Alberta secession talk ‘unhelpful,' Atco chief executive says
Nancy Southern said Asian partners in a major hydrogen project have said they won't make final investment decisions unless there is certainty around the Alberta separatism question.
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Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Asian shares mostly gain after uptick in inflation pulls US stocks lower
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Asian are mostly higher after most stocks on Wall Street fell following a disappointing report that said inflation was worse last month at the U.S. wholesale level than economists had expected. U.S. futures rose while oil prices slipped. China reported data showing its economy was feeling pressure from higher U.S. tariffs in July, while property investments fell further. Retail sales rose 3.7% year-on-year, down from 4.8% in June, while investments in factory equipment and other fixed assets rose a meager 1.6%, compared with 2.8% growth in January-June. Uncertainty over tariffs on exports to the United States is still looming over manufacturers after President Donald Trump extended a pause in sharp hikes in import duties for 90 days following a 90-day pause that began in May. The Shanghai Composite index added 0.5% to 3,683.58, but Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 1.2% to 25,216.45. 'Chinese economic activity slowed across the board in July, with retail sales, fixed asset investment, and value added of industry growth all reaching the lowest levels of the year. After a strong start, several months of cooling momentum suggest that the economy may need further policy support,' ING Economics said in a market commentary. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 gained 1.2% to 43,152.55 after the government reported that the economy grew at a 1% annual pace in the April-June quarter. That was better than analysts had expected. Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea's Kospi edged less than 0.1% higher to 3,225.66. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.4% to 8,909.20. Taiwan's TAIEX gained 0.3%. Attention later Friday will likely focus on an update on U.S. retail sales and on a meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. On Thursday, seven out of every 10 stocks within the S&P 500 fell, though the index edged up by less than 0.1% to set another all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 11 points, or less than 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite fell less than 0.1% from its record set the day before. The inflation report said that prices jumped 3.3% last month at the U.S. wholesale level from a year earlier. That was well above the 2.5% rate that economists had forecast, and it could hint at higher inflation ahead for U.S. shoppers as higher costs make their way through the system. The data led traders to second guess their widespread consensus that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates at its next meeting in September. Lower rates can boost investment prices and the economy by making it cheaper for U.S. households and businesses to borrow to buy houses, cars or equipment, but they also risk worsening inflation. Higher interest rates drag on all kinds of companies by keeping the cost to borrow high. They can hurt smaller companies in particular because they often need to borrow to grow. The Russell 2000 index of smaller U.S. stocks tumbled a market-leading 1.2%. Thursday's disappointing data followed an encouraging update earlier in the week on prices at the consumer level. A separate report on Thursday, meanwhile, said fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week. That's a good sign for workers, indicating that layoffs remain relatively low at a time when job openings have become more difficult to find. But a solid job market could also give the Fed less reason to cut interest rates in the short term. Big Tech stocks helped mask Wall Street's losses. Amazon rose 2.9% to add to its gains from the prior day when it announced same-day delivery of fresh groceries in more than 1,000 cities and towns. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Because Amazon is so huge, with a market value of $2.45 trillion, the movements for its stock carry much more weight on the S&P 500 than the typical company's. In other dealings early Friday, U.S. benchmark crude lost 16 cents to $63.80 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 13 cents to $66.71 per barrel. The dollar edged lower to 147.14 Japanese yen early from 147.20 yen. The euro rose to $1.1665 from $1.1654. ___ AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Fact File: No truth to online claims of dramatic drop in potato exports to U.S.
While Canadians wait for news of an improved trade situation with the United States, false reports about quiet deals with other countries have begun to fill the void. Recently, unfounded claims have spread online that Canada has slashed potato exports to the United States in response to tariffs, and struck a $1.6 billion trade deal with 'Asian markets.' THE CLAIM 'Canada Cuts Potato Exports to U.S. – PM Carney signs $1.6B deal with Asia,' reads an Aug. 6 post on the X platform, formerly X platform, formerly known as Twitter. 'In just four months, over 140,000 tons of Canadian potatoes have disappeared from U.S. shelves.' The claims were shared on Facebook, Threads and TikTok, the last of which tied a supposed 41 per cent drop in exports to the United States to 35 per cent tariffs placed on Canadian potatoes by Washington. Multiple YouTube channels shared the claims in videos (archived video) stylized as news reports, racking up hundreds of thousands of views. THE FACTS There is no evidence of a recent $1.6 billion deal with any Asian country or of increased potato exports to markets in Asia. 'Canadian agri-food exporters base their decisions on market needs and dynamics, and available data for 2025 does not show an overall increase in shipments to Asian markets,' Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada spokeswoman Stéphanie Blais told The Canadian Press in a statement. Canada has been in talks for a free trade deal with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), a 10-member bloc that includes Indonesia and the Philippines, since 2021, but negotiations are ongoing. Several of the YouTube videos mention Indonesia and the Philippines as new destinations for Canadian potatoes. In December, a delegation of P.E.I. potato growers visited the countries in a bid to expand exports to the region, a report from P.E.I.-based agriculture publication Island Farmer says. The trip came as Canada finished negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Indonesia, with the pact set to be signed some time this year. There is no dollar figure attached to the deal, but in its statement about the completed negotiations in November, the Prime Minister's Office noted merchandise trade between the two countries totalled $5.1 billion in 2023. Indonesia's only imports of Canadian potatoes in 2025 came in April, with Statistics Canada data recording 980 tonnes of fresh or chilled spuds sent to the country. NO BIG CUTS TO U.S. EXPORTS The United States is the largest market for Canadian-grown potatoes, representing 96 per cent for seed, 93 per cent for fresh and 91 per cent for French fry exports in the 2023/2024 production year, which runs from Aug. 1 to July 31, according to a report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Blais from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada said that while exports to the United States decreased between the first and second quarters of 2025, that's happened in previous years when tariffs were not in place. 'Fluctuation in trade occurs for various reasons. More time is needed to understand the true impact of the U.S. administration's tariff policy,' Blais said. This year, Canada exported 427,467 tonnes of potatoes, in all varieties, to the United States from April to June, according to a Canadian Press analysis of Statistics Canada data. That compares with 512,621 tonnes from January to March, a difference of 85,154 tonnes. That represents a 17 per cent drop in exports, not the 41 per cent claimed in some social media posts. Potato exports are covered by Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, or CUSMA, and so long as they meet the deal's rules of origin, do not face the 35 per cent tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on Aug. 1. CLICKBAIT VIDEOS A Google search for 'US tariffs on potatoes' brought up dozens of clickbait videos promoting the same story from channels ranging from the vaguely legitimate-sounding 'Economic info' to the dubious 'Bitcoin Timez.' Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. What appears to be the oldest version comes from a channel called U.S. Retail Check, published July 27. The video comes with a disclaimer that the makers 'do not guarantee complete accuracy, nor do we claim to provide official, exhaustive, or professional advice.' It also features a warning that the video contains 'altered or synthetic content.' The Canadian Press has previously debunked similar fake reports, generated with the help of artificial intelligence, of a trade deal being struck with Mexico. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2025.
Vancouver Sun
2 days ago
- Vancouver Sun
Giant boba, bunny jelly drinks delight at new Ottawa bubble tea shop
175 Main St Unit 2, Hours: Monday to Wednesday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Thursday to Friday: 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Saturday: 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Sunday: 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Prices: $7 for regular, $8 for large Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible entrance (no steps) Glossy orbs bob in a brown sugar bubble tea at Xing Fu Tang, each larger than a ping pong ball. One bite distinguishes the jelly spheres from the tapioca pearls at the bottom of the cup, though at first glance they look like oversized versions of the same thing. The effect is playful excess, with the giddy appeal of a childhood dessert and enough novelty to keep adults curious. Discover the best of B.C.'s recipes, restaurants and wine. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of West Coast Table will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'We can add the giant boba to anything,' said Rose Nguyen, co-owner of the bubble tea shop in Old Ottawa East, whose colourful, creative drinks draw customers from as far as Kanata, and sometimes even further. Nguyen introduced the jumbo toppers this summer at the Chinatown Night Market as an exclusive item, 'something special' to promote the shop's signature milk tea. 'We actually did big tapioca, but it was hard to chew,' she said of early attempts to use the same starch as regular pearls. 'I came up with other ingredients that kept their shape but were easier to eat, and lighter.' Switching to herbal jelly, a plant-based dessert popular in Asian sweets that contains no gelatin, made the 'boba' pliable enough to slurp through a straw. The earthy flavour and Jell-O-like texture also proved irresistible to customers. 'People came back the next week asking if we still had 'the big ones,'' said Nguyen, so she made them a permanent menu item. The classics stay on the menu too, with the (albeit smaller) pearls that have long defined bubble tea. Xing Fu Tang opened in Ottawa last July as a franchise, after Nguyen tried what she calls 'pure, authentic tapioca' from the chain during a visit to Taiwan and decided to bring the brand home. Her husband, Jack Vu, describes her as a foodie with a dream of running her own shop. In the early days, he saw bubble tea as more of a passion project, until opening day drew hundreds to a line that wrapped around the building. The reception made clear they had tapped into something bigger than a hobby. The chain preserves many hallmarks from the 1980s birthplace of bubble tea , like pearls made by hand and layered drinks. Nguyen has also adapted the menu for Ottawa with more fresh fruit slushes and caffeine-free choices for what she calls the city's 'health-conscious' palate. 'We don't add any extra sugar. The sweetness in all our drinks is just from the tapioca,' said Nguyen. Each morning, the team kneads Taiwanese brown sugar and tapioca starch into dough , cuts it into pearls and glazes them in more brown sugar until the caramel-like coating clings to their surface. In a wok by the counter, the pearls bubble in syrup before being scooped into cups. We don't add any extra sugar. The sweetness in all our drinks is just from the tapioca. Customers tend to notice the difference: pre-packaged pearls tend to be 'dark, black' and lose their chewiness if refrigerated, said Nguyen, whereas those from Xing Fu Tang stay supple even the next day. I noticed it, too — I'm the kind of person who usually asks for fewer pearls because they can feel leaden halfway through a drink, but these are light enough to finish without effort. On a normal week, the shop's output reaches 70 to 80 kilograms of housemade boba, climbing toward 200 kilograms during festivals and night markets, when the team sometimes works until 3 or 4 a.m. to meet demand. Texture is the through line in every drink that comes across the counter. The coconut jelly bunny — an adorable wobbly mould that sits atop some smoothies — is mild, less chewy than tapioca and as much a visual treat as an edible one. The watermelon slush, threaded with strips of candied lychee, is bright and refreshing, without the syrupy weight that drags down many fruit teas. On my first visit, a staff member slid over a not-yet-released ' cloud drink ' — matcha foam stacked over coconut water — and asked whether the green tea flavour should be stronger or the coconut water more noticeable. I found it balanced from the start, turning creamier and more harmonious as the layers intermixed. The openness to testing ideas in full view of customers, along with a running chalkboard of suggestions across from the counter, creates a sense of co-creation at Xing Fu Tang that entices people to keep coming back. Some regulars even know to ask for the 'secret menu' chè — a Vietnamese dessert drink layered with toppings, coconut milk and crushed ice — which Nguyen makes on request. By the shop's first anniversary on July 28, Nguyen could pick out faces from the opening-day line — customers who had stood in the heat the previous summer and kept bubble tea from Xing Fu Tang in their weekly routines since. Weekend crowds continue to press into the space, spilling toward the sidewalk in warm weather. When the pace dipped in colder months, Nguyen has turned the shop over to local organizers 'to create a place where people want to come' for board game nights, mahjong tournaments and newcomer socials. For Nguyen, the name Xing Fu Tang — translated as 'House of Happiness' — means the drink meets the quality she first experienced in Taiwan, and the customer leaves with a reason to return. I'd say the giant boba and other textural surprises give them more than one. For more smart picks and offbeat stories from around the city, subscribe to Out of Office , our weekly newsletter on local arts, food and things to do. Join us! The Ottawa Citizen is hosting an exclusive food and beverage tasting event where you can try bites from some of the city's best restaurants and sample beverages from breweries and wineries. Meet the chefs and try their signature dishes with members of the Citizen news team. Learn more about Ottawa Citizen Best Restaurants and buy a ticket here .
