Category: Business

Business

DOT, Klook Renew Tourism Alliance to Put Philippine ‘Hidden Gems’ on the Global Booking Map

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Tourism and travel platform Klook are expanding their partnership in a renewed push to turn lesser-known Philippine destinations into bookable experiences for both Filipino and international travelers — with provincial tourism businesses expected to play a much bigger role. The DOT and Klook signed a new multi-year Memorandum of Understanding on September 1, extending a partnership that will combine government destination development with Klook’s digital

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Business

Taiwan’s World Cup Betting Boom Hits NT$8.93 Billion as Online Wagers Overtake Physical Outlets

TAIPEI — The 2026 FIFA World Cup has delivered a major surge in sports-lottery activity in Taiwan, with Taiwan Sports Lottery recording NT$8.93 billion (about US$281 million) in bets during the tournament’s 39-day run. The figure makes this year’s World Cup the company’s second-biggest tournament by betting volume, behind the NT$10.4 billion recorded during the 2022 World Cup. More significantly, the tournament marked a turning point in how people placed their bets: online betting surpassed wag

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Business

Globe, Chinabank Savings Take Banking Services Straight to Public Schools as Teacher Loans Go Digital

Public school teachers who once had to travel to a bank branch during working hours may increasingly find the bank coming directly to them. Globe Business and Chinabank Savings (CBS) have rolled out a mobile field-banking initiative designed to let CBS officers process selected financial services at school sites, potentially making loan applications, account concerns and other transactions easier for educators—particularly those working far from commercial centers. Under the partnership, CBS f

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Business

GCash’s P92.32-B IPO Gets SEC Green Light — But One Number Could Decide Whether Investors Buy In

MANILA, Philippines — GCash is one major step closer to making Philippine stock-market history. The Securities and Exchange Commission has cleared the registration of GCash operator Mynt Inc. for an initial public offering that could reach as much as P92.32 billion, potentially smashing the Philippine record for the biggest IPO ever completed on the local stock exchange. But behind the blockbuster headline is a detail investors may want to examine closely: most of the shares being sold are not

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Business

Philippines Inflation Slows to 6.1% for Fourth Straight Month — But Rice Prices Are Moving in the Opposite Direction

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine inflation eased for a fourth consecutive month in August, offering another sign that the surge in consumer prices earlier this year may be losing some momentum. But behind the improving headline number, several pressure points remain: rice inflation accelerated to 19.4%, transport inflation climbed to 13.5%, and inflation experienced by the country's bottom 30% income households remained much higher at 8.2%. The Philippine Statistics Authority said Friday that

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Business

Oil Nears $96 as US-Iran Tensions Escalate—But the Real Risk May Be What Happens Next

SINGAPORE — Oil prices were holding near six-week highs on Friday as renewed fighting between the United States and Iran pushed crude toward its strongest weekly advance since mid-July, with traders increasingly focused on the risk that disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz could worsen. Brent crude futures were around $95.52 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) stood near $91.36 in early trading Friday. On the week, Brent was up about 7.6%, while WTI had climbed 10.4%, putting

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Business

U.S. Military Presence in Australia Set to Grow as Washington and Canberra Tighten Pacific Defence Alliance

The United States and Australia are moving to deepen their military partnership, with Washington and Canberra agreeing to accelerate plans that could expand the U.S. military presence on Australian bases amid growing strategic concerns about China’s military expansion in the Indo-Pacific.  The announcement followed a September 2 meeting in Washington between Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles and U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Marles said the American m

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Business

24 Bacolod Sewers Turn Simple Fabric Into Market-Ready Products—But What Comes Next Could Be Bigger

BACOLOD CITY — What started with sewing machines, fabric and raw creativity is now becoming a potential pathway to livelihood and entrepreneurship for a group of Bacolod artisans. Twenty-four participants have completed the pilot G-Hive Artisan Makers Bootcamp Sewing Track, producing contemporary, market-oriented items while gaining technical and business skills designed to help turn their craft into sustainable income opportunities. The five-day training, held from August 24 to 28, 2026, was

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Business

Air India Flight Plunged Nearly 300 Feet—Then Investigators Found Something Else in the Cockpit

NEW DELHI — A preliminary investigation into an Air India flight that suddenly lost altitude over the region between Phuket and New Delhi has uncovered two major areas of concern: a brief failure involving all three of the aircraft’s hydraulic systems and a confirmatory drug test involving the pilot-in-command that was classified as “non-negative” for a psychoactive substance. The findings come from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is still investigating the August 4

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Business

China Cabbage Formaldehyde Scare: Singapore Tests Imports — Here’s What SFA Found

SINGAPORE — Concerns over reports of cabbages in China being treated with formalin have reached Singapore, but the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) says testing of imported cabbages and other vegetables from China has found no evidence of formaldehyde contamination in the produce tested. The SFA issued the clarification on Friday, September 4, after reports emerged from China that some cabbages in Hebei province had allegedly been treated with formalin — a solution containing formaldehyde — to help

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