World Report - August 15: Friday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: August 15, 2025

More Air Canada flight cancellations expected as flight attendant strike deadline looms. Donald Trump to meet with Vladimir Putin in meeting seen as a step toward peace in Ukraine.Russians already suffering with economic sanctions are facing even more monetary punishment.At least 200 people are dead after flash flooding in India-controlled Kashmir. Evacuation order in place for parts of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, as an out-of-control wildfire grows.Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew looking for more consultation with federal government on fast-tracking infrastructure projects. 

This is a CBC podcast. This is World Report. Good morning, I'm John Northcott. Air Canada says it expects to cancel hundreds of flights today. The airline's flight attendants could walk off the job early tomorrow if the two sides can't reach a deal in their ongoing labor dispute. Ali Shiasan is following all the developments from Pearson International Airport and joins us.

Allie, what can Canadians heading to airports expect today? So, John, we are already hearing that Air Canada flight attendants have been calling in and not coming to work, about 300 of them so far. So that alone will cause additional cancellations on top of the 500 grounded flights we're expecting today. Some of the Air Canada passengers here at Pearson this morning are those who have had their flights re-booked. They were the people who were supposed to go on those long-haul flights before they were canceled yesterday. They were part of the first wave of cancellations that we saw. But just because they're here now and they've been rebooked,

it doesn't mean they're really getting to their destination anytime soon. Rebooking flights is proving difficult because of the really busy travel season. So expect connecting flights less than ideal layovers as well. So the advice for travelers today before you get to the airport is make sure you have received confirmation that your flight is still happening. So, Allie, as Canadians watch and wait and scramble, where do negotiations stand this morning? Well, right now it's really a big if, if the union agrees to move forward with binding arbitration. So binding arbitration is where a third party comes in to facilitate a deal that both parties have to agree to. CUPY leadership has until noon to decide yes or no that they want to enter into that.

The tone at the CUPY press conference yesterday was that they want the company back at the table. The company Air Canada points the finger back at them saying they have abandoned negotiations. So that's sort of this chasm that we're seeing between both sides. Ali Shiasan at Pearson International Airport for us this morning. Thanks, Ali. Cheers. The much-anticipated Alaska summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is just hours away. Trump is looking to end the war in Ukraine, but as the CBC's Lindsay Duncombe found out, some people in Anchorage, Alaska, aren't welcoming his event. I think it's crap, honestly.

In the window of a stylish liquor shop in downtown Anchorage, there's a yellow and blue Ukrainian flag made from plastic bottle tops and a sign that says, we stand with Ukraine. Liz Bechtall works here, and she is not happy about the Putin-Trump meeting. The fact that they're not even bringing Ukraine into it. It's kind of like, it just seems like you're going behind someone's back to do things. But some Alaskans, like Gail Hansen, are hopeful. It's just about time. We've got to get, we've got to get this whole thing figured out so that not another person loses their life. Alaska used to be part of Russia. It was sold to the U.S. in 1867. The location creates a sense of spectacle, says Ian Hartman, a history professor at the University of Alaska.

especially since Putin's war has seen him isolated by the West until this meeting. And not only is he bringing him out of isolation, he's bringing him out of isolation in the highly strategic, historically relevant place. We need to stand with Ukraine. Hundreds protested in Anchorage on Thursday, many waving Ukrainian flags. More protests are expected today. Lindsay Duncombe, CBC News, Anchorage. The meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is happening against a backdrop of a rapidly shifting economy in Russia. After launching his invasion of Ukraine, Putin plowed large amounts of money into the country's military,

stimulating the economy and driving up wages and production. But lately, Russians are feeling a different impact. Chris Brown has more. In Moscow, grocery prices are soaring. After three years of heavy government spending on the war, inflation is now by. fighting. Outside the Kremlin, people were hoping this leader's summit can change that. The war is dragging on and the economy is falling, said Yevgeny. I'd like the conflict to be resolved. I'd like them to agree on ending the special military operation, said another woman, Anastasia. Economist Alexander Colliander says Russia has continually defied predictions of economic ruin,

but its GDP growth is now slowing. running on amphetamines. You cannot do it forever. Russia's energy sales, especially oil and especially to China, have been crucial. But Trump has threatened secondary sanctions on countries like India for buying Russian oil. Coyander believes if Putin leaves Alaska with a deal to prevent that, he'll consider it a win. From the coming point of view, a short or mild recession is something that they and the population can digest if they achieve a military or political or diplomatic victory. Russian families have received sizable government payouts

for having their fathers, partners, and sons sign up and fight in Ukraine, payouts that have thus far helped mute a significant backlash against Russia's estimated 1 million war casualties. Chris Brown, CBC News, London. to India-controlled Kashmir, or at least 200 people are dead after flash flooding. Crews digging through the mud and wreckage looking for dozens of missing people. 1600 survivors, though, have been rescued. Northern India and Pakistan have been increasingly hit by cloudbursts, heavy rainfall,

in a concentrated area. The intensity of the rain is blamed on climate change. Cruise in Nova Scotia's Annapolis County are battling two fires today, larger of the two, burning out of control, firefighters, trying to build brakes and limit the flame spread. Brett Ruskin has more. An evacuation order issued yesterday morning was expanded late last night. That means more residents have been forced to pack up their things and leave home immediately due to the threat posed by an approaching wildfire. This one is being called the Long Lake Fire, and it grew from 0.1 hectares to more than 300 hectares in just a day. Initially,

It was 42 homes evacuated, but many more families have now been told to leave immediately. Folks were grabbing pets and personal belongings and heading to comfort centers, not knowing when they'd be coming back home. We heard from a local fire official, Bridgetown Volunteer Fire Department Deputy Chief Justin Oliver, talking about the efforts to fight this fire. Definitely a stressful time. We ask that people kind of stay calm and listen to what they're directed to do, and that's the strategy that we take to. We feel for those people, but our job here is to protect lives and property, and that's what we intend to do.

Officials said while water bombers from other regions were available to help fight the fire near Halifax this week, the other Atlantic provinces are now dealing with their own out-of-control fires, and none are available to be shared. Still, there are crews on the ground and helicopters in the air working to get control of this latest fire, which again, for the first time this season here in Nova Scotia has sent residents out of their homes. Brett Ruskin, CBC News, near Bridgetown, Nova Scotia. Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario all recently agreed to study the feasibility of a new pipeline. But one province, right in the middle of the others, was absent from those talks, Manitoba. Premier Webb Canoe says his province is taking a different approach to fast-tracking the kinds of projects Ottawa says will boost the economy.

As CBCZ and phrase reports, Canoe is looking for more consultation, not legislation. The approach that we're taking is not dependent on Bill C5 here in Manitoba. Premier Wab Canoe says Manitoba will fast track major resource projects differently. While the feds passed Bill C5 to approve projects in the national interest before the indigenous duty to consult is fulfilled, canoe worries more legal fights are coming. He wants indigenous groups on board with new projects first. Because you have a consensus behind working together that you can,

then get to shovels in the ground and get something built more quickly. That thinking is why Manitoba isn't studying if a pipeline from Alberta to Ontario makes sense. George Horberg is a professor emeritus who studied resource development at the University of British Columbia. He likes that canoe wants indigenous buy-in. Once you get First Nations agreement, you essentially eliminate the greatest obstacle to project development. The Assembly of Manitoba Chief says their communities will assess each project on merit, Grand Chief Kara Wilson says support isn't guaranteed. We need to be able to say no when it comes to anything that may have a negative impact on our lands and our territories.

A recent poll from Angus Reed Institute suggests many Canadians want First Nations people to be consulted on major projects, but respondents are split on who should have the final say. Ian Frays, CBC News, Ottawa. And finally, before we go, this program, World Report has won the prestigious, Edward, our Murrow Award for Best National Newscast for our coverage of the U.S. election last year. Congratulations to our team here at the show, everyone at CBC News, and to the other winners at CBC in their categories.

As always, thanks to you, too, the listeners. That's the latest national and international news from World Report. I'm John Northcott, CBC News. For more CBC podcasts, go to cBC.ca. It's.