Canada central bank holds key rate steady, says economy improving

Toronto (Canada) (AFP) – Canada's central bank held its key lending rate at 2.25 percent on Wednesday, citing signs of economic improvement with businesses adapting to new trade relations under US President Donald Trump.


Issued on: 15/07/2026 - RFI

Canada's central bank has held rates steady as it assesses the fallout from uncertain US trade and the Iran war © Dave Chan / AFP

Canada's economy had sputtered over the past year, as Trump's tariffs squeezed key sectors like auto-making, forced job losses and sent jitters across the business community.

Canada entered a technical recession earlier this year, after reporting two consecutive quarters of economic contraction.

But the Bank of Canada on Wednesday pointed to signs of a rebound.

"Canada's economy is showing signs of improvement," the bank said.

Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem noted that while uncertainty surrounding "US trade policy continues to be a headwind, consumers have been resilient and businesses are adapting."

Exports are picking up as businesses explore new ways to get by with US free trade still restricted in several sectors, Macklem said.

"They're reconfiguring their supply chains," he told reporters.

"The other factor is the US economy is strong... they need our exports and you're seeing US businesses increasingly increase their orders for our Canadian exports."

Trump on July 1 refused to renew the North American free trade agreement, but it remains in force while the United States, Canada and Mexico negotiate revised terms.

The survival of the deal known as the USMCA means that roughly 85 percent of US-Canada trade has remained tariff free.

But Prime Minister Mark Carney has warned that US trade will not return to a pre-Trump normal and is pushing Canada to aggressively pursue new markets overseas.

Macklem said there were indications that was happening, pointing to aluminum, a key Canadian sector facing punishing Trump tariffs, where businesses are "finding new customers in Europe."
Iran war

The conflict in the Middle East remains a key risk factor, Macklem added, with hostilities between the US and Iran resuming after a short-lived ceasefire.

The bank has said it would not over-react to energy price inflation caused by the conflict and would only move to raise rates if it saw clear evidence that elevated oil prices were bleeding into other parts of the economy.

"So far, we're not seeing broad spillovers of higher energy prices," Macklem said.

Macklem stressed that a key factor would be how long oil prices stay high.

"The war is ongoing and I certainly cannot predict when it might get resolved," he said.

Any sign that war related inflation was causing generalized price hikes would be "a warning sign," that might require interest rate hikes, Macklem added.

© 2026 AFP

 

French parliament passes assisted dying bill for some terminally ill adults

Copyright AP Photo/Michel Euler

By Greta Ruffino

Published on 15/07/2026 - EURONEWS

After years of debate, French MPs have voted to adopt a bill to establish a right to assisted dying for some adults suffering from an incurable condition.

French MPs voted on Wednesday to adopt a law allowing the right to assisted dying for some terminally ill adults under strict rules.

The lower chamber backed the law, with 291 voting for it and 241 against. The country's highest constitutional authority still has to examine the law.

With its adoption, France joins 11 countries that have also adopted assisted dying laws, each with their own rules and criteria.

The bill was one of the flagship pledges of French President Emmanuel Macron's second five-year term, which he described as "the French model for end-of-life care."

"The bill on the right to assisted dying has been adopted," Macron wrote on X.

"On an issue as personal as it is profound, touching on life, suffering and dignity, only one approach was possible: taking the time to listen, engage in dialogue and debate."

Many French people have travelled to neighbouring countries where assisted suicide or euthanasia are legal.

The bill sets strict conditions

The bill primarily provides for medically assisted suicide, allowing eligible patients to receive and self-administer lethal medication under strict conditions. Only those physically unable to do so would be allowed to receive assistance from a doctor or nurse.

Patients seeking to end their lives would have to be at least 18 years old and either French citizens or legal residents of France.

A doctor would first have to consult a team of healthcare professionals before confirming that the patient has a serious, incurable and life-threatening illness. The patient must be at an advanced or terminal stage, experiencing unbearable pain that cannot be relieved, and requesting the medication of their own free will.

Psychological suffering alone would not qualify a person for medically assisted dying, and people with severe psychiatric disorders or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's would not be eligible.

Patients would have to submit a request, which would be reviewed by healthcare professionals within 15 days and confirmed after a mandatory reflection period of at least two days.

If approved, they could take the medication at a time and place of their choosing, including at home or in a healthcare facility, with loved ones present if they wish.

On the chosen date, a doctor or nurse would confirm that the patient still wishes to proceed and remain nearby if complications arise. All associated costs would be covered by France's national health insurance system.

In France, supporters say the law would allow patients to end unbearable suffering while keeping control over medical decisions.

However, opponents warn it could place pressure on older people and those with illnesses or disabilities, arguing that access to palliative care should be prioritised instead.

End-of-life options are also being debated in the United Kingdom.

A bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales will formally return to Parliament on 11 September, five months after it ran out of time during Parliament's last session.

In Germany, the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, considered two proposals to regulate assisted dying in 2023, rejecting both.

Medically assisted suicide generally involves a patient voluntarily taking lethal medication prescribed by a doctor. Euthanasia involves a doctor or other health care professional administering a lethal injection at the patient’s request.

 

Sudan's war economy fuelling 'self-perpetuating' conflict, UN human rights office says

Copyright Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

By Gavin Blackburn

Published on 15/07/2026 - EURONEWS

OHCHR called on the parties to the war, and corporations involved in the value chain of Sudanese commodities, to ensure compliance with international law.

Sudan's warring factions are profiting from control over the country's resources, with the "war economy" helping to sustain the conflict, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

To fund the growing cost of military operations, the warring parties rely on controlling and exploiting territory, trade routes and commodities, contributing to a conflict that has become "increasingly self-perpetuating," the UN human rights office OHCHR said.

The war between Sudan's regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in April 2023.

It has killed 200,000 people by some estimates and displaced upwards of 11 million, while thrusting several areas of Sudan into hunger and famine.

OHCHR called on the parties to the war, and corporations involved in the value chain of Sudanese commodities, to ensure compliance with international law.

"Sudan's vast wealth of natural resources should benefit its people," said UN rights chief Volker Türk.

"Distressingly, what we are seeing today is anything but that. In fact, this wealth is only serving to undermine human rights and drive conflict, bringing pain and suffering on an enormous scale.

"This war economy must be disrupted and the international community must pay much closer attention to the commodities and trade routes that help keep it alive."

Gum arabic trade

OHCHR issued a report focusing on the trade in gum arabic, a key ingredient in products such as soft drinks, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

Sudan accounted for 70-80% of global crude gum arabic exports before the war.

Although modest in export value compared with other commodities, it is an important income source for millions of Sudanese, and remains one of the country's most internationally relied-upon exports.

However, the report found that many who depend on the gum arabic trade have faced looting, extortion, arbitrary detention and threats, particularly at the hands of the parties to the conflict and their allies.

The wreckage of an armoured truck in the lobby of a hotel destroyed during the war in Khartoum, 19 April, 2026 AP Photo

In May 2025, the Gum Arabic Exchange and its warehouses, plus part of the local market in El-Nuhud in West Kordofan state, were reportedly looted by the RSF when stocks were full and ready for export.

This severely disrupted local trade and livelihoods, the report said.

Türk urged countries to strengthen accountability, traceability and regulatory oversight and respect human rights.

"Companies cannot continue business as usual when sourcing from conflict-affected value chains," he said.

 

Shark fin trade declines in EU as Brussels mulls total ban

Euronews  By Alessio Dell'Anna   Published on 13/07/2026 - 

EU countries export far more than they import. Europe in Motion breaks down the data.

Good news for conservationists: Europe's shark fin trade is declining.

Export volumes from the EU dropped by 15% from 2024 to 2025, according to the latest data from Eurostat.

Yet numbers remain significant. Last year, member states sold nearly 3,000 tonnes of shark fins outside the bloc, worth around €45 billion.

Blue sharks represent the overwhelming majority (97%) of sharks hunted for their fins and sold frozen by EU countries. The rest are shortfin mako sharks.

The significant decline in exports follows the tightening of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which increased inspections and traceability requirements for producers.

The convention also expanded the list of protected species to 60 more shark species, but not blue sharks.

A blue shark Canva

Spain is by far Europe’s largest exporter, according to a study conducted by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) between 2003 and 2020.

According to the study, during this period, Spain exported at least 52,000 tonnes of shark fins outside the EU.

Portugal, the Netherlands, France and Italy are the other main EU exporters, though in much smaller volumes.

The vast majority goes to Singapore and mainland China, both buying around 40% of the total, and the rest to Japan (2.5%), Hong Kong (13%) and Vietnam (1%).

The EU bloc also imports shark fins, though in much smaller amounts: around 20 tonnes, worth €0.3 million.

The trade remains highly controversial because of its ecological damage, as sharks are apex predators that play a crucial role in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems.

It's also contentious because it often involves the cruel practice of slicing off the shark's fin while the animal is still alive, before dumping the body into the sea, leaving it to bleed to death.

The body is typically discarded due to its lower commercial value, while the fin can instead be used for soups.

This practice is already illegal in the EU.

Under the EU's "Fins Naturally Attached" policy, sharks must be brought to shore with their fins fully attached.

The EU is also assessing whether it should ban imports of detached shark fins.

 

‘AI sovereignty doesn’t mean doing it alone,’ says Microsoft's AI responsibility chief

Copyright AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File

By Pascale Davies

Published on 15/07/2026 -  EURONEWS

Microsoft's chief AI responsibility officer, Natasha Crampton, tells Euronews about data centres, bridging the digital divide and her definition of AI sovereignty.

The digital divide in artificial intelligence adoption between the Global North and Global South is widening, Microsoft’s chief responsible AI officer told Euronews Next.

“We cannot let the digital divide become an even greater AI divide,” warned Natasha Crampton, who is also a former member of the UN's High-Level Advisory Body on AI.

Speaking on the sidelines of last week’s UN AI for Good Summit in Geneva, she laid out a vision for bridging the gap.

Calls for AI sovereignty have swept the floors of tech conferences, particularly since the Trump administration forced Anthropic to exclude non-US citizens from using its most powerful AI models, Mythos and Fable, a month ago. The ban has since been partially reversed.

But for Crampton, AI sovereignty does not merely mean “local solutions in opposition to globally provided technologies”.

Natasha Crampton, Microsoft’s chief responsible AI officer Microsoft

Instead, she said, “It’s about making sure that local impact, local cultures, values, and norms are prioritised in these systems, while taking advantage of global technology where possible."

To bridge the digital gap, she pointed to multilingual initiatives, such as the Lingua project in Europe, which has since expanded to Africa in partnership with the Gates Foundation. LINGUA Africa is a joint effort between Microsoft's AI for Good Lab, the Gates Foundation, Google.org and the Masakhane African Languages Hub.

The project aims to collect local-language data so foundational AI models can comprehend idiomatic phrasing and cultural nuances, ensuring communities have the autonomy and technical skills to control their own AI-driven futures.

Crampton also highlighted the importance of connecting to the private sector and government to ensure a safer AI that reaches everyone. The UN held its first Global Dialogue on AI Governance in early July, which aims to ensure that governance reflects the priorities of all nations and that the benefits of AI are shared by all.

Related

• AI for Good summit takes place in Geneva as countries debate global governance

“One really important thing to bed down in the course of the next year is really the connective tissue between these different mechanisms,” she said, referring to the new UN mechanisms, the dialogue on AI and the panel.

“Creating this connectivity between the different pieces of this infrastructure and understanding what everyone's unique role is so that we can make faster progress that's not sort of duplicative or redundant is, I think, one key objective for the year ahead,” she said.

One of the key examples of this connectivity is the “digital emblem,” a partnership between Microsoft, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Telecommunications Union, a UN agency.

The emblem aims to work as a legal shield to protect hospitals and aid workers from cyberattacks, as communication tools, logistics platforms, patient care systems and cloud and data centre infrastructure are increasingly under attack.

Microsoft is calling on governments to back the emblem in policy, on humanitarian and medical organisations to help shape its implementation against the operational reality, and on fellow technology companies to help build it into the tools and workflows defenders already use.

‘Being a good neighbour’

Addressing growing public backlash over the environmental and economic footprint of AI infrastructure, Crampton emphasised that Microsoft is shifting toward a "community-first" approach.

“We want to be good neighbours. We want to be good members of the community when we're building this infrastructure, and so we have been taking steps ahead of many other companies actually to offer a community-first set of commitments,” she said.

Rather than demanding traditional corporate tax breaks to build massive data centers, Microsoft is actively working to expand local tax bases to fund public services such as schools and infrastructure.

Crampton also said that the company is tightly managing resource consumption to prevent its heavy computing demands from driving up local household electricity rates or draining regional water supplies, utilising advanced technology such as closed-loop cooling systems.

What is Europe getting right?

As for Europe, she pointed to the European AI Office's efforts to connect with counterparts abroad, including AI safety and testing institutes in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.

That kind of cross-border coordination, she highlighted, is essential given how quickly the science of AI testing and evaluation is evolving.

She also urged humility from regulators everywhere, noting that rules written a few years ago based on the best available information may need to adapt as the technology and understanding of its risks change.

Reducing the lag between what society expects, where the technology stands, and where regulation actually sits, she said, should be a shared priority.

“I do think that type of international connectivity, which I do see the AI office really investing in, is a really important thing to do because while we are rapidly maturing, the state of the art on testing science, having that international signal and being prepared to sort of mature an approach, given new information, given new techniques, is really important,” she said.

But she also urged flexibility from regulators, noting that rules written a few years ago based on the best available information may need to adapt as the technology and understanding of its risks change.

“We need regulatory regimes to adapt alongside and with that change and ideally reduce the lag that we sometimes see between what society expects of regulators, where the technology is at and where the regulation is sitting,” she said.

 

First diagnostic X-rays captured during spaceflight

Copyright AP Photo

By Marta Iraola Iribarren

Published on 15/07/2026 - EURONEWS

Crew members on a commercial spaceflight have taken the first diagnostic X-rays in space, using a portable device that could pave the way for better healthcare on long-duration missions.

As space missions become more frequent and last longer, researchers are exploring ways to bring healthcare closer to astronauts. Portable medical technologies could play a key role, as recent study testing a new X-ray device aboard a spacecraft has shown.

Non-medical crew members on a commercial spaceflight acquired the first diagnostic X-rays taken during a flight in orbit, using a portable wireless digital X-ray generator.

The results, published in the journal Radiology, by the Radiological Society of North America, showed that the quality of images was as good as on land.

All in-flight X-rays were equivalent to those taken before the takeoff in overall image quality, spatial resolution, and contrast resolution, the researchers noted.

One of the main barriers however, remains the challenge of getting a correct positioning of the patient in microgravity — a physical state in which the perceived pull of gravity is extremely weak, causing objects and people to appear weightless.

Central body images, such as the chest, pelvis, and abdomen proved to have worse positioning in-flight than those of the hand or forearm.

The study also found that the estimated radiation exposure to participants was not greater than that associated with standard clinical imaging on Earth.

“It’s been a dream for aerospace medicine to have more than one imaging modality for diagnosing illnesses and injuries in space,” said Sheyna Gifford, lead researcher at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota in the United States.

She added that traditional X-ray machines are very large, produce a lot of radiation, and have a tendency to produce a blurred image if there’s movement, which made obtaining diagnostic images in orbit “too technically challenging.”

Relat

The new SpaceXray system allowed non-medical crew members to acquire radiographic images with just four hours of pre-flight training.

The device was tested during a SpaceX commercial flight launched on 31 March, 2025 for a three days and 14 hours mission. During the landing and recovery, the X-ray generator sustained superficial structural damage but the internal hardware components and X-ray output were unaffected.

“A spaceflight-ready radiography system would have profound implications not only for crew health but also for mission-critical nonmedical tasks,” Gifford said.

“For sustained human presence in space, X-rays are critical not just for crew members but also for other mission components like electronics and spacesuits. The only way to look inside these objects without taking them apart is to X-ray them.”

Beyond health applications, the researchers noted that this new system could also be useful in environments such as combat zones or resource-limited communities to expand disease screening, including tuberculosis testing.

Ultimately, the authors wrote, both space-based and Earth-based communities stand to benefit as ultraportable digital radiography technology continues to advance.

 Fontainebleau Forest

‘Our national lung’: France’s nature paradise saved by firefighters but recovery could take 30 years

Copyright Emma Da Silva/Copyright 2026 The AP. All rights reserved

By Angela Symons

Published on 15/07/2026 - EURONEWS

The forest hosted a UNESCO conference in 1948 that led to the creation of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world’s first global environmental union.

Flora and fauna thrive in the Fontainebleau forest, 60 kilometres southeast of Paris, where moorland and pine trees cloak hills, valleys and gorges

Its unique temperate Atlantic climate with pockets of Mediterranean microclimates supports 6,600 animal species and 5,800 plant species typical to both southern and northern Europe – from rare purple orchids to the protected Service tree of Fontainebleau.

Red deer, wild boars, European badgers and red squirrels roam its diverse terrain, with over 250 types of birds – from tawny owls to woodpeckers – soaring overhead.

Beneath the forest floor debris scuttle 5,000 insect species, including the protected Stag beetle.

All of this natural heritage came under threat on Sunday when two huge fires engulfed more than 2,000 hectares of the 25,000-hectare forest. 1,000 residents and campers have been forced to evacuate as a precautionary measure.

Hundreds of firefighters are battling the blazes around the clock, deploying Canadair aircraft to scoop water directly from the Seine – the first time such aircraft have been used in the greater Paris region. Backed by Dash planes and helicopters, crews have now contained both fires, though authorities warn it could still take days or weeks to fully extinguish the smouldering flames.

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‘My heart is sad the forest burns’

At least two people are in custody on suspicion of arson, with the wildfires made worse by the exceptional heatwave currently gripping the region.

“My heart is sad the forest burns… I think of the animals who live in the forest,” one Facebook user commented on Tuesday. “I lived 22 km from Fontainebleau in my youth for 40 years, and I liked to go for a walk in the forest and visit the Château de Fontainebleau.” The 1,500-room, UNESCO World Heritage-listed royal palace, which was spared the flames, was built in 1528 and is considered the seat of the French Renaissance.

In 1948, it hosted a UNESCO conference that resulted in the creation of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s first global environmental union.

A Canadair water bomber scoops up water from the Seine River while fighting wildfires in the Fontainebleau forest region, France, Monday, July 13, 2026. AP Photo/Emma Da Silva

Inside the historic French forest engulfed by wildfires

Prized as a royal hunting ground from the 10th to the 19th centuries, Fontainebleau has evolved into a haven for outdoor enthusiasts.

Up to 15 million visitors flock there each year to hike, cycle, horseride and rockclimb – hoping to bask in the beauty described by the artists and writers who came before them, from Rousseau to Flaubert.

In fact, France’s second largest forest can even be considered the birthplace of nature tourism: French author Claude François Denecourt, enchanted by its beauty, created the world’s first marked rambling trails there in 1842.

Saddened to witness its destruction, visitors have taken to social media to express their support for firefighting efforts.

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“Support and thoughts go out to the firefighters from Quebec! On this day last year, we visited this beautiful place, may God preserve it,” says one Facebook user.

Locals are equally heartbroken by the scenes of flames ravaging the ancient woodland.

“It's a bit of our history of our heritage going up in smoke, what will be left in a few years?”, says one.

Fontainebleau is popular with hikers and climbers. Canva

“Like many French people, we are shocked because this forest is one of our national lungs. It’s sad to see this magnificent forest where I used to walk with my family as a child,” adds another.

Some visitors, reacting to the fire, have called for hunting to be suspended or banned on the historic grounds to give wildlife time to recover – though forest managers note that regulated culls also play a role in preventing deer and boar overpopulation, which can itself damage forest regeneration.

“I hope with everything that hunts are suspended for a long time and ideally forever so nature has time to rebuild,” says one Facebook user.

“Sad thoughts for these poor animals who lose their lives in horrific suffering. I hope hunting is banned in these places,” adds another.

A firefighter sprays water after a wildfire in the region of the Fontainebleau forest, south of Paris, France, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. AP Photo/Emma Da Silva

An exceptional wildfire season fuelled by climate change

Like much of western Europe, France has sweltered through a series of unusually early heatwaves this summer, which would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change, according to analysis by scientists at World Weather Attribution (WWA).

This extreme heat is fuelling wildfires across the continent, with 32,000 hectares hit across France since the start of 2026 – already more than the entire 2025 fire season.

Blazes are increasingly cropping up in historically cooler northern regions, as warming caused by the burning of fossil fuels drives global temperatures up to historic highs.

Regeneration at Fontainebleau will be a long process. Stefan Doerr, director of the Centre for Wildfire Research at Swansea University, told France 24 that the forest could take up to 30 years to recover from the damage.

“We need to prepare the environment more to reduce the risk of fire,” he said, “but we will never eliminate it completely”.

With its sandy floor that struggles to retain water and progressively deteriorating tree health, Fontainebleau is particularly vulnerable to climate change, wildfires and drought – risks that have led foresters to double down on protection efforts.

This includes planting 60,000 new seedlings each winter, including drought-resistant species. But as the risk of fires intensifies, tradeoffs may need to be made – including clearing decaying debris that’s intentionally left in place to support biodiversity.