FOR the first time in more than a decade, the rate at which residents here are catching tuberculosis is on the rise.

Last year, 39.8 in every 100,000 Singaporeans and permanent residents here came down with tuberculosis last year, up from 35.1 in 2007.

The actual number of patients also grew by 15 per cent to 1,451 last year, up from 1,256 in the previous year.

A NEW recreation centre where foreign workers can unwind after a difficult day at work was opened on Sunday.

The $5-million centre, built by the Singapore Contractors Association Limited (Scal), was officially opened on Sunday .

The facility in Jurong West boosts facilities like a football field, an amphitheatre for ethnic movies, multi-purpose sports courts, postal & remittance facilities, a beer garden, a medical station, a canteen, a supermarket with ethnic foods and lots of open spaces.

A LOUIS Vuitton bag, diamond-inlaid guitar, Gucci shades and a dog. Total cost? Less than S$1,000. The catch is, you're only renting.

As consumers scrimp to survive the worst global economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s, Singaporeans are increasingly turning to Internet-based rental outlets to at least maintain their sense of style, business operators say.