BREAKING B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton attacked in prison
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a "major assault."
The Group of Seven leading economies agreed Friday to provide US$19.8 billion in economic aid to Ukraine to help keep tight finances from hindering its ability to defend itself from Russia's invasion.
German Finance Minister Christian Lindner told reporters that US$9.5 billion of the total amount was mobilized at meetings of the G-7 finance ministers in Koenigswinter, Germany, this week.
“We agreed that Ukraine's financial situation must have no influence on Ukraine's ability to defend itself successfully,” he said. “We need to do our utmost to end this war.”
The money is intended to help the Ukrainian government keep basic services for its people functioning, and is separate from efforts to provide the country with weapons and humanitarian aid.
The needs are vast.
Kristalina Georgieva, the International Monetary Fund's managing director, last month said Ukraine's financial ministry had estimated the country will need $5 billion in international assistance per month to help cover essential government services and keep the country's economy going.
Russia's invasion touched on almost every topic of the finance ministers' meetings this week, from the need to reduce reliance on Russian energy to reforming relationships between countries to maintain economic stability.
“Russia's war of aggression is causing global economic disruptions, impacting the security of global energy supply, food production and exports of food and agricultural commodities, as well as the functioning of global supply chains in general,” the G-7's communique stated.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and other leaders spoke this week about the need for allies to put together enough additional aid to help Ukraine “get through” the Russian invasion.
“All of us pledged to do what's necessary to fill the gap,” Yellen said Thursday. “We're going to put together the resources that they need.”
The International Monetary Fund's latest world economic outlook says Ukraine's economy is projected to shrink by 35% this year and next.
The finance ministers of the G-7 - which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the U.S. - also have grappled with deepening inflation, food security concerns and other economic issues during their talks.
A communique marking the end of their meetings addressed commitments to addressing debt distress in low-income countries, trying to ease the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and staving off inflation rates “that have reached levels not seen for decades.”
As the finance ministers were meeting in Germany, the U.S. overwhelmingly approved its own $40 billion infusion of military and economic aid for Ukraine and its allies. A portion of that U.S. funding is included in the G-7 package for Ukraine.
The United Kingdom committed $50 million toward Ukraine from the London-based European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, Treasury chief Rishi Sunak said.
“This comes on top of the $950m in loan guarantees that the UK has already committed to significantly scale up World Bank lending to the Government of Ukraine to help meet urgent fiscal need,” according to a news release from Sunak's office.
This week was a rally for funds to Ukraine and those affected by the war.
Treasury and several global development banks announced Wednesday that they would spend tens of billions to work “swiftly to bring to bear their financing, policy engagement, technical assistance” to prevent starvation prompted by the war, rising food costs and climate damage to crops.
That money will be spent on supporting farmers, addressing the fertilizer supply crisis, and developing land for food production, among other issues.
Other issues of concern for G-7 finance leaders touched on the need for countries to increase scrutiny and regulation of cryptocurrency and other digital assets and streamlining pandemic responses.
------
Moulson reported from Berlin
____
Do you have any questions about the attack on Ukraine? Email dotcom@bellmedia.ca.
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a "major assault."
Donald Trump's lawyers rested their defence Tuesday without the former president taking the witness stand in his New York hush money trial.
One passenger was killed and 30 injured after a Singapore Airlines SIAL.SI flight from London hit severe turbulence en route on Tuesday, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, officials and the airline said.
Anything is possible this week, as far as Canada's weather is concerned, with forecasts ranging from scorching heat in some parts of the country to rain and snow in others.
Canada's annual inflation rate slowed to a three-year low of 2.7 per cent in April, matching expectations, and core measures continued to ease, data showed on Tuesday, likely boosting chances of a June interest rate cut.
Riley Keough, the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, is fighting plans to publicly auction his Graceland estate in Memphis after a company tried to sell the property based on claims that a loan using the king of rock ’n’ roll's former home as collateral was not repaid.
Donald Trump's reelection campaign called 'The Apprentice,' a film about the former U.S. president in the 1980s, 'pure fiction' and vowed legal action following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. But director Ali Abbasi is offering to privately screen the film for Trump.
Nestle NESN.S will market a new, US$5 line of frozen pizzas and protein-enriched pastas in the United States which it says it designed specifically for people taking drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss.
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
For those who go to their local libraries often, they know there’s much more to their library than just borrowing books. Local libraries in Atlantic Canada are now renting out a broader range of items for people.
Flashes of purple darting across the sky mixed with the serenading sound of songs will be noticed more with spring in full force in Manitoba.
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
2b Theatre recently moved into the old Video Difference building, seeking to transform it into an artistic hub, meeting space, and temporary housing unit for visiting performers in Halifax.
A B.C. woman says her service dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.
ALS patient Mathew Brown said he’s hopeful for future ALS patients after news this week of research at Western University of a potential cure for ALS.