PRESS DIGEST - Singapore newspapers - Jan 21
SINGAPORE, Jan 21 (Reuters) - The following are stories from Singapore newspapers on Wednesday. Reuters has not verified these stories.
THE STRAITS TIMES - Singapore will raise spending on healthcare by a "few hundred million dollars", Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said. The additional budget will cover increased subsidies amid a recession and a speeding up of building projects. The Health Ministry was allocated S$2.6 billion ($1.73 billion) in the 2008/2009 budget.
- The income gap narrowed for the first time in 10 years last year as Singaporeans living in the smallest 1- and 2-room government-built HDB apartments saw their inflation-adjusted incomes rise 8.5 percent compared with a 1.9 percent gain for people living in private property.
- Three more workers living in a dormitory for foreigners in have contracted chicken pox, raising concerns about the poor living conditions of foreign workers in Singapore.
BUSINESS TIMES
- CapitaCommercial Trust (CACT.SI), Singapore's office landlord, said it has no plans to raise new equity after it reported a rise in fourth quarter distribution per unit. CCT also wrote down the value of its portfolio by about 3 percent to S$6.9 billion from June's S$6.9 billion.
- The fundamentals for the oil and gas industry remains intact and there is a need for new drilling and production activities to support long-term demand for energy, the head of Keppel Corp's (KPLM.SI) offshore and marine arm Tong Chong Heong said.
