Science & Technology

National

Military personnel walk past a drone made by Unmanned Defense Systems (UDS) during NATO's Baltic Trust exercise on Aug. 13, 2026, in Selijas, southwestern Latvia. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Stéphane Blais

Drone warfare is evolving faster than armies can adapt, experts warn

Stéphane Blais, The Canadian Press 6 minute read 12:09 PM CDT

RIGA - It takes an average of just six weeks for opposing forces to develop a countermeasure to new technology deployed on the battlefield in Ukraine.

That rapid pace of innovation, driven by drones and robotics, is forcing NATO and its member countries to rethink how they acquire military equipment, while raising questions about whether international law can keep up with modern warfare.

The Canadian Press witnessed this technological race firsthand in Latvia, where Canada leads a NATO multinational brigade.

On Aug. 13, in a field near Selija in southwestern Latvia, the country's prime minister, Andris Kulbergs, and Defence Minister Raivis Melnis gathered with military officials and representatives from 27 NATO countries, including Canada.

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Entertainment

Beth Lew-Williams is shown in an undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Cundill History Prize, McGill University (Mandatory Credit)

Beth Lew-Williams wins Cundill History Prize for book on anti-Chinese discrimination

Kaitlyn McGrath, The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Beth Lew-Williams wins Cundill History Prize for book on anti-Chinese discrimination

Kaitlyn McGrath, The Canadian Press 1 minute read Friday, Oct. 23, 2026

TORONTO - Princeton professor Beth Lew-Williams has won this year's Cundill History Prize for "John Doe Chinaman: A Forgotten History of Chinese Life under American Racial Law."

Lew-Williams received the US$75,000 award during a ceremony in Montreal on Friday for the book that explores the laws that constrained the lives of Chinese immigrants in the 19th century American West.

In a press release Cundill jurors praise her work for being "dazzlingly innovative and hard-hitting." 

Award organizers say the book examines court records, immigration files and personal accounts to show the extent of anti-Chinese discrimination and "restores individuality and humanity to lives once obscured by prejudice."

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Friday, Oct. 23, 2026

Entertainment

Books line shelves at the North York Central Library in Toronto on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Publishers rely on trust, not tech, to ensure books aren’t AI-generated

Kaitlyn McGrath, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Publishers rely on trust, not tech, to ensure books aren’t AI-generated

Kaitlyn McGrath, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Friday, Oct. 23, 2026

TORONTO - In the absence of surefire technology to determine whether something was written by artificial intelligence, some Canadian publishers say they have to rely on something nearly as thorny: trust.

Alana Wilcox, the editorial director of Coach House Books, wrote in an email that the company asks writers to be upfront about whether their work contains material generated by AI.

She said the existing tools to discern the use of AI have proven unreliable and problematic.

“As AI becomes more sophisticated, we don't imagine the existing tools will become more reliable — it will become more and more difficult to identify AI use,” she wrote.

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Friday, Oct. 23, 2026

Entertainment

Author Thélyson Orélien is shown in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — Francois Couture (Mandatory Credit)

How AI allegations led Quebec author from prestigious awards to losing his publisher

Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

How AI allegations led Quebec author from prestigious awards to losing his publisher

Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026

MONTREAL - A few weeks ago, Haitian-born Quebec author Thélyson Orélien was collecting award nominations as his book topped bestseller lists. Then, allegations that he used artificial intelligence to write his debut novel, “C’était ça ou mourir” (“It was either that or dying”), started cropping up.

On Wednesday, his Quebec publisher announced it was cutting ties with the author after it found evidence it says indicates he used artificial intelligence to write his book. 

Here is a timeline of the rise of Orélien’s book and the mounting accusations that followed.

2017: Orélien said he began writing his book in 2017 in Laval, north of Montreal.

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Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026

National

Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages Marc Miller speaks with reporters before caucus on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Miller says government moving quickly but no timeline for new digital regulator

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Miller says government moving quickly but no timeline for new digital regulator

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026

MONTREAL - Culture Minister Marc Miller says while he shares concerns about how long the government’s new digital regulator will take to set up, he’s unable to say exactly when that will happen.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Miller said the government is moving as quickly as possible on digital safety bill C-34, which includes a ban on social media for kids.

Miller spoke at McGill University's Democracy, Rebuilt conference in Montreal on Thursday. The conference also heard from Alex Munter, head of the Canadian Medical Association, who said he was concerned about the timeline.

When the bill was introduced, government officials said it would take 18 months to set up the regulator. The bill would be administered by the new Digital Safety and Data Protection Commission of Canada.

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Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026

Entertainment

FILE - Visitors to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston view Vincent van Gogh's painting,

New study traces van Gogh’s famed ‘Starry Night’ to an actual night sky from 1889

Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

New study traces van Gogh’s famed ‘Starry Night’ to an actual night sky from 1889

Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press 4 minute read Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Scientists doubling as art detectives have traced Vincent van Gogh’s “ The Starry Night ” to a celestial scene that suggests a new date for one of the world’s most famous paintings.

Their findings indicate that rather than being a product of van Gogh’s imagination, “The Starry Night” may have been inspired by what he saw as he gazed heavenward from his French asylum 137 years ago.

A South Korean team reported Thursday that after years of forensic astronomy and research into the Dutch artist, they have matched his masterpiece to a predawn sky over France’s Saint-Remy de Provence right around July 22, 1889.

That’s a month later than the long-accepted time frame for the postimpressionist painting depicting a crescent moon and Venus surrounded by a sky of swirling stars with a village nestled below and cypress trees looming on one side.

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Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026

Entertainment

Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation Evan Solomon makes his way to a meeting of the Liberal caucus on Parliament Hill on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Some government websites taken down in response to security risk: AI minister

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Some government websites taken down in response to security risk: AI minister

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026

OTTAWA - Some government websites have been taken down temporarily as a precaution against a security risk, Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon said Wednesday.

In a social media post, Solomon said the websites went dark to protect government systems and Canadians' information following guidance from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security.

He said it is being done in response to a vulnerability identified in PHP, a widely used programming language.

"This is a global issue, and other governments and organizations are also taking protective measures," he said.

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Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026

Entertainment

Author Thélyson Orélien is shown in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — Francois Couture (Mandatory Credit)

Publisher cuts ties with Quebec author after saying it found evidence of AI use

Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Publisher cuts ties with Quebec author after saying it found evidence of AI use

Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026

MONTREAL - A Quebec publishing house is cutting ties with author Thélyson Orélien after saying it found evidence he used artificial intelligence to write his debut novel.

Les Éditions du Boréal said in a press release that analysis of some documents' metadata indicated AI was used while writing the book. 

The publisher said it will not reprint the book or publish more books by Orélien.

Orélien did not respond to The Canadian Press' request for comment.

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Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026

Business

Fall Movie Preview: In an AI world, Laika makes handmade wonders – and ‘Wildwood’

Jake Coyle, The Associated Press 6 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — Travis Knight, the chief executive of the stop-motion animation studio Laika, wasn’t prepared for the response to the teaser for his new film, “Wildwood.”

Almost immediately, it went viral. The early trailer rapidly gained more than 90 million views on YouTube, galvanized by people awed by the apparent scale and emotional depth of Laika’s most ambitious film yet. Sample comment: “AI is the future. Laika: Hold my meticulously handcrafted stop motion beer.”

“People that I worked with — hardened industry folks with wizened black husks of hearts — were sending me text messages: ‘Jesus Christ, your trailer just made me cry,’” Knight says, chuckling.

Why did Knight's strange, indie stop-motion animated movie resonate so strongly?

National

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen speaks at the Global Business Forum in Banff, Alta., Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Carney appoints astronaut Jeremy Hansen to advise government on new space strategy

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Carney appoints astronaut Jeremy Hansen to advise government on new space strategy

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed Jeremy Hansen as a special adviser on space — just as the United States takes note of Canada's efforts to shift its space partnerships toward Europe.

"I'm just super excited to serve Canada in that role," Hansen said in a video he posted Tuesday on social media.

"There's so much opportunity to leverage this position that we're already in, to do more to provide for our sovereignty, our security, our quality of life on the planet, and at the same time make significant contributions on the global stage."

The role involves advising Carney and Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, Hansen said.

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Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026

Business

FILE - The Netflix logo is displayed on the company's website on Feb. 2, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Netflix posts higher Q3 profit but revenue growth worries pull shares lower

Barbara Ortutay And Michelle Chapman, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Netflix posts higher Q3 profit but revenue growth worries pull shares lower

Barbara Ortutay And Michelle Chapman, The Associated Press 3 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026

Netflix, which announced layoff plans last week, posted a third-quarter profit above Wall Street's expectations, but investors sent shares down after the streaming company lowered its ad sales guidance, prompting worries about slowing revenue growth.

Netflix said Tuesday it earned $3.66 billion, or 87 cents per share, for the July-September period. That's up 44% from $2.55 billion, or 59 cents per share, a year earlier.

Revenue rose 12% to $12.87 billion from $11.51 billion.

Analysts surveyed by FactSet predicted earnings of 82 cents per share on revenue of $12.87 billion.

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Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026

Local

This photo provided by NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona, taken with NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows Phobos, one of Mars' moons, on March 23, 2008. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona via AP)

Japan launches spacecraft to mysterious moons of Mars in a bold mission to bring home soil samples

Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Japan launches spacecraft to mysterious moons of Mars in a bold mission to bring home soil samples

Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press 5 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026

A Japanese spacecraft rocketed toward Mars on Tuesday on a quest to explore its mysterious moons and bring back samples.

Five of the world’s space agencies joined forces for the five-year mission that will attempt to land a robotic prospector plus a rover on Phobos, the larger and closer of Mars’ two pint-sized moons.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, which is leading the bold sampling effort, launched the spacecraft before dawn from the country's main spaceport on Tanegashima Island. Officials declared success an hour later when the spacecraft separated as planned from the rocket's upper stage. Flight controllers burst into applause and jumped to their feet, shaking hands and embracing.

No one has managed to get samples from Mars or its moons yet

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Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026

Business

A translator looks on during a news conference in Ottawa on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Union calls out Carney government over cuts to translation bureau

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Union calls out Carney government over cuts to translation bureau

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026

OTTAWA - A federal union is speaking out against cuts to the federal translation bureau and is accusing the Carney government of hypocrisy as Ottawa defends French language standards in trade talks with the U.S.

The translation bureau is a federal government service under Public Services and Procurement Canada that provides translation and interpretation services to departments and private clients.

A government document containing highlights of the translation bureau’s business plan for 2025 to 2030 says the bureau plans to drop 339 employees through natural attrition over five years to ensure its financial viability.

Attrition is the gradual reduction of positions through retirements and resignations.

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Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026

Local

Steve Verheul, Canada's former chief trade negotiator, attends a Canada-U.S. relations meeting at the Ontario Investment and Trade Centre in Toronto on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

U.S. won’t drop digital issues in trade talks: former negotiator

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

U.S. won’t drop digital issues in trade talks: former negotiator

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026

OTTAWA - While digital issues will continue to be a source of trade tensions with the United States, Canada can gain strength if it teams up with other allies that have similar interests, Canada's former chief trade negotiator said Monday.

Steve Verheul said the United States won’t simply drop issues like the Online News Act and digital sovereignty that it has identified as trade irritants.

"They've listed them as fairly fundamental concerns that they have and tend to pursue," he said at the Canadian Chapter of the International Institute of Communications conference in Ottawa.

"The Online Streaming Act, the Online News Act, the sovereign cloud issue, control over data in Canada more broadly, that's where the real battleground going forward with the U.S. is going to be on these kinds of issues."

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Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026

Business

President Donald Trump, left, looks at Dario Amodei, CEO and co-founder of Anthropic as he speaks with reporters outside the West Wing of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

News publishers launch copyright suit against AI company Anthropic in Ontario

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

News publishers launch copyright suit against AI company Anthropic in Ontario

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Monday, Oct. 19, 2026

OTTAWA - A coalition of news publishers that includes Canada’s largest newspapers is suing the AI company Anthropic in an Ontario court.

Postmedia, Torstar, The Globe and Mail and The Canadian Press say Anthropic infringed on their copyright by using their content to develop its large language AI model Claude.

"Anthropic has capitalized on the commercial success of its AI models, building an expansive suite of services, and raised significant capital — all without obtaining a valid licence from any of the News Media Companies," says the statement of claim.

"In doing so, Anthropic has been substantially and unjustly enriched to the detriment of the News Media Companies."

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Monday, Oct. 19, 2026

Entertainment

Author Thélyson Orélien is shown in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — Francois Couture (Mandatory Credit)

Quebec author abandons effort to document novel’s origins amid AI allegations

Charlotte Glorieux, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Quebec author abandons effort to document novel’s origins amid AI allegations

Charlotte Glorieux, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026

MONTREAL - Quebec author Thélyson Orélien has abandoned efforts to compile evidence supporting his denial that artificial intelligence was used to write his novel, his publisher has confirmed.

The decision ends an effort previously disclosed by his publisher, Éditions du Boréal, to document how "C'était ça ou mourir," which translates to "It was either that or dying," was written, leaving questions about whether AI was used to write the novel unresolved even as the publisher continues to sell it.

In an email to The Canadian Press, Éditions du Boréal provided comments attributed to its co-director, Renaud Roussel, confirming that Orélien decided to end the effort.

"The publishing house supported him in this process, which he chose to end," Roussel said.

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Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026

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