The global death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to reach one-million sometime today, based on the official tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. But experts believe the true number is much higher, considering the difficulties in testing and identifying virus-related deaths early in the health crisis. The grim milestone also comes at a time when many countries are either approaching or are in the midst of a second wave of COVID-19. The US already has surpassed 200,000 virus-related deaths, with the CDC warning tens of thousands more Americans could die as the weather gets colder

A Quebec woman accused of sending a ricin-laced threat to President Donald Trump has been ordered to remain in U.S. custody. District Court Judge Kenneth Schroeder Jr. says Pascale Ferrier was clearly capable of causing harm when she tried to cross the Canada-U. S. border last week. Ferrier, 53, was arrested while attempting to enter the United States at the Peace Bridge border crossing in Buffalo. Timothy Lynch of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Buffalo says Ferrier had a semi-automatic handgun and 294 rounds of ammunition at the time. Lynch also says experts in Canada found traces of ricin in

Breonna Taylor's family and their lawyers are sharply criticizing Kentucky's attorney general for the failure to bring charges against police officers in her death. At a news conference Friday, they called for state Attorney General Daniel Cameron to release the transcripts of the grand jury proceeding.They are also vowing to continue their protests until the officers are charged. Taylor's mother said in a statement read by a relative to a gathering in Louisville that she did not expect justice from Cameron. A spokesperson for Cameron said prosecutors and grand jury members are bound by the f

Authorities are pleading for calm while activists are vowing to fight on in Kentucky's largest city after a gunman wounded two police officers during anguished protests over the decision not to charge officers for killing Breonna Taylor. A new round of demonstrations in U.S. cities was set off by outrage over a grand jury's failure to bring homicide charges against the officers who burst into the Black woman's apartment six months ago. The state attorney general said the investigation showed officers were acting in self-defence when they responded to gunfire from Taylor's boyfriend. Louisvill

President Donald Trump was booed as he paid respects to late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Trump and first lady Melania Trump, both wearing masks, went to the court Thursday and stood silently at the top of the steps of the court and looked down at Ginsburg's flag-draped coffin. Ginsburg's death has sparked a controversy over the balance of the court just weeks before the November presidential election. Trump is expected to name a replacement on Saturday. Moments after Trump arrived at the court, booing could be heard from spectators who then chanted ``Vote him out.''

Officials say the Taliban have killed 28 Afghan policemen in a series of attacks on security checkpoints in southern Uruzgan province. A Taliban spokesman says the group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. He says the attacks were carried out late on Tuesday after the police refused to surrender. The violence comes even as Taliban leaders and Afghan government-appointed negotiators are holding historic peace talks in Qatar, a Mideast country where the Taliban have set up a political office after the U.S. led invasion toppled them from power in Afghanistan. The negotiations are meant t

In the eight months since the first COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the U-S, there have been more than 200-thousand deaths linked to the virus. The grim milestone was confirmed today by Johns Hopkins University, which has been keeping a tally on both deaths and cases of COVID-19 recorded around the world. It is by far the highest confirmed death toll from the virus in the world, with Brazil in second place with 137,272, followed by India with 88,935. But experts say the true number is likely even higher, given thatmany COVID-19 deaths were likely recorded as the result of other causes.

Mexican authorities say seizures of the synthetic opioid fentanyl so far this year are 465% higher than in 2019, but progress against the other big Mexican export to the U.S. market, methamphetamines, is slower. The Defence Department said seizures of meth in Mexico rose by only 32.8% between Jan. 1 and Sept. 16, but busts of meth labs dropped 51% compared to the same period of last year. In a similar pattern, Mexico's seizures of cocaine rose by 46%, but seizures of key transport methods like boats and clandestine landing strips were down by 64% and 79%, respectively.

A firefighter has died battling a wildfire in California that officials say was sparked by a device used to reveal a baby's gender. The U.S. Forest Service says the death happened Thursday in the San Bernardino National Forest as crews battled the El Dorado Fire.The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, has said that wildfire was sparked by a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used for a gender reveal party. The identity of the firefighter is being withheld until family members are notified. The cause of the death is under investigation. Wildfires in California