Singapore  - The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said Friday it was extending and expanding its Air Hub Development Fund (AHDF) to help airlines and airport service providers affected by the global economic downturn.

The AHDF, scheduled to expire December 31, 2008, would be extended by a year with an expanded budget of 130 million Singapore dollars (87.37 million US dollars) compared to the current 100 million dollars.

The CAAS said it would be introducing enhanced benefits, such as increasing the landing fee rebate by 10 per cent to 25 per cent under the extended fund for the benefit of the airlines using Singapore's Changi and Selatar airports.

Singapore  - Singapore could well be the first economy in Southeast Asia to rebound from the current economic crisis by about third quarter of next year, economist Thierry Apoteker said in a news report Friday.

Apoteker, a French economist and head of a consulting agency, told television station Channel News Asia (CNA) he expected the US and Eurozone to see signs of recovery in the second quarter of 2009, with Asia following suit in the third quarter.

However, he remained cautious about the China factor in Asian economic recovery.

Singapore - Former Indonesian foreign minister Ali Alatas, who died Thursday morning at a Singapore hospital, was a well-respected statesman and a champion of regional cooperation, Singapore's Foreign Ministry said.

"He was a firm believer in regional cooperation and a tireless promoter of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). He played a crucial role in drafting the ASEAN Charter," the ministry said in a statement.

Singapore - Singapore shares continued their upward trend Wednesday, rising by 3.8 per cent.

Singapore - Private sector economists drastically cut their forecasts for Singapore's 2008 economic growth to 2.2 per cent, from 4.2 per cent in a September survey, Channel News Asia reported Wednesday.

The new projection is also below the government's forecast of about 3 per cent for this year.

Economists consulted in the survey by the Monetary Authority of Singapore also adjusted the fourth-quarter gross domestic product to 0.4 per cent growth, down from earlier forecasts of 4.8 per cent.

Singapore - The link between income and trade is stronger between Asia and the West than between North America and Europe, according to a study by the Economist Intelligence Unit which was released in Singapore Wednesday.

A 1 per cent increase in combined income between an Asian country and a Western country would deliver a 1.36 per cent increase in trade, said the study, which the research company did for international couriers DHL.