The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/02/14 at 07:00 EST

Episode Date: February 14, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/02/14 at 07:00 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, it's the World This Hour. I'm Joe Cummings. We start in Munich, where Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Jolie is attending an international security summit

And Jolie along with her European counterparts are all watching on with mounting concern As the administration of US President Donald Trump lays out its position on the war in Ukraine Abby kugadasen reports In recent days Trump has confirmed speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin Announcing the two had agreed to start negotiations immediately. Trump has also suggested Ukraine won't get all of its territory back from the Kremlin. And his Secretary of State, Pete Hegseth, set off even more alarm bells by saying NATO membership for Kiev is off the table.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has repeated the need for a lasting and reliable peace, one where security guarantees backed by the US ensure his country is not attacked again. And EU foreign policy chief, Kaya Kalis, reiterated concerns emerging from various capitals across the continent. Any deal behind our backs will not work. It's clear that appeasement also always, always fails. Europe wants to know exactly how much Trump is willing to do on the world stage to uphold the existing rules-based order as he pushes for a more isolationist America. Abbie Kowaldas in CBC News, Berlin. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials say the Chernobyl nuclear power plant has been targeted by a

Russian drone strike. President Vladimir Zelensky says the facility's containment shell was damaged, but there are no reports of radiation leakage. The containment shell was built after a reactor at the plant exploded in 1986, leading to the world's worst nuclear accident. Moscow, however, at this point is claiming it was not responsible for today's drone strike. The federal government's two-month GST holiday officially comes to an end tomorrow. As it does, the question now is, was it worth it? Philip Lee Schenick reports. So I had to go in manually, just turn off all the taxes.

Toronto gift shop owner Trin Ngo put in extra hours prepping for the tax break just before Christmas. Ngo says it didn't help her sales due to the short time frame and limited number of products exempt from the tax. So is she looking forward to reversing her work this weekend? No, but at least it's a quiet time so that's fine. Statistics Canada data on the impact of the tax holiday won't be out for a while but Dan Kelly of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says it wasn't worth the bother. So it didn't move the dial very much with respect to sales but did add a lot in terms of administrative complexity. But Kelly Higginson of Restaurants Canada disagrees.

So really the GST holiday is doing what it was supposed to do. She credits the tax holiday for pushing hiring to pre-pandemic highs. And she says with the threat of U.S. tariffs, it should be permanent. Phil Tyshanok, CBC News, Toronto. The Vatican is reporting Pope Francis has been admitted to hospital and is being treated for bronchitis. Megan Williams has more from Rome. At about 10.30 local time this morning, the Vatican issued a statement saying the Pope

is being admitted to Gemelli Hospital here in Rome for what it called some necessary diagnostic tests and treatment for bronchitis. Earlier this month, Francis told pilgrims at a weekly audience that he was suffering from a quote, strong cold. He's continued to hold daily audiences in his Vatican Santa Marta residence. He even presided over an outdoor mass on Sunday, though his breathing was too labored for him to read aloud. The 88 year old Catholic leader has suffered

from respiratory problems several times over the past couple of years. His health issues though, haven't stopped him from following world politics. Earlier this week he issued a sharp criticism of US President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, telling American bishops that criminalizing migrants will end badly. Megan Williams, CBC News, Rome. And that is the World This Hour. Remember you can listen to us wherever you get your

podcasts. The World This Hour is updated every hour can listen to us wherever you get your podcasts. The World This Hour is updated every hour, seven days a week. And for news anytime, go to our website, cbcnews.ca. For CBC News, I'm Joe Cummings.