World Report - August 16: Saturday's top stories in 10 minutes

Episode Date: August 16, 2025

Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights suspended, after thousands of flight attendants go on strike.Russian president Vladimir Putin says he respects American position on Ukraine, following summit with US president Donald Trump.More than a dozen wildfires burn out of control in hot, humid Spain.People forced to leave a community in Newfoundland and Labrador, are now back home after wildfire is partially contained.On Vancouver Island, the Mount Underwood Wildfire is still burning out of control.Ontario museum says it may have to sell off collections from basketball invention James Naismith, sculptor & surgeon R. Tait McKenzie.

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Certain conditions apply. This is a CBC podcast. This is World Report. Good morning, I'm John Northcott. The union representing nearly 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants, says its members are living in poverty. That's why they're now on strike. Hundreds of flights grounded, thousands of passengers stranded.

The airline issued a lockout notice in response to the strike, which would begin early this morning. He sees Linda Ward joins us from Toronto's Pearson International Airport, the country's busiest hub. Linda, what are you hearing from the Union? QPee says they'd rather be flying than walking picket lines like these, but every hour deserves to be paid, and that's what they're fighting for. They say that's been the sticking point here, that flight attendants are only paid essentially while in flight. Wesley Lassoski, president of the Air Canada component of QPE says they deserve more than that. No one should accept being forced to work for free for hours and hours every day.

No one should accept being forced to work for poverty wages for years in a profession just to earn a dignifying living. I asked him why not allow this to go to an arbitrator as Air Canada had been requesting and he says that the best deals are worked out at the table and that his members, after 10 years, deserve a chance to vote, to ratify an agreement. but he said nothing is scheduled to get back to the table right now. There was a meeting last night, but really nothing substantive came out of that. I asked him how long he thinks that they will be out, and he said, that's really up to Air Canada, but he thinks public pressure will be the thing that gets the talks going again. Air Canada says for their part, they remain engaged and committed to negotiate an agreement, John. Well, Linda, what are you hearing from Air Canada passengers?

So we've been at the terminal throughout the morning, and we've seen a new, number of passengers who have been stranded. There's hundreds of cancelled flights and thousands of customers, travelers, who don't know how they're getting to their final destination, lineups of people looking for assistance, people sleeping, really camping out in the halls, the airline not offering hotel vouchers and having a hard time really getting people, the number of people that they need to, rescheduled on flights with other airlines. Air Canada says that they will inform passengers of their options, try to rebook them on another airline, or they can take a refund.

But they're telling people as well, if you have upcoming travel plans, you can rebook for free, but say if you don't have a confirmed flight on another airline, do not go to the airport. John. The CBC's Linda Ward at Pearson International Airport. Thanks, Linda. You're welcome. To the other big story we're following for you,

Russian President Vladimir Putin says his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump was, quote, timely and extremely useful. During a televised meeting today at the Kremlin, Putin also said he respects the American position on Ukraine. And while he won't be meeting with Ukrainian president of Vladimir Zelensky, Trump will be this Monday at the White House. As Julia Chapman tells us, the two leaders spoke after yesterday's summit. In a long phone call, Donald Trump briefed Volodymyr Zelensky on the Alaska summit.

Ukraine's president said he received positive signals on security, guarantees, which could involve the U.S. Several European leaders joined that phone call. They expressed support for Trump in a joint statement, but they added there should be no limitations on Ukraine's army or its future path to membership of NATO and the European Union. The leaders called for ironclad security guarantees for Ukraine and insisted borders couldn't be changed by force.

On the streets of Kiev, Ukrainians were underwhelmed. Inna says the meeting was just for show, and she doesn't know who Ukraine can negotiate with. Elena says serious action is needed from Donald Trump to put pressure on Russia. The U.S. President hasn't mentioned new sanctions he had threatened as leverage. Peter Ricketts is a former British national security adviser. The whole Alaska setup suggested that the wider U.S.-Russia relationship is now back on track. That will be a concern in Ukraine. indeed in European capitals. Donald Trump appears to have ruled out an immediate ceasefire,

saying a peace deal is the best way to end the fighting. He added that a trilateral meeting could be on the cards involving both Zelensky and Putin. The Ukrainian leader says he would support that. But first, Trump would need to overcome the conditions set by Russia's president. Julia Chapman, CBC News, London. High winds and heat are fueling more than a dozen wildfires across Spain. Military firefighters struggle to get the flames under control in Galicia in the country's northwest. At least seven people have been killed. So far this year, fire has consumed more than 157,000 hectares across Spain.

The European Union's Forest Fire Information Service says that's almost double the annual average. Residents of Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula are praying for more rain, the province's largest wildfire is advancing up the northern coast. The Kingston fire has already destroyed at least 100 homes, businesses, and a school. The CBC's Karen Paul's has more. Keep us safe. A couple times a day, Betty Clark goes out to her garage to pray. Please, with your holy hand, almighty God, send some rain.

Clark and her husband, Joe, live just minutes from the Kingston fire. You can see smoke just over the hill. Crews working hard to build a firebreak, people lined up to watch and wait. Everybody's devastated. And what do you do? It's a fire that nobody can control. Her daughter, also named Betty Clark, is angry. At the North Shore, got no support and no resources. None. Gone. She's referring to a decision by the province last week to divert water bombers and other resources from here to a fire just outside St. John's. Several suburbs were evacuated and about 14,000 people were on alert.

That fire not yet under control, but the evacuation order has now been lifted. The province defending its decision, Craig Cody is the director of the wildfire program. Decisions have to be made quickly, calmly and rationally. They must be grounded in science and based on the fire conditions at the time. This is most precious for my son. I have to take it. As his wife packs photos and food, preparing for a possible evacuation, Joe Clark feels hopeless. We're waiting to night because that's what's going to happen, everyone.

The night's always going to burn out. There has been some rain in the last day, a bit of what Betty Clark and so many others here have been hoping and praying for, but not nearly enough to stop the flames heading this way. Karen Paul's, CBC News, near Burnt Point, Newfoundland. And an out-of-control wildfire is still through. threatening the small city of Port Albany on Vancouver Island. More than 3,400 hectares are burning,

despite some relief from much-needed rain. Carly DeRosha is with the BC Wildfire Service. So the rain combined with cooler overnight temperatures has really helped to moderate fire behavior, and that's allowing our crews to get in and work in areas that were previously just too dangerous to access. The remote community of Banfield has been without power since Monday because of the Mount Underwood Fire.

access to Benfield's main road is also being cut off. Finally, a small Ontario community is doing what it can to hold on to two iconic museum collections. The historical items recognize local trailblazers, Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, and R. Tate McKenzie, a sculptor and surgeon. They're currently at a museum about 40 kilometers west of Ottawa, but as Ben Andrews tells us, there's a risk of the items being sold off. The main studio for the presentation of the artwork of Art Tate McKenzie. Scott Lorick climbs the creaking staircase at the mill of Kintail.

The nearly two-century-old building is outside the town of Almont and houses collections for two historic Canadian figures, Dr. James Ney Smith, the inventor of basketball, and R. Tate McKenzie, a pioneer in the field of physiotherapy. Like I said, this is more of the artwork and the larger sculptures. Loric is the property manager for the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority, the group that runs the museum. The authority has owned the Mill and McKenzie collection since the early 70s.

It permanently acquired the Naismith items in 2017. But Lorick says the province recently made changes to how the authority can raise money, leaving the museum short on funding. And the reality of the situation is nobody's been able to find a concrete solution to the funding model. Lorick says the conservation authority may have no choice but to divest itself from the collections. I mean, we're at risk of losing those connections, losing those collections out of this community, but out of Canada. Mississippi Mills Mayor, Krista Lowry, says she feels blindsided by the news.

Town Council has voted to send Lowry to the next Conservation Authority board meeting and allow her to seek out funding partners. You know, time to be fiercely championing Canadians and Canadian stories, Canadian icons, and I can't think of two more important icons. The mayor hopes to explore options on how the collections can be kept close to home. Ben Andrews, CBC News, Mississippi Mills, Ontario. And that is the latest national and international news from World Report. I'm John Northcott. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with us here at CBC News.