The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/01/13 at 14:00 EST

Episode Date: January 13, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/01/13 at 14:00 EST

My name is Ian Urbina. I've reported on some pretty mind-blowing stories, but nothing like what happens at sea. If they got within 800 meters, that is when we would fire warning shots. Murder, slavery, human trafficking, and staggering environmental crimes. Men have told me that they've been beaten with stingray tails, with chains. If you really want to understand crime, start where the law of the land ends. The outlaw ocean. Available now on CBC Listen and everywhere you get your podcasts. From CBC News, the world is sour.

I'm Tom Harrington. Qatar's government says both Hamas and Israel now have the final draft of a ceasefire deal. The news of significant progress in the talks comes before next week's change of government in the U.S. And with that, a major shift in American foreign policy. Sacha Petrusic has more from Jerusalem. After months of fruitless talks, mediators in Doha say there was a breakthrough in negotiations late last night when Israeli and Hamas officials seemed to overcome major

differences blocking a Gaza ceasefire. We see some progress in the negotiations. Today Israel's foreign minister Gideon Sarr sounded unusually optimistic. Israel wants a hostage deal. Soon we will know whether the other side wants the same thing. Both sides are under US pressure from incoming president Donald Trump Soon we will know whether the other side wants the same thing. Both sides are under US pressure from incoming president Donald Trump

and the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden and his national security adviser Jake Sullivan. We are still determined to use every day we have an office to get this done. Can we get it done before the 20th? It is possible. But say mediators, still not guaranteed. Sasha Petrusic, CBC News, Jerusalem. Officials in Southern California say they've made some progress battling the wildfires, but the threat remains critical. Wind conditions are expected to worsen tonight, and the most dangerous day will be tomorrow. Thousands of homes have already been destroyed. At least 24 people have died in the fires.

LA County Sheriff Robert Lunas says more victims continue to be found. The El Tadena area, we are in the third day of grid searching. It is a very grim task, and we, unfortunately, every day we're doing this, we're running across the remains of individual

community members. Some good news though. The firefighting plane from Quebec damaged by a drone last week has been repaired. It's expected to be back in the air tomorrow. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith fully expects Donald Trump to make good on his tariff threats. Trump returns to the White House next week. Smith says it happens at a time of what she calls a leadership vacuum in Ottawa. I'm very concerned about a leadership vacuum. That's why I've been calling for an

immediate election because we need somebody at the table who is able to engage with the administration saying you've got a four-year mandate, I got a four-year mandate, let's deal. And we don't have that right now. Trump is threatening to impose across-the-board 25 percent tariffs on all Canadian exports to the United States. Smith met with Trump yesterday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The meeting was arranged by Canadian businessman and TV personality Kevin O'Leary. The cost of mailing a letter in Canada has just gone up as of today. A single stamp will now cost you $1.44. That's a 29 cent jump.

Canada Post says it needs to generate more revenue. The corporation has lost more than $3 billion since 2018. The British government is rolling out a multi-billion dollar initiative to increase the use of AI in the public sector. Christo Gemansing has the details from London. This technology offers huge potential in dealing with productivity problems. Senior Cabinet member Pat McFadden selling the practical benefits of artificial intelligence. The Labour government is starting to implement recommendations from an AI advisory review launched last summer. Later on this morning, I'm going to see AI in action in the classroom where it's being

used by about 30,000 teachers in England, saving them about three and a half hours a week. From administrative work in the education sector to viewing images of road conditions, the Labour government is banking on AI to save money. Government borrowing costs have hit their highest level in 16 years. And this month the pound fell to a 14-month low against the dollar. The government says its AI opportunities action plan could create more than 13,000 jobs. Crystal Gamansing, CBC News, London.

And that is your World This Hour for CBC News. I'm Tom Harrington. Thanks for listening. Music .