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BEIJING -- Asian stock markets were mixed Tuesday as investors looked ahead to U.S. tariff deadline on Chinese imports and American and European interest rate decisions. Markets also were watching for the outcome of Britain's snap election Thursday amid tension over plans to leave the European Union. Source

WENDELL, N.C. -- George J. Laurer, whose invention of the Universal Product Code at IBM transformed retail and other industries around the world, has died. He was 94. A funeral was held on Monday for Laurer, who died Thursday at his home in Wendell, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh. Source

MONTREAL -- Summing up six weeks of testimony at the trial of a former SNC-Lavalin executive accused of fraud and corruption, a prosecutor told jurors Monday that greed lies at the root of the accusations. Sami Bebawi's fate will soon be in the hands of the jury after federal prosecutors made their closing arguments to jurors. Source

A controversial ad for Peloton Interactive's expensive stationary bike is unlikely to dampen the company's holiday sales, and may actually boost them thanks to increased publicity, experts say. "I would actually say it's going to have a positive affect on the company's line," said David Soberman, a professor of marketing at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, speaking of Peloton's Christmas ad. Source

Amazon says U.S. President Donald Trump's "improper pressure" and behind-the-scenes attacks harmed its chances of winning a US$10 billion Pentagon contract. The Pentagon awarded the cloud computing contract to Microsoft in October. Amazon argues in a lawsuit unsealed Monday in the U.S. Source

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is in Ottawa today with a detailed plan for federal support he says will help his province grapple with a prolonged commodity price slump that has left the economy reeling. Speaking at a lunchtime reception in Ottawa, Kenney said for decades Alberta has been an outsized contributor to the Canadian economy and the federal treasury, and now it's time for Ottawa to lend some support by implementing a five-point plan Kenney has dubbed the "fair deal for Alberta. Source

OTTAWA -- Some of Canada's telephone providers are being called on by the country's telecom regulator to add to their arsenals in the battle against phone scammers. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announced Monday that it expects companies that provide Internet-based phone services to adopt new technology by next fall aimed at reducing the number of fake calls received by unsuspecting consumers. Source

OTTAWA -- A deal on amending the new North American free trade agreement appears close following a busy weekend, with hopes Canada, Mexico and the United States will approve a rewritten deal in the next 24 hours. Source

OTTAWA -- Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is to meet American and Mexican officials in Mexico City on Tuesday amid reports a deal to revise the new North American free-trade agreement is close to completion. The federal government revealed Freeland's itinerary late Monday following a day of furious speculation about the state of the United States-Mexico-Canada trade deal -- and concerns from Canada's aluminum sector about what the agreement could mean for the industry and workers. Source

OTTAWA -- The federal government is charging Volkswagen for allegedly importing cars into Canada that company executives knew violated emissions standards. The German automaker faces 58 charges for violating the Canadian Environmental Protection Act for bringing 128,000 cars into Canada with illegal emissions between 2008 and 2015. Source