The price of gas jumped 12 cents in Montreal, bringing cost of the average litre to around $1.37.

Britain's finance minister is cutting the top income tax rate from 50 per cent to 45 per cent effective next year but has imposed additional taxes to raise more money from the wealthiest one per cent.

Canada's unemployment rate rose to 7.6 per cent in January according to Statistics Canada, a 0.1 per cent increase, as 23,700 more people searched for work.