Here’s a little bit of music psychology. Studies on the power of opinion have found that you are more likely to say that you like a song if you know other people like it. Here’s a sample of one of those studies from Columbia University.

They found 14,000 individual people to sample downloads of 48 unknown songs, tracks no one in the study had ever heard before. And this is important: everyone could see what everyone else was downloading. When all the results were tallied up, there was broad agreement about which songs were best, and it seems that the quality of the music had nothing to do with it. It was all about what other people said they liked as they sought validation for their choices.

It’s a complete bandwagon effect, a herd mentality.  Weird, huh? But somehow, deep down inside, you probably knew that.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

If you’re of a certain age, you’ll remember the old-style non-digital jukebox. They used to be in bars and restaurants everywhere. It was usually a big metal-and-plastic-and-glass box more than half the size of a refrigerator, made by companies with names like Wurlitzer and Seeburg, that was essentially a coin-operated record player.

A typical jukebox could hold (at most) a couple hundred seven-inch singles. A single play of a song used to cost a nickel, then a dime and maybe three for a quarter. They were big, clunky, needed lots of servicing, and really didn’t sound all that good because the speakers tended to be terrible and could only reproduce music in mono. But in the era before personal music devices, they were tremendously popular, responsible for millions of dollars in revenue for operators, record labels and publishers. For example, the first music charts were largely based on the number of jukebox plays a record got.

Now these old machines are highly collectible and often sell for thousands upon thousands of dollars.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

One person is dead and police remain on scene following an officer-involved shooting in southeast Calgary overnight Tuesday.

Police said they received a call around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday to attend a home located on the 200 block of Legacy Circle. Police have not said what the call was reporting.

Police have not released details of the response but said the person they were responding for has died.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team has taken over the investigation.

Neighbours in the area told Global News they were woken up between 2:30 and 3 a.m. on Wednesday and asked to evacuate due to a gas leak. They were allowed back in their homes a short time later.

While details are sparse, Nate Nicker, who lives on the same street, said Calgary police and emergency services have become a common sight in the community.

“I’ve seen on this street a number of times,” he said. “I wasn’t really sure what that was all about.”

But for others, the incident has left them shaken.

“It’s terrible,” Jeremy Siemens said. “It’s not what you think.”

Calgary police said an update will be given later Wednesday.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Prime Minister Mark Carney stressed the importance of a “united Team Canada approach” in phone calls with other party leaders on Tuesday about the state of trade talks with the United States.

The Prime Minister’s Office published a readout of the calls that said Carney briefed the Opposition leaders about Canada’s new measures responding to an escalating trade war with the United States.

“The Prime Minister and the leaders discussed the ongoing response and underscored the importance of a united Team Canada approach as Canada works to protect jobs, build the economy, and stand up for Canadian interests,” the statement read.

NDP Leader Avi Lewis, who does not hold a seat in Parliament, also received a call.

He said in a statement Tuesday that he reiterated the NDP’s support for Canada “walking away from a bad deal” on the call and that he welcomed the government’s relief measures as a first step to assist workers and industries.

“However, more action is required to make sure workers get the support they need and that we’re responding at scale and speed to the U.S. economic attacks,” he said.

Lewis said the NDP are calling for an export tax on critical minerals and energy that the U.S. depends on, strengthening EI and supports to help workers in tariff-affected sectors.

“This should include wage subsidies with strong guardrails to prevent their misuse by employers,” he said. “We cannot afford a repeat of what happened during the pandemic, when corporations received wage subsidies only to award bonuses and dividends to their CEOs and shareholders. The money must be used for keeping workers employed.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre spoke to reporters in Windsor on Friday ahead of his scheduled call with Carney. He said that he would work with the government and other parties to respond to U.S. President Donald Trump’s “unjustified” tariffs.

He said Ottawa’s response to U.S. trade aggression should be judged by the cost to families and workers’ jobs.

Poilievre reiterated calls for the Liberals to recall Parliament and release the text of the proposed deal that Canada’s trade team walked away from last week.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said in a statement in French that Carney told him that his preference is to no longer discuss any compromises regarding supply management.

He also said the Bloc would start conversations when Parliament resumes about sustainable funding for Quebec and Canadian broadcasting and cultural production.

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne and other cabinet ministers on Friday announced new retaliatory tariffs on a range of U.S. goods and hiked existing duties on steel and aluminum to 50 per cent. They also unveiled a $7.5-billion support package for businesses affected by the U.S. duties or counter-tariffs.

Poilievre on Friday also invoked former prime minister Stephen Harper when he called for Ottawa to develop a new “economic action plan” — the same branding the former Conservative leader used to push his economic agenda.

Poilievre’s pitch for that plan includes cutting the industrial carbon tax and other levies on fuel, and he repeated a Conservative campaign pledge from the 2025 federal election to waive capital gains taxes on any proceeds reinvested in Canada.

“We cannot have any more tinkering, administrative adjustments, all wrapped in big speeches and fancy announcements. We need real action,” Poilievre said.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Two Air Canada employees have been arrested in connection with a drug trafficking probe at the Montreal–Trudeau International Airport.

RCMP said in a news release Wednesday that search warrants were being executed at two homes and a vehicle in the Greater Montreal area, as well as the employees’ work base in Dorval.

The two suspects hold various positions related to ground operations at Air Canada, the RCMP said. The airline is assisting in the probe.

The investigation began in May after the Canada Border Services Agency intercepted 62.5 kg of cocaine concealed in backpacks on a flight from Punta Cana. Officials also seized 56 kg of cannabis.

The suspects “are alleged to have participated in a conspiracy to bring and move luggage through secure areas of the airport to facilitate the importation of cocaine and the exportation of cannabis,” RCMP said.

“The two individuals arrested will be questioned and released pending further proceedings… Analysis of the evidence collected could lead to additional arrests and the laying of charges.”

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Meta Platforms META.O agreed to pay a maximum $16.68 billion as part of a settlement to resolve claims brought by states across the country that the company designed Facebook and Instagram to addict children, misled consumers about their safety, and improperly collected personal data of children who used its platforms, court papers show.

The settlement was reached during a California federal trial over claims brought by 29 states, averting one of the highest-profile tests yet of allegations that social media companies harmed young users.

Meta also agreed to make changes for teenage users of Facebook and Instagram nationwide, including daily usage limits and nighttime blocks, court papers show.

The Menlo Park, California-based company denied wrongdoing in agreeing to settle.

Shares of Meta rose 4.4 per cent in pre-market trading.

The claims were part of a broader wave of litigation brought by states, local governments, school districts and individuals alleging Meta and other social media companies fueled a nationwide youth mental health crisis.

The federal trial covered claims from California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey that Meta violated their state laws protecting consumers.

It also covered claims from 29 states that Meta ⁠violated the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting personal data from users it knew were children without parental notification or consent, and using the data to train machine learning and generative AI models.

Meta has denied the allegations, saying it has worked hard to protect children on its platforms. The company had argued it could not have misled consumers about whether its services were addictive because “social media addiction” is not a recognized psychiatric condition.

In a filing before the trial, Meta said California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey were seeking up to $1.4 trillion in penalties. The states suggested before the trial began that the figure would be closer to $200 billion. The states were also seeking additional monetary damages, plus an order directing Meta to make major changes to its platforms and to bar children from creating accounts.

Meta, Snapchat and its parent Snap SNAP.N, YouTube and its parent Alphabet GOOGL.O, and TikTok and its parent ByteDance still face thousands of lawsuits in federal and state courts over claims they knowingly designed their platforms to have features that are addictive to children and teens, fueling a mental health crisis.

The federal cases were consolidated before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, and include lawsuits brought by individuals, school districts and state governments.

Thousands more cases against the companies are pending in state courts. A judge in Los Angeles is overseeing thousands of lawsuits brought by individuals who say they or their loved ones were harmed by the platforms’ designs.

Around 30 states have filed lawsuits against the companies in state courts, court records show. A trial has been ongoing in Nashville since July over claims brought by the state against Meta.

The settlement comes after Meta lost both phases of a landmark lawsuit brought by New Mexico. A jury in March ordered it to pay $375 million after finding it had misled consumers about the safety of its platforms. On August 6, a judge found Meta had created a public nuisance and ordered it to pay an additional $567 million and implement youth-safety measures.

Also in March, the first trial over an individual’s claims against Meta and Google ended with a verdict in the plaintiff’s favor. A Los Angeles jury found the companies liable for plaintiff Kaley G.M.’s depression and anxiety and ordered them to pay a combined $6 million in damages.

The companies have said they will appeal those verdicts.

All four companies settled the first case set for trial in federal court, where a Kentucky school district alleged they were liable for harm to students. Breathitt County School District was set to receive a combined $27 million, public records showed.

© 2026 Reuters

Dubai International Airport, one of the world’s busiest hubs, said Wednesday it saw a sharp drop in passengers during the second quarter as the Iran war disrupted air travel and prompted many travellers to choose routes that avoided the Middle East.

The airport recorded 13 million passengers during the second quarter, following 31.5 million passengers in the first half. That was a 31.3 per cent drop over passenger traffic in the first half of 2025, the airport said.

Air traffic in the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere in the Gulf region was disrupted by shutdowns and restrictions after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. The Dubai airport itself suffered minor damage in attacks from Iran.

Aircraft movements totaled 150,600 in the first half, down 32.1 per cent year on year, with only 62,500 in the second quarter, the airport said.

CEO Paul Griffiths noted, however, there has been a steady increase in passenger volume each month in the second quarter, and said the momentum is expected to continue.

“The events of the disruption, which lasted two months, that had an impact on traffic,” Griffiths told The Associated Press. “However, the trajectory now is universally positive.”

He said the airport was waiting for overseas airlines, particularly from Europe, to restart operations.

“I’m very confident we’ll be back to full operation in a very short space of time,” he said.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

A fire triggered by an exploding air conditioner killed 14 newborns in a hospital nursery in the capital of Pakistan on Wednesday, officials said.

One baby of the 15 who were in the nursery at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences was rescued, the hospital said.

Television footage showed rescue workers using ladders to reach the third-floor nursery through broken windows. Grieving parents and relatives gathered at the hospital, some weeping while others demanded answers about how the fire began and whether the nursery had adequate firefighting equipment.

The government has opened an investigation, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered Health Secretary Aslam Ghauri, the Health Ministry’s highest civil servant, to be removed from office.

A woman who identified herself as Mrs. Mohammad Sami said she gave birth three days earlier and her baby was receiving intensive care in the nursery when the fire broke out.

“I don’t know what to say or whom to blame,” she said through tears. “I have lost my child.”

The fire was confined to the nursery at the institute, which is one of Islamabad’s largest public hospitals. The rest of the facility was unaffected with no other injuries reported, according to hospital officials and witnesses. The blaze was later extinguished, Islamabad Chief Commissioner Suhail Ashraf said.

It was among Pakistan’s deadliest recent tragedies involving children. In June, 14 schoolchildren were killed when the roof of a tutoring center under construction collapsed in the eastern city of Lahore.

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, who confirmed the death toll, told the Geo News channel that he was traveling from Karachi to Islamabad to oversee the investigation.

Dr. Aneeza Jalil, a hospital spokesperson, said a doctor rescued one baby. She said the bodies of six babies had been handed over to their families, while the remaining bodies would be released soon.

The Islamabad district magistrate appointed a fact-finding committee and asked it to submit a report within 24 hours. The panel will investigate the cause of the fire and its spread, determine whether adequate fire-safety measures were in place, and evaluate the emergency response, according to a government order.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Sharif, the prime minister, expressed sorrow over the fire.

“A tragedy involving children is an irreparable loss,” said Sharif, who held a high-level meeting with officials from relevant agencies hours after the fire.

President Asif Ali Zardari also offered condolences to the families, describing the deaths as “heartbreaking and an irreparable loss.” He called for those responsible to be brought to justice and urged hospitals to ensure effective fire-safety measures and emergency procedures.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

The RCMP is asking for the public’s assistance in locating a cabin that was stolen from northern New Brunswick.

Officials said they believe the cabin was stolen at the end of June on Rang 9 & 10 Road in Kedgwick, N.B.

The cabin has a metal roof and board and batten siding.

Anyone who has seen the cabin, or who may have information about its whereabouts, is asked to contact police.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Alberta’s Opposition leader says now is not the time to hold a referendum on leaving Canada as the country wages a consequential trade war with its southern neighbors.

NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi says Premier Danielle Smith needs to cancel it or, at the very least, postpone it.

“It’s time to call off the referendum,” Nenshi told reporters Tuesday in Calgary.

“The premier’s pandering to separatists just shows weakness; it shows that Canada is not united.”

Albertans are to vote Oct. 19 in a provincial referendum that asks whether the government should start the legal process to hold a future binding vote on separating from Canada.

Nenshi said Canada has to send a message of unity as it resumes the trade war with the United States.

The US has levied import fees on $28 billion worth of Canadian goods, with Canada announcing counter-tariffs that are to kick in Sept. 8 on an array of items, ranging from American steel and aluminum products to video game consoles and fishing rods.

When asked for a response to Nenshi, Smith’s office referred to the premier’s comments on her radio talk show last weekend. Smith said the thousands of referendum will continue, because hundreds of citizens have signed petitions demanding a resolution.

“Citizens signed one of two petitions saying they wanted to have this question now, and that’s what the vote is going to be on Oct. 19,” Smith said Saturday.

“I think we need to make sure that we are clear about what Albertans want us to do. That’s part of the reason why we’re having the vote.”

Smith has said she’ll personally be voting to remain in Canada.

Nenshi’s criticism piggybacks on comments last week from Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.

St-Pierre Plamondon said if his separatist party takes office in the Quebec general election in October, he would postpone a promised referendum on secession until the end of US President Donald Trump’s presidency.

The unpredictable nature of the Trump administration could harm Quebec’s referendum process and discussions about the province’s future, St-Pierre Plamondon said.

Trump is about midway through his four-year mandate.

The Alberta NDP has accused Smith of holding a separatist vote not to resolve a profound question preoccupying Albertans, but rather to place hardline separatists in her United Conservative Party.

That contrasts with the long-standing separatism concerns of Quebecers, said Nenshi.

“If real separatists (in Quebec) understand the danger of doing this, how come a separatist of convenience, like Danielle Smith, doesn’t understand that danger?” he said.

The battle for hearts and minds of Albertans ahead of the referendum has seen groups on both sides organize advocacy campaigns.

That includes two former Alberta political foes.

Former NDP premier Rachel Notley and ex-UCP premier Jason Kenney announced are co-chairing a Canadian Chamber of Commerce campaign to encourage Alberta stay in Canada.

Both say they have had their differences but agree on the value of Alberta staying in Confederation.

© 2026 The Canadian Press