Hello, it's Tamara Baluja. 

Canada has an auto theft problem so severe the Insurance Bureau of Canada has called it a "national crisis." Part of the issue might be that Canadian cars don't have security features that you could find if you bought that same car in the U.K., according to a new Marketplace story. 
 

At least 65 dead in Philippines in rains, landslides from Tropical Storm Trami

Philippine Coast Guard personnel evacuate residents after flood waters rose due to heavy rains brought by Tropical Storm Trami in Camarines Sur, Philippines, on Thursday. (Philippine Coast Guard/Reuters)

The Philippines has suffered at least 65 deaths as of Friday from tropical storm Trami. And the storm could return to bedevil the country again next week, due to a rare occurrence. 
 

Although Trami did not strengthen into a typhoon, it dumped unusually heavy rains on the country, as some regions saw several weeks' worth of rain in just 24 hours, leading to flash floods. The overall death toll was raised after 33 people were killed in landslides Friday set off by Trami in Batangas province south of Manila. At least 11 other villagers remain missing.

State forecasters raised the rare possibility that the 11th storm to hit the Philippines this year could make a U-turn next week due to high-pressure winds in the South China Sea. If not, it's possible Vietnam will be in the storm's path in the coming days. 
 

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos, sounding exasperated, inquired about the U-turn prospect in an emergency meeting with disaster-response officials Friday.

Said Marcos at one point, "Oh God, it is what it is. We just have to deal with it."

Why some cars sold in Canada are easier to steal than the same models in the U.K.

The Canadian and U.K. models of these cars do not have the same security features. (CBC)

When Anuj Sethi's Range Rover was stolen from his driveway in 2021, he says police told him it was one of six cars stolen on the same night in his Oakville, Ont., neighbourhood.

He was shocked to learn his car may have been harder for thieves to steal if he'd bought it in the U.K.

What CBC found: Marketplace compared some of Canada’s most stolen vehicles to the same makes and models sold in the U.K. and reveals how the same cars sold overseas have additional security features — such as tilt sensors and double locking — that aren’t provided in Canada.

Why the difference?: In the U.K, insurance premiums are based on scores handed out by Thatcham Research, an insurance industry-funded centre that tests and scores cars for safety and security. Insurance premiums are often based on these scores. Meanwhile in Canada, anti-theft regulations have fallen behind. Federal Transportation Minister Anita Anand says 2025 is likely when Canadians can expect to see some changes.

Walmart, LCBO are the latest retailers to embrace single-use paper bags. Environmentalists are concerned

Several major retailers are offering paper bags to customers after Ottawa banned single-use plastic ones. (Trevor Wilson/CBC)

How many reusable plastic bags do you have stockpiled at home? 

In late 2022, the federal government rolled out a ban on certain single-use plastics, including shopping bags. The ban has led to a proliferation of reusable bags, sparking concerns about their cost (ranging from 33 cents to $3 each), and the fact that some shoppers are amassing more than they could ever reuse. 

Now, some major retailers, such as Ontario's main liquor vendor, the LCBO, and Walmart Canada are turning to single-use paper bags. And that has some concerned. 

Why some environmentalists say it's not a sustainable solution: 

• Although paper bags are still a better alternative to plastic, one expert says making paper bags requires large amounts of heat and chemicals to remove impurities. 
• Paper bags can also be a challenge to recycle. Every time paper material gets recycled, its fibres become weaker, making it less likely they can be recycled again and can end up in the landfill. 
• Environment Canada provided a sobering statistic: It estimates only 55 per cent of all paper waste is recycled into new materials.  

Billionaire Frank Stronach’s restaurant a predatory workplace, women say

WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence or know someone affected by it.

It started with five sex crime charges in June, but police would lay more in the following months. By October, auto parts billionaire Frank Stronach's charge sheet ballooned to 18 criminal counts. 

While a number of the allegations are historic, an investigation by CBC’s The Fifth Estate found stories of Stronach’s alleged sexual misconduct continued into 2024.

Employees of his Aurora, Ont., restaurant, Frank's Organic Garden, 50 kilometres north of Toronto, claim he has made unwanted sexual advances toward young female staff in the last few years, including demanding oral sex from a female staffer while she was in a locked car with him.

“Everybody's afraid of Frank,” one restaurant employee told The Fifth Estate. “He can pay off anyone he wants. 

Stronach has vigorously denied the allegations.

“My friends know me, and a lot of people which worked for me, they know who I am,” Stronach said in an interview with The Fifth’s Estate’s Mark Kelley. “That's totally against what I stand for.”

In case you missed it

• A defiant Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he's staying on as leader after several members of his Liberal Party caucus revolted. It comes less than a day after 24 of his own MPs signed a letter calling for him to step down by Oct. 28, to prevent what polls call a resounding election defeat.
• Former Conservative MP Alain Rayes, who says he left the party because of his beliefs, claims that the number of anti-abortion Conservative members of Parliament is growing, and that anti-abortion activists have influence within the party apparatus.
• On a related note, CBC News travelled to Arizona and Florida, speaking to voters, experts, and abortion advocates and opponents, who shared how the fight over abortion is playing out on the ground as the 2024 U.S. election looms.
• Palestinian emergency workers are pulling out of northern Gaza, saying its crews, which carry out first-responder and search-and-rescue services, have been targeted by Israeli attacks as they tried to pull survivors — or bodies — from the rubble or offer first aid to the injured.
• When Israel and Hezbollah ended their war in 2006 by agreeing to a UN-proposed ceasefire, the resolution included the enlargement of the UN peacekeeping force that had already been stationed in southern Lebanon for decades. But as war has broken out again, the 10,000-plus force has not only been unable to quell the conflict, it has also found itself in the middle of it. Instead of renewing its mandate, some observers are questioning if it should be there at all.

And, in today's good news:

Meet Uno, the one-eyed puffin

Uno the puffin was taken to the Rock Wildlife Rescue in Newfoundland after suffering a traumatic eye injury. (Charles Contant/CBC)

This puffling from Newfoundland had a massive head injury it likely endured after flying into a concrete wall when attracted to the bright lights at a school. 

After facing an intense recovery at the Rock Wildlife Rescue, its carers determined it couldn't be released back into the wild and survive. The young puffin, which was named Uno because it was by itself, had lost the use of its right eye, which is incredibly important for hunting and diving in the ocean.

But thanks to the help of volunteers and people at the Montreal Biodome, it now has a prosperous life ahead in its new home. It's a museum of enclosed ecosystems that has taken in puffins from Newfoundland and Labrador before. The dome houses five unique ecosystems, including one that simulates the Labrador Coast for Atlantic seabirds.

Uno, who made the trip from St. John's to Montreal by plane, was released into its new home this week — and will join a new colony of puffins.