Obama: Reject language from leaders that 'normalizes racist sentiments'

WASHINGTON -- Former President Barack Obama responded to the weekend mass shootings in Ohio and Texas on Monday with a plea to Americans to reject the language of hatred, fear and intolerance from any of their leaders.

"We should soundly reject language coming out of the mouths of any of our leaders that feeds a climate of fear and hatred or normalizes racist sentiments," Obama said in a statement posted on Twitter that did not refer to President Donald Trump by name.

The shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, killed 31 people.

A 21-year-old white man has been charged with capital murder in Saturday's shooting spree in Texas. Police in El Paso cited a racist, anti-immigrant manifesto posted online shortly before the shooting, which they attributed to the suspect.

Democrats said Trump was indirectly to blame for the attack in Texas, with some drawing connections between his rhetoric to a resurgence in nationalism and xenophobic sentiment.

Trump on Monday proposed tighter monitoring of the internet, mental health reform and wider use of the death penalty in response to mass shootings.

Trump did not address accusations that his own anti-immigrant and racially charged comments have contributed to a rise in race tensions, nor did he call for broad gun control measures.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Ten killed, including suspected assailant, in Ohio shooting

Nine people were killed in a mass shooting early Sunday in Dayton, Ohio, police said, adding that the assailant was shot dead by responding officers.

The incident occurred shortly after 1:00 am in the popular bar and nightlife Oregon district of the city, Police Lieutenant Colonel Matt Carper said.

"We had one shooter that we are aware of and multiple victims," he told reporters.

"The shooter is deceased, from gunshot wounds from the responding officers," he said, adding no police were injured.

"We have nine victims deceased ... and we have approximately 16 more victims hospitalized right now in unknown conditions."

The suspect had opened fire on the street firing "a long gun with multiple rounds."

Police were working to identify the shooter and the FBI were on scene to provide any necessary assistance, he said.

The shooting came just hours after 20 people were killed by a gunman in El Paso, Texas.

Carper said Oregon was "a very safe part of downtown" Dayton and very popular with visitors.

"Fortunately we had multiple officers in the immediate vicinity when this incident started so there was a very short timeline of violence, for that we've very fortunate.

"It's a very tragic incident and we're doing everything we can to investigate it and try to identify the motivation behind this," said Carper.

"We're still interviewing obviously a lot of witnesses as well as officers to determine if anyone else was involved," he said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Multiple fatalities reported from shooting in Dayton, Ohio

At least 10 people were killed and an unknown number of others were wounded in a shooting incident in Dayton, Ohio, on Sunday, local television and newspapers said.

Dayton police said they were on the scene of an "active shooter incident" but gave no further details.

(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Jane Merriman and Angus MacSwan)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Gunman kills 3 in U.S. bank; police shoot him dead

A gunman opened fire inside a bank in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday morning, killing at least three people and wounding others before being shot and killed by police, authorities said.

The shooter began firing inside a loading dock at the Fifth Third Bank near Fountain Square, police said, before entering the lobby where he exchanged fire with law enforcement.

"He was actively shooting innocent victims, it appears, and our officers were able to kill him and stop the threat very quickly," Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley told a news conference.

The city's police chief, Eliot Isaac, said he could not confirm local media reports that the gunman was a disgruntled employee of the bank, and said he had no information that the victims were targeted. No police officers were hurt, Isaac said.

Witnesses said more than a dozen shots were fired.

Ebony Ginyard, who works at a Dunkin' Donuts in Fountain Square, said she and other workers and customers dropped to the floor when the shooting started. She said the gunman was so close that she could smell the gunpowder as he fired.

"All he had to is look over the counter at us and we would have been shot," Ginyard told reporters.

One onlooker, Leonard Cain, told a newspaper he had been about to enter the bank when someone warned him about the shooting. Cain said he then saw a woman also walking into the bank, and that people tried to get her attention, but she was wearing headphones and did not hear them.

"She walked in the door and he shot her," Cain told The Cincinnati Enquirer, adding that he heard up to 15 shots fired.

The Enquirer said some customers were hiding inside a bathroom at the bank, and that one gunshot victim was found inside a nearby ice cream shop.

Another witness, Michael Richardson, who works in the Fifth Third Bank building, told the newspaper he was outside smoking a cigarette when he heard gunshots.

"I looked behind me and saw the guy – he shot and then he shot again. After that I started running," he told the Enquirer.

Isaac told reporters the gunman's weapon was recovered, but did not say what type of firearm he used.

The police chief said he could not say whether the gunman shot himself in addition to being shot by gunfire from "at least three or four" police officers.

A spokeswoman for the University of Cincinnati Medical Center said three men and one woman were treated there for gunshot wounds. Two of them died, one is in critical condition, and one was in serious condition, the spokeswoman said.

The area around the bank was closed to pedestrians after the shooting. Police said people inside the 30-story Fifth Third Center skyscraper were being held in place but would be able to leave the building soon.

Nearly three hours after the incident, several streets in downtown Cincinnati remained closed to traffic.

"This is not normal, and it shouldn't be viewed as normal," the mayor told reporters, adding that the United States is the only industrialized nation with frequent active shooting incidents. "We as a country have to deal with it," Cranley added.

City councilman P.G. Sittenfeld said it was a sick and tragic way to begin the day. "The scourge of gun violence leaves only loss," Sittenfeld wrote on Twitter. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Police seek US suspect accused of committing murder on Facebook

CHICAGO - Police on Sunday were searching for a gunman they said murdered a man live on Facebook in the US state of Ohio.

Officials in the city of Cleveland said the suspect, Steve Stephens, 37, shot his 74-year old victim at random -- a cold-blooded killing which was livestreamed on the internet.

"Suspect did broadcast the killing on Facebook Live and has claimed to have committed multiple other homicides which are yet to be verified," Cleveland police wrote on Twitter.

At a press conference late Sunday, authorities urged Stephens to turn himself in.

"Everyone is out there looking for Steve. We want this to end with as much peace as we can bring to this right now, and we want him to turn himself in," Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams told reporters, adding that local authorities were working with the FBI and regional law enforcement.

"We have all of our partners in on this, and we'll look until we find him," Williams said.

Mayor Frank Jackson told reporters police were still trying to communicate with the suspect.

"We want to communicate to him that we know who he is, and that he will eventually be caught. And that we're saying to him that he need not do any more," said Jackson.

Stephens was at large after fleeing in a white Ford Fusion with temporary license plates, police in the midwestern US city said.

Some local media reported that he had boasted on Facebook of killing more than a dozen people in an Easter Day massacre, but authorities said there was no indication of a broader killing spree.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Trump within reach of shock White House win

NEW YORK - Billionaire populist Donald Trump was poised for a possible shock victory over Hillary Clinton in Tuesday's historic US presidential election, as a string of swing state victories for the Republican jolted world markets and stunned her supporters.

As polls closed and media called state races one-by-one, giving the key battleground states of Ohio, Florida and North Carolina to the Republican maverick, pollsters scrambled to update their forecasts and point to an improbable upset.

Clinton -- the 69-year-old Democratic former first lady, senator and secretary of state -- began the day as the narrow favorite to win the White House and become America's first female president.

But Trump's string of successes reflected how deeply divided the American electorate has become, and showcased his ability to tap into white blue-collar voters' resentment of cultural change linked to immigration and the loss of manufacturing jobs at home.

World markets plunged as US observers awaited results from the Rust Belt state of Pennsylvania, the northeastern state of New Hampshire, and the northern states of Michigan and Wisconsin -- all now vital to Clinton's hopes.

Mexico's peso plummeted over fears that Trump will make good on his vow to wall off America's neighbor to the south.

Safe haven assets rallied, with the yen and gold rushing higher, and Wall Street futures fell 3.7 percent in after-hours trade. Asian markets were in turmoil, with Indian stocks dropping six percent.

Clinton supporters who had gathered at a glittering reception in New York expecting to hear a victory speech from Clinton fell quiet and jabbed nervously at their phones.

Major donors had tears in their eyes as they stared stupefied at the screens, and an audible gasp filled the room when North Carolina went into Trump's win column.

"Not great," muttered railroad retiree Joan Divenuti, who came all the way from Massachusetts to cheer her heroine. "Florida was always a problem," she added.

Across town at the Trump election party, the 70-year-old property tycoon's supporters -- a more well-heeled crowd than the blue-collar Midwesterners he is counting on for victory -- cheered and pumped their fists at each advance.

"I think we're going to win," said 22-year-old Brendon Pena, who works for a company that leases office space in the soaring Trump Tower.

"I was always positive. I think Donald Trump is a really smart guy. He knows what we're going to do and we're going to win the election."

At 11:30 pm (0430 GMT), Trump was projected to win 24 states worth 229 electoral college votes, within striking distance of the 270 he needs.

Clinton stood at a projected 209 electoral votes.

- 'Whatever happens, thank you' -

This team has so much to be proud of. Whatever happens tonight, thank you for everything. pic.twitter.com/x13iWOzILL

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 9, 2016

On the legislative side, the Republicans were on course to retain their majority in the US House of Representatives, according to network projections -- a situation that has been a thorn in the side of incumbent President Barack Obama.

Clinton tweeted: "This team has so much to be proud of. Whatever happens tonight, thank you for everything."

She and her husband, former president Bill Clinton, huddled in a hotel near the venue to prepare a victory -- or concession -- speech.

Earlier, the Clintons voted near their home in Chappaqua, before emerging to shake hands and chat with the crowd.

An exit poll by CNN found that only four in 10 voters were optimistic that Obama's successor would do any better than he has during his two terms in office.

Trump, 70, cast his ballot alongside his wife Melania in a Manhattan school gymnasium.

"Right now it's looking very good," he told reporters -- paying no heed to protesters who welcomed him with chants of "New York hates you!"

- Tough contest -

The 2016 race was the most bruising in modern memory.

Obama's election eight years ago as the nation's first black president had raised hopes of uniting Americans, but the current contest has only highlighted the country's divisions -- and the fact that voters are not necessarily happy with their options.

Exit polls by ABC News and NBC News found that both Clinton and Trump are seen as untrustworthy by majorities of voters, while most find Trump's temperament unpresidential.

But his supporters flocked to the polls.

"It's unbelievable. I didn't know Trump was really going to pull it off," said Glenn Ruti, a New Yorker who works in telecommunications.

"I think he's going to go all the way. The country wants change."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

LeBron endorses Clinton for president

WASHINGTON -- NBA superstar LeBron James is endorsing Hillary Clinton for president of the United States in a move that could carry a lot of weight with voters in the pivotal state of Ohio.

"I support Hillary because she will build on the legacy of my good friend, President Barack Obama," James wrote in an Op-Ed piece published on the Business Insider website on Sunday.

"I believe in what President Obama has done for our country, and support her commitment to continuing that legacy."

The article is slated to run on Monday in the Akron Beacon Journal, the newspaper in James's hometown.

James returned to his home state after a spell with the Miami Heat, and led the Cleveland Cavaliers to an emotional NBA title in June.

In endorsing Clinton he writes about his decision to return to Ohio, recalling his childhood as the son of a single mother.

"Only one person running truly understands the struggles of an Akron child born into poverty," James writes. "And when I think about the kinds of policies and ideas the kids in my foundation need from our government, the choice is clear.

"That candidate is Hillary Clinton."

James, a three-time NBA champion and four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, has become increasingly outspoken on social issues, including the racial tension that has flared across the country over police killings of black men.

James praised Democratic candidate Clinton's message of unity.

"I don’t know everything it will take finally to end the violence," James wrote. "But I do know we need a president who brings us together and keeps us unified.

"Policies and ideas that divide us more are not the solution. We must all stand together — no matter where we are from or the color of our skin. And Hillary is running on the message of hope and unity that we need."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Day moves one ahead at challenging Firestone

World number one Jason Day birdied two of his last three holes, despite difficult conditions for scoring, to take a one-stroke lead after Friday's wind-swept second round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.

The game's hottest player over the past 12 months with seven tournament wins, Australian Day had a three-putt bogey at the last to card 69 for a four-under total of 136 at Firestone Country Club.

The 28-year-old laid up in two at the par-five 16th before hitting an exquisite wedge to five feet and sinking the birdie putt, and then picked up another shot at the 17th, where he drained a 16-footer from the fringe to earn the outright lead.

Swede David Lingmerth was alone in second after firing a best-of-the-day 67. One stroke further back were first-round leader William McGirt (74), fellow American Scott Piercy (69) and Argentina's Emiliano Grillo (71).

"One of those days where you had to really stay patient ... it was really difficult to make birdies," said Day, who is bidding for a fourth PGA Tour victory this season.

"The greens are starting to get firm and fast, the fairways are firm and fast and then you have a 15 mph (24 kph) wind. I'm just very pleased to shoot under par."

Seventeen players were under par after the opening round but only nine were left in red numbers after 36 holes, having battled in shifting winds on a daunting Firestone layout running firm and fast with a premium on driving accuracy.

Lingmerth, who clinched his first PGA Tour victory at last year's Memorial Tournament and lost a playoff for the CareerBuilder Challenge in January, made a storming start with four birdies in his first nine holes, before dropping one shot on the inward half.

"Today was a scrambling sort of day for me," Lingmerth told Golf Channel. "I putted really well, chipped well round the greens, but wasn't able to strike the ball as well as I have been the last few months. It was a big grind today."

World number two Jordan Spieth, who salvaged a poor day from tee to green in the opening round with brilliant putting, remained in contention as he carded a 71 to sit just three strokes off the pace, level with fellow Americans Justin Thomas (69) and Kevin Kisner (70), and Australian Adam Scott (68). (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Andrew Both)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Eight killed in execution-style US shootings

WASHINGTON, United States - Eight members of one family, including a teenager, were executed with a bullet to the head in rural Ohio on Friday.

Seven bodies were found at three nearby homes and an eighth was later found at a fourth site, Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader told reporters.

The victims were "all adults except for a male juvenile" who was 16 years old, he said, adding that all were members of a single family.

The authorities gave no possible motive. And, with at least one suspected gunman still on the loose, no arrests have been made.

"Each one of the victims appears to have been executed, each one of the victims appears to have been shot in the head," Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said.

"The preliminary determination has been made that none of the individuals committed suicide," he added, saying the shooter or shooters "are still at large. We do not know their location."

Several victims were in bed when they were shot, Reader said.

Two babies -- one aged four days, the other six months -- and a three-year-old child survived the shootings, he added.

The first and fourth crime scenes are separated by 30 miles (50 kilometers), the sheriff's office said.

Earlier, DeWine and Reader said in a joint statement that the first seven victims had been found "in three Union Hill Road homes in Pike County," a rural community about 80 miles east of Cincinnati.

There was no "active shooter," they said.

Schools in Pike County and surrounding areas were earlier placed on lockdown as a precautionary measure, WLWT reported.

Agents from the Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation were leading the investigation, the statement said.

Ohio Governor and Republican presidential candidate John Kasich tweeted that the situation was "beyond comprehension."

Firearms kill some 30,000 people in the United States each year.

However, Republican lawmakers, many of whom are backed by the powerful National Rifle Association, have blocked President Barack Obama's attempt to pass gun control legislation.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

How Pinoys helped Convergys become a global leader

MANILA, Philippines - A Filipino call center worker in Cebu managed to impress Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer so much that he sent a commendation letter to the company.

The call center agent is just one of nearly 36,000 Filipinos, who make up 44% of Convergys' global workforce.

Convergys president and CEO Andrea Ayers has nothing but praise for its Filipino employees, who have helped the BPO company flourish since it set up shop in Manila ten years ago.

"We have grown in double digits (in employee headcount), each of those years, year-on-year, a testament to the good work and strong talent here.We now have 35,900 employees in the Philippines and still growing," she said in a press briefing in Makati City on Thursday.

Convergys, the number one provider in US customer management services BPO market, is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its operations in the Philippines, where it currently has 21 sites.

Ayers is proud that Convergys is the Philippines' largest private employer, and has received the BPO Employer of the Year award three times. The Philippines is also where Convergys has the largest operations or 44% of its 80,000 global workforce.

Ayers attributed Convergys' successful operations in the Philippines to the deep talent pool.

"The most important thing for us is access to talent, people. Not only agents but the leaders that surround our agents and make decisions... We (also) look for infrastructure, technology, a focus on education is important for us," she said. "We want to be in places where we can sustain a business for years and years. I want another decade here and another decade after that."

Convergys managing director Marife B. Zamora agreed, noting that the Philippines is still a top-notch destination for customer management services to Convergys clients from North America, UK and Australia.

"The biggest advantage continues to be availability and high quality of potential employee pool found in the Philippines," she said. "Another cornerstone of our success is the support of the government because they know this is the second largest revenue generating industry here."

Ayers sees more growth in the industry, but noted there will be a shift to more complex, knowledge-based transactions.

"(Call centers) won't be obsolete.It will just evolve... You need more agents. We see the 10-year trend for growth in our industry, and it shows growth in agent headcount positions," she said

First facility in Mindanao

Convergys is set to open its 22nd facility in Abreeza Technohub, Davao City in September, the company's first in Mindanao.

Ivic Mueco, country manager for Convergys Philippines, noted there were 750 applicants who lined up on the first day of recruitment in Davao.

"We're in the process of hiring our first 400. We are very proud to be in that region, to a certain extent that's a region that needs help," Mueco said.

As for future facilities in other cities in Mindanao, Mueco said the company will still have to assess the performance of the Davao facility before making a decision.

While most of Convergys' contact center facilities are in Luzon, it also has facilities in Cebu and Bacolod.

"We will end with 22 centers this 2013, second to the US which has 30+. We support almost all of the industries under Convergys' array: financial services, technology, cable, satellite, telecommunications, automotive, retail and healthcare," Mueco said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

17-year-old arrested for running multi-million-dollar drug ring

OHIO - A 17-year-old high school student has been arrested in Ohio for allegedly running a multi-million-dollar drug ring.

Police said the boy distributed high-grade marijuana through two school districts which earned him $20,000 a month. The seized contraband had an estimated street value of around $3 million, media reports said.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that "a yearlong investigation culminated in the arrest of the teen and seven adults, as well as the seizure of more than 600 hydroponically grown marijuana plants with a street value of around $3 million," quoting the Warren County Drug Task Force. "The student, who was not named by the sheriff’s office, will face charges in juvenile court. The teen had $6,000 in cash in his bedroom closet when officers arrived with a search warrant, sheriff’s officials said."

The teen ringleader was said to have had six "lieutenants," and "they were distributing the drugs to other high school students," the Sun-Times quoted Drug Task Force Commander John Burke.

source: interaksyon.com

27 dead, one town 'gone' as tornadoes rip central US

CHICAGO - Rescue workers searched for survivors Saturday after more than six dozen tornadoes tore across the central United States, killing at least 27 people and wiping out whole communities.

Trucks and trees were tossed aside like candy Friday as deadly funnel clouds descended on five states.

The images were surreal: a school bus smashed through a brick home, trucks thrown into lakes, stately brick homes reduced to rubble and wooden ones smashed into kindling, mobile homes flipped like tin cans.

The death toll in Indiana reached 13 late Friday, officials said.

"Early reports indicate the heaviest damage is concentrated in southeastern Indiana including substantial damage in Henryville in Clark County, Marysville in Clark County, and Pekin and New Pekin in Washington County," the state Joint Information Center said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Kentucky Department of Public Health has confirmed a total of 12 fatalities.

A total of 13 tornadoes passed through that state on Friday, according to the Kentucky Emergency Management agency.

Two more deaths were reported by authorities in the neighboring state of Ohio.

Fire stations, schools and jails were among the buildings torn apart and a rescue squad car in Kentucky was flipped over and trapped under live power lines.

"I am constantly amazed by both the unpredictability and the ferocity of what Mother Nature can unleash when she chooses to," Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels told CNN.

"We've learned to be pretty humble out here about the way in which we mere mortals can prepare no matter how hard we try."

The latest wave of storms comes after a string of twisters killed 13 people earlier in the week.

The National Weather Service had received 83 reports of tornadoes in eight states by Friday evening, bringing the week's total to 133, though not all were confirmed.

More could be on their way as a "particularly dangerous" tornado watch was set to continue until early Saturday in four states in a massive storm that also carried golf-ball sized hail.

Officials in Clark County, Indiana were scrambling to deal with widespread damage from the storm after roads were blocked by fallen trees and debris, and power and phone lines were knocked out.

The hardest hit included the town of Marysville, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) from Louisville, Kentucky, which for all practical purposes has ceased to exist, officials said. "That's the information we have, that Marysville is no longer," US Senator Dan Coats of Indiana said in an interview with CNN.

The high school in Henryville suffered "quite a bit of damage," but luckily all the children were evacuated safely and only minor injuries -- some cuts and scrapes -- were reported, Major Chuck Adams, the sheriff department spokesman, told AFP.

Alabama's Madison county was also badly hit, with the weather service reporting "people trapped in rubble with injuries," houses destroyed, trees ripped from the ground a power lines down.

Six injuries were reported after 100 homes were damaged in Cleveland, Tennessee, the weather service said, and injuries were also reported in the town of New Pekin, Indiana.

This latest outbreak of twisters comes as people were still picking through rubble left behind by a series of twisters which struck six states on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The town of Harrisburg, Illinois was the hardest hit after it was ripped apart by a deadly twister that stayed on the ground for miles Wednesday, killing at least six people and injuring more than 100.

Some 545 people were killed by tornadoes in 2011, which was the deadliest tornado season since 1936 and the third worst on record, according to the national weather service.

source: interaksyon.com