Your World Tonight - Ukraine-Russia talks, Netanyahu in the US, Calgary’s road safety reform, and more

Episode Date: December 29, 2025

Russia is accusing Ukraine of targeting Vladimir Putin’s residence, throwing doubt on the progress achieved in reaching a peace deal with Kyiv.And: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets US President Donald Trump in Florida. The Gaza ceasefire deal is the focus of the talks.Also: A deadly year on Alberta's roads. Calgary's fatal crashes hit a ten-year high. We'll look at why and what's being done to stop it.Plus: The Vancouver Whitecaps settle a lawsuit after soccer star Lionel Messi was a no-show at a game. Nearly half a million dollars will be going to kids' sports charities. But fans won’t be getting their money back.

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This is a CBC podcast. Russia at no point has demonstrated that it wants to bring an end to the war. One step forward, two steps back. Ukraine's president left the latest round of peace talks with an air of optimism, but Russia's foreign minister now accuses Ukraine of trying to attack Vladimir Putin's home. Peace, perhaps, not so imminent after all. Welcome to Your World Tonight, I'm Tanya Fletcher. It is Monday, December 29th, coming up on 6 p.m. Eastern.

Also on the podcast, peace talks of another sort. We talked about Hamas and we talked about disarmament. And they're going to be given a very short period of time to disarm. Did Israel withdrawing its forces? Well, that's a separate subject. A meeting in Florida to determine what happens next in Gaza. The U.S. President hosts Israel's Prime Minister. Their conversation considered key in plotting out Gaza's future.

At the center, plans for phase two of the ceasefire, will it hold and when will it come? We begin with Russia throwing new accusations at Ukraine, putting the prospect of a peace deal in doubt. The U.S. and Ukrainian leaders both insist progress is being made to end the war that Russia began four years ago. But there is finger-pointing from Russia's foreign minister who accuses Ukraine of targeting one of Vladimir Putin's many homes. Aaron Collins has our top story. We had a really great discussion on all the topics. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy upbeat after peace talks Sunday.

Ukraine is ready for peace and once again would like to thank President Trump for a warm, welcome and substantial discussion. Thank you, Mr. President. That discussion focused on a 20. point peace plan. One Zelensky says would include security guarantees from the U.S. and Europe. Donald Trump also optimistic. I do think we're getting a lot closer, maybe very close. But on the ground in Kiev, less confidence.

It's been said many times before that the war is about to end, he says. It's just dragging out. Some Ukrainians seemingly with little trust in a peace deal brokered by the U.S. president. Trump is an unpredictable person, she says. He changes his mind as the wind blows. It's hard to always to know what Trump actually thinks about the war. Mark Kramer is the director of the Cold War Studies Project at Harvard. Kramer says while Trump is unpredictable, Russia isn't.

Russia at no point has demonstrated that it wants to bring an end to the war. Quite the contrary, that every time there seems to be some degree of. progress, Putin has launched a new round in the war. Overnight Russia did just that. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accusing Ukraine of sending drones to attack Vladimir Putin's home. A lie designed to derail peace talks, according to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the back and forth seeming to catch Donald Trump off guard today. I just heard about it actually, but I don't know about it.

That would be too bad. That would not be good. Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anan says she spoke to her Ukrainian counterpart today. Canada committed $2.5 billion to support Ukraine over the weekend. That's support vital to Ukraine's war effort, according to political scientist Maria Popova. President Trump has stopped American aid to Ukraine over the past year, and so Ukraine right now relies on its own ability to defend itself, plus on the support of Europe and Canada.

That support likely to be needed for the foreseeable future as Russia's invasion of Ukraine is set to grind into its fourth year. Erin Collins, CBC News, Calgary. Meanwhile, more high-stakes talks in Florida. President Trump hosted another high-profile visitor at Mar-a-Lago today. A meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aimed at kick-starting the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire. Despite earlier agreements, implementation of the U.S.

brokered plan has stalled, with both Israel and Hamas blaming each other for deliberately dragging their feet. Karen Pauls has that story. The Israel Prize, which in almost our 80 years, we've never awarded it to a non-Israeli, and we're going to award it this year to President Trump. Thank you, baby, very much. That really is a great honor. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu honoring U.S. President Donald Trump, after their meeting at Trump's Mara Lago Resort in Florida. The two leaders congratulating each other for productive talks. We talked about Hamas and we talked about disarmament.

And they're going to be given a very short period of time to disarm. Is Israel withdrawing its forces? Well, that's a separate subject. Trump is focused on implementing phase two of the ceasefire. He helped broker between Israel and Hamas. It includes a more permanent end to the conflict by disarming Hamas and other armed groups, an international stabilization force, and Israeli withdrawal, one of Netanyahu's big sticking points.

As well, the creation of a temporary Palestinian governance authority to manage daily affairs. There are reports Hamas will appoint a new leader within days or weeks. There are two very different candidates, one who supports Iran and ongoing fighting, another who supports a negotiated settlement. All of that could impact the course of this peace. process. Meanwhile, the reconstruction of Gaza is an increasingly urgent humanitarian priority.

Over the weekend, the region was hit by a severe winter storm, amidst widespread flooding, some deaths and much despair. 49-year-old Rafika Al-Amiari says she's been awake for nights, trying to keep her tent up in heavy rains and high winds. Afraid the war will return because Israel refused. refuses to leave Gaza. Other issues discussed today included Iran, key to stability in the region, amidst reports that the country is rebuilding its nuclear capacity.

If they are, we're going to have no choice but very quickly to eradicate that build-up. Trump and Netanyahu are going to great lengths to show their relationship is strong. The relationship's been extraordinary, and Bibi's a strong man. Israel is very blessed. to have President Trump leading the United States,

and I'll say it, leading the free world at this time. But despite all that, there is deep disagreement about what to do in Gaza. The Americans fear the Israelis are slow walking this peace process and that the whole thing could unravel, tarnishing one of the president's big accomplishments this year. Karen Paul's, CBC News, Washington. China has dispatched its Army, Navy, and Air Force

to the Taiwan Strait. Beijing calls the two-day drills a warning to separatist forces. Taiwan has been self-governing since 1949 and wants to stay that way. But China disagrees claiming it owns the island and threatening to take it by force. Caroline Bargut reports. In a video released by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, Beijing showed its military might in its latest exercise around Taiwan, which included drills to block the island's ports. guns firing from warships.

Taiwan said it counted 89 drones and fighter jets sent into the air. And on land, soldiers race to waiting armored vehicles. It is the first time China has held a major exercise around Taiwan since April. China has long claimed Taiwan as its own, something the democratically governed island rejects. Lin Jian is a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry. He says the Taiwan issue is the core of China's core interests. interests, and China's resolve to safeguard national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity

is unwavering, adding, any sinister attempt to obstruct China's reunification will never succeed. As a precaution, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said its army was on high alert. The island is also calling for calm. Karen Gua, a spokesperson for Taiwan's presidential office said, We call on the Chinese authorities to act rationally and with self-restraint, to immediately cease irresponsible, provocative behavior and not to misjudge the situation and become a troublemaker undermining regional peace.

Earlier this month, the U.S. announced an $11 billion arm sale to the island, angering Beijing. Last month, Japan's prime minister, Sanay Takaichi, suggested that Japan's self-defense forces could step in if China attacked Taiwan. William Yang is the senior Northeast Asia analyst for the international crisis group. He says these latest military drills signal to the U.S. and other countries, to stay out of the issue. The message to the U.S. is very significant and also simple,

is that China now has the capability to impose total control in the areas around Taiwan whenever it wants to. For months, the U.S. and China were embroiled in a trade war. In October, they agreed to a truce. Trump is expected to visit China in April. The Chinese site will continue to try to emphasize to the U.S. that, you know, there are ways for U.S. and China to coexist. But one of the red lines that Washington should not cross

is to increase support and also engagement with Taiwan. China says it is not done and will continue to conduct these military drills around Taiwan. Beijing says some areas of airspace will be closed during that time. Caroline Bargut, CBC News, London. Coming right up, a messy winter wallop for parts of Canada. Travelers are feeling the impact. storm isn't over yet. Also, a settlement in a lawsuit sparked by the game that soccer superstar Leonel Messi never even played. The Vancouver white caps are now paying up, but ticket holders won't

see a dime. Later, we'll have this story. AI is no longer a distant horizon. It is here, transforming daily life, the information space, and the global economy at breathtaking speed. A year of leaps and bounds for artificial intelligence and will, what it could all mean as we head into 2026. The ugly side of winter is upon us. Freezing rain and snow squalls are battering parts of eastern Canada. And forecasters warn, for many regions, this is just the beginning. Colin Butler with the latest.

Shannon Rotar chisels away at her car. car in an Ottawa parking lot. In eastern Ontario and parts of Quebec, freezing rain has glazed the world in a layer of ice. I mean, we live in Canada. We're in Ottawa. We get freezing rain. We're going to abound to get some nasty weather.

Nasty, but not usually all at once. This holiday winter came, layered, relentless, and intent on reminding us what Canada really means. That's what happens in winter. When these big systems come, sometimes you get rain, you get freezing rain, and then you have snow.

Gerald Chang is a meteorologist with Environment Canada. He says the storm combines freezing rain, ice pellets, snow, and high winds for Ontario and Quebec. It's all a mixed bag of different types of precipitation, and that's what we have to be prepared for. Being prepared is one thing, dealing with it in real time is another. I grew up here in all life, and I've maybe seen a storm months or twice like this, so this is pretty bad. Ryan Pilon is a snowplow driver in Timmons, the city, Along with Su-Saint-Marie and Thunder Bay could get 20 centimeters of snow with high winds. He says conditions like this don't really end.

They just roll into the next shift. Yeah, we haven't stopped since about 2 in the morning. And most likely won't be stopping until probably late tomorrow. Further south, highways are covered in wind-driven snow, blinding drivers, forcing cars and trucks into the ditch, and prompting OPP Constable Tabitha Suska to warn people to avoid travel. But some travel can't be avoided. John Eagles was supposed to fly home to Moncton, New Brunswick, yesterday.

Since then, he's been stuck inside Toronto Pearson Airport. Got here at 3.30 this morning, no ticket agent, nobody around. Had to sleep on the floor because there was no place they didn't give me a vote. to go to a hotel or whatever. The storm, like Eagles, is headed to the Maritimes next. It's clear winter has arrived, and this is just the opening act. Colin Butler, CBC News, London, Ontario. It has been a deadly year on Calgary Roads.

35 people were killed in 2025, the highest number of fatal crashes in a decade. Now, the city is looking at ways to bring that number down. Josh McLean has more. Every day Calgarians head out onto city streets and more of them are not making it home. Fatal crashes in the city have been climbing, reaching a 10-year high in 2024

only to eclipse that number again this year. It's a simple answer. Speed is the main factor in fatals for sure. That's Staff Sergeant Andy Woodward with the Calgary Police Service. We have our own patrols out there. We have our traffic units out there on the road. But I keep saying to people,

they have to take ownership themselves. The city is pursuing ways to get road users to change their behavior. The vector is going in the wrong direction. Mike Atkinson is a newly minted city counselor in Calgary. He plans to make traffic safety a priority during his time in office. We all benefit. Drivers and pedestrians alike, because no one wants to be in a situation where you've caused an accident. Atkinson says curbing traffic fatalities requires a holistic approach, part city planning, part infrastructure improvements, and part enforcement. These fatalities are more than numbers.

These are real people. Pat Grisak is the senior leader of traffic management with the city of Calgary. He says the city is adding things like flashing beacons and curb extensions at busy intersections, making it easier for pedestrians to cross and making them more visible to drivers. Council recently earmarked an additional $7.5 million for more upgrades around Calgary. The city is also looking at AI modeling to identify problem crossings. We're hoping what it can do is move us more in a proactive approach so that we can implement. measures, perhaps a little bit ahead of time when there's an issue.

Calgary isn't the only city grappling with more deaths on the road. Fatalities in Edmonton are also the highest they've been in a decade. A report to Edmonton City Council pointed to the provincial government's decision to eliminate photo radar outside of school, playground, and construction zones. Now the city is appealing to the province to get speed cameras back at some high-risk intersections. The only problem with photo radar is there's not enough of it. Dr. Louis Francis Scuddy advocates for traffic safety.

an emergency room doctor and professor at the University of Alberta's School of Public Health. He says enforcement is key. Laying down the law, saying if you're going to drive in Calgary, there's certain ways we expect you to drive. And if you don't drive that way, you're going to get penalized. There is nowhere near enough enforcement in this province, nowhere near. Calgary created the traffic safety team in March, 10-piece officers who have handed out thousands of tickets so far, most of them for speeding.

Josh McLean, CBC News, Calgary. Settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit against the Vancouver White Caps. The soccer club was accused of using misleading ads to sell tickets for its match last year against Inter-Miami. Fans say the promise of seeing Leonel Messi play drove up ticket prices, even though the Argentinian star didn't even end up playing. Gassim Rene has details on who gets what in the settlement. It was a highly anticipated home game for the Vancouver. Whitecaps against Inter-Miamy in 2024.

Miami won, but for Vancouver fans, that wasn't the only letdown. Many of them said White Caps' ads led them to believe Argentine legend and Inter-Miamy Captain Lionel Messi would be on the pitch. But two days before the game, event organizers announced he wasn't coming. We did have tickets and my kids were really disappointed. All of these months later, fans like Katie Jones who bought tickets still remember how they felt when Messi didn't show. Missy had come to that game.

One Vancouver fan ended up filing a proposed class action lawsuit against the Whitecaps and Major League Soccer, alleging promotional materials featuring Messi drove ticket prices to as much as 10 times higher than a typical home game. Now there is a proposed settlement, but it doesn't include any money for ticket holders. Instead, the Whitecaps and MLS have agreed to update ticketing policies to make it clear that player lineups are subject to change any time before or during a game. They will also make a $475,000 charitable donation to three sports organizations. I don't have a lot of sympathy for fans.

Moschalander, a sports economist at Concordia University, says there is an inherent risk when buying sports game tickets. I think as sports fans, we understand that sometimes we're not going to get the stars that we expect. It's disappointing. It's happening more frequently. But I don't really think that this is lawsuit worthy. The Supreme Court of British Columbia still has to approve the proposed settlement. Yasmil Ganea, CBC News, Vancouver. From Hollywood to medicine to your social media feeds, artificial intelligence was everywhere this year.

And it's becoming clear there's no going back. Chris Reyes takes a look at AI's biggest moments and where it could go next. I think the biggest shock in AI in 2025 would have been Deep Seek. 2025's first big AI headline came as a surprise. China's release of the AI app, Deep Seek, would define the rest of the year with fiery competition and rapid advancement in the field. Sheneid Bevel watches the space closely as a futurist and strategist.

So everybody knew that the competition between U.S. and China was close. I don't think people realized it was that close. And as soon as deep sea came on the scene and wiped out a trillion dollars off the U.S. stock market, it really woke up the West. And from there came billions of dollars in new investments, flashier features, massive user numbers. But with all that, grave war. Artificial intelligence without human oversight would leave the world blind. From UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to AI CEO Dario Amode.

We're thinking about the misuse. We're thinking about losing control of the model. And even Jeffrey Hinton, the Canadian, considered to be the godfather of AI. My main mission now is to warn people how dangerous AI could be. Those concerns have prompted a global call, urging governments to do this. to establish clear international boundaries to prevent universally unacceptable risks for AI. That ask labeled the AI red line in a document signed by hundreds of dignitaries, including Nobel Peace Prize winner and journalist Maria Reza,

who's been a leading voice in holding tech companies accountable for their impact on society. That rule of law needs to extend to the latest technology that has the ability to take our biotech and combine it with our infotech. Futurist Cheneid Beauvel has her own fear. It's not that we make the wrong move, is that we all become so overwhelmed about the moment we're in. We do nothing at all. Instead, she's hoping more players will engage and consider this.

The next big advantage in the technology might not come from the players we're used to it coming from, might not come from the places we're used to it coming from. So it could be open season on where this technology, only intensifying an already heated race. Chris Reyes, CBC News, New York. This has been your world tonight for Monday, December 29th. Thanks for being with us.

I'm Tanya Fletcher. Good night. For more CBC Podcasts, go to cBC.ca slash podcasts.