Business

WASHINGTON - Two Internal Revenue Service agents working in the agency's Cincinnati office say higher-ups in Washington directed the targeting of conservative political groups when they applied for tax-exempt status, a contention that directly contradicts claims made by the agency since the scandal erupted last month.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The troubled San Onofre nuclear power plant in Southern California is closing, after an epic 16-month battle over whether the twin reactors could be safely returned to service, officials announced Friday.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. opened its annual shareholders' meeting Friday with the typical fanfare, from singers to dancers, as it plans to make the case it is improving the way it does business overseas and outline new growth opportunities at its annual shareholder meeting Friday.

TORONTO - The Toronto stock market looked to open slightly higher Friday as traders looked to stronger-than-expected Canadian and American employment data for May.

OTTAWA - Statistics Canada says the economy added a whopping 95,000 jobs in May, the biggest monthly increase in more than a decade.

TORONTO - The Canadian dollar was higher Friday amid a strong jobs report for May.

OTTAWA - Canada's unemployment rate dropped to 7.1 per cent in May, from 7.2 per cent the previous month, Statistics Canada reported Friday. The agency said 95,000 net jobs were during the month - far more than economists had predicted.

TORONTO - Housing prices in Canada have been relatively flat so far this year but there's a "downside risk" going forward, particularly in the country's largest city, according to a Scotiabank report issued Friday.

TORONTO - The Toronto stock market headed for a lower open Friday as traders looked to employment data for Canada and the U.S. to set the mood for the session.