National Business

MONTREAL — Air Transat plans to offer flights to nearly 50 cities this winter as Canadians look to resume travelling after the industry came to standstill during the pandemic.

MIAMI (AP) — Royal Caribbean International is postponing for nearly a month one of the highly anticipated first sailings from the U.S. since the pandemic began because eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19, the company's CEO said.

GENEVA — President Joe Biden says he stressed human rights issues in his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. That includes the cases of two Americans who Biden says are “wrongfully imprisoned” in Russia.

MONTREAL — DavidsTea Inc. has taken a step toward exiting insolvency after the Quebec Superior Court approved its plan to pay creditors $18 million. The company said the U.S.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home construction rose 3.6% in May as builders battled a surge in lumber prices that have made homes more expensive The May increase left construction at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.

OTTAWA — Canada's national annual inflation rate was 3.6 per cent in May, Statistics Canada says.

OTTAWA — Canada's national annual inflation rate was 3.6 per cent in May, Statistics Canada says. Here's what happened in the provinces (previous month in brackets): — Newfoundland and Labrador: 4.4 per cent (4.3) — Prince Edward Island: 6.

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says wholesale sales rose 0.4 per cent in April to $71.5 billion as sales of building materials and supplies rose to a new record. The agency says sales of building material and supplies were up 8.7 per cent at $13.

TORONTO — NorthWest Healthcare Properties Real Estate Investment Trust is raising its hostile takeover offer for Australian Unity Healthcare Property Trust. In what it is calling its best and final offer, the Toronto-based trust says it will pay A$2.

PARIS (AP) — France is lifting mandatory mask-wearing outdoors and will halt an eight-month nightly coronavirus curfew on June 20.