The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/02/22 at 20:00 EST

Episode Date: February 23, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/02/22 at 20:00 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 our, I'm Karen Howerlach. Pope Francis is in critical condition in Rome. The Vatican says the Pope suffered a breathing crisis this morning. He was admitted to hospital about a week ago for a lung infection. David Perlich

is the CBC's Vatican analyst. When he was very young, he had part of one lung removed and it has given him some difficulties in the past. He's also had very bad knees. We've seen him on and off using a wheelchair or a cane and he's had intestinal surgery. So when you add that to this current double pneumonia, you're looking at some pretty severe health challenges for an 88-year-old. Doctors say the next several hours are crucial to the pope's recovery. Israel is delaying the release of about 600 Palestinian prisoners. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it's because of repeated violations by Hamas, including ceremonies that humiliate Israeli hostages, using them for what he calls propaganda purposes.

Hamas freed six more hostages today, but Netanyahu says no more Palestinians will be released until Hamas stops the hostage ceremonies. Ukraine's military intelligence says Russia is going to claim victory over Ukraine on Monday, the third anniversary of the invasion. Its warning of propaganda, it says, doesn't mention Russia was the aggressor. Dominic Velaitis has the details. This Monday marks three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. And according to intelligence officials in Kyiv, the Kremlin intends to use the anniversary

to declare victory over Ukraine and possibly even NATO. The main intelligence directorate of Ukraine's Ministry of Defence, the GUR, says Russian propagandists have already been instructed to promote so-called victory narratives ahead of Monday's anniversary. Moscow's aim, it's claimed, is to destabilise Ukrainian society and discredit the country among its Western allies, which provide Kiev with essential military aid. Russia is reportedly hoping the new propaganda campaign will mask its status as the aggressor in the conflict.

Moscow has not commented on the claims. Dominic Velaitis for CBC News, Riga Lapvija. Here at home, it's been a frustrating time for Sunwing Airlines and its passengers. The airline had to cancel outbound flights earlier this week because of storms and a plane crash in Toronto and focus on getting customers stuck overseas back home. Michelle Song has more. We are unfortunately canceling all Sunwing outbound flights.

To many Canadians disappointment the popular low-cost airline Sunwing canceled all of its flights departing from Toronto and Montreal earlier 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 as of this morning he's been stuck in the Dominican Republic. And every day as I said is Groundhog's Day where we wake up we're told to check out of our hotel and then you know go to the airport but then there's no flight.

Roche and his wife had to change resorts three times and now his wife is running out of her prescription medication but he really hopes his flight today will put an end to his Groundhog Day. Michelle Song, CBC News, Toronto. Some Canadian snowbirds are looking at other destinations next year such as Mexico in a protest against American tariffs and sovereignty threats. About a million Canadians go to the US every winter. Stephen Fine is the president of Snowbird Advisor Insurance. We're almost at the end of

Snowbird season so I think the question comes up what's going to happen next season. There's definitely some negative sentiment and people considering alternate destinations but I would say that it's too early to tell at this point. The US Travel Association warns even a 10 percent drop in Canadian visitors could cost the American economy nearly $3 billion. And that is your World is Hour for CBC News. I'm Karen Howelluck.