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Singapore key exports rise

SINGAPORE: Singapore's key non-oil domestic exports rose 7.6 percent in January from a year earlier to 7.65 billion Singapore dollars (4.5 billion US) on sustained regional economic growth and buoyant electronics demand, the government said on Monday. Exports to key markets like the United States, Malaysia, Japan and Hong Kong all registered positive growth, the Trade Development Board (TDB) said in a statement.ÑAFP

Samsung unveils expansion plan

SEOUL: South Korea's leading Samsung Group on Monday unveiled a 29 billion dollar New Millennium programme to transform the sprawling conglomerate into a digital-based business. The expansion plan was envisaged by group boss Lee Kun-Hee at a business conference at the weekend in the United States, Samsung said in a statement. Lee has been undergoing treatment for lung cancer in the US since early December.ÑAFP

World Bank boss in East Timor

DILI: Following a three-day visit of Indonesia, World Bank President James Wolfensohn has arrived in East Timor on Monday to sign the first World Bank grant agreement with the devastated nation. Wolfensohn was met at Dili airport by the head of the United Nations in East Timor, Sergio Vieira de Mello; the man most likely to be the first president of East Timor, Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao; Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta and representatives of donor countries.ÑAP

Vietnam to ease investment procedures

HANOI: Vietnam plans to simplify foreign investment procedures to bolster flagging foreign interest, an official said on Monday. "The ministry of finance addressed problems regarding financial mechanisms and policies and has designed solutions to streamline and simplify foreign investment procedures to promote a more transparent business atmosphere," the official from the Ministry of Finance foreign investment department told AFP.ÑAFP