The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/05/14 at 06:00 EDT

Episode Date: May 14, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/05/14 at 06:00 EDT

How did the internet go from this? You could actually find what you were looking for right away, bound to this. I feel like I'm in hell. Spoiler alert, it was not an accident. I'm Cory Doctorow, host of Who Broke the Internet from CBC's Understood. In this four-part series, I'm going to tell you

why the internet sucks now, whose fault it is, and my plan to fix it. Find Who Broke the Internet on whatever terrible app you get your podcasts. From CBC News, it's the world this hour. I'm Joe Cummings. U.S. President Donald Trump on a visit this week to the Middle East has announced he is lifting US sanctions on Syria. The move comes after Trump met today with Syria's interim president, Ahmad al-Sharah, who has ties to al-Qaeda and once fought US forces in Iraq.

Chris Brown has more. In Syria's capital, there were celebrations after Donald Trump announced an end to U.S. sanctions on the country, the most severe of which had been in place for 14 years. They were imposed on the repressive regime of Bashar al-Assad, but allies of the insurgent leader who recently pushed him out, Ahmed al-Sharah, urged the U.S. to give Syria a chance to rebuild its crushed economy and stabilize the country at a fragile moment. Al-Shara used to be a member of al-Qaeda but renounced his ties in 2016 and within the US government there are reportedly

still skeptics of the sanctions move. Trump will move on to Qatar where this next portion of his trip has already been overshadowed by word that the Qataris intend to give Trump a $400 million 747 aircraft as a gift. Democrats say the plane would amount to a bribe from a foreign country, and even some far-right Republicans have said they're uncomfortable. Chris Brown, CBC News, Enriod. Now to Ottawa, where Prime Minister Mark Carney meets today with his newly sworn in cabinet. And from every indication, it's clear that affordability will be the Carney government's primary focus.

David Thurton explains. But there are two elements to cost of things. One is the actual cost of things, and the other is our people's salaries growing. Prime Minister Mark Carney listing some of the things he's promising Canadians. Carney just won an election dominated by Donald Trump's trade war. But many of Carney's remarks, after presenting his new cabinet, focused on helping Canadians make ends meet. Most immediately, with the middle class tax cut, we will act by Canada Day.

Carney also committed to boosting Canada's housing supply, aggressively doubling the pace of building. Le leading that effort as the new Housing Minister, former Mayor of Vancouver, Gregor Robertson. Conservative leader Pierre Pauliap wasted no time criticizing Robertson's record. Giving Vancouver, his city, the most expensive housing prices in all of North America. If this is the new blood that Mr. Carney is bringing into the cabinet, nothing is going to change. Carney defended Robertson, saying he is familiar with the solutions needed. David Thurton, CBC News, Ottawa.

Incidentally, Prime Minister Carney will be flying to the Vatican this weekend for Pope Leo's inaugural mass. It's set for Sunday in St. Peter's Square. Carney didn't attend the funeral for Pope Francis. He chose instead to stay in Canada for the final days of campaigning in the federal election. A report from the International Energy Agency is suggesting that electric vehicles are on the verge of becoming the first choice

for millions of car buyers across the world. But even though the vehicles are becoming cheaper and easier to charge, there are concerns that trade and tariff threats are about to slow that momentum. And Ayat Singh has more. We're not going back. Daniel Breton is the President of Electric Mobility Canada, an association representing the EV industry

and is encouraged by the latest numbers on battery-powered cars around the world. One in four cars sold worldwide being electric or plug-in hybrid. I think it says it all. And in some countries, it's even more. In China, 11 million EVs were sold, half of all new cars. According to the latest global EV outlook from the International Energy Agency, that's in part because EVs in China are the same price or even cheaper than gasoline cars. But while the report said Asia and Latin America are leading on adopting EVs in China are the same price or even cheaper than gasoline cars. But while the report said Asia and Latin America are leading on adopting EVs, North America

is lagging behind. EV manufacturing went down in the US and Canada's nascent EV sector remains pretty small. The report said EV sales are projected to continue growing, driven by falling prices, rules to cut carbon emissions from transportation and incentives for buying electric. Inayat Singh, CBC News, Toronto. And that is the World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Joe Cummings.