Tennis: Serena, Osaka advance in Toronto to set up rematch

Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka advanced to the Rogers Cup quarter-finals on Thursday to set up their first meeting since the American's infamous row with an umpire overshadowed last year's U.S. Open final.

Osaka won her first career Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows but the title match will be remembered for Williams' feud with Carlos Ramos, who warned her for a coaching violation before deducting a point and then a game for her behavior.

Williams, a three-times Rogers Cup champion, overcame a sluggish start on Thursday to earn a 7-5 6-4 win over Russian qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Japanese second seed Osaka then closed out the day's action with a 7-6(4) 6-4 win over Polish qualifier Iga Swiatek.

"I've been actually looking forward to playing her for a while," Williams said of the Osaka matchup.

Williams, who is eager to get more hard-court matches under her belt before seeking a record-tying 24th career Grand Slam at the U.S. Open, came back from an early double-break down, helped in part by eight double-faults by Alexandrova in the first set.

The American eighth seed, in her first career meeting with Alexandrova, went down a break again and trailed 3-1 in the second but her serve suddenly started to click as she stormed back to 3-3 and from there raced home.

"She played really well. She didn't really give me any rhythm," Williams said. "I wasn't sure what would come, if it was going to be hard or soft or a winner or what so it was definitely a challenge for me."

Osaka also had her hands full and needed to save a pair of set points before grabbing the opener against Swiatek.

The Japanese made a quick start to the second set and seemed in control until Swiatek made a comeback, the 18-year-old winning over the crowd with her versatile play as the match wore on.

Osaka, 21, said she was excited about the chance to play Williams, someone she grew up watching and has beaten in their two previous meetings.

"Whenever I get the opportunity to play her it's something that I feel is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." said Osaka.

"It feels more like I am showcasing my skills to her like 'look what I can do.' So I will go into the match with that mentality."

Defending champion Simona Halep, in her first event since winning last month's Wimbledon, needed 67 minutes to secure a 6-2 6-1 win over Russian wildcard Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Halep took a medical timeout in her previous match to have her left Achilles tended to and she said she still felt pain in the area against Kuznetsova but that it was feeling much better.

"The fact that I'm back in the quarter-finals here means a lot to me," said Halep. "It feels like I'm getting back the rhythm which I had in Wimbledon."

Up next for Halep will be in-form Czech qualifier Marie Bouzkova, who breezed by former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-2 and has yet to drop a set.

Earlier on Thursday, Czech third seed Karolina Pliskova beat Estonian Anett Kontaveit 6-3 7-5 to set up a last eight meeting with Canadian Bianca Andreescu, who upset Dutch fifth seed Kiki Bertens 6-1 6-7(7) 6-4.

Also securing passage to the last eight were American Sofia Kenin and 2017 champion Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Toronto mass shooting

Police are seen near the scene of a mass shooting in Greektown District, Toronto, Canada, Sunday evening. At least 9 people were sent to nearby hospitals due to significant injuries according to initial reports.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Toronto crash memorial

People embrace as they lay candles and leave messages at a memorial for victims of a crash on Yonge St. at Finch Ave., after a van plowed into pedestrians on Monday in Toronto, Canada. A suspect identified as Alek Minassian, 25, is in custody after a driver in a white rental van collided with multiple pedestrians.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

9 dead, 16 hurt by van plowing over Toronto sidewalk

TORONTO - A driver plowed his white Ryder rental van into a crowd, killing nine people and injuring 16 on a busy Toronto sidewalk on a sunny Monday afternoon, police said.

Toronto Deputy Chief Peter Yuen announced the casualties at a news conference. He said the driver was in custody.

The incident occurred just before 1:30 p.m. (1730 GMT) as large crowds of office workers were on lunch breaks. At least one witness described the driver as appearing to deliberately target victims on his roughly mile-long (1.6 km-long) rampage.

A Reuters witness saw at least two tarp-covered bodies at the site of the incident. Five people remained in critical condition at Sunnybrook Health Services Centre on Monday afternoon, the hospital said.

It was not immediately clear if the incident was a deliberate act by the driver or a traffic mishap in a mixed commercial and residential area.

Canada's public safety minister, Ralph Goodale, declined to comment on what may have motivated the attack.

"The investigation is at a stage where no further information can be confirmed at this point," Goodale told a news conference said. "The police are conducting obviously their thorough investigation to determine what happened and why it happened, the motivations involved."

Ryder System Inc spokeswoman Claudia Panfil confirmed that one of the company's rental vehicles had been involved in the incident and said the company was cooperating with authorities.

There have been a string of deadly vehicle attacks in the United States and Europe, including an Oct. 31 attack in New York that killed eight. Islamic State militant group encourages its supporters to use vehicles for attacks.

Toronto is hosting a Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting about 30 kms (18 miles) away from the scene of Monday's deaths.

The crash occurred at the corner of Yonge Street and Finch Avenue in the north end of the city, said Toronto Police spokeswoman Meaghan Gray.

A man who gave his name as Ali told CNN he saw the van and that the driver appeared to have been targeting people.

"This person was intentionally doing this, he was killing everybody," the man said. "He kept going, he kept going. People were getting hit, one after another."

He said a number of the victims were older people and at one point he saw a stroller fly into the air.

At least one person was struck outside on the sidewalk outside an Anglican church, north of where the van came to rest in front of a currency exchange in a condominium tower.

Yonge Street is large, divided boulevard at the point where the incident occurred, its center meridian dotted with planter boxes and sculptures.

Some of the victims were struck in a public square popular with office workers on lunch breaks. Aerial photos of the scene posted on social media showed a food truck parked just a few feet away from where emergency workers busily transferred people onto stretchers.

There was no noticeable change in security around the Intercontinental Hotel where the ministers of Canada, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan were meeting on Monday. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Canada 'serial killer' linked to five deaths, targeted gay men

OTTAWA - A landscaper charged in the deaths of 2 Toronto gay men is a suspected serial killer, police said Monday, as they linked him to 3 additional victims and scoured sites around Canada's largest city for more remains.

Bruce McArthur, 66, was arrested earlier this month and charged Monday with three additional premeditated murders after human remains were found "hidden in the bottom of (large) planters" at a property that he used for storage, Toronto police's lead investigator Sergeant Hank Idsinga said.

McArthur is an "alleged serial killer," he told a news conference, adding that authorities were searching some 30 properties in Toronto where McArthur worked.

Police are examining a dozen more planters from various locations across the city, and eyeing 2 properties for excavation "where people might be buried," Idsinga said.

"We believe there are more remains at some of the properties that we're working to recover," he said.

"We believe there are more (victims) but I have no idea how many more there are going to be."

DNA tests, meanwhile, are being performed on the dismembered skeletal remains found so far "and depending on the identification of the remains and further evidence that we uncover, we'll lay more charges," Idsinga said.

McArthur was arrested following an investigation into the disappearances last April and June of 2 men -- Selim Esen, 44, and Andrew Kinsman, 49, respectively -- from a predominantly gay neighborhood in downtown Toronto.

He was also indicted Monday in the deaths of Majeed Kayhan, 58, who went missing in 2012; Sorousk Mahmudi, 50, whose disappearance was reported almost 3 years ago; and 47-year-old Dean Lisowick, who was homeless and was believed to have been murdered in 2016 or 2017.

Two of the victims did not fit the profile of some of the others -- men of Middle Eastern descent known to have frequented Toronto's gay village neighborhood, suggesting the accused's crimes may extend beyond that district.

The investigation "certainly encompasses more than the gay community. It encompasses the city of Toronto," he said.

McArthur, however, was known to have had a long-term sexual relationship with Kinsman, police said.

"We know that many in the community are struggling to understand and process these developments," Idsinga said. 

Although McArthur had come under suspicion last September in connection with the disappearance of Kinsman, police rejected suggestions in December that a serial killer was prowling Toronto's gay neighborhood.

In 2013, police said they believed Kayhan's disappearance may be connected to 2 other missing persons cases, those of Abdulbasir Faizi and Skandaraj Navaratnam. 

McArthur was not charged in those disappearances, but the investigations remain open.

Authorities are now reviewing missing persons cases dating back to at least 2010, and asking anyone who employed McArthur to do garden work to come forward.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Home run record falls, questions remain

LOS ANGELES -- Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon carved out a piece of baseball history after belting the 5,694th home run of the Major League Baseball season.

Gordon's towering hit in Toronto on Tuesday night broke the previous record for home runs in a single season, set way back in 2000 in the drug-tainted heart of baseball's Steroid Era.


The record reflects a startling uptick in home runs in recent years. In 2014, there were only 4,186 home runs hit -- meaning 2017 has witnessed a 47 percent increase in homers this year.

Major League Baseball has been struggling to explain away the surge in homers this season.

Some players have suggested that the answer lies in the balls being used, which some argue are smaller because the seams are lower, meaning there is less air resistance.

Major League Baseball rejects that theory however, insisting that no alterations have been made.

Another theory is that teams are benefiting from advances in technology. MLB's Statcast tool provides teams with a highly accurate, automated system that allows players to analyse technique.

The Pitchf/x system also means teams can measure trajectory, speed, break and location of a pitched ball, making it easier to anticipate where a pitcher may choose to throw.

Yet another theory argues that the increase in home runs can be attributed to the declining stigma attached to striking out. The average number of strikeouts per game has climbed steadily since 2005, from 6.3 to the current level of 8.25.

- 'Bigger, stronger, faster' -

If more players are willing to take a swing irrespective of whether they hit or miss, the theory goes, there is a likelihood more balls will be hit.

The most sinister theory put forward meanwhile is that baseball is in the grip of a new Steroid Era, and that performance enhancing drugs may be behind the spike in homers.

Undermining that hypothesis is the fact that players are now being tested more widely than ever before, with the number of urine and blood tests doubling from 5,136 in 2012 to more than 11,000 in 2017.

"I think the game ebbs and flows," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said last month when asked about the home run bonanza.

"We're in a period where we have bigger, stronger, faster athletes, like all sports. You think about it -— everybody has bigger, stronger, faster athletes.

"I don't think it's surprising that given that development, there's an emphasis on power pitching, which produces strikeouts, and there's an emphasis on power hitting, which gives you a lot of home runs and less balls in play.

"I think that someone will figure out a theory which they use to win with a little different approach to the game, and I suspect that the game will adjust once that happens."

But the proliferation of homers has left some commentators concerned.

"Remember when you used to have to serve an apprenticeship to learn how to drive the ball with authority?" asked New York Post columnist Joel Sherman.

"Home runs are glorious, but less so if every Tom, Dick and Rhys is hitting them in bushels. Like even eating chocolate, too much of anything ultimately becomes unappetizing."

As of Monday, 708 home runs had been scored by rookies, with New York Yankees' Aaron Judge leading the way with 44. Judge is five short of Mark McGwire's record of 49 in a rookie season set in 1987.

The Los Angeles Dodgers' Cody Bellinger has 38, tied for the third most by a rookie in MLB history.

Miami's Giancarlo Stanton leads the major leagues this season with 56 home runs but is well adrift of the single season home run record, the 73 smacked by Barry Bonds in 2001.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

On rainy 150th birthday, nation celebrates the meaning of Canada

OTTAWA - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau kicked off celebrations on Saturday to mark the country's 150th birthday amid heavy security as many citizens braved incessant rains and long delays to reach the main site in the nation's capital.

About 500,000 people were expected to be in Ottawa for the long-anticipated Canada Day festivities, which features a large outdoor celebration in front of the national Parliament, complete with acrobats, fireworks and musicians including Irish singer Bono and other members of rock band U2.

Trudeau, accompanied by Britain's Prince Charles, shook hands with some of the thousands of revelers who converged on Canada's capital Ottawa.

"Canada is a country made strong not in spite of our differences but because of them," Trudeau told the gathering. "We don't aspire to be a melting pot – indeed, we know true strength and resilience flows through Canadian diversity."

Still, in the run-up to the celebrations, some controversy was stirred at home, particularly among First Nations who noted Canada's history of mistreatment of indigenous people. Activists erected a teepee on Parliament Hill on Thursday in protest.

On Saturday, about 100 indigenous protesters marched through Toronto, carrying red flags and with some holding the Canadian national flag upside down.

Some cities are celebrating in more unusual ways. Toronto, Canada's largest city, featured a giant rubber duck floating in its harbor, while Calgary planned a "living flag" composed of people wearing red and white. The yellow duck, which cost C$200,000 ($154,273) including the rent, according to the Globe and Mail, drew criticism from some who described it as a waste of taxpayer money.

Security was already ramped up in the days ahead of the celebration and partygoers contended with road closures and concrete barriers across entrances into Parliament Hill, located in downtown Ottawa.

Heavy downpours prompted Ottawa firefighters to pump water off the grounds on Parliament Hill and the Ottawa Fire Service urged citizens to follow safety instructions. Environment Canada forecast abundant rains for Ottawa on Saturday, casting doubt on some of the planned festivities.

National and local police were also out in force, with security top of mind for many Canadians in the wake of fatal attacks in London, Paris and Germany.

Saturday marks the 150th anniversary of the day Canada officially became a country. Britain had ruled it before 1867.

"Canada 150 years ago was a project, it was an idea to bring together four colonies with very different historical backgrounds," said Pierre Anctil, history professor at the University of Ottawa.

"We should celebrate but we should not be complacent. It's not a finished project," he added.

TELEGENIC PM

The nationwide party comes as Canada is enjoying an unusual amount of interest from the rest of the world, largely due to the election of charismatic and selfie-prone leader Trudeau.

"As a society, we must acknowledge and apologize for past wrongs, and chart a path forward for the next 150 years," Trudeau said in a statement ahead of the official kickoff.

Indigenous rights group Idle No More has called for a national day of action on Saturday, telling supporters to hold rallies and take to social media.

Events and installations celebrating the sesquicentennial milestone have already been held across the country this year, with the total cost to the federal government reported to be half a billion dollars.

Along with fireworks, free museums and outdoor concerts nationwide on Saturday, more than 50 special ceremonies to swear in new citizens were planned across the country.

Twitter users were sharing their favorite Canadian songs and food, along with photos of the preparations under the hashtag Canada150.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla arrived in Canada for an official visit on Thursday. The royals began a three-day tour of Canada with a trip to the northern territory of Nunavut, home to a large number of First Nations and Inuit people.

The bash in Ottawa will culminate with a musical fireworks show that is billed as largest-ever such display for Canada Day. It will last for 20 minutes and 17 seconds to commemorate 2017.

"One hundred fifty years? Nah. Look at us: Canada is being born today," Trudeau told the crowd soaked in rains.

(Additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Editing by Denny Thomas and Matthew Lewis)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

How Toronto mayor plans to fix traffic mess

OTTAWA - Car traffic in Canada's largest metropolis is a "growing nightmare," and the only remedy is to get people out of their cars and using alternate transportation, Toronto Mayor John Tory said Thursday.

"First and foremost, Toronto needs to expand its transit network," he told a news conference.

"Traffic is a growing nightmare," he said, "and the number-one fix is to give people more transit options so they can get out of their cars."

Greater Toronto is the fifth-largest city in North America and the fastest-growing region in Canada, with a population projected by the Ontario government to increase by 2.8 million, or 43 percent, to nearly 9.5 million by 2041.

It is not the only Canadian city struggling with increased traffic congestion but it is arguably the worst-hit.

Including adding subways and buses, several cities have encouraged cycling -- even in the dead of winter.

Mayor Tory proposed introducing tolls on two major freeways that connect downtown to sprawling suburbs, constructing new subway lines and commuter train links, as well as building up the city's already vast bus and streetcar network over the next two decades.

He said about Can$33 billion (US$24 billion) is needed over 20 years for these projects as well as road maintenance.

Reactions were swift and acute, but mixed.

A Can$2 (US$1.50) toll on both the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway would raise about Can$200 million (US$150 million) annually, according to the city.

Nearly half the motorists who use the two main thoroughfares are not residents of Toronto proper and should help pay for road and public transit infrastructure costs through tolls, Tory said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Guns N' Roses set 21-date reunion tour

SWEET CHILD: Guns N' Roses on Friday announced a 21-date tour of North America, expanding a reunion that will bring the original lineup back together for the first time in two decades.

A short video on the hard rockers' website lists 20 major US cities and Toronto as destinations for the summer tour.

No dates, venues or ticket information were provided. In a likely wink to the lack of details, the announcement was accompanied by a snippet of the group's song "Patience."

Guns N' Roses' 1987 "Appetite for Destruction" remains the top-selling debut album in US history. Axl Rose's soaring voice and raw anger coupled with Slash's intricate guitar work made the group a global sensation.

But the band, shaken by bitter personal disputes between Slash and Rose, last played together in Buenos Aires in 1993. Since then, Rose has kept performing as Guns N' Roses with other musicians.

The band has long received lucrative offers to come back together. It first revealed its reunion plans when it was announced as the headliner for the Coachella festival next month in California.

Since then, Guns N' Roses said that the reunion would begin on April 8-9 with two shows at the new T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip. An additional two shows were announced for April 19-20 in Mexico City.

The latest announcement may not be the last; the rockers notably did not list Los Angeles, their home turf, where they would be expected to perform a nostalgia-rich show.

A radio host on Atlanta rock station WNNX recently reported that Rose would also join AC/DC as guest vocalist for shows as frontman Brian Johnson suffers hearing problems. Neither Rose nor the veteran Australian rockers have commented.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

LaVine shines as US beat World in NBA Rising Stars Challenge

Minnesota forward Zach LaVine scored 30 points and pulled down seven rebounds to lead the United States to a 157-154 victory over the world team in the NBA's Rising Stars Challenge in Toronto.

LaVine was named Most Valuable Player of the contest featuring many of the NBA's top rookies and second-year players, which launched the festivities of All-Star weekend.

Sunday's All-Star Game will cap the action at Air Canada Centre, but before then LaVine will defend the title he won last year in Saturday's Slam Dunk contest.

He limbered up for that event -- in which he'll hope to join Michael Jordan (1987-88), Jason Richardson (2002-03) and Nate Robinson (2009-10) as the only back-to-back winners -- by leading the squad of US-born rising stars against a World team featuring his Timberwolves teammate Andrew Wiggins of Canada, the Knicks' Latvian rookie Kristaps Porzingis, and the Denver Nuggets' Congolese guard Emmanuel Mudiay.

Both Porzingis and Mudiay scored 30 points in the game played in 20-minute halves.

Wiggins, last season's Rookie of the Year, added 29 points for the World -- to the delight of the Canadian crowd.

It was the second straight year that the contest featured a USA v World format, rather than the old first-year v second-year showdown.

The talent and athleticism of the league's young players was on full display with a bevy of dunks, but there was little in the way of defense to be seen.

LaVine admitted that he wanted to take it to Timberwolves teammate Wiggins in front of the Canadian's home fans.

But he was already looking ahead to his Dunk title defense.

"I'm excited for tomorrow," LaVine said. "I'm going to try to put on a show."

Wiggins, who was named MVP after leading the World to the Rising Stars win in New York last year, said he didn't mind that LaVine earned MVP honors this time around.

He was just happy to put on a show in Toronto.

"It felt great," Wiggins said. "I got to play in front of a lot of people I haven't seen in a long time. My family and friends got to watch it. It's great being back home and playing for my hometown."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Stephen Curry to defend NBA three-point crown at all-star showcase

Stephen Curry, who is on pace to shatter his single-season three-point record, will attempt to defend his long-range shooting title at next week's NBA All-Star Game weekend in Toronto.

The announcement Thursday comes less than 24 hours after the Golden State superstar Curry finished one three-pointer shy of matching the one game NBA record of 12 three pointers in the Warriors' 134-121 win over Washington.

Reigning league Most Valuable Player and current NBA scoring leader Curry has made 232 three-pointers in 49 games this season, putting him on track to break his own record of 286 which he established last season.

The NBA also announced that Zach LaVine will attempt to become the first repeat champion in the popular slam dunk contest since Nate Robinson did it in 2009 and 2010.



Curry highlights an eight-player three-pointer field that also includes Warrior teammate Klay Thompson and Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat, James Harden of the Houston Rockets and Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors.

Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks and JJ Redick of the Los Angeles Clippers are expected to take part in the Skills competition on February 13 at Air Canada Centre arena.

Curry, who is averaging 29.8 points per game, has led the league in three-pointers in each of the past three seasons. He is the first player in league history to sink 200 in four straight seasons.

LaVine is hoping to join Michael Jordan (1987-88), Jason Richardson (2002-03) and Robinson as the only back-to-back slam dunk winners.

The 20-year-old LaVine is also the lone player from last year's competition willing to take part again as Denver's Will Barton, Detroit's Andre Drummond and Orlando's Aaron Gordon are making their slam dunk debuts.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Justin Bieber charged with assaulting limo driver

TORONTO -- Canadian police charged Justin Bieber on Wednesday with assaulting a limousine driver in Toronto in December, the latest in a string of legal troubles for the young pop star.

The alleged incident happened in the early hours of December 30, when the limousine picked up six people including Bieber, 19, outside a Toronto nightclub, police said in a statement.

Bieber allegedly struck the limousine driver on the back of the head several times during an altercation on the way to a hotel, police said. The driver got out and called police, but Bieber left before they arrived, according to the statement.

A Canadian lawyer for the pop star issued a statement that said Bieber is innocent.

"As the matter is now before the court, it would be inappropriate to address the specifics of either the allegation or of the defense at this time," it said.

Bieber's legal team expects the matter will be treated as a summary offense, the equivalent of a misdemeanor in the United States.

The pop star is scheduled to appear in a Toronto courtroom on March 10.

Bieber was charged after appearing at a Toronto police station on Wednesday evening. He arrived in a black SUV and was met by a crowd of journalists and screaming fans, who braved temperatures of minus 10 Celsius.

Wearing a baseball cap on backwards and hooded black coat, Bieber was mobbed by photographers and fans pushing for a closer look as bodyguards and police officers cleared a path for him to enter the station.

Facing Florida charges

Bieber has been in trouble with authorities in the United States this month. He was charged with driving under the influence in Miami after police say he was caught drag racing a rented Lamborghini. Police said Bieber told them he had taken prescription medicine, smoked marijuana and consumed alcohol.

According to court records, he pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to those charges. If convicted, Bieber could face up to six months in prison, although experts say he is likely to receive a lighter sentence because it would be his first offence.

Bieber is scheduled to make a court appearance on Feb. 14 to formally answer those charges. He was also charged with driving on an expired license and resisting arrest.

Also on Wednesday, an online petition asking the administration of President Barack Obama to deport Bieber from the United States following his Miami arrest passed the 100,000-signature threshold required for a White House response.

Bieber is unlikely to be deported because federal law dictates that a visa can only be revoked or denied for a conviction of a violent crime with a minimum one-year prison sentence.

Bieber, a native of Ontario, Canada, first shot to fame as a child when his mother posted YouTube videos of him singing. He became a musical and social media sensation with a devoted following of young, mainly female fans.

The "Boyfriend" singer's life off-stage has been rocky in the last year with problems ranging from scuffling with paparazzi in London to a felony investigation into whether he pelted a neighbor's house with eggs in his gated community near Los Angeles.

But the recent charges and other problems have not dented his appeal with some fans, including those gathered outside the Toronto police station on a chilly Wednesday night.

A 24-year old Toronto woman, who identified herself only as Chantal, said when she heard about the appearance she came out to show her support.

"I know he makes mistakes but I'll always be a fan," she said. "He's a 19-year-old guy. I mean every 19-year-old or teenager goes through the same struggles. It's just not amplified and it's just not shown to everyone."

"We support you. Your Beliebers love you," she added.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Fil-Canadian boy now a recording artist in Canada

CALGARY – From being a finalist on reality show "The Next Star", Filipino-Canadian Darren Espanto is now a recording artist.

His first single is a Jackson 5 cover "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)". It was recently released on iTunes and his music video can now be seen on YTV.com.

Espanto said he didn't expect this to happen since he didn't win the competition.

But the recording industry had other plans. He was flown back to Toronto to record five songs.

"They're all cover singles, and also to shoot music videos for those singles. And we recorded the songs in just one day," he said.

It's been an inspiring and amazing ride for the talented young boy whose been singing and performing since he was 2 years old.

"Well it is a dream come true. I still can't believe this is happening to me. I hope everything still goes well in my future," he said.

His parents are proud of him and thankful for the many blessings coming his way.

"Syempre masaya. At the same time, hindi namin iniexpect na darating sa time na mabibigyan siya ng pagkakataon, the fact na hindi naman siya ang nanalo doon sa sinalihan nyang competition, he was given a chance para makapag recording nga. We're very happy and were very glad and were very excited doon sa future na haharapin niya," said the boy's father, Lyndon Espanto.

The family hopes kababayans all over the world support their son's music career.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

RIM and BlackBerry on the edge under new CEO

TORONTO/LONDON — The new leader at Research In Motion said on Monday the BlackBerry maker did not need seismic change, a declaration seized on by impatient investors who pledge Thorsten Heins will be an interim CEO if he does not turn RIM around in 12 to 18 months.

Takeover talk swirled around RIM as Heins took the helm at the struggling company, whose co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie finally bowed to investor pressure and resigned on Saturday.

In a conference call early Monday morning, Heins, who joined RIM in 2007 and was previously a chief operating officer there, said he would focus on a consumer push and a smooth delivery of its products, rather than allowing a churn of innovation to disrupt rollout, as in the past.

"We innovated while we were developing the product and that needs to stop," Heins said. "We need to innovate, don't get me wrong, but... when we say a product is defined and a product is a product, execution has to be really, really precise."

Still, the former Siemens AG executive hinted he would stick to the current strategy, saying the company needed scaling up, not a dramatic transformation. Lazaridis and Balsillie also gave up their position as co-chairman of the RIM board, but retained seats on the board, suggesting continuity was a goal.

"I don't think that there is some drastic change needed. We are evolving... But this is not a seismic change," Heins said.

The changes at the top of RIM did little to reassure investors. RIM's US-listed shares fell 6.4 percent to $15.90 in early trade on Monday.

Key shareholders and analysts alike signaled they are impatient for drastic improvement at a company that has lost market share and market value after being comprehensively outplayed by the likes of Apple and Google.

"If Thorsten really believes that there are no changes to be made, he will be gone within 15 to 18 months. He will be a transitional CEO and this will be a transitional board," said Jaguar CEO Vic Alboini, who leads an informal group of 16 RIM shareholders holding just under 10 percent of the company's shares.

Alboini criticized the retention of Balsillie and Lazaridis on RIM's board and called for several other board members to step down before the company's mid-year annual meeting.

"If we're wrong, prove us wrong," Alboini said in an interview, referring to the group of shareholders who support his view. "This group is not going anywhere. This is just putting RIM in a position where it might be able to get back into the game. It's early days."

RIM looks badly in need of a leader that can rejuvenate both the design and operational sides of the business or prepare it for sale to one of a raft of rumored buyers, its critics said.

"If there are no meaningful signs of an imminent turnaround then I think the spotlight will turn back on to the assets that RIM holds and who they might be attractive to," CCS Insight analyst Ben Wood told Reuters.

"The annual analyst event in May will now become the focal point to the unveiling of Thorsten's vision. We know the speed with which you make strategic changes and implement them is absolutely critical because the mobile phone business will not stand still."

On the surface, the former Siemens AG executive appeared to suggest he would stick to the current strategy, but analysts expect that to change in the coming months.

RIM's existing product lineup has struggled to compete with Apple's iPhone and iPad and the slew of large-screen and powerful devices from Samsung and other manufacturers using Google's Android operating system.

US woes

First on the agenda will be a need to improve execution, with a particular focus in North America where RIM has hemorrhaged market share after a year marked by product delays and a botched launch of its PlayBook tablet.

"It takes nine months for a product to get to market once you have thought about what you want to do," Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi told Reuters. "They are looking at least a year from a transitional perspective.

"Picking Thorsten is a sign that they haven't quite decided that (a sale is what) they want to do, so they might give it yet another shot at looking at the business and trying to come back."

As the window for a turnaround closes, the clamor from shareholders for the company to license its technology to third parties or even sell the business has got louder.

"RIM's Achilles heel is its hardware focus," said Victor Basta, managing director at Magister Advisors.

"IBM is a very rare exception to the rule, but it took them a decade to transition from a hardware to a software focus. RIM does not have the luxury of a decade."

Investors have seized on any rumor of a deal, whether with Amazon as reported by Reuters in December or with Samsung last week, as reason to celebrate.

Nokia in the frame

Analysts have said that logical buyers for RIM also include fellow-struggler Nokia, perhaps with support from Microsoft, and Facebook which is increasingly pushing its content to users via their mobile phones.

If there is no obvious buyer, Heins does have more immediate options to add value to the business.

Heins says his most immediate concern was to sell RIM's current lineup of BlackBerry 7 touchscreen devices, deliver on a promised software upgrade for its PlayBook tablet computer by February, and rally RIM's troops to launch the next-generation BlackBerry 10 phones later this year.

Longer term, RIM could license its software or integrate its email package, a strategy that many analysts and investors have thought the company might pursue. Heins, formerly one of RIM's chief operating officers, said it would be wrong to focus on that option but he is still open to discussions.

The two men who Heins replaces together built Lazaridis' 1985 start-up into a global business. Both men, also two of RIM's three largest shareholders with more than 5 percent each, will remain board members while Lazaridis will stay on as the head of a newly created innovation committee.

"RIM have had big challenges in the past and they succeeded in moving from a corporate product to be also a consumer product, to get a foot in the consumer market and very few people expected them to do that," consultant John Strand said.

"Now they have to reinvent themselves again." — Reuters

source:gmanetwork.com

Toronto Earthquake 2010

An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 was felt in Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa, as Canada prepares to host Summit 2010 G8/G20 and dozens of world leaders welcome.

The seismic tremor was felt over lunch about 1:45 pm and seems to have lasted for more than 15 seconds. According to geological data the epicenter about 60 kilometers north of the capital in Ottawa Ontario.
In downtown Toronto, the earthquake had a greater impact on the hi-rises, causing more influential than the base of the building that forced some employees to leave their workplace.