AMID modest growth in the first quarter this year, Philippine telecom companies are scaling down their expansion plans, with the country’s leading industry player shelving a venture in Japan and India and the second-ranked operator trimming capital expenditures for the near term.

The number of Filipinos affected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has dramatically increased since the turn of the millennium, the United Nations Development Program reported Wednesday.

Industry and government officials said Wednesday that the Philippine business process outsourcing (BPO) industry would not likely suffer from US President Barack Obama’s crackdown on outsourcing among American companies.

SEVERAL House members on Wednesday immediately responded to a Palace directive for them to contribute a portion of their Countrywide Development Fund (CDF) to a reward system that the President hopes would end political killings in the country.

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The government’s top anti-piracy official said powerful lobby groups in Washington are to blame for the country’s retention in the watch list of the United States Trade Representative on copyright piracy.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Evidence that housing is poised to improve and optimism about the results of banking “stress tests” raised hopes Monday, May 4, that the recession is easing.

Geneva (AFP) – Global foreign direct investment flows are expected to plunge even further this year, after falling some 15 per cent in 2008, the United Nations trade and investment think-tank UNCTAD said Monday.

MANILA, Philippines – President Arroyo announced yesterday the establishment of a P25-million fund to pay informants in a bid to end the wave of political killings in the country.

MANILA, Philippines – A firm selling health insurance plans was ordered closed by the Muntinlupa City government for reportedly committing unfair labor practices.

MANILA, Philippines – A 19-year-old construction worker survived electrocution and a plunge from the third floor of a building under construction in Sampaloc, Manila yesterday morning.

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino doctors and dentists can now practice in other countries that are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

MANILA, Philippines – Close to 400 Filipino nurses and caregivers are leaving for Japan this weekend, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) reported yesterday.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine economy, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP), is likely to grow by four percent this year or within the revised GDP forecast of 3.1 percent to 4.1 percent, a ranking National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) official said yesterday.

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said exporters have been suffering from a trade-financing crunch amid the current global economic crisis.

THE Philippine economy is likely to grow at the high-end of a government target this year driven by election related spending and the planned front-loading for infrastructure projects, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said.

But bottom lines diverge on one-off items   THE Philippines’ telecom sector registered modest growth in the first quarter this year despite the tough economic environment, but the country’s leading player saw its profit fall as foreign exchange losses pulled down its performance.

You have that friend who sweats it out endlessly, trying one diet fad after another in an attempt to shed off unwanted fat. Yet, results are less than stellar.

The House of Representatives approved on third and final reading on Tuesday night the investments and incentives code of the Philippines, which consolidates the country’s scattered investments and incentives statutes.

WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Barack Obama, decrying “egregious” tax abuses, announced Monday (Tuesday in Manila) savings of $210 billion by squeezing offshore havens and US firms’ ability to profit from outsourcing jobs.

MANILA, Philippines—The Bureau of Internal Revenue believes that several corporate taxpayers have been dodging payments of their tax obligations.

TRAVEL agents slammed Philippine Airlines’ cheap fares yesterday, saying those threatened an industry already reeling from a slowdown in travel as a result of the economic crisis and the swine flu that has spread from Mexico to other countries.

CEBU CITY – Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said unemployment in the country was slowly starting to ease as companies have started to hire workers.

Newspaper section: NewsProper and timely intervention, including efficient water management, is needed to help ease the impact of climate change on the farming sector, a recent study says.

The head of the US central bank, Ben Bernanke, has said he expects the recession to end this year unless there is a major financial setback.

MANILA, Philippines – All through history, the healing benefits of green foods have been recognized. People and animals have survived primarily on grasses and green plants when diseases strike. The benefits of various green foods seem related to their chlorophyll content. In 1911, the so-called green plants or green foods were discovered to have a…

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines will remain in the Watch List of the US Trade Repre-sentative (USTR) office because the US said that the government failed to put a true deterrent mechanism to prevent people from infringing Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine banks reported a 34.1-percent decline in net income in 2008 as the industry suffered huge losses in non-interest income.

MANILA, Philippines – The average rate of the 91-day Treasury bill (T-bill) dipped slightly to 4.276 percent from the previous rate of 4.287 percent at yesterday’s T-bill auction as investors’ stayed on the sidelines awaiting the release of the April inflation rate.

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Some 300 lawyers will simultaneously file a string of cases against government agencies in courts nationwide on June 5, World Environment Day, for their alleged failure to strictly implement 300 environment laws.