Business

The federal government has announced new details of an agreement with Visa and MasterCard that will see them lower the amount that they charge retailers when a customer pays for a purchase with a credit card.  Interchange fees are paid by the merchant, but many have started to pass them …

A man inspects a display of Nintendo’s latest offering ‘Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’ outside a popular electronics chain store in Japan’s capital Tokyo on May 12, 2023. AFP PHOTO PARIS: Japanese video game company Nintendo said on Wednesday it had sold more than 10 million copies of …

BOUNCING BACK People walk at a pedestrian crossing in Ginza shopping district on March 31, 2023 in Tokyo. Japan’s economy grew at an annual pace of 1.6 percent in the quarter through March as private demand rebounded after Covid-19-related restrictions were eased, according to data released on Wednesday, May 17, …

Nationally, the restaurant sector is pleading with the federal government to extend the CEBA repayment deadlines. In B.C., the province is poised to help the industry, revealing additional supports are ‘coming soon.’  Restaurants facing ‘triple whammy’ of soaring inflation, labour shortages, COVID-related debt. Restaurants across Canada are “in crisis” and …

Even as Canadians choke on orange smoke, the parliamentary budget officer says there is no way to add the benefits of fighting climate change to the national books. The World Meteorological Association says we are heading for the dreaded 1.5 degrees of warming in five years but the value of …

Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes appears to be soon bound for prison after an appeals court Tuesday rejected her bid to remain free while she tries to overturn her conviction in a blood-testing hoax that brought her fleeting fame and fortune.  Holmes and former Theranos exec Ramesh Balwani ordered to …

IMPASSE President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden walk across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Monday, May 15, 2023. Biden is set to meet with Congressional leaders on May 16 to come to an agreement on how to address the US debt crisis. AP …

WestJet says it will lock out the airline’s pilots after their union sent a 72-hour strike notice to the company and government Monday night, setting the stage for a work stoppage right before the May long weekend.  In response, airline issues lockout notice; preparations underway for reduced schedule. The WestJet …

The European Union on Monday approved Microsoft’s $69 billion purchase of video game maker Activision Blizzard, deciding the deal won’t stifle competition for popular console titles like Call of Duty and accepting the U.S. tech company’s remedies to boost competition in cloud gaming. But the blockbuster deal is still in …

Canada’s inflation rate reversed its cooling trend last month and moved higher, to a 4.4 per cent annual rate.  Increased from March’s 4.3 per cent annual pace. Canada’s inflation rate reversed its cooling trend last month and moved higher, to a 4.4 per cent annual rate. Economists had been expecting …