The death toll from the coronavirus in the U.S. has climbed to nine, with tensions rising over how to contain the outbreak. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are expressing doubts about the government's ability to ramp up testing fast enough to deal with the crisis. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve has announced the biggest interest-rate cut in over a decade to try to fend off damage to the economy. And health officials are trying to ease shortages of face masks by giving the OK to medical workers to use industrial-grade ones.

The death toll from tornadoes that ripped across Tennessee has climbed to at least 22. The storms struck early Tuesday as families slept. The twisters shredded more than 140 buildings and buried people in piles of rubble and wrecked basements. Authorities say many of the victims were hit before they could even get out of bed. Daybreak revealed landscapes littered with blown-down walls and roofs, snapped power lines and huge broken trees. Schools, courts, transit lines and the state capitol were closed. More than a dozen polling stations were also damaged, forcing Super Tuesday voters to wait

The B.C. government has announced five days of paid leave for workers fleeing domestic and sexual violence. The ministries of labour, finance and the gender equity office made the announcement this morning in Victoria. The new legislation also covers parents of a child or dependent impacted by domestic or sexual violence. Tracy Porteous, the executive director of the Ending Violence Association of British Columbia says survivors of such violence face many difficulties but having informed and respectful people and processes in place to offer assistance will give them time to heal.

Another case of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, has been identified in British Columbia. B.C.'s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, says the man, in his 50's, returned from Iran last week and began to feel ill. He is in isolation at home in the Fraser Health region and Henry says he, his family and close contacts are all being monitored. Ontario reported two more cases of the virus this morning and those, along with the latest B.C. case, have pushed the total number of COVID-19 illnesses in Canada to 30.

Police say one man suffered minor injuries when his car and several police cruisers collided numerous times at the end of a brief pursuit in Vancouver.It happened just after 2 a.m. when Const. Tania Visintin says officers tried to pull over a suspicious vehicle believed to be linked to break-ins on the city's west side. Visintin says in an email that the driver sped away, ignoring the lights and sirens.The 38 year old Vancouver man was stopped a short distance away after what Visintin describes as "a number of collisions" with the cruisers.The car and cruisers were badly damaged but Visintin s

A landlord who accused his former tenant of smoking pot when she was actually burning sage has been ordered to pay her more than $23,000.Crystal Smith filed a discrimination complaint against Parminder Mohan after he tried to evict her in 2017 and made derogatory comments about her Indigenous background.The BC Human Rights Tribunal has determined the mother of two never should have been harassed for performing smudging ceremonies in her Burnaby home.The spiritual cleansing is a cultural tradition.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government is working with the international community to make sure it does everything that is necessary to ensure Canadians are kept safe from the novel coronavirus.Trudeau says the risks in Canada remain low, but says people should take the same precautions that they do during flu season like frequent hand washing to help keep themselves safe.Health officials have recorded at least 27 cases in Canada so far, with Ontario reporting the highest number at 18.Trudeau says Canada has been following the recommendations of the World Health Organization.The pri

A Delhi court on March 02 stayed the execution of all the 4 convicts in 2012 Delhi gang-rape case and deferred the matter for further orders. Speaking on the development, Nirbhaya's mother, Asha Devi said, "Why is the court taking so much time to execute its own order to hang the convicts? Repeated postponing of the execution shows the failure of our system. Our entire system supports criminals."

The RCMP says a teenage male was arrested and released with a future court date after a suspected arson at a Canadian National Railway building in northwest British Columbia. Cpl. Devon Gerrits of the Prince Rupert RCMP says the investigation is ongoing and charges haven't been laid yet against the youth, who is under 18. Gerrits says the incident is not associated with protests in support of Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs who oppose a pipeline in northern B.C. He says the Prince Rupert Fire Department called the RCMP around 4:45 p.m. Sunday about a structure fire on Bill Murray Drive close t