PRESS DIGEST - Singapore newspapers - May 6

SINGAPORE, May 6 (Reuters) - The following are stories from Singapore newspapers on Tuesday. Reuters has not verified these stories.

THE STRAITS TIMES

- People in Singapore, which has one of the world's lowest birth rates, are now more keen on having children, according to a survey by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. Just 2 percent of 3,006 married people polled last year said they did not want kids compared with 7 percent in 2004. Singapore fertility rate was 1.26 children per woman in 2006.

- Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said the search for escaped Jemaah Islamiah detainee Mas Selamat Kastari was one of the key tasks for police this year. Mas Selamat allegedly planned several unsuccessful terrorist attacks in Singapore.

THE BUSINESS TIMES

- Merrill Lynch Chief Executive Officer John Thain said the sub-prime mortgage-related problems that have roiled the credit markets for several months are mostly over, but the U.S. financial institutions with large consumer-related exposures will be "the next problem area" as the U.S. economy weakens.

- Pay for various jobs across industries in Singapore has stabilised and salary ranges have broadened, according to a survey by executive search firm Kelly Services.