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US slowed hiring but still added a solid 209,000 jobs in June in sign of economy’s resilience

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:37 GMT

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER (AP Economics Writer)WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers pulled back on hiring but still delivered another month of solid gains in June, adding 209,000 jobs, a sign that the economy’s resilience is confounding the Federal Reserve’s drive to slow growth and inflation.The latest evidence of economic strength makes it all but certain that the Fed will resume its interest rate hikes later this month after having ended a streak of 10 rate increases intended to slow inflation.The June hiring figure reported by the government Friday is below the levels recorded in recent months. But it still points to a durable labor market that also features a historically high number of advertised openings. The unemployment rate fell to 3.6% from 3.7%, and is near a five-decade low.The economy is beset by high interest rates, elevated inflation and nagging worries about a possible recession resulting from the Fed’s ever-higher interest rates. Yet many industries are still adding ...

‘A big one in New York.’ Chicago Cubs will close the 1st half vs. the Yankees after settling for a split in Milwaukee.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:37 GMT

It really doesn’t take much for Chicago Cubs fans to get excited.A couple of late-inning wins in Milwaukee, including a game Tuesday that Justin Steele declared “was drunk,” helped alleviate some worries over the Cubs’ post-London slump.And with Marcus Stroman on the mound Thursday for the series finale against the Brewers, the outlook was suddenly sunnier as the Cubs prepared for a three-game series against the New York Yankees.The bright lights of New York, the aura of Yankee Stadium and a reunion with former Cubs legend Anthony Rizzo made it a perfect way to head into the All-Star break, during which Stroman, Steele and Dansby Swanson were selected for the game in Seattle.But a Cubs comeback fell short Thursday in a 6-5 loss to the Brewers — after a five-inning outing by Stroman and 16 strikeouts by the offense — leaving them a season-worst eight games behind the division-leading Cincinnati Reds.“It’s a big one in New York,” s...

Canadian unemployment rate rose to 5.4% in June as economy added 60,000 jobs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:37 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s unemployment rate ticked up to 5.4 per cent in June — the highest it’s been in over a year.It marked the second month in a row the unemployment rate has risen as economists watch for softening in the labour market amid high interest rates.Statistics Canada said Friday the increase came as the economy added 60,000 jobs in June, driven by gains in full-time work.But with more people searching for work and Canada’s population growing, the unemployment rate climbed higher.Job gains were concentrated in wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, health care and social assistance and transportation and warehousing.The loosening of the labour market likely comes as good news to the Bank of Canada, which is looking for signs that its aggressive rate hikes are working to cool the economy.The central bank has said repeatedly that Canada’s hot labour market is contributing to high inflation, raising concerns about the pace of wage growth in particular.However, Statistic...

Belarus shows off a military camp to host Russia’s Wagner mercenaries after a failed mutiny

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:37 GMT

NEAR TSEL, Belarus (AP) — The Belarusian military on Friday showed off a field camp it has offered to Russia’s Wagner military contractor if it relocates to Belarus under a deal that ended its mutiny.Maj. Gen. Leonid Kosinsky, an assistant to Belarus’ defense minister, told international reporters that Wagner troops could use the former Belarusian army camp near Tsel, about 90 kilometers (about 55 miles) southeast of Minsk.Journalists were shown rows of empty tents that Kosinsky said could accommodate up to 5,000 troops at the camp in the Asipovichy district that was used by the Belarusian army before it was handed over to the territorial defense forces. Kosinsky said Wagner representatives haven’t yet inspected the camp to see whether it meets their needs. “When the Wagner Group makes a final decision on whether to deploy to Belarus or not, they will see where and how to deploy,” he told reporters.Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Thursday that mercenary chief Ye...

South Korea vouches for safety of plans to release Fukushima wastewater but citizens’ fears persist

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:37 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s government on Friday formally endorsed the safety of Japanese plans to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean as it tried to calm people’s fears about food contamination.Seoul’s assessment was based on a 22-month review by government-funded scientists and aligned with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s views. The agency greenlit the Japanese discharge plans this week, saying the treated wastewater would meet international safety standards and pose negligible environmental and health impacts.South Korea’s review focused on any impact the wastewater release might have on South Korea, and “the result showed that its effect on our waters would be insignificant,” Bang Moon-kyu, the minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, said during a news conference.Even before Friday’s announcement, South Korean officials were actively working to reduce public unease about the ...

At least 1 dead, 5 wounded after shooting inside Lebanon mosque, security official says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:37 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — A shooting inside a mosque during prayers left at least one person dead and five wounded Friday, a Lebanese security official said. The reason behind the shooting in the eastern town of Bar Elias was not immediately clear.The state-run National News Agency said more gunfire broke out later between Lebanese troops and the shooting suspect, who was wounded in that exchange.A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the man killed and the five wounded were all Syrian citizens. The town is home to many Syrian refugees who fled their country’s 12-year conflict.Lebanon is home to more than 1 million Syrian refugees and anti-Syrian sentiments have been on the rise since Lebanon’s economic meltdown began in October 2019. The decline is rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement by the country’s ruling class. Three-quarters of the country’s 6 million people live in poverty. Bassem Mroue, The Associated Press

Poland starts observances of WWII massacres by Ukrainians that have marred neighbourly ties

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:37 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s prime minister and Catholic church leaders opened days of observances Friday to honor victims of World War II massacres of tens of thousands of Poles by Ukrainian nationalists, which have marred the tightening strategic relations between the neighboring nations. “We can say that for many years this has been an unhealed wound in Polish-Ukrainian relations,” said spokesperson for Poland’s ruling right-wing party, Rafal Bochenek. “We would expect truth to be told and things to be called by their proper name,” Bochenek said. Poland says the 1943-44 massacre of some 100,000 Poles by Ukrainian nationalists was genocide. The killings took place in Volhynia and in other regions of what was then eastern Poland under Nazi German and then Soviet occupation, and which are now in western Ukraine.Warsaw is among the staunchest supporters of Kyiv in its war against Russia’s aggression and the increasingly close ties seem to provide an opportunity fo...

2-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova advances to the 3rd round. Keys and Kostyuk also win

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:37 GMT

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Petra Kvitova reached the third round at Wimbledon for the second year in a row, nine years after winning the second of her two titles at the All England Club.The 33-year-old Czech, who was injured in a knife attack at her home in 2016, beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2, 6-2 Friday on Day 5 of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.The left-handed Kvitova first won the Wimbledon title in 2011 and then added another in 2014. She has only reached one other Grand Slam final, losing to Naomi Osaka in the deciding match at the 2019 Australian Open.Madison Keys, an American who won the Eastbourne International title on grass ahead of Wimbledon, also reached the third round. The 25th-seeded Keys defeated Viktorija Golubic 7-5, 6-3. Keys will next face Ukrainian player Marta Kostyuk. She advanced when Paula Badosa retired from their match with a back injury with Kostyuk leading 6-2, 1-0.Badosa is dating Stefanos Tsitsipas and social media has been filled with photos an...

Is this the climate tipping point?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:37 GMT

In today’s Big Story podcast, we’ve known for decades the world is warming, so it shouldn’t come as a shock when some records get broken along the way. But what has set off alarm bells among the scientists who study our changing climate recently is just how fast it’s happening, in ways that don’t match up with any previous models. From ocean temperature to sea ice, forest fires to heat domes and the world’s daily average temperature record being broken at least twice just this week, warning lights are flashing.Is this truly the tipping point for our climate crisis? What does that even mean in this context? And as the bad news rolls in, is there another tipping point coming — a moment in which we collectively realize we can’t survive without massive change?GUEST: Catherine Abreu, Executive Director of Destination ZeroYou can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.

Humanoid robots say they could be better leaders but they will not rebel against human creators

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:37 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Robots told reporters Friday they could be more efficient leaders than humans, but wouldn’t take anyone’s job away and had no intention of rebelling against their creators.Nine AI-enabled humanoid robots sat or stood with their creators at a podium in a Geneva conference center for what the United Nations’ International Telecommunication Union billed as the world’s first news conference featuring humanoid social robots. Among them: Sophia, the first robot innovation ambassador for the U.N. Development Program; Grace, described as the world’s most advanced humanoid health care robot; and Desdemona, a rock star robot. Two, Geminoid and Nadine, closely resembled their makers.The event was part of the AI for Good Global Summit, meant to illustrate how new technology can support the U.N.’s goals for sustainable development.Reporters were asked to speak slowly and clearly when addressing the robots, and were informed that time lags in resp...