Libre News of The World Express Edition. Monday the 18th of August 2025

Subscribe today so you never miss an episode! Today on Libre News of The World Express Edition: Canada’s federal government intervened to halt a nationwide Air Canada flight attendants’ strike, ordering binding arbitration to resolve disputes over ground-time pay 【CBC News†https://www.cbc.ca】. Former Miss USA Noelia Voigt and Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava broke their silence on the toxic workplace culture behind their unprecedented resignations, pointing to “eight months of torture and abuse” under CEO Laylah Rose 【Business Insider†https://www.businessinsider.com】. In Guatemala, nine prison guards were freed after days of captivity by Mara Salvatrucha gang members amid violent riots demanding the return of jailed leaders 【Prensa Libre†https://www.prensalibre.com】. Carnival Cruise Line’s new Celebration Key resort in the Bahamas faced tragedy as two American tourists drowned just weeks after its opening 【The Nassau Guardian†https://thenassauguardian.com】. Brazil and Canada moved to revive stalled Mercosur trade talks, with negotiations possibly restarting later this year 【Folha de S.Paulo†https://www.folha.uol.com.br】. In Colombia, alleged Chilean hitman Alberto Carlos Mejía Hernández was arrested after a dramatic international manhunt 【El Tiempo†https://www.eltiempo.com】. Chilean actor Sebastián Solorza, famed for Chromosome 21, is just shy of the signatures needed to qualify for the presidency, a bid that breaks barriers for candidates with Down syndrome 【La Tercera†https://www.latercera.com】. Human Rights Watch reported a rollback of women’s protections in Argentina under President Javier Milei, sparking concern over femicide laws and survivor services 【Página/12†https://www.pagina12.com.ar】. China launched a crackdown on offshore tax evasion using OECD data-sharing, imposing a 20% tax on overseas income 【South China Morning Post†https://www.scmp.com】. Australia granted asylum to Hong Kong pro-democracy figure Ted Hui and his family, straining ties with China 【The Sydney Morning Herald†https://www.smh.com.au】. New Zealand recorded its highest emigration since 2012, with 71,800 departures driven by youth disillusionment and economic stagnation 【Radio New Zealand†https://www.rnz.co.nz】. Japan’s Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi reignited controversy by visiting Yasukuni Shrine on WWII’s 80th anniversary 【The Japan Times†https://www.japantimes.co.jp】. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung will meet Donald Trump in Washington on August 25 to reshape the alliance into a “strategic partnership of the future” 【Yonhap News†https://www.yonhapnews.co.kr】. Thailand’s Q2 GDP slowed to 2.5% as household demand faltered despite strong exports 【Reuters†https://www.reuters.com】. Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré consolidated his image as a Pan-African icon while critics warned of authoritarianism 【Al Jazeera†https://www.aljazeera.com】. Turkey positioned itself as mediator after the Alaska summit, with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan consulting Sergei Lavrov on the outcomes 【Hürriyet Daily News†https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com】. Saudi Arabia’s PIF wrote down $8 billion on Vision 2030 gigaprojects, signaling fiscal recalibration 【Arab News†https://www.arabnews.com】. Iran weighed talks with the U.S. after June’s 12-day war, as Khamenei and Pezeshkian eyed diplomacy for regime survival 【Al-Monitor†https://www.al-monitor.com】. Microsoft launched an urgent probe into allegations Azure was used for surveillance in Gaza 【The Guardian†https://www.theguardian.com】. France’s Constitutional Court blocked a bid to reauthorize bee-killing pesticides, defending environmental protections 【Le Monde†https://www.lemonde.fr】. The EU Court of Justice struck down Italy’s offshore asylum processing policy, stalling operations in Albania 【Euronews†https://www.euronews.com】. Spain backed Macron’s call for a UN-led Gaza stabilization mission 【El País†https://elpais.com】. Airport staff strikes disrupted travel across Portugal in August, highlighting labor tensions 【Público†https://www.publico.pt】. In Malta, brothers Richie and Sonny Borg reunited after 50 years apart, a poignant reflection of the island’s migration history 【Times of Malta†https://www.timesofmalta.com】. UK police gained new powers to disclose suspects’ ethnicities to counter social media misinformation 【BBC News†https://www.bbc.com】. Scotland faced renewed courtroom battles over gender self-identification policies, the third challenge led by For Women Scotland 【The Scotsman†https://www.scotsman.com】. Ireland’s asylum system was revealed to be near collapse after a 385% surge in applications, prompting calls for reform 【The Irish Times†https://www.irishtimes.com】. Germany’s factory output fell 1.9% in June, hitting its lowest point since the pandemic 【Deutsche Welle†https://www.dw.com】. Nordic and Baltic leaders pledged unwavering support for Ukraine, insisting peace must include strong security guarantees 【Baltic News Network†https://bnn-news.com】. Iceland opened Laugarás Lagoon, a new geothermal destination blending volcanic luxury with natural beauty 【Iceland Monitor†https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is】. Uzbekistan unveiled a $25 billion IPO plan for its state gold giant NMMC, one of the largest privatizations in its history 【Financial Times†https://www.ft.com】. Russian state media celebrated Putin’s Alaska summit with Trump as a diplomatic victory, despite no Ukraine ceasefire 【TASS†https://tass.com】. From the same summit, Putin’s peace proposal surfaced, demanding Ukraine cede Donetsk, Luhansk, and potentially Crimea in exchange for concessions 【The Kyiv Independent†https://kyivindependent.com】. Finally, India and Sri Lanka marked the one-year anniversary of the Nagapattinam–Kankesanthurai ferry, which has carried over 20,000 passengers since its relaunch 【The Hindu†https://www.thehindu.com】. These news summaries were written using AI technology. While every effort has been made to ensure factual accuracy, occasional mistakes or omissions may occur. Your understanding is appreciated, and we warmly welcome any feedback to help us continue improving the quality of our reporting. Thank you for being part of our journey!