THE Singapore Budget to be announced on Thursday will not be an ordinary one, either in its contents or overall fiscal position, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, giving a quick glimpse of its focus.

Its target will be to keep companies afloat, save jobs and help low-income Singaporeans, he said on Wednesday at the 10th anniversary dinner of the Singapore-MIT Alliance, comprising the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University.

LONDON - AMERICAN insurance giant AIG said on Wednesday it would not renew its shirt sponsorship deal with European and world club soccer champions Manchester United.

The American company also said in a statement e-mailed to Reuters that it was 'in active discussions' with the club regarding the current four-year US$100 million (S$150 million) deal, which runs until next May.

YOUTH will be specially courted when Reach starts gathering the views of Singaporeans on the Budget to be announced by Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Thursday.

To attract them, the Government's official feedback arm has, for the first time, set up an interactive page on its website.

SINGAPORE, which is facing its 'sharpest, deepest and most protracted recession' from the fast-deteriorating global economy, further revised its GDP growth forecast on Wednesday to between -5 per cent and -2 per cent this year.

This is lower than the -2 per cent to 1 per cent growth range it had forecast on Jan 2. The economy grew 1.2 per cent last year, less than earlier estimated.