Filipino Radio broadcaster murdered  in Misamis Occidental during live broadcast 

Juan Jumalon, 57, was shot at point blank on the head by an unidentified gunman 

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A radio broadcaster in Calamba town, Misamis Occidental was shot dead early Sunday while on air, police said. 

An initial report by the Calamba Municipal Police Station stated that the journalist, identified as Juan Jumalon, was broadcasting on radio station 94.7 Calamba Gold FM in his residence at Barangay Don Bernardo A. Neri when an unidentified gunman shot him in the head. 

The suspect "entered inside the gate of the house of the victim," based on the report. 

"The suspect fled away to unknown direction," it added. 

Jumalon's wife was able to bring him to a hospital but he was pronounced dead, according to the initial report. 

In an interview Police Capt. Diore Ragonio of the Calamba Municipal Police Station said they have leads for a possible suspect based on the testimony of the victim's child. 

He said the attack might not be related to Jumalon's work as a broadcaster.

"Sa investigation namin sa anak niya, may mas malalim pa na puwedeng dahilan sa pagkabaril niya," 

(From our investigation, there may be a deeper motive for the shooting.)

"Yung mga mabibigat na dahilan, rason sa pagkabaril niya, revelation 'yan ng anak niya... hindi pa talaga buo ang ebidensya," he added. 

The police said they already conducted a dragnet operation and set up checkpoints for the suspect's possible apprehension while investigation is underway. 

If found to be work-related, Jumalon's murder would be the 199th in the Philippines since 1986.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, which released the Global Impunity Index earlier this week, "the Philippines remains a dangerous place to work as a reporter, especially for radio journalists."

The Philippines was eighth on the "countries with the worst records on prosecuting killers of journalists." 

This was up from 8th in 2022 with the entry of Haiti into the index this year. 

 

Mass shooting again in the United States leaves 1 dead and four injured in South Side club in Indianapolis 

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Police say one person is dead and four others are injured after a mass shooting outside a club on the south side of Indianapolis. 

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department says officers were called to the parking lot outside of GZ Club on 5900 Madison Avenue at around 1:20 a.m. on Sunday and found five people suffering from gunshot wounds.

Police say a male was pronounced dead at the scene, however, his name and age are not currently known.

Four other people were transported to local hospitals. According to IMPD a 23-year-old woman and a 25-year old man are in critical condition. Police say a 29-year-old man and a 25-year-old man are stable at the hospital.

According to IMPD, several nearby businesses had gunshots in the buildings. Officers say multiple witnesses remained on the scene and are cooperating with police. IMPD also found several firearms at the scene.

Investigators say detectives learned there was a disturbance inside the GZ Club prior to the shooting.  They are working to determine if the disturbance is connected to the shooting. 

 

7.8 magnitude earthquake hammers Nepal leaving 157 people dead 

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Helicopters and ground troops rushed to help people hurt in a strong earthquake that shook districts in northwestern Nepal just before midnight Friday, killing at least 157 people and injuring dozens more, officials said Saturday.

Authorities said the death toll was expected to rise, noting that communications were cut off with many places.

At the regional hospital in the city of Nepalgunj, more than 100 beds were made available and teams of doctors stood by to help the injured.

“I was fast asleep when all of a sudden it started shaking violently. I tried to run but the whole house collapsed. I tried escaping but half my body got buried in the debris,” said Bimal Kumar Karki, one of the first two people to be brought to the regional hospital.

“I screamed, but every one of my neighbors were in the same situation and screaming for help. It took nearly a half-hour to an hour before rescuers found me,” he said.

The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 and occurred at a depth of 11 miles. Nepal’s National Earthquake Monitoring & Research Center said its epicenter was at Jajarkot, which is about 400 kilometers (250 miles) northeast of the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu.

As day broke Saturday, rescue helicopters flew into the region to help out and security forces on the ground were digging out the injured and dead from the rubble, Nepal police spokesperson Kuber Kadayat said.

Troops were clearing roads and mountain trails that were blocked by landslides triggered by the earthquake. Helicopters flew in medical workers and medicines to the hospitals there.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal also flew in on a helicopter with a team of doctors. Dahal led an armed communist revolt in 1996-2006 that began from the districts that were hit by the quake.

In Jajarkot district, where the quake’s epicenter was, 92 people were confirmed dead and 55 others injured, Kadayat said. The quake killed at least 36 people in neighboring Rukum district, where numerous houses collapsed, and at least 85 injured people were taken to the local hospital, he said.

Security officials worked with villagers all through the night in the darkness to pull the dead and injured from fallen houses.

The quake, which hit when many people were already were asleep in their homes, was felt in India’s capital, New Delhi, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) away.

Earthquakes are common in mountainous Nepal. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2015 killed some 9,000 people and damaged about 1 million structures.

Neighboring India offered to help in the rescue efforts.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared on social media that he was deeply saddened by the loss of lives and damage due to the earthquake in Nepal.

“India stands in solidarity with the people of Nepal and is ready to extend all possible assistance,” he said.

 

Deadly mass shooting again in the United States leaves one child dead and several injured in Ohio 

Cincinnati Police Department Chief Teresa Theetge said six victims had been shot, including one male who is deceased

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Authorities in Ohio said a shooting near a recreational center Friday night left one person dead and multiple other victims, some of which were juveniles, according to multiple reports.

According to local Cincinnati news outlet WLWT, a heavy police presence responded to the shooting which took place on Betton Street, in the West End neighborhood of Cincinnati, around 9:30 p.m. 

Cincinnati Police Department Chief Teresa Theetge said during a press conference at the scene, near TQL Stadium and Laurel Park, that six victims had been shot, including one male who is deceased. His age and the ages of the other victims were not provided. At least two of the victims are believed to be teenagers or children, according to WCPO reporter Sean DeLancey.

"We are gathering all evidence so we can bring these people to justice," Theetge said, WXIX reported. "It’s unacceptable on a Friday night that six people are shot in our city." "This is happening too often," Theetge added, WLWT reported.

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval tweeted about the shooting just before midnight Friday evening.

"Tonight, there was a horrific tragedy in the West End. Children were shot. At least one life was lost. Our friends and neighbors are feeling unimaginable fear, trauma, and anger," he wrote.

Pureval added: "Right now, I’m asking for your prayers. We will keep you updated as our officers continue their investigation. But I promise this: we will give everything we have to deliver justice against this sickening, heartless violence."

It is not immediately clear why the shooting started, and Cincinnati police have not provided any information on a possible suspect or suspects at this time.

 

United States is developing a nuclear bomb that can kill 300,000 Russians in Moscow 

Biden’s administration is developing a new weapon that could be 24 times more powerful than the atomic bomb that the US dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.

By Edward Era Barbacena 

The nuclear weapon being developed by the Biden administration that could be 24 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 would have devastating consequences if dropped on Russia, according to reports.

An analysis by Newsweek found that such a bomb exploding over Moscow could cause “significant devastation” and kill more than 300,000 people.

“Anything within roughly a half-mile radius from the bomb’s detonation site would be vaporized by a fireball, while heavy damage would demolish buildings and likely kill everyone else within a mile,” the news outlet reported.

Journalists used a visual representation created by Nukemap, an online tool developed by science historian Alex Wellerstein to assess possible damage if the weapon were to be used over the Russian capital.

The bomb, known as the B61-13, could have a maximum yield of up to 340 kilotons of TNT.

The one dropped on Hiroshima had a blast yield of 15 kilotons.

The bomb, which was announced last week by the Department of Defense, is a version of the B61 gravity bomb developed in the 1960s at the height of the Cold War.

“The B61-13 would be deliverable by modern aircraft, strengthening deterrence of adversaries and assurance of allies and partners by providing the President with additional options against certain harder and large-area military targets,” said a statement from the Department of Defense. “It would replace some of the B61-7s in the current nuclear stockpile and have a yield similar to the B61-7, which is higher than that of the B61-12.”

 

Another case of murder-suicide in the United States leaves 2 dead and one 10-year-old boy injured in Alabama.

Christopher Narmore fatally shot her girlfriend Ashley Lynn McClung and severely injured Cayson McClung while protecting her 

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Police in Sheffield, Alabama, identified the fatal victim as Ashley Lynn McClung, 38, and her boyfriend as Christopher Narmore, 40, who later committed suicide, Chief Ricky Terry of the Sheffield Police Department confirms to PEOPLE . (A GoFundMe and memorial in her name, shared by McClung’s loved ones on social media, identify her as Ashley Lynn Newton and Ashley Lynn Newton McClung, respectively.)

 Her son, whom WAFF identified as 10-year-old Cayson McClung, citing a public statement from the principal of her school, was shot in the face and arm while trying to protect her, according to Terry. Ashley and Narmore got into an argument that “escalated” Sunday night, Terry tells PEOPLE. “The boyfriend had a gun and tried to shoot her mother and [Cayson] got into a fight with the boyfriend,” he says. “He raised his arm and that’s when the boyfriend shot the minor, then he shot the mother and then he committed suicide.” Cayson was seriously injured but was conscious when medics and police arrived, the chief says, and was able to tell authorities what happened.

Terry confirms to PEOPLE that the 10-year-old has undergone two surgeries and is in stable condition. “The doctors were able to save his arm,” he says. “A lot of the lead was removed from his face due to the gunshot wound.” In a Facebook post, New Bethel Elementary School acknowledged that Cayson was injured. “We are praying for all who are suffering today and coming together to provide support to Cayson,” the school’s post said. Since her death, friends and family have shared tributes to Ashley on social media, at GoFundMe fundraisers, and on her memorial page. 

In a Facebook post, her sister Tonya Willis said they are waiting for Cayson to be home before proceeding with any arrangements for Ashley. “Ashley was a loving and devoted mother, she attended all of her children’s sporting events and activities,” her obituary page reads. “She loved fishing, singing and going to the beach.” Her mother, Sherrie Newton, shared an old video of Ashley singing for her while Newton was battling cancer. “I mean she raised me and anyone who really knows me knows I’m a fighter!!” Ashley wrote about Newton in the 2020 post. The family was not available for further comment. An investigation is underway, Terry said in a news release.

 

American man of Washington sentenced to ten years in prison for raping ang killing her own disabled sister 

Michael Battersby raped and murdered her own sister Diana Schuler in Kitsap county in 2020

By Edward Era Barbacena 

Michael Battersby, 55, accused in June 2020 of raping and killing his sister who he lived with at a Seabeck residence, was sentenced on Monday to a little more than ten years in prison after he pleaded guilty to a count of first-degree manslaughter and a count of second-degree rape in Kitsap County Superior Court last month as part of a plea agreement.

In a letter to Judge Melissa Hemstreet read aloud during Battersby’s sentencing hearing on Monday, one of the daughters of the victim, Diana Schuler, wrote on behalf of herself and her sister of the hardships their mother had gone through in life, noting, "It is a hard pill to swallow, knowing that Michael, the very person my mother trusted wholeheartedly with her life, took advantage of her vulnerabilities and past traumas. His actions have left us with a void that can never be filled.”

The women added: “While we find some solace in knowing she is now in a better place, the need for justice remains. No one deserves to end their life in such a harrowing manner, and our mother, who carried the scars of a lifetime of suffering, deserves to have justice served on her behalf.”

Deputy prosecuting attorney Jennifer Koo told Hemstreet that while prosecutors in this case did not doubt the work of Dr. Megan Quinn, a pathologist with the then-Kitsap County Coroner’s Office who in 2020 conducted an autopsy on Schuler's body, the “thoroughness” of Quinn’s work had been called into question in other counties in the state, which Koo said would have created credibility problems at a trial.

“I think that given the fact that this case, this was definitely a triable case for both the state and the defense, but it was also risky too,” Koo said. “The defendant would have been risking a (first-degree murder) conviction, and for the state, we would be risking not getting any justice for Diana Schuler. After months of negotiations, the defendant finally pled guilty to (first-degree murder and second-degree rape charges) on Oct. 2.”

She added: “The state believes that this is a fair recommendation given the issues with Dr. Quinn at trial. While it’s not a (first-degree murder) conviction, the defendant is taking responsibility for the death and rape of his sister, Diana Schuler.”

Both sides agreed to a joint recommendation of a sentence of 125 months in prison, which Hemstreet handed down Monday.

Kitsap County sheriff’s deputies were initially brought to the shared residence of the siblings on Indian Ridge Drive for a CPR in progress call on June 7, 2020. First responders declared Schuler dead at the scene. Battersby reported that Schuler had wanted to take a hot bath, and he said that when he returned home from running errands, he found her fully submerged in a tub, according to court documents.

Initially, deputies thought the death was accidental, but when a deputy went into the woman’s room, he found instant messages visible on a computer screen in which she said she had been raped by her brother, according to court documents.

Bruising was found on the woman’s arms, torso and right inner thigh. Battersby was interviewed, and he said the two had been drinking the previous night and said that bruises on both of their arms came from playing “pattycake” at “full force.” In a subsequent interview, the man admitted, “I guess I did rape her,” according to court documents.

Quinn, the pathologist, performed an autopsy and ruled Schuler's cause of death to be strangulation with asphyxiation and drowning, according to court documents, which note that she also reported blunt force trauma to the back of Schuler's neck, as well as bruising and other injuries.

Eric Fong, Battersby’s defense attorney, told Hemstreet that Battersby had raped his sister, but said he believed, and thought a jury would agree, that “the science proves that he did not murder her,” pointing to three “telltale signs” of a strangulation that he said were missing in Schuler.

“Mr. Battersby is sorry for what he has become and what he did," Fong said. "He prays for healing in those he has hurt, and he will seek redemption and help for alcohol abuse and sexual deviancy, your honor."