National Business

Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit accusing the privacy-minded company of deploying its virtual assistant Siri to eavesdrop on people using its iPhone and other trendy devices.

Toys "R" Us Canada says it is closing five Ontario stores and revamping several others as it works to "optimize" its business.

HALIFAX — The head of a non-profit that supplies 140 Nova Scotia food banks says the province's decision to index income assistance to inflation doesn't go far enough.

CALGARY — Calgary home sales declined in December from the previous year's levels but remained nearly 20 per cent higher than long-term trends. The Calgary Real Estate Board says 1,322 homes changed hands last month, which was 2.

BlackBerry Ltd. says it is changing the name of its Internet of Things business. The Waterloo, Ont.-based technology firm says the business previously called BlackBerry IoT will now be known as QNX.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia say they've found evidence suggesting high levels of road salt in B.C. streams can cause death and deformities in young salmon.

MONTREAL — An operation to off-load thousands of tonnes of corn from a ship that ran aground in the St. Lawrence River northeast of Montreal has been postponed to the weekend.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment checks dropped last week to the lowest level since March, suggesting that suggest most U.S. workers continue to enjoy unusually high job security .

CALGARY — Pembina Pipeline Corp. says its subsidiary Pembina Gas Infrastructure Inc. (PGI) has completed its previously announced acquisition of a 50 per cent stake in Whitecap Resources Inc.'s Kaybob complex natural gas processing facility.

TORONTO — Broad-based gains led Canada's main stock index higher in late-morning trading on Thursday, while U.S. stock markets were mixed. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 206.46 points at 24,934.40.