The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/02/09 at 12:00 EST

Episode Date: February 9, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/02/09 at 12:00 EST

In Scarborough, there's this fire behind our eyes. A passion in our bellies. It's in the hearts of our neighbors. The eyes of our nurses. And the hands of our doctors. It's what makes Scarborough, Scarborough. In our hospitals, we do more than anyone thought possible. We've less than anyone could imagine.

But it's time to imagine what we can do with more. Join Scarborough Health Network and together, we can turn grit into greatness. Donate at lovescarborough.ca. From CBC News, the world this hour. I'm Claude Fague. The Prime Minister is in Paris today. One of Justin Trudeau's goals is to advance trade talks

with the European Union. 10 member countries still haven't ratified the EU's free trade agreement with the European Union. Ten member countries still haven't ratified the EU's free trade agreement with Canada. Olivia Stefanowicz tells us more. With Donald Trump warning he will use economic coercion to absorb Canada. Trudeau is looking for support from European Union leaders. Both Canada and the EU are looking for trust partners. Ruben Zaiotti is a political science professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He says Trudeau should use his time overseas to secure new markets for Canadian goods and resources.

Zayadi says there needs to be strong political will to break through the challenges preventing Canada's free trade agreement with the EU from being fully ratified. Certainly in Europe, it's not that keen in being, you know, open to the free market. The Prime Minister is visiting France and Belgium, two of 10 EU countries that have turned down the comprehensive economic and trade agreement with Canada. Olivia Stefanovic, CBC News, Paris. And the Liberal Party of Canada says it has set the dates for two leadership debates. The French debate is set for February 24th, the English debate February 25th, both to be held in Montreal. The new Liberal leader will be announced on March 9th.

Cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development are having serious consequences for Canadian organizations. As Sarah Levitt reports, research and non-profit groups say they're losing funding for critical projects overseas. Julie Lajoie says the Trump administration's freeze on American foreign aid is being felt deeply. A University of Manitoba-led HIV AIDS clinic in Nairobi, Kenya is at risk as the future of the U.S. Agency for International Development remains uncertain.

The clinic helps up to 50,000 people in Nairobi per year through prevention and care and is partially funded by USAID. We are right now trying to see if there's a way to bypass USAID and get funding to another organization. Researchers and NGOs across Canada have been left scrambling. While funding from Global Affairs Canada remains in place, many organizations rely on various streams of financial help or partnership with American organizations.

Global Affairs Canada has called the shutdown of USAID highly concerning, reiterating that foreign aid is not a handout but investments in communities that need it most. Sarah Levitt, CBC News, Montreal. Israel has met another key condition of its fragile ceasefire with Hamas. The military has completed its pullout from the Net-Sarim corridor. The withdrawal will also mean thousands more Palestinians can return to northern Gaza. Anna Cunningham has the latest. This was a militarized zone. For 15 months of war, the Netzerim corridor allowed the Israeli military to split Gaza in half. The withdrawal of its forces marks a significant

milestone, part of phase one of the ceasefire deal. Garzons immediately headed for the Al Saladin road in Gaza City to head back to their homes in the north. Cars, trucks, tractors, donkey carts, all piled high, mattresses and furniture visible. Opening access to the north also comes with the promise that aid too will be allowed in. But the backdrop is one of destruction, rubble and flattened buildings. It's a slow move towards completing stage one of the ceasefire deal. Meanwhile, Israeli media reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sent a delegation to Doha for the second round of indirect negotiations with Hamas. Anna Cunningham, CBC News, London. Authorities in Honduras say there are no immediate reports of damage this morning

after a powerful earthquake shook parts of the Caribbean. The 7.6 magnitude tremor hit last night southwest of the Cayman Islands. Officials issued tsunami warnings and there are reports of waves reaching three meters above tide level along some parts of Cuba. And that is your World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Claude Figue.