Weekly News Recap: December 19, 2025

Weekly News Recap: December 19, 2025

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, left, shared a photo on X of him visiting Ahmed al-Ahmed in hospital. Al-Ahmed was identified as the bystander who hid behind parked cars and seized a rifle from one of the gunmen during the deadly shooting at Bondi Beach on Sunday. (ChrisMinnsMP/X via Reuters)

Look to the future, because that is where you'll spend the rest of your life. — George Burns

SOME GOOD NEWS

  • VIDEO: Venezuelan opposition leader Machado greets supporters in Norway after Nobel ceremony (CBC) #Hero "Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado appeared in public for the first time in 11 months on Thursday after a daring escape from her homeland, when she emerged from a hotel balcony in Norway's capital and waved to an emotional crowd of supporters cheering for the new Nobel laureate."

  • VIDEO: Ribbon skirt Barbie donation delights Regina family in time for Christmas (CBC) REGINA STORY #Beautiful "As soon as Tamara Woroschuk saw the Barbie dolls and their handmade outfits, carefully packaged in cellophane wrapping, she knew there had to be a story behind them. 'We get a lot of donations in, especially around Christmas time,' said Woroschuk, the development director for the North Central Family Centre in Regina."

  • VIDEO: Lindsey Vonn wins World Cup downhill at age 41 to start her Olympic season (CBC) #GoLindseyGo "The queen of downhill skiing is well and truly back. At age 41, Lindsey Vonn is still faster than the rest and [recently] became the oldest winner of a World Cup race since the circuit started in 1967. Vonn raced to a stunningly fast win in a downhill at St. Moritz [...] to earn her first victory in nearly eight years — and the first in her comeback with titanium implants in her right knee after a five-year retirement."

  • Feeling lonely? Stop by a Grandma Stand for a heartfelt chat (CBC) I heart grandmas. "When Nancy McClendon, 71, was asked to sit outside in the middle of the town square and dispense wisdom to complete strangers, she didn’t hesitate to say yes. 'I’m officially old now,' McClendon told As It Happens host Nil Kӧksal. 'What's the use of being old if you can't share from your life experiences?' McClendon — a.k.a. Grandma Nancy — is a volunteer at the newly opened Grandma Stand in downtown McKinney, Texas. During the holidays, people can stop by the bright purple lemonade-style stand, sit across from Nancy or another real-life grandma, unload their problems, ask questions, or just have a little chit-chat."

  • VIDEO: Rare instance of polar bear cub being adopted near Churchill verified by scientists (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #Amazing "Scientists studying polar bears were greeted with a most unexpected surprise during a recent tracking expedition in northeastern Manitoba. A polar bear mother and her cub were walking near Churchill in mid-November when scientists saw her with a second cub, which they were able to verify was not her own. It marks just the 13th such case of cub adoption within the western Hudson Bay subpopulation."

  • At 101, this B.C. woman is still doing what she loves most: playing the piano (CBC) KELOWNA STORY I have seen her play! "Gwen Paul has never had a piano lesson. But after several decades of practice, she's developed some serious chops. 'I never learned to read [music],' Paul told CBC's Chris Walker. 'I must have been born with it somehow.' The 101-year-old says her family never had the money for things like music lessons when she was growing up in Prince Rupert, B.C. — but they did have a piano for her to experiment with. Now living in a seniors living facility in the Kelowna area, she plays whenever she can."

  • VIDEO: #TheMoment boats decked out in Christmas lights lit up the Newfoundland coast (CBC) NEWFOUNDLAND STORY #CanadianBeauty "Joyce Morgan, chairperson of the Boat Lighting Committee, tells The National about the moment over 50 boats decked out in Christmas lights lit up Port de Grave, N.L."

  • Rockalina the turtle meets member of her own species for the 1st time in 48 years (CBC) "Rockalina the turtle has had a transformative year. When wildlife rescuers first laid eyes on her back in February, they weren’t sure she’d last the night. After nearly 50 years living on a kitchen floor in New Jersey, the eastern box turtle had developed ingrown nails, several deformities and dry, sloughing skin. She was too weak to even keep her eyes open. But 11 months later, she’s thriving at a wildlife sanctuary, soaking up the sun and feasting on worms and berries. And now, for the first time since she was plucked from the wild in 1977, she has a companion of her own species — a wee baby turtle named Pebble.”

  • Stuck in Quicksand, a Hiker in Utah Has His SOS Answered (New York Times) "Mr. Dirks did not have cell service, so he said he reached for a Garmin satellite messenger to send an SOS. He was unable to use Bluetooth to connect it to his phone, so he typed out his plea on the Garmin’s tiny keyboard. One of the people on the receiving end of the message was John Marshall, a captain with Grand County Search and Rescue, which is based in Moab, Utah, who was the on-duty incident commander on Sunday morning."

  • Hopeful Images of 2025 (The Atlantic) "Photos that recognize some of the abundant joy and kindness present in the world around us."

TOP TEN STORIES OF THE WEEK

  1. Skate Canada to stop holding national, international events in Alberta (CBC) ALBERTA STORY "Skate Canada says it will no longer host major events in Alberta following a review of the province's legislation on the participation of transgender athletes in women's sport. 'Following a careful assessment of Alberta’s Fairness and Safety in Sport Act, Skate Canada has determined that we are unable to host events in the province while maintaining our national standards for safe and inclusive sport,' the organization said in a statement emailed to CBC News."

  2. VIDEO: National museum CEO leaves role after report alleged she mistreated staff for over a decade (CBC) HALIFAX STORY "The CEO of one of Canada's national museums retired Thursday after a damning report accused her of mistreating staff over the course of a decade and using inappropriate language including calling a senior leadership team 'sluts.' A letter sent to stakeholders and staff at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax said Marie Chapman was leaving her role immediately."

  3. Canada's 2030 climate target far out of reach, according to Environment Canada data (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "Canada's legally binding climate target seems to be out of reach, new data released from Environment and Climate Change Canada suggests. The department's greenhouse gas emission projections are a critical signal whether the country is on track to achieve its climate goals. The report's projections show Canada will fall well short of its 2030 climate goal — just halfway to its target of a 40 to 45 per cent reduction below 2005 levels."

  4. VIDEO: New bill forces singer Corb Lund to re-apply for anti-coal petition drive in Alberta (CBC) ALBERTA STORY "Amendments to Alberta's legislation on citizen-initiated referendums mean Corb Lund's recently approved application for a petition drive to stop new coal mining on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains is cancelled and the singer has to re-apply."

  5. VIDEO: What we know about Ahmed al-Ahmed, the Bondi Beach bystander who disarmed gunman (CBC) I am in awe of this man's selfless bravery. "The family of Ahmed al-Ahmed, a Syrian Muslim father of two who tackled one of the alleged attackers during the mass shooting on Sunday at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, has spoken out, hailing their son as a 'hero.' Donations are also pouring in for the 43-year-old fruit shop owner a day after the deadly shooting at a Jewish holiday event, which killed at least 15 people and left 38 people in hospital. Here is what we know about al-Ahmed and how people have reacted to his brave actions following the country's worst mass shooting in almost 30 years."

  6. PrairiesCan Funding for CKUA (CKUA) EDMONTON STORY #Wow So well deserved. "CKUA is delighted to share the news that it is scheduled to receive $10.9 Million over two years through the federal PrairiesCan funding program."

  7. Exclusive: Canada's top general says we're ready for war (National Post) ALBERTA STORY "As a youngster in Quebec, she dreamt of becoming a dancer. Instead, Jennie Carignan soared to become Canada’s first female Chief of the Defence Staff, the highest-ranking military position in the Canadian Armed Forces. Appointed to the rank and position in July 2024, Gen. Carignan was educated as an engineer, has served in the Canadian military for more than 35 years, and has held leadership roles with missions to Afghanistan, Bosnia, Iraq and Syria. In 2013, she became the first woman commandant of the Royal Military College in Saint-Jean, Que."

  8. Does Your Pet Really Love You? The New Science of Human-Animal Bonds (Next Big Idea Club) "You can never think about a pet without, at the same time, taking its human into account. An animal without a human is not a pet. An animal with a human has most of its story told by that human. Unfortunately, we pet-keeping humans are just about 100 percent incapable of maintaining an objective view of our pet, with the result that a huge amount of misinformation floods the pet-verse."

  9. VIDEO: Pay-what-you-can program helps fight food insecurity at Red Deer Polytechnic (CBC) CANADIAN STORY #LoveThis "It’s no secret that the rising cost of living is hitting many Canadians hard, especially at the grocery store. It’s why the Student Association at Red Deer Polytechnic in central Alberta is serving up something special: a pay-what-you-can meal option at the school’s Far Side cafe. Anyone can order soup, pasta, or rice and choose to donate what they can afford, or take a free lunch."

  10. VIDEO: Orcas and dolphins caught on video collaborating to hunt salmon (CBC) CANADIAN STORY "When dolphins swam onto the scene during a study on northern resident orcas off the coast of B.C., at least one researcher admitted to being a little annoyed. The Pacific white-sided dolphins had nothing to do with the study at hand. The research group — a collaboration between Dalhousie University, the University of British Columbia (UBC), the Leibniz Institute and the Hakai Institute — wanted to understand how northern resident orcas find food, and compare that to the struggling southern resident population. The researchers found the dolphins were helping the orcas hunt Chinook salmon. Dolphins have often been considered 'pesky critters' who steal fish from the orcas, according to Sarah Fortune, assistant professor of oceanography at Dalhousie University in Halifax and Canadian Wildlife Federation chair of large whale conservation. But that’s not what was happening — on deep, deep dives below, the dolphins and orcas were communicating."

SEVEN LIFE AND CAREER HACKS

  1. VIDEO: ‘Get Off the Hamster Wheel’: A Message for Fundraisers (Philanthropy.com) I have been saying this for years but she says it better.

  2. Jason Statham Stays Jacked at 58 with this 7-Move Core Workout (Men's Health) I have to say, this guy is someone I admire for his fitness routine.

  3. VIDEO: David Letterman on Life After Late-Night, Self-Driving Cars & Being a Bad Hugger (YouTube) Amazing interview.

  4. 14 Unexpected Ways To Cook With Orange Juice (The Takeout) Mmmm...OJ.

  5. VIDEO: THE ONLY 3 HOLIDAY SIDES YOU NEED THIS YEAR... (YouTube) You're welcome! Merry Christmas.

  6. VIDEO: Ken Burns Breaks Down His Most Iconic Films (YouTube) What a giant.

  7. the myth of division between science and art (chic cortex) I knew it!

TOP THREE GIFTS OF THE WEEK

  1. South Niagara Hospital Project receives two $2 million gifts (Niagara Health) NIAGARA STORY "The Haj-Ahmad Family Foundation and Walker Industries have each contributed $2 million, demonstrating outstanding community leadership and a shared dedication to strengthening healthcare for patients and families across Niagara."

  2. Royal Academy of Music receives ‘game-changing’ £30m donation (Arts Professional) "The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) has received a £30 million philanthropic donation, the largest in its 203-year history. The money, gifted by Aud Jebsen, will be put towards completing 'major works' on RAM’s Grade II-listed building in Marylebone over the next three years and reimagining its museum and collections."

  3. VIDEO: STARS receives $3 million donation (YouTube) MANITOBA STORY "Manitoba Blue Cross has donated $3M to STARS Air Ambulance, the largest donation the organization has received in its history in the province."

LAST WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STORIES

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