Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2), guard J.R. Smith (5) and forward LeBron James (23) celebrates beating the Atlanta Hawks in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James booked his place in the NBA Finals for the fifth straight year when the Cleveland Cavaliers crushed the Atlanta Hawks 118-88 on Tuesday to complete a 4-0 sweep of the Eastern Conference Final.

James scored a game-high 23 points as the Cavs advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2007, where they will play either the Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets.

For James, who returned to the Cavaliers after four seasons with the Miami Heat, it will be the fifth year in a row, and sixth overall, that he has played in the NBA Finals.

In addition to his 23 points, James also made nine rebounds and had seven assists on Tuesday, doing most of his scoring in the first half as Cleveland opened up a commanding 59-42 by halftime.

The Cavs were bolstered by the return of point guard Kyrie Irving, who had missed the last two games with a knee injury. Irving played 22 minutes and scored 16 points.

For the Hawks, who finished the regular season as the top ranked team in the East, point guard Jeff Teague led his team with 17 points, while forward Paul Millsap had 16 points and pulled down ten rebounds.

The NBA Finals start on June 4.

(Reporting by Cameron French; Editing by Julian Linden)

A U.S. Navy crewman aboard a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft views a computer screen purportedly showing Chinese construction on the reclaimed land of Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, in this file still image from video provided by the United States Navy on May 21, 2015. REUTERS/U.S. Navy/Handout via Reuters/Files

Japan will join a major U.S.-Australian military exercise for the first time in a sign of growing security links between the three countries as tensions fester over China’s island building in the South China Sea.

While only 40 Japanese officers and soldiers will take part in drills involving 30,000 U.S. and Australian troops in early July, experts said the move showed how Washington wanted to foster cooperation among its security allies in Asia.

The Talisman Sabre biennial exercises, to be held in locations around Australia, will encompass maritime operations, amphibious landings, special forces tactics and urban warfare.

“I think the U.S. is trying to get its allies to do more,” said Euan Graham, director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute in Sydney.

“There is an obvious symmetry between Japan as the upper anchor of the Western Pacific alliance and … Australia as the southern anchor.”

All three nations have said they were concerned about freedom of movement through the seas and air in the disputed South China Sea, where China is creating seven artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago, a vital shipping corridor.

Some security experts say China might impose air and sea restrictions in the Spratlys once it completes construction work that includes at least one military airstrip. China has said it had every right to set up an Air Defence Identification Zone but that current conditions did not warrant one.

China claims most of the South China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims.

The Japanese personnel will embed with U.S. forces while 500 New Zealand troops will join Australian contingents, according to the Australian Defence Force website.

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani rebuffed suggestions the exercises were aimed at China, telling Reuters that Japan simply wanted to improve military cooperation with the United States and Australia.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, asked if Beijing was concerned the exercises appeared to be targeted toward China, said it was “not worried”.

“We believe the relevant countries should all play a proactive and constructive role to strengthen mutual trust and cooperation between countries in the region,” she said at a regular news briefing.

“UNPRECEDENTED TRILATERAL COOPERATION”

Security cooperation between Canberra and Tokyo has already flourished under Prime Ministers Tony Abbott and Shinzo Abe, with Japan seen as the frontrunner to win a contract to supply next generation submarines to the Australian navy. U.S. commanders have publicly supported such a tie-up.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense David Shear highlighted Washington’s goal of boosting cooperation between its allies in testimony to the U.S. Senate this month.

“To expand the reach of these alliances, we are embarking on unprecedented trilateral cooperation,” he said.

“In some cases this cooperation directly benefits our work on maritime security. For example, we’re cooperating trilaterally with Japan and Australia to strengthen maritime security in Southeast Asia and explore defense technology cooperation.”

Winning the submarine deal would be a big boost for Japan’s defense industry and potentially pave the way for the sale of advanced Japanese weapons to countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam, which are at loggerheads with Beijing over the South China Sea, experts have said.

Australia also hopes to sign a deal with Japan this year that would smooth the passage of military personnel into one another’s country for joint exercises, the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported over the weekend.

Deals such as this would likely become more common as Abbott and Abe push to cement the security ties they have fostered before they leave office, said the Lowy Institute’s Graham.

“There will be more of this, and it’s important in the next couple of years that the relationship beds in because otherwise … you could quickly find it isn’t a self-sustaining relationship,” he said.

(Additional reporting by Nobuhiro Kubo in TOKYO and Michael Martina in BEIJING; Editing by Dean Yates)

The logo of car-sharing service app Uber on a smartphone over a reserved lane for taxis in a street is seen in this photo illustration taken in Madrid on December 10, 2014. REUTERS/SERGIO PEREZ

An Italian court on Tuesday banned unlicensed car-sharing services such as those offered by Uber, in another setback for the fast-growing U.S. car service whose smartphone app summons rides at the touch of a button.

Uber has been gaining popularity among passengers seeking lower cost car rides, triggering protests across Europe by heavily regulated traditional taxi drivers.

The court in Italy’s business capital Milan said the Uber POP service, which links private drivers with passengers through an easy-to-use smartphone app, created “unfair competition”.

The ruling, triggered by a petition from taxi associations, said using Uber POP was forbidden, as was the offering of paid car-ride services by unlicensed drivers in any other way.

Uber was not immediately available for comment.

The Italian move adds to a series of legal challenges facing the San Francisco-based company, a start-up which has rapidly grown into a business worth an estimated $40 billion.

Uber was given 15 weeks to comply with the ruling or face a fine of 20,000 euros for each day’s delay in meeting the court ruling.

(Reporting by Manuela D’Alessandro and Ilaria Polleschi; Writing by Danilo Masoni; Editing by Mark Potter)

Chinese navy sailors stand in formation as they attend a send-off ceremony before departing for the Rim of the Pacific exercise (RIMPAC), at a military port in Sanya, Hainan province June 9, 2014. REUTERS/STRINGER

China outlined a strategy to boost its naval reach on Tuesday and announced plans for the construction of two lighthouses in disputed waters, developments likely to escalate tensions in a region already jittery about Beijing’s maritime ambitions.

In a policy document issued by the State Council, the Communist-ruled country’s cabinet, China vowed to increase its “open seas protection”, switching from air defence to both offence and defence, and criticised neighbours who take “provocative actions” on its reefs and islands.

China has been taking an increasingly assertive posture over recent years in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, where it has engaged in extensive land reclamation in the Spratly archipelago.

China claims most of the South China Sea and criticised Washington last week after a U.S. spy plane flew over areas near the reefs. Both sides accused each other of stoking instability.

A U.S. State Department spokesman declined to make a specific comment on the Chinese strategy paper, but said Washington urged Beijing “to use its military capabilities in a manner that is conducive to maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Jeff Rathke reiterated the U.S. view that China’s reclamation work had contributed to rising tensions and said building up of underwater features did not confer a right to a territorial sea or an exclusive economic zone.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama considered the South China Sea security situation “critically important” to U.S. national security and the global economy and said Washington was committed to working with other Asia-Pacific states to protect the free flow of commerce there.

While also declining to comment on the content of China’s policy paper, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said its publication was “a step in the right direction” in terms of transparency and “exactly the type of thing that we’ve been calling for” in that respect.

China has overlapping claims with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei in the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year.

Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said China’s reclamation in the Spratlys was comparable with construction of homes and roads on the mainland.

“From the perspective of sovereignty, there is absolutely no difference,” he told reporters.

Some countries with “ulterior motives” had unfairly characterized China’s military presence and sensationalised the issue, he said. Surveillance in the region was increasingly common and China would continue to take “necessary measures” to respond.

“Some external countries are also busy meddling in South China Sea affairs. A tiny few maintain constant close-in air and sea surveillance and reconnaissance against China,” the strategy paper said in a thinly veiled reference to the United States.

OFFENCE AND DEFENCE

It said China’s air force would shift its focus from territorial air defence to both offence and defence, and building airspace defences with stronger military capabilities.

China also announced plans for the building of two lighthouses in the South China Sea on Tuesday and broadcast a groundbreaking ceremony on state television, defying calls from the United States and the Philippines for a freeze on such activity.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the construction was to help maritime search and rescue, disaster relief, environmental protection and navigational security.

Wu Shicun, president of the government-affiliated National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said the lighthouses were among the first of planned civilian-use facilities in the region.

“The reefs are located near an important commercial shipping route, so there will be continued development to maintain the security of those shipping lanes,” he told Reuters.

The strategy paper also said the People’s Liberation Army’s nuclear force, known as the Second Artillery Corps, would strengthen its capabilities for deterrence and nuclear counterattack as well as medium- and long-range precision strikes.

“China faces many complex maritime security threats and challenges and requires a navy that can carry out multifaceted missions and protect its sovereignty,” Wang Jin, a senior colonel, told reporters.

The paper also cited “grave threats” to China’s cyber infrastructure, adding that China would hasten development of a cyber military force.

Self-ruled Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province, called on all South China Sea claimants to shelve their disagreements to enable talks on sharing resources before a conflict breaks out.

Japan meanwhile will join a major U.S.-Australian military exercise for the first time in a sign of growing security links between the three countries as tensions fester over China’s moves.

All three nations have said they are concerned about freedom of movement through the South China Sea and air space.

China’s Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday it had carried out military training for party cadres from border and coastal areas on border defence, among other topics.

The trainees, who visited military combat units, developed a better understanding of the “national security situation”, said a statement on the ministry’s website.

(Additional reporting by Sui-Lee Wee and Michael Martina in Beijing, Matt Siegel in Sydney and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Editing by Nick Macfie and Jonathan Oatis)

May 27, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; (Editor’s Note: Caption Correction) Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates with the western conference championship trophy after defeating the Houston Rockets in game five of the Western Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors shook off their bumps and bruises and advanced to their first NBA Finals in 40 years after defeating the Houston Rockets 104-90 to clinch their Western Conference Finals series on Wednesday.

Stephen Curry scored 26 points one game after a terrifying fall while Klay Thompson added 20 despite a laceration to his right ear for the top-seeded Warriors.

Golden State, who won 67 games during the regular season with rookie coach Steve Kerr, won the best-of-seven series 4-1.

The Warriors will meet the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals that starts next week. It is their first trip to the finals since 1975.

The Rockets had won Game Four of the series on Monday to avoid being swept, but were outscored 35-24 in the second quarter on Wednesday and played catch up the rest of the way.

Dwight Howard led the Rockets with 18 points and 16 rebounds, while James Harden, who scored 45 points on Monday, made just 2-of-11 shots and had 14 points to go with 13 turnovers.

(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in this still image from video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft provided by the United States Navy May 21, 2015. REUTERS/U.S. NAVY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS

By releasing video of Beijing’s island reclamation work and considering more assertive maritime actions, the United States is signaling a tougher stance over the South China Sea and trying to spur Asian partners to more action.

The release last week of the surveillance plane footage – showing dredgers and other ships busily turning remote outcrops into islands with runways and harbors – helps ensure the issue will dominate an Asian security forum starting on Friday attended by U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter as well as senior Chinese military officials.

As it pushes ahead with a military “pivot” to Asia partly aimed at countering China, Washington wants Southeast Asian nations to take a more united stance against China’s rapid acceleration this year of construction on disputed reefs.

The meeting, the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, will be overshadowed by the tensions in the South China Sea, where Beijing has added 1,500 acres to five outposts in the resource-rich Spratly islands since the start of this year.

“These countries need to own it (the issue),” one U.S. defense official said on condition of anonymity, adding that it was counterproductive for the United States to take the lead in challenging China over the issue.

More unified action by the partners, including the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), needed to happen soon because “if you wait four years, it’s done,” the official said.

While some ASEAN members, including U.S. ally the Philippines and fellow claimant Vietnam, have been vocal critics of Chinese maritime actions, the group as a whole has been divided on the issue and reluctant to intervene.

But in a sign of growing alarm, the group’s leaders last month jointly expressed concern that reclamation activity had eroded trust and could undermine peace in the region.

Experts dismiss the idea of ASEAN-level joint action any time soon in the South China Sea. “It’s absolute fantasy,” said Ian Storey of Singapore’s Institute on South East Asian Studies.

But stepped-up coordination between some states is possible. Japan’s military is considering joining the United States in maritime air patrols over the sea. Japan and the Philippines are expected to start talks next week on a framework for the transfer of defense equipment and technology and to discuss a possible pact on the status of Japanese military personnel visiting the Philippines.

Carter, speaking in Honolulu en route to Singapore, repeated Washington’s demand that the island-building stop, saying China was violating the principles of the region’s “security architecture” and the consensus for “non-coercive approaches.”

China claims 90 percent of the South China Sea, which is believed to be rich in oil and gas, with overlapping claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

SHOWING CHINA SOME “RESOLVE”

As part of Washington’s drive to energize its allies, a U.S. Navy P-8 reconnaissance plane allowed CNN and Navy camera crews to film Chinese land reclamation activity in the Spratly islands last week and release the footage.

“No one wants to wake up one morning and discover that China has built numerous outposts and, even worse, equipped them with military systems,” Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel said.

Ernest Bower, a Southeast Asia expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington, said the U.S. goal was to convince China to buy into the international system for dispute resolution rather than impose its sweeping territorial claims on the region.

But in the near term, he added: “I think the Americans are going to have to show China some resolve.”

U.S. officials have said Navy ships may be sent within 12 miles (19 kms) of the Chinese-built islands to show that Washington does not recognize Beijing’s insistence that it has territorial rights there.

Washington is also pressing ahead with its rebalancing towards Asia, four years after President Barack Obama announced the strategic shift, even as some countries say it is slow to take shape.

The United States has updated its security agreements with treaty allies Japan and the Philippines and is bolstering missile defenses in Japan with an eye on North Korea.

U.S. Marines are training in Australia on a rotational basis, littoral combat ships are operating out of Singapore and new P-8 reconnaissance planes stationed in Japan have flown missions across the region.

Overall, defense officials said, the Navy will increase its footprint by 18 percent between 2014 and 2020. The aim is to have 60 percent of Navy ships oriented toward the Pacific by 2020, compared to 57 percent currently.

Military officials in the Philippines say the U.S. shift has been noticeable, including military exercises, training and ship and aircraft visits. The emphasis has shifted from anti-terrorism to maritime security, one official said.

China has not shown any sign of being deterred. On Tuesday it held a groundbreaking ceremony for two lighthouses in the South China Sea, vowed to increase its “open seas protection,” and criticized neighbors who take “provocative actions” on its reefs and islands.

(Additional reporting by Greg Torode in Hong Kong, Nobuhiro Kubo in Tokyo, Manuel Mogato in Manila, Sui Lee Wee in Beijing; editing by David Storey and Stuart Grudgings.)

An iPhone 6 phone is seen on display at the Fifth Avenue Apple store on the first day of sales in Manhattan, New York September 19, 2014. REUTERS/ADREES LATIF

Apple Inc has found a bug which can cause iPhones to crash when a message containing a specific string of text is received.

The bug, which includes symbols and Arabic characters, was first reported by Apple news blog MacRumors on Tuesday night, adding that it was noticed on social news hub Reddit earlier in the day.

“We are aware of an iMessage issue caused by a specific series of unicode characters and we will make a fix available in a software update,” an Apple spokesperson said in an e-mail.

Sending a reply message or having someone send you a message can solve the problem, MacRumors added.

(Reporting by Anya George Tharakan and Sai Sachin R in Bengaluru)

FILE PHOTO: Inside House of Representatives Plenary Hall (UNTV News)

QUEZON CITY, Philippines — Isinumite na ng House Committee on Public Information ang committee report sa consolidated version ng Freedom of Information Bill.

Nananawagan ang mga may-akda ng FOI sa liderato ng Kamara na sana ay i-schedule na ang sponsorship at second reading sa susunod na buwan.

Handa na ang mga ito na i-defend ang FOI oras na masimulan na ang debate ukol dito.

Ayon kay Cebu Representative Raul del Mar isa sa mga pinakaunang author ng FOI noong 8th Congress, tatlong dekada nang nakahain ang panukalang batas sa Lower House subalit hindi parin ito naipapasa.

Taong 2010 sa ilalim ng 14th Congress pumasa na sa bicam ang FOI subalit hindi ito naratipikahan sa Kamara dahil sa kawalan ng quorum.

Pahayag ni Cebu Rep. Raul del Mar, “Now this is a 16th Congress, we are hopeful that something will happen and finally since the Senate version has been approve already we will ask earlier here whether we can have this approve in 3rd reading by sine die.” (GRACE CASIN / UNTV News)

Military vehicles drive along a road at the Russian southern town of Matveev Kurgan, near the Russian-Ukrainian border in Rostov region, Russia, May 24, 2015. Picture taken May 24, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer

Russia’s army is massing troops and hundreds of pieces of weaponry including mobile rocket launchers, tanks and artillery at a makeshift base near the border with Ukraine, a Reuters reporter saw this week.

Many of the vehicles have number plates and identifying marks removed while many of the servicemen had taken insignia off their fatigues. As such, they match the appearance of some of the forces spotted in eastern Ukraine, which Kiev and its Western allies allege are covert Russian detachments.

The scene at the base on the Kuzminsky firing range, around 50 km (30 miles) from the border, offers some of the clearest evidence to date of what appeared to be a concerted Russian military build-up in the area.

Earlier this month, NATO military commander General Philip Breedlove said he believed the separatists were taking advantage of a ceasefire that came into force in February to re-arm and prepare for a new offensive. However, he gave no specifics.

Russia denies that its military is involved in the conflict in Ukraine’s east, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting forces loyal to the pro-Western government in Kiev.

Russia’s defense ministry said it had no immediate comment about the build-up. Several soldiers said they had been sent to the base for simple military exercises, suggesting their presence was unconnected to the situation in Ukraine.

Asked by Reuters if large numbers of unmarked weaponry and troops without insignia at the border indicated that Russia planned to invade Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a conference call with reporters:

“I find the wording of this question, ‘if an invasion is being prepared’, inappropriate as such.”

The weapons being delivered there included Uragan multiple rocket launchers, tanks and self-propelled howitzers — all weapon types that have been used in the conflict in eastern Ukraine between Kiev’s forces and separatists.

The amount of military hardware at the base was about three times greater than in March this year, when Reuters journalists were previously in the area. At that time, only a few dozen pieces of equipment were in view.

Over the course of fours days starting on Saturday, Reuters saw four goods trains with military vehicles and troops arriving at a rail station in the Rostov region of southern Russia, with at least two trainloads traveling on by road to the base.

A large section of dirt road leading across the steppe from the Kuzminsky range to the Ukrainian border had been freshly repaired, making it more passable for heavy vehicles.

The road leads to a quiet border crossing typically only used by local residents. On the other side is Ukraine’s Luhansk region, which is controlled by separatists and has been the scene of intense fighting.

MARCHING ORDERS

Valentina Melnikova, a human rights campaigner who works closely with families of Russian servicemen, said she had information that Rostov region was being used as a staging post for troops on their way to Ukraine.

She said the information came from the mother of a serviceman stationed in the town of Totskoye, in the Orenburg region near Russia’s border with Kazakhstan.

Melnikova said the serviceman heard from commanders that “they are going to be transferred to Rostov region after May 20 and then to Ukraine. They signed papers about non-disclosure of information and about acting voluntarily.

“Of course it was an order. How could it be voluntarily? They are servicemen,” said Melnikova, who runs the Moscow-based Alliance of Soldiers’ Mothers Committees.

Her account could not be independently verified by Reuters.

In some cases where Russian citizens have been captured in Ukraine by forces loyal to Kiev, Russian officials have said they were there of their own accord and were either on leave from the armed forces or had quit the military.

More military hardware trundles into the Matveev Kurgan railway station on goods trains every day.

A train that pulled in on Tuesday was carrying 16 T-72 tanks, and a number of military trucks.

A local woman who was at the station with a pre-school age girl looked at the tanks on flat-bed rail cars, sighed, and said: “Nothing surprises me any more.”

Over the four days, trains arrived delivering a total of at least 26 tanks, about 30 Uragan launchers, dozens of trucks as well as several armored personnel carriers and self-propelled howitzers.

On two occasions, after the trains had been unloaded, reporters followed the column of vehicles to the firing range — a location that has already been linked indirectly to the fighting in Ukraine.

Bellingcat, a British-based group of volunteers who use social media to investigate conflicts, analyzed postings by Russian soldiers on social network accounts, including geo-location tags on photos, and concluded that some of those in Ukraine had earlier been at the Kuzminsky range.

A former Russian soldier said last year, when he was on active military service, that he underwent training at the range and was later sent up to the Ukrainian border. Once at the border he was ordered to fire Grad rockets, although he said he could not be certain they were fired into Ukraine. He also said some members of his unit had crossed into Ukraine.

“That’s a very big firing range. We studied for two weeks, we had a quick course. After that we got the order and went to the border,” said the former soldier, who did not want to be identified because the operation has not been made public.

(Editing by Christian Lowe and Crispian Balmer)

Si MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino katabi ang earthquake simulator na lilibot sa mga barangay na nasaibabaw ng valley fault system. (REY PELAYO / UNTV News)

MANILA, Philipiines — Inumpisahan nang kausapin ng Metro Manila Development Authority o MMDA ang mga opisyal ng mga barangay na dinaanan ng valley fault system o VFS.

Umabot sa 84 na barangay ang tinamaan ng VFS kung saan 40 sa mga ito ay sakop ng Metro Manila at ang iba naman ay nasa Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite at Laguna.

Ang VFS ay nahahati sa dalawang segment-ang 10 kilometers east valley fault at ang west valley fault na may habang 100 kilometro.

Ayon kay MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino, sa pamamagitan ng pagpupulong na ito ay magkakaroon sila ng initial assessment kung ano pa ang mga paghahandang dapat gawin sa mga barangay na dinaanan ng fault.

“Gusto nating makita yung datos na wala tayong hawak dahil iisa ito. Kapag gumalaw ng west valley fault, damay tayong lahat eh,” ani Chairman Tolentino.

Iikot naman ang earthquake simulator ng MMDA sa mga lugar na dinaanan ng fault upang magkaroon ng ideya ang publiko sa lakas ng bawat intensity.

Bukas, Biyernes, ay uumpisahan na ito sa Barangay Tumana sa Marikina City.

May 43 libong residente ang barangay na karamihan ay nakatira malapit sa Marikina River.

Dagdag pa ng MMDA chairman, “Kung padre de pamilya yun, maipapaliwanag nya sa pamilya nya kung ano talaga yung dapat na gawin.”

Sa June 2 ay magsasagawa ng rescue skills competition ang MMDA at 17 cities and municipalities ng Metro Manila upang maipakita ang kakayahan ng bawat LGU sa pagresponde sa sakuna gaya ng lindol.

Kasunod nito ay pag-uusap ng mga mayor kung magsasagawa sila ng pwersahang pagpapaalis sa mga establishment at bahay na nakatayo sa fault.

Nauna nang sinabi ng PHIVOLCS na dapat ay “No Build Zone” ang 10-meter buffer zone ng fault dahil mapanganib ito. (REY PELAYO / UNTV News)

The Yahoo logo is shown at the company’s headquarters in Sunnyvale, California April 16, 2013. The company will release its quarterly results on Tuesday. REUTERS/ROBERT GALBRAITH

A U.S. judge ordered Yahoo Inc to face a nationwide class-action lawsuit accusing it of illegally intercepting the content of emails sent to Yahoo Mail subscribers from non-Yahoo Mail accounts, and using the information to boost advertising revenue.

In a decision late Tuesday night, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California said people who sent emails to or received emails from Yahoo Mail subscribers since Oct. 2, 2011 may sue as a group under the federal Stored Communications Act for alleged privacy violations.

She also said a class of non-Yahoo Mail subscribers in California since Oct. 2, 2012 may sue as a group under that state’s Invasion of Privacy Act.

Holders of non-Yahoo Mail accounts accused Yahoo of copying and then analyzing their emails, including keywords and attachments, with a goal of creating “targeted advertising” for its estimated 275 million Yahoo Mail subscribers, in addition to detecting spam and malware.

They sought an injunction barring the alleged interceptions, as well as damages. Yahoo in 2014 generated 79 percent of its revenue from search and display advertising.

A class action can make it easier to obtain larger damages and more sweeping remedies at lower cost. The plaintiffs estimated that the nationwide class of non-Yahoo Mail subscribers has more than 1 million members.

Rebecca Neufeld, a Yahoo spokeswoman, said the Sunnyvale, California-based company cannot comment on active litigation.

Koh rejected Yahoo’s arguments that some plaintiffs consented to its activity by emailing Yahoo subscribers even after learning how it used the information, and that the alleged injuries were too disparate to justify class certification.

She distinguished the case from her March 2014 refusal to certify a similar class action against Google Inc on behalf of Gmail and non-Gmail subscribers because it was hard to determine which users consented to Google’s activity.

“Yahoo may have to, as a practical matter, adjust its scanning practices on an individual basis,” Koh wrote. “That

does not, however, change the fact that plaintiffs seek uniform relief from a common policy that Yahoo applies to all class members.”

Daniel Girard, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, declined to comment.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Christian Plumb)

FILE PHOTO: Vice President Jejomar Binay (UNTV News)

MANILA, Philippines — Naniniwala ang kampo ni Vice President Jejomar Binay na hindi magtatagumpay ang demolition job ng ilang senador laban sa bise presidente.

Ayon kay Atty JV Bautista ng United Nationalist Alliance at kaalyado ni Binay, wala nang pinatutunguhan ang ginagawang pagdinig ng Senate subcommittee.

“There is no longer any direction, any focus, to the meeting with the sole exception of raking up everything that they can find which they can utilize against Vice Preesident Binay,” ani UNA Spokesperson Atty. JV Bautista.

Aniya, hindi na sila nagugulat sa mga ginagawang hakbang ng mga political opponents ng bise presidente dahil umpisa na ng political season.

Kwinestyon din ng kampo ni Binay ang tagal ng naturang hearing na ginagawa ng Senate subcommittee.

Sinabi naman sa pagdinig ni Senador Cayetano na kaya sila natatagalan ay dahil hindi humaharap ang mga Binay at ibang iniimbitahan nila sa pagdinig.

Samantala, kinumpirma rin ng Senador ang pagrerekomenda ng pagsasampa ng kasong plunder kay VP Binay at iba batay sa partial report.

Pahayag ni Sen. Cayetano, “Because the facts are very clear and it points to the conclusion.”

Sa ngayon ay pinapaikot na ang report sa mga senador upang pirmahan. (BRYAN DE PAZ / UNTV News)

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrives to make a personnel announcement in the Pentagon Briefing Room in Washington May 13, 2015. REUTERS/YURI GRIPAS

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Wednesday called for an immediate end to island-building by China and other countries near the South China Sea, urging the participants to stop militarizing the dispute and find a peaceful solution.

Carter said China’s island-building efforts were “out of step” with the regional consensus and that U.S. military aircraft and warships would continue to operate in the area as permitted under international law.

“China’s actions are bringing countries in the region together in new ways,” he said in a military ceremony in Hawaii. “They’re increasing demand for American engagement in the Asia-Pacific. We’re going to meet it.”

“We will remain the principal security power in the Asia-Pacific for decades to come,” Carter said.

Carter’s comments, at Pearl Harbor, came a week after the U.S. Navy sent a P-8 reconnaissance plane carrying Navy and television camera crews to film Chinese island-building activity in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

U.S. officials say China has added some 2,000 acres (800 hectares) to five outposts in the Spratlys, including 1,500 acres since the start of this year.

“We want a peaceful resolution of all disputes, and an immediate and lasting halt to land reclamation by any claimant. We also oppose any further militarization of disputed features,” Carter said in his remarks.

“With its actions in the South China Sea, China is out of step with both international norms that underscore the Asia-Pacific’s security architecture, and the regional consensus in favor of non-coercive approaches to this and other long-standing disputes,” Carter said.

The U.S. aircraft that flew near the Spratlys was repeatedly warned by a Chinese navy radio operator to leave the area.

Video taken by camera crews in the plane showed Chinese dredging ships working to turn reefs into islands and harbors. Its release aggravated Beijing, which claims sovereignty over the Spratlys.

The islands also are claimed by several other countries in the region, including Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia.

Carter is on the first leg of a trip that will take him to Singapore for the annual Shangri La Dialogue security conference and then on to Vietnam and India, where he will discuss on maritime security issues and boosting security ties.

His comments came at a change-of-command ceremony for the U.S. military’s Pacific Command, which is responsible for U.S. forces in the Asia-Pacific region.

(Reporting by David Alexander; Editing by Sandra Maler, Mohammad Zargham and Steve Orlofsky)

FILE PHOTO: Isang trabahador sa Dibut Island sa Baler, Aurora Province. (WISDOM ISON / Photoville International)

QUEZON, Philippines — Umabot na sa mahigit isang libong tao ang nasawi sa heat wave sa India kung saan higit pa sa 47 degrees Celsius ang temperatura.

Sa Pilipinas, pumalo sa 38.4 degrees Celsius ang pinakamainit na temperaturang naitala ng Philippine Athmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration o PAGASA ngayong summer season.

Gayunman, nilinaw ng pagasa na bagamat hindi naman maiiwasan ang pagtaas ng temperatura, malabo pang maranasan sa Pilipinas ang heat wave dahil sa geographical location nito.

Pahagayag ni Anthony Lucero, OIC ng Climate Monitoring and Prediction section ng PAGASA, “Hindi nangyayari sa atin yan kasi we are surrounded by water, hindi naman ganoon kataas umiinit yung karagatan, kasi yan eh pag-init ng kalupaan yan, walang ulan, tuluy-tuloy na naiinitan ang kalupaan kaya siya nag-ge-generate yan.”

Samantala, dahil sa sobrang init ng panahon, heatstroke naman ang pinakamalalang heat illness na maaaring maranasan ng isang tao.

Ito ay ang lubhang pagtaas ng temperatura ng katawan at kawalan ng kakayahan nitong makapagpawis dahil sa dehydration.

Ayon sa espesyalista na si Doctor Joseph Lee, mas prone sa heatstroke ang mga matatanda at mga indibidwal na naghahanapbuhay at exposed sa sikat ng araw.

Pahayag ni Dr. Joseph Lee, “Ang mas prone dito ay yung mga nakakatanda natin, nagkakaroon ng edad siyempre, sa katawan natin sila medyo mabagal na ang metabolism.”

Upang maiwasan ang heatstroke, ugaliing magbaon at uminom palagi ng tubig.

Iwasan ang pag-inom ng tsaa, kape, softdrinks at alak.

Iwasan ding magbabad sa sikat ng araw sa mahabang oras lalo na sa katanghaliang tapat.

Kung di maiiwasang lumabas ng bahay, magbaon ng pananggalang sa sikat ng araw tulad ng payong, sombrero, pamaypay at magsuot ng long-sleeve at light-colored na damit.

Ilan sa sintomas ng heatstroke ay ang sobrang pagkauhaw, mainit at nanunuyong balat, mabilis na tibok ng puso, kombulsyon, pagdedeliryo at pagkawala ng malay.

Sakaling makaranas ng sintomas ng heatstroke ang isang tao, agad na dalhin sa isang lugar na may cool temperature, ihiga at i-elevate ang mga binti, painumin ng malamig na tubig, tanggalin ang damit, punasan ng basang bimpo at dalhin sa pinakamalapit na ospital. (ROSALIE COZ / UNTV News)

The alleged on-going land reclamation of China at Subi reef is seen from Pagasa island (Thitu Island) in the Spratlys group of islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, May 11, 2015. REUTERS/RITCHIE B. TONGO/POOL

The United States said on Friday that China had placed mobile artillery weapons systems on a reclaimed island in the disputed South China Sea, a development that Republican Sen. John McCain called “disturbing and escalatory.”

Brent Colburn, a Pentagon spokesman traveling with Defense Secretary Ash Carter, said the United States was aware of the weapons.

McCain, chairman of the Senate’s Armed Services Committee, said the move would escalate tensions but not lead to conflict.

“It is a disturbing development and escalatory development, one which heightens our need to make the Chinese understand that their actions are in violation of international law and their actions are going to be condemned by everyone in the world,” he said at a news conference in Ho Chi Minh City.

“We are not going to have a conflict with China but we can take certain measures which will be a disincentive to China to continue these kinds of activities,” he said.

In Beijing, China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she had no information on the weapons.

U.S. officials say Chinese dredging work has added some 2,000 acres to five outposts in the resource-rich Spratly islands in the South China Sea, including 1,500 acres this year.

It has released surveillance plane footage showing dredgers and other ships busily turning remote outcrops into islands with runways and harbors.

Carter called on Wednesday for an immediate halt to land reclamation in the South China Sea and was expected to touch on the issue of maritime security and freedom of navigation again on Saturday in a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore.

China says the islands are in sovereign Chinese territory.

Pentagon officials said efforts by China and other claimant countries to turn reefs into islands in the Spratlys undermines international law and raises questions about their future plans and intentions.

“It creates an air of uncertainty in a system that has been based on certainty and agreed-upon norms,” said Colburn, the Pentagon spokesman. “So anything that steps outside of the bounds of international law we see as a concern because we don’t know what the … motivations are behind that. We think it should concern everyone in the region.”

Asian military attaches and analysts said the placement of mobile artillery pieces appeared to be a symbol of intent, rather than any major development that could tilt any balance of power.

“It is interesting and a point to watch. But it should be remembered they’ve already got potentially a lot more firepower on the naval ships that they routinely move through the South China Sea,” one military attache said.

China claims most of the South China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also claim parts of the vital trade route. All claimants except Brunei have military fortifications in the Spratlys.

(Reporting by David Alexander in Singapore, Mai Nguyen in Hanoi, Sui-Lee Wee in Beijing and Greg Torode in Hong Kong; Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan; Editing by Nick Macfie)

REUTERS FILE PHOTO: LA Clippers’ Chris Paul and Blake Griffin

As the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors prepare to battle for the NBA championship, the Los Angeles Clippers can only reflect on what might have been after a season of rich promise ended abruptly.

A year after their playoff hopes were rocked by a racism scandal that left previous owner Donald Sterling with a life ban from the NBA, the Clippers seemed set to make a run at a title as they made a stirring start to the postseason.

They came back from a 3-2 series deficit to beat the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs in a pulsating opening round, then closed in on a first ever conference final by taking a 3-1 series lead over the Houston Rockets in the second round.

At that point, the Clippers were widely acclaimed as the best team remaining in the playoffs and former Lakers great Magic Johnson predicted they would go on to win the coveted Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy.

“I’ve watched all the teams in playoffs and right now the Clippers are playing better than any team left!” five-time NBA champion Johnson tweeted.

“They have a little bit of everything…the Clippers have outside shooting, Blake is dominating, the best leader and coach in Chris Paul & Doc Rivers and great team defense!”

Die-hard Clippers fans savored the prospect of a maiden Western Conference final when only a year ago their team’s playoff run ended weeks after racist comments made by Sterling surfaced, sparking public outrage and causing sponsors to quit.

Following protracted legal wrangling, a California appeals court rejected Sterling’s last-ditch attempt to block the sale of the Clippers to Steve Ballmer for a record $2 billion, and the tech billionaire took over as the new owner in August.

BLEW COMMANDING LEAD

Immediate redemption in their very next season was not to be, however, as the Clippers blew their commanding lead over the Rockets, who became only the ninth team to come back from a 3-1 deficit and win an NBA playoff series.

“It was very frustrating how this season came to an end, with that late collapse against the Rockets,” 15-year Clippers fan Griffin Thomas, a medical trainer and physiotherapist aid from Thousand Oaks, told Reuters.

“I definitely thought that they were going to be achieving a little bit more the way the playoffs were unfolding. For whatever reason, the Clippers are just stuck in that same plateau, they’re not yet among the elite teams of the league.”

Clippers head coach Doc Rivers could only reflect on opportunities lost after his team were ousted from the Western Conference semi-finals for a second straight season.

“We had our chances, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. “It’s funny, we went from good enough to now everything I hear is that we weren’t good enough. It’s amazing how that flips in sports. We just didn’t get the job done.”

However, Rivers expressed optimism about the team’s immediate future.

“You have the whole summer to get over this,” he said. “There have been so many examples of this, where you keep getting close, keep getting close and then you break through. Once you break through, this is forgotten.

“My guess is this’ll make our guys work harder this summer, not only physically, but mentally, too.”

Asked whether the Clippers’ playing staff could undergo big changes before next season, Rivers replied: “We were a quarter away from the Western (Conference) finals, so I don’t think we need to blow this thing up.

“We need to add pieces, but it’s going to be hard because we are restricted.”

The Clippers, spearheaded by All-Stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, expect DeAndre Jordan, who has been the NBA’s top rebounder for the past two seasons, to re-sign with the team.

That would then leave the Los Angeles franchise with only the ‘mini’ mid-level exception of $3.37 million per year for up to three years to offer free agents, along with a few veteran’s minimum contracts.

(Editing by Frank Pingue)

An aerial photo taken though a glass window of a Philippine military plane shows the alleged on-going land reclamation by China on mischief reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, May 11, 2015. REUTERS/Ritchie B. Tongo/Pool

After a months-long row over Beijing’s island-building in the South China Sea, the United States and China were relatively restrained at Asia’s top security forum this weekend, but no closer to any solution.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter told the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that China was threatening security in the region with its maritime construction work, but acknowledged other claimant countries to the disputed sea were also at fault.

“There’s no progress in the South China Sea (dispute), but the atmosphere has calmed a bit, thanks to reasonable consideration by all parties,” said Major General Jin Yinan of China’s National Defense University, a delegate at the conference. “The U.S. has adjusted its stance a little.”

Admiral Sun Jianguo, a deputy chief of staff of the People’s Liberation Army who headed the Chinese delegation, refrained from singling out the United States for criticism in his address and emphasized China’s commitment to peaceful relations.

“China has always kept in mind the larger interests of maritime security,” Sun said, reiterating that his country’s “indisputable” claims over the waters were based on legal and historical evidence.

Nevertheless, Washington is under huge pressure to respond forcefully to the Chinese land reclamation, with Republican Senator John McCain, one of the participants at the dialogue, suggesting that U.S. ships and aircraft ignore the 12-nautical mile zone around the artificial islands.

“If we respected a 12-mile zone, then we would be making a mistake of enormous proportions because that would be de facto recognition of Chinese sovereignty,” said McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

If U.S. vessels enter the zone, tensions would escalate sharply and there is no saying how Chinese forces based there would respond.

“If you look at the rhetoric, they are going to fight back,” said Jia Qingguo, Dean of the School of International Studies at Peking University. “If you look at their interests, they may opt for rhetoric instead of action. But here the danger is of an accident-led conflict.”

Admiral Harry Harris, newly appointed chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, told reporters his forces would continue to operate in the region “without limitation and in accordance with international law.”

But he also said he wanted increased military-to-military ties with China, including the U.S.-led Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) joint naval exercises in 2016.

McCain and other critics of the administration have said China should be barred from RIMPAC to show U.S. disapproval of its actions.

AIR DEFENSE ZONE PROSPECTS

China also signaled it was not considering declaring an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), which requires overflying aircraft to identify themselves, around the disputed islands anytime soon.

Such a move, which some U.S. military experts have seen as increasingly likely, would be viewed as provocative by Washington.

Sun said a decision on an ADIZ would be taken after an assessment of the security situation and taking “extensive factors” into consideration.

Jin, the major general, told Reuters Beijing was not planning such a move, although he added: “It’s not a permanent promise, it’s just China is not considering it at the moment.”

Other countries participating in the dialogue warned the row could spiral out of control and called for responsible action.

Washington wants more Asian countries, including those from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to be more assertive against what it sees as Chinese expansionism.

But even Vietnam, which claims islands in the area where China is doing the reclamation work, said the major powers should have good relations with each other, otherwise smaller nations would suffer.

“No country in the region wants to choose between China and the United States,” said Bonnie Glaser, a senior adviser at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“If the United States is too tough on China, then we run the risk of losing some of the members, especially ASEAN.”

(Additional reporting by David Alexander, Rujun Shen, Saeed Azhar, Masayuki Kitano Nobuhiro Kubo and Siva Govindasamy; Editing by Mike Collett-White)

Ang aksidente bahagi ng Masinag, Antipolo City nitong madaling araw ng Lunes ng 2 kotse at 1 truck. (UNTV News)

RIZAL, Philippines — Mabilis na isinugod sa ospital ang tatlong nasugatan sa nangyaring banggaan ng tatlong sasakyan, na kinabibilangan ng dalawang kotse at isang truck, sa bahagi ng Masinag, Marcos Highway bandang alas-dos ng madaling araw, Lunes.

Ayon sa mga nakakita sa pangyayari, nakahinto ang puting kotse sa isang intersection nang bigla na lang itong banggain ng rumaragasang itim na kotse.

Sa tulin ng takbo nito, pati nakalagay na concrete barrier sa kalsada ay binangga rin ng itim na kotse habang ang truck naman na katabi lang ng puting sasakyan ay nadamay rin sa aksidente.

Pahayag ng isang nakakita sa insidente na si Elpidio Lozano, “Ang bilis, biro mo dala yung barrier sa ilalim, oh.”

Salaysay naman ni Ali Galang, “Dire-diretso. Bumangga muna sa barrier, sabay tumama sa kotseng puti. Tapus yun nagka-anu na .”

Nagtamo ng sugat sa ulo ang driver ng puting kotse na si Christine Badon pati na ang kasama nito habang ang driver ng nakabanggang sasakyan na kinilalang si Arnel Santiago ay nasugatan rin sa ulo matapos siyang sumabit sa pintuan ng kanyang kotse.

Sa inisyal na imbestigasyon ng mga responder ng City Disaster Risk Reduction Council, posibleng nasa ilalim ng impluwensiya ng alak ang mga sakay ng kotseng itim na umamin umanong nanggaling sa isang kasiyahan.

Sa ngayon ay dinala na ang mga sasakyan sa traffic sector ng Antipolo para isailalim sa imbestigasyon. (Reynante Ponte / UNTV News)

Ilan sa mga mag-aaral na papasok sa kanilang paaralan sa unang araw ng pasukan sa Apalit, Pampanga. (Rovic Balunsay / Photoville International)

QUEZON CITY, Philippines — Walang naitalang anumang gulo ang Philippine National Police sa pagbubukas ng klase sa buong bansa ngayong Lunes, Hunyo 1.

Ayon kay PNP-OIC P/DDG Leonardo Espina, generally peaceful ang first day of classes dahil maayos na nakapasok sa mga eskwelahan ang mga estudyante nang walang anumang aberya.

Ani General Espina, “Maayos, very orderly yung pag-conduct at pagpasok ng ating mga mahal na mga anak, estudyante.”

Sinabi pa ng heneral na hindi rin muna nila tatanggalin ang mga pulis na nagbabantay malapit sa mga eskwelahan para sa kaligtasan ng mga mag-aaral.

“Hindi tayo titigil muna until everything is stabilized. Kasi alam mo, yung influx, lalong lalo na sa umpisa, na naninibago pa after a long summer vacation.”

Katulong nila ang ibang ahensya ng gobyerno upang mapanatili ang kaayusan ngayong pasukan tulad ng MMDA na nagmamando naman sa traffic.

Idinagdag pa ni Espina na sinisiguro din ng mga pulis na hindi makakapambiktima ang mga snatcher at mandurukot na nagsasamantala tuwing dagsa ang mga estudyante.

Gayunman, tiniyak ng pinuno ng Pambansang Pulisya na hindi rin naaapektuhan ang iba pang trabaho ng mga pulis kahit na karamihan sa mga ito ay nakatalaga sa paligid ng mga eskwelahan.

Panawagan ng PNP sa publiko, agad na itawag sa kanilang hotline na 09178475757 o 117 kung may kahina-hinalang kilos na mapapansin sa kani-kanilang mga lugar. (LEA YLAGAN / UNTV News)

Ang MMDA Earthquake Simulator habang ipinapasubok sa mga mag-aaral ng Pedro Diaz National High School sa Muntinlupa City nitong umaga ng Lunes, June 01, 2015. (UNTV News)

MANILA, Philippines — Nasa limang libo at limang daang estudyante ang dumagsa sa unang araw ng klase sa Pedro Diaz National High School.

At dahil isa ang naturang paaralan sa mga nahagip ng West Valley Fault, ilan sa gusali nito ang hindi na maaaring ipagamit na classroom ngayong taon.

Pahayag ng punong guro ng naturang paaralan na si Dr. Estrella Aseron, “Ang affected dito sa Pedro Diaz (National High School) ay limang building. Ang apat na building ay talagang transverse ng West Valley Fault. Ang isa naman ay within the buffer zone na 3 meters.”

Ayon pa kay Dr. Aseron, nasa limampung estudyante ang pagkakasyahin muna nila sa isang classroom upang ma-accomodate lahat ng nag-enroll.

Bilang paghahanda naman sa posibilidad ng pagtama ng lindol, dinala ng MMDA ang mobile earthquake simulator sa naturang paraalan.

Ani MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino, “Dapat ito rin yung modelo kung papaano magiging handa ang isang komunidad dito sa bayanan sa Muntinlupa para kung sa gayong tumama yung 7.6 or 7.2 ay handa yung mga taga dito.”

Pasasalamat naman ng PDNHS principal, “Malaking tulong itong kampanya ng MMDA kasi yung mga nakaraang earthquake drill namin, may ilang mga mag-aaral na hindi sineseryoso. So ngayon, kung makita nila iyan at ma-experience nila, magiging seryoso sila kapag may earthquake drill.”

Samantala, nagsagawa naman ng consultation ang lokal na pamahalaan ng Muntinlupa at PHIVOLCS upang mapaghandaan ang posibleng pagtama ng lindol.

Kabilang sa mga napag-usapan ay ang kung paano mapapatibay o gagawing earthquake resistant ang mga ipatatayong gusaling malapit sa West Valley Fault. (DARLENE BASINGAN / UNTV News)