Migrants wait to disembark in the Sicilian harbour of Augusta, Italy, May 30, 2015. Close to 1,000 migrants rescued in on-going operations are brought safely to port in Sicily as Italian authorities say over 4,000 migrants have been saved from the Mediterranean in twenty-four hours and 17 migrants have been found dead on a boat. REUTERS/Antonio Parrinello

The corpses of 17 migrants were brought ashore in Sicily aboard an Italian naval vessel on Sunday along with 454 survivors as efforts intensified to rescue people fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.

More than 5,000 migrants trying to reach Europe have been saved from boats in distress in the Mediterranean since Friday and operations are in progress to rescue 500 more, European Union authorities said on Sunday.

In some of the most intense Mediterranean traffic of the year, migrants who left Libya in 25 boats were picked up by ships from Italy, Britain, Malta and Belgium, assisted by planes from Iceland and Finland, the EU’s border control agency Frontex said.

Naval and merchant vessels involved in rescue operations also came from countries including Germany, Ireland and Denmark.

The 17 corpses found on one of the boats arrived in the Sicilian port of Augusta aboard the Italian navy corvette Fenice. Italian prosecutors are investigating how they died.

Frontex is coordinating an EU rescue mission in the Mediterranean known as Triton, which was stepped up after around 800 migrants drowned off Libya in April in the Mediterranean’s most deadly shipwreck in living memory.

“This is the biggest wave of migrants we have seen in 2015,” Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri said in a written statement. “The new vessels that joined operation Triton this week have already saved hundreds of people.”

Italy has so far borne the brunt of Mediterranean rescue operations. Most of the migrants depart from the coast of Libya, which has descended into anarchy since Western powers backed a 2011 revolt that ousted Muammar Gaddafi.

Calm seas are increasingly favoring departures as warm spring weather sets in.

The migrants saved over the weekend are all being disembarked at nine ports on the Italian islands of Lampedusa, Sicily and Sardinia and on its southern mainland regions of Calabria and Puglia.

The latest wave of more than 5,000 arrivals will take the total of those reaching Italy by boat across the Mediterranean this year to more than 40,000, according to estimates by the United Nations refugee agency.

The EU this month agreed on a naval mission to target gangs smuggling migrants from Libya, but a broader plan to deal with the influx is in doubt due to a dispute over national quotas for housing asylum seekers.

The plan to disperse 40,000 migrants from Italy and Greece to other countries met with resistance this week, with Britain saying it would not participate and some eastern countries calling for a voluntary scheme.

(Reporting by Gavin Jones; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)

Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Satya Nadella speaks at his first annual shareholders’ meeting in Bellevue, Washington December 3, 2014. REUTERS/JASON REDMOND

Microsoft Corp said on Monday its new Windows 10 operating system will be available worldwide on July 29, as a free upgrade for users of the most recent versions of Windows.

The world’s largest software company had earlier said Windows 10 would be released this “summer”.

Touch-friendly Windows 10, which features the return of the Start menu and will run across PCs, tablets and smartphones, is Microsoft’s latest attempt to win over mobile users and features a new browser called ‘Edge’.

It will be offered as a free upgrade to users of Windows 7 and 8.1, a strategy announced in January, designed to capture as many users as possible.

Microsoft also said new PCs and tablets running Windows 10 will go on sale July 29, while Windows 10 for other devices such as smartphones would be available later this year.

(Reporting by Bill Rigby; editing by Jason Neely)

Rescue workers search on a sunken ship in the Jianli section of Yangtze River, Hubei province, China, June 2, 2015. REUTERS/China Daily

Divers pulled an 85-year-old woman from the hull of a passenger ship carrying 458 people that capsized on China’s Yangtze River and others could still be alive, state media said on Tuesday, in one of China’s worst recent disasters.

Five bodies had been recovered since the ship capsized in a storm late on Monday, state media said. The People’s Daily, which published a passenger manifest on its microblog, said those on board ranged in age from three to more than 80.

Only about a dozen people had been rescued so far from the four-decked tourist boat amid confusing reports about how many had been saved.

State TV showed dramatic footage of rescuers trying to cut through the ship’s upturned hull with an angle grinder. Divers later rescued an 85-year-old woman who was reported to be in good health, it said.

The People’s Daily newspaper said other passengers were still inside the Eastern Star, while the official Xinhua news agency said rescuers could hear people calling for help from inside the stricken vessel.

Dozens of rescue boats battled strong wind and heavy rain to reach the stricken vessel.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered that no efforts be spared in rescue work and Premier Li Keqiang was heading to the scene of the accident in central Hubei province, Xinhua said.

It also later reported that initial investigations had found the ship was not overloaded and that it had enough life vests on board for the number of passengers it was carrying. Those rescued were wearing life vests, Xinhua said.

The captain and the chief engineer of the Eastern Star, who were among the few to be rescued, had been detained by police for questioning, Xinhua said.

SHIP OVERTURNED in “TORNADO”

According to the Yangtze River navigation administration, the pair had said the ship sank quickly after it was caught in what was described as a sudden “tornado”.

Among those on board the ship were 406 tourists, aged from around 50 to 80, on a tour organized by a Shanghai tour group, and 47 crew members, the People’s Daily said.

State radio reported that the ship overturned within about two minutes and that no distress call had been issued. Seven people swam to shore to raise the alarm, state media said.

The Hubei Daily, another official publication, said the ship had capsized in water that was about 15 meters (50 feet) deep.

Weather forecasts said heavy rain was expected on Tuesday, which would hamper rescue efforts.

Fishing boats were among the dozens of vessels helping in the search and rescue, Xinhua said. More than 1,000 armed police with 40 inflatable boats had also been sent, it said.

The Eastern Star, which has the capacity to carry more than 500 people, was heading to southwest China’s Chongqing city from Nanjing, capital of east China’s Jiangsu Province. It sank at around 9:28 p.m. local time in the Jianli section of the river.

Accidents of this magnitude are uncommon in China, where major rivers are used for tours and cruises. The incident is the worst on the Yangtze since a tug undergoing sea trials sank in January, killing 22 of the 25 people on board.

The Eastern Star is owned by the Chongqing Eastern Shipping Corporation, which runs tours along the Three Gorges area along the Yangtze river.

Wang Jianhua, its vice general manager, said it was the first time an accident of this magnitude had happened to the company. The Hubei Daily said the company has been operating since 1981.

(Additional reporting by Brenda Goh, and Ben Blanchard and Michael Martina in BEIJING; Editing by Paul Tait)

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) ; at Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA, USA. May 27, 2015; Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors were given a welcome boost on Monday when their All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson returned to team practice five days after suffering a concussion.

Though Thompson still needs medical clearance to play in the best-of-seven NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers starting on Thursday, he is now just one step away from being given the green light.

“I expect to be (cleared),” Thompson, 25, told reporters after taking a full part in practice with his team mates in Oakland, California. “I feel like I’m well on my way there.”

Thompson, who is Golden State’s second-leading scorer behind point guard Stephen Curry, sustained a concussion during the team’s clinching Game Five win over the Rockets on Thursday after being kneed in the head by Houston’s Trevor Ariza.

Working in Thompson’s favor is that Thursday’s Game One will give each team seven days rest between games, the longest gap ever between the end of the conference finals and the start of the NBA Finals.

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Larry Fine)

Si Pangulong Benigno Aquino III sa pagbibigay nito ng pananalita bago tumungo sa Japan para sa apat na araw na state visit. (Malacañang Photo Bureau)

MANILA, Philippines — Pahayag ni Pangulong Benigno Aquino III, “Ngayong umaga nga po, sa imbitasyon ng kanilang pamahalaan, ay lilipad tayo patungong Tokyo, Japan para sa isang state visit.”

Nakaalis na nitong umaga ng Martes si Pangulong Benigno Aquino III patungong Japan para sa kanyang apat na araw na state visit.

Ayon sa Pangulo, personal niyang pasasalamatan sina Emperor Akihito at maybahay nito na si Empress Michiko sa mga pagtulong sa Pilipinas kapag dumarating ang mga kalamidad.

Magkakaroon rin ng pulong sina Pangulong Aquino at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

“Makikipagpulong rin tayo kay Punong Ministro Shinzo Abe upang higit na pagtibayin ang ugnayan at pakikipagtulungan sa kanilang bansa,” ani Pangulong Aquino.

Ayon sa Department of Foreign Affairs, kabilang sa inaasahan na mapaguusapan ng dalawang lider ang isyu ngayon sa agawan ng teritoryo sa West Philippine Sea.

Ang Japan ang isa sa mga pangunahing sumusuporta sa posisyon ng Pilipinas na maresolba ang isyu sa agawan ng terirtoryo sa rehiyon sa mapayapang paraan.

“Kasama din natin sila sa paninindigang ang rule of law ang dapat mamayani upang makamit ang patas at makatwirang resolusyon sa usapin ng teritoryo,” dagdag pa ni PNoy.

Sa Japan, makikipagkita rin ang pangulo sa Filipino community at makikipagpulong sa ilang businessmen upang hikayating mamuhunan sa bansa.

Ayon sa Office of the Executive Secretary, nagkakahalaga ng 34.6 million pesos ang kabuuang gastos ng pamahalaan para sa pagbisita na ito ng pangulo kasama ang 60-member delegation. (NEL MARIBOJOC / UNTV News)

Ang interpreter at composer ng “Ikaw Na Lang Mag-drive ng Buhay Ko” na sina Melvin Sumalinog at Rolan Delfin. (KENNETH VILLADOLID / Photoville International)

MANILA, Philippines — May dahilan upang matuwa ang mga kasangbahay na mahilig sa country music dahil pasok na sa grand finals ng A Song of Praise o ASOP Music Festival Year 4 ang awiting “Ikaw na Lang Mag-drive ng Buhay Ko” matapos itong tanghaling monthly winner sa buwan ng Mayo.

Lapat na lapat ang estilo at himig ng mang-aawit na si Melvin Sumalinog sa komposisyong ito ni Rolan Delfin na nakadagdag ng puntos upang piliin ito ng mga hurado.

Pahayag ng interpreter na si Melvin Sumalinog, “Natutuwa ako na nanalo at nasa monthly finals ang aming song. Salamat sa composer ko na nagtiwala sa’kin at sa ASOP.

“Masayang-masaya po ako sa sinabi po ng mga judges at salamat po sa Dios at sinamahan niya ko sa ginagawa kong awit,” sambitla ng may obra ng “Ikaw Na Lang Mag-drive ng Buhay Ko” na si Rolan Delfin.

Tatlong kapwa matitinding estilo ng awit ang dinaig ng awit na ito ni Rolan, ang disco genre na “Tanging Ikaw, Hesus” ni Adrian Jed Jaranilla na inawit ni Jennifer Maravilla, ang ballad na awiting “Walang Hanggang Kadakilaan” nina Noli Saballa at Ferdinand Pua na inawit ng Viva artist na si Miguel Aguila at ang power ballad na “Dios na Dakila” ni Lino Cajegas na inawit naman ng The Voice Season 1 contender na si Hans Dimayuga.

Tumayong hurado ang mga batikang musiko na sina Jungee Marcelo, Isay Alvarez at Doktor Musiko Mon del Rosario. (ADJES CARREON / UNTV News)

Representative from different rescue of Metro Manila LGUs gather in front of Quirino Grandstand for the rescue skills olympics spearheaded by MMDA. (MON JOCSON / UNTV News)

MANILA, Philippines — Seventeen local government units in Metro Manila showcased their proficiency in disaster preparedness at the rescue skills olympics hosted by Metro Manila Development Authority.

This is what they call “lifting and rolling of a concrete slab,” a skill that can be executed to save a person being pressed by a heavy object.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said through this, they will be able to identify additional skills and equipment needed by the LGUs.

We want to identify the gaps and loopholes that need improvements we can upgrade their skills.

UNTV Rescue Manager Jeffrey Santos was also invited as one of the judges in the rescue olympics and to share his knowledge in rescuing lives.

“The big one will call for the preparedness of everybody else not just the rescue units of the LGUs but the preparedness of the public, as an individual and families and as one with the community. After this the MMDA and the station, UNTV is preparing to bring it down to the barangay level. This will be our next project.”

Along with the rescue olympics, the 17 mayors held a meeting to discuss earthquake preparedness

A metro-wide earthquake drill is scheduled to be held in July.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said, “The details will be out within the next few weeks. At 10:30 a.m. everything will start at the same time. You will have a big part in the information dissemination. At the sound of the siren, everybody will begin simultaneously.”

On Tuesday, MMDA will re-launch the “Oplan Metro Yakal” wherein three areas in Metro Manila will be used as temporary evacuation areas during an earthquake.

Among these are Villamor Airbase in Pasay for south sector; Intramuros in Manila for west sector; VMMC golf course in Quezon City for north sector; and LRT 2 Santolan station grounds for the east sector.

Included in the north sector are Caloocan, Valenzuela, Malabon and Quezon City; Navotas, Manila and Pasay comprise the west sector; Makati, Taguig, Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Las Piñas and Pateros compose the south sector.

MMDA is set to execute the earthquake drill on June 5 for the east sector which includes Marikina, San Juan, Pasig and Mandaluyong. (MON JOCSON / UNTV News)

PHIVOLCS Geologist Jeffrey Cruz shows the different types of ground rupture.

QUEZON CITY, Philippines — The public may ask Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) for assessment of their area if it is hazardous or transected by fault line.

The possible dangers that may befall places transected by a fault line can be clearly seen from the photos presented by PHIVOLCS.

The initial danger from a movement on an active fault is ground rupture or surface rupture. This is when movement on a fault breaks through to the surface.

PHIVOLCS Geologist Jeffrey Perez said on demonstration of different ground ruptures documented from past big earthquakes struck in the country, “As what we saw in 1990 Luzon earthquake, this embankment was joined and aligned before the quake happened. After the quake, a rupture occurred with a length of 120 kilometers. And the horizontal displacement of the embankments in this area was 6 meters. ”

“Although coconut trees can withstand typhoons this one was no match for the magnitude 6.2 earthquake in Masbate in 2003.”

Another example was the Bohol earthquake in 2013 when it moved up a side of the ground by 2.5 meters.

It may also happen to the valley fault system that stretches across Bulacan, Metro Manila, Rizal, Cavite and Laguna.

The agency said, more people are expressing their interest after the valley fault system was launched.

PHIVOLCS is one of the government agencies mandated to issue environmental compliance certificate that is required by the LGU during building constructions.

If you want to be sure if your place is in the buffer zone of a fault line, you may ask PHIVOLCS for an assessment.

Just bring your property vicinity map, tittle or tax declaration and 100 pesos. (REY PELAYO / UNTV News)

For inquiries:
Address: PHIVOLCS Building, C.P. Garcia Avenue, U.P. Campus, Diliman Quezon City Philippines
E-mail: phivolcs_mail@phivolcs.dost.gov.ph; phivolcs.mail@gmail.com
Telephone: +632 426 1468 to 79
Fax: +632 929 8366, 927 4524
Official Website: http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph

LeBron James in Miami, Florida June 20, 2013. REUTERS/MIKE SEGAR

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors will both be trying to deliver a championship to their title-starved fans when the NBA Finals open this week with a mouthwatering matchup between two of the game’s best players.

While the Warriors last won a title for the city of Oakland in 1975, the city of Cleveland has not celebrated a championship since the 1964 Cleveland Browns of the National Football League.

Both the Warriors and Cavaliers will be leaning on their respective most valuable players to restore glory, and though Stephen Curry took home the league’s top player award this year LeBron James still wears the unofficial crown.

What four-time MVP James has accomplished with this season’s Cavaliers team is one of his greatest feats and has returned him to the NBA Finals for the fifth consecutive year, a feat not accomplished since 1966.

With his key sidekicks either sidelined or hobbled, James has averaged 27.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 8.3 assists during the post-season.

Cleveland swept Atlanta in four games to book their first trip to the Finals since 2007 when James was in the midst of his first Cleveland tour before leaving for Miami and returning home this season.

Golden State’s 40-year wait to return to the Finals has come at a physical price. Curry, averaging 29.2 points during the postseason, took a violent fall in the Western Conference final and has not appeared quite the same since.

Meanwhile, backcourt mate Klay Thompson sustained a concussion in the team’s series-clinching win over Houston last week but returned to practice on Monday and expects to be ready for the Finals.

Working in the Warriors favor is that Thursday’s Game One will have given each team seven days, which is the longest gap in history between the end of the conference finals and start of the Finals.

Rust could be an issue for both sides and the job of preparation will fall on the shoulders of a pair of first-year head coaches.

Golden State’s Steve Kerr and Cleveland’s David Blatt give the Finals two rookie NBA coaches for the first time since the league’s inaugural season (1946-47). The two have taken divergent paths to get here, however.

Kerr won five NBA championships as a player and worked in the front office before landing with the Warriors. Alongside assistant coach Alvin Gentry, who has just been hired to take over the New Orleans Pelicans head job next season, Kerr has crafted an offense and culture that won a league-best 67 games and has been lauded around the league.

Conversely, Blatt’s arrival to the NBA has been met with criticism and speculation about his job status as the former European coaching giant learns the pressures of coaching James.

The supporting cast of the Cavaliers will be critical as will the health of All-Star guard Kyrie Irving who missed two games of the conference final due to an ailing left knee.

Long-range bomber J.R. Smith stepped up in Irving’s place and delivered some critical performances.

Cavs Australian guard Matthew Dellavedova has been a lightning rod this post-season with his scrappy play ruffling opponents but sparking Cleveland. He may have his sights set on getting physical with Curry.

The Warriors are capable of pushing back, however. Defensive wizard Draymond Green and tough big man Andrew Bogut give the team bite and help them compete in the rebounding battle even as they go to small lineups.

(Reporting by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Frank Pingue)

Passengers wearing masks to prevent contracting Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) ride on a travelator upon arrival at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, June 2, 2015. REUTERS/KIM HONG-JI

South Korea confirmed five more cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus, the health ministry said early on Wednesday, bringing to 30 the total number of cases in the country of the often-deadly illness.

On Tuesday, South Korea reported its first two deaths from MERS since the first confirmed case two weeks ago, fueling growing worry about the spread of the illness in the country, which has reported the most cases of MERS outside the Middle East.

South Korea has isolated about 750 people for possible MERS infection, which is caused by a coronavirus from the same family as the one that triggered the deadly 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). MERS has a much higher death rate than SARS and there is no cure or vaccine.

Of the five new cases, four had been in the same hospital as the first patient, a 68-year-old man who had recently traveled to four countries in the Middle East. The other, a 60-year-old man, caught it from another person infected in the outbreak.

The new cases would bring the total number globally to 1,166, based on earlier World Health Organization (WHO) data, with at least 436 related deaths.

The WHO has not recommended trade or travel restrictions for South Korea, although South Korean border control authorities have put a ban on overseas travel for people isolated for possible infection, a health ministry official said.

Government health officials have been criticized for being slow to respond to the outbreak.

The death rate from MERS, first identified in humans in 2012, has been 38 percent, according to WHO figures, with older patients and those with existing respiratory and renal ailments at greater risk, according to a South Korean doctor. However, experts said that figure may overstate the fatality rate as patients with little or no symptoms might go undetected.

By comparison, the death rate from SARS was 9 to 12 percent, rising above 50 percent for patients over 65, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

(Corrects to add dropped word in virus name in first paragraph)

(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Writing by Tony Munroe; Editing by Richard Pullin)

An aerial view shows rescue workers searching on the sunken ship at Jianli section of Yangtze River, Hubei province, China, June 2, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer

Scores of divers searched a capsized ship in the Yangtze River on Wednesday for more than 400 missing people, many of them elderly tourists, as the death toll in what could be China’s worst shipping disaster in almost 70 years jumped to 18.

State television showed rescuers, some standing on the upturned hull of the Eastern Star cruise ship, working through the night. So far their efforts have yielded few successes, with only 14 people found alive, including the ship’s captain.

Also among the few rescued was an elderly woman who had been trapped in an air pocket in the ship, which capsized during a freak tornado on the river on Monday night.

The last big maritime disaster in East Asia was the sinking of a ferry in South Korea last year that killed 304 people, most of them teenagers on a school trip.

The Yangtze search area has been expanded up to 220 km (135 miles) downstream, state television said, suggesting that many bodies could have been swept far away from where the ship foundered in the rain-swollen river.

Zou Luwang, who lives in a village near the river, said the government had called residents to warn of extreme weather conditions on the night the ship capsized.

“I believe those who operate the boats have expertise about this, but the weather was unusually bad for these parts,” he told Reuters.

Zhang Hui, a tour guide who survived the disaster, told the official Xinhua news agency that it was raining so hard water was seeping through cabin windows, and that the ship then listed violently.

“I thought, ‘this isn’t right’, and I told my colleague, ‘I think we’re in trouble’. After I said that, the ship flipped over. It only took 30 seconds or a minute,” Zhang said.

Li Yongjun, the captain of a freighter that passed near the Eastern Star shortly before it capsized, told Xinhua the weather was so bad he decided to anchor and wait out the storm.

“The visibility was terrible, like being in fog, and the rain was interfering with the radar so you couldn’t make anything out,” Li said.

He said he heard a voice from the river crying, “Help!” just after 10 p.m. (1600 GMT), about 30 minutes after state media has said the Eastern Star capsized.

“The rain was just too heavy, there was no way to mount a rescue, so I shouted over, ‘swim to the bank!’,” Li said.
DISTRAUGHT RELATIVES PROTEST

The ship’s captain and the chief engineer have been detained by police for questioning. An initial investigation found the ship was not overloaded and had enough life vests on board.

The ship overturned “within one or two minutes”, Xinhua quoted the captain as saying. He was dragged out of the water near a pier just before midnight on Monday.

Relatives of the missing, angry at what they perceive as a lack of information, have scuffled with officials in Shanghai. All of the passengers on board had booked their trips through a Shanghai-based travel agency.

Early on Wednesday, about two dozen family members, some crying and others shouting “help us”, marched down streets in central Shanghai towards the main government office watched by a heavy police presence.

A passenger manifest carried by state media showed those on board the Eastern Star ranged in age from three to more than 80. There were 456 people on board when the ship capsized.

Premier Li Keqiang, who rushed to the scene to oversee rescue efforts, called for “regular and transparent updates” on the rescue and investigation, and said authorities must ensure adequate personnel and funding.

China’s weather bureau said a tornado had buffeted the area where the ship was cruising, a freak occurrence in a country where twisters can happen but are uncommon.

The Eastern Star, which had the capacity to carry more than 500 people, was heading to the southwestern city of Chongqing from Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province. It sank in the Jianli section of the Yangtze.

Accidents of this magnitude are uncommon in China, where major rivers are used for tours and cruises. State media said it was the worst recorded ship disaster on the Yangtze River.

A tug sank on the Yangtze while undergoing sea trials in January, killing 22 of the 25 people on board.

In 1948, the steamship Kiangya blew up on the Huangpu river, killing more than 1,000 people.

The Eastern Star is owned by the Chongqing Eastern Shipping Corporation, which runs tours along the Three Gorges section of the Yangtze.

(Writing by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Sue-Lin Wong in Shanghai and Michael Martina in Beijing; Editing by Paul Tait)

Senator Grace Poe (UNTV  News)

MANILA, Philippines — Sinagot ni Senador Grace ang mga pahayag ni Rep. Toby Tiangco ng UNA na hindi siya qualified na tumakbo bilang presidente o vice president dahil sa wala pang 10 taong naninirahan sa bansa.

“Nilagay ko po yun sapagkat noong 2006 lang nabenta yung bahay namin sa America — April 2006 — which can be proven. So, sabi ko at that time, nako, baka iyun yung ibig nilang sabihin. Ako po ay hindi abogado, pero ako po ay tapat at truthful, at kung bibilangin ang mga panahon na andito ako sa Pilipinas, lagpas pa po sa requirement,” ani Sen. Poe.

May mga dokumento umano siya na magpapatunay na 2005 pa lamang ay naninirahan na siya sa Pilipinas, tulad ng transcript of records ng kanyang mga anak at dokumento ng kanilang bahay.

Sinabi naman ng kampo ni Binay, hindi daw nais ng bise presidente at maging ng UNA na isiwalat ang residency issue kay Poe.

Gayunpaman, nasilip ni Rep. Tiangco na importante itong malaman ng publiko.

Pahayag ni UNA Sec. General Atty. JV Bautista, “Let me assure you, meron hong position si Vice President dyan, kasi alam na din nya ho yan eh, (sabi ni VP Binay na) huwag ilabas yan… But this is a matter of public interests and concern. You and I and every Flipino should know. The good senator owes it to the public na sabihin mo na ngayon.”

Sa isang pahayag sinabi naman ni Senator Nancy Binay na wala silang permisong ibinigay kay Tiangco upang talakayin ang eligibility ni Senator Poe upang kumandidato sa pagka-bise presidente at presidente ng bansa.

Ani Sen. Nancy Binay, “Actually nagulat na nga lang din ako na naglabas siya (Rep. Toby Tiangco) ng ganun eh, ng ganung statement.”

Hindi naman nananiniwala si Grace Poe na hindi alam ng bise presidente ang ukol sa pagpapalabas ng naturang issue.

“Mabuti na rin po para sa ating mga kababayan na alam nilang walang tinatago. Salamat na rin sa inyo, dahil ngayon may pagkakataon ako at dahilan para ieksplika ito,” anang senadora.

Ayon naman sa COMELEC, hindi pa nila masasagot ang mga katungan kaugnay ng qualification ni Poe na tumakbo bilang president dahil hindi pa naman ito nagdedeklara. (DARLENE BASINGAN / UNTV News)

Rescue workers are seen atop the sunken ship in the Jianli section of Yangtze River, Hubei province, China, June 3, 2015. REUTERS/Aly Song

The death toll from a ship that capsized on China’s Yangtze River has risen to 65, state television reported on Thursday, but more than 370 people were still missing and families broke through a police cordon to march to the site and demand answers.

Another 39 bodies were recovered overnight, CCTV said on its microblog. Only 14 survivors, including the captain, have been found since the ship carrying 456 people capsized in a freak tornado on Monday night, in what could be China’s worst shipping disaster in almost 70 years.

However, rescuers are not giving up their search of the ship, which was carrying many elderly Chinese tourists, despite the fading hopes of relatives.

They plan to cut a small rectangular hole through the Eastern Star’s upturned hull to get better access, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

“The ship sank in a very short time frame, so there could still be air trapped in the hull,” Li Qixiu of the Naval University of Engineering told Xinhua.

“That means there could still be survivors.”

About 50 family members, frustrated by the paucity of information coming from authorities, hired a bus to make the eight-hour journey from Nanjing to Jianli county in Hubei, where the ship sank.

The protesters later broke through a cordon of 20-25 paramilitary police who had tried to stop them at a roadblock.

June 4 marks the anniversary of the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, and any sort of protest is strongly discouraged by China’s stability-obsessed leaders.

Early on Thursday, the deputy police chief of Nanjing told the relatives they could go to the disaster site only in the daytime.

He promised to arrange buses for them to view the boat in the morning, but said journalists were barred from the trip.

The ship had been on an 11-day voyage upstream from Nanjing, near Shanghai, to Chongqing.

Volunteers from Jianli offered rides and water to the distraught family members on the march, and some people tied yellow ribbons to their car mirrors.

Some relatives have asked the government to release the names of survivors and the dead, while others questioned why most of those rescued were crew members, why the boat did not dock in the storm, and why the rescued captain and crew members had time to put on life vests but did not sound any alarm.

The search area has been extended up to 220 km (135 miles) downstream, suggesting that bodies could have been swept far from where the ship foundered.

Police have detained the captain and chief engineer for questioning. An initial investigation found the ship was not overloaded and had enough life vests on board.

State media said it was the worst recorded ship disaster on the Yangtze River. In 1948, the steamship Kiangya blew up on the Huangpu river, killing more than 1,000 people.

(This version of the story was refiled to change number of relatives to 50 from 80 in paragraph 7, and changes to police chief of Nanjing, not Jiangsu, in paragraph 10.)

(Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Paul Tait)

FILE PHOTO: Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (UNTV News)

QUEZON CITY, Philippines — Isang buwan pa bago maglabas ng desisyon ang Sandiganbayan 1st Division kung papayagang maisailalim sa house arrest si dating presidente at ngayo’y Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Ito ay sa dahilang binigyan pa ng korte ng labinlimang araw ang mga abogado ni Arroyo upang magsumite ng karagdagang papeles at ebidensya nang sa gayo’y mapag-aralan ng Sandiganbayan ang kanilang mosyon.

Humihingi ang korte ng latest medical bulletin ni Arroyo dahil June 23, 2014 pa ang nakalakip na medical certificate ni Arroyo sa kanilang mosyon.

Pinagsusumite rin ang mga ito ng litrato ng bahay ni Cong. Arroyo sa La Vista Subdivision sa Quezon City at rest house sa Lubao, Pampanga, vicinity map at certification mula sa home owners association na pumapayag silang magkaroon ng mga pulis sa kanyang residential area.

Sa naging oral arguments kanina sa korte, mariin pa ring tinutulan ng prosekusyon ang hiling ni Arroyo dahil hindi naman anila ito maitutulad sa house arrest ni Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada.

Paliwanag ng prosekusyon, mag-isa lamang na nakatira si Estrada sa kanyang rest house sa Tanay, Rizal, di katulad ng bahay ni Arroyo sa la vista na doon nakatira ang kanyang asawa na si Mike Arroyo.

Pahayag ng lawyer ni CGMA na si Atty. Laurence Arroyo, “Iyong issue dito ay naka-aresto ba si President Arroyo, whether kasama niya si FG sa bahay o hindi, the fact is she remains under house arrest. Does it increase the probability that she will flee? We don’t think so.”

Dagdag pa ng prosekusyon, dahil katabi lang ng rest house ni Estrada ang Camp Capinpin, pumayag itong gawing extension ng military camp ang rest house para mas mabantayan pa ng mga pulis.

Ang kaso naman ni Arroyo, 200 meters pa ang layo ng police station sa kanyang bahay.

Paliwanag naman ng kanyang kampo, handa silang sumunod sa magiging kundisyon ng korte.

“The only requirement is that our law enforcers have control over the premises, and that’s understandable since we want to control the movement of President Arroyo,” anang abogado ng dating pangulo.

Humihiling si Rep. Arroyo na ma-house arrest sa loob ng anim na buwan dahil hindi bumubuti ang kanyang kundisyon kahit naka confine sa Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMCC).

Hindi rin umano nagiging mabilis ang kanyang recovery sa tatlong spine surgeries na isinagawa sa kanya.

Ayon sa mga abogado ni Pampanga Rep. Arroyo, kung sakali mang bumuti ang kundisyon ng dating presidente sa house arrest, hindi pa rin sila papayag na mailipat ito sa regular jail facility katulad ng BJMP. Anila, dahil matanda na si Arroyo, maaaring hilingin nila sa korte na manatili na lang ito sa bahay o maibalik sa ospital. (JOYCE BALANCIO / UNTV News)

Passengers wearing masks to prevent contracting Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) walk past a thermal imaging camera at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, June 2, 2015. REUTERS/KIM HONG-JI

Alarm over an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in South Korea spread on Thursday with North Korea calling for border checks while hundreds more schools closed in the South and authorities reported five new cases.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye has demanded that everything be done to halt the outbreak which began two weeks ago, brought into the country by a South Korean man returning from a business trip to the Middle East.

Two people have died in South Korea. With 35 cases, South Korea has the most infections outside the Middle East where the disease first appeared in 2012, and where most of the 440 fatalities have been.

About 1,600 people have been quarantined in South Korea, most of them at home but some in medical institutions, a health ministry official said.

Soldiers have been confined to base in areas near hospitals where outbreaks have occurred, while parents from those areas may not visit their children in the armed forces, a defense ministry official said.

Among the five new South Korean cases were two more health workers who treated infected patients.

“We are in a war,” said an official at a health center in Seoul’s wealthy Gangnam district, where panic spread early on Thursday when medical workers in protection suits were spotted near a hotel.

The official said a Middle Eastern guest at the hotel fell ill and was later quarantined at a hospital.

MERS infection is caused by a coronavirus from the same family as the one that caused SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which emerged in 2002-2003 and killed around 800 people worldwide.

MERS has a much higher death rate – 38 percent, according to WHO figures – but also spreads far less swiftly than SARS from person to person, making it less of a threat for now.

NERVOUS NEIGHBORS

North Korea had asked the South to provide heat-detecting cameras to monitor temperatures of South Korean workers traveling to the inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex, just north of the border, a South Korean government official said.

South Korea lent North Korea three cameras to use at the complex during the recent scare over Ebola, the official said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has not recommended travel restrictions but about 7,000 people from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan had canceled trips to South Korea as of June 2, a spokesman for the Korea Tourism Organisation said.

Japan said it was looking into possible quarantine measures for people arriving from South Korea.

China last week reported its first case, that of a South Korean man who tested positive after breaking a voluntary house quarantine and traveling to Hong Kong and on to mainland China.

Authorities have been criticized for being slow to respond to the initial spread of MERS.

It took several days for the 68-year-old man returning from the Middle East to be diagnosed and in the meantime, he infected people at health facilities where he went for treatment of a fever and cough.

All of South Korea’s cases have been traced to the man who visited Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the countries with the most MERS cases.

More than 800 schools in South Korea were closed or had classes canceled as of Thursday, the Ministry of Education said.

While there has been no sustained human-to-human transmission, the virus could change and spread rapidly.

South Korea’s new cases bring the total number globally to about 1,180, based on World Health Organization (WHO) data, with at least 442 related deaths.

(Additional reporting by Jack Kim and Joyce Lee; Editing by James Pearson, Robert Birsel)

AFP Public Affairs Office Chief, Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc (UNTV News)

QUEZON CITY, Philippines — Maituturing nang mahina ang pwersa ng CPP-NPA matapos ang pagkakahuli sa rebeldeng lider nito na si Adelberto Silva kamakailan.

Ayon kay AFP Public Affairs Office Chief Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, ito ay dahil wala nang punong magdedesisyon sa mga operasyon ng rebeldeng grupo.

“Their operations will be crippled kasi wala nang magdi-direct sa operations nila maging sa political side and of course sa armed group na yung nagdi-direct ng armed violence all over the country,” anang AFP PAO chief.

Naaresto si Silva sa Bacoor, Cavite noong Lunes kasama ang asawa nitong si Sharon Ronquillo at isa pang CPP member na si Isidro de Lima.

Ayon pa kay Cabunoc, dahil sa pagkakaaresto kay Silva, naniniwala siyang mas marami sa mga kasamahan nitong rebelde ang maaaring magbalik-loob sa pamahalaan at isuko ang kanilang mga armas.

“Nakikita natin, marami na ring disgruntled sa kanilang members at paisa-isa may nagsusurrender with firearms at katunayan diyan umabot sa 80 na ang sumuko sa atin sa EastMinComm area.”

Si Silva ang secretary general ng CPP central committee at itinuturing na pinakamataas na lider ng organisasyon sa bansa sa kasalukuyan.

Siya ang humalili sa NPA leader na si Wilma Tiamzon nang maaaresto ito kasama ng kaniyang asawa sa Cebu noong march 2014.

Samantala, ang pangkalahatang pinuno naman ng communist movement na si Jose Maria Sison ay piniling mamalagi sa Netherlands.

Sa ngayon, nahaharap sa 15 counts of murder at frustrated murder si Silva.

Giit naman ng human rights organization na karapatan, isang peace consultant si Silva ng National Democratic Front.

Ganun pa man, nanindigan ang AFP sa dahilan ng pagkakaaresto kay Silva.

Dagdag ni LT COL Cabunoc, “Yung transparency sa pag-serve ng warrant nandoon, in the presence of locale officials. So, hindi pwedeng sabihin na planted yung evidences kasi may mga kasamang locale officials.”

Ayon sa AFP, tinatayang nasa apat na libo pa ang pwersa ng CPP-NPA sa bansa bagaman paparami ang sumusuko at nahuhuling mga rebelde. (ROSALIE COZ / UNTV News)

Ang pagresponde ng UNTV News and Rescue Davao sa isang aksidente na kinasasangkutan multicab at taxi. (UNTV News)

DAVAO, Philippines — Nirespondehan ng UNTV News and Rescue Team ang vehicular accident na kinasangkutan ng isang taxi at multicab pasado alas onse nitong Miyerkules ng gabi sa C. Bangoy corner Palma Gil Street, Davao City.

Nilapatan ng paunang lunas ng grupo ang mga pahinante ng multicab na sina Virgilio Sumalinog at Junrey Alberto na nagtamo ng galos sa tuhod at iniinda ang pananakit ng likod.

Wala namang tinamong pinsala ang mga driver ng sasakyan.

Matapos mabigyan ng first aid ay dinala ng rescue team ang dalawa sa Southern Philippines Medical Center. (UNTV News)

FILE PHOTO: Si PNP Chief P/DDG Alan Purisima sa PNP Change of Command ceremony sa Camp Crame noong December 18, 2015. (JAY MORALES / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

QUEZON CITY, Philippines — Ngayong araw ng Huwebes nagtapos ang anim na buwang suspensyon na ipinataw ng Ombudsman kay resigned PNP Chief Gen. Alan Purisima bunsod ng kasong graft na isinampa laban sa kanya nang pasukin nito ang kontrata sa Werfast Courier Service na siyang nagde-deliver ng mga lisensya ng baril.

December 4 nang nakaraang taon ng masuspende si Purisima subalit December 9 na nito natanggap ang suspension order.

At kung noon ay sa malaking kuwarto ng chief PNP nag-oopisina si P/Dir. Gen. Purisima at nakatira sa bagong gawang “White House” ngayon ay isang maliit na opisina ang naghihintay sa kanya sa pagbabalik serbisyo sa June 10.

Ayon kay PNP OIC P/DDG Leonardo Espina, mananatili muna sa Police Holding & Accounting Unit o PHAU si Purisima habang hindi pa ito nabibigyan ng bagong posisyon ng Napolcom sa rekomendasyon naman ng senior officials promotion and replacement board.

“Yun pong white house at tsaka yung office ng chief PNP is positional, the one occupying that is the chief PNP.”

Nilinaw naman ni Espina na nag-resign lamang si Purisima bilang PNP Chief at hindi bilang pulis kung kaya’t makababalik pa ito sa serbisyo.

P/DDG Leonardo Espina, “May ranggo pero walang posisyon, naghihintay. Wala siyang power habang naghihintay siya ng kanyang official designation.”

Sinubukan ng UNTV News na kunan ng pahayag ang abugado ni Purisima ngunit hindi nito sinasagot ang tawag.

At dahil tapos na ang suspension ni resigned PNP Chief P/Dir.Gen. Alan Purisima, makatatanggap na muli ito ng sweldo na umaabot sa P107,000 kada buwan, (LEA YLAGAN / UNTV News)

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during practice prior to the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena; Jun 3, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

As Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors battle the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2015 NBA Finals at least one of his peers will marvel at the guard’s shooting magic in the same way any fan would.

New Orleans Pelicans All-Star forward Anthony Davis had a front row seat for Curry’s long-range exhibition in April when his team faced the Warriors in a first-round playoff series, ultimately coming away impressed.

“The shots you see Steph make, you think the same thing as a player you would (as a fan): ‘how does he make that?,” Davis told Reuters in a telephone interview to promote the video game NBA 2K16.

“You might think they’re bad shots but (they are not). They have a team built that way and they know he is going to take them.”

It was a season full of new honors for the 22-year-old Davis who was named to the All-NBA First Team and made his first trip to the playoffs in his third season.

It ended quickly, with a four-game sweep at the hands of Golden State, and the indelible memory of the series was a three-pointer Curry made over the outstretched hand of Davis that forced overtime.

Curry’s brilliance aside, Davis now has his own vested interest in the NBA Finals, opening on Thursday in Oakland, after Warriors assistant coach Alvin Gentry was recently named the new head coach of the Pelicans.

“I know that he’s an offensive coach who likes fast-paced, get up and down scoring,” said Davis, who is on the cover of the NBA 2K16 with Curry and Houston shooting guard James Harden.

“We haven’t had a chance to speak yet. He’s coaching a team in the Finals so I’ll let him focus on that.”

Davis’s focus this offseason will be on his continued improvement. The 6-foot-10 standout averaged 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks during his breakout campaign but he is hoping to reach greater heights, and that this time next year he will still be playing rather than watching.

“It was a big year for me but you always want to get better and try to go into next year with a different mindset,” Davis said. “I want to figure out how I can make my team better and do more than just make the playoffs.”

(Reporting by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Frank Pingue)

FILE PHOTO: President Benigno S. Aquino lll witnesses Bangsamoro Transition Commission Chairman Mohagher Iqb hand over of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law to Senate President Franklin Drilon during the turnover ceremony at Rizal Hall in Malacañan Palace, Wednesday (September 10).The Bangsamoro Basic Law tops the list of priority measures endorsed by the Aquino administration. Witnessing are Secretary Teresita Quintos-Deles, Speaker of the House Feliciano Belmonte, Jr., and Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Jr. (Photo by Gil Nartea/Malacañang Photo Bureau)

MANILA, Philippines — ‘But I think our BBL draft is the best or is the most practicable solution to finding peace and — finding lasting peace and development in Mindanao,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said.

Malacañang sees no reason to have a substitute for the original version of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.

This is the reaction of Malacañang to the statement of chairman of the Committee on Local Government Senator Bongbong Marcos on Wednesday, who said his committee will prepare a substitute bill that will replace the palace’s version.

According to Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda, the version of the BBL they submitted to Kamara has surpassed exhaustive review.

“When the Bangsamoro Basic Law was drafted it was drafted having in mind the previous negotiations, previous agreements, also the fab and the cab, all these were all inputed into the Bangsamoro Basic Law, so I don’t see how substituting the bill would be better than what we have done right now.”

Malacañang said the senators need not worry on some provisions of the BBL, such as the issue of the Bangsamoro government territory to replace ARMM.

“Both parties have agreed that there will be just one state, there are powers that are seeded, and there are powers clearly within the national government, so it still one country, one state.”

Despite this, Malacañang respects the process of the senate in passing the proposed law.

Malacañang believes the lawmakers are considering the Aquino administration’s objective of having true peace and development in Mindanao.

Malacañang is continuously hoping that the congress will pass the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law before the last state of the nation address of President Aquino this July. (NEL MARIBOJOC / UNTV News)