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WHO says Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:34 GMT

(CNN) — Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency, the World Health Organization said on Friday.WHO’s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee discussed the pandemic on Thursday at its 15th meeting on Covid-19, and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus concurred that the public health emergency of international concern, or PHEIC, declaration should end.“For more than a year the pandemic has been on a downward trend,” Tedros said at a news conference Friday.“This trend has allowed most countries to return to life as we knew it before Covid-19,” Tedros said. “Yesterday, the emergency committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice.”The organization declared the coronavirus outbreak to be a public health emergency of international concern in January 2020, about six weeks before charact...

US labor market heats back up, adding 253,000 jobs in April

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:34 GMT

(CNN) — The labor market heated back up in April as employers added 253,000 jobs, according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It’s a surprising increase at a time when many indicators were pointing to a slowdown in the job market.The unemployment rate fell to 3.4% from 3.5%. The labor force participation rate held steady at 62.6%.Economists were expecting job growth to decline for the third consecutive month, 180,000 jobs to be added, and for the unemployment rate to increase to 3.6%, according to Refinitiv. Only three economists of the 87 polled by Refinitiv had projected job growth near or above 253,000.The net job gains seen in April represent a big jump from March’s tally, which was revised down to 165,000 from 236,000 jobs, BLS data shows.Some of the largest gains were in the sectors of private education and health services, professional and business services, and leisure and hospitality.In April, average hourly earnings trending up, r...

Man accused in bomb threat, extortion plot against Harvard University to appear in court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:34 GMT

The man arrested in connection with a bomb threat and extortion plot against Harvard University is set to appear in court on Friday. According to an FBI affidavit, William Giordani was seen placing a device in the Science Center Plaza on April 13, the same day Harvard police received a threatening call stating, “There are three bombs planted around the Harvard campus.”The caller said the devices would be detonated if demands were not met. They then added, “You should begin preparing a large bitcoin transaction as soon as possible.”Harvard Police evacuated the area and detonated the device. A picture shows a tool bag containing wires, fireworks, and a digital lock.Giordani told authorities he answered a Craigslist ad asking for someone to deliver a package to a Harvard student.The FBI tracked Giordani to a Home Depot in Dorchester that day. Surveillance video and receipts show him buying a similar bag and wires under the name of the person who posted the Craigslist ad.No one was hurt...

Truck catches fire in Mendon after driver hits utility pole

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:34 GMT

A truck caught fire in Mendon Friday morning after a driver hit a utility police, officials say. Police say the crash was reported around 6 a.m. Uxbridge Road (Route 16) was temporarily closed while crews made repairs.No additional information has been released.

Multi-vehicle crash scatters debris across I-8

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:34 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A multi-vehicle crash scattered debris across westbound Interstate 8 in Mission Valley shortly before 5 a.m. Friday morning, according to an alert from California Highway Patrol. The incident occurred on the right shoulder near the Taylor Street ramp, prompting lanes closures that backed up traffic to State Route 163, a SIG alert noted. The left two lanes have since reopened, according to an updated alert.CHP information shows there were 15 tows requested at the scene, however, the exact number of vehicles involved in this incident has not yet been confirmed.FOX 5 is headed to the scene to gather more information.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Stock market today: Apple gives some juice after brutal week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:34 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street’s most influential stock is helping to pull the market higher after Apple reported better profit than expected, while beaten-down banks also leap to cut into their sharp losses from a brutal week. The S&P 500 was 1% higher in early trading Friday, though it’s still on pace for its worst week in nearly two months. The Dow rose 1.1% and the Nasdaq composite rose 1%. Treasury yields were jumping in the bond market after a report showed hiring accelerated across the economy by much more than expected last month. The government’s monthly jobs report also showed workers won bigger pay raises than expected. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street climbed Friday ahead of new data on U.S. jobs after a rough week for banks that have been caught up in the Fed’s fight against inflation. Futures for the Dow Jones industrials rose 0.5% before the bell and the S&P 500 edged 0.7% higher.Regional banks that saw huge decli...

WHO downgrades COVID pandemic, says it’s no longer an emergency

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:34 GMT

The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies worldwide and killed at least seven million people worldwide.WHO said that even though the emergency phase was over, the pandemic hasn’t come to an end, noting recent spikes in cases in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The U.N. health agency says that thousands of people are still dying from the virus every week.“It’s with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “That does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat.”When the U.N. health agency first declared the coronavirus to be an international crisis on Jan. 30, 2020, it hadn’t yet been named COVID-19 and there were no major outbreaks beyond China.More than three years later...

US adds a solid 253,000 jobs despite Fed’s rate hikes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:34 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers added a healthy 253,000 jobs in April, evidence of a labor market that still shows surprising resilience despite rising interest rates, chronically high inflation and a banking crisis that could weaken the economy.The unemployment rate dipped to 3.4%, matching a 54-year low, the Labor Department said Friday. But the jobless rate fell in part because 43,000 people left the labor force, the first drop since November, and were no longer counted as unemployed. In its report Friday, the government noted that while hiring was solid in April, it was much weaker in February and March than it had previously estimated. And hourly wages rose last month at the fastest pace since July, which may alarm the inflation fighters at the Federal Reserve.April’s hiring gain compares with 165,000 in March and 248,000 in February and is still at a level considered vigorous by historical standards. The job market has remained durable despite the Fed’s aggressive campai...

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

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:34 GMT

OTTAWA — The national unemployment rate was 5.0 per cent in April. 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. 4.9 per cent (5.6)_ Halifax 4.7 per cent (4.5)_ Moncton, N.B. 5.5 per cent (5.2)_ Saint John, N.B. 5.5 per cent (5.3)_ Saguenay, Que. 3.4 per cent (3.7)_ Quebec City 1.7 per cent (1.7)_ Sherbrooke, Que. 4.9 per cent (4.4)_ Trois-Rivières, Que. 3.8 per cent (3.9)_ Montreal 4.8 per cent (4.8)_ Gatineau, Que. 4.3 per cent (4.5)_ Ottawa 4.2 per cent (4.0)_ Kingston, Ont. 5.1 per cent (5.4)_ Belleville, Ont. 4.1 per cent (5.1)_ Peterborough, Ont. 5.3 per cent (5.3)_ Oshawa, Ont. 4.6 per cent (4.6)_ Toronto 5.6 per cent (5.8)_ Hamilton, Ont. 5.4 per cent (5.7)_ St. Catharines-Niagar...

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

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:16:34 GMT

OTTAWA — Canada’s national unemployment rate was 5.0 per cent in April. Here are the jobless rates last month by province (numbers from the previous month in brackets):_ Newfoundland and Labrador 10.1 per cent (10.3)_ Prince Edward Island 7.1 per cent (6.6)_ Nova Scotia 6.3 per cent (5.7)_ New Brunswick 6.1 per cent (5.8)_ Quebec 4.1 per cent (4.2)_ Ontario 4.9 per cent (5.1)_ Manitoba 4.8 per cent (4.7)_ Saskatchewan 4.8 per cent (4.7)_ Alberta 5.9 per cent (5.7)_ British Columbia 5.0 per cent (4.5)This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2023.The Canadian Press