thetorontostar--2020-10-25--Servicewomen killed in Alabama plane crash identified

FOLEY , Ala. - Authorities have identified the two service members who were killed when their plane crashed in a residential Alabama neighbourhood .
U.S. Coast Guard Ensign Morgan Garrett , 24 , and U.S. Navy Lt. Rhiannon Ross , 30 , were on a routine training flight Friday out of Naval Air Station Whiting Field in Milton , Florida , when their plane crashed in Foley , Alabama , news outlets reported .
The T-6B Texan II aircraft crashed around 5 p.m. Friday .
No one was injured on the ground .
The crash happened near a Baldwin County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campus during an after-school program .
Baldwin County Public Schools Superintendent Eddie Tyler said the crash was “ a little too close for comfort.
” Garrett , of Waxhaw , North Carolina , was a student aviator for the Coast Guard .
She was identified by Rear Adm. William Kelly , superintendent of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy .
Kelly said Garrett graduated from the academy in New London , Connecticut , in May 2019 , and majored in marine and environmental sciences .
She was a regimental activities officer at the academy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in track and field .
Ross , of Wixom , Michigan , was identified by the Navy .
She was a member of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor ’ s Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps .
Ross served three years with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26 out of Norfolk , Virginia , before joining the Florida based Training Squadron Two in 2018 .


thetorontostar--2020-10-25--Lee Kun-Hee, force behind Samsung’s rise, dies at 78

SEOUL , Korea , Republic Of - Lee Kun-Hee , the ailing Samsung Electronics chairman who transformed the small television maker into a global giant of consumer electronics but whose leadership was also marred by corruption convictions , died on Sunday .
He was 78 .
Lee died with his family members by his side , including his only son and Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong , the company said in a statement .
Samsung didn ’ t announce the cause of death , but Lee had been hospitalized since May 2014 after suffering a heart attack and the younger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Korea ’ s biggest company .
“ All of us at Samsung will cherish his memory and are grateful for the journey we shared with him , ” the Samsung statement said .
“ His legacy will be everlasting.
” South Korean President Moon Jae-in sent senior presidential officials to pass a condolence message to Lee ’ s family at a mourning site .
In the message , Moon called the late tycoon “ a symbol of South Korea ’ s business world whose leadership would provide courage to our companies ” at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus pandemic , Moon ’ s office said .
Lee ’ s family said the funeral would be private but did not immediately release details .
Lee inherited control of the company from his father , and during his nearly 30 years of leadership , Samsung Electronics Co. became a global brand and the world ’ s largest maker of smartphones , televisions and memory chips .
Samsung sells Galaxy phones while also making the screens and microchips that power its major rivals — Apple ’ s iPhones and Google Android phones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insurance , construction , hotels , amusement parks and more .
Samsung Electronics alone accounts for 20 % of the market capital on South Korea ’ s main stock exchange .
Lee leaves behind immense wealth , with Forbes estimating his fortune at $ 16 billion as of January 2017 .
His death comes during a complex time for Samsung .
When he was hospitalized , Samsung ’ s once-lucrative mobile business faced threats from upstart makers in China and elsewhere .
Pressure was high to innovate its traditionally strong hardware business , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to improve its corporate governance and transparency .
Like other family-run conglomerates in South Korea , Samsung has been credited with helping propel the country ’ s economy to one of the world ’ s largest from the rubbles of the 1950-53 Korean War .
But their opaque ownership structure and often-corrupt ties with bureaucrats and government officials have been viewed as a hotbed of corruption in South Korea .
Lee Kun-Hee was convicted in 2008 for illegal share dealings , tax evasion and bribery designed to pass his wealth and corporate control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he was convicted of bribing a former president .
But in both cases , he avoided jail after courts suspended his sentences , at the time a common practice that helped make South Korean business tycoons immune from prison despite their bribery convictions .
Most recently , Samsung was ensnared in an explosive 2016-17 scandal that led to South Korean President Park Geun-hye ’ s ouster and imprisonment .
Lee Jae-yong was sentenced to five years in prison in 2017 for offering 8.6 billion won ( $ 7 million ) in bribes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to help secure the government ’ s backing for his attempt to solidify control over Samsung .
He was freed in early 2018 after an appellate court reduced his term and suspended the sentence .
But last month , prosecutors indicted him again on similar charges , setting up yet another protracted legal battle .
Lee Kun-Hee was a stern , terse leader who focused on big-picture strategies , leaving details and daily management to executives .
His near-absolute authority allowed the company to make bold decisions in the fast-changing technology industry , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new production lines for memory chips and display panels even as the 2008 global financial crisis unfolded .
Those risky moves fueled Samsung ’ s rise .
Lee was born on Jan. 9 , 1942 , in the southeastern city of Daegu during Japan ’ s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula .
His father , Lee Byung-chull , had founded an export business there in 1938 , and following the Korean War , he rebuilt the company into an electronics and home appliance manufacturer and the country ’ s first major trading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Samsung from his father in 1987 , Samsung was relying on Japanese technology to produce TVs and was taking its first steps toward exporting microwaves and refrigerators .
A decisive moment came in 1993 when Lee Kun-Hee made sweeping changes to Samsung after a two-month trip abroad convinced him that the company needed to improve the quality of its products .
In a speech to Samsung executives , he famously urged , “ Let ’ s change everything except our wives and children.
” Not all his moves succeeded .
A notable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the auto industry in the 1990s , in part driven by Lee Kun-Hee ’ s passion for luxury cars .
Samsung later sold near-bankrupt Samsung Motor to Renault .
The company also was frequently criticized for disrespecting labour rights .
Cancer cases among workers at its semiconductor factories were ignored for years .
Earlier this year , Lee Jae-yong declared that heredity transfers at Samsung would end , promising the management rights he inherited wouldn ’ t pass to his children .
He also said Samsung would stop suppressing employee attempts to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his sincerity .
The 52-year-old Lee expressed remorse for causing public concern over the 2016-17 scandal , but did not admit to wrongdoing regarding his alleged involvement .
Lee Kun-Hee resigned as chairman of Samsung Electronics before the 2008 conviction .
But he received a presidential pardon in 2009 and returned to Samsung ’ s management in 2010 .
“ As South Korea ’ s most successful entrepreneur , ( Lee Kun-Hee ) received a dazzling spotlight , but he had many vicissitudes full of grace and disgrace , ” the ruling Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We hope a ‘ new Samsung ’ will be realized at an early date as Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong promised.
” This story contains biographical material compiled by former AP Business Writer Youkyung Lee .

Kim Tong-Hyung And Hyung-Jin Kim - The Associated Press

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thetorontostar--2020-10-25--AP FACT CHECK: Trump and his oh-so-familiar falsehoods

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump says Mexico is paying for the wall ( it isn ’ t ) , health care choice for veterans came from him ( it didn ’ t ) and his tax cut stands as the biggest in American history ( nowhere close ) .
These are among his touchstones — the falsehoods that span his presidency — and he ’ s giving them another go in the final days of his relentless campaigning .
He ’ s got fresher false material , too , claiming “ incredible ” numbers in the pandemic response despite record @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from his chief of staff Sunday that the government can not bring the coronavirus under control .
He warned darkly of voting fraud in the Nov. 3 election without offering evidence that malfeasance is in play .
In weekend rallies , Trump also portrayed Democratic rival Joe Biden as the helmsman of a Marxist party who lined his own pockets with $ 3.5 million via Moscow .
This didn ’ t happen .
A look at rhetoric from the weekend : TRUMP : “ Even without vaccines , we ’ re rounding the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be over.
” — on C-SPAN , Sunday .
TRUMP : “ We ’ re rounding the turn .
It ’ s going to be over.
” — New Hampshire rally Sunday .
TRUMP : “ We ’ re rounding the turn , we ’ re doing great .
Our numbers are incredible.
” — North Carolina rally Saturday .
THE FACTS : The numbers have turned harrowing , not “ incredible.
” The U.S. set a daily record Friday for new confirmed coronavirus infections and nearly matched it Saturday with 83,178 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Close to 8.6 million Americans have contracted the coronavirus since the pandemic began , and about 225,000 have died ; both totals are the world ’ s highest .
About half the states have seen their highest daily infection numbers so far at some point in October .
“ We ’ re not going to control the pandemic , “ Mark Meadows , Trump ’ s chief of staff , said on CNN .
“ We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines , therapeutics and other mitigation areas.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ view that the pandemic is turning a corner or that it will , absent a vaccine .
TRUMP on how long he may be immune to reinfection from the coronavirus : “ With me it was for four months .
If it was anybody else they ’ d say for life.
” — Ohio rally .
TRUMP : “ Now it used to be that if you had it , you were immune for life , right ?
For life .
With me , they say I ’ m immune for four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I got it , the immunity went down from life to four months .
I don ’ t know .
They don ’ t know either.
” — North Carolina .
THE FACTS : The only truth in these statements is that “ they don ’ t know.
” Trump is suggesting here that experts are saying he is only immune from reinfection for four months because they don ’ t like him .
But the science of immunity is not about him and the uncertainty is not a conspiracy against him .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ answers on how long or well people who had COVID-19 are protected from it again .
While there ’ s evidence that reinfection in unlikely for at least three months even for those with a mild case of COVID-19 , very few diseases leave people completely immune for life .
Antibodies are only one piece of the body ’ s defences , and they naturally wane over time .
TRUMP : “ And by the way , Mexico is paying for the wall.
” — New Hampshire rally .
TRUMP : “ No @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Totally.
“ — North Carolina rally .
TRUMP : “ We got it financed .
Mexico will be paying for it because we ’ re going to charge a fee.
” THE FACTS : The U.S. is paying for it .
Mexico isn ’ t .
The Mexican government flatly refused to contribute to extending or reinforcing barriers on U.S. soil — “ Not now , not ever , ” Enrique Peña Nieto , then Mexico ’ s president , tweeted in May 2018 .
Since the start , Trump has been fishing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was keeping his promise to make Mexico pay for the project at the core of his 2016 campaign .
But the money is coming from today ’ s U.S. taxpayers and the future ones who will inherit the federal debt .
TRUMP : “ The last administration failed our veterans .
I reformed the VA , passed VA Choice.
“ — North Carolina rally .
THE FACTS : He did not get the Choice program passed .
President Barack Obama did .
Trump expanded it .
The program allows veterans to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under certain conditions .
TRUMP on Biden when he was vice-president : “ So Russia , the mayor of Moscow ’ s wife , who ’ s a very wealthy man , she ’ s a very wealthy woman , retired , gave him three and a half million dollars.
” — North Carolina rally .
THE FACTS : No she didn ’ t .
A Republican congressional report that investigated the Moscow business dealings of Biden ’ s son , Hunter , pointed to a $ 3.5 million investment made there to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The money didn ’ t go to Joe Biden at all .
Nor is there evidence that Hunter Biden pocketed the sum .
The GOP report said the money went to the investment firm .
And Hunter Biden ’ s lawyer has said in a statement that his client had no interest in that firm .
TRUMP : “ I banned people from China , where it was heavily infected , from coming into a country .
Biden was totally against that .
He called me xenophobic .
And now he goes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it sooner .
Well he didn ’ t want to do it at all.
” — North Carolina rally .
THE FACTS : That ’ s false .
Trump never banned travel from China ; he restricted it .
Biden did not call the travel restrictions xenophobic ; he used the term in regard to Trump ’ s other rhetoric about foreigners .
And he did not oppose the restrictions , but rather took no clear position for many weeks , before supporting them .
TRUMP : “ You said it in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ THE FACTS : Trump is correct ; Biden said it on tape , telling a Democratic primary debate , “ No new fracking.
” Trump has been playing Biden ’ s remark at his own rallies .
A fracking ban wasn ’ t and still isn ’ t Biden ’ s policy , though .
Biden ’ s campaign corrected his remark after the primary debate .
Biden would ban new oil and gas permits on federal land only ; most oil and gas does not come from those properties .
He has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Still , Trump called him out for shaping his stance to suit a more liberal primary audience and argued at his Ohio rally Saturday that Biden in office would be beholden to Democrats who want to ban fossil fuels , people he hyperbolically called “ the communists , the Marxists and the left wing extremists.
” TRUMP : “ In Nevada , they want to have a thing where you don ’ t have to have any verification of the signature.
” -- New Hampshire rally .
THE FACTS : Not true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contrary .
The state ’ s existing law requires signature checks on mail ballots .
A new law also spells out a process by which election officials are to check a signature against the one in government records .
In Nevada ’ s June primary , nearly 7,000 ballots were thrown out due to mismatched or missing signatures .
TRUMP : “ I say the biggest risk we have are the fake ballots.
” — New Hampshire rally .
TRUMP : “ If we don ’ t know the result on Nov. 3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always been where you generally find out the election that night or soon — we could be going on forever with this .
It ’ s the craziest thing ... and we shouldn ’ t let it happen.
” -- New Hampshire rally .
THE FACTS : His statements are overblown .
It ’ s true that many states are expecting a surge in mail-in voting because of the coronavirus pandemic , which may lead to longer times in vote counting .
The U.S. Supreme Court , for instance , will allow Pennsylvania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three days after the election .
But there is no evidence to indicate that massive fraud is afoot .
Any delay in declaring a winner of the presidential race after Nov. 3 would not in itself be illegal .
Broadly speaking , voter fraud has proved exceedingly rare .
The Brennan Center for Justice in 2017 ranked the risk of ballot fraud at 0.00004 % to 0.0009 % , based on studies of past elections .
In the five states that regularly send ballots to all voters who have registered , there have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difficulty counting the votes .
Even if the election is messy and contested in court , the country will have a president in January — and not have vote counting going on “ forever ” as he asserts — because the Constitution and federal law ensure it .
TRUMP : “ We brought in tremendous numbers of companies ...
I said to Prime Minister Abe , a great , great gentleman who retired ... ’ Shinzo , you got to open some factories in Michigan ... You ’ re selling too many cars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make them in the U.S. ’ He ’ d say ’ Well , I don ’ t do that ... this is done by the private sector ... ’ I said , ‘ You have to do it.
’ The next day , they announced five companies were opening up factories.
” — New Hampshire rally .
No Japanese automaker assembly plants have been announced or built in Michigan , let alone in one day , and there are no plans to add any .
There is one manufacturing facility , a joint @ @ @ @ @ @ @ south of Detroit .
It ’ s the $ 85 million expansion of an existing facility to make hydrogen fuel cells with about 100 new jobs , according to the Center for Automotive Research , an industry think-tank in Ann Arbor , Michigan .
Subaru has a new research centre with about 100 new jobs , and Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi and Toyota have announced expansions of research facilities .
These are not new “ car plants ” run by Japanese automakers and these initiatives did not all materialize in one day .
TRUMP : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , right ?
The Iran nuclear deal , where Obama gave them $ 150 billion for the privilege.
“ — North Carolina rally .
THE FACTS : No , Obama did not give the Iranians $ 150 billion for signing the multinational deal to constrain their nuclear development .
The deal let Iran have access to $ 150 billion of its own assets that were frozen abroad until Tehran agreed to the terms .
The U.S. made a separate payout to Iran of about $ 1.8 billion .
That was to settle an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paid for but never received .
TRUMP : “ You know , you got the biggest tax cut in the history of our country .
I got it for you.
“ — North Carolina rally .
THE FACTS : His tax cuts are not close to the biggest in U.S. history .
It ’ s a $ 1.5 trillion tax cut over 10 years .
As a share of the total economy , a tax cut of that size ranks 12th , according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget .
President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the biggest , followed by the 1945 rollback of taxes that financed World War II .
Post-Reagan tax cuts also stand among the historically significant : President George W. Bush ’ s cuts in the early 2000s and Obama ’ s renewal of them a decade later .
EDITOR ’ S NOTE — A look at the veracity of claims by political figures .

Calvin Woodward And Hope Yen - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-10-25--New storm Zeta a hurricane threat to Mexico, US Gulf Coast

MIAMI - Newly formed Tropical Storm Zeta strengthened Sunday in the western Caribbean and will probably become a hurricane before hitting Mexico ’ s resort-dotted Yucatan Peninsula and the U.S. Gulf Coast in coming days .
Zeta was the earliest named 27th Atlantic storm recorded in an already historic hurricane season .
The system was centred about 275 miles ( 445 kilometres ) southeast of Cozumel island early Sunday evening , the U.S. National Hurricane Center said .
The storm was nearly stationary , though forecasters said it was likely to shear the northeastern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday and then close in on the U.S. Gulf Coast by Wednesday , but could weaken by then .
The storm had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph ( 85 kph ) , and forecasters said Zeta was expected to intensify into a hurricane Monday .
Officials in Quintana Roo state , the location of Cancun and other resorts , said they were watching the storm .
They reported nearly 60,000 tourists in the state as of midweek .
The state government said 71 shelters were being readied for tourists or residents who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still handing out aid , including sheet roofing , to Yucatan residents hit by Hurricane Delta and Tropical Storm Gamma earlier this month .
Zeta may dawdle in the western Caribbean for another day or so , trapped between two strong high pressure systems to the east and west .
It can ’ t move north or south because nothing is moving there either , said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy .
“ It just has to sit and wait for a day or so , ” McNoldy said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When a storm gets stuck , it can unload dangerous downpours over one place , which causes flooding when a storm is over or near land .
That happened in 2017 over Houston with Harvey , when more than 60 inches ( 150 centimetres ) of rain fell and 2019 over the Bahamas with a Category 5 Dorian , which was the worst-case scenario of a stationary storm , said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach .
While Zeta was over open ocean Sunday , Jamaica and Honduras were getting heavy rains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South Florida was under a flood watch , McNoldy said .
But once Zeta eventually gets moving , it won ’ t be stalling over landfall , Klotzbach said .
The Hurricane Center said Zeta could bring 4 to 8 inches ( 10 to 20 centimetres ) of rain to parts of the Caribbean and Mexico as well as Florida and the Keys before drenching parts of the central Gulf Coast by Wednesday .
A 2018 study said storms , especially in the Atlantic basin , are slowing down and stalling more .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ mph ( 4.7 kph ) slower than 60 years ago , the study found .
Study author James Kossin , a government climate scientist , said the trend has signs of human-caused climate change .
Zeta is also in a dangerous place to stall .
The western Caribbean is “ where storms can cook ” and rapidly intensify because of the deep , warm waters , like 2005 ’ s Wilma , Klotzbach said .
However , the National Hurricane Center was not forecasting rapid intensification for Zeta .
The lack of steering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ landfalls when Zeta eventually heads north to the Gulf Coast .
The hurricane centre said it could make landfall anywhere from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle .
Louisiana Gov .
John Bel Edwards urged his state ’ s citizens to monitor the storm , and the state activated its Crisis Action Team .
On Sunday , a hurricane warning was called for the Yucatan Peninsula from Tulum to Rio Lagartos , including Cancun and Cozumel , while a tropical storm warning was in effect for Pinar del Rio , Cuba .
Zeta broke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Atlantic named storm that formed Nov. 29 , 2005 , according to Klotzbach .
This year ’ s season has so many storms that the hurricane centre has turned to the Greek alphabet after running out of official names .
Zeta is the furthest into the Greek alphabet the Atlantic season has gone .
There was also a Tropical Storm Zeta in 2005 , but that year had 28 storms because meteorologists later went back and found they missed one , which then became a “ unnamed named storm , ” Klotzbach said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quickly through the northern portion of the Atlantic Ocean .
Forecasters said it would become a post-tropical cyclone later Sunday .
Large ocean swells generated by the hurricane could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along U.S. East Coast and Atlantic Canada during the next couple of days .
AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein in Kensington , Md.
, contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-10-25--Power cut to 117,000 customers as California faces fire risk

SAN FRANCISCO - Pacific Gas & Electric cut power Sunday to more than 100,000 California customers and planned outages for many more to prevent the chance of sparking wildfires because of extreme fire weather .
More than 1 million people could be affected by planned outages as California braces for a return of gusty winds and bone-dry weather that carry the threat of downing or fouling power lines or other equipment , which in recent years have been blamed for igniting massive and deadly blazes .
It ’ s the fifth time this year that PG & E , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cut power to customers .
Power was shut off Sunday for 117,000 customers in 18 Northern California counties and outages were expected to continue , affecting as many as 361,000 customers in all .
Further south , Southern California Edison said it was considering safety outages for 71,000 customers in six counties starting Monday , with San Bernardino County potentially the most affected .
Sheriff Kory Honea of Butte County said he ’ s concerned about residents in foothill communities during these blackouts as cellular service can be spotty and it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the power is out .
“ It is quite a strain on them to have to go through these over and over and over again , ” he said .
The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for much of the state , predicting winds of up to 35 mph ( 56 kph ) in lower elevations and 80 mph ( 129 kph ) in some mountainous areas of Southern California .
The concern is that any spark could be blown into flames sweeping through tinder-dry brush and forestland .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Valley and mountainous areas of Southern California , the National Weather Service said .
The conditions could equal those during devastating fires in California ’ s wine country in 2017 and last year ’ s Kincade Fire , the National Weather Service said .
Fire officials said PG & E transmission lines sparked that Sonoma County fire last October , which destroyed hundreds of homes and caused nearly 100,000 people to flee .
Southern California saw cooler temperatures and patchy drizzle during the weekend , but weather conditions were expected to change dramatically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residents to sign up for emergency notifications and prepare to evacuate , preferably arranging to stay with family or friends in less risky areas who aren ’ t suspected to have the coronavirus .
Local fire officials boosted staffing as a precaution .
“ The reality is come midnight and through Tuesday we ’ re going to be in the most significant red flag conditions we ’ ve had this year , ” said Kevin McGowan , director of the county ’ s Office of Emergency Management .
More than 8,600 wildfires have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 16,576 square kilometres ) and destroyed about 9,200 buildings in California this year .
There have been 31 deaths .
All of the huge fires have been fully or significantly contained .
But more than 5,000 firefighters remain committed to 20 blazes , including a dozen major incidents , the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said .
Many of this year ’ s devastating fires were started by thousands of dry lightning strikes .
But some of the fires remain under investigation for potential electrical causes .
Associated Press writer Christopher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report .

Olga R. Rodriguez And Amy Taxin - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-10-25--Police in northern Mexico seize two home-made armoured cars

CIUDAD VICTORIA , Mexico - Police announced Sunday they have seized two home-made tank-like armoured trucks and three other vehicles with less extensive welded-plate bullet-proofing in the northern border town of Ciudad Camargo , across from Rio Grande City , Texas .
Police in the border state of Tamaulipas said the two tank-like vehicles were like combat vehicles known in that region as “ monsters , ” a nickname originally given to an armoured dump truck found near Camargo in 2010 .
Police distributed photos of one of the trucks covered with thick welded steel plate , complete with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prow attached to the front .
Such vehicles “ are regularly used in confrontations in the area , ” state police said The other vehicles were mostly pickups with steel plates welded upright in the bed to provide protected firing positions .
Officers found the vehicles in a field after noticing a man with a gun who was apparently guarding them , officials said .
The suspect opened fire and then fled as police approached .
Military-style gear , helmets and ammunition were also found at the scene .
The area has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factions of the Gulf cartel and remnants of the old Zetas cartel .
The two gangs also fought in the same area over a decade ago .
In the border state of Sonora , to the west , prosecutors announced Sunday they had found two more vehicles with steel-plate bullet-proofing in the city of Caborca , along with guns and ammunition .
The area has been the scene of battles between the sons of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin “ El Chapo ” Guzman and the gang of fugitive drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the FBI ’ s most wanted list for the murder of a federal agent over three decades ago .


thetorontostar--2020-10-25--New cease-fire announced in 4-week Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

YEREVAN , Armenia - Fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh region continued Sunday , but Armenia and Azerbaijan reiterated their commitment to a peaceful resolution of their decades-old conflict and agreed to a third attempt to establish a cease-fire after four weeks of hostilities .
The agreement on a truce set to begin at 8 a.m. ( 0400 GMT ) Monday was announced in a joint statement by the governments of the United States , Armenia and Azerbaijan .
Two previous Russia-brokered cease-fires , including one last weekend , frayed immediately after taking force , with both sides accusing each other of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pompeo said in a tweet Sunday night that the U.S. facilitated “ an intensive negotiation ” and Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov “ have committed to implement and abide by the ceasefire ” that comes into force Monday .
Russia , the U.S. and France , co-chairs of the so-called Minsk Group set up by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to mediate the conflict , also took part in the talks , Pompeo said .
In a separate statement , co-chairs of the group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in Geneva on Thursday “ to discuss , reach agreement on , and begin implementation ... of all steps necessary to achieve a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
“ Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a war there ended in 1994 .
The latest fighting that began Sept. 27 has involved heavy artillery , rockets and drones , killing hundreds in the largest escalation of hostilities between the South Caucasus neighbours in more than a quarter-century @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numerous calls for the cessation of hostilities and the two attempts at establishing a cease-fire .
According to Nagorno-Karabakh officials , 974 of their troops and 37 civilians have been killed in the clashes so far .
Azerbaijani authorities haven ’ t disclosed their military losses , but say the fighting has killed 65 civilians and wounded 300 .
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that according to Moscow ’ s information , the death toll from the fighting was nearing 5,000 , significantly higher than what both sides report .
On Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign ministers for separate talks , but the fighting raged on unabated .
On Sunday morning , the Nagorno-Karabakh army said battles continued “ on all directions of the frontline , ” and the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry accused Armenian forces of targeting several Azerbaijani regions .
Armenian military officials reported “ intense fighting ” in the conflict zone throughout the day and “ heavy battles ” Sunday evening .
The four weeks of fighting have prompted concerns of a wider conflict involving Turkey , which has thrown its weight behind Azerbaijan , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Armenia .
It also worried worried Iran , which has borders with both Armenia and Azerbaijan .
Iran has occasionally complained about stray mortar rounds and rockets that injured people and damaged buildings in rural areas near the borders .
Iran ’ s Revolutionary Guard said Sunday it deployed units of its ground forces to the border near the area of the conflict , the country ’ s state radio reported .
Gen. Mohammad Pakpour , chief of the Guard ’ s ground forces , said that Iran would not accept any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and peace of Iranian people in the region .
Both Armenia and Azerbaijan maintained they were committed to a peaceful resolution and blamed each other for hindering peace .
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said Armenian forces must withdraw from Nagorno-Karabakh to end the fighting .
“ A cease-fire can not be without conditions .
The truce is possible only after Armenian leadership announces withdrawing its troops from Azerbaijan ’ s occupied territories , ” Aliyev said Sunday .
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian , in turn , accused Azerbaijan of taking a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ To solve this issue , we need mutual concessions .
Every time Armenia expresses willingness to make any concessions ... Azerbaijan comes up with new demands , new conditions , “ Pashinian said Sunday in an interview .
The announcement of the new cease-fire came several hours after those remarks .
President Donald Trump ’ s national security adviser , Robert O ’ Brien , tweeted Sunday that the president asked him to meet at the White House with the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers on Friday and that he spoke on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Congratulations to all of them for agreeing to adhere to the cease-fire today , ” O ’ Brien said , adding that Pompeo and his deputy Stephen Biegun played key roles .
“ Lives will be saved in both nations.
” Associated Press writers Daria Litvinova in Moscow , Aida Sultanova in London , Nasser Karimi in Tehran , Iran , and Deb Riechmann in Washington contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-10-25--Maduro foe joins family in Spain after fleeing Venezuela

MEDELLIN , Colombia - After more than six years in confinement , Venezuela ’ n opposition leader Leopoldo López is a free man and has been reunited with his family in Madrid .
López arrived Sunday in the Spanish capital following what aides described as a whirlwind escape from the Spanish ambassador ’ s residence in Caracas where he had been holed up since leading a failed U.S.-backed military putsch against Nicolas Maduro in April 2019 .
Two people close to López said he fled Venezuela by sea , arriving in the nearby Caribbean island of Aruba on Friday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ they weren ’ t authorized to discuss the details of the getaway , which followed months of planning .
Aides insisted the departure wasn ’ t the result of negotiations with the government , as many supporters and even opponents of the socialist government have speculated .
President Nicolás Maduro ’ s government had yet to comment , though on Sunday the president removed his interior minister , Gen. Nestor Reverol , who oversees the SEBIN intelligence police that had a heavily armed contingent outside the ambassador ’ s residence .
Without referring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be replaced by former Defence Minister Carmen Melendez and instead be assigned to a new role as electricity minister .
Officers from SEBIN have detained several people working at the diplomatic mission , including a woman who served meals to Lopez and private security guards , according to López ’ s allies .
SEBIN on Saturday tried to search the homes of officers with Spain ’ s national police posted to the diplomatic compound in search of information about López ’ s whereabouts .
Spain ’ s government condemned that action , saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diplomatic relations .
“ We call attention to this new abuse by the dictatorship ’ s henchmen , ” López ’ s Popular Will party said in a statement , referring to the detentions .
Venezuela ’ s government , meanwhile , issued a statement Sunday blasting Spain for assisting the “ terrorist ” Lopez in his escape .
It called Spanish Ambassador Jesus Silva the “ main organizer ” and “ accomplice ” in Lopez ’ s flight , but refrained from expelling the diplomat , who was recently recalled and is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Caracas next month .
López , 49 , has yet to make a public appearance .
But he said Saturday night on social media that the decision to leave his homeland had not been “ simple.
” “ We ’ ll continue working day and night to attain the freedom that we Venezuelans all deserve , ” López tweeted late Saturday .
He said more details on plans for democratic change in Venezuela will be announced in coming days “ After seven years of persecution and unjust imprisonment inside Venezuela , Leopoldo López @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all Venezuelans , so long as there exists a dictatorship that violates the human rights of the people , ” his party said .
It is unclear how López left the ambassador ’ s residence , given the heavy state security presence permanently stationed outside the property .
Travel by land has grown increasingly difficult because of widespread fuel shortages and checkpoints manned by security forces have proliferated across the country .
In a message directed to Maduro on Twitter , U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó said his political mentor had gotten out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apparatus.
” López was sentenced in 2015 to nearly 14 years in prison after being convicted of inciting violence during anti-government protests in which three people died and dozens were wounded .
He was released from prison and placed under house arrest after more than three years in a military jail .
Even while confined , López has remained an influential figure in Venezuela ’ s opposition , advising Guaidó , who is recognized by more than 50 nations as the country ’ s interim president because Maduro ’ s 2018 re-election was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of thousands of people to the streets last year , the opposition has struggled to regain momentum .
Maduro remains firmly in control of the nation ’ s military and nearly all other government functions .
The government also is preparing to retake control of the National Assembly , the last major domestic institution in opposition hands , in December legislative elections that Guaidó has vowed to boycott .
López had long stubbornly refused to leave even when his wife and children fled last year to Spain , where his father has citizenship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
López joins dozens of anti-government figures who have fled Venezuela over recent years , many leaving covertly to avoid potential persecution or jail time .
Millions of ordinary citizens have left due to the country ’ s collapsing economy .
The years López spent at a military prison solidified his image as a man willing to risk his own skin to rid the country of Maduro .
He sought allies among his former jailers in the military and in 2019 reappeared on a highway overpass with a small band of national guardsmen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The putsch was easily quashed and López took refuge in the ambassador ’ s residence .


thetorontostar--2020-10-25--Authorities investigating gun pulled at demonstrations

WOODINVILLE , Wash. - Authorities were investigating why a man wearing a pro-Trump baseball hat pulled out a handgun during a confrontation with demonstrators opposed to the president in suburban Seattle on Saturday .
It happened after anti-Trump demonstrators , mostly teen and young adults , gathered in Woodinville to oppose another group that had been rallying for President Donald Trump at an intersection .
The situation escalated when someone flung a bucket of liquid at the man , Sgt .
Ryan Abbott of the King County Sheriff ’ s Office told The Seattle Times .
Officers retrieved the bucket @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirm the contents , he said .
The unidentified man who drew the gun remained nearby and told officers that his eyes were burning , Abbott said .
Video footage shows the man holding a handgun parallel to his head before a woman pushes him away and someone shouts “ It ’ s water , you snowflake !
” Mandy Luttinen , who joined the event to watch over the anti-Trump demonstrators , said the incident happened as the opposing events were winding down and the pro-Trump group walked past the young protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The bucket appeared to be holding water tainted with mud or tobacco juice and was thrown by someone not participating in either demonstration , she said .


thetorontostar--2020-10-25--Early vote total exceeds 2016; GOP chips at Dems’ advantage

With nine days before Election Day , more people already have cast ballots in this year ’ s presidential election than voted early or absentee in the 2016 race as the start of in-person early voting in big states led to a surge in turnout in recent days .
The opening of early voting locations in Florida , Texas and elsewhere has piled millions of new votes on top of the mail ballots arriving at election offices as voters try to avoid crowded places on Nov. 3 during the coronavirus pandemic .
The result is a total of 58.6 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 58 million that The Associated Press logged as being cast through the mail or at in-person early voting sites in 2016 .
Democrats have continued to dominate the initial balloting , but Republicans are narrowing the gap .
GOP voters have begun to show up as early in-person voting , a sign that many heeded President Donald Trump ’ s unfounded warnings about mail-voting fraud .
On Oct. 15 , Democrats registrants cast 51 % of all ballots reported , compared with 25 % from Republicans .
On Sunday , Democrats had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 31 % .
The early vote totals , reported by state and local election officials and tracked by the AP , are an imperfect indicator of which party may be leading .
The data only shows party registration , not which candidate voters support .
Most GOP voters are expected to vote on Election Day .
Analysts said the still sizable Democratic turnout puts extra pressure on the Republican Party to push its voters out in the final week and , especially , on Nov. 3 .
That ’ s especially clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Nevada and North Carolina .
“ This is a glass half-full , glass half-empty situation , ” said John Couvillon , a Republican pollster who tracks early voting closely .
“ They ’ re showing up more , ” he added , but “ Republicans need to rapidly narrow that gap.
” In Florida , for example , Democrats have outvoted Republicans by a 596,000 margin by mail , while Republicans only have a 230,000 edge in person .
In Nevada , where Democrats usually dominate in-person early voting but the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every voter this year , the GOP has a 42,600 voter edge in-person while Democrats have an 97,500 advantage in mail ballots .
“ At some point , Republicans have to vote , ” said Michael McDonald , a University of Florida political scientist who tracks early voting on ElectProject.org .
“ You can ’ t force everyone through a vote centre on Election Day .
Are you going to expect all those Republicans to stand in line for eight hours ?
” Campaigns typically push their voters to cast ballots early so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marginal voters as the days tick down to Election Day .
That usually saves them money on mailers and digital ads — something the cash-strapped Trump campaign would likely want — and minimizes the impact of late surprises that could change the race .
Trump ’ s campaign has been pushing its voters to cast ballots early , but with limited success , delighting Democrats .
“ We see the Trump campaign , the RNC ( Republican National Committee ) and their state parties urging Trump ’ s supporters to vote by mail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says it ’ s a fraud , ” Tom Bonier , a Democratic data analyst , said on a recent call with reporters .
“ The Twitter account is going to win every time.
” But Bonier warned that he does not expect a one-sided election .
“ There are signs of Republicans being engaged , ” he said .
“ We do expect them to come out in very high numbers on Election Day.
” That split in voting behaviour — Democrats voting early , Republicans on Election Day — has led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victory because early votes are counted last in Rust Belt battlegrounds .
But they ’ re counted swiftly in swing states such as Arizona , Florida and North Carolina , which may balance out which party seems ahead on election night .
Some of the record-setting turnout has led to long lines at early-vote locations and there have been occasional examples of voters receiving mail ballots that are incorrectly formatted .
But on a whole , voting has gone relatively smoothly .
With more than one-third of the 150 million ballots that experts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there have been no armed confrontations at polling places or massive disenfranchisement that have worried election experts for months .
One sign of enthusiasm is the large number of new or infrequent voters who have already voted — 25 % of the total cast , according to an AP analysis of data from the political data firm L2 .
Those voters are younger than a typical voter and less likely to be white .
So far similar shares of them are registering Democratic and Republican .
They have helped contribute to enormous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where 26.3 % of the people who ’ ve voted are new or infrequent voters , and Texas , which is expected to set turnout record and where 30.5 % are new or infrequent voters .
The strong share of new and infrequent voters in the early vote is part of what leads analysts to predict more than 150 million total votes will be cast and possibly the highest turnout in a U.S. presidential election since 1908 .
“ There ’ s a huge chunk of voters who didn ’ t cast ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ They ’ re the best sign of intensity at this point.
” AP ’ s Advance Voting guide brings you the facts about voting early , by mail or absentee from each state : https : //interactives.ap.org/advance-voting-2020/

Nicholas Riccardi And Angeliki Kastanis - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-10-25--U.S. Senate votes to advance Amy Coney Barrett to Supreme Court; confirmation expected Monday

WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans voted overwhelmingly Sunday to advance Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett toward final confirmation despite Democratic objections , just over a week before the presidential election .
Barrett ’ s confirmation on Monday was hardly in doubt , with majority Republicans mostly united in support behind President Donald Trump ’ s pick .
But Democrats were poised to keep the Senate in session into the night in attempts to stall , arguing that the Nov. 3 election winner should choose the nominee to fill the vacancy left by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg .
Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a third Trump justice on the court , locking in a conservative majority for years to come .
Barrett ’ s ascent opens up a potential new era of rulings on abortion , gay marriage and the Affordable Care Act .
A case against the Obama-era health law scheduled to be heard Nov. 10 .
“ The Senate is doing the right thing , ” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , vowing to install Barrett to the court by Monday .
The 51-48 vote launched 30 hours of Senate debate .
Two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Susan Collins of Maine , voted against advancing the nominee , and all Democrats who voted were opposed .
California Sen. Kamala Harris , the vice-presidential nominee , missed the vote while campaigning in Michigan .
Vice-President Mike Pence would typically preside over the coming votes , but after a close aide tested positive for the COVID-19 , it was unclear whether he will fulfil his role for the landmark vote .
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the Trump administration ’ s drive to install Barrett during the coronavirus crisis shows “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic in order to rush this nominee forward.
” The conservative judge picked up the crucial backing Saturday from Murkowski , one of the last GOP holdouts against filling the seat in the midst of a White House election and with more than 50 million people already having voted .
Murkowski said she disliked the rush toward confirmation , but supported Trump ’ s choice of Barrett for the high court .
She said would vote against the procedural steps , but ultimately join GOP colleagues in confirming Barrett .
“ While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us to this point , I do not hold it against her , ” Murkowski said .
Now the only Republican expected to vote against Barrett is Collins , who faces a tight reelection in Maine .
She has said she won ’ t vote for the nominee so close to the election .
McConnell , R-Ky. , noted the political rancour , but defended his handling of the process .
He scoffed at the Democrats ’ “ horror stories ” about the judge ’ s conservative qualifications .
Barrett , 48 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate Judiciary Committee as a neutral arbiter and at one point suggested , “ It ’ s not the law of Amy.
” But Barrett ’ s past writings against abortion and a ruling on “ Obamacare ” show a deeply conservative thinker .
“ She ’ s a conservative woman who embraces her faith , she ’ s unabashedly pro-life but she ’ s not going to apply ‘ the law of Amy ’ to all of us , ” said the committee chairman , Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ start of Trump ’ s presidency , McConnell engineered a Senate rules change to allow confirmation by a majority of the 100 senators , rather than the 60-vote threshold traditionally needed to advance high court nominees over objections .
With a 53-47 GOP majority , Barrett ’ s confirmation is almost certain .
By pushing for Barrett ’ s ascension so close to the Nov. 3 election , Trump and his Republican allies are counting on a campaign boost , in much the way they believe McConnell ’ s refusal to allow the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s nominee in February 2016 created excitement for Trump among conservatives and evangelical Christians eager for the Republican president to make that nomination after Justice Antonin Scalia ’ s death .
Barrett was a professor at Notre Dame Law School when she was tapped by Trump in 2017 for an appeals court opening .
Two Democrats joined at that time to confirm her , but none is expected to vote for her in the days ahead .
Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington , Meg Kinnard in Columbia , South Carolina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alaska contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-10-25--Mexico seizes industrial-scale meth, fentanyl lab in capital

MEXICO CITY - Soldiers and police in Mexico seized an industrial-scale meth and fentanyl lab that was so big it startled investigators , federal prosecutors announced Sunday .
The lab had chemical preparation vats about two stories tall that could process 11,000 pounds ( 5,000 kilograms ) of raw material at a time , said Felipe de Jesus Gallo of the federal Attorney General ’ s Office .
“ In the Attorney General ’ s Office , we have no record of any seizure of equipment of this size before , ” Gallo said .
The mega-lab was uncovered this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cleaning products on the outskirts of Mexico City .
Behind the storefront was a warehouse , with tall stacks of drums and 265-gallon ( 1,000 litre ) tanks holding precursor chemicals , which Gallo said could be used to produce methamphetamines and the synthetic opioid fentanyl .
Code-named “ Blue , ” the co-ordinated series of raids also hit other properties in the northern state of Durango , Mexico City and the surrounding State of Mexico .
At one property in Mexico City , authorities arrested an engineer who allegedly built and ran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A drum of what appeared to be a precursor of fentanyl was found as well as written instructions on how to process it .
Authorities also found 290 kilograms of meth “ with a high level of purity ” at a lab raided in the northern state of Sonora .
Gallo said some of the drugs were destined for the United States .
Tying together the raids was evidence that the whole operation was being run by people tied to a group in Sinaloa , home to the drug cartel of the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gathered intelligence indicating fentanyl precursors were being imported from China via a company in Hong Kong .
Marines traced a shipment of containers that moved through a Japanese port to the Baja California seaport of Ensenada .
The marines said they had found an undisclosed amount of three precursor chemicals in the containers that could be converted into fentanyl through “ a simple process .
”


thetorontostar--2020-10-25--AP Explains: Trump pushes questions about Joe Biden’s son

WASHINGTON - Looking to undermine Democratic rival Joe Biden , President Donald Trump ’ s campaign is pushing a familiar line of attack : unverified allegations about Biden ’ s son and his foreign business ties .
But reporting in the New York Post , and the emergence of a man who says he worked with Hunter Biden , have raised more questions than answers , including about the authenticity of emails at the centre of the story .
The origins of renewed allegations trace back to Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani , who has repeatedly pushed unfounded claims about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Post are legitimate , they don ’ t validate Trump and Giuliani ’ s claims that Biden ’ s actions were influenced by his son ’ s business dealings .
A look at the development : HOW DID BIDEN ’ S SON BECOME A CAMPAIGN ISSUE ?
Hunter Biden joined the board of the Ukrainian gas company Burisma in 2014 , around the time his father , then U.S. vice-president , was helping conduct the Obama administration ’ s foreign policy with Ukraine .
Senate Republicans said in a recent report that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of interest , but they did not present evidence that the hiring influenced U.S. policies .
Trump and his supporters , meanwhile , have advanced a widely discredited theory that Biden pushed for the firing of Ukraine ’ s top prosecutor to protect his son and Burisma from investigation .
Biden did indeed press for the prosecutor ’ s firing , but that ’ s because he was reflecting the official position of not only the Obama administration but many Western countries and because the prosecutor was perceived as soft on corruption .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
The main email highlighted by the Post is an April 2015 message that it said was sent to Hunter Biden by Vadym Pozharskyi , an adviser to Burisma ’ s board .
In it , he thanks the younger Biden “ for inviting me to DC and giving an opportunity to meet your father and spent ( sic ) some time together .
It ’ s realty ( sic ) an honour and pleasure.
” The wording makes it unclear if he actually met Joe Biden .
The Biden campaign said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s schedules from the time and that no meeting as described by the newspaper took place .
HOW DID THE POST OBTAIN THE EMAILS ?
It ’ s a tangled saga .
The Post says it received a copy of a hard drive containing the messages from Giuliani , who has pushed the idea that Ukraine was trying to interfere with the 2016 election and that the younger Biden may have enriched himself by selling his access to his father .
The Post says the emails were part of a trove of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dropped off at a computer repair shop in Delaware in April 2019 .
It says the customer , whom the owner could not definitively identify as Hunter Biden , never paid for the service or retrieved it , and says the owner made a copy of the hard drive that he provided to Giuliani ’ s lawyer .
The owner of the Wilmington shop declined to comment to The Associated Press , but in news media interviews he has said he contacted the FBI through an intermediary and provided agents with a copy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
ARE THE NEW EMAILS AUTHENTIC ?
Hunter Biden himself has not spoken publicly in recent weeks , including to confirm whether or not the laptop is his .
The Biden campaign has also not addressed that question , though a lawyer for Hunter Biden , George Mesires , said in a statement that “ we have no idea where this came from , and certainly can not credit anything that Rudy Giuliani provided to the NY Post.
” Some former national security officials and other experts said the episode raised multiple red @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , especially given the involvement of Giuliani and his active role in promoting an anti-Biden narrative on Ukraine .
But John Ratcliffe , the director of national intelligence , knocked down that idea , saying , “ The intelligence community doesn ’ t believe that because there ’ s no intelligence that supports that.
” The FBI appeared to endorse Ratcliffe ’ s position in a letter to a Senate committee that had requested information on the laptop .
“ Regarding the subject of your letter , we have nothing to add at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement by the Director of National Intelligence about the available actionable intelligence , ” wrote Jill Tyson , director of the office of Congressional Affairs , in the letter to Sen. Ron Johnson , the Republican chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee .
Tyson also said she could not confirm or deny the existence of any investigation , in keeping with Justice Department practice .
IF AUTHENTIC , ARE THESE EMAILS DAMAGING TO BIDEN ?
The suggestion that Joe Biden might have met with a Burisma representative is consequential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he never discussed his son ’ s business with him .
But the emails provide no details on whether Pozharskyi and Biden actually met and , if so , what they discussed .
If Biden did meet with Pozharskyi , he was not the only U.S. official who may have done so .
Pozharskyi was part of a Burisma delegation that lobbied congressional officials in 2014 in an attempt to show that the firm was not a corruption risk .
With Election Day near and with polls showing him trailing Biden , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his opponent ’ s family to energize his base .
But in an election dominated by concerns about the coronavirus pandemic , it ’ s less certain Trump ’ s strategy will appeal to the voters he needs to win back , including moderate Republicans and suburban women .
Trump sprinkled allegations against Biden and his son in the second and last presidential debate .
Ahead of the debate , the Trump campaign also organized a press event featuring Tony Bobulinski , a man who said he was Hunter Biden ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allegations that the vice-president ’ s son consulted with his father on China-related business dealings .
The Associated Press could not independently verify Bobulinski ’ s allegations .
Biden ’ s campaign , meanwhile , pointed to the recent Republican-led Senate investigation that found no evidence of wrongdoing on Biden ’ s part with regard to Ukraine .
It also pointedly noted the involvement of Giuliani , saying his “ discredited conspiracy theories and alliance with figures connected to Russian intelligence have been widely reported.
” Associated Press writers Amanda Seitz in Chicago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alexandra Jaffe in Washington , Barbara Ortutay in Oakland , Calif. , and Bill Barrow in Wilmington , Del.
, contributed to this report .

Eric Tucker And Stephen Braun - The Associated Press


thetorontostar--2020-10-25--Suspected migrant smuggler dies while evading Greek police

THESSALONIKI , Greece - A man described by Greek police as most likely a migrant trafficker was killed while trying to avoid a police checkpoint in the north of the country , and another was arrested after also fleeing and killing six sheep and a sheepdog with his vehicle .
The separate incidents occurred Saturday , but police announced them Sunday .
The first driver was stopped on a country road in northern Greece , at some distance from the Greek-Turkish border , police said .
After seeing the checkpoint , he drove away at a high speed and crashed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They said the man was pronounced dead at a hospital and didn ’ t have documents that would help identity him .
The man who drove into a flock of sheep also had been stopped on a country road near the city of Kavala , police said .
They described the arrested driver as a 30-year-old Syrian .
Police sources , speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about cases under investigation , said they suspect both men were migrant traffickers heading to the Greek-Turkish border to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use the pretext of checking on drivers ’ licenses to stop suspected traffickers because most aren ’ t licensed to drive and in many cases they use stolen cars , fake license plates or both .
Traffickers , having caught on that police are setting up highway checkpoints , have taken to using back roads .
But recent reinforcements have allowed police to try to apprehend suspects on less-used roads as well .
Demetris Nellas contributed to this report from Athens , Greece


thetorontostar--2020-10-26--Greece, Turkey wrangle over military games in eastern Med

ATHENS , Greece - Greece said Monday that Turkey plans to carry out a maritime military exercise on Oct. 28 , a Greek national holiday , just hours after NATO ’ s secretary general said both Greece and Turkey had called off wargames on each other ’ s national holidays .
Government spokesman Stelios Petsas said Ankara ’ s move showed it was an “ unreliable ” partner when it comes to negotiations .
“ Over the last few days , Turkey has been making a persistent effort to prove that not only is it a troublemaker in our wider @ @ @ @ @ @ @ completely unreliable interlocutor , ” Petsas said .
Neighbours and NATO allies Greece and Turkey have had often frosty relations through the years .
Most recently they have been locked in a bitter dispute in over maritime boundaries and energy exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean Sea .
Turkey has sent a seismic research vessel , the Oruc Reis , to prospect for energy reserves on the seabed in an area Greece that claims is on its own continental shelf and where it has exclusive economic rights .
Turkey disputes the claim .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the two sides facing off in the area , leading to fears of open conflict .
On Friday , NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said both Greece and Turkey were cancelling military exercises scheduled for this week on each other ’ s national holidays , and described the move as “ steps in the right direction , they help reduce the risks of incidents and accidents.
” But Petsas said Monday that hours after that statement was made , Turkey issued a new maritime safety warning , known as a Navtex , announcing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 28 holiday .
The day marks the anniversary of Oct. 28 , 1940 , when Greece rejected an ultimatum by Italy to allow Axis forces to enter Greece , thus marking Greece ’ s official entry into World War II .
The government spokesman also said Turkey had issued a Navtex for more research to be carried out in an area “ covering sections of the Greek continental shelf “ south of the Greek island of Rhodes .


thetorontostar--2020-10-26--Police: Florida man stole bulldozer, ran down Biden signs

HAINES CITY , Fla. - A 26-year-old man has been accused of stealing a bulldozer from a Florida construction site , driving it into a neighbourhood and knocking down campaign signs for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden , according to authorities and homeowners .
The man took the bulldozer in Haines City on Saturday and repeatedly destroyed Biden signs in full view of people who live in the neighbourhood , witnesses said .
James Blight was charged with grand theft auto and trespassing , according to the Haines City Police Department .
Former Vice Mayor Adam Burgess lives in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is predominantly Black .
He called it a hate crime .
“ This man came onto my property , took the two Joe Biden signs I had in my yard and then came back with a bulldozer to run down my fence , ” Burgess told Bay News 9 .
Video taken by the news outlet showed the damaged fences .
Blight was also accused of bulldozing down a city speed limit sign , among other signs .
Police said Blight claimed he was too drunk at the time to remember what happened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he has an attorney who could comment on his behalf .


thetorontostar--2020-10-26--Power shut off in California as winds, fire danger increase

SAN FRANCISCO - Large swaths of California were without power Monday as utilities sought to prevent the chance of their equipment sparking wildfires while the fire-weary state was buffeted by powerful winds and dangerously dry weather conditions .
More than 1 million people were expected to be in the dark during what officials have said could be the strongest wind event in California this year .
North of San Francisco , a weather station on Mount St. Helena recorded a hurricane-force gust of 89 mph ( 143 kph ) late Sunday and sustained winds of 76 mph ( 122 kph @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calmed slightly , while still topping 60 mph ( 97 kph ) , the National Weather Service said .
“ While this is less than what we saw earlier , these winds are still strong and dry conditions prevail , ” the agency said on Twitter .
At lower elevations , gusts reached 50 mph ( 80 kph ) early Monday across the San Francisco Bay Area , where tens of thousands had their electricity turned off .
Officials extended a red flag warning through 5 p.m. Tuesday for East and North Bay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fifth time this year that Pacific Gas & Electric , the nation ’ s largest utility , has cut power to customers in a bid to reduce the risk that downed or fouled power lines or other equipment could ignite a blaze during bone-dry weather conditions and gusty winds .
On Sunday , the utility shut off power to 225,000 customers in Northern California and later did the same for another 136,000 customers in a total of 36 counties .
“ This event is by far the largest we ’ ve experienced this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Aaron Johnson , the utility ’ s vice-president of wildfire safety and public engagement .
“ We ’ re trying to find ways to make the events less difficult.
” Crews were able to quickly contain small fires that broke out Sunday in Sonoma and Shasta counties .
The causes were under investigation .
The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for much of the state , predicting winds of up to 35 mph ( 56 kph ) in lower elevations and more than 70 mph ( 113 kph ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The concern is that any spark could be blown into flames sweeping through tinder-dry brush and forestland .
The conditions could equal those during devastating fires in California ’ s wine country in 2017 and last year ’ s Kincade Fire , the National Weather Service said .
Fire officials said PG & E transmission lines sparked that Sonoma County fire last October , which destroyed hundreds of homes and caused nearly 100,000 people to flee .
Weather conditions shifted in Northern California on Sunday , with humidity dropping and winds picking up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meteorologist for PG & E .
He said another round of winds is expected Monday night .
Southern California , which saw cooler temperatures and patchy drizzle over the weekend , saw extreme fire weather move in late Sunday .
Southern California Edison said it was considering safety outages for 71,000 customers in six counties starting Monday , with San Bernardino County potentially the most affected .
Los Angeles County urged residents to sign up for emergency notifications and prepare to evacuate , preferably arranging to stay with family or friends in less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have the coronavirus .
Local fire officials boosted staffing as a precaution .
“ The reality is come midnight and through Tuesday we ’ re going to be in the most significant red flag conditions we ’ ve had this year , ” said Kevin McGowan , director of the county ’ s Office of Emergency Management .
Scientists say climate change has made California much drier , meaning trees and other plants are more flammable .
Traditionally October and November are the worst months for fires , but already this year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wildfires that have scorched a record 6,400 square miles ( 16,576 square kilometres ) and destroyed about 9,200 homes , businesses and other structures .
There have been 31 deaths .
Many of this year ’ s devastating fires were started by thousands of dry lightning strikes , but some remain under investigation for potential electrical causes .
While the biggest fires in California have been fully or significantly contained , more than 5,000 firefighters remain committed to 20 blazes , including a dozen major incidents , state fire officials said .
PG @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are a safety measure and understood they burden residents , especially with many working from home and their children taking classes online because of the coronavirus pandemic .
Sheriff Kory Honea of Butte County said he ’ s concerned about residents in foothill communities during the blackouts because cellular service can be spotty and it ’ s the only way many can stay informed when the power is out .
“ It is quite a strain on them to have to go through these over and over and over again , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , California .
Associated Press writer Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-10-26--Women’s groups plan more protests over Poland abortion law

WARSAW , Poland - Women ’ s rights activists are planning more protests in Poland after a top court tightened the predominantly Catholic nation ’ s already strict abortion law .
Angry street protests have been held since the court ruling Thursday , with protesters defying a “ red zone ” ban on gatherings intended to halt a spike in new coronavirus infections in Poland .
The head of a doctors ’ group , Dr. Andrzej Matyja , speaking on Radio Zet , criticized the ruling ’ s timing during the pandemic , saying it amounted to an “ irresponsible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social distancing can not be maintained .
The government-controlled constitutional Tribunal ruled it was unconstitutional to terminate a pregnancy due to fetal congenital defects .
The ruling effectively banned almost all abortions and overturned a hard-won compromise of the 1993 law that even then was one of Europe ’ s strictest abortion regulations .
After the ruling , abortion is allowed in Poland only when the pregnancy threatens the woman ’ s health or is the result of rape or incest .
According to the Women ’ s Strike group , protesters in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ block downtown traffic Monday with cars , bikes , or by just walking .
Group leader Marta Lempart said there will also be a strike Wednesday and a protest march Friday in Warsaw , the seat of the government , the constitutional court and of the right-wing ruling Law and Justice party behind the court ’ s decision .
On Sunday , protests against the new abortion law were held in and around churches in Poland .
Health Ministry figures show that 1,110 legal abortions were carried out in Poland in 2019 , @ @ @ @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-10-26--House already won? Pelosi thinks so, and reaches for more

WASHINGTON - Speaker Nancy Pelosi once predicted she ’ d have the 2020 House Democratic majority secured by November — of 2019 .
Now , days before the Nov. 3 election , she seems to have done it , and she ’ s expanding her reach .
With control of the House hardly contested , Pelosi is working to fortify Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and win extra House seats in case Congress is called on to resolve any Electoral College dispute with President Donald Trump .
Pelosi said she feels so confident Democrats will keep the House this election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ win the next one in 2022 .
“ This year , I ’ m trying to win it two years in advance — by being so substantial in this election that as soon as we start into the next year , people will see our strength , ” Pelosi told The Associated Press in an interview .
“ We intend to hold the House and grow our numbers , “ she said about the election Nov. 3 , and ” contribute to winning the Senate and the presidency.
” It ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just two years ago was being challenged for her job leading House Democrats .
Pelosi rose as the face of party , the House impeached the president and emboldened Democrats are on the march to pick up House seats deep into Trump country .
Democrats are working to reelect some 40 House freshmen elected in the 2018 midterm to win the majority , most of them from districts Trump won in 2016 .
They ’ re digging deeper for additional seats in historically out-of-reach Republican strongholds including Nebraska , Indiana and even Alaska @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the balance in an Electoral College dispute .
To wrest control , Republicans need to gain some 20 seats , but even the House GOP leadership has downplayed their chances .
Strategists say Trump is a drag at the top of the GOP ticket .
Even though Republicans recruited more female and minority candidates to compete with Democrats in suburban swing districts , the battle for the House is something of an afterthought in the marquee contests for control of the White House and the Senate .
“ A rising tide lifts all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Democratic tide is rising , ” said Michael Steel , a Republican strategist and former top aide to House GOP leadership .
Steel said it has less to to with Pelosi ’ s planning than the national political environment .
“ I attribute the presumed success of her efforts to keep the majority more to Trump ’ s failures than to her stated leadership , ” he said .
Those close to Pelosi ’ s political operation did not always join her prediction that Democrats would handily keep control .
Trump wasn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ picked up the majority two years ago , and freshmen are often the most vulnerable to defeat as they seek reelection , especially this class of lawmakers now having to run alongside the president in districts often off-limits to Democrats .
Pelosi pushed ahead with the risky House vote to impeach the president in late 2019 over his dealings with Ukraine only to see the Senate , controlled by Republicans , vote to acquit him of the charges in a highly charged political environment early this year .
When the coronavirus pandemic hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engineered a rules change to allow the House to vote by proxy and work online , but it left lawmakers largely away from Washington .
Now Pelosi is holding out for a robust COVID-19 aid package with the Trump administration , another risky move , seeking a $ 2 trillion-plus deal Republicans don ’ t want to give .
Rep. Cheri Bustos , D-Ill , who is the chairwoman of the party ’ s campaign arm in the House , said she counselled the new lawmakers not to get swept up in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ race like you ’ re running for mayor ” — meeting with constituents and responding to issues close to home .
“ When we set out to do this work in 2019 we had no idea what this cycle would hold , ” said Lucina Guinn , the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ’ s executive director .
The goal , she said , was to make the incumbents “ as strong as possible “ while also recruiting new candidates “ to set up a big battlefield.
” Money helps .
Pelosi is on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fundraiser for her party — an eye-popping sum during nearly two decades in leadership .
This election cycle she raised $ 227.9 million for Democrats — most of it for the House campaign arm — but she also shovelled $ 4 million for Biden from an August event and sent nearly $ 5 million to the state parties .
She said she believes Democrats would sweep if the election were today , but it ’ s still a week out .
“ It doesn ’ t keep me up from the standpoint of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” but it does get me up early to do something about it.
” It ’ s another surprising turn that the Affordable Care Act , which helped cost Pelosi her House majority in the 2010 election after Democrats passed “ Obamacare , ” is now a political calling card being used to win over Trump voters during the COVID-19 crisis .
Voters have come to rely on the health care law ’ s guarantees that those with preexisting health conditions can access insurance and parents can keep their adult children on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barack Obama signed the ACA into law , Republicans are still trying to undo it , including in a court case heading to the Supreme Court a week after the election .
“ Progressive ideas are actually popular , not just with progressives but also with moderate voters , with independent voters and maybe even with some Republican voters , ” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal , D-Wash. , a co-chair of the progressive caucus .
As Pelosi , of California , becomes an even more public presence for the party , Republicans run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she also has a following from those celebrating her high-profile standoffs with Trump .
Since the spring COVID-19 crisis , she has appeared 20 times on the Sunday morning news shows and done more than 150 national television and radio interviews , her office said .
“ I would not miss any opportunity , on behalf of my colleagues , to make sure that there ’ s clarity on where we ’ re coming from on some of these issues , ” she said .
She plans to run again for speaker , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ Definitely.
” But that ’ s for later .
Pelosi notes experts have suggested Democrats will pick up between five and 15 House seats .
“ Our goal originally was to hold the House , ” she said .
“ Everything we get after that will just be a further enhancement.
” AP ’ s Advance Voting guide brings you the facts about voting early , by mail or absentee from each state : https : //interactives.ap.org/advance-voting-2020/ .


thetorontostar--2020-10-26--`The books that see her through’: Winfrey suggests seven

NEW YORK - With Election Day approaching and the pandemic ongoing , Oprah Winfrey is setting aside her usual book club recommendations and instead citing seven personal favourites , ranging from James Baldwin ’ s landmark essays in “ The Fire Next Time ” to Mary Oliver ’ s poetry collection “ Devotions.
” Winfrey is calling her choices “ The Books That See Me Through , “ works she values for “ their ability to comfort , inspire , and enlighten.
” “ It ’ s a mix of fiction , poetry , non-fiction and spirituality , books I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again , ” she said in a statement Monday .
Her new list , announced in partnership with Apple , includes Eckhart Tolle ’ s spiritual guide “ The Power of Now ” and a classic novel she picked in 1996 for her book club , Toni Morrison ’ s “ Song of Solomon.
” Winfrey also chose Ta-Nehisi Coates ’ prize-winning book on race and police violence , “ Between the World and Me ” ; historian Jon Meacham ’ s “ The Soul of America : The Battle For Our Better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo , “ When the Light of the World Was Subdued , Our Songs Came Through : A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry.
” Winfrey will “ dive deeper into each book ” on Instagram , according to Monday ’ s press announcement , but will not be airing any interviews on Apple TV Plus as she has done with other picks since she signed with Apple in 2019 .
Winfrey had planned a new choice every two months ; her previous selection , Isabel Wilkerson ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in early August .
Winfrey spokesperson Chelsea Hettrick said the seven books announced Monday would serve as “ a bridge between selections , ” and that no firm timeline had been set for future choices .
“ This year has brought such unprecedented change overall .
We will re-evaluate in the coming weeks the selection plan and timing for the remainder of 2020 , ” she said .


thetorontostar--2020-10-26--Worries over the virus’ resurgence weigh on global stocks

LONDON - Worries over the resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic around the world weighed heavily on global stock markets on Monday with just eight days to go until the U.S. election .
Investors are getting increasingly concerned that the spike in new cases , particularly in the U.S. and Europe , and the associated restrictions imposed on everyday life will choke the economic recovery of the past few months .
“ While we are seeing nations attempt to stifle the spread of the virus through more localised and tentative restrictions , it seems highly likely that we will eventually see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trajectory can not be reversed , ” said Joshua Mahony , senior market analyst at IG in London .
“ Traders remain torn as they weigh up the potential impending benefits of a U.S. stimulus package and potential vaccine , ” he added .
In Europe , France ’ s CAC 40 was down 0.8 % at 4,869 while the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares slipped 0.3 % to 5,844 .
Germany ’ s DAX underperformed its European counterparts , falling 2.5 % to 12,325 , following a downbeat economic survey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Europe ’ s largest economy waning after five straight months of gains .
U.S. stocks were also poised for declines at the bell with both Dow futures and the broader S & P 500 futures down 1 % .
In the U.S. much of the focus on Monday will centre on Congress and whether another massive economic relief package will be passed before the Nov. 3 election .
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday she ’ s not giving up on passing another coronavirus relief economic package in time .
She said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Trump administration on Friday and was told she would get answers on Monday .
Earlier in Asia , Japan ’ s benchmark Nikkei 225 declined 0.1 % to finish at 23,494.34 , while South Korea ’ s Kospi lost 0.7 % to 2,343.91 .
Australia ’ s S & P/ASX 200 fell nearly 0.2 % to 6,155.60 .
The Shanghai Composite index declined 0.8 % to 3,251.12 .
Markets in Hong Kong were closed for holidays .
Oil prices were also being dragged lower on Monday amid the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York benchmark was down 2.3 % at $ 38.95 a barrel while the Brent international standard fell 2.1 % to $ 40.88 .
In the currency markets , the euro was down 0.3 % at $ 1.1818 while the dollar rose 0.2 % to 104.92 yen .


thetorontostar--2020-10-26--‘Babish’ expands as pandemic boosts YouTube cooking shows

NEW YORK - Mac and cheese , 18th-century style .
A seven-course meal using only ingredients from a convenience store .
A meal that is literally on fire .
Four episodes into her new YouTube show , “ Stump Sohla , ” part of the expanding “ Babish Culinary Universe “ channel , Sohla El-Waylly has yet to be stumped by a food challenge .
El-Waylly became a familiar face on YouTube as a standout on Bon Appetit ’ s test kitchen channel .
But during the nationwide racial reckoning following the police killing of George Floyd , she was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accused the channel ’ s owner , Conde Nast , of discriminatory compensation and other practices .
A Conde Nast representative said race wasn ’ t a factor in setting pay .
Her new show is her own , pushing her to deploy her talent , charm and encyclopedic culinary chops to solve challenges .
“ My creativity comes from being put in difficult situations , ” El-Waylly said during a break in shooting an upcoming episode .
The series riffs on a game show , with a spinning wheel that determines which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the second episode , in which she relies only on items purchased at a bodega to create a tasting menu , El-Waylly pours hot water over potato chips to rinse off the fat and make a mashed potato-esque puree .
She expects it to “ be gross.
” But as she tastes it , a look of sheer satisfaction comes over her face .
Leaving Bon Appetit for an independent YouTube channel could be considered risky , but the payoffs were noticeable almost immediately .
The three months it took to create the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about how long it would take to produce one Bon Appetit video , El-Waylly said , given the hurdles of working at a large company with corporate red tape .
Now , she says , “ you can just have an idea and go with it while you ’ re still excited.
” Her show is the first addition into the expanding “ Babish Culinary Universe “ , a rebrand of Andrew Rea ’ s popular “ Binging With Babish ” channel .
Just weeks after it started , “ Stump Sohla ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ views per post , and added 30,000 new subscribers to the channel in one day , according to YouTube figures .
“ Binging With Babish ” started in February 2006 as a cooking program that recreates meals from pop culture and TV shows ( the name pays homage to a “ West Wing ” character ) .
Over 14 years , Rea had a slew of viral hits .
The Moist Maker , a Thanksgiving leftover sandwich from “ Friends , ” put him on the map , Rea said .
The simple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” more than 8.6 million views .
And the titular dish from “ Ratatouille ” is his most-viewed video , with more than 24.4 million watches .
“ We ’ re doing everything we can to not let the pandemic interrupt our growth , ” Rea said .
“ Because I think now more than ever , not only are people turning to YouTube for entertainment , but also just for escapism.
“ Since the pandemic stopped life in its tracks in mid-March , the average daily views of videos with “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have increased by over 100 % , according to data provided by YouTube .
Earnest Pettie , who leads YouTube ’ s global trends research , said that food trends at the beginning of the pandemic included sourdough bread , then Dalgona coffee , Basque burnt cheesecake and , now , “ island ” cakes .
The recipe for a successful YouTube channel , he said , is including people in a social conversation that teaches them something new or helps them feel better about themselves .
But the most important ingredient is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that can ’ t be manufactured , Rea said .
It ’ s the difference , he said , between YouTube content and a television cooking show where all you see is “ this beautiful , perfect person making beautiful , perfect food on their first try.
” And that was what Rea said drove him to direct message El-Waylly on Instagram in June , and ultimately decide she was the perfect person to help him expand his digital food network .
“ We ’ ve been waiting for the opportunity to find @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a great fit for our culture and philosophy of being goofballs and having fun while being entertaining and informative , and she embodies that and so much more , ” Rea said .
After leaving Bon Appetit , El-Waylly initially announced she would still create digital and magazine content for the brand .
But last week she said on Instagram that she ended her “ relationship ” with the brand .
Several of her fellow test kitchen colleagues have also left .
The highly publicized internal turmoil at Bon Appetit sent the brand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absence from its YouTube channel , which it started adding new content to this month .
When asked if El-Waylly ’ s exit from Bon Appetit and the void left by its hiatus was an impetus for Rea ’ s expansion of his channel , he said no , adding “ that ’ s not really how YouTube works.
” “ People decide what they want to watch and who they want to lift up , ” he said .
Rea has long had a devoted following on his channel , which YouTube @ @ @ @ @ @ @ programs on the platform , with more than 8 million subscribers and over 1.5 billion channel views .
He has been building out the channel ’ s offerings for years , adding a beginner-friendly show called “ Basics With Babish ” in 2017 and expanding into lifestyle content two years later with “ Being With Babish.
” It features Rea travelling across the country connecting with fans .
That evolution , and frequent crossover episodes with other YouTube personalities and celebrities , gave way to Babish Culinary Universe — a name Rea says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Marvel Cinematic Universe .
A crossover El-Waylly wants to make happen ?
A collaboration with Sean Evans ’ popular “ Hot Ones ” series , where guests eat increasingly spicy chicken wings while being interviewed — but she wants to make all the hot sauces herself .
One of the lessons Rea says he has learned over his YouTube career is to always film every time you cook .
He noted that the audience really responds to his process — namely , his mistakes .
“ I want people to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because they ’ re learning opportunities , ” he said .
“ Everything that I am and everything that I have been able to do is the product of me being able to learn from and grow from my mistakes.
” That is what he hopes will be part of his legacy — and something he wants to focus on in a memoir he ’ s thinking about writing .
When asked what he ’ d call it , he stopped , thought for a minute and said , “ I Done F——- @ @ @


thetorontostar--2020-10-26--Zeta likely hurricane before hitting Yucatan, heading for US

MIAMI - A strengthening Tropical Storm Zeta is expected to become a hurricane Monday as it heads toward the eastern end of Mexico ’ s resort-dotted Yucatan Peninsula and then likely move on for a possible landfall on the central U.S. Gulf Coast at midweek .
Zeta on Sunday became the earliest ever 27th named storm of the Atlantic season .
The system was centred about 175 miles ( 285 kilometres ) southeast of Cozumel island Monday morning , the U.S. National Hurricane Center said .
It had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph ( 110 kph ) .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mph ( 15 kph ) after being nearly stationary over the weekend .
Forecasters said Zeta was expected to move over the Yucatan Peninsula later Monday before heading into the Gulf of Mexico and then approaching the U.S. Gulf Coast by Wednesday , though it could weaken by then .
Officials in Quintana Roo state , the location of Cancun and other resorts , said they were watching the storm .
They reported nearly 60,000 tourists in the state as of midweek .
The state government said 71 shelters were being readied for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The government is still handing out aid , including sheet roofing , to Yucatan residents hit by Hurricane Delta and Tropical Storm Gamma earlier this month .
A hurricane warning was expanded for the Yucatan Peninsula from Tulum to Dzilam , including Cancun and Cozumel .
Zeta had been dawdling Sunday because it was trapped between two strong high pressure systems to the east and west , and it could not move north or south because nothing was moving there either , said Brian McNoldy , a hurricane researcher at the University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ researcher Phil Klotzbach said that when a storm gets stuck , it can unload dangerous downpours over one place , causing flooding .
That happened in 2017 over Houston with Harvey , when more than 60 inches ( 150 centimetres ) of rain fell and in 2019 over the Bahamas with Category 5 Hurricane Dorian , which was the worst-case scenario of a stationary storm , he said .
The hurricane centre said Zeta could bring 4 to 8 inches ( 10 to 20 centimetres ) of rain to Mexico , the Cayman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drenching the central U.S. Gulf Coast .
The storm could make landfall anywhere from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle , forecasters said .
Louisiana Gov .
John Bel Edwards urged his state ’ s citizens to monitor the storm , and the state activated its Crisis Action Team .
Zeta broke the record for the previous earliest 27th Atlantic named storm that formed Nov. 29 , 2005 , Klotzbach said .
This year ’ s season has so many storms that the hurricane centre has turned to the Greek alphabet after running out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ furthest into the Greek alphabet the Atlantic season has gone .
There was also a Tropical Storm Zeta in 2005 , but that year had 28 storms because meteorologists later went back and found they missed one , which then became an “ unnamed named storm , ” Klotzbach said .
AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein in Kensington , Maryland , contributed to this report .


thetorontostar--2020-10-26--Belgium faces pivotal week as virus weighs on hospitals

BRUSSELS - Authorities warned Monday that Belgium faces a pivotal week in its struggle to limit the spread of the coronavirus , as a series of new restrictions took effect in one of the European countries hardest hit by the pandemic .
Almost 12,500 new cases are being reported on average every 24 hours , figures released Monday for the week from Oct. 16-22 showed , compared to around 5,000 a day two weeks ago .
About one person in every five who is tested turns out to be positive .
The very elderly are hardest hit .
On average @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died from the virus each day , bringing the death toll to 10,810 in a country with a population of around 11.5 million people .
Pressure is building on Belgium ’ s hospitals , where 467 people are being admitted on average each day , a rise of 85 % .
Almost 5,000 people are currently in hospitals , more than 750 of them in intensive care , according to the latest data .
“ What we do now , what we will do in the next two weeks , will be decisive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a spokesman for Belgium ’ s COVID-19 crisis centre .
If the figures don ’ t change , he said , “ we are likely to reach 2,000 patients in intensive care in two weeks .
That is , our maximum capacity.
” New measures announced by Belgium ’ s federal government were implemented Monday , but the tightening of restrictions until Nov. 19 , mainly in the cultural and sports sectors , were considered inadequate by two of Belgium ’ s three regions .
The French-speaking region of Wallonia and the Brussels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m .
In Brussels , masks must be worn outdoors at all times , while cinemas , theatres and sports centres were ordered to close .
People must work from home when possible .
Fears about a return to a full lockdown are rife .
“ Things are evolving every day .
It ’ s not impossible that in a few days I assemble the Walloon government to take extra measures .
I don ’ t know for sure yet , but I can ’ t rule it out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told state broadcaster RTBF .
“ We ’ re trying to find a balance , ” Di Rupo said .
“ ’ We don ’ t want to shut down society altogether.
” Next week ’ s school vacation has been extended , with high school students in Wallonia and Brussels working from home as of this Wednesday .
Students in Flanders will have two extra days off after what normally would have been the end of the vacation period .
Van Laethem urged people take some time out with their children , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now and then -- but only alone as rules in some parts of the country require — start on some DYI projects at home or listen to their favourite music .
“ You don ’ t have to live like monks , ” he said , but “ it ’ s now or never to discover your personal pause button.
” Follow all of AP ’ s coronavirus pandemic coverage at http : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak