In a study published in the Journal of the American Association, researchers found that Ginkgo biloba was no more effective than placebo in preventing cognitive in older people. Read the rest of this entry »

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has adopted a more efficient and accurate system of crime reporting in line with its Integrated Transformation Program in developing police systems and procedures. The National Crime Reporting System (NCRS) is now being implemented in all PNP units to report crime incidents to the national headquarters for centralized recording. Read the rest of this entry »

DOZENS of Filipino workers have remained trapped in a bankrupt casino ship in Florida since Christmas, unable to even set foot on US shore in a maritime version of The Terminal, the 2004 comedy-drama movie about a stateless, visa-less tourist unable to leave a New York airport. Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines – Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. stressed the need for the next administration to lay down a clear fiscal consolidation program after the global financial crisis derailed the country’s commitment to balance the budget last year. Read the rest of this entry »

MANILA, Philippines – The sinking of M/V Baleno 9, which killed at least six passengers, has prompted an official of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to admit that all the estimated 200 roll-on and roll-off (roro) vessels plying the domestic waters are aging and have to be phased out. Read the rest of this entry »

NEW YORK – Wall Street stocks edged higher Wednesday after a better than expected report on manufacturing activity, indicating that a recovery from recession was on track. Read the rest of this entry »

BRUSSELS – 2009 was one of the worst for the targeted killing of media workers, with 113 lives lost, a leading watchdog said Thursday and called on governments to do more to protect reporters. Read the rest of this entry »

Coming from cold and snowy Copenhagen and braving the snowstorm and delayed trains, we are sad to report that the so-called Copenhagen Accord leaves us with business as usual and no legally binding commitment to reduce emissions in the world. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez criticized the process of passing the accord as undemocratic. The Bolivarian Alliance for the People of Our America (ALBA) composed of nine Latin American countries sharply pointed out that the so-called Copenhagen Accord did not undergo the normal negotiating procedures. Read the rest of this entry »

I write this column in the hope of disabusing the public mind of recurring criticisms that the government—in particular the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)—had been “dragging its feet” in the repatriation of stranded overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Read the rest of this entry »

DESPITE the anticipated economic recovery next year, the unemployment rate may still climb higher in developing countries like the Philippines, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) warned. In a report, the Manila-based lender said there was at least a one-quarter lag from the time the crisis decreased economic output and increased unemployment. Read the rest of this entry »