Politics

Politics


Tennessee governor, music leaders launch push to protect songwriters and other artists against AI

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Wednesday unveiled new legislation designed to protect songwriters, performers and other music industry professionals against the potential dangers of artificial intelligence. Lee made the announcement while standing in the middle of Nashville’s famed RCA Studio A, a location where legends such as Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson […]

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LGBTQ+ advocates’ lawsuit says Louisiana transgender care ban violates the state constitution

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A lawsuit to block enforcement of Louisiana’s new ban on transgender health care procedures for anyone under 18 was announced Monday by LGBTQ+ advocates. The lawsuit was prepared by Lambda Legal and others on behalf of five Louisiana minors and their parents, identified in the filings by pseudonyms. Lambda Legal said […]

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Initial foreign interference inquiry hearings to weigh confidentiality of information

A federal inquiry into foreign interference says its initial hearings will help identify ways to make information public, even though much of it will originate from classified documents and sources. In a public notice, the inquiry says the five days of hearings on national security and confidentiality of information, to begin Jan. 29, will help […]

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Amid push for foreign registry, many say other measures needed to fight interference

For more than a year, Canada has been mulling the creation of a foreign agent registry to fight interference in the country’s democratic processes. The Liberal government and even some firm supporters of the idea acknowledge such a registry would be just one of several tools to prevent hostile actors from meddling in Canadian affairs. […]

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‘Pushed down our throats’: Letters detail school pronoun concerns in Saskatchewan

REGINA — The Saskatchewan government received 18 official complaints in the summer before it implemented a rule preventing most children from changing their names or pronouns at school without parental consent. The emails, recently obtained by The Canadian Press through an access-to-information request, were received in June and July and offer a first look into […]

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Climate change could be avenue for adversaries to harm Canada, spy service warns

OTTAWA — Canada’s spy service warns that dramatic shifts caused by climate change and the ensuing fractious upheaval around the world could leave Canada vulnerable, imperilling its food and water supplies, energy security and Arctic sovereignty. Global warming will threaten security as countries and other actors seek to either bolster their economic positions or exploit […]

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Another beluga dies at Marineland, bringing total whale deaths to 15 since 2019

Another beluga whale has died at Marineland, bringing the number of whales that have died at the Niagara Falls, Ont., tourist attraction to 15 over the past four years. The province’s Animal Welfare Services has been investigating Marineland since it took over animal cruelty enforcement in 2020. “The ministry is aware of the death of […]

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Senate bill would require age verification for Canadians accessing porn sites

A Senate bill that would require Canadians to verify their age to access internet porn is proceeding without the support of the Liberal government, which warns the bill does too little to protect children from online harm.  Sen. Julie Miville-Dechêne, an Independent Senators Group member and sponsor of the bill, said she can’t understand why […]

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Ontario reversing course on Region of Peel dissolution, cites tax hike concerns

TORONTO — Ontario reversed course Wednesday on its plan to dissolve the Region of Peel, citing concerns about tax hikes in an about-face that has come to typify the latter half of the year for Premier Doug Ford’s government, in particular on the housing file. A transition board that has been working on the dissolution […]

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“Alarming” number of deportations caused by Canada’s restrictive immigration system, advocates say

Canada’s cumbersome immigration system is leading to an “alarming” number of migrants being deported every day back to potentially dangerous situations, advocates have revealed. The Migrant Rights Network released data last week showing at least 39 people were deported daily in the first half of 2023, despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2021 mandate letter calling […]

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AI generated hoaxes pose a ‘persistent threat’ to public safety: intel analysis

OTTAWA — Violent extremists who lack the means to carry out an attack in Canada could compensate by perpetrating hoaxes with the help of artificial intelligence, says a newly released analysis. The May report by the federal Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre, obtained through the Access to Information Act, warns that such visual trickery, known as […]

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AI systems ‘can be weaponized,’ warns top U.S. cyber official in promoting safeguards

OTTAWA — Top cybersecurity officials are urging technology firms to bake safeguards into the futuristic artificial intelligence systems they’re cooking up, to prevent them from being sabotaged or misused for malicious purposes. Without the right guardrails, it will be easier for rogue nations, terrorists and others to exploit rapidly emerging AI systems to commit cyberattacks […]

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