WASHINGTON - PRESIDENT-ELECT Barack Obama said on Saturday an analysis of his stimulus proposals shows that between 3 million and 4 million US jobs could be saved or created by 2010, nearly 90 percent of them in the private sector.

The analysis of Mr Obama's estimated US$800 billion (S$1.19 trillion) plan to lift the country out of a year-long recession was submitted by the chair of his council of economic advisers, Christina Romer, and by Vice President-elect Joe Biden's chief economic adviser, Jared Bernstein.

FOR the first time since annual goals were publicly set during the Sars crisis in 2003, the Singapore tourism industry has failed to meet targets.

Adding to the bitter news is a warning by the new tourism chief of another difficult year ahead for the industry.

Some 10.1 million foreigners visited the Republic in the last 12 months, spending a record $14.8 billion here.

MOSCOW/KIEV - RUSSIA and the European Union took a step towards securing the resumption of gas flows to Europe on Saturday when the two signed a deal on monitoring the supplies through Ukraine.

Ukraine has yet to sign the deal, which would allow EU, Ukrainian and Russian observers to monitor the supplies flowing through Ukraine and assuage Russian fears that Ukraine is siphoning off gas for its own use. Kiev denies the charge.

MUMBAI - THE disgraced former chairman of top Indian outsourcing firm Satyam was sent to prison on Saturday, days after admitting to a US$ 1 billion (S$1.49 billion) fraud which has shaken the country's business community.

B. Ramalinga Raju was arrested overnight after he surrendered to the police and was jailed on remand until January 23 by a judge in the southern city of Hyderabad, where Satyam is headquartered, court officials said.