Latest news with #Canadi
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Five off-limit attractions in the UK offering free secret tours – including 10 Downing Street
Plus, other buildings you can explore for the first time I'M DOWN Five off-limit attractions in the UK offering free secret tours – including 10 Downing Street THERE is nothing more exciting than getting to explore a place where visitors are usually not allowed. Think: Downing Street, the BBC Broadcasting House and the BT Tower. 5 As part of the Open House Festival, the public can explore a number of places they usually can't access for free Credit: Getty Win one of 8 incredible holidays to the Caribbean, Mexico and Greece by voting in The Sun's Travel Awards - enter to win here And as part of London's Open House Festival, there are over 700 properties, buildings and places where the public will be welcomed to visit between September 13 and 21. Five of these are offering extremely exclusive limited tours, with a public ballet now open until August 18. According to the Open House Festival website, many of the destinations will be a "be once in a lifetime visit". Here are the five places you can enter the ballot for, as well as what dates you will be able to visit. 10 Downing Street The home of British Prime Ministers since 1735 will open its doors to the public for two sessions on September 13. Guests will get to see behind the famous black door, where some of the most important decisions in UK politics are made. Currently, 10 Downing Street is undergoing some upgrades to its facilities to ensure the historic building is preserved. BBC Broadcasting House We all know the BBC and see content from it daily, but for the Open House Festival people can go to the first ever purpose-built broadcast centre in the UK. It was built back in 1932 and features an art-deco design, including a clock tower. More recently the building was refurbished and extended to create a new broadcasting house. Inside multi-million pound upgrade for popular Scots tourist attraction The building is now home to the largest live newsroom in Europe, right at the centre of the complex. Again, to go to this spot you will need to enter the ballot, with 12, one-hour sessions on September 20. BT Tower When in the depths of London's streets, you can often catch glimpses of the BT Tower. The tower's famous revolving floor sits 158 metres above the streets of the capital. Two high speed lights will transport visitors to the revolving floor in just 30 seconds. Bizarrely, the Tower was classified as an 'official secret' until 1993 despite it being evident in the city's skyline. To see this building, you will also need to enter a ballot for one of 16 tours, each lasting 45 minutes across September 20 and 21. 5 You could head up the BT Tower which is soon set to be turned into a hotel Credit: Getty Canada House Canada House is to the Canadian Embassy and was originally designed as two buildings. Just over 10 years ago, the building underwent a large scale revitalisation linking it to the former Sun Life Assurance of Canada building. Inside today, the building houses around 300 pieces of Canadian Art. One tour will run on September 13. 5 Or head to Canada House which is home to the Canadian Embassy Credit: Alamy London Museum Currently under construction, the public can enter a ballot to go on a tour of the Poultry Market, at the new London Museum. The London Museum is set to open in 2026, bringing new life into the historic Smithfield market buildings. And with this tour, lucky visitors will get a sneak peak ahead of its opening. Six tours will be open to the public on September 20. The museum's permanent galleries are set to open in 2026 and the 1960s Poultry Market will open in 2028. The Poultry Market will eventually house the museum's collection stores and temporary exhibition and learning spaces. 5 And you could get the first glimpse of the new London Museum Credit: londonmuseum/Secchi Smith New locations for 2025 There are also a number of new destinations part of the festival this year including Studio AVC's offices - which are located in a 1929 shop which used to be Liberty's printing workshop and part of William Morris' Arts and Crafts legacy. Or you could head to The King's Foundation, in Hackney, which is set in a refurbished factory warehouse. And there is the London Film School as well, in a former banana warehouse. For architecture buffs, you can head inside the RIBA House of the Year from 2024. A new £100million indoor resort is also set to open in the UK with a 'next generation waterpark' and thermal spas. Plus, a much-loved UK theme park reveals new rainy day guarantee – with free return after bad weather.
Boston Globe
01-08-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Trump gives Mexico a reprieve but slams Canada with higher tariffs
The reasons for the imbalance in the president's treatment of America's two closest trading partners was not immediately apparent. But many Canadians believe that it is part of Trump's campaign to force Canada's annexation as the 51st state through economic chaos. Advertisement Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada said in a statement Friday that his government would continue negotiations with the United States while remaining 'laser focused on what we can control: building Canada strong.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up He added: 'Canadians will be our own best customer.' But the president's decision to go ahead with higher tariffs on Canada is a blow to the Canadian leader, a political neophyte who was elected to office for the first time just over three months ago. In June, when Carney hosted the meeting of leaders of major industrialized nations known as the Group of 7, he announced that a trade deal would be reached with Trump by July 21. And not just any deal. Carney said that his objective was to eliminate all U.S. tariffs against Canada and return to the free-trade system created by the United States, Mexico and Canada in an agreement Trump signed during his first term as president. Advertisement Carney's goal never materialized. On July 10, Trump upended that plan by announcing his intention to impose the 35% tariff that will begin Friday, effectively resetting the timetable for negotiations. The 35% will cover a large swath of Canadian exports to the United States, but not some of the most valuable of them. Carney's main objective with negotiations was to eliminate the 25% tariff on automobiles made in Canada, which went into effect in April. The auto industry is a critical component of Canada's economy. The 25% tariff, which remained in the plan announced Thursday, could be crippling. Steel and aluminum, of which Canada is the largest foreign supplier to the United States, have 50% tariffs. Over the past 2 1/2 weeks, Carney's trade swagger disappeared. He began suggesting that a deal may not be possible and that Canada would not sign a pact that harmed Canadian exporters simply for the sake of reaching a deal. Trump's repeated dismissal of Canada's sovereignty and viability as a nation continues to enrage many Canadians and has prompted a resurgence of patriotism in a nation that historically was shy about flag-waving. By contrast, Trump has never dismissed Mexico's sovereignty nor mentioned, as he has with Canada, other issues like its level of military spending. He has, in fact, praised President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico on several occasions. Many in Canada attributed Trump's early dismissal of Canada to the apparent ill will between him and Justin Trudeau, who was prime minister at the start of the U.S. president's second term. Advertisement Most political analysts believe that Carney won election in April largely because many Canadians hoped that his background as the former central banker of both Canada and Britain, as well as his history in high-level private sector finance, made him the best leader to deal with Trump in trade talks. At first, relations between the two countries' leaders improved. Trump never referred to Carney as 'governor' the way he had Trudeau. Nor did he publicly disparage the new Canadian leader. His only significant criticism of Carney's policies came Wednesday after the prime minister said that Canada would recognize Palestinian statehood in September. Trump wrote on social media that the decision would 'make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them.' But it was apparent from Carney's remarks that negotiations had foundered long before then. Equally baffling to Canadians was Trump's reason for Friday's increased tariff. He revived a claim that he first made in January of a 'public health crisis caused by fentanyl and illicit drugs flowing across the northern border into the United States' as well as his assertion that Canada had failed to do anything about it. Trump's claim of widespread drug smuggling from Canada was refuted almost as soon as he first suggested it. In 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents intercepted about 19 kilograms of fentanyl at the northern border, compared with almost 9,600 kilograms at the border with Mexico. Despite those statistics, Trudeau's government and several provincial governments ramped up border protection. Drones, canine units and new helicopters along with increased police patrols soon swarmed the border, and Canada appointed a 'fentanyl czar.' It was not enough to satisfy Trump. Advertisement Before Thursday, Carney said that Canada's negotiators would remain in Washington even without a deal. Trump told NBC News on Thursday that he was open to further talks with Canada and added that he might speak with Carney later that night. This article originally appeared in
Hamilton Spectator
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
NBA draft live blog: News, rumours and analysis from a wild day for Raptors and basketball fans
The wildest day on the NBA calendar is here. The NBA draft officially gets underway at 8 p.m. ET tonight but the fun has already begun. Hours before Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his Oklahoma City Thunder clinched the NBA championship on Sunday night, the off-season started with a bang when Kevin Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets. Trade rumours have swirled around the Raptors for months and plenty of NBA deals are expected as teams gather in New York for the draft. Star columnist Bruce Arthur will be live blogging throughout the evening as we follow all the news, rumours and draft selections involving the Raptors — who will pick at No. 9 tonight — and the rest of the NBA. BROOKLYN, N.Y.—The Raptors are known as an organization that keeps its cards close to its chest, making it difficult to pinpoint which top NBA prospects were invited for pre-draft workouts over the last few weeks. The private meetings are a good indication of which players the team is interested in drafting. It's anyone's guess as to who they might take ninth overall at Wednesday's draft in Brooklyn, N.Y. — or if they'll end up picking in the top 10 at all. As rumours swirl around the Raptors potentially trading their pick, here are the prospects invited to the NBA Draft green room who confirmed to the Star that they did, in fact, work out for Toronto. Read more here: Steak dinners, crab cakes and love for Toronto: We asked NBA draft prospects if they worked out for the Raptors NBA draft prospect Noa Essengue, who played for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany last season, could be a target for the Raptors at No. 9. First, the full disclosure: All of this, or most of it, is likely to be wrong so no holding it over us and this is just for recreational use. But after some research, some conversations, some logical assessment, here's the best we've got for the 2025 NBA mock lottery draft. Mock as you will and understand that even the true experts don't know. 'Our eight is probably different than every other team's eight above us,' was how Raptors assistant general manager Dan Tolzman said Monday. 'So where the lines are made of (about) who goes ahead of us to the next six guys after us … it's kind of blurry.' Read the Star's mock draft here: NBA mock draft | Who we believe the Raptors will take and how the lottery picks will play out Khaman Maluach of the Duke Blue Devils is a potential target for the Raptors with the No. 9 pick in the NBA draft on Wednesday night, if they keep it. Over the last couple of months, the Star has profiled 2025 NBA draft prospects, including some who the Raptors could target Wednesday. About halfway through our series, the NBA draft lottery ping pong balls determined that the Raptors would be drafting ninth, giving us a better picture of who the Raptors might take a look at. Below is an overview of the players we've covered, what makes some a potential fit for the Raptors, and links to the full profiles. Read more: Raptors targets, top prospects and a Canadian first-rounder Canadian NBA draft prospect Will Riley, pictured on the left attending a Raptors game during the 2018-19 season and at the NBA combine in Chicago earlier this month. Will Riley is pencilled in as the 22nd pick in a recent ESPN mock draft, though the Star has learned that some teams drafting in the lottery range have considered Riley. His scoring instincts and ability to create his own shot have caught the attention of NBA executives and scouts. At the draft combine in Chicago in May, Riley met and interviewed with 12 teams. He will become the second player from Kitchener to be drafted since Jamal Murray went seventh to the Denver Nuggets in 2016. He's also gotten plenty of love from the Durant family. Read the full profile here: Inside Will Riley's journey to the NBA draft: Love from the Durant family, inspiration from Jamal Murray and a basketball addiction
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
David Rosenberg: Latest labour data shows Canadians are begging the Bank of Canada for renewed rate relief
The industry-wide Canadian employment data for March were a complete dud, with the number of jobs sliding 54,100 after a 40,200 slump in February, according to Statistics Canada's Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours. And remember, the Labour Force Survey for April showed virtually no rebound at all. The workweek was flat for the 10th time in the past 11 months and down 0.2 per cent month over month in the goods-producing sector. There can really be little doubt that the Canadian economy has entered a recession, and the Bank of Canada would be well advised to move out of the dugout and onto the baseball field. Interestingly, and rather disturbingly, you can't even pin the trade battle on this horrible report because the manufacturing sector only posted a modest decline (1,800). The vast majority of the employment loss was in the services sector (59,500). This came on the heels of a 32,700 contraction in February to mark the largest back-to-back declines since the spring of 2020. The combined 3,500 slippage in manufacturing and transportation/warehousing is a sure sign that the Canadian dollar rally has been both problematic and worrisome when it comes to aggravating the downturn in these export-oriented industries. Meanwhile, the heavy losses in real estate, construction, retail and finance are very important because these are the most interest-sensitive sectors of the economy and they are begging Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem to provide more rate relief. The fact that accommodation/food services (basically the leisure-hospitality space), arguably the most domestically economic-sensitive segment of the economy and the heartbeat of consumer discretionary spending, could sag 8,400 and falter now in each of the past three months is a telling statistic regarding the acceleration in financial stresses in the household sector. This was on full display in the latest bank earnings numbers, where the main feature was the continued increase in loan loss reserve provisioning. The year-over-year trend in industry employment has cooled off dramatically from 3.5 per cent two years ago to 1.3 per cent a year ago to 0.2 per cent currently. Outside the 2020 pandemic recession and the post-COVID-19 period in early 2021, you have to go back to the early months of 2010, when the Canadian economy was crawling out of the great recession, to see the 12-month pace of employment this weak. Another message to the Bank of Canada to get moving again. One thing is for sure: there was no inflation coming out of this latest report, with average hourly earnings for salaried workers as flat as a beavertail, and that followed a 1.6 per cent month-over-month February downturn. Hourly employees actually saw a 0.2 per cent month-over-month wage pullback on top of a stagnant February. The investment implications are clear: go short the Canadian dollar and go long the front end of the Bank of Canada bond curve. While it seems a tad bizarre to sound so downbeat on the Canadian economy at a time when the equity market has tested all-time highs, make no mistake, the local macro backdrop is on very shaky ground. The divergence goes to show how loose the relationship is between stock valuations and the economy: the Toronto Stock Exchange is not gross domestic product. The pace of real activity right now is 1.6 per cent year on year. That doesn't sound so bad until you consider that population growth has come in at 2.7 per cent, so that generates a minus 0.9 per cent year-over-year trend in real per capita economic activity. Less than 60 per cent of Canadians who entered the labour market in the past 12 months in search of a job have managed to find one. The ranks of the unemployed have ballooned 14 per cent over the past year to 1.55 million — not exactly the definition of economic vitality. David Rosenberg: Carney is a fresh face but faces old Liberal problems including a looming recession David Rosenberg: Bank of Canada has made a big mistake by being so timid Ergo, the unemployment rate has climbed to 6.9 per cent from 6.2 per cent a year ago and 5.1 per cent two years ago. A 180-basis point increase over a two-year period in the jobless rate in the past has been a sure-fire recession indicator (though the economists at the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development have put on a happy face in this regard). The broadest form of unemployment, the R-8 measure, which includes all forms of idle labour resources, has risen to 9.2 per cent from 8.4 per cent a year ago and 7.2 per cent two years ago. That is a ton of slack and that's something the Bank of Canada should be devoting its attention to because no way, no how, do we squeeze any inflation juice down the road out of this lemon. David Rosenberg is founder and president of independent research firm Rosenberg Research & Associates Inc. To receive more of David Rosenberg's insights and analysis, you can sign up for a complimentary, one-month trial on the Rosenberg Research website. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Cision Canada
27-05-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
THRONE SPEECH MISSES THE MARK FOR WORKERS
Statement by , President of the Canadian Labour Congress, on the Government's Throne Speech OTTAWA, ON, May 27, 2025 /CNW/ - Workers expected an ambitious plan to strengthen our economy, create jobs, and defend communities against Trump's agenda, however, today's throne speech provided none of this. Workers need the federal government to have a plan, backed by bold investment and action, to deliver good union jobs, stronger public services, and economic security for all. Canadian families continue to bear the brunt of a continued affordability crisis and Trump's economic chaos. For far too many workers, wages are not keeping up with rising costs. Families are facing an increasingly unattainable housing market, and many are being left behind by a strained Employment Insurance system and an under-resourced public health care system. At the same time, a rising unemployment rate is making it even harder for workers to find stable, secure jobs and support their families. Prioritizing tax cuts for the wealthy over support for those who need it most signals a step away from the bold action needed to tackle the trade war, housing crisis, strained health care, and the climate emergency. While we welcome the government's intention to "bring down costs for Canadians", we are deeply concerned by a Throne Speech that emphasizes deregulation, cost-cutting, and fiscal restraint over meaningful investment in people and the services they rely on. The Throne Speech's proposals to eliminate internal trade barriers fail to raise the bar for workers across the board and instead risk weakening standards and protections and undermining provincial autonomy. Unions must have a seat at the table in these conversations because workers cannot be an afterthought when shaping Canada's future. The government must prioritize the creation of good jobs and a globally competitive industrial strategy, but not if it comes at the cost of public oversight or by shortchanging the workers who build our economy. It must begin with investments in infrastructure, clean energy, manufacturing, and care services that create good union jobs and support communities. Tinkering with regulations or shrinking government operations is no substitute for the real, sustained investment that working families need. On housing, we urge the government to go beyond incentives for private developers and commit to building publicly funded, truly affordable housing. Every Canadian deserves a safe place to call home, not just market-driven promises of "affordability." The government's commitment to attracting global talent is important, but it must go hand-in-hand with strong labour protections, fair wages, and a renewed focus on training and retaining workers already here. Immigration policy must be grounded in equity and sustainability, not as a cover for suppressing wages or undercutting working conditions. Lastly, we are particularly alarmed by the suggestion of cutting public services at a time when Canadians, reeling from Trump's trade war, need more support, not less. Limiting investments now would only deepen inequality and strain already overburdened systems like health care and EI. Similarly, vague promises to use AI to boost productivity must be met with clear commitments to job protection, quality public services, and strong regulations to ensure technology works for and with workers, not against them. Workers are watching. This moment calls for courageous leadership, not cost-cutting or complacency. The government must work with Canada's unions to raise wages, strengthen public health care, implement universal, publicly funded Pharmacare, modernize Employment Insurance, and ensure that no worker is left behind. It's time for this government to choose: bold leadership, or missed opportunity. Workers were front and centre during the election, but left out of the Throne Speech. We're ready to work with this government, but make no mistake: if it fails workers, we won't hesitate to hold it to account.
