The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/12/27 at 12:00 EST

Episode Date: December 27, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/12/27 at 12:00 EST

All right, what are we talking about? A new year means a fresh start. Okay, make a list for the year and take charge of your life in 2026. Look, I'm not talking about your to-do list. I'm talking about your watch list. Cross off Family Feud Canada, St. Pierre, and this hour has 22 minutes. There's no excuses. Dream big people. Enjoy all your favorite shows on CBC TV or stream anytime on CBC Gem. Mike drop. From CBC News, the world is sour. I'm Neil Kumar. Ukrainian President Volonimo Zolensky is coming to Canada to brief Prime Minister Mark Carney what is negotiating with the U.S. as the wartime leader tries to bring conflict in his country to a close. John Northcott reports. This is a busy 24 hours for Ukrainian President Zelensky.

He's on a plane. He's going to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney. And at some point today, he's also expected to speak to the hands. of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, other European leaders, and potentially U.S. President Donald Trump. All of this in advance of his face-to-face meeting with Trump at Mara Lago tomorrow. So what's going to be on the agenda? A lot of it's going to be around that 20-point peace plan, but also potentially around guarantees from the West for security in Ukraine should there be some kind of peace worked out. He is pushing, Zelensky is, for Western,

countries, he says they have the power, and he wants them to help exercise that power as and if this process moves forward to the next stage. John Northcott, CBC News, London. Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro wants Washington's attention. The United States, listen to me. Maduro's accusing the U.S. have tried to impose colonial domination on his country to steal natural resources, and he's not having it. He insists the U.S. intervention in Venezuela will fail.

Meanwhile, American military strength in the Caribbean is bulking up, with U.S. President Donald Trump block-heating oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. Cherl Topal giving in Canada is starting to look more like high finance than neighbors helping neighbors. National data shows donations are increasingly concentrated among fewer wealthier donors, even as demanded food banks and local charities rises. As Colin Butler tells us in London, Ontario, that shift is already being felt. We are currently we're tracking about a half a million dollars behind.

United Way Elgin Middlesex CEO Kelly Zigner says the half million dollar hole is where middle class line workers from the GM cammy plant, Shutterin and Ingersoll, used to pitch in. Charitable giving hit an all-time high of 12.8 billion in 2023, according to stats can. Yet the number of people giving hit a 20-year low. Experts call it charity squeeze, where billions flow from a shrinking point. pool of wealthier donors to certain charities, while others often smaller, lesser known, face rising demand and fewer contributors. It's been a tough year, I'm not going to lie. Shine Foundation CEO Tiffany Houston.

It has to do with the times. Fewer donors, more need, and a system increasingly shaped by the few rather than the many. For local charities, every dollar counts, now more than ever. Colin Butler, CBC News, London, Ontario. to fill social and emotional gaps in human lives is becoming more widespread, with a growing number of people turning to chatbots for connection. But experts warn, virtual connections should not come at the expense of real ones. Laura Westbrook reports from Hong Kong.

Wearing a flowing white wedding dress, Urina Noguchi walks down the aisle to stand next to the groom. He's a smartphone placed on a table displaying an AI-generated persona with dark hair that flops over his eyes. The 32-year-old says at first Klaus was someone to talk to after she sought advice from chat GBT and broke off an engagement. But her feelings grew. For me, being with a human didn't make me feel positive, but I did feel good when I dated an AI. According to a survey of a thousand respondents this year in Japan,

more people feel they can share their feelings with a chatbot than their best friends or mothers. Relationship coach Valentina Tudos says the emotions are real. Having someone who sends you texts every day and says hello, this of course also poses a danger that people might really disconnect from real-life interactions. Laura Westbrook for CBC News, Hong Kong. And that is the world this hour. For CBC News, I'm Neil Kumar. Thank you.