Singapore  - Saudi Arabia and Singapore have reached an agreement to allow any number of flights between Singapore and the eastern Gulf city of Damman, the Transport Ministry said Friday.

The increase was reached after two days of consultations between the ministry and Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation.

Under the agreement, carriers may also operate up to 14 flights per week between Singapore and other points in Saudi Arabia, including Jeddah and Riyadh.

Singapore  - Appeals from parents-to-be have prompted the Singapore government to bring forward the starting date for an onslaught of new perks aimed at convincing couples to have more babies, authorities said Friday.

Instead of January 1, 2008, the benefits have been backdated to Sunday, when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced a bonanza of tax benefits, leaves, a bigger "baby bonus" and other goodies to encourage more births.

The speedy adjustment is in response to appeals by expectant mothers and fathers whose babies are due before January 1.

Singapore - In a desperate attempt to convince couples to have more babies, Singapore's government is offering a bonanza of tax benefits, leaves and other perks starting January.

The 1.6-billion-Singapore-dollar (1.1-billion-US-dollar) package outlined in the media on Thursday will benefit all parents.

Encouraging more births has been a national priority since Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong focused on the escalating problem of low birth rates in 2004. The current fertility rate of 1.29 is far from the replacement level of 2.1.

Singapore - Nearly two-thirds of Singaporeans are thinking of retiring abroad, attracted by a slower pace of life and lower cost of living, a published survey said on Thursday.

The Tsao Foundation, a non-profit group dedicated to helping the elderly, queried 300 people aged 21 to 55.

The yearning to retire abroad was highest among those aged 21 to 34. In the 45 to 55 age group, one in two had considered spending their retirement overseas, said the findings in The Straits Times.

Singapore - A television presenter has apologized for uttering an expletive during an episode of an Olympics news programme, MediaCorp said on Wednesday.

Jade Seah, who thought her microphone was switched off as she was off-camera, said the expletive after stumbling over the pronunciation of an athlete's name.

"I sincerely hope viewers will give me a chance to improve," said Seah.

The 25-year-old Seah continues to co-host the programme Today In Beijing.

Singapore - Members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) are only "tiny blips" on investors' radar screens compared to China and India, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Wednesday.

Opening the 29th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) session, Lee said the 10-member group has to struggle to get its share of investments, jobs and growth.

Through hosting the Beijing Olympic, China had shown the world the talents, energy and organizational prowess of its people, Lee said. "India's economy too has considerable dynamism, and is moving up in terms of skills and technology," he added.