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IMF head expects less than 3% global economic growth in 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:34 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The International Monetary Fund chief said Thursday the world economy is expected to grow less than 3% in 2023, down from 3.4% last year, increasing the risk of hunger and poverty globally.Kristalina Georgieva said growth is expected to remain around 3% for the next five years, calling it “our lowest medium-term growth forecast since 1990, and well below the average of 3.8% from the past two decades.”She said slower growth would be a “severe blow,” making it even harder for low-income nations to catch up.“Poverty and hunger could further increase, a dangerous trend that was started by the COVID crisis,” she said.Georgieva’s comments at a Meridian-Politico event come ahead of next week’s spring meetings of the IMF and its sister lending agency the World Bank in Washington, where policymakers will convene to discuss the global economy’s most pressing issues.The annual gathering will take place as central banks around the world continue to raise interest r...

Here’s a quick glance at unemployment rates for March, by province

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:34 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s national unemployment rate was 5.0 per cent in March. Here are the jobless rates last month by province (numbers from the previous month in brackets):_ Newfoundland and Labrador 10.3 per cent (9.9)_ Prince Edward Island 6.6 per cent (7.3)_ Nova Scotia 5.7 per cent (5.7)_ New Brunswick 5.8 per cent (6.3)_ Quebec 4.2 per cent (4.1)_ Ontario 5.1 per cent (5.1)_ Manitoba 4.7 per cent (4.7)_ Saskatchewan 4.7 per cent (4.3)_ Alberta 5.7 per cent (5.8)_ British Columbia 4.5 per cent (5.1)This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 6, 2023.The Canadian Press

Here’s a quick glance at unemployment rates for March, by Canadian city

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:34 GMT

OTTAWA — The national unemployment rate was 5.0 per cent in March. Statistics Canada also released seasonally adjusted, three-month moving average unemployment rates for major cities. It cautions, however, that the figures may fluctuate widely because they are based on small statistical samples. Here are the jobless rates last month by city (numbers from the previous month in brackets):_ St. John’s, N.L. 5.6 per cent (6.2)_ Halifax 4.5 per cent (4.7)_ Moncton, N.B. 5.2 per cent (5.3)_ Saint John, N.B. 5.3 per cent (6.4)_ Saguenay, Que. 3.7 per cent (4.2)_ Quebec City 1.7 per cent (1.9)_ Sherbrooke, Que. 4.4 per cent (4.0)_ Trois-Rivières, Que. 3.9 per cent (3.4)_ Montreal 4.8 per cent (4.7)_ Gatineau, Que. 4.5 per cent (4.4)_ Ottawa 4.0 per cent (4.0)_ Kingston, Ont. 5.4 per cent (5.5)_ Belleville, Ont. 5.1 per cent (5.5)_ Peterborough, Ont. 5.3 per cent (4.2)_ Oshawa, Ont. 4.6 per cent (4.5)_ Toronto 5.8 per cent (5.8)_ Hamilton, Ont. 5.7 per cent (5.6)_ St. Catharines-Niagar...

National employment numbers for March from Statistics Canada, at a glance

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:34 GMT

OTTAWA — A quick look at Canada’s March employment (numbers from the previous month in brackets):Unemployment rate: 5.0 per cent (5.0)Employment rate: 62.4 per cent (62.4)Participation rate: 65.6 per cent (65.7)Number unemployed: 1,053,000 (1,066,400)Number working: 20,088,800 (20,054,100)Youth (15-24 years) unemployment rate: 9.2 per cent (9.9)Men (25 plus) unemployment rate: 4.4 per cent (4.3)Women (25 plus) unemployment rate: 4.1 per cent (4.2)This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 6, 2023.The Canadian Press

UK criticized for failures in Windrush immigration scandal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:34 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A civil rights group urged U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday to follow through on promises made to thousands of people of Caribbean descent who were wrongly targeted as illegal migrants in the so-called Windrush scandal that emerged five years ago.The Black Equity Organisation submitted a petition signed by more than 50,000 people that criticized the “painfully slow” response by the government and the decision by Home Secretary Suella Braverman to scrap several recommendations for immigration agency improvements that her predecessor accepted. “We urge your government to stick to the promises made — there is still an opportunity to show that you and your ministers are serious about righting past wrongs,” a letter to Sunak said. “To do anything less sends a clear message that the suffering of the Windrush generation was in vain and the hostile environment still exists.”The group is named for the Empire Windrush, the ship that brought the first 500 Caribbe...

OpenAI to offer remedies to resolve Italy’s ChatGPT ban

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:34 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The company behind ChatGPT will propose measures to resolve data privacy concerns that sparked a temporary Italian ban on the artificial intelligence chatbot, regulators said Thursday. The Italian data protection authority, known as Garante, last week blocked San Francisco-based OpenAI’s popular chatbot, ordering it to temporarily stop processing Italian users’ personal information while it investigates a possible breach of European Union data privacy rules. Experts said it was the first such case of a democracy imposing a nationwide ban on a mainstream AI platform. In a video call late Wednesday between the watchdog’s commissioners and OpenAI executives including CEO Sam Altman, the company promised to set out measures to address the concerns. Those remedies have not been detailed.The Italian watchdog said it didn’t want to hamper AI’s development but stressed to OpenAI the importance of complying with the 27-nation EU’s stringent privacy...

Mayor-elect Johnson to meet Mayor Lightfoot ahead of inauguration

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:34 GMT

CHICAGO — Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson has been busy since election day with local and national leaders reaching out to him amid the win. Johnson is expected to meet with Mayor Lori Lightfoot Thursday ahead of his inauguration next month. The 47-year-old teacher and former Cook County commissioner will inherit a city that seven in ten voters say is on the wrong track. Johnson will now have to build relationships with City Council and implement his public safety plans -- the top concern for voters across the city. Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson details plan heading into inauguration "The people of Chicago, no one disagrees with youth employment, no one disagrees with mental health support, no one disagrees with training and promoting 200 more detectives, no one disagrees with addressing the housing crisis," Johnson said.Johnson said his first plan of action is to meet with the newly created police district council. He is also set to meet with Mayor Lightfoot at Town Hall around 1:30 p...

Semi driver critical following road rage shooting in Posen

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:34 GMT

POSEN, Ill. — A semi-truck driver was critically wounded early Thursday morning during an apparent road rage shooting in Posen.At around 2:30 a.m., police responded to a report of a shooting at 147th and the intersection of southbound I-57.Police said a semi-truck driver sustained at least one gunshot wound following an isolated road rage incident. He was transported in critical condition and has underwent surgery, but still remains critical.Police are waiting to confirm witness statements before issuing vehicle information of the suspected shooter. At least 6 wanted after back-to-back carjackings in Logan Square No one is in custody.

Woman's dog stolen at gunpoint on Chicago's South Side

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:34 GMT

CHICAGO — A woman had her dog stolen at gunpoint in the Grand Crossing on the city's South Side.According to police, the 39-year-old woman told officers she was outside when a gray SUV approached and three men exited the vehicle. The men displayed firearms and grabbed the woman's dog, a gray Cane Corso. Man critical after being shot in the face on North Side Police said the men then got back into the SUV and fled westbound. The woman was not injured.No one is in custody. Area Two detectives are investigating.

Israeli police storm Jerusalem mosque amid Ramadan and Passover

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:34 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police stormed into the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City early Wednesday, firing stun grenades at Palestinian youths who hurled firecrackers at them in a burst of violence during a sensitive holiday season. Gaza militants responded with rocket fire on southern Israel, prompting an Israeli airstrike.The fighting, coming as Muslims mark the holiday month of Ramadan and Jews prepare to begin the Passover festival on Wednesday evening, drew Palestinian condemnations and raised fears of a wider conflagration. Similar clashes two years ago erupted into an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli military said one soldier was shot in a separate incident in the occupied West Bank.The mosque sits on a sensitive hilltop compound holy to both Jews and Muslims. Al-Aqsa is the third-holiest site in Islam and is typically packed with worshippers during Ramadan. The spot, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, is also the holiest site in Judaism, who revere it as...