National Business

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans stepped up retail spending modestly from July to August as the price of gasoline jumped, cutting into budgets as many families send their kids off to school. Retail sales rose 0.6% in August, compared with a revised 0.

TORONTO — The U.S. benchmark price of oil has topped US$90 per barrel for the first time since late last year. The October futures contract for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) light sweet crude oil was up US$1.57 at US$90.

BRUSSELS (AP) — Kosovo and Serbia on Thursday failed yet again to make progress in talks aimed at improving their long-strained relations , and the European Union’s top diplomat warned that the lack of progress could hurt their hopes of joining the b

MONTREAL — Shares of Laurentian Bank were down more than 10 per cent in morning trading after it announced it had completed its review of strategic options without a deal to sell the bank.

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says wholesale sales excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain, grew 0.2 per cent to $81.3 billion in July.

Edmonton lawyer Melissa Bourgeois had been practicing family law for more than a decade when she had what she calls her "lightbulb moment.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The luxury cruise ship MV Ocean Explorer was “successfully” pulled free in Greenland on Thursday, three days after running aground with 206 people on board, authorities and the ship's owner said.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank piled on a 10th straight interest rate increase Thursday, pressing forward in its fight against stubbornly high inflation that has been plaguing consumers even as worries grow that higher borrowing

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale prices increases accelerated in August, a sign that inflation remains stubbornly persistent despite a series of sharp interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve.

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week ticked up modestly after falling to the lowest level in seven months the week before, as companies continue to retain employees despite the Federal Reserve's efforts to cool the eco