The World This Hour - The World This Hour for 2025/08/15 at 19:00 EDT

Episode Date: August 15, 2025

The World This Hour for 2025/08/15 at 19:00 EDT

At Desjardin Insurance, we put the care in taking care of business. Your business, to be exact. Our agents take the time to understand your company so you get the right coverage at the right price. Whether you rent out your building, represent a condo corporation, or own a cleaning company, we make insurance easy to understand so you can focus on the big stuff. Like your small business. Get insurance that's really big on care. Find an agent today at Dejardin.com slash business coverage.

from cbc news the world this hour i'm gina louise phillips happening now in alaska the leaders of the united states and russia have finished their meeting about ukraine and are just beginning to speak in a press conference earlier president donald trump insisted his aim was not to decide ukraine's future on its behalf. I'm not doing this for my health, okay? I don't need it. I'd like to focus on our country, but I'm doing this to save a lot of lives. This, in spite of the notable absence of Ukraine's leader at the talks, Trump says the initial goal was just to get Putin to the table. I've got to let Ukraine make that decision, and I think they'll make a proper decision, but I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine. The Kremlin says it's potentially open to a second meeting involving Ukraine,

Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, says a three-way meeting could bring effective solutions, but adds he's seen no evidence suggesting Russia wants to end the war. Fire crews on Vancouver Island are finally able to get access to an out-of-control wildfire burning about eight kilometers from the city of Port Albany. And the BC Wildfire Service says it's taking advantage of the rainy weather to battle the blaze. Julia Wong has the story. The sound of rain is a welcome. reprie for firefighters tackling a wildfire burning near Port Albany.

BC Wildfire Service says there was limited fire growth and behavior after rain began to fall Thursday. Colder temperatures and soggy conditions have been a boon to cruise on the front lines. And more rain is on the way, up to 33 millimeters. Fire information officer Carly de Rosier. Ultimately, the amount of rain that we get over this four or five-day period will determine the long-term trajectory of this. fire and what it'll ultimately take to get this fire to being held and then under control status.

124 firefighters are now working on the wildfire. It's still estimated at roughly 34 square kilometers. Poor conditions are limiting crews from getting an update on the size of the wildfire. Julia Wong, CBC News, Port Albany, British Columbia. New Brunswick has 23 active fires burning and the biggest one near Miramishie has grown to nearly 14 square kilometers. Natural Resources Minister John Heron says what's needed is some mist-type rain to assist with firefighting efforts. In the meantime, crews are using water bombers to snuff out fires before they become even more problematic. They are making a fair amount of progress with respect to building out a fire break, part of the infrastructure which we're going to have to require in order to contain that fire.

40 additional firefighters are coming from Ontario on Saturday. With just hours to go before a potential strike or lockout that could upend flight plans for thousands of Canadians, the union representing more than 10,000 flight attendants has rejected Air Canada's request for binding arbitration. Workers will walk off the job at 1 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday if the two sides can't reach an agreement. Another attempt by the UN to reach agreement on a treaty to end plastics pollution has failed, even as evidence mounts that plastics affect human health. Plastic waste. It ends up in landfills, oceans, and inside our bodies. Yet the people tasked with curbing plastic pollution at the United Nations in Geneva can't agree on what to do

about it. After a sixth round of talks, countries failed to come up with a legally binding treaty on plastic pollution. Even after, over 100 countries said they want a cap on plastic production. Panamanian representative Juan Carlos Monterey Gomez. Treaty without production measures will be built on sand. But most oil and gas nations, like Saudi Arabia and the U.S., wanted to focus on better design and recycling. Most plastics are created from fossil fuels. It's unclear what comes next.

Michael Bonser, with the Canadian delegation, says there may be more talks. We are committed to continuing in a resumed session. Or like-minded countries may leave the UN process and try to come up with the treaty on their own. Jonathan. And that is the world this hour. For CBC News, I'm Gina Louise Phillips.