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Canada's Inflation Jumps to 2.4% in March — And Your Grocery and Gas Bills Show It

Canada's annual inflation rate climbed to 2.4% in March 2026 , up sharply from 1.8% in February, according to Statistics Canada data released Monday. The jump was driven almost entirely by soaring energy prices tied to the U.S.-Iran conflict and its disruption of oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz — and Canadians felt it directly at the gas pump and grocery store. Headline CPI (March) 2.4% ▲ Up from 1.8% in February Gasoline (monthly) +21.2% Largest monthly jump on record Grocery prices (year/year) +4.4% Up from 4.1% in February Core CPI (ex-gas) 2.2% Milder than expected Gas was the main culprit Gasoline prices surged a record 21.2% month over month in March — the largest single-month jump ever recorded in Canada — as the U.S.-Iran conflict choked off roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply through the Strait of Hormuz. On a year-...

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Hospitals in China Overwhelmed with Post-Covid Surge in Respiratory Illnesses Among Children

 


According to recent news reports, hospitals in Beijing and northern China are struggling to cope with a surge of children with respiratory illnesses as the country enters its first winter since relaxing stringent Covid-19 controls nearly one year ago.

The situation has become so dire that wait times to see doctors stretch for hours, with hundreds of patients queuing at some children’s hospitals in major cities across northern China . An official at the Beijing Children’s Hospital told state media that the current average of more than 7,000 daily patients “far exceeds the hospital’s capacity”.

he World Health Organization (WHO) has asked China to provide more information on an increase in respiratory illnesses and “reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children”. Health officials in Beijing and other major cities in northern China have said typical seasonal illnesses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), as well as mycoplasma pneumonia – a bacterial infection that typically causes mild infection and commonly affects children – were driving causes .


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