SOME 271,000 workers will receive a total of $294 million in March as part of the the next Workfare Income Supplement ('Workfare') payment for work done last year.

They will aslo get a further $49 million in the first of three one-off Workfare Special Payments in cash from the Resilience Package, the Ministry of Manpower announced on Saturday.

THE Prime Minister does not rule out the possibility of Singapore's economy shrinking by as much as 8 per cent this year.

That would be a sharper contraction than the current official forecast of a decline of between 2 per cent and 5 per cent. Countries across Asia have experienced sharp reductions in trade, with Singapore's trade having fallen by a third last month. Manufacturing accounts for a quarter of Singapore's economic output and almost all that is made here is exported.

THE moulding of champions is about to get an overhaul, as Singapore strives for further success in the sporting arena.

A comprehensive new programme to identify top talents while they are still in school, train them and provide long-term funding will be announced soon, The Straits Times understands.