Singapore - Singapore's manufacturing sector is expecting a weak first half of this year due to the rapid decline in global economic conditions, the city state's Economic Development Board (EDB) said Friday.

The weak business sentiment is broad-based, affecting all clusters in the manufacturing sector.

The power ministry revealed that the utilization of biomass resources could soon be increased for the generation of electricity.

According to ministry, in India, the electricity generated from renewable sources presently stands at about 13,200 MW out of the total electricity production of 147,400 MW.

Of this, the usage of biomass resources for generating electricity is just 650 MW as opposed to a potential of 16,000 MW.

Singapore  - Singapore's Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) has seized 44.2 kilograms of heroin last year, up from 17.2 kilograms seized in 2007, the Straits Times reported Friday.

A shipment of 11 kilograms of the higher-grade Heroin number 4, bound for the European market, was seized in June, said the daily, adding that the specific drug was not common in Singapore and it was the biggest seizure of its kind in the last 10 years.

The CNB also busted 25 drug trafficking syndicates in 41 operations in 2008. It said most of the heroin came from poppy yields in Thailand and Myanmar.

Singapore  - Singapore bank DBS Group Holdings said Thursday its Chief Executive Officer Richard Stanley has been diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia and will be commencing medical treatment immediately.

Stanley, 48, was admitted to a Singapore hospital on Tuesday, after he felt ill last Friday, said DBS in a statement.

Prior to joining DBS in May 2008, Stanley was certified with a clean bill of health, said the statement.

Singapore  - Singapore Airlines announced Wednesday it will red

Singapore - Singapore shares rose 4.8 per cent Wednesday as buyers returned from Chi