National Business

VANCOUVER — Among the many changes that returning customers to Hatz Hair Studio in North Vancouver may notice is a $5 charge on their bill to help offset costs associated with operating during the coronavirus.

TORONTO — COVID-19 weighed down Bank of Nova Scotia's second quarter, causing its profit to plunge and the company to increase its reserves to cover bad loans. The Toronto-based bank reported Tuesday a profit of $1.

LONDON — Dominic Cummings helped Boris Johnson win power by pitting the people against the elite. Johnson’s Conservative administration has branded itself “the People’s Government.

BANGKOK — Latam Airlines, South America’s biggest carrier, sought U.S. bankruptcy protection Tuesday as it grapples with a sharp downturn in air travel sparked by the coronavirus pandemic.

TORONTO — A survey of Canadian manufacturers shows a widespread drop in output as demand falls during the COVID-19 pandemic with no quick rebound in sight.

BALTIMORE — U.S. new home sales ticked up 0.6% in April, a surprising gain amid the coronavirus outbreak that hints at the relative health of potential buyers.

WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer confidence inched up this month, showing signs of stabilizing, but remained near a six-year low in the face of the widespread business shutdowns that have sent the economy into recession.

TORONTO — Porter Airlines is extending the suspension of all of its flights by another month until July 29.

WASHINGTON — U.S. home prices accelerated in March even though sales plummeted, as those Americans still house shopping were forced to bid for a sharply diminished supply of homes. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index rose 3.

SANTA FE, N.M. — George R.R. Martin, the famed author of the “Game of Thrones” fantasy series, has joined a group to buy the historic Santa Fe Southern Railroad.