National Business

AUSTIN, Texas — With a name that sounds like futuristic fiction, Rapid DNA machines roughly the size of an office printer have helped solve rape cases in Kentucky, identified California wildfire victims and verified family connections of migrants at

OTTAWA — The federal government has approved a merger between two northern air carriers that Canada's competition watchdog has said would amount to a monopoly on key routes.

SMITHS FALLS, Ont. — Canopy Growth Corp. says its shareholders approved transactions connected to the company's proposed acquisition of U.S. cannabis company Acreage Holdings. The Smiths Falls, Ont.,-based cannabis producer says 99.

TORONTO — Canada's main stock index closed slightly higher Wednesday after the U.S. Federal Reserve kept its key interest rate unchanged but indicated it's prepared to cut it if economic stimulus is needed.

MALIBU, Calif. — A plan by U2 guitarist The Edge to build a cluster of mansions on a ridgeline above Malibu appears to be dead after California's highest court declined to consider his last-ditch appeal.

Some of the most active companies traded Tuesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (16,511.79, up 8.44 points). Encana Corp. (TSX:ECA). Energy. Down 13 cents, or 1.98 per cent, to $6.42 on 6.2 million shares. Bombardier Inc.

Matt Niskanen wasn't totally shocked when the Washington Capitals traded him to Philadelphia last week. One look at their salary cap picture explained it. "I know what kind of situation Washington was in, so I knew there was a possibility," he said.

MEXICO CITY — Mexico's Senate has voted to ratify a new free trade agreement with the United States and Canada, making it the first of the three countries to gain legislative approval.

ST. LOUIS — A group led by St. Louis Blues chairman Tom Stillman now owns 100 per cent of the reigning Stanley Cup champions.

NIEUWEGEIN, Netherlands — International prosecutors announced murder charges Wednesday against four men — three of them Russians with military or intelligence backgrounds — in the missile attack that blew a Malaysia Airlines jet out of the sky over U