Philippines bars expansion of US firm after fire

The Philippines has barred a branch of an American call centre firm from expanding in the country following a preChristmas fire that killed dozens of its employees, a senior government official said on Wednesday. Charito Plaza, director-general of the government’s Philippine Economic Zone Authority said the agency had suspended the operations of American firm Research Now SSI, as well as the shopping mall hosting it, for failing to meet certain safety requirements since 2013.