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Canada’s Unemployment Hits 7.1% in August, Highest Since 2016 Amid Trade Pressures

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Ottawa, Canada – Canada’s unemployment rate rose to 7.1 percent in August, reaching its highest level since May 2016, Statistics Canada reported Friday. The increase reflects deepening strains in the labor market, with mounting job losses linked to slowing domestic demand and ongoing U.S. trade pressures.

The number of unemployed Canadians reached 1.6 million in August, up 34,000 from July, marking a 2.2 percent rise. Overall, the country lost 66,000 jobs during the month. Since January, the unemployment rate has climbed by half a percentage point, well above the pre-pandemic average of 6 percent between 2017 and 2019.

Ontario, Manufacturing Hit Hardest

Ontario bore the brunt of job losses, with key manufacturing hubs impacted by U.S. tariffs. Windsor recorded the highest unemployment rate in the country at 11.1 percent, followed by Oshawa at 9 percent and Toronto at 8.9 percent. British Columbia also saw sharp declines, losing 16,000 positions in August.

North American Job Markets Both Stall

Canada and the U.S. both experienced slow employment growth over the summer as businesses faced rising costs from tariffs and weakening consumer demand. In contrast to Canada’s job losses, the U.S. added only 22,000 jobs in August, far below expectations of 75,000, with the unemployment rate rising to 4.3 percent—the highest since 2021.

Broader Economic Impact

The weakness is no longer limited to trade-sensitive industries. Canada’s professional and scientific services sector shed 26,000 jobs in August, signaling that the slowdown is spreading across the broader economy. Self-employment also fell by 43,000, a decline of 1.6 percent.

Young workers face the toughest job market in 16 years (excluding the pandemic), with unemployment among 15–24-year-olds at 17.9 percent between May and August.

Central Banks May Respond

Economists warn that the August figures could prompt central banks to resume cutting interest rates. Royce Mendes, head of macro strategy at Desjardins Securities, said, “The ugly employment numbers released today should be enough to push those who had been in the ‘no cut’ camp to reassess their outlooks.” Markets are now pricing in a 90 percent chance that the Bank of Canada will lower its benchmark rate by a quarter point on September 17. The U.S. Federal Reserve is also expected to resume rate cuts after pausing since December 2024 amid inflation concerns.

Andrew Grantham, senior economist at CIBC Capital Markets, noted that the recent labor-market weakness isn’t confined to sectors most affected by U.S. tariffs, suggesting the Bank of Canada may need to cut rates to stimulate demand and hiring more broadly.

The Canadian economy contracted at a 1.6 percent annualized rate in the second quarter, primarily due to export declines, while inflation remains near the Bank of Canada’s 2-percent target.


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6 dead, 20 missing as gold mine collapses in northern Sudan’s River Nile State

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River Nile State, Sudan – At least six people have been confirmed dead and around 20 others remain missing after a traditional gold mine collapsed in River Nile State in northern Sudan, officials and volunteer groups reported on Saturday.

The collapse occurred on Friday at a gold mine in the Umm Oud area, west of Berber, resulting in the deaths of six miners. Local authorities said search operations are ongoing for others believed to still be trapped under the rubble, with the number of missing estimated to be around twenty.

The bodies of the six victims were laid to rest at the Salm Al-Namirab cemetery. They were identified as Muhand Abdul Qader Hamad, Al-Misbah Amir Al-Sheikh, Bakri Badr Al-Din Al-Akkam, Bakri Kamal Al-Wael, Osama Abdul Moneim Al-Hassan, and Muhammad Uthman Hafez Al-Awad.

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Hassan Ibrahim Karar, executive director of Berber locality, confirmed that rescue teams are continuing their efforts to reach those still trapped. He said the local administration is mourning the victims and praying for their mercy and forgiveness, while expressing hope that ongoing operations might still yield survivors despite the difficult conditions underground.

The Sudan Doctors Network, a volunteer group, confirmed the casualties and said nine others sustained injuries and were transferred to Atbara Hospital for treatment. The group blamed the frequent tragedies in artisanal mining on chaos, lack of oversight, and absence of safety standards, urging authorities to shut down unregulated mines and provide safer alternatives for workers.

In a related development, the Environment and Safety Department of the Sudanese Mineral Resources Company Limited’s Northern State office, in coordination with the Mineral Economics Security Department and the Mining Security Police, conducted a large-scale field campaign to curb illegal mining practices.

The campaign, held in the Al-Khanaq market in Halfa locality, resulted in the seizure of more than 150 thiourea mixers, along with large quantities of thiourea, cyanide, and activated carbon. Officials said the use of these materials in unregulated gold production processes posed serious risks to human and animal safety, damaged the environment, and harmed the national economy by producing gold that failed to meet oversight standards.

Abdul Rahman Mahjoub Al-Nadif, director of the Sudanese Mineral Resources Company’s Northern State office, told the Sudan News Agency that all the violations observed had been removed, with official reports filed at the Dongola Police Department. The confiscated materials were handed over to the competent prosecution office to complete legal procedures. He stressed that the campaign is part of broader government measures to safeguard the environment, protect mining workers, and ensure compliance with approved health and safety standards.

Sudan is one of Africa’s largest gold producers, with traditional mining employing an estimated 1.5 million people and accounting for nearly 80 percent of output. However, accidents are common at artisanal mining sites due to weak regulation, poor safety standards, and lack of protective equipment. Officials say more field inspections and enforcement operations will continue in order to reduce violations and improve safety in the sector.

In 2021, Sudanese authorities reported that at least 38 people were killed when a disused gold mine collapsed in West Kordofan province.

According to a statement from the state-run mining company, the incident occurred at the closed Darsaya mine in the village of Fuja, located about 700 kilometers (435 miles) south of Khartoum. The company confirmed there were also injuries but did not provide exact figures.

Local media said multiple shafts gave way during the collapse. In addition to the fatalities, at least eight injured miners were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Photographs shared by the mining company on Facebook showed villagers gathered at the site while at least two dredgers were deployed in an attempt to recover bodies and search for survivors.


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6 lose lives in Gujarat temple ropeway accident

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Gujarat, India – At least six people were killed on Saturday when a cargo ropeway trolley carrying construction material fell from a height after its supporting cables snapped in Gujarat’s Panchmahal district, local authorities confirmed.

The incident took place at the Shaktipeeth site on Pavagadh Hill, a popular religious and tourist destination in western India. The ropeway trolley, which was being used to transport construction supplies for ongoing development work, suddenly gave way, plunging to the ground.

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Senior district official Ajay Dahiya said that five workers were inside the trolley at the time of the collapse. All of them lost their lives on the spot. Another victim, who was standing nearby on the ground, was struck and killed by the falling structure. “All the deceased were construction workers engaged at the site,” Dahiya told reporters.

The Pavagadh temple is situated at a height of around 800 metres, with pilgrims either choosing to climb nearly 2,000 steps or use cable cars to reach the summit. However, officials said the public ropeway had been closed since morning due to inclement weather, preventing pilgrims from using it at the time of the accident.

Rescue teams and police rushed to the scene immediately after the collapse. The bodies of the victims were recovered and sent for postmortem examination. Authorities confirmed that no devotees or tourists were involved, as the cargo ropeway is reserved exclusively for transporting materials and workers.

An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the mishap. Technical experts will examine whether the accident was due to mechanical failure, poor maintenance, or negligence by the operators. “An inquiry has been ordered to determine the exact cause and to fix responsibility on those accountable,” Dahiya said.

The Pavagadh temple, one of Gujarat’s most important pilgrimage destinations located about 150 kilometers from Ahmedabad, attracts thousands of visitors daily. The tragedy has once again highlighted safety concerns surrounding ropeway operations in India, which are commonly used in hilly and religious sites for both pilgrims and construction activities.


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Indian national smuggling cannabis variant worth Rs 100 million held in Sri Lanka

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Colombo, Sri Lanka – An Indian national was arrested while attempting to smuggle in 10.75 kilograms of Kush worth over Rs 100 million (INR 29 million) at the international airport here on Friday, a local media report said.

The Indian national was arrested at the green channel of the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in the morning.

The 43-year-old arrested works as a salesman at a shoe store in New Delhi, news portal Ada Derana said.

A senior Customs Department official said that they used the scanning machines installed in the green channel to detect the consignment of illegal intoxicants, according to the Daily Mirror.

The authorities said he purchased the consignment of Kush from Bangkok, Thailand, Ada Derana added.

Kush, a variety or strain of the indica subspecies of cannabis plant, is known for high intoxication.

The Sri Lanka Navy has seized more than 906 kilograms of Kerala cannabis, valued at over Rs. 203 million, during two separate operations carried out in Narivilikkulam, Mannar, on September 2 and 3, 2025.

Navy officials said the contraband was discovered following surveillance and search operations aimed at curbing drug smuggling activities in the northern region. The narcotics, believed to have been smuggled from India, were packed in several parcels and hidden in coastal areas for later distribution.

Authorities have intensified anti-narcotics operations across the island as traffickers continue to exploit Sri Lanka’s proximity to India for drug smuggling. The Navy, in coordination with other law enforcement agencies, has been conducting regular patrols to intercept illegal shipments.


SOURCE : PTI |  Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube |

Former interior minister arrested upon arrival in Bolivia after deportation from US

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La Paz, Bolivia — Bolivia’s incendiary former interior minister was arrested at the airport Thursday after being deported from the United States to face a litany of charges, including crimes against humanity for ordering a deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters in 2019.

The deportation of Arturo Murillo follows his release from U.S. prison in June after serving four years in a money laundering case in which he was accused of taking $532,000 in bribes to help a Florida company win a lucrative contract to sell tear gas to his government.

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Late Wednesday he was expelled from Miami on a flight to Bolivia, where he has been tried and sentenced in absentia in two of the many cases against him. In addition to the homicide and crimes against humanity charges, he faces accusations of money laundering, abuse of authority, aggravated theft and influence‐peddling in his purchase of overpriced tear gas to use against protesters.

U.S. authorities accompanying Murillo turned him over to their Bolivian counterparts after landing in the eastern province of Santa Cruz. Murillo was promptly whisked on another flight to the capital of La Paz, where prosecutors say they plan to transfer him to the maximum-security Chonchocoro prison.

Murillo must end up in a prison in the city of La Paz,” Attorney General Roger Marica told reporters. “It will be up to the judges, but there are already arrest warrants against him.”

Murillo’s prosecution in Bolivia will be a test of the independence of the judiciary in this politically polarized nation, where the Supreme Court last month ordered a review of detention orders against right-wing opposition leaders after elections brought down the long-ruling Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party.

Murillo, 61, served as interior minister under then-interim President Jeanine Áñez, a conservative Christian senator who took power in November 2019 after former president and MAS party founder Evo Morales resigned under pressure from the military as protests disputing his reelection to a fourth term shook the country.

Judges in Bolivia last week annulled a key case against Áñez and ordered the release of her jailed political allies under lenient house arrest arrangements.

The series of court decisions reopened wounds from Bolivia’s 2019 crisis that left at least 37 people dead and dozens wounded – the vast majority civilians protesting Morales’ ouster – after Áñez took power in what many saw as a coup.

As interior minister, Murillo referred to his political opponents as “narco-terrorists” and “animals,” and led the deadly police crackdown on protests that drew sharp rebuke from human rights groups. The Organization of American States’ human rights watchdog reported evidence of “massacres,” “systematic torture” and “summary executions” by security forces.

During his time in power, Murillo also brought charges against Morales for sedition and terrorism, memorably dangling a pair of handcuffs at a press conference in which he promised to “hunt down” Bolivia’s first Indigenous president.

On Thursday, it was Murillo in handcuffs as he was escorted to the main investigative police station in La Paz ahead of a court hearing.

“He must be held accountable,” said Government Minister Roberto Ríos at a press conference.


SOURCE : AP NEWS |  Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube |

Nepal Blocks Facebook, X, YouTube Over Failure to Register With Government

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Kathmandu, Nepal — Nepal’s government said Thursday it is blocking most social media platforms including Facebook, X and YouTube because the companies failed to comply with regulations that required them to register with the government.

Nepal’s Minister for Communication and Information Prithvi Subba Gurung said about two dozen social network platforms that are widely used in Nepal were repeatedly given notices to come forward and register their companies officially in the country. The platforms would be blocked immediately, he said.

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TikTok, Viber and three other social media platforms would be allowed to operate in Nepal because they have registered with the government.

Nepal government have been asking the companies to appoint a liaison office or point in the country. It has brought a bill in parliament that aims to ensure that social platforms are properly managed, responsible and accountable.

The bill, which has not yet been fully debated in parliament, has been widely criticized as a tool for censorship and punishing opponents who voice their protests online. Rights groups have called it an attempt by the government to curb freedom of expression and violate citizens’ fundamental rights.

Officials have said it was necessary to bring laws to monitor the social media and ensure that both the users and operators were responsible and accountable of what they share and what is being published or said on these platforms.


SOURCE : X |  Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube |

Indonesia Detains Ex-Minister & Gojek Founder Nadiem Makarim in Major Graft Probe

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Jakarta, Indonesia — Indonesian authorities have named former education minister and Gojek co-founder Nadiem Makarim as a suspect in a major corruption case linked to the procurement of government laptops. He has been taken into custody as investigators pursue allegations of misconduct that could have cost the state more than 1.9 trillion rupiah (US$115 million).

Officials at the Attorney General’s Office said on Thursday that Makarim will be held for 20 days pending further investigation. The case centers on the procurement of Google Chromebook laptops during his tenure as education minister between 2019 and 2024, particularly in the period when schools shifted to remote learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“For investigation purposes, Makarim will be detained for the next 20 days,” said Nurcahyo Jungkung Madyo, the director of investigations, at a press conference in Jakarta.

According to prosecutors, Makarim is accused of abusing his authority as minister to enrich himself or others by pushing for the adoption of Chromebooks despite internal research teams warning the devices were less effective in areas with poor internet access.

The education ministry project, valued at 9.3 trillion rupiah (US$563 million), allegedly led to losses of nearly 1.98 trillion rupiah (US$121.85 million) to the state. Three other suspects — including a former education ministry staffer and two former technology company officials — have also been detained in connection with the case.

Makarim, once celebrated as one of Indonesia’s leading tech entrepreneurs, was seen being escorted in handcuffs and wearing a red detainee vest as he left the prosecutor’s office. Facing reporters, he proclaimed his innocence:

“I didn’t do anything, the truth will come out,” he said. “God will reveal the truth! For me, throughout my life, integrity is number one, honesty is number one. May God protect me.”

His legal team has yet to issue a formal response.

Makarim co-founded Gojek in 2015, building it into Southeast Asia’s first decacorn startup, before stepping down in 2019 to join President Joko Widodo’s cabinet. During his tenure as minister, he championed digital learning initiatives and defended the Chromebook procurement program, claiming it had successfully delivered over one million laptops to 77,000 schools by 2023.

The high-profile arrest marks a dramatic turn for a figure once hailed as the face of Indonesia’s digital economy and reformist policymaking. The corruption probe is expected to intensify in the coming weeks, with investigators signaling more names could surface as the case unfolds.


SOURCE : AGENCIES |  Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube |

Famed streetcar in Lisbon, Portugal, derails and crashes, killing 15 people

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Lisbon, Portugal — A picturesque electric streetcar that is one of Lisbon’s big tourist attractions derailed and crashed Wednesday, killing 15 people and injuring 18 others, emergency services said.

Five of the injured were in serious condition and a child was among the injured, Portugal’s National Institute for Medical Emergencies said in a statement, adding that an unknown number of foreigners were among the injured.

Authorities called it an accident, the worst in the city’s recent history, and it cast a pall over Lisbon’s charm for the millions of foreign tourists who arrive every year. Officials did not immediately provide a cause of the crash.

The yellow-and-white streetcar, which is known as Elevador da Gloria and goes up and down a steep downtown hill, was lying on its side on the narrow road that it travels on, its sides and top crumpled. It appeared to have crashed into a building where the road bends, leaving parts of the mostly metal vehicle crushed.

Famed Lisbon streetcar suffers fatal accident

Over a dozen people were killed when a 19th-century streetcar that’s one of Lisbon’s big tourist attractions derailed and crashed during evening rush hour on Wednesday.

“It hit the building with brutal force and fell apart like a cardboard box…” Teresa d’Avó told Portuguese TV channel SIC. She described the streetcar as out-of-control and seeming to have no brakes, and said she watched passersby run into the middle of the nearby Avenida da Liberdade, or Freedom Avenue, the city’s main thoroughfare.

Several dozen emergency workers were at the scene but most stood down after about two hours.

Emergency teams work at the site of a derailed electric streetcar in Lisbon, Portugal, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Eyewitnesses told local media that the streetcar careened down the hill, apparently out of control. One witness said the streetcar toppled onto a man on a sidewalk.

Videos shared widely across social media of the moments after the accident showed what appeared to be heavy smoke in the air as people got out of a streetcar just in front of the one that crashed, some racing up the hill to the wreckage as people around yelled.

Carris, the company that operates the streetcar, said scheduled maintenance had been carried out. It offered its deepest condolences to the victims and their families in a social media post, and promised that all due diligence would be taken in finding the causes of the accident.

Emergency teams work at the site of a derailed electric streetcar in Lisbon, Portugal, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

Lisbon’s City Council suspended operations of other streetcars in the city and ordered immediate inspections, local media reported.

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa offered his condolences to affected families, and Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas said the city was in mourning. “It’s a tragedy of the like we’ve never seen,” Moedas said.

Portugal’s government announced that a day of national mourning would be observed on Thursday. “A tragic accident … caused the irreparable loss of human life, which left in mourning their families and dismayed the whole country,” it said in a statement.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also sent her condolences. “It is with sadness that I learned of the derailment of the famous Elevador da Gloria,” she wrote in Portuguese on X.

The crash reportedly occurred at the start of the evening rush hour, around 6 p.m. Emergency officials said all victims were pulled out of the wreckage in just over two hours.

An investigation into the causes will begin once the rescue operation is over, the government said.

SITRA, a trade union, wrote in a post on social media that one of its members died in the accident.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on X that he was “appalled by the terrible accident,” while Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani wrote that he had met with the Portuguese foreign minister and expressed his “solidarity with the victims.”

The U.S. Embassy Lisbon also offered its “deepest condolences to all affected,” according to a post on X.

The streetcar, technically called a funicular, is harnessed by steel cables and can carry more than 40 people, seated and standing. It is also commonly used by Lisbon residents. The service up and down a few hundred meters (yards) of a hill on a curved, traffic-free road in tandem with one going the opposite way inaugurated in 1885.

It is classified as a national monument.

Lisbon hosted around 8.5 million tourists last year, and long lines of people typically form for the brief rides on the popular streetcar.


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At least 60 dead as overloaded boat capsizes in Nigeria’s Niger State

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Niger, Nigeria – At least 60 people have been confirmed dead and dozens more rescued after a boat carrying over 100 passengers capsized in north-central Niger State, local officials said on Wednesday.

The vessel left Tungan Sule in Malale district around 11 a.m. local time (10:00 GMT) on Tuesday and was en route to Dugga on the Kainji reservoir. According to the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), the incident occurred near the Gausawa community in Borgu Local Government Area after the boat struck a submerged tree stump.

“The cause was attributed to overloading and collision with a tree stump,” NSEMA told the local newspaper Daily Trust.

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The passengers, including many women and children, were reportedly traveling to Dugga for a condolence visit. Abdullahi Baba Ara, NSEMA’s director general, said the death toll had risen to 60, while search and rescue operations were still ongoing to recover missing persons.

“Ten people have been found in serious condition, and many are still being sought,” Ara told Reuters. Sa’adu Inuwa Muhammad, the district head of Shagumi who visited the site, said the boat was carrying more than 100 people. “We were able to recover 31 corpses from the river. The boat was also recovered and removed,” he said. He added that four victims have already been buried in line with Islamic rites.

Boat accidents are common in Nigeria’s riverine communities, especially during the rainy season between March and October, when rivers overflow. Many incidents are linked to overcrowding, poor vessel maintenance, and lack of safety enforcement.

In August, more than 40 people were reported missing after a similar accident in Sokoto State, and later that month, another 25 passengers went missing when a boat sank in the same region.

Local leaders have appealed to the federal government for urgent intervention, calling for stricter safety checks, provision of life jackets, and stronger oversight of water transport operators.


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Pizza shop owner in South Korea stabs three to death

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Seoul, South Korea — A man fatally stabbed three people at a pizza restaurant in Seoul on Wednesday (Sep 3), in what police described as a rare but shocking act of violence in the usually safe South Korean capital.

The attack took place in the city’s Gwanak district, where the restaurant’s owner, reportedly in his forties, became embroiled in a dispute with contractors before suddenly launching the deadly assault. According to police, the suspect stabbed two men and one woman, all of whom were rushed to a nearby hospital but were later pronounced dead.

Following the attack, the suspect attempted to take his own life at the scene but was stopped by emergency responders. Authorities confirmed that he remains under medical supervision and will be taken into custody once his condition allows.

Police said initial findings suggest the violence was triggered by a business-related dispute, though investigations are ongoing to determine the full circumstances and motive.

South Korea is widely regarded as one of the safest countries in the world, with a murder rate of just 1.3 per 100,000 people in 2021 — far below the global average of around six per 100,000, according to government statistics. Still, recent months have seen a string of unsettling knife-related attacks, including a May incident in which a man stabbed three police officers.

The killings have rattled residents in the Gwanak district, where violent crime is rare, and raised concerns over the growing frequency of knife assaults across the country. Authorities have pledged a thorough investigation and said additional measures to enhance public safety may be considered.


SOURCE : YONHAP NEWS AGENCY |  Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube |