Your World Tonight - Remembering Bondi Beach shooting victims, Youth debt, Heated Rivalry's massive success, and more

Episode Date: December 21, 2025

Australians are holding a day of reflection to mark one week since the mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach. Thousands gathered near the scene of the attack to honor the 15 lives lost. Some accuse the government of failing to act on threats against the Jewish community. And there are questions about how future attacks like this can be prevented.Also: The high cost of living is taking its toll on younger Canadians. Financial experts are seeing more young people than ever - and many face different debt obligations compared to previous generations.And: A breakthrough Canadian TV show is having a breakaway moment. Heated Rivalry tells the story of two gay hockey players in a secret love affair. It’s already taken social media by storm and secured international distribution deals.Now, it's most recent episode is scoring big with viewers.Plus: Venezuelan oil, Jane Austen's 250th anniversary, The Italian pizzeria giving job opportunites to autistic people, and more.

Is your home ready for the next big snowstorm? You can take action to help protect your home from extreme weather. Discover prevention tips that can help you be climate ready at keep it intact.ca. This is a CBC podcast. Letting a whole lot of community anger and violent language grow. over the last two years, it was a mistake. Questions and allegations of allowing anti-Semitism to grow in this country and Australia, which is marking one week since the attack at Bondi Beach.

This is your world tonight. I'm Stephanie Skandaris. Also on the podcast, the U.S. claims sanctioned oil tankers are filling up in Venezuela, and the military is bulking up its presence in the area to try and stop them. Plus, for the sport, right? It's really cool to see queer people in hockey because just look at our league. They exist. The Canadian show that has everyone talking, both for its steamy scenes and its groundbreaking portrayal of gay professional hockey players.

Australians are holding a day of reflection to mark one week since the mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney's Bondi Beach. gathered near the scene of the attack to honor the 15 lives lost. Authorities believe the two gunmen were inspired by ISIS, leading to accusations the government failed to act on threats against the Jewish community. Philip Lyshenock reports. Where there was horror and panic last Sunday, on Sydney's Bondi Beach today, there was defiance and solidarity.

Like the grass here at Bondi was stained with blood, so too has our nation been stained. David Ossip is head of a Jewish community group in New South Wales. Hanukkah teaches us that light can illuminate even the blinkest of places. A single act of courage, a single flame of hope can give us direction. Ossip read a message from Ahmed al-Ahmad, the shopkeeper who was shot as he disarmed one of the gunmen. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. Today, I stand with you, my brothers and sisters.

Thank you, Ahmed. Security was tight with police on horses patrolling the beach and snipers and boats on the water. Victoria Teplitsky's father was injured in the attack. She refuses to be intimidated. We are done running and we are done hiding. New South Wales Premier Chris Minn said the courage of the Jewish community was an inspiration. On this last night of Hanukkah, you have reclaimed Bondi Beach for us.

It was also anger at the government's failure to prevent this tragedy. Much of it directed an Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. Prime Minister of Australia. The government says a national day of morning will be held in the new year as our proposed gun control measures and a review of police operations

to see if this attack could have been prevented. Michael Shoebridge is with strategic analysis, Australia, and has worked with the country's intelligence agencies. He says violent rhetoric against the Jewish community was allowed to fester. Letting a whole lot of community, anger and violent language grow over the last two years was a mistake. It's led to a lot of community division and the anger has made violence a closer step. Alan Kessel is a former

assistant deputy minister and legal advisor to the government of Canada. He says Bondi Beach is a warning that Canada cannot ignore. When we look at what is happening to that country and what we have seen in Canada, there's almost a doppelganger effect. Canada is very similar to Australia, not only in its makeup, but in its laws. Kessel warns that terrorist entities like ISIS and Al-Qaeda have vowed to exploit the tolerance for freedom of expression in open societies like Australia and Canada and spread their messages of hate. Philip Ashanox, CBC News, Toronto. Israel's security cabinet has approved 19 new settlements in the occupied West

Bank. The country's far-right finance minister says the move is to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state. In the past two years, Israel has approved 69 settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Settlements are considered illegal under international law. The U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing another oil tanker in international waters. Multiple U.S. outlets cite U.S. officials who say it's part of Venezuela's evasion of sanctions. This comes a day after the seizure of a vessel on Saturday and is the third pursuit in less than two weeks. Karen Pauls has more. This is the second vessel pursued by the U.S. in two days.

On Saturday, Homeland Security Secretary Christine Noam posted a video on social media. It showed the U.S. military flying over the Panamanian flagged ship in international waters and American forces boarding the vessel. Noam said the action is part of the U.S. efforts to quote, pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco-terrorism. This is another ship that was basically operating in the black market. Kevin Haskett, director of the White House's National Economic Council, says the oil on the tanker seized Saturday was headed to a country under sanctions.

And they're getting that oil in order to avoid, you know, the reforms that we think would make the countries a better place. The interceptions come just days after U.S. President Donald Trump announced what he called a block of sanctioned oil tankers leaving and entering Venezuela, an escalation in his pressure campaign on Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. If you break it, you buy it. On Sunday, Republican Senator James Langford was asked if the oil tanker seizures are part of a war on drugs or a regime change effort. I would tell you, the United States position for now six years, I believe, has been that he is not the recognized leader of Venezuela.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham went one step further. I applaud President Trump of trying to bring down this narco-terror state in Venezuela run by Maduro. I want him to go. But Democratic Senator Tim Cain wants to know what this is really all about. These boat strikes were initially justified on the ground that we're fighting against narco-trafficking. But then the president pardons some of the biggest narco-traffickers ever convicted in United States courts. Then Susie Wiles, the chief of staff, says it's about regime change. And President Trump tells you and others, it's about oil.

They took our oil and we want our oil back. What is it? This could very well be the first step in triggering a potential armed invasion of Venezuela or the ability to try and topple Maduro. Errol Mendez is a professor of international and constitutional law at the University of Ottawa. The U.S. has learned that to actually do a proper bringing down of any regime, the army has to rebuild all its potential supply routes, months, if not years in advance. If there are land strikes in Venezuela, that all could be then brought to bear. The Venezuelan government hasn't yet responded to

Sunday's action, but has previously described the seizures as acts of piracy and international terrorism. Karen Paul's CBC News, Washington. The talk of possible regime change in Venezuela is being watched by proponents of Canada's energy sector, a new regime. that is friendlier to the U.S., could open up vast reserves of oil to the American market. That, in turn, could make it more difficult to send Canadian oil south, meaning Canada would have to look elsewhere for customers. Aaron Collins now on why some say this could bolster the case for another pipeline to the Pacific. Large tanker very large. Largest one ever seized, actually.

Off the coast of Venezuela, a show of force on the high seas. The U.S. President announced the seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker. We're going to, I assume we're going to keep the... That seizure comes after the U.S. destroyed more than 20 boats. It alleges we're being used by Venezuelan drug runners. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegesith defending the strikes. Right now the world is seeing the strength of American resolve and stemming the flow of lethal drugs to our country.

And as the U.S. military presence in the area grows, talk of regime change is building too. But as pressure mounts on Venezuela's President Nicholas Maduro, some experts question U.S. motivations. I am pretty sure that a change is coming. Solange Marquez, a fellow with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, says that keeping drugs out of the U.S. likely isn't the country's primary objective. Of course, oil and the prices of oil.

is something that moves Trump administration towards Venezuela. Venezuela has the largest oil reserves on the planet. But years of mismanagement and underinvestment have seen exports crater, dropping from a high of more than 3 million barrels a day to about a quarter of that. Production of petroleum is virtually collapsed. Max Cameron teaches political science at the University of British Columbia. The country has massive reserves, large. largest in the world, but they are unable to exploit them. And that is obviously a major

vulnerability, but it's also one of the reasons why the United States is interested in Venezuela. There's no question in my mind. Venezuela's oil is similar to that produced in Canada's oil sands, a resurgence in exports from Venezuela, a potential challenge for Alberta's oil patch. And so it would be a direct competitor for Canadian barrels into the U.S. Gulf Coast market. But Dane Gregoros, an oil and gas analyst with Enveris, says that even with regime change, rebuilding Venezuela's energy sector, would take years. Political change can happen very quickly. Industrial change takes a long time. Still, if more Venezuelan oil eventually did enter the market, Canadian barrels shipping to the Gulf Coast for refining could fetch a lower price.

Another reason some say diversifying markets for Canadian oil makes sense. Okay, do you want to sign it and look up? They won't be able to tell this is a photo. A deal between Ottawa and Alberta laying out terms for a new pipeline to the Pacific intended to do just that. The case for that line bolstered by a potential change in Venezuela, according to Rory Johnston,

the founder of commodity context. The issues that we don't know, and the only real security we can have in any future eventuality is optionality. And I think the main thing that the West Coast pipeline buys us is additional, essentially a doubling of that non-US route export optionality. As unclear as the future is for Venezuela's oil industry,

the possibility of a new pipeline to Canada's West Coast is equally murky, a project that still has no private proponent and no route, but plenty of opposition from neighboring BC and coastal First Nations. Erin Collins, CBC News, Calgary. Still ahead, for some people with autism, finding suitable work can sometimes be a challenge. We'll take you to Italy, where one man is designing pizzerias, specifically as places where autistic people can have meaningful employment.

The full story is ahead on your world tonight. The Prime Minister says, Canada needs to get going on meeting its climate targets. Targets that, according to the government's own data, it'll fall far short of. Mark Carney says the country won't achieve them under his predecessor's plan. But as Olivia Stefanovic reports, he hasn't proved his plan will meet them either. And because I care about the issue fundamentally, I care about what gets done. The Prime Minister insists he's still committed to fighting climate change.

even as Mark Carney faces increasing criticism from environmentalists. This government is 100% focused on doing things that are going to reduce emissions. We are going to grow clean energy in this country at a scale never seen before. But in a year-end interview, Carney told CBC News chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton, a new bitumen pipeline may also be in Canada's interest. One, if we can do it in a way that it's supported, indigenous peoples, it's full, partners, British Columbia, Alberta, decarbonized barrel. Carney faced pushback from some members of his caucus for rolling back environmental policies,

including the consumer carbon price. But the agreement the Prime Minister signed with Alberta, paving the way for a potential new pipeline, pushed environmentalist Stephen Gilbo over the edge. Him and I, and I have a different view of how we should go about fighting climate change. prompting the Quebec MP to resign from Cabinet. Carney says he would have liked to have seen Gilbo stay. He says the former minister was instructive on the deal with Alberta. He knew what was in the MOU.

And elements of the MOU were changed consistent with his views. Carney didn't specify which elements of the agreement were tweaked for the former minister. And Gilbo declined CBC's request for an interview. I'm troubled by the discrepancies. Green Party leader Elizabeth May says Gilbo, asked her for her vote on the federal budget in exchange for climate assurances. May says she didn't want to see any tax credits given for carbon capture technology because she sees them as a subsidy for oil production.

But those tax credits are included in the deal signed with Alberta. But I won't make the mistake ever again of thinking I can take Mark Carney on trust. Carney says Canada needs a new approach to fighting climate change, referencing new data from the Federal Environment Department. It shows the current plan designed by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government won't meet Canada's 20-30 climate targets. We have too much regulation, not enough action. Still, it's not clear if Carney will be able to bring Canada's emission goals back on track.

He says his government will release a climate strategy in the new year. Olivia Estevanovich, CBC News, Ottawa. cost of living is taking its toll on younger Canadians. Just getting by is a difficult challenge. And putting money away for retirement is increasingly a pipe dream. Financial experts are seeing more young people than ever. And many face different debt obligations compared to previous generations. Jenna Benchitra has more. For nearly 14 years, Mark Kalinowski has helped people of all ages manage their debt. But in the last year, he's seen more 20 and 30-somethings than usual. And they'll come in and sometimes they'll cry, sometimes they'll be angry.

They'll be very, very frustrated because they don't know why their life's on hold. Kalinowski works at the Credit Counseling Society. The nonprofit offers debt relief services across the country. And this year, more people under 35 reached out for help than ever before. I think younger people are more likely to come in and ask for help. It's more socially acceptable in their eyes to say, look, I've got a money problem. It's something that I am going to have to talk about and go and try and fix soon. than later. Between student and auto loans, first credit cards and slow wage growth, some Jan Zs

and young millennials are getting into debt trouble. Plus, the rise of buy now pay later plans could be compounding the problem. Jody Letkavich researches the financial behavior of young adults. They're paying their bills with their credit cards and then they can't pay their credit card bill, right? So they're either skipping it or they're, you know, getting creative and they're buying things on the buy now pay later, making installments, but then missing those installment payments. She says people in their 20s and 30s are likely hiding debt in these deferred payment plans, and their relative nascency makes it hard to understand how they could be contributing to a runaway debt problem. Some of those innovations are showing up in different ways and causing

them problems that their predecessors didn't have and that they're not quite aware of because it doesn't look the same. One expert says it's normal for this group to miss payment. at a higher rate than older generations. Generally speaking, they're kind of less equipped to manage peaks and troughs in the economy and things like that. That's Rebecca Oaks, the vice president of analytics

at credit reporting firm Equifax. She says more people under 25 have pulled back on their spending this year, but a pattern of missed credit payments is going strong. So whereas we've seen more stabilization coming in, perhaps with some of the older consumers,

the young consumers still seem to be struggling and still seem to be, increasing their misspainment. When Kalinowski sees younger clients underwater, he assures them that it's a temporary setback. And once people realize that if they take some positive action and they can find a solution to their money issue, they're going to be back on their way really, really quickly. Jenna Bensitit, CBC News, Toronto. yourself at a holiday party or gathering this season, chances are very high. Someone is going to bring up heated rivalry. It's a breakthrough Canadian TV show having a breakaway moment

tells a story of two gay hockey players in a secret love affair. It's already taken social media by storm and secured international distribution deals. And as Sarah Levitt explains, the latest episode is scoring big with viewers. The reaction in a bar in West Hollywood to a hockey TV series, and they're not cheering for a goal, but instead the moment one of the players invites his boyfriend down from the stands to kiss him in public for the first time. A scene from the red-hot TV series heated rivalry playing in Canada on Crave and HBO Max in the United States. It's all about gay but closeted professional hockey players featuring hits, goals, and steamy sex scenes. You will be seeing each other a lot?

The series based on Halifax writer Rachel Reade's Game Changers books is making waves. Its latest episode is one of the highest rated TV episodes of all time, according to user-sourced website The Internet Movie Database. The show's hype very much felt by those playing in the Toronto Gay Hockey Association, like Casey Saunders. It's giving representation for the sport, right? It's really cool to see queer people in hockey because just look at our league. We exist.

But Denis Lemur says he's glad the show chronicles the struggle of the two main characters to come to terms with their queerness and the potential damage it could do to their careers. I think it gives a good visibility to the truth that's out there. There's probably some players that can't come out because of the toxic masculinity environment or just the hockey culture. In the show, one of the main characters, Shane, is dating a famous actress as a cover. And she asks, are there any gay hockey players? None that have said it publicly. Art reflecting reality. There has never been an openly gay player in the National Hockey League.

Kurt Weaver is with You Can Play, which promotes LGBTQ plus inclusion in sport. Our goal really isn't more out-NHL athletes or out football athletes. It's more so around you can be your true self. And if that's just to your teammates in the locker room, if it's just a coach, if it's just to yourself, that's really what the goal is. It's so nice to see romance depicted so well. Ultimately, though, Francis Dominic says the show's success can be chocked up to people being suckers for love. Clearly on display as the content creator filmed the crowd's reaction in that West Hollywood bar. These stories feel so tangible.

It doesn't matter what kind of sexual orientation you have or what kind of human being you are. Love is so transcendent. Heated rivalry has been picked up for. viewing in more countries and has already been renewed for a second season. Sarah Levitt's CBC News, Montreal. From modern romance to the Queen of Regency Romance, in Britain, there's been a year-long celebration of all things Jane Austen to mark the 250th anniversary of the author's birth. And Austin is more popular than ever.

Fans are drawn to her stories of love and old-fashioned romance, but many say it's her very modern message on women's role in society that still resonates. Senior international correspondent Margaret Evans reports from London. I'll avert my eyes. Jane Austen is having, as they say, in modern parlance, a bit of a moment. Born 250 years ago this month, she's been fetid in England all year long, from dress-up balls to new additions of old favorites. Not that she needs the boost, Just ask the cast of Ostentatious, an improv comedy troupe devoted to Austin, filling seats for nearly 15 years, says company founder, Amy Cook Hodgson. The thing that we find constantly is that our audience is sometimes better equipped

with Jane Austen's work than some of us are. Comedian Carriad Lloyd fell in love with Austin's novels as a young girl. She's funny, she's witty, and she writes about humanity. She's already on the 10-pound note and is a top. member of Britain's literary canon, part of the cultural industry, drawing tourists to the places she once lived or wrote. Penny Sticklin has come to Chottin House, where Austin often visited her brother. I think she's terribly relevant today. I think she's marvellous. Do you dance, Mr Darcy? Not if I can help it. And so do many younger fans, helped along, no doubt,

by myriad film and television adaptations. You have bewitched me, your body and soul. Why is it there are so many unmarried women there? 30s these days, Bridges. Some easier to recognize than others. He gave me a C minus. Well, he gave me a C, which tracks on my entire average. Film adaptations.

They do have it slightly easier in some regards, because they can have a soundtrack. The Jane Austen class at the University of York is one of the most in demand. Carried away by this kind of romantic hero figure. Professor Alison O'Bern admits film adaptations and Austin's reputation as the original rom-com writer are sometimes the draw. Film critics often talk about pride and prejudice as being almost the origin text for every romantic comedy with a kind of battle of the sexist element, yeah.

But she says Austin's keen eye for social satire, commentary about the challenges women faced, and the relatability of her characters is what they take away. Student Kate McCallum agrees. I think a lot of the issues they go through really do relate to people like now who are reading it. Megan Slatcher says that while much has changed for women since Austin's time, much is not.

Family members going, oh, you've got a boyfriend, yeah. You know, how's your love life going? Anne Hugh says Austin simply gets it. Especially for women's of my age, this sort of coming out into the world, not really knowing what you're doing or where you belong, but also feeling like you do and should. And at the end of the day, a good yarn is still a good yarn. Margaret Evans, CBC News, London. Some 5 million people in Europe are on the autism spectrum. That's according to the advocacy group, Autism, Europe. And they face some of the highest unemployment rates of any group.

Restaurants, loud and fast-paced, are often out of reach. But in northern Italy, one man has flipped the model. He redesigned two pizzerias around autism and offers dignified work. Megan Williams reports from one of them. in Monza, Italy, where you have to book two weeks ahead for a table. The lunch shift at the large pizzeria pizza out near Milan, where servers move steadily through the airy, light-filled dining area. In the kitchen, pizza chefs drape orange slices

atop gorgonzola and a sprinkling of pistachio. Almost everyone working here is on the autism. spectrum. Out on the floor, 27-year-old Lorenzo, a fan of the Canadian band Nickelback, who's memorized every song, takes orders.

A few years ago, he was living in an institution, under-occupied and self-harming. Here, he says, he's learned routine, responsibility, and confidence. Spence, spino, spino, the antipasts,

I love recommending my favorite antipasti and Montalcino red wine, he says. Pizza out and another similar restaurant in Milan are the brainchild of Nico Acampura. The Santa Claus look alike, so well known in Italy, he even has his own Playmobile figurine, oversees the operation, which is privately funded and pays staff full salaries. The idea came after his son, Leo was diagnosed with autism. And he saw how little support there is for the 600,000 or so Italians on the spectrum. I woke up in the middle of the night and I said to my wife, we need to start a restaurant for those with autism. She said, Nico, you can't even boil an egg.

Go back to sleep. Four years later, more than 40 autistic people work here, a space designed around predictability and calm, sound-absorbing walls, ventilation that limits strong food aromas, and just a few colors in the decor. Also, clear routes through the restaurant, so staff always know where to go, and no cell phones at the table. In the kitchen, automatic tunnel ovens move pizzas through at a steady pace, so nothing burns. Working the front of the house, Mirko, who once only spoke to family members, says he's learned how to get along with his colleagues

and how to carry four pizzas at once. The model has encouraged other restaurants to hire people on the autistic spectrum and even sparked a call in Canada's Senate for similar initiatives. For Accompora, the goal goes beyond food. He says his greatest hope was that one day,

so many restaurants hire people on the spectrum, that peats out won't be needed anymore. Megan Williams, CBC News, Monsa, Italy. So beautiful when we're together, like feathers on a way. Miley Cyrus there with the theme song from the new Avatar movie, Fire and Ash. This is called Dream as One. It's been a pretty good opening weekend for the third installment of the season. series from Canadian director James Cameron,

$88 million US dollars in North America, just a tad less than its $400 million budget. But maybe all people need is a little more taste of the soundtrack. It's a beast, the work of composer Simon Franklin. He's been speaking out about the work telling the BBC he wrote more than 1900 pages of orchestral score for the three-hour-plus epic. That's more than four times as much as a standard film. It continues the story of the blue Navi people

who are protecting their planet, Pandora, from human invaders. The score covers their grief. And some new arrivals, the wind traitors. Capturing the musical. essence of this nomadic clan flying through Pandora skies on their jellyfish-like airships was no easy feat. Franklin invented instruments that three-meter-tall blue people with four fingers might actually play. He sketched them out and the art department built them. There's a long-necked loot nicknamed the stringy thing and a drum head dubbed the drummy thing. Luckily, Franklin

is better at music than naming things. Here's more. of his Avatar Fire and Ash score on your world tonight. I'm Stephanie Skanderas. Thanks for listening. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca slash podcasts.