Washington, May 5 (EFE).- The fire that has consumed more than 11,000 hectares (27,500 acres) north of Los Angeles since late last week has been 60 percent brought under control, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection announced Sunday. Mike Parkes, the assistant director of the department, said that fire activity in the area has dropped in a "dramatic" manner. Thanks to a falloff in temperatures and in local winds, authorities expect that the fire, known as the "Spring Fire," will be fully under control by Monday.

Philippines Exporters Confederation (PhilExport) President Sergio Ortiz-Luis, Jr. urged for the creation of business clusters among member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in an address before a forum on the ASEAN economic integration titled “The Philippines and the ASEAN: Opportunities, Challenges and Way Forward” held at the Eastwood Richmonde Hotel in Quezon City. Ortiz-Luis believes that more opportunities will be created through increased investments and trade in goods and services through setting up of business clusters in the ASEAN.

By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - As the summer festival season kicks off on Friday with Southern California's annual music event Coachella, the event has side-stepped the chart hitmakers to this year return to its rock music and taste-maker roots.

By Bill Rigby SEATTLE (Reuters) - Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft Corp, is opening an office in Silicon Valley to make new investments in emerging technology and internet companies. The Palo Alto office, set to open in the next few weeks, will operate under the name of Vulcan Capital, the investment arm of Allen's Seattle-based Vulcan Inc, which manages his personal fortune, valued at about $15 billion (9.8 billion pounds).