The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/01/26 at 05:00 EST

Episode Date: January 26, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/01/26 at 05:00 EST

What does a mummified Egyptian child, the Parthenon marbles of Greece and an Irish giant all have in common? They are all stuff the British stole. Maybe. Join me, Mark Fennell, as I travel around the globe uncovering the shocking stories of how some, let's call them ill-gotten, artifacts made it to faraway institutions. Spoiler, it was probably the British. Don't miss a brand new season of Stuff the British Style. Watch it free on CBC Gem. From CBC News, the world this hour. I'm Mike Miles.

Canada's insurers are casting a wary eye south after a record-setting year for insurance claims. The nation's insurance bureau says fires and floods in California, Louisiana and Florida are a hint of what's to come both for the cost and availability of home insurance here. Laura Lynch of CBC Radio's What's on Earth has the story. Naomi Cook admits to getting nervous when the rain starts falling on her street in Sackville, Nova Scotia. That's because it reminds her of the storm water that flooded her street in Sackville, Nova Scotia. That's because it reminds her of the storm water that flooded her home in July of 2023.

It was running so fast by my basement door. It was up at least two feet. Cook paid several thousand dollars for repairs because insurers say her home is at too great a risk for floods. The industry and its overseers call them insurance deserts, places that have become too hazardous for coverage. And the Insurance Bureau of Canada's Craig Stewart says when he looks at what's happening in the U.S., he sees Canada's future in a changing

climate. So in Louisiana, Florida and now California, what we're seeing is you're seeing insurers pull out, they're reducing their exposure. Stewart says Canada needs to follow the lead of those states and other nations by establishing a government-backed insurance program. Ottawa has been negotiating with the provinces and plans to have the program set up this year. Laura Lynch, CBC News, Vancouver. You can hear more about the future of insurance as costly climate linked disasters mount.

That's later this morning on What on Earth at 11 a.m., 1130 in Newfoundland on CBC Radio 1, or wherever you get your podcasts. To India next. Where the country is celebrating Republic Day to mark 76 years since it adopted its own constitution after breaking free from British rule. But the main focus for Indian policymakers right now is still the U.S. and what to expect from the Trump administration. Our South Asia correspondent, Salima Shivji, has more. Secretary, how do you see U.S.-India relations under President Trump?

The question went unanswered by Secretary of State Marco Rubio ahead of his very first bilateral meeting. It was with India's foreign minister. A clear and welcome sign for India, says Minister Subramaniam Jayashankar. They're clearly prioritizing the relationship. Both countries desperately want to contain an aggressive China, but there are obvious points of friction between India and the U.S. Illegal immigration is one, with the third highest number of America's

undocumented migrants coming from India. Trade is another. India's protectionism angers Donald Trump. The Indian government has been very proactive to try to get on Trump's good side. Milin Vaishnav is the head of the South Asia program at DC's Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He says unconfirmed media reports that New Delhi not only plans to repatriate thousands of Indians living illegally in the U.S., but also is mulling over reducing tariffs to show how seriously they've thought about how to deal with Trump. Salima Shivji, CBC News, Mumbai.

US President Trump says he wants to see Gaza, in his words, cleaned out. As for the Palestinians living there now, he wants Jordan and Egypt to accept them. Trump added he didn't know whether the mass movement would be temporary or long-term. He calls Gaza a demolition site following 15 months of war between Hamas and Israel. Paul McCartney is urging the UK government to stop an incoming change to copyright law he says could let artificial intelligence companies rip off artists. He gave the BBC this example. You get young guys, girls coming up and they write a beautiful song and they don't own it and they don't have anything to do with

it and anyone who wants can just rip it off. I mean the truth is the money's going somewhere you know and it gets on the streaming platforms somebody's getting it and it should be the person who created it. The government is consulting on whether to let tech firms use copyrighted material to help train artificial intelligence models. Creative creators, rather, would have the option to opt out, but McCartney says that would make it harder for artists to retain control of their work and undermine the UK's creative industries.

That is your World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Mike Miles.