The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/02/22 at 08:00 EST

Episode Date: February 22, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/02/22 at 08:00 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 is Sour. I'm Neil Kumar. We begin in Israel. Woo!

People gathered in Tel Aviv's hostage square to cheer after the first of six Israeli hostages were released today. The first two hostages released are 40-year-old Tal Shoham and 39-year-old Avira Mengistu. Both are turned over to the International Red Cross in Gaza. They were then taken into Israel. Several other hostages have also been freed by the militant group Hamas today. Israel will then turn over hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

The hostage for prisoners exchange will include a total of 33 Israeli hostages. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are preparing to meet with Donald Trump in Washington this week. They're expected to show their ongoing support for Ukraine. It all comes as US officials announce that they will be meeting with their Russian counterparts in two weeks. Anna Cunningham has the latest.

President Zlodemir Zelensky sounding a more positive note on the proposed US-Ukraine minerals deal, saying it has the potential to strengthen our relations. This after a bruising week of angry diplomacy between both countries. French President Emmanuel Macron will visit the White House Monday. The British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, will be there Thursday, both hoping to ease tensions. Trump has criticised them, suggesting neither have done anything to bring about peace in Ukraine. French Senate Republican member Ronan Le Glert says he is mistaken.

The idea that Europeans did not do anything to help Ukraine is just totally wrong. The former British National Security Adviser Lord Peter Ricketts believes there will be something for European leaders to work with. The fact that the Americans are talking to the Ukrainians about access to these rare earths in Ukraine suggests that we are getting into something a bit more like the kind of horse trading transactional deal that Trump liked. Anna Cunningham, CBC News, London. In British Columbia, a 4.7 magnitude earthquake struck the Sunshine Coast on Friday. It shook homes and was felt between Vancouver Island and Metro Vancouver. No injuries or structural

damage was reported. There were two of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history. 29 people lost their lives and more than 16,000 homes, businesses and other structures were burned to the ground in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena. On Friday, the city's fire chief was fired for the service's response. Steve Futterman reports from Los Angeles. Six weeks after the fire has ravaged parts of Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass, who has been under attack herself for the way she handled the fires, went after the fire chief. Acting in the best interest of Los Angeles public safety, I just met with Chief Crowley and removed

her as fire chief. Mayor Bass accused Kristen Crowley of failing to inform her of the danger in the days before the fires which eventually destroyed thousands of homes. We all know that a thousand firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke were instead sent home on Chief Crowley's watch. Critics of the mayor say she is trying to divert blame aimed at her. Relations between the two have been tense for weeks. Three days after the fire started, Crowley blamed Bass for failing to give the department the necessary funds. The fire department needs help. We do not have enough firefighters.

Steve Futterman for CBC News, Los Angeles. Apple will stop offering its strongest data protection in the UK, an optional feature that adds end-to-end encryption for cloud data. The company made the decision after reports the British government was demanding Apple build a back door to the program. That would mean all data would be accessible by Apple, which could be compelled to share it with British law enforcement. And that is your World This Hour. Remember, you can listen to us wherever you get your podcasts. The World This Hour is updated every hour, seven days a week.

For CBC News, I'm Neal Kubar.