National Business

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mostly lower in Asia on Friday, with only Shanghai rising, after stocks tumbled on Wall Street on expectations central banks will double down on battling inflation with interest rate hikes. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index lost 1.

BAKHMUT, Ukraine (AP) — Two British citizens and a Moroccan were sentenced to death Thursday for fighting on Ukraine's side, in a punishment handed down by the country's pro-Moscow rebels.

NEW YORK — Discount U.S. airline JetBlue launched its service to Canada with the first flight arriving this evening in Vancouver from New York's JFK International Airport.

TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Thursday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (20,563.89, down 228.54 points.) Baytex Energy Corp. (TSX:BTE). Energy. Up 25 cents, or 2.9 per cent, to $9.00 on 12.9 million shares.

TORONTO — North American stock markets fell sharply as investors girded for Friday's inflation numbers in the U.S. ahead of an expected Federal Reserve rate hike next week.

MONTREAL — Skyrocketing jet fuel prices and the COVID-19 pandemic ate into the profits of Transat A.T. Inc. in its second quarter, despite higher revenues as air travel began to rebound, sparking hopes of a turbocharged summer.

Global dairy giant Saputo Inc. is confident demand for its products will remain strong in Canada despite efforts to increase farm gate milk prices for the second time this year.

A union representing SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. engineers has filed a complaint with the national labour board alleging bad-faith bargaining after a subsidiary ordered workers back to the office full-time with one business day's notice.

CIBC is the latest bank to announce wage increases in an effort to attract and retain employees in a tight labour market.

Nutrien Ltd., the Canadian company that is the largest fertilizer producer in the world, has announced a major ramp-up of potash production capacity as the war in Ukraine drives concern over global food security.