P506 Teletext 506 May25 03:54:18 ————————————————————————————— BARCLAYS REFOCUSES IN ASIA Barclays is closing commercial banking operations in the Philippines. The group's BZW Asia Ltd will instead focus on financial services, starting with stockbroking, the bank said. "The opportunity for international banks to compete successfully with local banks for run-of-the-mill banking is becoming increasingly difficult," the bank's Allan Anderson said. ——————————————————————————————————————— Financial headlines 500 City index 501 Download and Analysj Share Prices on Your PC See Pages 532 & 533 Next CompNews Shares Family Finance