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RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS From left: Premier Wab Kinew along with former NFI adviser Paul Soubry, and John Sapp, newly appointed president and CEO.

New Flyer’s bus-building expansion a Canadian answer to global instability, say premier, federal industry minister

Malak Abas 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 8:28 PM CST

Bus maker cuts the ribbon on a new manufacturing facility which will build buses from start to finish for Canadian distribution for the first time in more than a decade.

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Perimeter Aviation to hire dozens of new workers

Aaron Epp 3 minute read Preview

Perimeter Aviation to hire dozens of new workers

Aaron Epp 3 minute read 2:00 AM CST

Perimeter Aviation plans to hire dozens of workers in the coming years after adding a new department to its operations.

The Winnipeg-based airline that services 28 communities in northern Manitoba and northwest Ontario announced this week it has launched a heavy check department.

The department, which will provide comprehensive maintenance checks on Perimeter’s fleet, is being built with a focus on skilled talent development and long-term workforce growth, according to the company.

Joey Petrisor, president and CEO, said Perimeter acquired the department from its sister company, PAL Aerospace. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Both companies are owned by Winnipeg-based Exchange Income Corp.

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2:00 AM CST

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS

Perimeter Aviation CEO Joey Petrisor says the heavy check department will strengthen the company’s ability to deliver safe, reliable service.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Perimeter Aviation CEO Joey Petrisor says the heavy check department will strengthen the company’s ability to deliver safe, reliable service.

Manitoba small businesses losing faith in U.S. as a trade partner, poll shows

Malak Abas 5 minute read Preview

Manitoba small businesses losing faith in U.S. as a trade partner, poll shows

Malak Abas 5 minute read 4:24 PM CST

When Kathy Tran-Riese’s eyeglass company was faced with a tough decision in the face of a trade war last May — eat the huge tariff cost, or pause shipments to the U.S. — she chose the latter, losing nearly half of her customer base in the process.

Nearly a year later, she’s found a way to make it work. KayTran Eyewear opened a distribution centre in Ohio in September to receive the frames, which are made for people with low nose bridges and exported from China, directly into the U.S. But now, she’s navigating a new hurdle: trying to repair her business’s relationship with its American customers.

“From my perspective, I almost foolishly thought that as soon as it opened up, it would be opening up the floodgates in a way, customers that had been waiting to come back and waiting to return with us,” she said Wednesday.

“But once you lose that customer base for several months, a lot of them have gone elsewhere, a lot of them have lost touch with you.”

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4:24 PM CST

RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES

Kathy Tran-Riese, owner of KayTran Eyewear, is working hard to repair her business’s relationship with its American customers.
RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES Kathy Tran-Riese, owner of KayTran Eyewear, is working hard to repair her business’s relationship with its American customers.

Asian shares jump after US stocks rebound, but oil prices resume their climb

Elaine Kurtenbach, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Asian shares jump after US stocks rebound, but oil prices resume their climb

Elaine Kurtenbach, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: 9:02 PM CST

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares opened sharply higher in Asia on Thursday after a rebound on Wall Street, as South Korea’s Kospi took back much of its historic losses from a day earlier.

However, U.S. futures fell back, with the contract for the Dow Jones Industrial Average losing 0.3%, while that for the S&P 500 edged 0.1% lower.

In Seoul, the Kospi shot up 10.1% to 5,607.71 and the government announced emergency measures for the economy. The Kospi fell by the most ever in a single day on Wednesday. But it had soared recently to record highs, and the war with Iran led traders to lock in those profits.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index gave back some early gains but was up 2.8% at 55,793.74.

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Updated: 9:02 PM CST

Financial information is displayed on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Financial information is displayed on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Rising energy prices from the Iran war could help Russia pay for fighting in Ukraine

David Mchugh, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Rising energy prices from the Iran war could help Russia pay for fighting in Ukraine

David Mchugh, The Associated Press 6 minute read Updated: 12:30 PM CST

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The Iran war's disruption of Middle East oil and gas supplies and soaring prices are strengthening Russia's ability to profit from its energy exports, a pillar of the Kremlin's budget and a key to paying for its own war in Ukraine.

Prices for Russia's oil exports have risen from under $40 per barrel as recently as December to about $62 per barrel — first on fears of war and then due to interruption of almost all tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for some 20% of the world's oil consumption.

Russian oil still trades at a considerable discount to international benchmark Brent crude, which has risen above $82 from the closing price of $72.87 on Friday, the eve of the attack on Iran by the U.S. and Israel. However, Russian crude is now above the benchmark of $59 per barrel that was assumed in the Russian Finance Ministry's budget plan for 2026. Oil and gas tax revenues account for up to 30% of the Russian federal budget.

Additionally, the halt in production of ship-borne liquefied natural gas, or LNG, by major supplier Qatar will sharply increase global competition for available cargoes -- including those from Russia.

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Updated: 12:30 PM CST

FILE - An oil tanker is moored at the Sheskharis complex in Novorossiysk, Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - An oil tanker is moored at the Sheskharis complex in Novorossiysk, Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022. (AP Photo, File)

Millions left without power after major blackout hits Cuba’s western region

Milexsy Durán And Dánica Coto, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Millions left without power after major blackout hits Cuba’s western region

Milexsy Durán And Dánica Coto, The Associated Press 6 minute read Updated: 8:59 PM CST

HAVANA (AP) — A blackout left millions of people without power in Havana and the rest of western Cuba on Wednesday in the latest outage on an island struggling with dwindling oil reserves and a crumbling electric grid.

Government radio station Radio Rebelde quoted an energy official as saying that it could take at least 72 hours to restore operations at one of Cuba's largest thermoelectric power plants, where a shutdown sparked the outage.

The government’s electric utility said on social platform X that the outage affected people from the western town of Pinar del Rio to the central town of Camaguey.

Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy wrote on X late Wednesday that the government was powering critical infrastructure in the affected region as two power plants came online. Such infrastructure includes hospitals and medical clinics.

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Updated: 8:59 PM CST

A man rides a scooter past a wrecked car and garbage during a blackout in Havana, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
A man rides a scooter past a wrecked car and garbage during a blackout in Havana, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Filipino restaurant Palm City set to open on McPhillips Street this summer

Maryrose Villena 3 minute read Preview

Filipino restaurant Palm City set to open on McPhillips Street this summer

Maryrose Villena 3 minute read Yesterday at 2:00 AM CST

Palm City, a new Filipino restaurant in Winnipeg, is opening in July at 1021 McPhillips St., adding to the growing number of Filipino-owned eateries in the city.

Owner Michelle Raynes said the idea for the restaurant came after her trip home to the Philippines in 2019. She was inspired by the lively atmosphere of traditional Filipino resto-bars, which have live bands, karaoke and a place where her fellow Filipinos gather and eat.

“It’s my dream to have my own restaurant,” said Raynes.

Growing up, Raynes has always been surrounded with Filipino food. Her family has an eatery and bakery business in the Philippines. Raynes fondly recalls being in high school and selling barbecue in the streets while surrounded with the smell of grilled meat.

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Yesterday at 2:00 AM CST

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS

Palm City Winnipeg, a new Filipino restaurant opening in July.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Palm City Winnipeg, a new Filipino restaurant opening in July.

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Apple’s ‘big week’ launches a pair of $599 devices aimed at budget buyers

Shawn Chen, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Apple’s ‘big week’ launches a pair of $599 devices aimed at budget buyers

Shawn Chen, The Associated Press 6 minute read Updated: 2:49 PM CST

NEW YORK (AP) — Apple CEO Tim Cook promised a "big week" of product announcements has seen the introduction of a new budget-friendly iPhone trim, an entry-level MacBook tier, updated iPad Air models, refreshed monitors and higher-end chipsets. All of which was on display at hands-on media events held Wednesday in New York, London and Shanghai.

The tech titan recently saw its quarterly earnings rise to a new record, thanks to strong sales of its iPhone 17 models, even though the company still hasn’t delivered on its 2024 promise to smarten up its Siri assistance with AI.

Perhaps looking to capitalize on this sales momentum, Apple started the week off announcing the latest model in its more budget-friendly phone lineup, the iPhone 17e, and the MacBook Neo, an entry-level laptop that represents the company's most aggressive attempt at moving into the affordable laptop market.

Everything announced will be available for preorder starting Wednesday. So if you need more information before you start shopping, here's the skinny:

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Updated: 2:49 PM CST

FILE - The logo of Apple is illuminated at a store in the city center in Munich, Germany, on Dec. 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)
FILE - The logo of Apple is illuminated at a store in the city center in Munich, Germany, on Dec. 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)

China sets a lower economic growth target of 4.5% to 5% for 2026 as challenges loom

The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

China sets a lower economic growth target of 4.5% to 5% for 2026 as challenges loom

The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: 7:40 PM CST

BEIJING (AP) — China has set an economic growth target of 4.5% to 5% for this year, a slight decrease in the face of a prolonged property slump and other headwinds and uncertainty abroad.

The target was announced Thursday in an annual report being presented by Premier Li Qiang at the opening session of this year's meeting of the National People's Congress. The report set the goal and added “while striving for better in practice.”

The target was lowered from about 5% in each of the last three years. The economy grew 5% in 2025.

“While recognizing our achievements, we are also clear-eyed about the difficulties and challenges we face,” the report said.

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Updated: 7:40 PM CST

Chinese Premier Li Qiang speaks during opening session of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Chinese Premier Li Qiang speaks during opening session of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

China lowers its annual economic growth target to 4.5% to 5% in the face of headwinds at home and uncertainty abroad

The Associated Press 1 minute read 7:14 PM CST

BEIJING (AP) — China lowers its annual economic growth target to 4.5% to 5% in the face of headwinds at home and uncertainty abroad.

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