World Report - November 15: Saturday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: November 15, 2025

After years of calls for the Vatican to return cultural items belonging to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities held in its museums, several objects are heading back to Canada.Trump adminstration rolls back tariffs on hundreds of imported food products.Trump ends support for Marjorie Taylor Greene amid growing Epstein feud.Iran confirms that it seized a commercial oil tanker in the critical Strait of Hormuz.Nigeria cancels mother-tongue teaching in primary schools and reverts to English.The Art Gallery of Ontario celebrates major donation of hundreds of works by renowned artists.

Hello there, it's me, Gavin Crawford, host of the long-running podcast, Because News, a weekly show where I quiz three funny friends about the most recent headlines. This week, we've got girl historian Carly Thorne, comedian Chris Siddiqui, and Jeopardy Legend, as well as host of CBC's bookends, Mattaya Roach. We'll find out the latest in brain science, investigate a Christmas crime, and why not grab a shot of sourpuss? If you're experiencing shorter days' invisible fatigue, you're either in the winter doldrums, or maybe you're the American president.

In either case, come hang out with us by following Because News, anywhere you get your podcasts. This is a CBC podcast. This is World Report. Good morning, I'm John Northcott. After years of calls for the Vatican to return cultural items belonging to First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities held in its museums, several objects are heading back to Canada. It's part of an agreement announced today between the Vatican

and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. The plan is to eventually get the items back to the communities they came from. Megan Williams has more from Rome. The sleek and Nuvia Luik Kayak used for whale and beluga hunts and five dozen or so other cultural items will soon be heading home. The statements by the Vatican and Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said Pope Leo has given the objects to the bishop who, quote, are committed to ensuring they are properly safeguarded,

respected, and preserved. The statement made no explicit reference to the items being returned to their indigenous communities of origin, but those involved in the negotiations say it's understood the bishops will oversee the handoff to indigenous communities. A historic day. Canadian ambassador to the Holy See, Joyce Napier, says the agreement was the result of urging the Canadian government to return the objects. That this is something that was important to the government because it was important. to our indigenous communities. Napier says the items will arrive

on an Air Canada flight in Montreal on December 6 and be shipped to the Canadian Museum of History in Gatno, Quebec. Their experts will assess their condition, confirm their origins, and work with indigenous representatives to determine where they should ultimately be returned. The kayak and other objects were sent to Rome in

1925 for a world exhibition organized by Pope Pius, the 11th. Many came from communities during a time of forced conversion, cultural suppression, and the residential school system. Megan Williams, CBC News, Rome. Donald Trump is eliminating the global reciprocal tariffs on hundreds of food imports. It's a dramatic reversal for the U.S. President who's been insisting his import duties don't fuel inflation. But it comes as the Trump administration faces growing pressure over rising prices. CBC's Tricia Kindleman is following the story and joins us in studio.

Tricia, let's talk about these exemptions. Yeah, so impacting a number of countries at this point, Argentina, Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, those are kind of some of the top ones. Now, a lot of these are sort of food products that consumers tend to buy for their house on the regular basis. We've heard a lot of people talking about those grocery bill prices and just year over year, about a 10% increase there. So really some skyrocketing grocery prices. And it kicks in on Thursday.

mentioned that John, too. So items ranging from oranges, paprika, coffee beans, and it does even include some chemicals for food production, fertilizers as well. So a variety, a long list of goods, those 200 goods like we mentioned. Now, the White House is saying that this is because they've seen some significant progress on these bilateral trade agreements that they're working on. So Donald Trump is saying that these certain food items could be exempted because they're not really grown or processed in the United States. Now, definitely some industry groups were welcoming this news, some others hoping to see their items on the list not so pleased with what was included. But Donald Trump has said that there could be some further changes coming, although he

says that they will be limited in scope. So Canada produces lots of stuff, including many food products. So are we affected by this walkback by the U.S. President? So unfortunately, not really. One of our main exports, of course, we know is beef. And there's already a number of sort of deals in place around beef exports. But this does sort of of solidify that we'll be able to continue with that arrangement, sort of tariff-free. But a lot of this is targeted on sort of tropical fruits and things that the U.S. doesn't produce, which generally means we don't produce it also. So at this point, it doesn't really impact a lot of those tariff costs on food goods that we're

seeing. And it really does sort of extend this continued trade war and uncertainty that we're seeing in the political realm. As we know, these conversations and negotiations are still ongoing between a number of Canadian officials and U.S. officials as well. Trisha Kindleman, in studio. Thanks so much. Thanks. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is pulling his support from a major MAGA ally.

The U.S. President says he's no longer backing Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green. She's been a fierce Trump supporter, but recently criticized several of his key policies, including his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein affair. Trump says she's gone far left and is calling for Republicans to unseat her in next year's midterm elections. I think that her constituents aren't going to be happy. Already I have people calling me. They want to challenge her to a race in her district in Georgia. And, you know, that's too bad.

She's lost a wonderful conservative reputation. In a blistering social media post, Trump calls Taylor Green a ranting lunatic and says all she does is complain, complain, complain. Taylor Green says Trump is trying to scare other Republicans to vote against the release of federal files related to convicted second. offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Iran confirms this morning that it has seized a commercial oil tanker in the critical Strait of Hormuz. The Marshall Islands flagged ship that Talara was intercepted yesterday. Iran's Revolutionary Guard claims the seizure was due to violations, though the move is seen as

retaliation following the recent war with Israel and U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The incident raises immediate global concern as the Strait of Hormuz is the choke point for 20% of the world's oil shipments. Nigeria's government has scrapped its three-year-old language policy, ending the mandate to teach children in their native tongue. The education minister says that official data shows that local language policy led to mass failure in national exams, but critics warn the abrupt decision puts the nation's indigenous languages on a faster track towards extinction. Tessem Akende reports. At schools across Nigeria, English is back as the medium of instruction.

The government's reversal comes just three years after it mandated teaching in mother tongues to preserve indigenous languages. Teacher Loveleth over explains the core challenge, a lack of resources. I don't think it's because English is superior. For me, it's more about the resources and the support systems that English already has. We have more books in English, more visual materials, more teaching aids, even more training for teachers. Critics say the lack of investment is the true culprit. Language advocate. Timothy Utoe points out this failure, noting that the United Nations projects some languages could go extinct in about half a century.

It is simply a proof that we have not invested well enough in the teaching of indigenous languages. Uttu argues the effort must happen beyond the classroom. We have to do the work. Efforts in schools, efforts in public institutions, and efforts at home to turn English into a tool, not a takeover. Our diversity is a superpower. Yet, the issue goes deeper. With intertribal marriages on the rights, many families are already speaking English at home. And critics say the Indigenous language program was kept prematurely, denied the time and funding it needed to succeed. And finally, the Art Gallery of Ontario is celebrating a major donation.

The estate of two art patrons is gifting the AGO with more than 450 works by more than 200 artists, including major names like Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns. It's one of the largest donations the gallery has received in decades. Michelle Song reports. This incredible donation of more than 450 print drawings and photographs is transformational. Alexa Greist is a curator. with the AGO, which carries the largest collection of art in Canada. She says this gift of world-renowned modern and contemporary art elevates the gallery.

To be given this depth and breadth of incredibly high-quality work, it is not something that I could go after. My colleagues that I could go after and build a collection like that. Late Toronto art patrons, Carol and Morton Rap left a plan to donate the pieces, hoping the public could experience the art they cherished. With big names like Jasper Johns, one of the most influential American painters from the 20th century, American painter and graphic artist Robert Rochenberg, and Andy Warhol, a leading figure in the pop art movement, with some of his most iconic pieces at the forefront of the collection, including four portraits of Marilyn Monroe.

These are like major steps forward in terms of really highlighting the diversity of communities that's involved in contemporary art. Charles Reeve is the Dean of Arts and Sciences at O'CAD University. He says although the iconic pieces will be exciting to see, the donation will also introduce some artists to new audiences. People like the South African artist William Kentridge, who is very prominent in the contemporary art world for people who are in that world, but maybe not so well-known outside that world. Also people like Yinka Shauna Berra.

The collection will be shown in two years. Michelle Song, CBC News, Toronto. And that is the latest national and international news from World Report. I'm John Northcott. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with us here at CBC News.