National Business

TORONTO — North American manufacturing companies are increasingly targets for cybercriminal gangs that use malicious software to shut down businesses if they don't pay a ransom, according to a report published Wednesday. Research from Waterloo, Ont.

The federal government's plan to tighten energy efficiency standards on home appliances could lead to fewer models, longer wait times and higher costs, according to an industry group.

OTTAWA — Prices increased in April at the fastest annual rate in nearly a decade as gasoline prices posted a record year-over-year rise and inflation continued to rebound from the plunge at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — A suspect shot and killed one central Illinois police officer and wounded another during a shootout at an apartment complex early Wednesday in which the suspect was also killed, authorities said.

LONDON (AP) — A final novel by John le Carré will be published this fall, 10 months after the spy writer’s death at the age of 89. Publisher Viking said Wednesday that “Silverview,” le Carré’s 26th novel, will be published Oct.

CALGARY — The Canada Energy Regulator says pandemic lockdowns and travel restrictions that kept Canadians close to home in 2020 resulted in overall consumption of refined petroleum products dropping by about 15 per cent compared to the previous year.

VANCOUVER — Woodside Petroleum Ltd. says it plans sell its 50 per cent stake in the proposed Kitimat LNG development in British Columbia.

MONTREAL — CAE Inc. reported its fourth-quarter profit fell compared with a year earlier as its revenue also dropped as it continued to feel the effects of COVID-19. The flight simulator maker and training company says it earned $19.

OTTAWA — Canada's national annual inflation rate was 3.4 per cent in April, Statistics Canada says.

OTTAWA — Canada's national annual inflation rate was 3.4 per cent in April, Statistics Canada says. Here's what happened in the provinces (previous month in brackets): — Newfoundland and Labrador: 4.3 per cent (2.7) — Prince Edward Island: 5.