The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/12/13 at 08:00 EST

Episode Date: December 13, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/12/13 at 08:00 EST

All right, I got to tell you, I can't believe it's already end of year list season. Hi, friend. I'm Elamine Abdu Mahmoud and on my show, Commotion. We've been keeping track of all the trends that have come and gone in 2025. And this week, we're finally doing it. We're kicking off our year-in-review coverage with a look back at the year in music. I don't know what your top song was. I don't know what artists define your 2025.

But some of my favorite music critics are going to join me at the commotion table to get into this year in music. You can find that episode of Commotion and much more when you follow us on YouTube. or wherever you get your podcasts. From CBC News, the world this hour. I'm Claude Pag. Flood waters in BC are receding after this week's devastating atmospheric weather. But hundreds of people remain out of their homes in the Fraser Valley region. The CBC's Mark Carcassault is following developments.

A lot of the warnings and highway closures and whatnot that we've seen over the last couple days have subsided. But nothing is quite normal just yet. For instance, there are still local states of emergency in B.C.'s Fraser Valley. There are still flood warnings along the Sumas River looking at spillover from the Nooksack River in Washington State, which is flowing northward. There are still evacuation orders in place, 460 properties in total. And there are still some major highway closures in effect. One thing we do know is that the mayor of Abbotsford, Ross Siemens, is not happy with the federal government. He throws back to flooding in Abbotsford in 2021, which was very very.

very serious. He says there was a flood mitigation plan put together not long after that, but the federal governments need to sign off on it. I need that long-term flood mitigation plan to be adopted sooner as opposed to later. Mayor Siemens does say he met with the federal emergency management minister yesterday after calling them out on that, but still no real concrete plans there. Mark Karkasol, CBC News, Toronto. U.S. officials are traveling to Berlin this weekend to meet with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and other European leaders. Special envoy, Steve Whitkoff, will be leading the discussions, which are centered on a revised 20-point U.S. peace plan. Julia Chapman reports.

Overseas Envoy Steve Whitkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are making their way to Germany to meet Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Wall Street Journal reports that the leaders of the UK, France, and Germany will also attend. They are expected to discuss proposals from Trump to turn the Donbass into a special economic zone. In southern Russia, officials say two people were killed when a Ukrainian drone hit a residential building. Reports suggest Ukraine may have been targeting a major oil refinery there. In southern Ukraine, thousands of people are without power after overnight Russian attacks. The European Union has agreed to indefinitely freeze Russian assets held in the block.

But some members are resisting a proposal to loan the funds to Ukraine. Russia's central bank says it will sue the Belgian financial institution that holds the money. The idea will be discussed at a European Leaders Summit next week. Julia Chapman, CBC News, London. High-speed rail is closer to rolling into Canada with the federal government announcing a network, the first leg, set to connect Ottawa to Montreal. Liam Baker has the details. I'd probably be more keen on going because it's a lot easier.

Thane Tremaine is one of many Ottawa locals saying it's about time. there is a faster way to get between Ottawa and Montreal. And although construction on the high-speed rail isn't slated to start until 2029, local business leaders are praising its potential to attract more companies and customers to Canada's capital. Sonia Shori is the president of Invest Ottawa, a local economic development agency. It's a more sustainable way to travel. So for those who make values-based decisions, it's going to support that particular goal as well. Local environmental advocates so far like what they see,

partially because it takes cars off the road. The Ottawa-Montreal line is part of a planned broader Toronto to Quebec City Corridor, and with trains traveling at 300 kilometers per hour, could cut travel times in half. Public consultations on the precise route are expected to begin in January. Liam Baker, CBC News, Ottawa. A legendary actor is hitting a major milestone today. Jim Chimmini, chimmini, chim, chrie. A sweep is as lucky as lucky.

can be. Dick Van Dyke officially turns 100 years old and will reportedly celebrate his centennial quietly at home with his wife watching Jeopardy reruns. Still involved in acting, Van Dyke won a daytime Emmy Award at the age of 98, the oldest person ever to win the award. Van Dyke says he's lucky, goes to the gym, and that 100 years is simply not enough. And that is your world this hour. For CBC News, I'm Claude Fagg.

Thank you.