The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/03/15 at 18:00 EDT

Episode Date: March 15, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/03/15 at 18:00 EDT

Canadians are on the lookout for locally produced goods these days, and I'm hoping that might include podcasts. My name is Matt Galloway. I'm the host of The Current. Our very Made in Canada show brings you stories and conversations to expand your worldview. We find new angles on the big stories like this wave of Canadian patriotism that we're living through right now. But we also bring you stories you might not have heard of before, like the one about the fatbergs floating through our sewers. Come and find and follow The Current wherever you get your podcasts, including on YouTube.

We'll talk to you soon. From CBC News, the world this hour. I'm Jasmine Sepulis. US President Donald Trump has invoked an 18th century law to speed up mass deportations. The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 is designed to quickly remove foreigners during wartime or invasion. Trump says he's using it to go after a Venezuelan gang he accuses of carrying out an invasion acting on behalf of that country's government.

Public health officials are warning Canadians about the danger of measles as cases surge across the country. Dr. Isaac Bogosh is an infectious diseases specialist at Toronto General Hospital. We had a death related to measles last year in Canada. The United States has had two deaths related to measles as part of this current outbreak. And even in Ontario, as part of this current outbreak, 8% of the cases have been hospitalized. So it's not just a benign routine illness that people used to get decades ago. It shouldn't be routine and it's not benign. This measles outbreak is spanning several provinces. It's the third highest number of

cases since the virus was eliminated in Canada and officials expect the number to climb further. In Serbia, thousands have turned out for massive anti-government rallies, showing their dissent with the policies of Serbia's populist president, Aleksandar Vucic. Dominic Vlaidis reports. Panic Volidus reports. Tens of thousands of people from across Serbia joined today's rally in the capital Belgrade. Alex Svendanovic was among the crowds. I would like to see a change, a regime change, he says. But it's, as the English say, a long shot and it's difficult to achieve.

Today's rally was probably the largest Serbia has seen for decades. It follows months of protests against the country's populist president, Aleksandar Vucic. They started after 14 people were killed when a station roof collapsed in Serbia's second city, Novi Sad. Although more than a dozen people were charged in relation to the incident, protesters are demanding greater accountability for the disaster and more government transparency. Dominic Vleidis for CBC News, Riga, Latvia. In Cuba, 10 million people are waiting for the power to come back on. Gas-powered generators are picking up some of the slack after the electrical grid collapsed

last night. Grocers are using some of that power to keep food fresh, while power bars have been set up in the streets so people can recharge their phones. It's the latest in a series of blackouts to hit the island, which is plagued with aging infrastructure. On top of that, Cuba's under several U trade embargoes and restrictions, making it difficult to bring in supplies for repairs. A different kind of gathering in Rome,

this one to show support for the European Union. Megan Williams was there and has these details. Here in Piazza del Popolo in central Rome, there are tens of thousands of people crammed into this massive square. I've never seen a protest this big in Rome. They're holding up the European Union flags and they're here to show their support for the European Union.

It was organized by a writer for a daily newspaper, La Repubblica, who felt that the pro-European sentiment in Italy was not coming across strongly enough through its political leader. So he's organized today to have all sorts of different people talk, expressing their love of the European Union project, and many of them as well talking about the need to create a unified military to defend the European Union. Megan Williams, CBC News, Rome. And Prime Minister Mark Carney begins a three-day tour tomorrow.

First stop, Paris, to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron. Then it's off to London to see British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and an audience with King Charles. Finally returning to Canada Tuesday with a stop in Nunavut. And that is your World This Hour. For CBC News, I'm Jasmine Sapiades.