Morning news brief: Hate crime leaves 4 dead in Canada, fresh US report on Covid origins, and more

Morning news brief: In this newsletter, we bring to you the biggest stories of June 8 so far. A new report by US agencies reveals that COVID-19 may have emerged from a lab, after all! The debates over Covid origins are going strong across the globe, with scientists urging further probe into the lab-leak theory. In neighbouring Canada, four Muslims were killed in a suspected hate crime after the assailant rammed their vehicle into fiveMuslims, immediately killing four and gravely injuring another. In an uncanny turn of events, the great granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi has been sentenced to seven years in jail for fraud crimes. On Tuesday, the White House announced that the summit meeting between US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin next week in Geneva is about communicating America's views to the Russians and not about deliverables. All this and more, below!

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In a planned attack targeting the victims because they were Muslims, a driver ploughed a pickup vehicle into a family of five, killing four of them and badly wounding the other, according to Canadian authorities.

A report by a US government national laboratory claims that the lab-leak hypothesis is plausible, urging further investigation into the virus’ origins.

A South African court in Durban sentenced Mahatma Gandhi's great-granddaughter, renowned for her community work, to seven years in prison for her role in a six-million rand fraud and forgery case. On Monday, the court found Ashish Lata Ramgobin guilty

Australia`s Victoria state authorities said plans to ease COVID-19 restrictions in state capital, Melbourne, this week remained "on track" as new locally acquired coronavirus cases fell on Tuesday

The audiotape of a July 2019 phone call shows former USPresident Donald Trump's then-lawyer Rudy Giuliani pressuring Ukrainian officials to investigate baseless allegations about Trump's 2020 election rival Joe Biden.

USVice President Kamala Harris said on Monday she had 'robust' talks with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on fighting corruption to deter immigration from Central America and bluntly warned migrants to not come to the United States.

The summit meeting between US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin next week in Geneva is about communicating America's views to the Russians and not about deliverables, the White House has said.