The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/02/23 at 05:00 EST

Episode Date: February 23, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/02/23 at 05:00 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 this hour. I'm Claude Fague. Pope Francis remains in critical condition in hospital in Rome after a prolonged breathing crisis

and blood transfusion yesterday. The 88-year-old pontiff has been in hospital in Rome after a prolonged breathing crisis and blood transfusion yesterday. The 88-year-old pontiff has been in hospital for over a week, but some encouraging news today. Megan Williams is in Rome and has the latest. This morning the Vatican said the pope had slept through the night. Still, he remains in critical condition after his worst health crisis so far, when on Saturday he suffered from what the Vatican called a prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis that required high flow oxygen. The Vatican health update last night also said that blood tests showed thrombocytopenia. That's a condition that makes it harder for blood to clot and increases the risk of bleeding. Pope

Francis also has anemia, a low red blood cell count that adds to his weakness. The real danger, said his doctors on Friday night, is the pope getting sepsis, germs from the pneumonia leaking into his bloodstream and reaching the heart or liver. Still, the prognosis remains uncertain, with many cardinals and Vatican officials here saying only that they're praying

for the pope. Francis was hospitalized nine days ago for bronchitis that developed into double pneumonia. Megan Williams, CBC News, Rome. A Russian missile attack in Ukraine has claimed life and injured several others. Ukrainian officials confirm Russia launched 267 drones in an overnight attack targeting the capital city of Kiev and other parts of the country. A man died in hospital and a 30-year-old woman was seriously injured in the missile attacks on the central city of Krivory, while three others were injured following a drone attack in Odessa region. Monday will mark the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Authorities in BC are calling for an investigation after an emergency warning system failed during Friday's earthquake on the south coast. There were no injuries, but not everyone

received the automatic alert on their phones. Saurabh Sandhu has the story. I've also had reports of uneven application of the emergency alert system for this earthquake. That's BC's Minister for Emergency Management Kelly Green. She says the emergency alert system is meant to give people time to drop, cover and hold on. Natural Resources Canada, which is responsible for the earthquake early warning system, acknowledges some people did not receive the alerts on Friday. It says the issue will need to be investigated. Tony Yang is a civil engineering professor at UBC. He says the alert system is critical to reduce secondary damage. We can shut off traffic to the bridge so we can turn the traffic lights off, divert

people off. Natural Resources Canada says warnings are automatically sent to cell towers, TVs and radios within the area. So, Rob Sandhu, CBC News, Vancouver. U.S. President Donald Trump's threats against Canada have come when an estimated one million Canadian snowbirds travel to the U.S. Many of them are angered by the threats, with some cancelling travel. Campbell McDermott has the details. I thought there's no way I can go down and spend any money in the U.S. Aside from during the pandemic, Bob Blumer has traveled to Florida every March for 20 years. But this year, the retiree from Coburg, Ontario has different plans.

Basically just frustration and listening to Trump and all his rhetoric talking about Canada becoming the 51st state. Bloomberg's not the only one. Fort Lauderdale realtor Alexandra DuPont says she's never had so many property listings from Canadians. And I have zero Canadian buyers right now. She says Trump's threats come as Canadians are already feeling the pressure of a weak loonie and rising costs. The US Travel Association has warned that even a 10% reduction in Canadian travel could mean nearly $3 billion in lost spending. Stephen Fine is the president of Snowbird Advisor Insurance. He says it is unclear how many Canadians will boycott US travel.

There's definitely some negative sentiment and people considering alternate destinations. Campbell McDyman, CBC News, Ottawa. And that is your World This Hour. Remember, you can get news anytime by visiting our website at cbcnews.ca. For CBC News, I'm Claude Fege.