PRESS DIGEST - Singapore newspapers - March 25

SINGAPORE, March 25 (Reuters) - The following are stories from Singapore newspapers on Tuesday. Reuters has not verified these stories.

THE STRAITS TIMES - A bus driver who gave false leads to the police about spotting fugitive Islamic militant Mas Selamat Kastari was jailed a total of 21 months. Police are still searching for Mas Selamat, who escaped from a Singapore detention centre on Feb 27.

- The Singapore Exchange (SGXL.SI: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is making its guidelines on reverse takeovers stricter, including requiring a company boards to assess if any profit guarantee given is realistic, and ensure safeguards are in place if the guarantee is not met.

- Prices of coffee has gone up by more than a third at Singapore's neighbourhood coffee shops and upmarket cafes, as local suppliers pass on the costs of pricier beans.

THE BUSINESS TIMES

- Police said early investigations suggested that a gas leak at a Singapore mall on Monday, which sent 18 people to hospital, started as an assault by two men who sprayed an unknown substance on a third man and then fled. Police are looking for the two men - both believed to be Chinese - who attacked the victim, who is also Chinese.

- Rents for private housing, offices, and retail space are seen to grow at a slower pace this year than last year, said a report by consultancy Knight Frank, which forecasts private home rents to rise up to 15 percent this year compared to 40 percent in 2007 as tenants and companies resist further rental hikes.