National Business

VIENNA — The OPEC oil cartel is calling for a deep production cut to keep crude prices from falling further as disruption to global business from the coronavirus slashes demand from air travel and industry.

TUCSON, Ariz. — When Oprah Winfrey chose the novel “American Dirt” for her book club, she imagined engaging in an impassioned television dialog about the narrative, which follows a Mexican mother and her son fleeing to the United States.

TORONTO — Shares of Cineplex Inc. fell more than 10 per cent after a short-seller suggested the company's $2.8-billion deal to be acquired by Cineworld PLC could fall apart or see the price reduced materially.

TORONTO — A pair of Canadian startups are looking to help make it easier to buy homes and cars using technology by speeding the mortgage approval process and by making finding and buying a new ride faster.

HONOLULU — A spate of cancelled events and falling visitor numbers from abroad indicate the economic impact Hawaii is experiencing due to the spread of the virus that causes the disease called COVID-19.

WASHINGTON — U.S. productivity rebounded in the final three months of last year but by a smaller amount than initially reported, while labour costs increased at a slower pace than first thought.

CALGARY — MEG Energy Corp. reported a profit of $26 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $199 million in the same quarter a year earlier. The company says the profit amounted to nine cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Dec.

TOKYO — Asian shares rose Thursday, taking their cue from a surge on Wall Street as governments and central banks took more aggressive measures to fight the virus outbreak and its economic impact. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.8% to 21,262.49.

TORONTO — Several Canadian banks and financial institutions have dropped their prime lending rate by 50 basis points to 3.45 per cent, effective March 5.

Bombardier Inc. says it is concerned about a new report that links it and other companies to the alleged forced labour of Muslim minorities in China.