Singapore - A bankrupt opposition politician has been prevented from leaving Singapore to attend a prestigious Stanford University programme in the United States because the trip would not benefit her creditors, Chee Siok Chin said Saturday.

"I've travelled to the Ukraine, Brussels, Mali and the Philippines since being declared a bankrupt last August," said the 42-year-old Chee.

A Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) executive committee member and sister of SDP chief Chee Soon Juan, she said that the Official Assignee's Office informed her in a letter that the trip was of no benefit to her creditors. The office must grant permission before a bankrupt person can leave the city-state.

Singapore - More than half of Singapore's workers regret what they chose to study during their stints at schools, polytechnics or universities, a published survey said Saturday.

One in three respondents also turned out to be uncertain about their ultimate career choices, global recruitment company Kelly Services said.

The findings published in The Straits Times were distilled from answers given by more than 2,000 people in an online survey, The Straits Times said.

Most participants were in business, engineering, financial services and information technology.

Singapore - Singapore's leaders exchanged congratulatory messages with their Vietnamese counterparts to commemorate 35 years of diplomatic relations on Friday.

City-state President SR Nathan noted that Singapore is one of Vietnam's largest investors and top trading partners.

"Our cooperation in the fields of education, defence, law and culture have also expanded," he said.

Relations have continued to strengthen since the establishment of diplomatic ties, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said. Both countries belong to the 
10-member Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

"Within ASEAN, we have worked together to advance our integration efforts," Lee said.

Singapore - An influx of foreigners has pushed Singapore's population to 4.59 million, with people from outside the city-state crossing the 1 million mark for the first time, published statistics showed Friday.

The population grew by almost 200,000 last year from 2006, with people from other countries accounting for the bulk of the increase.

Professionals, workers, students and their family members rose 14.9 per cent over 2006 to hit 1,005,500 in June 2007, according to the breakdown in The Straits Times.

Singapore - Singapore Airlines (SIA) is increasing its A380 services on the Singapore-London route to "double daily" starting September 20, the carrier said on Wednesday.

The second flight of the superjumbo will depart Singapore as SQ318, and return from London as SQ321.

A third daily flight will continue to be operated by a Boeing 747-400 "for the time being," SIA's statement said.

The twice-a-day A380 service is currently flying four times weekly. Following the delivery of a sixth A380 to SIA from manufacturer Airbus in September, the second daily flight will also be added on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, every day of the week.

Singapore - A German firm has opened a plant on Singapore's Jurong Island to provide oil additives to the Asia-Pacific region, company officials said Wednesday.

The plant, operated by Evonik RohMax Asia-Pacific, is the local subsidiary of Evonik RohMax Additives GmbH.

"We can expand capacity quickly when the need arises and market demand grows," general manager Bonnie Tully said.

The plant, which opened Tuesday, includes a production unit, laboratory and logistics unit.