The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/05/20 at 17:00 EDT

Episode Date: May 20, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/05/20 at 17:00 EDT

The election may be over, but that certainly doesn't mean things are settled on Parliament Hill, and that gives At Issue a lot to talk about. I'm Rosemary Barton, CBC's Chief Political Correspondent, and every week I'm joined by three of Canada's top political journalists, Chantelle Baer, Andrew Coyne, and Althea Raj, to help you understand what's at stake as the Liberals settled in for another minority and the Conservatives try to hold them to account. Follow At Issue as we break down the biggest stories in Canadian politics. New podcasts every Friday.

From CBC News, the world this hour, I'm Stephanie Scanderis. Hypersonic missiles, ballistic missiles, and advanced cruise missiles, all of them will be knocked out of the air. Donald Trump says his project to build a so-called golden dome will cost about 175 billion US dollars. He's expecting the missile defense shield to be completed before the end of his term. The president also claims Canada wants to partner with the US. Canada has called us and they want to be a part of it.

So we'll be talking to them. They want to have protection also. So as usual, we help Canada do the best we can. Trump did not provide further details on a potential partnership, but he added that every part of the defence shield would be made in the U.S. Lawmakers have previously criticised the plan given its high cost and defense systems already in place. The European Union says it will review its free trade deal with Israel. Earlier today, the UK suspended free trade talks with Israel over the war in Gaza. The moves come a day after Canada, the UK and France released a statement condemning Israel's latest military

offensive. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls their response a huge prize for Hamas. Chris Reyes reports. There are 14,000 babies that will die in the next 48 hours unless we can reach them. That dire warning from UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher. Israel has allowed limited aid trucks to cross into Gaza in the last two days following weeks of a blockade that has pushed the territory to the following weeks of a blockade that has pushed the territory to the brink of famine. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has joined other leaders, including Canada, condemning Israel's recent bombardment of Gaza. Where the level of suffering, innocent children being bombed again, is utterly intolerable.

Medics in Gaza say more than 500 Palestinians have been killed in the past eight days. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says international pressure will not divert Israel from its objectives. He called on Hamas to release hostages and lay down arms to end the war. Chris Reyes, CBC News, New York. Meanwhile, the European Union is lifting sanctions on Syria. It follows the U.S. decision to remove economic restrictions imposed more than a decade ago. EU foreign policy chief Kayakalis warns the policy change could be reversed depending on progress.

Syria's foreign ministry welcomed the move as a step towards financial stability. The autocratic regime of President Bashar al-Assad was toppled last December. The sexual assault trial involving five former World Junior hockey players continues in London. Today the court is hearing from Brett Howden. He was a member of the 2018 World Junior team and is a current forward for the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights. Howden was in the room when the alleged incident occurred, but is not facing any charges.

And this story contains some graphic details. Karen Pauls reports. Brett Howden told the court there are many things he can't recall, even after reading the statement he made to a hockey Canada investigator in 2018. He does remember a woman coming out of the bathroom, but doesn't remember she was naked. Howden does recall things escalated quickly when the woman started taunting the guys,

egging them on because he says nobody was taking her up on her offers of sexual acts. Finally, two of them did. He recalls Carter Hart and Michael McLeod getting oral sex from her, although he remembers not looking because it was uncomfortable and awkward. He also recalls it was the woman who took Alex Formonton to the bathroom where it's alleged he had sex with her but he can't remember Dylan Dubay spanking the woman even though he recalls hearing the sound and he told the investigator about it in 2018. Karen Pauls, CBC News, London, Ontario. Canada's inflation rate fell to 1.7 percent last month from 2.3 in March. Statistics Canada says the falling price of gasoline is the biggest factor.

On average, gas prices are down by 18 percent. That's due mainly to the removal of the consumer carbon tax and the global drop in oil prices. But food prices continue to rise faster than any other consumer product. And that is your World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Stephanie Scanderis.