PRESS DIGEST - Singapore newspapers - May 21

SINGAPORE May 21 (Reuters) - The following are stories from Singapore newspapers on Wednesday. Reuters has not verified these stories.

THE STRAITS TIMES

- Singapore's 55-member aid team in Sichuan is expected to head home on Friday after wrapping up their rescue work, in the aftermath of a massive earthquake that ripped through the Chinese province on May 12.

- Plantations and farms in Indonesia are clearing land using the slash-and-burn method, causing hundreds of hot spots in Kalimantan and the Riau islands over the weekend. The weatherman expects a change in wind direction to bring the resulting haze Singapore's way in coming days. - DBS Bank's (DBSM.SI) Islamic banking unit, the Islamic Bank of Asia, has clinched over 20 deals worth more than $500 million in its first year of business. The bank, a joint venture between DBS and 34 investors in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, was set up in May last year.

THE BUSINESS TIMES

- DBS Bank head of fixed income Clifford Lee says he is talking to other banks that also want to tap the Singapore dollar (SGD) bond market, after DBS announced it sold a record $1.1 billion in preference shares to fund its expansion last Thursday.

"An assortment of banks have been calling us to bring them to the SGD market... Our issue was in Singapore dollars and, due to its take-up and size, can now serve as a benchmark issue for other similar issues to price off," Lee said.