The letter signed by Rev. Claude Champagne, the president of the Atlantic Episcopal Assembly, says the policy changes are creating hardships, particularly for seasonal workers.

The letter says the bishops want to "express our solidarity," with people who are suffering from losing their benefits during difficult economic times.

The letter acknowledges that some EI reform is needed to curb abuse of the system.

However, the bishops also say the unemployed shouldn't be subjected to "unrealistic regulations to qualify for assistance when it is needed."

Under some of the new rules, those who frequently claim EI need to prove they're actively seeking work.

Workers must also accept a job within 100 kilometres of their home as long as they are qualified and the pay is at least 70 per cent of their previous salary.

The bishops also said in the letter that a call by the Atlantic premiers for a halt to the changes should be considered by Ottawa.

"Some have even asked for a halt to the changes. These warnings need to be taken seriously by all concerned," says the letter.

"May the Holy Spirit of Wisdom prevail in these difficult times."

Federal Human Resources Minister Diane Finley has said that the changes to EI will better connect Canadians with available jobs in their area.

She also has said that her department will take individual circumstances into account.

Inover dinner with Australian radio hosts Kyle and Jackie O, the 40-year-old actress - who admitted she was "drunk already" thanks to a martini that went "straight to her head," followed by "wine with no food" -- candidly dished on why she despised this year's Costume Institute Gala at the Met.

"Do you want me to be honest? It sucked!" Gwyneth said, when asked why she told USA Today she would never attend the famed event again, during her meal with the radio personalities (who had won a contest to dine with Gwynnie). "It seems like it's the best thing in the world -- you always think, 'Oh my God, it's gonna be so glamorous and amazing and you're going to see all these people' and then you get there and it's so hot and it's so crowded and everyone's pushing you."

The "Iron Man 3" star also shared dirt from inside the Met Ball, saying Kanye West (who performed at the gala) was a bit grumpy, which made for an even more "intense" evening.

"Kanye West was playing and he was all furious and he threw his microphone down and it was all drama," she said. "I don't know why [he was mad]."

The GOOP goddess (who wore a hot pink Valentino Haute Couture Corolle gown to the gala, with her hair in a simple ponytail) also took issue with this year's punk theme.

"I think we're all a bit old to dress up punk," she said, explaining why she chose a more classic look for the themed event. "I just went as kind of normal."

The raucous conversation eventually turned to Gwyneth's recent wardrobe difficulty on the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere of "Iron Man 3," where her daring dress (which featured a sheer side panel) caused a razor emergency.

"Basically, because I wasn't wearing underwear with that dress, I had a situation where... because underwear keeps everything... I had no underwear so I wasn't tucked in properly," she explained, between bursts of laughter. "So they were like, 'You need to shave it'... so now I look like an 8-year-old girl."

Copyright 2013 by . All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Berman Law Firm is available to promote justice to any potential client injured in an auto accident. They are committed to the people of the state of Miami, Florida, and will travel whatever road necessary to achieve justice including courts, if necessary. They are dedicated to pursuing justice on their clients’ behalf and have won countless auto accident cases in the past. The goal of the Law Offices of Berman and Berman is to make available free consultation to the citizens of Miami, Florida, ensuring that people who would otherwise not be able to get legal advice or services, have expert legal representation.

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The cicada invasion is about to begin.

Bring on the cicada-killer wasps.

Residents from North Carolina to Connecticut are bracing for the Brood II cicada invasion, 17 years in the making.

The numbers are staggering. According to Charlotte, N.C., NBC station , Gary Hevel of the Smithsonian Institution says as many as 1 trillion lie in wait underground.

Also, the station reports, the insects will outnumber humans 600 to 1. Perhaps even more staggering: There will be some 1 billion cicadas per square mile in the affected areas.

But that's not all. On the heels of the cicadas come wasps that like to make meals out of cicadas. But even they may not be able to handle the swarms of singing insects.

With the large swarms of cicadas emerging over the next few weeks, you can expect many more cicada killers, First Warn Storm Team Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich told WCNC. But even they wont be able to keep up with the swarms coming."

Cicadas are harmless to humans. The large species of wasp is usually harmless to humans, though females can sting if provoked.

Cicadas spend most of their lives . Near the end of their lifespans they emerge to climb trees, shed their exoskeletons and mate. Both females and males die soon after the females lay their eggs.

The next generation will emergeto repeat the cycle all over again.

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- Australia's central bank cut its key interest rate by a quarter percentage point to a record low 2.75 percent Tuesday in an effort to boost economic growth as a mining boom cools and the strong Australian dollar erodes business profits.

Reserve Bank of Australia governor Glenn Stevens said in a statement following the bank's monthly board meeting that economic growth was below trend in the second half of 2012 and continued to be that way in 2013. Australia's long-term trend growth rate is around 3.25 percent a year.

"Employment has continued to grow but more slowly than the labor force, so that the rate of unemployment has increased a little, though it remains relatively low," he said.

"The global economy is likely to record growth a little below trend this year, before picking up next year," he said.

Australia's jobless rate rose from 5.4 percent in February to 5.6 percent in March the highest rate in more than three years.

The central bank last lowered its Official Cash Rate in December, cutting it by a quarter point to 3 percent.

The rate last bottomed out at 3 percent for six months in 2009 during the global financial crisis and recession.

Moments after the bank's announcement on Tuesday, the Australian dollar slid against the U.S. dollar, dropping to $1.0188 from $1.02337.

The currency ended Monday's local trading session at $1.0272.

Treasurer Wayne Swan had described the 3 percent rate in 2009 as an "emergency low."

But he said Tuesday that Australia's economic circumstances in 2009 could not be compared with now.

The Australian dollar in 2009 was worth only 60 U.S. cents and global demand was then plummeting.

Inflation is under control so the central bank is "in a position to deploy monetary policy, particularly when faced with the fact that we have a high dollar which in itself is a consequence of the strength of our economy," Swan told reporters.

"One of the challenges that flows from the higher dollar and our domestic strength is the squeeze on profits for business across our economy caused by that higher dollar," he said.

Despite commodity prices falling as Australia's mining boom cools, the Australian dollar remains high due to demand for government bonds which are viewed by investors as a safe haven and have higher returns compared with U.S. and Japanese government bonds.

Australia is now only one of eight countries with a triple-A credit rating on its debt from all three major rating agencies Standard & Poor's, Moody's Investors Service and Fitch ratings.

The International Monetary Fund said last month that it expects the Australian economy to return to trend growth in 2014, despite the economic damage being caused by a high Australian dollar.

The IMF kept its 2013 growth forecast for Australia at 3 percent. It raised its forecast for 2014 to 3.3 percent from 3.2 percent.

It is also the first major test of Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, who swept to office seven months ago with the promise to sweep away the corruption and inefficiency that has long been the hallmark of Indonesian politics and the way the world's 17th-largest city has been run.

The project, announced late on Thursday and which has been delayed for over two decades, would mark a rare bright spot in Indonesia's growing infrastructure bottleneck which threatens to throttle what have been record levels of investment in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.

"Jokowi has no choice but to build the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit railway) to satisfy the emerging middle class," said Marco Kusumawijaya, head of Rujak, a Jakarta-based urban planning think-tank.

"But this will not solve the traffic problems of the city in the long run because the backlog of demand for public transport here is so huge. You can't solve this with one or two inner-city (subway) lines."

Two consortia of Japanese and Indonesian state-owned companies were due to begin construction on the initial US$1.7 billion phase of the MRT later this year, Jokowi told reporters.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency has pledged to fund nearly 75 percent of the first line with a soft loan, with the Indonesian government picking up the rest.

The city of 10 million has tried various options to reduce cars on the streets. A rule in place for years which limits car using the main thoroughfare during rush hours to cars with three people is largely ineffective because "jockeys" line the roads to be extra passengers for a small payment.

There was an attempt at building a monorail in 2005, but it became mired in bureaucracy, ran out of funding and left unfinished concrete pillars dotting the business district.

Governor Widodo is seen as breathing new life into the city. A recent spree of firing and reshuffling high-level civil servants has earned him a reputation for being a strict and results-oriented leader.

When his deputy governor put a budget meeting on YouTube late last year, in which he bluntly took to task his senior officials, it attracted more than a million views.

But after seven months, Widodo has started to face criticism over delays in vital infrastructure projects that are key to improving the city's traffic and annual flooding problems.

An odd-even license plate system designed to reduce the number of cars on the streets has been pushed back six months. And the construction of a flood mitigation system has encountered several delays even as seasonal rains continue to inundate the city.

Other social assistance programs have been criticised as being rolled out too hastily. According to media, Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi recently criticised the governor's move to give free access to healthcare for the poor, saying the city's hospitals were not equipped to deal with large numbers of patients.

The governor came under more fire when two children died last month after being turned away from hospitals that were too full.

But Widodo, who ran a furniture business before turning to politics, remains hugely popular and is widely seen as a potential candidate for president, possibly in next year's election.

(Reporting By Kanupriya Kapoor, Editing by Jonathan Thatcher)

The rookie Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker has long dreadlocks that appear under his helmet and skitter across his name when he sprints into the backfield.

There's the body, too. The 6-foot-2, 245-pound Jones is taller, leaner and wispier than the 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year who was cut by the Steelers in a salary cap move in March.

Then there's the demeanor. Where Harrison was all snarl, the 23-year-old Jones is Southern charm.

Yet Jones understands he is the heir apparent. The Steelers tend not to take risks with first-round draft picks. The comparisons are inevitable after they chose the speedy Georgia kid, who led the NCAA in sacks last fall, with the 17th selection. The draft came just six weeks after releasing the productive but aging Harrison.

"I don't compare myself in no way to James Harrison," Jones said. "He's a great player. Respect him. Never met him. But I love his game. I wouldn't mind being an impact player like James Harrison."

Neither would the Steelers.

Pittsburgh led the NFL in fewest yards allowed in 2012 but failed to produce the kind of splash plays namely sacks and turnovers that have helped make the franchise perennial Super Bowl contenders. Injuries to Harrison, outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley and safety Troy Polamalu forced the Steelers to play solid but safe. Pittsburgh finished tied for 15th with 37 sacks and 24th in takeaways with 20.

Jones could bring back some of the menace. He set a Georgia record with 14.5 sacks in 2012, his ability to wreak havoc in opposing backfields from the edge had him projected as a potential Top 5 picks.

Instead, concerns about Jones' neck diagnosed with a narrowing of the spinal column early in his collegiate career and his speed after running a sluggish 40-yard-dash sent him tumbling to the Steelers in the middle of the first round.

Not that it bothered Jones. There are worse place to land than a team that forged its identity and won six Super Bowl titles on the backbone of a 3-4 defense which has served as the NFL's gold standard for most of the last 40 years.

Besides, as Jones pointed out on Friday "at the end of the day those guys are picking early for a reason. I landed right where I want to be."

Even if Jones is not the starter, at least not yet. Jason Worilds, who finished second on the team with five sacks, is atop the depth chart and coach Mike Tomlin isn't quite ready to anoint Jones.

"He's going to be a rookie and he'll go through the same thing rookies go through," Tomlin said. "We're not going to take anything for granted in terms of his growth and development."

Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau's complex playbook can make it difficult for first-year players to find playing time. There will be plenty of studying before training camp opens in July. Jones hardly appears overcome by the sudden thrust from NFL prospect to NFL player.

Asked to describe LeBeau, Jones just smiled and called the Hall-of-Famer "chill."

Then again, it's early. The Steelers might not be rebuilding but they are regrouping after an 8-8 season. Jones will get a chance to prove he belongs. In a way, he already does. In the hours after hearing his name called by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Jones received congratulatory phone calls and texts from Woodley, Polamalu and Ben Roethlisberger.

"I can't wait to get in the locker room with those guys and just learn from those guys," he said. "It's definitely a blessing to be on the field with those guys."

The Steelers might talk about having Jones take his time and learn the system, but in today's NFL, first-round picks aren't supposed to wait their turn, particularly if it's a position where there's a significant need.

Jones impressed Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert with his maturity. He'll need to lean on it to fit into an organization that's still knee-deep in veterans. As Tomlin likes to say, "the standard is the standard" regardless if it's Harrison out there or Jones. That's fine by the kid in the 95 jersey.

"They're about winning," Jones said. "They're about playing hard-nosed defense and they're about playing down after down. I see it and I know what it means."

___

Follow Will Graves at www.twitter.com/WillGravesAP

Conditions were windy on the Binhai Lake Golf Club course as Rumford moved to 12 under, one stroke ahead of Mikko Ilonen (73). The Finn led by three shots at the halfway mark.

"It was a really tough day and a very tiring day, and I really started to feel it on the back nine," Rumford said.

Amateur Dou Zecheng became the youngest at 16 to make the tournament cut on Friday after rounds of 70-72.

Pablo Larrazabal of Spain was at 10 under after a 69, making four straight birdies from No. 10 but dropping two strokes in his last five holes. Paul Casey of England, the 2006 China Open champion, bogeyed four of his closing six holes to shoot 72 and trailed by seven shots.

Rumford is seeking to become the third Australian to win back-to-back tournaments in the 41-year history of the European Tour. He ended a six-year drought at the Ballantine's Championship in South Korea last week.

Jack Newton (1972) and Graham Marsh (1977) are the only Aussies to have won consecutively on tour.

Pedro Alvarez added a run-scoring single to cap a four-run eighth as Pittsburgh won for the 10th time in its last 15 games and ended Milwaukee's eight-game home winning streak.

Bryan Morris (1-1) got the last two outs of the seventh for his first career victory. Mark Melancon pitched the eighth and Jason Grilli the ninth for his 11th save.

John Axford (0-3) gave up all four runs while getting just two outs in the eighth for the Brewers.

(Reuters) - The Chicago Board Options Exchange outage that blocked access to contracts on two of the U.S. stock market's most-watched indexes for a half day last week will not threaten the exclusivity of the contracts for CBOE Holdings Inc, its incoming chief executive said Friday.

"No, I don't think there's any change that we anticipate for CBOE to be able to trade proprietary products," incoming CEO Ed Tilly said.

CBOEwill have a consultant start work on Monday to review its trading systems as it tries to make sure no new software bugs disrupt trading, Tilly told investors on a conference call. The outage, and a more limited disruption a week later, led the exchange to delay extending the hours of the trading day for futures on the CBOE Volatility Index .

After the outage, some rivals and analysts questioned whether the CBOE should be allowed to continue to offer the contracts exclusively. They are by far the exchange's most profitable and cannot be traded elsewhere.

(Reporting by Ann Saphir; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

(This story was refiled to inserts missing word "not" in the lead)