The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2026/01/04 at 12:00 EST

Episode Date: January 4, 2026

The World This Hour for 2026/01/04 at 12:00 EST

Choose clicks, choose the algorithm, choose doom scrolling at 3am, eyes tired, brain rewired, choose headlines that scream, choose fake friends, deepfakes, bots, and comment wars that never end. Choose truth bent and broken until you can't tell up from down or right from wrong. Choose the chaos, choose the noise. Or don't. Choose news, not noise. From CBC News, the world is sour. I'm Neil Kumar.

Al-Sid Venezuelan President Nixon, Nick's Maduro, has spent his first night in U.S. captivity. Good night. Good night. Maduro greets guards as he was led into the detention center last night. Katie Nicholson is following the latest developments from Washington. He's waking up today in the Metropolitan Detention Center. That's in Brooklyn, New York.

It's quite different accommodations than he's used. to. It's a federal detention center with a long list of chronic problems, rats, violence, staffing issues. And multiple outlets are reporting he could appear in a Manhattan court as early as tomorrow. And of course, that's on that four-count indictment. It really alleges that he helped move drug money on diplomatic planes and helped traffickers by selling them diplomatic passports over the years. Altogether, these charges would add up to several decades of prison time, but so much depends on what evidence the DOJ has to make. these charges stick. And then there's the question of who will represent Maduro in these proceedings.

Top lawyers are reportedly angling right now for a chance to defend him and what is sure to be a very high-profile trial with big questions about whether even he has immunity. The DOJ clearly going to argue, no, he does not, because he is not recognized as the legitimate head of a foreign state of Venezuela. Katie Nicholson, CBC News, Washington. And cross-country checkup will be covering the latest developments in Venezuela. question is, what's your reaction to the U.S. strike on Venezuela? What questions do you have? Send your questions to cbc.ca.ca.a. slash air check up airs on CBC radio and CBC News Network starting at 4 p.m. Eastern Time. In Switzerland, a memorial mass is being held

in a ski resort town today for the victims of the deadly nearest eve fire. Officials are also giving updates on the nationalities of 16 of the estimated 40 killed, Ten were Swiss, two were Italian, and there were also one each from France, Turkey, Romania, and one with dual Italian Emirati citizenship. Police now know the identities of 24 of the dead. The managers of the bar, where the fire happened, are now under investigation, suspected of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm, and involuntarily causing a fire.

The UK says it has carried out strikes on ISIS targets in Syria, working alongside French forces. It comes about two weeks after the U.S. launched major strikes in the same area. Julia Chapman reports from London. The British Ministry of Defense says fighter jets targeted an underground facility north of Palmyra. Intelligence analysis concluded that ISIS was storing weapons and explosives there. The military says there are not believed to be any civilian casualties. Defense Minister John Healy says the UK is determined to stamp out any resurgence of ISIS.

A little over two weeks ago, the U.S. targeted the same part of Syria, launching around 100 munitions, it struck ISIS sites after the killing of two U.S. soldiers and an American translator. ISIS has been weakened from its former state, but it's estimated to have up to 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq. Experts say there has been an uptick in attacks and that the group may be trying to exploit the transition of power after the defeat of the Assad regime. Julia Chapman, CBC News, London. Japan and South Korea say that North Korea launched ballistic missiles this morning. That would be the second launch this week. South Korea says those missiles apparently flew about 900 kilometers

before falling into the sea after consulting with U.S. authorities about the launch. And there's a new scoring record for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Matthews! And there is, 421! And the Maple Leafs have a new, all-time goal-scoring leader, and they'll empty the bench to congratulate. Late the captain. Austin Matthews broke Matt Sundeen's old mark of 420 career goals last night against the New York Islanders. Matthews' 421st goal puts the Leafs out in front, but it didn't last. New York 1-4-3. Matthews is now fourth in all-time franchise points.

And that is the world this hour. For CBC News, I'm Neil Kumar. Thank you.