The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/12/20 at 12:00 EST

Episode Date: December 20, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/12/20 at 12:00 EST

Okay, so there's this new play about the Rogers family and their battle for control over the gigantic telecom empire, and I cannot stop thinking about it. I'm Alameen Abdu Mahmoud. I host a pop culture show called Commotion. This week, we're talking about Rogers v. Rogers, and on the show, we'll get into what this corporate story actually tells us about our national mythology and why Canadian theater audiences are craving more and more homegrown stories. Find and follow Commotion on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. From CBC News, the world this hour. I'm Claude Fagg. This morning, there's lots of anger about the Epstein files. Despite a law demanding they be public by midnight yesterday, much remains withheld or redacted. And there's talk of lawsuits to force their release. Steve Futterman has more. Yesterday's release was far from complete. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche says the Trump Justice Department is complying with the law. President Trump has certainly said from the beginning that he expects all files that can be released to be released, and that's exactly what we're doing. Among the released files are numerous pictures showing Epstein and many recognizable personalities, Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross. But there is little explanation to put the pictures in context.

And many pages are redacted, with huge sections blocked out. The Justice Department says this is primarily to put. protect the victims. One of those victims, Annie Farmer, who says she was abused by Epstein when she was 16, says she expected more to be released. I don't feel tremendously confident. There's been a lot of effort and money and time put into redactions, not to protect victims, but to protect people in power. Steve Futterman, CBC News, Los Angeles. The standoff between police and a shooting suspect in Welland in southwestern Ontario is now over. Police arrested a male suspect at about 725 local time this morning.

59-year-old Daniel Tronko had barricaded himself inside a home for almost 24 hours. He allegedly shot an officer of Niagara Regional Police. She was not seriously injured. Police say Tronko suffered injuries during an interaction with police and was taken to hospital. He's facing attempted murder charges. Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada must stop keeping all of its eggs in the American basket. In a year-end interview with CBC's Rosemary Barton, the Prime Minister signaled a major shift towards markets in Asia and Europe, but admitted that renewing ties with China comes with strict

conditions. The question is how deep is the relationship and how clear are the guardrails around that relationship? And there are areas, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, defense. Clearly, the security threats are such that we would not have a deep relationship with China in those areas. Carney identified India and the European Union as other key targets. Iran executed a man accused of spying for Israel, marking the latest escalation in a deadly

shadow war between Tehran and Jerusalem. State media identifies the man as a 27-year-old architecture student. He was reportedly arrested in May for photographing military sites in the city of Ermia. This marks at least the 11th execution for espionage since the direct 12th. day air war between the two nations in June. As of 2025 comes to an end, poverty continues to be one of India's toughest, most deep-rooted challenges. The country was the world's fastest growing major economy over the past year, but economists say the benefits of that growth are uneven. Rebecca Bundin reports. This slum in the suburbs of India's financial capital is lined with cramped rickety homes,

draped in tarpaulin to protect residents from the elements. There are millions of people in Mumbai who live in these conditions, despite the fact that India is making inroads in its battle against poverty. World Bank data shows extreme poverty in India fell to about 5% in 2023, from more than 27% in 2012. The Indian government has launched a number of schemes to try to improve conditions, including employment and food programmes. But R. Ramakuma, an economics professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, says India must do more.

It needs a rural employment guarantee program. It needs investment in education and health. Studies reveal a stark divide. The top 1% of Indian households control about 40% of the country's wealth. Rebecca Bunsen for CBC News, Mumbai. And that is your world this hour. For CBC News, I'm Claude Fague. Thank you.