Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
World shares were mixed on Wednesday after heavy selling of technology shares cast a chill over the cheerful start to 2022 on Wall Street.
France's CAC 40 was up less than 0.1% at 7,324.16 in early trading, while Germany's DAX added 0.2% to 16,185.77. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.2% to 7,516.63. The future contract for the Dow industrials gained 0.1% while that for the S&P 500 slipped 2 points.
Added to the hangover from the tech-led retreat were reports of sharply rising coronavirus caseloads in Asia and elsewhere.
Expert opinion is divided among those who think the Omicron variant of COVID-19 that is gaining dominance in many places may set off fewer serious illnesses and those who advise more caution. Any restrictions on business activity will be sure to weigh on the recovery that all nations are counting on to happen soon.
"Global markets seem to be writing off Omicron as an existential threat, with some suggesting that the Omicron variant represents the `last hurrah' for COVID. Let's hope they are right. But there may still be a final hit to activity in Asia before we can return to a semblance of normality," said Robert Carnell, regional head of research Asia-Pacific at ING.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 inched up 0.1% to finish at 29,332.16. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.3% to 7,565.80. South Korea's Kospi dropped 1.2% to 2,953.97. Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 1.6% to 22,907.25, while the Shanghai Composite index lost 1.0% to 3,595.18.
Troubled Chinese property developer Evergrande announced l ate Wednesday that it was asking bondholders to accept a delayed payment on one of its bonds.
Evergrande Group will conduct a three-day online vote starting Friday for holders of the 4.5 billion yuan ($700 million) bond, according to an announcement made through the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in southern China.
Analysts expect trading in Asia to stay choppy for some time. Reported daily COVID-19 cases are still small, compared to Europe and the U.S. But the surges are coming quickly, now topping 2,000 daily in Japan.
In Japan, many people are not heeding warnings to take precautions and crowds have been out at levels close to pre-pandemic levels in Tokyo, where booster shots have barely gotten started. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has promised to speed them up, starting with medical professionals.
A mix of economic data and corporate quarterly earnings reports this week should give investors some insight into the impact that the pandemic and persistently rising inflation are having on companies and consumers.
The U.S. job market will be a major focus for investors, starting with the Labor Department's jobs report for December, which will be released Friday.
Some sectors of the economy are still struggling, especially with supply chain problems. Growth in manufacturing slowed in December to an 11-month low, according to The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers. The organization will release its December report for the service sector on Thursday.
Investors are also anticipating the minutes from the U.S. Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting in December, set for release on Wednesday.
In energy trading, U.S. benchmark crude fell 25 cents to $76.74 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It gained 91 cents to $76.99 a barrel on Tuesday. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 20 cents to $79.80 a barrel.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar edged down to 115.94 Japanese yen from 116.16 yen. The recent dollar's range against the yen is at a five-year high, and a cheaper yen can work as a plus for Japan's giant exporters. The euro cost $1.1308, up from $1.1286.
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.