The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/02/20 at 03:00 EST

Episode Date: February 20, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/02/20 at 03:00 EST

It's the epitome of classical ballet, beloved the world over. The National Ballet of Canada invites you to experience Swan Lake, revel in Tchaikovsky's glorious score, and an unforgettable production directed and staged by Karen Kane, whose vision emphasizes the love story at the heart of the ballet. Presented by Nicola Wealth Management, on stageth to 22nd. Tickets are selling fast. Secure your seat now at national.ballet.ca. From CBC News, the world this hour. I'm Neal Herland.

We begin in Gaza where a grim ceremony took place. The Palestinian militant group Hamas has just handed over the remains of four Israeli hostages who died in captivity. They include an 84-year-old peace activist, a mother, her baby, and her second son who was kidnapped when he was four years old. Music played while a large crowd of Palestinian spectators cheered. The bodies of the Israeli hostages were placed in black coffins on stage before being handed over to the Red Cross. An alleged ISIS supporter is set to appear in a Montreal court today.

He's accused of plotting to kill Jews in New York City. Today he faces an extradition hearing and the prospect of up to 20 years in prison if he's convicted. Thomas Dagler reports. RCMP arrested Mohamed Shahzeb Khan near the U.S. border in Quebec in September. Today he's appearing before a judge in Montreal who will consider whether the 20-year-old should be extradited to the US to face a terrorism charge. Born in Pakistan, Khan came to Ontario on a student visa in 2023 and was soon on the FBI's radar. US prosecutors say he planned an ISIS inspired mass shooting at a Jewish centre in Brooklyn and wanted to carry

out the plot this past October 7th. Khan's lawyer, Gaetan Bourassa, previously suggested investigators lured his client into all of it. My impression it was a victim of entrapment by police officers in the States. A CBC News investigation found Khan was in the process of claiming asylum in Canada while the FBI alleges he was seeking others to join a murderous plot. Thomas Daigle, CBC News, Toronto.

The Premier of Alberta is firing back over allegations of political pressure in the awarding of contracts at the province's health authority. Danielle Smith held a news conference to address a swirl of controversy. Terry Reath has more. I want to address the procurement issues at Alberta Health Services. Danielle Smith shot back at allegations of government interference in awarding contracts for chartered surgical facilities, promising a thorough investigation. But she also claimed the province's health authority, AHS, was resistant to using privately-owned,

publicly-funded centres to help ease a surgical backlog. She says her health minister, Adriana Lagrange, and other government officials were doing their job. The only role that the minister or government had was saying, are you done yet? The allegations stem from a lawsuit filed by the former CEO of the health authority, Athana Menzelopoulos, who says she was fired after she raised concerns about the procurement process two days before she was to meet with

the Auditor General. The entire board of AHS was also fired three weeks later. The Premier has suspended the awarding of new contracts until providers have been cleared of any wrongdoing. Terry Reath, CBC News, Edmonton. One of the organizers of the 2022 Freedom Convoy in Ottawa was sentenced Wednesday. Pat King was already found guilty of mischief. David Fraser reports. Pat King walked into court surrounded by supporters as he prepared to learn his sentence. Credit for time already served, he now faces a three-month conditional sentence.

His lawyer, Natasha Calvino. Mr. King will spend the next 90 days, three months back in Alberta under house arrest and it'd be followed by a period of probation. This comes three years after King's arrest. As a leader and online promoter of the massive protests against COVID-19 measures and the Liberal government, he was known for his bombastic online presence. King was arrested on the third week of the protests after the feds used the Emergencies Act to end it, and he's the first key figure to be sentenced. Leaders Tamara Leach and Chris Barber are due to be sentenced next month. The Crown had asked for King to be sentenced to 10 years. As it stands, he'll be on probation for another year after his house arrest, but that could

be appealed. David Fraser, CBC News, Ottawa. And that is your World This Hour. I'm Neil Herland.