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Retail sales up 0.3% in November, showing how Americans continue to spend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:39 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans picked up their spending from October to November as the unofficial holiday season kicked off, underscoring that shoppers still have power to keep buying.Retail sales rose 0.3%, in November from October, when sales were down a revised 0.2% according to the Commerce Department on Thursday. That is a little stronger than expected. Excluding car and gas sales, sales were up 0.6%.At restaurants, business rose 1.6%., while sales at furniture stores rose 0.9%. Online sales rose 1%. Electronic and appliance sales, however, were down 1.1% Sales at department stores fell 2.5%. The figures aren’t adjusted for inflation.The urge to spend for Americans appears to have some running room, even after a blowout summer. Consumer spending jumped in the July-September quarter.U.S. employment data last week showed that employers added 199,000 jobs in November and the unemployment rate declined to 3.7%. Inflation has plummeted in little over a year from a troubling 9.1%, to 3.2...

The mystery of a Canadian visionary killed in Dominica

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:39 GMT

In today’s Big Story Podcast, even if you didn’t know his name, you knew Daniel Langlois’ work. Everyone who likes movies did. Langlois was the man who ushered Hollywood into an era of 3D special effects, including on films like Jurassic Park and The Matrix.On Dec. 1 he and his partner, Dominique Marchand, were found dead in Dominica, in a burnt-out car. Police say they were shot. Their neighbour and another man have been charged with the crime, and court documents reveal a previous dispute between Langlois and the neighbour. What do we know about Langlois’ life, his death and the potential story behind it? What might we still learn as police investigate? Kenyon Wallace is an investigative reporter for The Toronto Star. “You don’t hear very often of world-shattering technology coming out of Montreal, so I think a lot of people in Canada in particular were very proud of what he accomplished. And that of course just makes the whole situation even mor...

US applications for jobless benefits fall again as labor market continues to thrive

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:39 GMT

The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits fell last week as the labor market continues to thrive despite high interest rates and elevated costs.Applications for unemployment benefits fell by 19,000 to 202,000 for the week ending Dec. 9, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Analysts were expecting around 224,000.About 1.88 million people were collecting unemployment benefits the week that ended Dec. 2, 20,000 more than the previous week. Jobless claim applications are seen as representative of the number of layoffs in a given week.On Wednesday, The Federal Reserve kept its key interest rate unchanged for a third straight time, and its officials signaled that they expect to make three quarter-point cuts to their benchmark rate next year.The Fed’s message Wednesday strongly suggested that it is finished with rate hikes and is edging closer to cutting rates as early as next summer.The Fed raised its benchmark interest rate 11 times since March 2022 to slow the economy and r...

White Christmas in Toronto appears slim with warmer than normal December

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:39 GMT

The prospect of a white Christmas appears to be fading as the warm December weather continues, with the possibility of Toronto and the GTA hitting double digits on Friday.The first official day of winter is a week away, on Dec. 21, and Christmas Eve is 10 days away, but the city still hasn’t seen snow on the ground — aside from a rain-snow mix earlier this month.It has been a mild December temperature-wise in Toronto and that trend continues on Thursday with a forecasted high of 6 C and 10 C on Friday.It is also expected to be mild through the weekend with highs between 6-8 C. The extended forecast for Toronto can be found here.The average high of this time of the year is 2 C.As Dec. 25 approaches, people are asking: will we be waking up to snow on Christmas Day?“At this point, it is kind of like a 60-40 split, 60 per cent chance being more green and then white could actually be a little bit higher than that,” CityNews 680 meteorologist Jill Taylor said.Taylo...

Japan’s Kishida replaces 4 ministers linked to slush funds scandal to contain damage to party

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:39 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida replaced four of his Cabinet ministers Thursday in an effort to contain the damage from a widening slush fund scandal that has shaken his governing party and his grip on power within it.The shakeup is Kidhida’s third of his Cabinet, whose support ratings have continued to drop to new lows. The scandal involves the Liberal Democratic Party’s largest and most influential faction. It used to be led by the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in 2022. Kishida replaced four ministers from the Abe faction: Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno; Economy and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura; Agriculture Minister Ichiro Miyashita; and Internal Affairs Minister Junji Suzuki. All have emerged as the alleged recipients of suspected kickbacks of unreported fundraising proceeds. A purge of members from that wing of the party is key to Kishida’s balancing act within the party but could trigger a power str...

Senegal’s opposition leader could run for president after a court overturns a ruling barring his bid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:39 GMT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal’s opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was ordered to be reinstated on the electoral list Thursday, which could allow him to run for president in February’s election. The court of first instance’s decision overturned a November ruling by the Supreme Court that effectively barred the detained opposition leader’s bid to run. The state has 10 days to appeal, but has yet to say if it will. “Law and truth were with us. Ousmane Sonko will be reinstated on the lists and he will take part in the presidential election,” Sonko’s lawyer Bamba Cisse said. In order to run for president, Sonko must file his candidacy by Dec. 26. Eligible candidates will be announced within the first two weeks of January and the campaign season kicks off the following month. Sonko finished third in the 2019 presidential election, and his supporters believe that the slew of criminal allegations brought against him since 2021 are part of an orchestrated campaign to de...

Crews battling fire that has destroyed under construction luxury home in North York

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:39 GMT

Crews are on scene battling a fire at an under construction luxury home in North York on Thursday morning.Toronto Fire tells CityNews the fire broke out at a home on Dempsey Crescent, in the area of Bayview and York Mills, just after 6 a.m.The three-storey home under construction was fully engulfed with flames through the roof when firefighters arrived on scene.Paramedics say no one was inside the home at the time and neighbouring homes have been safely evacuated. No injuries have been reported.Toronto Fire on scene battling a fire at an under construction home in North York on Dec. 14, 2023. CITYNEWS/Bryan CareyThe fire remains active and there were still several emergency vehicles at the scene as of 8:15 a.m. Crews continue to fight hotspots.CityNews 680 traffic reporter Jordan Kerr was over the scene in a chopper and says the home appears to be a total write-off.“I see the outer walls of the building are mostly up, but everything on the inside is scorched down to what looks...

2-month-old boy dies after being found unresponsive inside home on Southwest Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:39 GMT

CHICAGO — A 2-month-old boy has died after being found unresponsive on the city's Southwest Side.Police said the infant was found unresponsive inside a residence in the 7000 block of South Bishop in the West Englewood neighborhood around 12:54 p.m. Wednesday.He was transported to Comer Children's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.Detectives are conducting a death investigation, pending autopsy results.  Two teens critical after ejection in Woodstock rollover crash No further information has been provided at this time.

Special city council meeting to discuss Chicago's status as Sanctuary city

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:39 GMT

CHICAGO -- Alderpeople are calling for a special city council meeting Thursday to discuss Chicago's status as a Sanctuary city.The alderpeople involved want to give power to voters and allow them to decide if Chicago should remain a Welcoming City.In order for the referendum question to be add to the March primary ballot, council members have to approve the ballot by the end of the year.Chicago has been a Sanctuary city since 1985 since former mayor Harold Washington issued the executive order that is made sure to protect undocumented immigrants regardless of their immigration status. Mayor Brandon Johnson faces rising pressure to address migrant crisis following failed Brighton Park site The attempt comes after the arrival of more than 25,000 asylum seekers from the southern border, most from central and South America."This is not a fight of them versus us, but this is a fight for molarity, a fight for doing what's right and a fight for doing what is just," Pastor JeVon Moore sa...

Google Maps update to give more control over location history

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:39 GMT

(NewsNation) — A new update coming to Google Maps will give users more local control over their location data, including the ability to delete the places they've been. The app's Timeline feature logs all the routes and stops a user takes, and that data will now be saved directly on the phone rather than in the cloud, Google announced Wednesday in a blog post. Users still will have the option to send an encrypted version of the data to the cloud.Timeline is off by default, so users will need to turn it on by enabling Location History if they want to use it. Also by default, the data will be automatically deleted from devices after three months, but users can extend the Timeline lifespan by adjusting their auto-delete controls. Yondr pouch sales spike as school cell phone bans spread: Report Additionally, Google is giving users the ability to delete individual stops and activity from Maps. It's handy in certain cases, the company says, citing the example of someone planning a surpri...