The chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Wednesday called for a stop in hostilities between the military and Moro rebels in Mindanao. In an exclusive interview with ABS-CBN Chief Correspondent Korina Sanchez, MILF chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim said he has ordered Abdurahman Macapaar alias Commander Bravo and Commander Ameril Umbra Kato to stop the attacks in several provinces in Mindanao.

SINGAPORE - The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas sold dollars in the market on Wednesday to support the weakening peso, traders said. "I think they (BSP) are selling dollars at the 45.65 level but i'm not sure if it's a big amount," said a Manila-based trader.

SINGAPORE - World oil prices rose in Asian trade Wednesday on fresh supply concerns after key producer Venezuela indicated it could ask OPEC to cut output, dealers said.

SINGAPORE - The worst of the global financial crisis is yet to come and a large U.S. bank will fail in the next few months as the world's biggest economy hits further troubles, former IMF chief economist Kenneth Rogoff said on Tuesday.

Typhoon Karen (international codename Nuri) continued to batter parts of Northern Luzon Wednesday as it moved west northwest towards Hong Kong.

Actor Albert Martinez's matinee idol days may be behind him but that hasn't stopped him from posing sexy for a magazine cover. The actor said part of his preparations for the photoshoot includes dieting and drinking alkaline water.

We operate in a different environment from lawyers who present evidence and witnesses in the court of law. In the absence of a paper trail, we rely on trusted and reliable sources

BEIJING - Hugh MacDonald, Canadian's reserve archer for the Olympics, was not a happy blogger. Stuck in Canada nursing his frustrated Olympian ambitions, MacDonald was suddenly ordered to pack his bags to fly to Beijing, after one archer who had beaten him onto the team, John David Burne, fell ill. Before MacDonald could board a plane, Burns recovered enough to compete, but he shot poorly. Perhaps unwisely, Burns later conceded that he was maybe not yet ready for the Olympics.

From 1975 to 2002, losses in the Mindanao war ranged from p5 to p10 billion annually, which equates to the astronomical total of p135 to p270 billion for 27 years

BANGKOK - Thailand declared British former glam rocker Gary Glitter "persona non grata" Wednesday and threatened to deport him back to Vietnam, where he has just finished prison time for child sex offenses.

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia - An hour's drive north of Jeddah on the Red Sea coast, 8,000 workers toil under the relentless summer sun building what Saudi Arabia hopes will be the key to its social and economic future.

A Moro rebel commander behind deadly raids in Lanao del Norte province on Wednesday declared an "all-out war" against the government, saying his fighters were willing to die in battle. Abdurahman Macapaar of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), also known as Commander Bravo, taunted the military and said his Mujahedin were willing to engage them in firefights anytime.

BEIJING - U.S. favorites Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser put a swift end to Georgia's Olympic beach volleyball dream on Wednesday, beating the surprise semi-finalists 21-11 21-13 for their place in the final.

Government data on remittances shows that the US-generated financial crisis is testing overseas Filipino workers' ability to send cash home, an economist said. "If OFWs persist in sending more money, it will not be physically sustainable for them," economist Alvin Ang told the OFW Journalism Consortium before monetary authorities reported that OFWs sent home a record $1.5 billion in June this year.

Filipino businessmen believe the memorandum of agreement (MOA) on ancestral domain is not the answer to peace and progress in Mindanao, and indirectly the entire country, and hope the Supreme Court will trash it.

The Philippines plans to issue 10-year bonds worth at least 20 billion pesos ($440 million) around September to partly fund the 40-billion-peso recapitalization of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, National Treasurer Roberto Tan said on Tuesday.

DAVAO CITY-The Mindanao Business Council (MinBC) said the impact on business of the recent sporadic armed skirmishes in the Lanao and Sarangani provinces could not be immediately quantified but believes that it could be minimal, "especially if government could continue showing that it could respond appropriately and within the limits of law and order."

Classes on all levels were suspended in Metro Manila Wednesday due to heavy rains brought on by typhoon Karen, disaster officials said.

Police on Wednesday filed a total of 60 criminal cases including arson, murder and robbery charges against a Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) subcommander who led the takeover of several villages in North Cotabato.

2006 Bridport International Creative Writing Prize winner Joel Toledo is the first Asian and first Filipino to win a prize in that presitgious competition in the United Kingdom since it was founded in 1973. He talks about his book "Chiaroscuro"