The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/01/24 at 09:00 EST

Episode Date: January 24, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/01/24 at 09:00 EST

This video is a message from a little boy named Salman. He disappeared five years ago in Syria during the war to defeat ISIS. He still hasn't been found. My name is Poonam Tineja. I'm traveling to Syria to find out what happened to Salman and the thousands of children like him lost in one of the most dangerous places on earth. From BBC Sounds and CBC podcasts, Bloodlines. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. From CBC News, it's the World This Hour.

I'm Joe Cummings. U.S. President Donald Trump flies to Los Angeles today for an on-the-ground look at the city's ongoing wildfire crisis. And he'll be meeting with the state governor, who Trump has been blaming for much of the destruction. Steve Futterman reports. The question is whether Donald Trump will be willing to offer California federal aid. And if he does, will there be conditions?

I don't think we should give California anything until they let water flow down into there. Much of this has to do with Trump's relationship with his longtime critic Gavin Newsom. Trump says the California governor's policies have led to the deadly fires, especially what Trump says is a policy to prevent water from Northern California to come south. Newsom refutes the claim, trying to be diplomatic. He says he welcomes Trump's visit. I'm glad he's coming out here. I'm grateful that the president is taking the time.

I hope he does take the time to listen to the folks impacted directly. Meanwhile, thousands of firefighters continue to fight the various blazes. One of the newest, the Hughes fire, is now more than 30% contained. Today winds are expected to diminish and there is hope this weekend that there will be a bit of rain. Steve Futterman for CBC News, Los Angeles. Still with President Trump in an interview aired last night on Fox News, he said that if need be, he'll use tariffs to end the war in Ukraine.

If they don't settle this war soon, like almost immediately, I'm going to put massive tariffs on Russia and massive taxes and also big sanctions. And I don't want to do that, but we've got to get this war ended. And if they don't make a settlement like fast, and Zelensky, I will say this, he wants to settle now. He's had enough. Trump was also critical of Ukraine for, quote, taking on a bigger enemy. Next month, Ukraine's war with Russia

enters its fourth year. CBC News has learned Ontario Premier Doug Ford will call an election next week. The call is expected on Wednesday with election date potentially February 27th. Premier Ford is insisting his majority PC government needs a new mandate in order to weather the next four years of a Trump White House.

As it stands now, the next fixed election date for Ontario is June of 2026. As part of the Israel Hamas ceasefire agreement, the next release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners is set for this weekend. Sasha Petrasek has the details. According to the schedule, four hostages are supposed to be released. These four are supposed to be women, one civilian and three female soldiers who will be released in much the same way that we saw last time, handed by the Hamas militants to Red Cross officials

who will then drive them to the Israeli military, and then they will be helicoptered to hospital and to meet their families. In exchange, Israel has committed to release Palestinian prisoners. This weekend, it would be 180, that is 50 for each female soldier, and 30 for each female civilian who will be released by Hamas. So that exchange is supposed to start tomorrow afternoon in Gaza. Sasha Petrusik, CBC News on the Israel-Gaza border. A monster winter storm has now reached Scotland after roaring across most of Ireland overnight.

Here's meteorologist Liz Bentley. One of the strongest storms we've seen for years. I mean, it's been called the storm of the century in the Republic of Ireland. And so, yeah, red warnings in place across the whole of the Republic of Ireland. It came into force across Northern Ireland at 7 a.m. this morning and will come into force across central Scotland. So we see that storm transferring from the west of Ireland or the strongest that storm transferring from the west of Ireland or the strongest of the winds from the west of Ireland into Northern Ireland and then into Scotland

over the course of the next few hours. The storm is delivering record winds of anywhere from 150 to 180 kilometers an hour. At least 500,000 people are without power in Ireland with early reports coming in of widespread flooding. Across Scotland and Northern England, schools and businesses are closed, with trains and flights also being canceled.

And that is The World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Joe Cummings.