National Business

CALGARY — China's ongoing ban on Canadian beef appears to have no end in sight, making it a textbook example of the uncertainty Canadian exporters continue to face in that market.

Retail sales edged up in July, but economists say it will take further interest rate cuts to really spark lasting activity. Statistics Canada said Friday that retail sales rose 0.9 per cent to $66.4 billion in July, helped by stronger new car sales.

A paid passenger on an expedition to the Titanic with the company that owned the Titan submersible testified before a U.S. Coast Guard investigatory panel Friday that the mission he took part in was aborted due to apparently mechanical failure.

OTTAWA — Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says there is a lot of uncertainty around how artificial intelligence could affect the economy moving forward, including the labour market and price growth.

EDMONTON — Aurora Cannabis Inc. says chief executive Miguel Martin is adding the title of executive chairman. The company says the board believes that combining the CEO and chairman roles will help promote strong and consistent leadership.

TORONTO — In the middle of the small crowd — near the tents, the lineup of kids awaiting face painting, the snack table — stood a jubilant Chiara Padovani.

DEER PARK, Texas (AP) — A pipeline fire that burned in a Houston suburb for four days finally went out Thursday as authorities announced a criminal investigation into the blaze that had roared into a towering flame, forcing neighborhoods to evacuate

LANGLEY, B.C. — Police in Langley, B.C., say one person is dead in a crash between a car and a motorcycle on Highway 1 that shut down the route for hours.

MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway Co. told employees this week it plans to relocate its operations in Jasper to near Hinton, Alta., about 100 kilometres away.

VANCOUVER — West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. says it's indefinitely curtailing its sawmill in Lake Butler, Fla., by the end of the month. The Vancouver-based company says the decision is because of high fibre costs and soft lumber markets.