As Canada went to polls, here are 5 non-election stories you may have missed

Canadians went to the polls Sept. 20 to choose their next government in the 44^th federal election.

Polls in many provinces have closed and preliminary results are trickling in.

You can follow our live blog for minute-by-minute updates and also keep track of the live, real-time results here.

As political developments in Canada continue to dominate the news, Global News compiled five non-election stories you may have missed on Monday.

Canada reported 4,059 COVID-19 cases, 40 deaths and 66 hospitalizations on election day, according to data from Esri Canada.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the key issues for voters and politicians during the election campaign.

This is the first time in Canada’s political history that a federal election is being held during a global pandemic.

While millions across the country headed out to vote with long lines at polling stations, more than 186,000 Canadians also decided to get their vaccine shots Monday.

Statistics Canada released a new report Monday that showed Canada’s female population is aging. This was based on data from the 2016 Census.

According to the StatCan report, the median age of the female population in the very remote areas was 30.9 years in 2016, compared with 41.3 years for Canada as a whole.

Women aged 25 to 54 years accounted for 41 per cent of the female population, and those aged 65 years and over accounted for 16.7 per cent in Canada.

Canada is not the only country counting ballots.

In Russia, the ruling United Russia party, which supports President Vladimir Putin, won a bigger than expected parliamentary majority following three days of voting.

With 99.9 per cent of ballots counted, the Central Election Commission said United Russia had won nearly 50 per cent of the vote, with its nearest rival, the Communist Party, taking just under 19 per cent.

0:58 Russia’s ruling pro-Putin party wins majority in parliamentary election

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration wants to nearly double the number of refugees admitted to the United States to 125,000 in the upcoming fiscal year starting on Oct. 1 in keeping with a campaign promise, according to a statement from the State Department.

The State Department will consult with the Department of Homeland Security and Congress to lift the cap, which was set at 62,500 by former U.S. President Donald Trump for the 2020 fiscal year ending this month, the statement said.

The plan to dramatically increase refugee admissions comes at a time when tens of thousands of Afghan refugees are on U.S. military bases awaiting resettlement in the United States.

0:40 U.S. extends land border rules to Canada and Mexico, eases other travel measures

As world leaders converged at the United Nations headquarters in New York ahead of the annual General Debate of the 76^th session set for Tuesday, a South Korean boy-band stole the show.

K-pop stars BTS appeared before the renowned green-marbled backdrop in the General Assembly hall on Monday to help promote U.N. goals for 2030 including ending extreme poverty, preserving the planet and achieving gender equality.

The live speech by the seven-member band, who were introduced by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, drew nearly one million viewers to the U.N. YouTube channel.

But it wasn’t all about U.N. goals. The group also unveiled a new music video for its current hit single “Permission to Dance,” which was filmed at U.N. Headquarters in New York.

— With files from Reuters, The Associated Press.