The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/02/23 at 09:00 EST

Episode Date: February 23, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/02/23 at 09:00 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. Do need at lovescarborough.ca. From CBC News, the world this hour. I'm Davin Day. Air defenses were called into action in Ukraine overnight. They fought off hundreds of drones launched by Russia.

The onslaught came a day before the three-year mark since Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Dominic Vellaitis reports. Officials say this was the largest single Russian drone attack of the war so far. They say 267 drones were launched at targets across at least 13 Ukrainian regions. Although more than half were shot down by anti-aircraft fire, some inevitably got through. Initial reports from the emergency services suggest there are at least three casualties. The onslaught follows a week of attacks which reportedly saw more than 1,000 drones and 1,400 bombs and missiles launched at Ukraine.

In a statement posted on social media, the country's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Russia for its aerial terror and added his country needs the strength of all of Europe, the US and everyone who seeks lasting peace. Dominic Velaitis for CBC News, Riga, Latvia. Participants at mass in the Vatican told to pray for Pope Francis, the Pope suffering what has been described as a respiratory crisis on Saturday. The Vatican says he's conscious but receiving supplemental oxygen today. The 88-year-old Francis has had double pneumonia and a complex lung infection.

He's been in hospital for more than a week since a case of bronchitis grew worse. Germany's Chancellor posing for photos as he casts his ballot in Potsdam. Olaf Scholz is not expected to remain in power after today's election. The centre-right Christian Democrats are expected to win the most seats, but will still likely fall short of a majority. That would require them to find other parties to work with to form a coalition government. The far-right Alternative for Germany has been polling in second place. Tens of thousands of people in the streets of Beirut as they head to the funeral for former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike in September. And a major art gallery in Australia has been accused of racist censorship after covering Palestinian flags in a major exhibition. The National Gallery of Australia says it was a response to security concerns and community tensions across the country. Critics say the respected cultural institution has displayed political cowardice. Phil Mercer reports. The Large Tapestry is part of an exhibition in the Australian capital by Pacific Island

and Indigenous artists. It features a number of flags sewn together including Australia's Aboriginal emblem, along with symbols from the Pacific region. But Palestinian flags were covered up with white fabric because of security concerns. The National Gallery of Australia had a Pacific and Indigenous art collective called Savage Club erase the Palestinian flag. Omar Sacher is an Arab Australian poet. Savage Club noted that there was no problem displaying the Aboriginal flag or the West

Papuan flag, even though the latter is illegal in West Papua. In a statement to local media, the gallery said there was a risk posed by sensitive content. There's been a sharp rise in anti-Semitic attacks linked to Israel's war in Gaza, including the firebombing of a synagogue in Melbourne. Phil Mercer for CBC News, Sydney. US President Donald Trump says Canada's work at the border is heading in the right direction. Trump spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Saturday, this is ahead of a virtual G7 meeting Monday.

Trump has said large amounts of fentanyl have come into the US from Canada. That's despite numbers showing a small fraction of the fentanyl seized in the US being traced back to Canada. That is The World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Gavin Day.