The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/02/22 at 14:00 EST

Episode Date: February 22, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/02/22 at 14:00 EST

We have an expression in our newsroom on days when the updates won't stop coming. We say, it's like drinking from a fire hose. So if you're one of those people who needs to take a break from the news every now and then, believe me, we get it. But we've got you when it's time to dip a toe back in. Join me, John Northcott. And me, Marcia Young, for the 10 minutes of news you need to start your day. CBC's World Report. Find and follow us wherever you get your podcasts. From CBC News, the world is our. I'm Karen Hauerlach. We begin in Rome where Pope Francis' health has taken a turn for the worse today. The Vatican says he is in critical condition after suffering a prolonged asthma-like attack

that required extensive oxygen. The pope, who has chronic lung disease, was taken to hospital a week ago with a complicated lung infection. The Vatican says he's also received blood transfusions but is alert and has been sitting up. Doctors say the 88-year-old pope is not out of danger yet. And now to an Israeli army base. Screaming and crying with joy, Omer Wenkert reunites with his parents after spending about 500 days in Hamas captivity. Wenkert was one of six hostages released today. In return,

Israel set to free over 600 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Today is the final release of living hostages under phase one of the ceasefire deal. Any more exchanges hinge on whether the two sides can agree on phase two. The presidents of France and Britain are heading to Washington next week

to meet with US President Donald Trump over Ukraine. They're expected to show their support for Ukraine as the US pressures the country to make a deal on its critical minerals. Anna Cunningham has more. Anna Cunningham It's now all about a deal, but not between Ukraine and Russia to end Moscow's three-year war. Instead, the immediate focus from Washington is on a deal that would give the US access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals such as lithium and titanium. I think we're pretty close, yeah. I think they want it and they feel good about it and it's

significant. It's a big deal. President Donald Trump was said to have been angered by President Zelensky's refusal to sign. The Ukrainian leader saying the draft deal contained no security guarantees. New paperwork is now understood to be on the table. The Reuters news agency reporting that US negotiators raised the possibility of cutting Ukraine's access to Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet system. It's a vital link for Ukraine used for communications and its military drone

operations. Anna Cunningham, CBC News, London. Meanwhile, there have been more attacks in the Kyiv area. Firefighters doused a building in a building hit in a Russian drone attack. The strike killed a rail worker. The mayor of Ky, says drone fragments fell on private homes west of the city, smashing windows. Air raid alerts were in effect in Keef for about three hours. It's been a frustrating time for Sunwing Airlines and its passengers. The airline had to cancel outbound flights earlier this week after storms and a Toronto plane crash to prioritize getting customers stuck overseas back home.

As Michelle Song tells us, passengers are still looking for answers. We are unfortunately canceling all Sunwing outbound flights. To many Canadians' disappointment, the popular low-cost airline Sunwing cancelled all of its flights departing from Toronto and Montreal this week. The airline says it will focus on getting passengers now stuck in foreign destinations back to Canada. This comes after back-to-back snowstorms and the crash of a Delta Airlines plane at Pearson. Hans Roach was supposed to fly back that day but he's still stuck in the Dominican Republic.

And every day is Groundhog's Day. We wake up, we're told to check out of our hotel, go to the airport, but then there's no flights. Roche and his wife had to change resorts three times, and now his wife is running low on her prescription medication. But he remains hopeful his Groundhog Day will end soon. Michelle Song, CBC News, Toronto. A series of rain events combined with a warming trend is prompting high stream

flow advisories for waterways on BC's south coast and the lower half of the Vancouver Island. The River Forecast Centre says the storms could cause local flooding. Some areas could get more than 100 millimeters of rain this weekend. And that is your World is Our. For news anytime, go to our website at cbcnews.ca. I'm Karen Hauerlach.