National Business

EDMONTON — CWB Financial Group raised its dividend as it reported its fourth-quarter profit rose compared with a year ago. The Edmonton-based bank says it will pay a quarterly dividend of 34 cents per share, an increase of a penny.

MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin on Friday moved to prolong his repressive and unyielding grip on Russia for at least another six years, announcing his candidacy in the presidential election next March that he is all but certain to win.

The bread supplier that admitted to price-fixing earlier this year says in new court filings that any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods.

MONTREAL — Canada has received a C grade on flight safety oversight — down from an A+ almost two decades ago and far below most of its peers — according to a draft report from a United Nations agency.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California is facing a record $68 billion budget deficit, state officials announced Thursday, forcing hard choices for Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in his final term as he works to build his national profile .

VANCOUVER — Lululemon Athletica Inc. says its net income for the third quarter was US$248.7 million, compared with US$255.6 million a year earlier. The Vancouver-based apparel company says net revenue for the quarter was US$2.2 billion, up from US$1.

Telus Corp. is urging the CRTC to address a "dramatically" changing industry landscape, echoing its Canadian broadcasting rivals, as the federal regulator's three-week hearing held in response to the Online Streaming Act winds down.

TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Thursday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (20,278.51, up 4.30 points): Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (TSX:CNQ). Energy. Down $1.82, or 2.14 per cent, to $83.27 on 21.

TORONTO — When Joshua Zachariah was a teenager, he was enamoured with bars — or at least his idea of them.

TORONTO — Canada's main stock index eked out a gain Thursday as base metals helped offset weakness in energy, while U.S. markets rose. The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 4.30 points at 20,278.51. Big technology stocks helped lift U.S.