TOKYO: Japan’s business executives have become more confident for the first time since 2006, the country’s central bank has said, supporting hopes the worst recession since World War II is easing.

ManilaAsia’s recession appears to have touched bottom and the region is likely to be the first to climb out of the global economic slowdown, the Asian Development Bank’s chief economist said Thursday.

The threat of Influenza A(H1N1) in the workplace and elsewhere has caught the attention of everyone.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has urged the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to compel large firms employing more than 500 workers to promptly submit their “preparedness plans” in dealing with the spread of Influenza A(H1N1).

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Domestic workers in the UAE often face abuse and poor conditions, activists say DUBAI, 2 July 2006 (IRIN) – On an almost daily basis, immigrant domestic workers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), face mistreatment and sometimes physical abuse, according to human rights activists.

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The Philippines continues to be an attractive site for outsourcing as several business process outsourcing (BPO) firms have expressed plans to move their operations to the country.

Say Spanish archeologists  ATAPUERCA, Spain—The remains of the “first Europeans” discovered at an archaeological site in northern Spain have revealed that these prehistoric men were cannibals who particularly liked the flesh of children.

MANILA, Philippines–Environmentalists called on the government to fast track the phaseout of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in large transformers and voltage regulators in the power sector.

An Act Banning the Importation, Manufacture, Processing, Use or Distribution in Commerce of Asbestos and Asbestos-Containing Products. Bans asbestos and asbestos containing materials in 4 years to protect workers, their families and the public against the hazards of asbestos and help minimize the occurrence of incurable asbestos related diseases. Download the text in PDF format

MANILA, Philippines – Soon-to-be displaced workers of Triumph International yesterday rejected the government’s offer of financial grants to help them put up their own undergarment business in case they can’t immediately find jobs.

MANILA, Philippines – Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said the peso is not performing exceptionally worse than its regional peers and has actually begun to perform better at the end of the first semester.

MANILA, Philippines – Guam is opening its door to at least 25,000 foreign workers including Filipinos over the next five years, a ranking official said yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has overtaken Japan as the country with the highest electricity cost in Asia, a party-list congressman said yesterday.

The current global financial crisis continues to hurt currencies in the region as risk aversion remain high but depreciation of the Philippine peso is less against other units in the region.

Two workers of the Korean shipbuilding giant firm Hanjin Heavy Industries Co., based in the freeport town of Subic in Zambales province, were killed while 19 others were seriously injured when their service vehicle lost its brakes while traversing along Cabangaan Road, Barangay Cawag, Monday morning.

THE Philippines lags behind its Asian counterparts in terms of global information and technology performance due to higher tariffs and poor access, the World Bank said.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority(MMDA) has started rehabilitation of the medium-rise tenement buildings in Vitas, Tondo, to decongest Metro Manila of informal settlers.

Tens of thousands of hectares of deforested land in the Philippines has been handed over to farmers in a novel job-creation and reforestation program, the government said Tuesday.

Filipino workers can land jobs in Guam as the US territory was in need of about 15,000 workers for infrastructure projects that would pave the way for the transfer of US military bases there, the governor of Guam said Tuesday.

MANILA, Philippines—Local property developers may find themselves faced with less robust demand from the business process outsourcing (BPO) firms as they strive to make more efficient use of their existing office space.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Philippines—With the recent closure by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) of several foreign-owned hotels and a casino here, former employees are clamoring for payment of back wages and benefits before the firm’s remaining assets are taken by its creditors.

The news article “RP had most war evacuees in 2008, says Norway group” (Inquirer, 6/20/09) should serve as a strong reminder to all 2010 electoral candidates of the grave importance of a peace and human rights agenda amid the worsening civil war in the country, which has caused death and displacement and violence, thus effectively…

BANGKOK—As the target date for launching the ASEAN human rights body (AHRB) nears, civil society groups have warned depriving it of watchdog powers would erode the credibility of the regional organization.

MANILA, Philippines – There are many ways to treat diseased conditions. Ultimately, however, any disease can only be permanently remedied by uprooting the cause. In the vast majority of cases, the cause lies in unnatural unbalanced physical and or mental habits. Therefore, changing one’s bad habits is the most important part of treatment. Natural therapy…

MANILA, Philippines – Despite monetary easing by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), bank lending is slowing down because few companies actually have the appetite for bank loans and demand would not recover until the economy bounces back.

Millions of Filipinos are experiencing mental changes as they age and are struggling with the question, “Am I getting Alzheimer’s?” After all, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, which is defined as a loss of intellectual and social abilities severe enough to interfere with daily functioning. Dementia affects about 10 percent of…

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will offer financial grants to retrenched workers of Triumph International to help them cope with the crisis.