker David O'Brien rattles out the ages of kids who come into his clinic, angry, lost, and radicalized. O'Brien works at the Yorktown Family Services in Toronto, trying to reach youth lured into violent extremism, from neo-Nazism to minors with anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim sympathies. Especially coming out of a pandemic where lots of children and youth spent most of their time online, and I think we're seeing the

consequences of that. The clinic is far from alone in noticing a growing number of young people enticed by extremist views. Earlier this month, the Five Eyes Alliance sent out a collective call for help. The report, from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the U.S. and the U.K., warns of a rising prominence of young people supporting terrorism. We don't feel like we are capable of continuing to tackle this issue alone if we want to prevent it. RCMP Superintendent Jean-Guy Assaya says Canada has been lucky in preventing an attack so far. And last year, Mounties have swooped in to arrest young people in Ottawa and Toronto

before attacks could be carried out. But Assaya says Canada needs a broader approach, like more resources for health care professionals, schools and parents, before that luck runs out. Catherine Tunney, CBC News, Ottawa. Renowned Vancouver artist Joe Average is dead. He was known for his colorful artwork and also for his advocacy for people living with HIV. Average died on December 24th at the age of 67, Michelle Morton has more on his life and legacy. Michael Harding is a longtime friend of Joe Average and says the artist, who was born Brock David Tebbett, decided to pursue his creativity professionally after he was diagnosed with AIDS and told he may only have months to live. He's a survivor. He had AIDS for 40 years and maintained his healthy attitude by being creative. Average's bright and bold pieces of art have touched the world. He was also a devoted

advocate for HIV AIDS awareness and to SLGBTQ plus rights and donated his artwork frequently to charitable causes. So creativity I think think, is what kept him alive. And love, the love of the community and giving of love to people. Average's sister, Karen Carson, says he's been an artist since a young age. When he first did shows, he did shows in his apartment and colored on paper with pastels and they were tiny. And then I've been to shows where everything sells out in the first night. He hasn't done, now he does mostly prints. And like they're big, they're colorful, they're wonderful.

They just make people smile. And that's what he wanted. They hope people will continue to remember Average for his kindness. Michelle Morton, CBC News, Vancouver. There's an unexpected friendship brewing in southern Ontario this holiday season. And it's all thanks to a green bench. It's part of a program that encourages seniors to share their wisdom with young people. The CBC's Jennifer LaGrassa has the story. She's one cool grandma. Words Cecile Wilkinson has always wanted to hear, but at 83, she didn't think she'd ever become a grandmother,

until suddenly, she was. And it's all because she sat on a green bench at a local library. I just figured that was to be it, just sitting on the bench. Wilkinson lives at a Windsor, Ontario seniors home run by Schlegel Villages. The company's green bench initiative encourages community members to take a seat next to seniors to share wisdom and connect. But then they introduced me to Matthew. She always has some jokes to tell me. 13-year-old Matthew Wilder is drawn in by Wilkinson's joy for life.

She always lived her life with kindness, and I just kind of want to do the same thing. Since meeting in June, Wilder continues to visit Wilkinson at her care home. I'm surprised that anybody would take interest in me. I know what they take away from it is a sense of pride and a feeling that I still matter. Jenny Brown works for Schlegel Villages. It recently donated a green bench to Essex County Library. It will move between different locations, inviting people to pause and connect, just like Wilkinson and Wilder did. If there's someone around that you want to talk to, I feel like you should do it because it could be the start of a great friendship, or it could be just something really interesting

that impacts your life in a way you never thought it would. Just having him in my life, it's changed me. A big impact for a simple bench. Jennifer LaGrassa, CBC News, Windsor. And we end our show with the number three on CBC Music's Top 100 Canadian Songs of 2024. I swear if I showed you a song I made you'd say it's not your taste. Well, that is Stick of Gum by Nemesis,

and the video for the song was shot entirely in her hometown of Jericho in the occupied West Bank. Our colleagues at CBC Music say this was a sink or swim year for the Palestinian-Canadian artist. She says she was dropped by her label and ostracized after posting on social media about the occupation of her homeland. To reciprocate No matter how high or heavy the take A stick, a girl, a guy to mine You could play guilty and I would do the same And you can tune in tomorrow to hear the number two song on CBC Music's top 100 Canadian songs of the year. That is World Report.

I'm John Northcott. This is CBC News.