National Business

OTTAWA — The federal government ran a deficit of $248.2 billion through the first nine months of its 2020-21 fiscal year as spending soared due to the pandemic.

TORONTO — Onex Corp. reported its fourth-quarter profit rose compared with a year ago, helped by gains in its private equity and credit investments. The Toronto-based private equity manager, which keeps its books in U.S.

BEIJING — The thrills and chills of the big screen are back big-time in the world’s largest film market.

TORONTO — The head of Canada's largest pension fund received a COVID-19 vaccination while on a "very personal" trip to Dubai, he told staff in an email Thursday night.

NEW YORK — Is it Mr. Potato Head or not? Hasbro created confusion Thursday when it announced that it would drop the “Mr.” from the brand’s name in order to be more inclusive and so all could feel “welcome in the Potato Head world.

CANBERRA, Australia — Facebook announced on Friday preliminary agreements with three Australian publishers, a day after the Parliament passed a law that would make the digital giants pay for news.

CALGARY — Pembina Pipeline Corp. is reporting a $1.2 billion net fourth-quarter loss thanks mainly to $1.6 billion in non-cash after-tax impairment charges on its proposals to build an Alberta petrochemical plant and Oregon LNG export facility.

WASHINGTON — The Democratic-led House passed a bill Thursday that would enshrine LGBTQ protections in the nation's labour and civil rights laws, a top priority of President Joe Biden, though the legislation faces an uphill battle in the Senate.

NEW YORK — Best Buy said Thursday that it laid off 5,000 full-time store workers earlier this month, even as the company's sales soared during the pandemic as homebound people bought laptops, TVs and other gadgets.

TORONTO — TD Bank Group topped expectations as it reported its first-quarter profit rose 10 per cent compared with a year ago. Yet the bank's Toronto-listed shares fell nearly 1.7 per cent to close at $78.