National Business

WASHINGTON — U.S. consumers increased their spending by a sluggish 0.

WASHINGTON — Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods showed a modest gain in October but much of the strength came from a big jump in orders for military equipment.

KINGSEY FALLS, Que. — Cascades Inc. says it will close its napkin plant in Laval, Que., at the end of June next year. The plant currently employs 54 workers.

TORONTO — Toymaker Spin Master Corp. has announced a deal to develop toys and games based on the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movies. The company says it has signed a global licensing agreement with Warner Bros.

MONTREAL — CAE Inc. has signed a deal with Textron to buy TRU Simulation + Training Canada Inc. for US$40 million. The company says the acquisition of expands its installed base of commercial flight simulators and customers.

EDMONTON — Finance Minister Travis Toews says COVID-19 will affect Alberta’s economy for the next couple of years and perhaps beyond, but projections are encouraging.

LAVAL, Que. — Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.'s profits increased from last year in the three months ending Oct. 11, as shoppers consolidated shopping trips to convenience stores amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Tuesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (17,274.25, up 179.72 points) Aurora Cannabis Inc. (TSX: ACB). Health care. Up $2.60, or 27.69 per cent, at $11.99 on 15.

NEW YORK — Fox News has reached a settlement with slain Democratic National Committee employee Seth Rich's parents, who alleged in a lawsuit that the cable news company exploited their son's death in stories and commentary.

TORONTO — Storefronts along a bustling neighbourhood in Toronto's west end were papered over with mock "for lease" signs Tuesday as a nearby suburban barbecue joint threw open its doors in defiance of pandemic restrictions — a sign of the dramatic me