


Chinese commercial banks have begun pricing corporate loans against a short-term interbank repo rate rather than the benchmark loan prime rate (LPR), a shift drawing sharp scrutiny from investors worried about the sector’s already thin profitability.
The industry’s average net interest margin – the spread between what banks earn on loans and pay out on deposits – slid to a record low of nearly 1.4 per cent in the first quarter, according to official data. That was well below the 1.8 per cent threshold

Several Canadian cities are pursuing bylaws to restrict the sale of invasive plants by garden centres and nurseries. Advocates with the Canadian Coalition for Invasive Plant Regulation say a federal horticulture body and invasive plant database would help a biodiversity crisis in the making.

The former chairs of a panel that advises the federal government on endangered wildlife have published an open letter highlighting concerns over proposed changes to the Species At Risk Act, which they say could lead to the "wilful extinction" of endangered species in Canada.