The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/01/28 at 03:00 EST

Episode Date: January 28, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/01/28 at 03:00 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 Claude Fague.

We begin in Gaza. For a second day, thousands of displaced Palestinians have crossed back into Gaza City looking to return home. Hamas authorities say 300,000 people, including mothers and their children, had crossed back over and the north edge of the enclave. Two key crossing points into Gaza were reopened on Monday. The public inquiry into foreign interference is set to release its final report today. Commissioner Marie-Josée Ogg will make a number of recommendations.

And as Raffi Buja-Kanion reports, with the next federal election looming ahead, the clock will be ticking on implementing them. I hope we see a way forward pointed by the commissioner and her team. Public safety minister David McGinty says there is a lot writing on Commissioner Marie-Josée Ogg's final report. Ogg has held months of hearings looking into foreign interference in Canadian elections, triggered by headlines largely based on leaks from confidential national security sources. Stories have alleged that in a few writings, China attempted to tip the scale during the

last two federal elections. Ogg's interim report also looked at meddling by India, Russia and other countries. Said it may have had an impact on results in a small number of writings, but not on which party formed government. Wesley Wark is a national security expert who has advised past federal governments. We're going to go into the next election essentially with the defense mechanisms to deal with foreign interference. He says Ottawa will have a short runway to put OG's recommendations into place before

Canadians head to the polls this year. Rafi Boujikan, Yann CBC News, Ottawa. The United Nations has called an urgent Security Council meeting for today to discuss what it calls a volatile and dangerous situation in Congo that has turned the eastern city of Goma into an active combat zone. Margaret Evans reports. The sound of heavy gunfire at the airport in Goma. It was recorded on social media today and shows armed men running across an adjacent field. The Rwandan-backed rebel group known as M23

claims to have captured the city after days of advancing on it. But the Congolese government has disputed that. Fighting has people fleeing the city, many on foot, carrying carrying their children and whatever else they can manage. The rebels have pressed on despite calls by UN Security Council members to stop and by European Union foreign ministers. Conflict between rival militias has raged in Congo's mineral rich east for decades now, turning it into one of the world's

worst humanitarian disaster zones. Margaret Evans, CBC News, London. Five years ago today, the first case of COVID-19 was detected in BC. The pandemic drastically altered public education in the province and right across the country. As John Hernandez reports, the classroom struggles are far from over. We didn't get to learn properly so then when we got to like the next year we were behind. 16-year-old Vancouverite Yuvi Singh was in grade six when the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in BC. By March, schools were suspended indefinitely. Students had to quickly make the switch to online learning. Researchers say the sudden shift took a toll on students of all ages.

Jessica Risk is a sociology professor at the University of Waterloo. She studied the education outcomes for students during 2020. That was very challenging. That increased a lot of student anxiety and stress. It was a very quick ascent for us. Clint Johnson is the president of the BC Teachers Federation. I think there's a cohort kind of flowing through absolutely that probably still has catching up to do. Johnson says kids with special education needs were hit particularly hard.

He says schools need more EAs and mental health resources to support them. John Hernandez, CBC News, Vancouver. And that is your World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Claude Feig.