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NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are rising following signals that the economy is growing much more powerfully than economists expected. The S&P 500 was 0.4% higher early Thursday. The Dow rose 89 points, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.4% higher.

More Americans filed jobless benefits last week but layoffs remain at historically low levels despite elevated interest rates and a flurry of job cuts in the media and technology sectors.

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese court sentenced a man to death after finding him guilty of murder and other crimes Thursday for carrying out an arson attack on an anime studio in Kyoto that killed 36 people.

JERUSALEM (AP) — A liquor store has opened in Saudi Arabia for the first time in over 70 years, a diplomat reported Wednesday, a further socially liberalizing step in the once-ultraconservative kingdom that is home to the holiest sites in Islam.

TORONTO — Netflix is putting the final stake in its cheapest, ad-free "basic" plan in Canada. After announcing last year that it would no longer offer the $9.

Toronto-area furniture retailer Bad Boy Furniture Warehouse Ltd. is officially bankrupt. In November, the company filed a notice of intention under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, saying it aimed to restructure its business.

VANCOUVER — Parkland Corp. says it has temporarily shut down fuel processing at its Burnaby, B.C. refinery.

TORONTO — Some businesses in Canada are embarking on a journey to transition their vehicle fleets to meet zero-emissions goals, but experts say the road ahead isn't going to be easy.

TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Wednesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (21,025.78, down 8.81 points): Royal Bank of Canada. (TSX:RY). Finance. Down $1.40, or 1.05 per cent, to $132.34 on 20.

TORONTO — Canada's main stock index was essentially flat Wednesday despite strength in energy stocks after the Bank of Canada held its overnight rate steady, while U.S. markets ended on a mixed note after softening throughout the afternoon.