National Business

BEIJING — China authorized its first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine for general use Thursday, adding another shot that could see wide use in poorer countries as the virus surges back around the globe.

MONTREAL — Pharmacies are pushing to get involved in Canada’s vaccination effort, pitching their expansive networks and experience with vaccine distribution as potential selling points. Nationwide chains Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. and London Drugs Ltd.

Canadians still holding on to old paper money have until midnight tonight to spend it, as stores will stop accepting certain denominations after the new year.

TOKYO — Major Asian bourses were closed for the New Year's holidays Thursday while the handful that remained open was mixed. Australia's S&P/ASX fell 0.8% to 6,632.10, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.5% to 27,271.40.

The Girl Scouts of the USA said Wednesday that child labour has no place in its iconic cookies and called on the two companies that bake them to act quickly to address any potential abuses linked to the palm oil in their supply chains.

BURNLEY, England — Burnley became the latest Premier League club to become owned by Americans when a takeover was completed Wednesday.

LONDON — Britain’s Parliament voted resoundingly on Wednesday to approve a trade deal with the European Union, paving the way for an orderly break with the bloc that will finally complete the U.K.’s long and divisive Brexit journey.

TORONTO — Stock markets in Canada and the United States closed higher Wednesday after a directionless day marked by low volumes and a lack of market-moving news.

TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Monday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (17,545.81, up 2.38 points.) TC Energy Corp. (TSX:TRP). Energy. Down $1.34, or 2.55 per cent, to $51.28 on 6.5 million shares.

TORONTO — Paying down debt is the No. 1 financial priority of Canadians heading into the new year, according to a new survey that found many people took on more debt this year to cover day-to-day expenses and make up for lost income.