The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2026/01/02 at 13:00 EST

Episode Date: January 2, 2026

The World This Hour for 2026/01/02 at 13:00 EST

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from cbc news the world this hour i'm kate mcgilfrey the fire that killed 40 people in switzerland was likely started by sparklers attached to champagne bottles the fatal fire tore through a ski resort bar on new year's eve more than a hundred were injured many of them critically john northcott reports for the first time we're getting a true sense of the breadth of countries affected by this tragedy 71 of the victims are from Switzerland, but there are many from France, Italy, as well as Serbia, Bosnia, Poland, and Luxembourg. One woman at the scene is pleading for anyone who may have seen her son.

If you've seen him in hospitals or at the morgue, she says, please contact me. I don't know how severe his burns are or if he's recognizable. All I want is my son. We're also getting some Greater clarity as to the cause of the fire, with officials saying what eyewitnesses have been saying all along

that large lit sparklers in champagne bottles being carried through the club got too close to the ceiling, setting off a fire that spread rapidly. John Northcott, CBC News, London. Officials in North Carolina say they've foiled a terrorist plot inspired by ISIS. He was preparing for jihad and innocent people were going to die. U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson says the 18-year-old suspect had been radicalized online. He planned an attack on a grocery store and a fast food restaurant. Ferguson says the suspect then shared his plans with two FBI agents, who he believed

were ISIS operatives. He said he was going to wear a Kevlar vest and attack people with knives and hammers. And of course he talked about when he was going to carry out this attack, which was New Year's Eve. The suspect was arrested on Wednesday and was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terror organization. Tesla has lost its crown as the world's best-selling electric vehicle maker. The biggest EV producer is now China's B.Y.D. Tesla's sales dropped 9% last year compared to the year before. That declines being chalked up to expiring tax breaks, stiff competition, and customers

turned off by Elon Musk's right-wing politics. Musk had earlier dismissed the softening numbers. He says Tesla's future lies with other veterans. ventures like energy storage and robots. And Tesla shareholders seem to have his back. They backed an enormous new pay package for Musk at the annual meeting in November. Venezuela's president appears to be offering an olive branch to the U.S. government. Nicholas Maduro says Venezuela is ready to have serious talks about combating drug trafficking.

For months, the Trump administration has been ready. ramping up attacks on alleged drugboats in the Caribbean. The CIA also recently targeted a port facility on Venezuelan land. That marked a major escalation in the U.S. pressure campaign on the Maduro regime. Maduro insists his government is friendly to the U.S., adding that the country is ready to accept American investments in Venezuelan oil. And as the new year begins, Canadians will have to adjust to a few minor tax changes, though they aren't as significant as tweaks in previous years.

Peter Zimonych has those details. When I talk to my colleagues in the tax community, it's for individuals like you and me. It is a snooze fest. That was Daniel Rogazinsky, a tax expert with the University of Waterloo. He says in 2026, there will be only minor tax changes for individuals, the most significant, a 1% cut to the lowest rate of taxation. It will save a two-income family about $800 annually.

As well, eligible personal support workers will be able to claim a new refundable tax credit worth up to $1,100 a year. And there is an increase in the lifetime capital gains exemption from just over $1 million to $1.25 million on the sale of eligible shares, farms, or fishing property. I mean, that's a big incentive for people to go out and start businesses and create jobs. Peter Zamagnetsch, CBC News, Ottawa.

And that is the world this hour. For news any time, you can always visit our website. That's cbcnews.ca. I'm Kate McGilfrey. Thank you.