Singapore - Anxious Singaporeans queued up in the wake of the near-collapse of US insurance giant American International Group (AIG) for a second day Wednesday to surrender policies issued by its local subsidiary.

American International Assurance (AIA) policyholders lined up despite news the US Federal Reserve Bank moved to bail out parent firm AIG with an 85-billion-dollar bridge loan.

A bankruptcy filing by AIG, a huge world player in insuring risk for institutions, would have had an even greater impact on the US and global finance system than Monday's 
600-billion-dollar bankruptcy by Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc, industry experts warned.

Singapore - Singapore stock

Singapore- Economic uncertainties pushed Singapore's overall unemployment rate up for a second consecutive quarter to a seasonally adjusted 2.3 per cent for the period between April and June, the Ministry of Manpower said on Monday.

Preliminary estimates showed the rate rose from a seasonally adjusted 1.7 per cent in the last quarter of 2007 to 2 per cent in the first quarter of 2008.

A seasonally adjusted 60,900 residents were unemployed in June, up from 54,300 in March, according to the figures.

The economy created 71,400 new jobs in the second quarter, slightly less than the 73,200 in the first, setting a record for the number of jobs added in a six-month period, the ministry said.

Singapore - Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew was discharged from a hospital after treatment for an abnormal heart rhythm, his office said Monday.

Lee, who turns 85 on Tuesday, was treated Saturday at Singapore General Hospital for atrial flutter and released Sunday.

Doctors pronounced the minister mentor's condition as stable, his office said. He was advised to resume his official schedule gradually.

From his hospital room, Lee delivered a speech Saturday night via video link to the Global UBS Philanthropy Forum.

Singapore - Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew was discharged from a hospital after treatment for an abnormal heart rhythm, his office said Monday.

Lee, who turns 85 on Tuesday, was treated Saturday at Singapore General Hospital for atrial flutter and released Sunday.

Doctors pronounced the minister mentor's condition as stable, his office said. He was advised to resume his official schedule gradually.

From his hospital room, Lee delivered a speech Saturday night via video link to the Global UBS Philanthropy Forum.

Singapore - Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew delivered a speech from his hospital room where he called for more compassion from Asia's wealthy toward the poor, local media reported Sunday.

Lee, who turns 85 on Tuesday, addressed 200 participants attending the Global UBS Philanthropy Forum via video link from Singapore General Hospital.

He apologized to the audience of social entrepreneurs and civil society representatives for not being with them.