The World Health Organization (WHO) is still working to identify the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, its director general said on Friday, after a U.S. agency was reported to have assessed the pandemic had likely been caused by a Chinese laboratory leak.
"I have written to and spoken with high-level Chinese leaders on multiple occasions as recently as just a few weeks ago... all hypotheses on the origins of the virus remain on the table," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that the U.S. Energy Department had concluded the pandemic likely arose from a Chinese laboratory leak, an assessment Beijing denies.
"I wish to be very clear that WHO has not abandoned any plans to identify the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic," Tedros said.
The U.S. Energy Department made its judgment with "low confidence" in a classified intelligence report recently provided to the White House and key members of Congress, the Journal said, citing people who had read the intelligence report.
Four other U.S. agencies, along with a national intelligence panel, still think COVID-19 was likely the result of natural transmission, while two are undecided, the Journal reported.
Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead on COVID-19, expressed frustration on Twitter on Thursday that the United States had not shared additional information with the WHO on its reports assessing the origin of the virus.
On Friday, she urged countries, institutions and research groups that might have any information on the origins of the pandemic to share it with the international community.
"We don't completely have the answers to how this pandemic began and it remains absolutely critical that we continue to focus on this," she said.
She said it was crucial to study coronaviruses circulating in animals and how people come into contact with those animals.
"Our work continues on this space: looking at studies in humans, looking at studies in animals, looking at studies at the animal human interface, and also looking at potential breaches in biosafety and biosecurity for any of the labs that were working with coronaviruses, particularly where the first cases were detected in Wuhan, China, or elsewhere," she said.
The federal finance minister has been taking every opportunity to remind frustrated Canadians that after a bumpy pandemic recovery, the nation's economy is actually doing a lot better.
About 85 per cent of Canadians have a smartphone and once you have one they’re hard to live without. The latest smartphones can cost as much as $2,000, so if you’re trying to save money, make sure you don’t get caught in a fake smartphone scam.
A presidential campaign marked by upheaval and rancor approached its finale on Election Day as Americans decided whether to send Donald Trump back to the White House or elevate Kamala Harris to the Oval Office.
A frustrated Taylor Swift fan is speaking out after being pushed from a short-term rental she booked for the upcoming Vancouver leg of the superstar’s Eras Tour.
Australia's foreign minister said Tuesday she raised allegations with her Indian counterpart that India has targeted Sikh activists in Canada.
As Americans prepare to elect their next president on Tuesday, new data from the Angus Reid Institute suggests Canadians hold differing views as to which federal party leaders would be best suited to deal with either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
Canada Post and the union representing its workers are commenting on how weekend talks for a new contract went, with the employer calling them less productive than they'd hoped and the union claiming their employer is focused on flexibility to deliver parcels at the lowest possible cost.
A British Columbia senior who drove his pickup truck into a march for Indigenous residential school survivors will avoid jail time after he was sentenced Monday to nine months of house arrest.
Tropical Storm Rafael chugged toward the Cayman Islands on Tuesday and was forecast to strengthen into a hurricane en route to Cuba.
As Americans head to the polls for a presidential election Tuesday, their compatriots and Canadian neighbours north of the border will be watching the results with hope and anxiety.
About 85 per cent of Canadians have a smartphone and once you have one they’re hard to live without. The latest smartphones can cost as much as $2,000, so if you’re trying to save money, make sure you don’t get caught in a fake smartphone scam.
A British Columbia senior who drove his pickup truck into a march for Indigenous residential school survivors will avoid jail time after he was sentenced Monday to nine months of house arrest.
Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard is asking an Ontario court to review a decision to deny him bail as he appeals his sexual assault convictions and sentence.
A B.C. man who raped a teenage girl, shared photos of her, and boasted to his friends about his crimes in a group chat, lost his bid to have the case tossed over delays and has been sentenced.
More than 230,000 households and businesses in British Columbia were without electricity Monday during the peak of a storm during which heavy rains and strong winds downed power lines.
A presidential campaign marked by upheaval and rancor approached its finale on Election Day as Americans decided whether to send Donald Trump back to the White House or elevate Kamala Harris to the Oval Office.
Australia's foreign minister said Tuesday she raised allegations with her Indian counterpart that India has targeted Sikh activists in Canada.
North Korea on Tuesday fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern sea, the South Korean military said, as the country continued its weapons demonstrations hours before the U.S. presidential election.
Iran's foreign minister on Tuesday reiterated that his country does not seek an escalation in the Middle East but reserved the right to defend itself against Israel's attack with a 'measured and calculative' response.
Rescue workers on Tuesday sifted through smouldering debris and thick mud in search of survivours, a day after a volcano on Indonesia's island of Flores erupted, killing at least nine people with its searing lava and ash.
Millions of Americans are heading to the polls Tuesday as a chaotic presidential campaign reaches its peak in a deeply divided United States, where voters in only a handful of battleground states will choose the country’s path forward.
As Americans prepare to elect their next president on Tuesday, new data from the Angus Reid Institute suggests Canadians hold differing views as to which federal party leaders would be best suited to deal with either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
Some Lebanese-Canadians are pressuring the federal government to implement emergency measures that would allow Lebanese nationals' family members a less restrictive gateway to Canada, citing more 'flexible' policies for Ukrainians.
Murray Sinclair, who was born when Indigenous people did not yet have the right to vote, grew up to become one of the most decorated and influential people to work in Indigenous justice and advocacy.
A measles outbreak declared in New Brunswick’s Zone 3 last week, which includes Fredericton and the upper Saint John River Valley, has more than doubled since last week.
New research from the University of Oregon finds the annual practice of ‘springing forward’ into daylight time affects productivity more than previously thought.
A year ago, Lorraine O'Quinn was coping with stress, chronic illness and Type 2 diabetes. Then she discovered a health program that she says changed her life.
Elon Musk’s X has been modified so that accounts you’ve blocked on the social media platform can still see your public posts.
Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Monday after a six-month stay on the Tiangong space station, part of China's effort to be a global leader in space exploration.
Talented though they may be, monkeys will never type out the complete works of William Shakespeare, or even a short book, a new study suggests.
A frustrated Taylor Swift fan is speaking out after being pushed from a short-term rental she booked for the upcoming Vancouver leg of the superstar’s Eras Tour.
Hundreds of Oasis fans are looking back in anger after falling victim to a 'landslide' of ticket selling scams.
After decades in romantic comedies, Hugh Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career.
Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) did not buy back any of its own shares in the third quarter, ending a six-year-long streak of stock buybacks, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
The federal finance minister has been taking every opportunity to remind frustrated Canadians that after a bumpy pandemic recovery, the nation's economy is actually doing a lot better.
Canada Post and the union representing its workers are commenting on how weekend talks for a new contract went, with the employer calling them less productive than they'd hoped and the union claiming their employer is focused on flexibility to deliver parcels at the lowest possible cost.
For tourists returning from vacation, a camera roll full of photos and a suitcase bursting with souvenirs are usually the closest they can come to bringing a piece of their holiday destination home with them.
A man who took in an orphaned squirrel and made it a social media star vowed Saturday that New York state's decision to seize and euthanize the animal 'won't go unheard.'
Mandy Suess was so certain the red-haired man she met at Oktoberfest was special that she got on a plane to go and find him
Retired Eagles center Jason Kelce apologized during ESPN's pregame show Monday night after grabbing the phone of an unruly fan and spiking it to the ground before the Ohio State-Penn State game last weekend.
The International Ice Hockey Federation is preparing a proposal to add 3-on-3 hockey to the Winter Olympics as soon as 2030 in the French Alps, following the same expansion that basketball has had over the past two Summer Games.
The New Orleans Saints fired coach Dennis Allen on Monday, a day after a loss at last-place Carolina extended the Saints' losing streak to seven games, their longest since 1999.
Toronto police say 59 suspects are facing a total of 300 charges in connection with an auto theft and re-vinning probe.
Several Ford vehicles have been recalled in Canada due to issues with braking systems, steering and child car seat tethers.
Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.
A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.
A Windsor teen’s social media post showing off a distinctive Windsor pizza topping has gone viral, drawing millions of views worldwide and sparking new curiosity about Windsor-style pizza.
Auston Matthews has come face to face with his look-alike. On Thursday, the Maple Leafs star met seven-year-old Grayson Joseph, who went viral for dressing up as an Auston Matthews hockey card.
A Halifax junk remover shares some of his company’s strangest discoveries.
When Leah arrived at work directing traffic around a construction site, she never expected to see a van painted in all sorts of bright colours, and covered in eclectic decorations, including a stuffed moose attached to its roof.
After 14 years of repairing and selling bicycles out of the garage of her home, a Guelph, Ont. woman’s efforts have ended – for now, at least.
Epcor says it has removed more than 20,000 goldfish from an Edmonton stormwater pond.
Witches and warlocks have been flocking to New Brunswick waterways this month, as a new Halloween tradition ripples across the province.
Across the choppy sea from Victoria Monday, the end of a turbulent U.S. election campaign was mere hours away and many British Columbians were watching intently to see who becomes the next president.
Stanley Park will welcome the return of its annual Bright Nights festive event, complete with its illuminated train ride, for another year.
A frustrated Taylor Swift fan is speaking out after being pushed from a short-term rental she booked for the upcoming Vancouver leg of the superstar’s Eras Tour.
About 85 per cent of Canadians have a smartphone and once you have one they’re hard to live without. The latest smartphones can cost as much as $2,000, so if you’re trying to save money, make sure you don’t get caught in a fake smartphone scam.
Two people have been transported to hospital, including one with life-threatening injuries, after a three-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Vaughan late Monday night.
Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard is asking an Ontario court to review a decision to deny him bail as he appeals his sexual assault convictions and sentence.
The federal finance minister has been taking every opportunity to remind frustrated Canadians that after a bumpy pandemic recovery, the nation's economy is actually doing a lot better.
One person was killed in a crash east of the Calgary airport on Monday.
Calgary police are looking for help to locate a 29-year-old man who's been missing since September 2023.
Ottawa firefighters were called in the early hours of the morning to a fire that caused serious damage to three single-family homes in Orléans.
On Tuesday, several pubs and bars across Ottawa will be offering a place to gather and watch the much-anticipated results of the U.S. election that will see either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris be elected president.
Another rally is planned for Tuesday as residents push back on a city proposal to build a tentlike structure to house asylum seekers.
Hydro-Québec announced the launch of the first phase of development and reinforcement work on its power transmission network – the high-voltage lines that carry large quantities of electricity from where it is generated to the substations that redistribute it to clients.
A child around 10-years-old was severely injured after being struck by a truck in Montreal's Plateau-Mont-Royal borough.
Montreal police are looking for a 14-year-old girl who's been missing for two weeks.
Oil and gas producers in Canada will be required to cut greenhouse gas emissions by about one-third over the next eight years under new regulations being published today by Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
Two people living in King Edward Park are sharing what they saw when a suspicious fire destroyed a building under construction over the weekend.
The City of St. Albert unveiled two new seats in its river valley Monday that will give people a place to rest and get information on support for people suffering domestic violence.
A research team has confirmed a pair of tornadoes touched down in central New Brunswick last week.
The RCMP says it is investigating the sudden deaths of two people in Cole Harbour, N.S.
Details and recommendations surrounding the 2022 death of a 13-year-old New Brunswick girl are expected to come to light over a three-day coroner’s inquest this week.
It’s the last call at the Cambridge Hotel. The 86-year-old hotel on Pembina Highway is set to close its doors Tuesday.
There are 20 transitional beds at St. Boniface Street Links for patients who either go to the hospital homeless, or lose their homes while in hospital.
Murray Sinclair, who was born when Indigenous people did not yet have the right to vote, grew up to become one of the most decorated and influential people to work in Indigenous justice and advocacy.
The only candidate with experience on city council, with the exception of the incumbent, Lori Bresciani is promising to prioritize fiscal responsibility, community engagement and safety if she is elected to serve as Regina's next mayor.
A resident of Regina for over 25 years, Chad Bachynski is running for the city's highest office with the promise to bring a technical and calculated approach to city council.
Two former employees affiliated with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and the province's Health Quality Council (HQC) were terminated after allegedly being paid by a separate employer at the same time.
Emergency services responded to the area of Weber Street North and Schaefer Street in Waterloo around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday for a report of a collision.
Millions of Americans are heading to the polls Tuesday as a chaotic presidential campaign reaches its peak in a deeply divided United States, where voters in only a handful of battleground states will choose the country’s path forward.
Erick Buhr has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his grandmother, Viola Erb.
New details of a 2023 fatal stabbing — where the victim walked into Boston Pizza to get help — emerged at Saskatoon Provincial Court, during a sentencing hearing on Monday.
Residents of an apartment in downtown Saskatoon were left without water this weekend.
Saskatoon Transit wants riders to know about a fraudulent social media account selling fake fare passes.
Police are looking for a man who is currently serving time for manslaughter for a fatal stabbing in Thunder Bay and is now accused of breaching his statutory release.
About 85 per cent of Canadians have a smartphone and once you have one they’re hard to live without. The latest smartphones can cost as much as $2,000, so if you’re trying to save money, make sure you don’t get caught in a fake smartphone scam.
A year ago, Lorraine O'Quinn was coping with stress, chronic illness and Type 2 diabetes. Then she discovered a health program that she says changed her life.
Tuesday will be cloudy with sunny breaks, and we could see some records broken, according to CTV News London Meteorologist Julie Atchison.
In handing down the sentences for two London parents, Justice Thomas Heeney told the court, "The facts of this case were the most egregious that I have encountered during my 26 years on the bench."
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunizations are now available for eligible patients who do not have a primary care provider through Children’s Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC).
Police have closed Hwy 400 northbound and southbound ramps after a pedestrian was struck by a train nearby.
A mother who was struck by a pickup truck while crossing the street in south Barrie last week is lucky to be alive and thankful to those who came to her aid.
Police are investigating a collision in Springwater Township that claimed the life of one individual and sent three other people, including a young teen, to the hospital over the weekend.
They City of Windsor is taking legal action against the federal government.
Windsor-Essex health care partners are working together in anticipation of increased hospital volumes heading into the winter.
The Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB) is asking trustees to vote on a multi-year financial recovery plan to help make up a $6.3-million deficit.
A frustrated Taylor Swift fan is speaking out after being pushed from a short-term rental she booked for the upcoming Vancouver leg of the superstar’s Eras Tour.
A British Columbia senior who drove his pickup truck into a march for Indigenous residential school survivors will avoid jail time after he was sentenced Monday to nine months of house arrest.
More than 230,000 households and businesses in British Columbia were without electricity Monday during the peak of a storm during which heavy rains and strong winds downed power lines.
Police in Kamloops, B.C., are reminding parents and guardians to check their children's Halloween candy after receiving a report of a mother finding a razor blade in one of her daughter's treats.
More than two years after Alannah Brown and Douglas Barker were found dead north of Penticton, police are asking for help identifying a vehicle they believe was associated with the crime.
Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
The calendar may have just flipped to November, but Christmas is already on many people's minds.
Crowsnest Pass Mayor Blair Painter said a vote later this month is looking to hear from residents to determine if they want to see the coal industry come back to the region.
The Hurricanes weathered an early storm Saturday but eventually fell, losing 5-4 to the Rebels in a game played in Red Deer.
Police are looking for a man who is currently serving time for manslaughter for a fatal stabbing in Thunder Bay and is now accused of breaching his statutory release.
The mayors of Ontario's largest cities are asking the province to consider using the notwithstanding clause in the constitution to ensure measures to combat homelessness are implemented in a timely and effective way.
A young person in Sault Ste. Marie has been charged with two offences that took place in the same area Oct. 30.
School staff are being struck more often, students are fighting more frequently, and police are increasingly being called to school grounds, according to data compiled and released this week by the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association.
Newfoundland and Labrador's auditor general has issued a warning about the province's financial position as the government announced it would finish the 2024-25 fiscal year with a higher-than-expected deficit.
Police in Newfoundland and Labrador have charged an off-duty RCMP officer for allegedly driving while impaired, following a crash on Sunday.
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