North America

WASHINGTON, April 9 (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on Sunday she wants Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to be impeached and his advisers probed after a media report described luxury trips he has taken over decades, funded by a Republican donor.

TORONTO, April 9 (Reuters) - The Bank of Canada is expected to take in stride surprising recent economic strength and leave interest rates unchanged at its meeting on Wednesday, pinning its hopes on activity cooling as higher borrowing costs sink in, analysts said.

Last month, the Bank of Canada became the first major global central bank to pause its rate-hiking campaign, after lifting its benchmark rate to a 15-year high of 4.50%. It said no further tightening would be needed if the economy slows, or even moves into a slight recession, as it expects.

UNITED NATIONS, April 7 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called on the international community to take a firm line against rising intolerance as the world is commemorating the 29th anniversary of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

"We mourn the more than one million children, women, and men who perished in one hundred days of horror 29 years ago," Guterres said in his message to mark the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda, which falls on April 7.

NEW YORK, April 8 (Xinhua) -- High inflation and the state of the economy remain at the top of the list of Americans' biggest concerns, The Hill reported recently.

Citing a new Gallup poll, the Hill said Thursday that at least 60 percent of respondents said they have "a great deal" of concern about inflation and the economy. The percentage increased by 2 points for both categories from a poll taken last year.

WASHINGTON, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The Memphis Zoo in Memphis, the U.S. state of Tennessee, held a farewell event for female giant panda Ya Ya on Saturday.

Hundreds of people reportedly attended the sendoff at the CHINA exhibit, where they said goodbye to Ya Ya, signed letters, and watched cultural performances.

"If you can't make it to the party, there's still time," the Memphis Zoo wrote in an Instagram post earlier this week. "Ya Ya will be here until the end of the month."

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden was winding up for a speech at a Minnesota clean energy facility when he spotted a lawmaker in the crowd whom he wanted to recognize.

“I want to thank you for being here,” Biden said, gesturing toward Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar during his recent visit. “You never stop working to level the playing field for everybody.”

WASHINGTON, Apr 08 (APP): Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Masood Khan, met the new President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of America (WACA), an independent organization which brings together leading foreign policy and international relations experts to discuss and debate global issues.

The meeting took place at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, DC., on Friday.

UNITED NATIONS, Apr 08 (APP): World food prices declined for the 12th consecutive month in March, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a Rome-based UN agency, reported.

It was the first time the index had fallen for a full year, the agency said on Friday.

FAO’s broad Food Price Index slipped to 2.1 per cent in March, and it is now down to 20.5 per cent since reaching its all-time peak one year ago after a big surge following the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

NEW YORK, Apr 8 (NNN-XINHUA) – The U.S. dollar will play a much less dominant role than it is today, within the next ten years, due to a smaller share of the U.S. economy in the world, weaponisation of the U.S. dollar and the use of central bank digital currencies, said a renowned U.S. economist yesterday.

NASHVILLE, April 7 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris flew to Nashville on Friday in a show of support for Tennessee state lawmakers expelled for staging a rule-breaking demonstration for gun control on the statehouse floor after a recent school shooting.

Republicans who control the Tennessee House of Representatives on Thursday expelled two young Black lawmakers who last week led protesters into the well of the House floor, while a resolution to remove a white representative came up one vote short.