The head of the World Health Organization says it's important to step up genomic sequencing to detect a COVID-19 variant worldwide that has cropped up in parts of Canada. New variants discovered this month appear to be more infectious and have triggered sweeping travel restrictions. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the new variants are cause for concern. He says variants will only be found if countries are testing effectively. Canadian health officials report a more contagious new strain of the novel coronavirus virus was found in three parts of the country. The variant first seen i

The man who planted a bomb in Nashville on Christmas told a neighbour days earlier that, "Nashville and the world is never going to forget me." Now that investigators have identified Anthony Quinn Warner they are trying to learn his motive. David Rausch of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says hundreds of tips have been submitted to law enforcement agencies in the past few days. Warner died in his own blast. The explosion injured three people and severely damaged dozens of downtown buildings.

Four people, two of whom are in critical condition, were taken to hospital after a crash Sunday morning in Coquitlam, B.C. B.C. Emergency Health Services says they received a call for a collision on Highway 1 near Brunette Ave. A spokeswoman says four patients were treated at the scene. Two were taken to hospital in critical condition, while the other two were taken in stable condition. The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says the incident has the on and off ramps, as well as the overpass, closed at the Brunette exit. The affected ramps and overpass were closed for several hours

A pedestrian has died after being struck by a vehicle on Boxing Day in Richmond, B.C. Mounties say they were called at about 5:30 p.m. on Saturday after a woman was struck while crossing an intersection at a cross walk. The victim was taken to hospital, where she died from her injuries. RCMP say the driver is cooperation, and alcohol and speed have been ruled out as factors contributing to the crash. Const. Kenneth Lau says in a statement that road conditions are not ideal at this time of year, and asks drivers to slow down and look out for pedestrians. The RCMP's Criminal Collision Investiga

More than 15,000 Canadians have now died of COVID-19. The death toll reached 15,001 this morning as Quebec reported another 2,265 infections and 37 deaths. But it is likely higher than that because Ontario did not report its latest numbers today. Quebec has reported 8,060 deaths since the start of the pandemic. The rollout of vaccines is continuing across the country, with doses of the Moderna shots due to be delivered in Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunuvut today.

Citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, who was detained in May for her live stream reporting from Wuhan over COVID-19, has been sentenced to four years of imprisonment on Monday, Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) reported.She has been convicted of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" for her reporting in the chaotic initial stages of the outbreak. Dozens of her supporters and diplomats gathered outside Shanghai Pudong New District People's Court on Monday morning before the trial began, according to HKFP. The police, however, pushed journalists and observers away from the entrance. The New York Times re

A huge study of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine candidate is getting underway in the US today. This is the fifth drug to reach final-stage testing south of the border. About 30,000 volunteers are needed to prove if this vaccine, which is a different kind than its Pfizer and Moderna competitors, really works and is safe. "If you want to have enough vaccine to vaccinate all the people in the U.S. who you'd like to vaccinate, up to 85% or more of the population, you're going to need more than two companies,'' Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, told The Associated Press.The N

British Columbia health officials are reporting the province's first knowncase of the U.K. COVID-19 variant. The affected individual returned from the U.K. on Dec. 15 to their home in the Island Health authority. The person tested positive four days later after developing symptoms during their quarantine. Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry say in a joint statement that the variant strain was detected through testing by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. They say it's important to note that although the U.K. variant can spread faster, there's no ind

Representatives of around 25 farmer organisations on Monday gave a memorandum to Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in support of the new farm laws.Today representatives from different farmers organizations from all over the country gave memorandum in support of the new farm bills and said these are in the interest of farmers and should not be taken back. They also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The farmer delegations met Tomar to convey support for the laws ahead of the next round of talks between the government and protesting farmers on December 30.The protesting farmers