Your World Tonight - Grizzly attack, plan for Ukraine war, absenteeism, and more

Episode Date: November 21, 2025

A confrontation with a grizzly bear has left students and a teacher in B.C. seriously hurt. They were on an outing from an independent school run by the Nuxalk Nation in Bella Coola. Officials say a teacher took the brunt of it trying to fight off the bear.And: Ukraine’s president says his country faces a hard choice. Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to Ukrainians in a national address about a U.S. proposal to end the war with Russia. U.S. President Donald Trump has given Zelenskyy until Thursday to respond to a plan that includes many of Russia’s longstanding demands, while offering limited security guarantees to Ukraine.Also: Why are more kids missing school? We have a look at absenteeism numbers across the country, and what might be behind them.Plus: JD Vance criticizes Canada’s political leadership and immigration system; Mexico City exhumes bodies to search for missing people; Trump and Mamdani meet, and more.

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We say in a bare encounter, please try to stand and talk in a calm voice and not run and become erratic. But with school children, that's extremely difficult. Those children were on a field trip to experience nature near their school in Belicula, British Columbia. when a grisly bear came out of the woods and attacked. Their teachers are being praised as heroes, fighting off the bear. But three kids, and one of those teachers, are seriously hurt. This is your world tonight. I'm Stephanie Skandaris.

It's Friday, November 21st, coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern, also on the podcast. If the United States will continue to insist on this plan, it will bring disgrace to the country. It will be a violation not only of international law, it will be violation of American values. Ukrainian leaders feeling the political pressure to accept a U.S. peace deal that feels to many like a surrender.

The country's president calls the next few days some of the most difficult in Ukraine's history as Washington sets a Thursday deadline, even as Russia continues its deadly attacks. They say it was unprovoked and unprecedented. A British Columbia First Nation is reeling from a grisly bear attack on a group of school children and their teachers. Four people are hospitalized and some of the injuries are critical.

Sam Samson has the latest. I heard about it when a student was speaking to their first. family and I was absolutely shocked. Jamie Kennedy says word of the horrific bear attack traveled fast throughout Balakula. The chair of the Central Coast Regional District also works at a school in the area. She says everyone is trying to support those who were involved and the First Nation where this happened, all while trying to make sense of just what happened. It sounds like everybody acted with bears in mind. It sounds like it's just like a very unusual broad. daylight sort of occurrence.

The attack happened Thursday in Newhawk Nation in Belakula, a mountainous region in BC, about 420 kilometers northeast of Vancouver as the crow flies. The BC Conservation Officer Service says a school group was having lunch on a trail near the river when a bear emerged from the forest and attacked. Inspector Kevin Van Dam said in a video statement, the adults in the group acted fast. Teachers successfully repelled the bear using pepper spray and a bear banger. The First Nation says the group of about 20 people were on a short afternoon field trip near Aquasalta School, an independent school run by the nation.

It says the attack happened without provoking the bear and that the incident has caused significant trauma to everyone in the community. They were doing a lot of the right things, you know, traveling in a group, having bear spray on them. Kim Titchener is an Alberta-based human bear conflict expert. She says grizzly attacks are rare as it is, but ones that happen without the bear being provoked or surprised in any way, are not common at all. Even with defensive attacks with grizzlies, it's very unusual to have a large group involved like this. Because large groups tend to scare bears off.

They hear us coming. They get out of the way. We're much more intimidating in large groups. And statistically, when you look at the research of cases where people have been attacked by grizzly bears, they're usually by themselves or with one other person. The school involved is closed today due to the incident. Officials have not found the bear yet. Conservation officers say preliminary information leads them

believe the bear had been hurt before the attack. As they conduct their search, the First Nation asks locals not to go looking for the animal, even if they're stressed or scared. It says the nation is offering rides around the community so people can avoid walking in the area. Sam Sampson, CBC News, Edmonton. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vows he will not betray his country. He says he'll move quickly to offer alternatives to a new U.S. plan to end the war with Russia. The leaked 28-point proposal includes concessions, backed by the U.S., and favoring the Kremlin. Many fear it would erode Ukraine's sovereignty, leaving it exposed to future attacks.

Chris Brown reports. Now is one of the most difficult moments in our history. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky began his video statement, underscoring that accepting U.S. President Donald Trump's 28-point plan to end the war with Russia would leave Ukraine badly weakened and vulnerable. Accepting means either the loss of dignity or the risk of losing a key partner, the United States, he said. Zelensky appeared to confirm that Trump wants Ukraine's approval by Thursday

or else the U.S. could cut off intelligence sharing and other assistance. Trump has made the threat before and also demanded unacceptable compromises of Ukraine before. But this time feels different. Ukraine has suffered key battlefield setbacks in recent weeks. In this fourth winter of all-out war, its energy system is being strained by the Russian attacks, and Zelensky's government is weakened by a corruption scandal. Perhaps sensing that, Trump is again pushing Zelensky to turn over unconquered territory in the Donbass region to Russia

and accept limits in the size of its armed forces and having foreign troops in the country. of which Vladimir Putin has been demanding. Putin issued his own statement, saying Trump's proposals could be the basis for what he called a peaceful solution to the war. Many analysts believe Putin's goal has always been less about capturing territory and more about destroying Ukraine's sovereignty, which is why so many Ukrainians see Trump's proposal as toxic. This is a complete surrender.

in my opinion, said Taras, a key of hospital worker. European leaders, including EU head, Ursula von der Leyen, repeated there should be no deals done over Ukraine's head. A key principle, we have always upheld, and that is nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. European leaders plan to meet without Zelensky at the G20 over the weekend in South Africa to talk about next steps.

We did not betray Ukraine then, and we will not do it. it now, Zelensky said, referring to the pressure on his country when war broke out to acquiesce to Putin's demands. Why Trump's proposals have continually echoed Putin's demands remains a deeply frustrating mystery for so many in Europe. But Zelensky spoke to U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance Friday and indicated he's willing to work to make the path to peace dignified and lasting. Chris Brown, CBC News, London. The United Nations says more food is getting into Gaza, but still not enough to satisfy the massive need.

Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect a month ago, the World Food Program has brought in 40,000 tons of food. But spokesperson Martin Penner says hundreds of thousands of people urgently need help. Markets are coming back to life. Food is there, but prices are still out of reach for most people. So many people still rely on food aid, food parcels, bread from bakeries, hot meals, kitchens. One woman told us that she feels like her whole body is crying out for different kinds of food, different from the canned food and the dry rations that people have been living on for two years. Coming right up, the fight over fighter jets.

Canada has been debating where to buy them, possibly scrapping a U.S. contract, and finding a partner somewhere else. Also, Donald Trump has called him a radical leftist, a communist, a lunatic, questioned his nationality and criticized his religion. But Zoran Mamdani, the incoming mayor of New York, still requested a visit to the White House, and today, he got one. Plus, India is going all in on a bid to host the Summer Olympics. Later, we'll have this story.

Every parents heard it at some point during the morning rush to get ready for school. Some days I just like really don't want to go in. A CBC investigation found it's happening more often, kids calling in sick. I'm Tara Carmen in Vancouver and I'll have that story and the reasons why coming up on your world tonight. Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged to end the U.S. Trade War, a big part of why he and the liberals were elected. But there are few signs a deal is coming soon. There are no talks. In public, American officials are more bellicose than buddy-buddy.

And as Kate McKenna reports, lingering questions about Canada's fighter jet fleet could be one big reason why. But that review is definitely underway. Fighter jet procurement appears poised for a dogfight amid trade tensions between Canada and the United States. Defense Minister David McGinty says Canada still hasn't decided whether to proceed with buying all 88 F-35 jets from the American company Lockheed Martin in a deal signed two years ago.

The F-35 acquisition remains under review, and when it's completed, we'll have much more to say about this. The review was announced in March on the heels of the 51st state rhetoric from U.S. President Donald Trump. Conservative defense critic James Bazan says it's time to make a decision. The Minister of National Defense said the review will be done by the end of last summer. Once and for all, when will this unnecessary review finally end? Canada's waffling on a multi-billion dollar deal could affect the future of U.S. Canada trade.

U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra spoke at a conference earlier this week and was asked what a renegotiated free trade agreement could look like. Well, on a number of these issues, we are, we're actually waiting to see exactly where the Canadian government is going to come out on. Pointing specifically to one area, the White House is watching closely. I said on the F-35, we've got all kinds of people and companies that are involved, you know, from an economic standpoint and a military cooperation standpoint. Hoekstra added Canada has benefited from making parts for previous versions of the F-35. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe was in Washington this week and says the future of the fighter jet program looms large.

You know, that's a current sensitivity between the nation and the two nations, Canada and the U.S., with the, you know, the previous indication that, We were looking at F-35s now looking at, you know, potentially something else. The potential alternative is the Swedish-made Saab Gripen. CEO Michael Johansson says if the federal government picks them, it could lead to up to 10,000 jobs in Canada. We are prepared to move technology to Canada and set up shop here with partnerships with industry. Their charm offensive included a royal visit from the Swedish king and queen earlier this week.

But trade talks remain stalled between Canada and the U.S. Today, Vice President J.D. Vance posted on social media, criticizing what he called immigration and sanity in Canada. He claims living standards in Canada are stagnating and blames leadership. Meanwhile, the federal government has said it's ready to get back to the table. In the meantime, it'll look for ways to increase trade with other countries. Kate McKenna, CBC News, Ottawa. In Washington, New York's Merrill Act met with the U.S. President in the White House. After it wrapped up, Zohran Mamdani and Donald Trump were all smiles.

They told reporters they focused on their shared concerns like affordability and serving New Yorkers and not their political differences. Paul Hunter has more from Washington. For some reason, the press has found this to be a very interesting meeting. The biggest people in the world, they come over from countries, nobody cares. But they did care about this meeting. On that, Donald Trump was bang on. The attention, in the lead-up to his meeting with the new mayor-elect of New York City, Zoran Mamdani, was mega.

Dozens of reporters and camera people outside the West Wing and inside the Oval Office expecting fireworks. Trump and Mamdani had, after all, traded barbs for weeks in the run-up to this. Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, Trump, a seriously conservative Republican. Trump's own press secretary yesterday labeling Mamdani a communist. but said Trump, Friday, after their much-hyped get-together. We had a meeting today that actually surprised me. He wants to see no crime. He wants to see housing being built.

He wants to see rents coming down, all things that I agree with. Now, we may disagree how we get there. With the two side-by-side in the Oval Office, the apparent camaraderie was remarkable. We agree on a lot more than I would have thought. I think he's, I want him to do a great job. Even Mamdani. said to have been briefed by multiple other Democratic politicians who've dealt with Trump and often been challenged by him seemed upbeat, if on message.

I think both President Trump and I, we are very clear about our positions and our views. And what I really appreciate about the president is that the meeting that we had focused not on places of disagreement, which there are, many, and also focused on the shared purpose that we have in serving New Yorkers. We focused on affordability. We focused on the cost of living crisis. Given the rhetoric in recent week, some reporters seemed keen on pressing for discord. One reminding Mamdani he'd once labeled Trump a fascist. Trump all but laughed. Are you affirming that you think President Trump is a fascist?

I've spoken about... That's okay. You can just say, yes. Okay. It's easier. It's easier than explaining it. In fairness, Trump himself had said the meeting would be civil, even though he also previously called Mamdani a radical left. lunatic, no matter, whatever was said at the meeting. Indeed, Trump said many times afterward that

he was surprised by how it all went. It seems to have gone, in short, very well. I expect to be helping him, not hurting him, a big help, because I want New York City to be great. Look, I love New York City. It's where I come from. I spent a lot of years there. With that, Trump smiled, shook Mamdani's hand, padded the back of it, and the two went their ways. Jaws, everywhere else, seemingly on the floor. Paul Hunter, CBC News, Washington. Delegates at the COP 30 summit in Brazil are at an impasse after a new draft deal was published this morning. The new text doesn't contain any plans to transition away from oil and gas and coal.

That's angered a group of 30 countries. They've refused to accept any deal that does not commit to develop a roadmap away from fossil fuels. The conference was set to end today, but negotiations will continue until a compromise can be reached. India is the world's most populous country with one of the fastest growing economies. Now it's reaching for another global distinction, host of the Olympic Games, the 2036 summer games, to be specific. There are challenges. India isn't exactly an Olympic powerhouse, and there have been some recent doping scandals. But as Salima Shivji reports, the Indian government thinks it has a shot.

An early Sunday morning and the shooting range in Pune in India's western Maharashtra state is full of young athletes, practicing this Olympic sport that India excels at. And the Indian supporters go crazy to recognize the bronze medalist. Gaining inspiration from India's Manu Bucker, who won two shooting bronze medals at the 2024-Paris Games. That's given a push to India's ambitious bid to host the Olympics for the first time in 2036. It'll be a proud moment for India. India has the infrastructure and all, exciting. The infrastructure is not quite there yet.

But in Ahmedabad, the proposed host city in Gujarat state, construction on sports venues is in full swing, with a promise to build 10, as India tries to convince officials with the International Olympic Committee that the South Asian country's time has come, a still-developing nation with the world's fastest-growing major economy. When India's Prime Minister spelled out the country's goal to land the Games last year, he leaned into a sense of pride. We organized a fantastic G20 summit, Narendra Modi says.

It proves we can welcome any major international event on Indian soil. To that end, India's Olympic bid team lobbied hard at the Paris Games, a continuation of a charm offensive that began quietly a year earlier. The government keeps talking about the benefits of hosting the prestigious sporting event, but the risks are also high. And the games will be declared open. In 2010, the Commonwealth Games in Delhi were shambolic, plagued by corruption scandals and massive mismanagement. Now, India will get a do-over.

Ahmedabad has been chosen to host those games in 2030. And you can see political forces that align. But Andrew Zimbalist, an economics professor at Smith College in Massachusetts, who's written several books about the business of the Olympics says it's extremely rare for any games to be a good investment. It's the sort of thing that can either be a neutral force or a slightly positive force, but the odds are stacked against it. The IOC has reportedly raised concerns

over bad governance within the Indian Olympic Association, high doping rates, and India's dismal record at the Olympics. It's party time in India. A meager six medals in Paris for a country of more than one. 1.4 billion people. But at the shooting range in Pune, the question marks over India's Olympic bid are overshadowed by the possible benefits,

says former World Cup champion Shahumane. Getting the Olympics, it's the massive stage. It would impact the country and the sport in a good way. It's a winning proposition for all of the athletes here. Dreaming of gold and glory at home. Salima Shivji, CBC News, For decades. For decades, Mexico has grappled with a horrible question. What happened to thousands of missing people?

The country's president says finding out is a national priority, and she's announced new government initiative. to do that. Jorge Berrera tells us about one project in Mexico City, where officials are exhuming bodies and looking for answers. I feel my son could be here, says Anna Maria Maldonado. She has been searching for her son for 15 years. Today, she is in Mexico City's Bantillon Civil de Dolores Cemetery, which has the city's largest common grave. Bodies that have never been claimed or identified are buried here. Her son Carlos vanished in 2010, aged 34, after he went out to buy a car from someone he met online.

I want to know what happened to him, she says. She has gathered with other families of the missing, for what Mexico City officials say was the start of the largest project of its kind in Latin America, the exhumation and identification of 6,600 bodies, buried since the 1960s. still crossing information, from their names, their characteristics to the names of the missing persons and we are still doing that work to obtain the major number of identities possible in this process. Luis Gomez-Nigrette heads the city agency in charge of the search for the city's missing.

He says a review of Cemetery and Missing Persons Records found hundreds of possible matches, triggering this project. This is going to take years, he says. This is part of Mexico City's multi-agency strategy to deal with its growing list of the disappeared, over 7,000, 6th highest, among all jurisdictions in a country with over 130,000 vanished. We are conscious that the search for disappeared persons is a challenge of great magnitude, says Bertha Adcald de Lujan, the city's attorney general. Sophia Lara Alfonso says her family was notified

that her brother was buried in this common grave. Carlos Alfonso was homeless and died in hospital in 2012. She says the family, which had filed a missing person's report in 2009, was never notified. He was always my best friend, since I was a girl, she says. Officials say they don't know exactly how long it will take to identify remains. But for some families who've waited years for answers, knowing this work has finally started, gives them just a little bit more hope.

Jorge Barrera, CBC News, Mexico City. A Christian Association says more than 200 students and teachers have been kidnapped from a Catholic school in central Nigeria. It's the second mass abduction at a school. in the country in less than a week. On Monday, two dozen girls were taken by gunmen from a school in the northwest. Armed groups have targeted schoolchildren in the region for ransom since 2014. You're listening to Your World Tonight from CBC News. And if you want to make sure you never miss one of our episodes, follow us on Spotify, Apple, wherever you get your podcasts. Just find

the follow button and lock us in. These are not the attendance numbers, educators, or parents, want to see. Canadian students are often still bouncing back from pandemic learning loss, but they're missing more school. CBC has done the homework, and in every district that provided data, absences are up. As for why, that's harder to figure out. out. Tara Carmen has more. Okay, William.

So, yeah, your backpack, where does that go in the bag? It goes. Got a special computer pouch, right? Yeah. William DePasquale and his parents are packing his backpack for school. But whether he'll actually go is an open question. It's two months into the school year, and William has already missed 10 days of grade 7. The reason?

Well, it's like, boys exist. Boy's William says pick on him because he's small for his 12 years and has a facial twitch. William's father Norm DiPasquale, a former school trustee, says the day after one of these incidents, William will often not want to go to school. But finding out why, takes some detective work. You don't always get a clear reason. You know, it might be sometimes I'm feeling sick and maybe that's legit sometimes, maybe it's not necessarily legit.

William's not alone. CBC requested attendance data from 46 of, the biggest school districts in Canada. We heard back from just over half. Only some tracked illnesses, but all showed more absences at all age levels compared with five years ago. Experts told us there's no one reason to explain the increases.

More parents working from home and remote learning could be factors. But deteriorating mental health among youth and anxiety caused by things like bullying are likely contributing, according to David Smith, an education professor at the University of Ottawa. Every day there are like hundreds or thousands of students who are out of school because of the bullying that they're experiencing.

These absences could show up as illnesses if a child like William complains of a stomachache or they could show up in the data as unexcused if no parent calls the school. CBC's investigation found those absences have also increased in many places. DePasquale isn't sure what to call his son's absences when he reports them. no button for bullying in the school messenger application. For kids whose brains learn differently, school can also be a challenging place to be. Stress, it's overwhelming our kids. And my daughter is really, really struggling.

That's Courtney McLean, a mother of three in Basano, Alberta. She credits school staff with doing the best they can. But her children struggle with ADHD, and her oldest also has anxiety. Test taking is a big trigger for a lot of kids with anxiety. And a lot of kids don't have IPPs to say, oh, you're allowed to have more time, or you're allowed to have a quiet space, or you can have noise-canceling headphones. The majority of kids have to go in and sit down and just do it. Nice. And then zip up that guy?

DePasquale says more staff in the schoolyard to keep an eye on things could help his son. But as for making that happen, a difficult ask, he says, with many schools struggling with tighter budgets. Tara Carmen, CBC News, Vancouver. Finally, when you think of traditional bead work, you probably think small, delicate, colorful. Well, two of those still hold true for indigenous artist Vanessa Dion Fletcher's work. Just not the small part. So if you can picture a pool noodle, imagine cutting it into lots of little square pieces so that those pieces look like a giant bead.

The end product is familiar, just really big. And then I'm using the same stitches to do like woven beadwork. It's really popular for making earrings. They can be kind of seen as giant earrings. Dion Fletcher has to use a special wooden needle and thick string to make her creations. She says she didn't learn beadwork until she was older from other bead artists in her community. And she wanted to find a new way to help continue. continue the tradition.

We're always trying to try new things and continue the skill and the practices. Because I learn this and I'm often teaching beadwork, I was always looking for ways to make the beads bigger. So the students could see the stitches and understand them and they're physically easier to hold. Dionne Fletcher says that makes it more fun. Also fun? The fact the artwork isn't just meant to be looked at. I've taken them all to pools so that people can swim and play with them. Dion Fletcher's pool noodle art is currently not getting wet. It's on display at the Art Windsor Essex Gallery.

And that's your world tonight for Friday, November 21st. Thank you for being with us. I'm Stephanie Skanderas. Good night. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca.ca slash podcasts.