Downtown Keg closes… to reopen nearby

Downtown Winnipeg is without a Keg restaurant — for a couple of months, anyways.

The Keg Steakhouse and Bar vacated 115 Garry St. on Wednesday, after more than five decades at the location. It will open in a new Donald Street apartment tower this fall.

Its move comes after years of waiting. The DSM, at 185 Donald St., sat as a partially started apartment block after its developer stopped operating and sought creditor protection in April 2023. The developer began the project in 2019.

Carrington Real Estate took over in 2024. Part of the 14-storey site’s initial plans — pre-Carrington — was for the Keg to occupy the main floor.

Trump says deal to reopen Strait of Hormuz could come as early as Wednesday

CAIRO (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said a deal on the Strait of Hormuz could come as early as Wednesday or Thursday, while Iran and Oman inched toward an agreement to reopen the critical waterway and potentially help bring an end to the war.

Trump was asked by reporters traveling with him in California about a report on the Axios news site that an announcement on the Strait of Hormuz could be made on Wednesday.

“It could happen. Tomorrow or the next day,” he said, speaking on Tuesday evening California time, which was already Wednesday morning in the Middle East. “A lot of progress has been made.”

Oil prices eased on hopes of progress for a deal that would allow oil tankers to freely exit the Persian Gulf again and deliver crude around the world. Brent crude, the international standard, slipped by 1.2% to $78.43 per barrel early Wednesday.

Oil prices ease and Asian shares gain on hopes for Mideast deal, as companies report strong profits

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares surged and oil prices slipped Wednesday after the U.S. stock market rallied to records, helped by strong corporate earnings reports and hopes for a deal setting the stage for talks that might eventually lead to an end to the war in Iran.

Benchmarks jumped more than 3% in Tokyo, Seoul and Taiwan as shares in computer chipmakers and other AI-related companies advanced.

Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 3.3% to 66,068.24, with chipmaker Kioxia surging 6.3% while chip testing equipment maker Advantest soared 6.9%.

The Kospi in Seoul shot up 4.4% to 6,642.02, led by a 6.7% gain for memory chipmaker SK Hynix. Tech giant Samsung Electronics advanced 4.1%.

Lloyd Robertson, one of Canada’s most recognizable news anchors, dies at 92

TORONTO - Lloyd Robertson, a stalwart of Canadian TV news for decades who earned the unrelenting trust of viewers, has died at the age of 92.

His family confirmed to The Canadian Press in an email that the veteran broadcaster died Tuesday evening.

Robertson joined CTV in 1976 and served as chief anchor and senior editor from 1984 to 2011, at the helm of one of the top nightly newscasts in the country and bidding viewers good night with his trademark sign-off: "That's the kind of day it's been."

For 11 consecutive years, TV Guide Canada readers voted Robertson the TV journalist they trusted most, an honour he took to heart.

Bell sheds 19 more Manitoba employees

At least 19 Manitoba jobs were lost recently during Bell Canada’s ongoing restructuring.

Parent company BCE Inc. confirmed in June it’d axe nearly 700 jobs through organizational changes. Those changes began last year.

A dozen Manitoba staff were laid off on July 30, according to Team-IFPTE Local 161, the union representing the workers.

Another seven union members left voluntarily though a departure program, the union reported Tuesday.

Airport traffic surges despite fewer U.S. flights

The Winnipeg airport has recorded an uptick in traffic this summer, despite the loss of notable U.S. flights.

Big oil companies continue to post banner profits as fighting in Iran drives prices higher

NEW YORK (AP) — Big oil companies continue to book massive profits as fighting in Iran disrupts energy markets and sends oil and gasoline prices sharply higher.

Six of Europe’s largest oil companies posted combined first-quarter profits of $22 billion, more than 40% higher than last year. Profits at BP, based in London, more than doubled to $3.9 billion in the second quarter, the company said Tuesday.

And Saudi Aramco reported a 44% year-on-year increase in second-quarter net profit that reached $32.69 billion, driven by higher crude oil, refined products and chemicals prices.

The supercharged performances from big oil in Europe and the Middle East follow reports of enormous profits from the largest U.S. oil drillers last week.

Iran and Oman make progress on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, officials say

CAIRO (AP) — Iran and the Gulf Arab state of Oman have made progress toward a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a potential breakthrough that could help wind down the war in the Middle East, regional officials said Tuesday.

Under the emerging agreement, ships would enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman, with service fees charged for providing security and preserving the maritime environment, two regional officials told The Associated Press.

They said negotiations are still underway and that the final agreement could take a different form, with any deal linked to lifting the U.S. blockade on Iran’s ports. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations unfolding behind closed doors.

Any agreement formalizing Iran’s control of the strait would mark a significant strategic victory for Tehran. For that reason, the U.S. could seek to block the deal by refusing to lift the blockade. The strait was an open international waterway before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.

WestJet flight cancellations tapering off as airline ramps back up after strike

Flight disruptions at WestJet appeared to be tailing off Tuesday as the airline ramps up following a brief work stoppage over the long weekend.

Data from aviation analytics company Cirium showed 16 WestJet flights scheduled for Tuesday had been cancelled, as of 4 p.m. ET.

That comes after more than 300 flights were cancelled Monday, or around 62 per cent of those scheduled, despite the carrier reaching a tentative deal early that morning with the union representing its 4,400 flight attendants.

WestJet has said a full return to normal operations will take time as the airline resumes flying and repositions its aircraft and crews.