kueytoc

from last SAT shipment ?

No more regrets mate cos' there are 2 more swee-swee colonies left at GO for U to ta-pao.

Try lah...have VALIDA will travel.

Many apply but few get IR job Resorts World to increase job openings in mid—2009 Channel NewsAsia - Saturday, March 21 SINGAPORE: Good news for jobseekers who are looking for jobs at the integrated resorts. Resorts World at Sentosa will ramp up its hiring from June. William Fong, 46, was among the 20,000 people who applied for a job at Resorts Worlds recently. The former assistant engineer was retrenched early this year. Now, the father of three has reasons to smile again. He said: "After my first interview at Resorts World, they offered me a job as a slot technician. I feel glad that this company is really concerned about workers who are older and with lower qualifications." Resorts World has received overwhelming response to its recruitment efforts — it receives up to 200 online applications everyday. Resorts World currently has more than 800 job openings. So far, only 10 of those positions have been filled, but Resorts World is looking forward to hiring more employees soon. So those who did not get the positions they had applied for should not fret. Assistant vice—president of communications at Resorts World at Sentosa, Robin Goh, said: "What may happen is that we may look through their resumes, and if we find them a fit in other attractions we have, Universal Theme Park for example, we may refer them to the Universal team to do the selection." Resorts World says it is committed to hiring Singaporeans for the 10,000 positions available. — CNA/yt

PENGZ-SUN LIAO !!!...Cracking under pressure ? United crash at Fulham in 2-0 defeat 21 March 2009 11:38 By Martyn Herman LONDON - Champions Manchester United imploded at Fulham on Saturday when Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney were sent off in a 2-0 Premier League defeat. The result blew the title race wide open as United suffered their first loss at Craven Cottage for 45 years. Scholes was dismissed for handball on the line in the 18th minute giving Danny Murphy the chance to put Fulham in front from the penalty spot and Rooney was red-carded for throwing the ball towards the referee after Zoltan Gera had made it 2-0. After last week's 4-1 drubbing at home to Liverpool, United have now suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League for the first time since 2005. The setback was softened later on Saturday as second-placed Chelsea wasted a chance to narrow the gap to one-point by losing 1-0 at Tottenham Hotspur in a match delayed by a security scare. Luka Modric's goal ended Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink's 100 percent record in the league since taking over in February. The results made it a great day for Liverpool who host Aston Villa on Sunday knowing victory will see them breathing down the necks of a United side who seemed out of sight two weeks ago. United lead the table with 65 points from 29 games while Chelsea have 61, having played a match more. Liverpool also have 61 points from 29 games played. RELEGATION WORRIES Portsmouth eased their relegation worries with a 2-1 home win over Everton in the early kickoff thanks to two Peter Crouch headers and Stoke City moved out of the bottom three with the 1-0 defeat of visiting fellow strugglers Middlesbrough. Bottom club West Bromwich Albion look to be sliding towards the trapdoor after a 1-1 home draw with Bolton Wanderers. Blackburn Rovers also drew 1-1 with visitors West Ham United. United had not lost at Fulham since 1964 and recently won 4-0 at Craven Cottage in the FA Cup having registered a 3-0 win over the west London side at Old Trafford in the league. However, the match swung Fulham's way when Bobby Zamora headed goalwards after Edwin Van der Sar had saved an effort by Brede Hangeland and Scholes used his hands to stop the ball going over the line. Scholes was sent off before Murphy, a former Liverpool midfielder, placed his penalty beyond Van der Sar. "That was a double blow, you miss a great player like Scholes and of course they got the penalty," United's Ryan Giggs told Sky Sports. "It knocked us off track a little bit. "The lads were determined to get back on track but in the first half Edwin Van der Sar kept us in it. We were the better team by far in the second half." United manager Alex Ferguson replaced the sluggish Dimitar Berbatov at halftime with Wayne Rooney to revive the visitors. The champions duly pinned Fulham back but Mark Schwarzer made fine stops from Darren Fletcher, Park Ji-sung and Rooney before Gera finished off a flowing move to clinch a victory that should make them safe from relegation. A frustrated Rooney then compounded United's day of misery when he appeared to throw the ball angrily towards referee Phil Dowd to become the third United player dismissed in two games. Chelsea blew their chance to exert real pressure on United with a subdued display at rejuvenated Tottenham. Modric converted an Aaron Lennon cross after 50 minutes to settle the London derby. A later Chelsea flurry saw skipper John Terry denied by a great save from Heurelho Gomes.

Liverpool, Chelsea to clash in Europe again !!! Foes reunited in Champions League 20 March 2009 13:59 There was a distinct air of deja-vu about Friday's draw for the quarter-finals of the Champions League, not least after English powerhouses Liverpool and Chelsea were paired together for the fifth successive season in the competition. A keen rivalry has developed between the sides since a controversial goal by Liverpool's Luis Garcia settled their 2005 semi-final tie and paved the way for the Reds' stunning comeback in that year's final against AC Milan. The teams met again in last year's semi-final, when a John Arne Riise own goal in the last minute of the first leg at Anfield shifted the momentum of the tie in favour of Chelsea, who advanced with a 4-3 aggregate victory. "We need to make sure we don't make a mistake in the first leg like we did in last year's semi-final," said Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez. "They will be two tough games but we are playing well and we are confident we can win." Liverpool are on a high, with Benitez's new contract agreement coming hot on the heels of the 4-0 demolition of Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final second leg and a stunning 4-1 victory at the home of arch-rivals Manchester United. The manner in which Benitez's men set about Real made headlines right across Europe, but interim Chelsea coach Guus Hiddink said he was "OK" with the draw. "If you have great desire to get to the end in May, you have to play them - Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona," said the Dutchman, who guided PSV Eindhoven to the European Cup in 1988. "Both teams like to play football and have players in their teams to play in an attacking way. That's a guarantee for big clashes." The winners of the Liverpool-Chelsea tie will play either Barcelona or Bayern Munich in the semi-finals, with Manchester United and Arsenal on course to meet if they can overcome Porto and Villarreal respectively. "This is a good draw. We've met Porto before and obviously we respect any Portuguese team," United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said. "We have had a huge Portuguese influence in the club, firstly with (former assistant manager) Carlos Queiroz but now with Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani so we understand Portuguese football." Porto eliminated United en route to their shock 2004 Champions League triumph, while Arsenal are reunited with the side that they beat in the semi-finals of the 2005-06 tournament. The tie will hold special meaning for Villarreal midfielder Robert Pires, who won two league titles and two FA Cups in six years at Arsenal before leaving for Spain in 2006. "Of course it will be a special match," Pires said. "Returning there makes me very happy but today, as a Villarreal player, I want to win to continue in the competition with my team." Pires's former Arsenal team-mate Thierry Henry declared himself relieved that his Barcelona team had avoided being drawn against the Gunners, but warned that German champions Bayern - who notched a record 12-1 aggregate win over Sporting Lisbon in the last 16 - would be no push-overs. "It is going to be a very difficult match," Henry said. "They scored a lot of goals in the previous round, so it is not going to be easy."

MM Lee: 2-3 years to get out of crisis The 'optimistic scenario' Channel NewsAsia - Saturday, March 21 SINGAPORE: In 25 years’ time, Singapore will be a country that reflects the state of the major powers and its Asian neighbours. While the look and colour of its society might change, its major resource — talent — will remain a predominant issue, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew on Friday. He was speaking to an audience of about 500 students, alumni and invited guests at a National University of Singapore Society (NUSS) lecture on the topic of "Singapore and Singaporeans — Quarter Century From Now". The evening started with Mr Lee officially opening the Alumni Complex at the university — the largest graduate club in the country. During the dialogue, he said Singapore’s future might have a different ethnic and demographic composition as many immigrants become new citizens and permanent residents. But the main ethnic groups would still be the Chinese, Malays and Indians. The population would also be more educated. Mr Lee said: "We are caught in a bind — we’ve got to decide this is our country, our society and we must remain the majority. Yes, we will take immigrants; yes, we will take talented people, but we must be the majority. "Otherwise, they will change us if they are the majority. So I think 25 years from now, Singapore will be more cosmopolitan because we’ve got many people from China, India, Malaysia and from the region. We have European children doing National Service." The minister mentor also painted "optimistic and pessimistic scenarios" of where the world and ASEAN would be. But he said the more likely outcome would be "somewhere in between". On top of that, Mr Lee spoke about where Singapore’s economy could go from here. "I cannot tell you what’s going to happen. I can say the optimistic scenario is in two or three years, we’re out of this (crisis). At the worst, four, five or six years. As the IMF said, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan are going to be hit. Why? Because we are export dependent. "I’ve got economists saying you’ve got to change your system. Wall Street Journal has said, ’Oh, this won’t work, consume yourself’. Four million people to consume and keep an industry that supplies the world with top—end goods — it’s rubbish," he said. On the political front, when asked what would happen to the country if there was a major shift of power, Mr Lee said he was not concerned as to which political party was in charge. He said: "If you get capable people forming the next government, people who know what they have to do to make Singapore work, then I’m not worried. I’m not worried whether it’s PAP or SDP or whatever government. "But I am worried about the quality of people who get into power. Integrity (is) crucial, (and) ability, experience and a willingness to do what is necessary for the people, and not for yourself." CNA/so/ls

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I shall wait for the elusive catch.

Can someone confirm whether there is Blue Assessor at SL ???

Singapore recession to deepen before Q4 rebound: survey Channel NewsAsia - Monday, March 16 SINGAPORE — Singapore is expected to slide deeper into recession this year before staging a weak recovery in the final quarter and registering mild growth in 2010, a central bank survey showed Monday. Gross domestic product (GDP) is likely to fall 8.5 percent in the quarter to March from a year ago, more than double the 4.2 percent shrinkage in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to the survey of professional economists. Singapore slipped into recession in the third quarter of last year ahead of its Asian neighbours. The GDP decline would likely continue in the second and third quarters this year at 6.9 percent and 4.6 percent, respectively, before output grows at 0.5 percent in the final three months, the survey showed. For 2009, the economy was expected to shrink by 4.9 percent —— just within the government’s forecast contraction range of 2.0 and 5.0 percent —— which would make it the worst recession since independence in 1965. A recovery is expected in 2010, with the economists forecasting an average of 3.3 percent growth, the poll showed. Singapore’s trade—driven economy grew just 1.1 percent last year from 7.8 percent in 2007 after a worldwide economic downturn weakened demand for its exports and fewer travellers visited the country. Manufacturing is likely to bear the brunt of the downturn, with the sector forecast to fall by 19.6 percent in the first quarter this year, followed by the financial services sector, which is expected to drop 11 percent. Exports are projected to plunge 27.4 percent during the quarter, according to the survey of 20 professional economists and analysts. Singapore’s exports declined by 35 percent, the largest amount on record, in January from a year earlier. February figures will be released on Tuesday, with DBS Bank saying it expects exports to have fallen 23.6 percent year—on—year. "The general expectation is that it will be another dreadful month," it said in a market commentary. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew warned this month that GDP may contract by as much as 10 percent this year if exports continue to fall sharply. — AFP/vm

Liverpool win title? No way! Humiliation of Red Devils only serves warning of future title clashes. -AFP Mon, Mar 16, 2009 AsiaOne MANCHESTER - IN CASE Liverpool fans are deliriously proclaiming their club as world-beating champions, here is a bucket of cold water for them: The Reds are not going to win the Barclays Premier League title this season. This verdict, after their astonishing 4-1 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford last Saturday, came from former England and Newcastle manager Bobby Robson, who writes for The Daily Mail. He wrote: "This 4-1 scoreline will be a blip in the history books. "I don't think it will alter the destination of where the league title is going. Man United simply have too much class and experience to allow one bad day at the office to run into several weeks of poor form. "I expect them to pick up straight away, probably starting with Fulham next weekend." Indeed, Man United still have an imposing lead despite the humiliating loss to one of their most hated rivals. They are four points ahead of the Merseyside club and have a game in hand. If the Red Devils win that extra game, they will be seven points ahead - meaning that they need to lose three of their remaining 10 matches for Liverpool to even have a chance of catching up. Man United's fixtures against Aston Villa, Manchester City and Arsenal are the ones which Liverpool will regard as most likely to result in United dropping points. Still, the fact that they are all at Old Trafford is in the champions' favour, as is the fact that the Reds still have to entertain both Villa and Arsenal. Nevertheless, Robson believes Liverpool have earned more than mere bragging rights for their fans after beating the Red Devils both home and away this season. He wrote: "I don't think Liverpool will win the league this season, but I can see him achieving it at some time at Anfield. "In the short term, it will not change the course of the title race. Over the next few years, though, it shows United cannot take the Liverpool challenge lightly." Reds boss Rafael Benitez has also refused to be carried away. He has, however, challenged his Liverpool squad to test Manchester United's nerve by winning all nine of their remaining BPL matches. Said the Spaniard: "It depends on United. They have to lose games and we have to win all ours. "I'm realistic. The important thing now is that we do our job and win our matches." A defiant Ferguson insisted that "the best team lost" last Saturday. He told The Independent: "We made mistakes under pressure. But at this club, it's a case of 'When you lose, respond', and that's what we'll do." Should his players do so, then Liverpool fans would have to be content with the consolation of bragging rights over their arch-rivals this season. --AFP

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Where did IT all go wrong ??? Man United 1 Ronaldo (23) Liverpool 4 Torres (28), Gerrard (44), Aurelio (77), Dossena (90) 14 March 2009 Old Trafford 75,569 Report by Ben Hibbs It had looked rosy when Cristiano Ronaldo converted a first-half penalty, but an uncharacteristically nervy display at the back allowed Liverpool back into this match; and the subsequent 4-1 defeat means the Reds’ lead at the top is chopped to four points, albeit with a game in hand. Ronaldo put United ahead but three defensive mistakes led to Liverpool goals, and Nemanja Vidic’s second-half sending off, which preceded the visitor’s third goal, put paid to taking any points. In truth, this wasn’t a great day at the office, it never quite clicked into place. But one thing is certain: this defeat must be used to propel the Reds’ forward in the title race. The team responds well to set-backs, and this is only minor stumble. United made three changes from the team that beat Internazionale in midweek. Whereas Sir Alex chose the experience of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs against Jose Mourinho’s men, the Reds boss favoured the energy and youthful vigour of Anderson and Ji-sung Park, while Carlos Tevez partnered Wayne Rooney in place of Dimitar Berbatov. It must have stuck in throats of Liverpool’s players and fans when United were welcomed onto the field as “the Champions of England, the Champions of Europe, and the Champions of the Worldâ€. Such is United’s dominance these days that the roles are reversed from when Liverpool dominated at home and abroad years ago. The shouts of “United, United†were deafening as the teams kicked off, and the sheer gravity of how potentially decisive this match could be added extra spice, though it was hardly needed. Liverpool, who knew that they had to win to keep alive their ailing title hopes, were forced into a change when Alvaro Arbeloa was injured during the warm-up and replaced by Sami Hyypia. United made the early running, while Liverpool started with a game-plan of containment, a 4-5-1 formation aimed at constricting United’s free-flowing football, but the Reds were urged on by the fans, the coaching staff and Rooney screaming at his team-mates to press forward. The start typified both team’s styles; United brooding with attacking intent, Liverpool patient and poker-faced. The visitors blinked first. Tevez slotted a pass through the channel to Park on 23 minutes, and the midfielder was wiped out by Pepe Reina – referee Alan Wiley had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Ronaldo stood poised ready to strike from twelve yards and his perfectly-placed kick was followed with a collective roar of approval and rousing “We shall not be moved†as Old Trafford bounced and rocked. The lead lasted only five minutes, however, after a rare error from Nemanja Vidic, who failed to deal with a high ball forward from Reina. Whether it was the intermittent spring sunshine or indecision, he let the ball bounce and Fernando Torres nipped the ball off his toes. The Serb stumbled and Torres was left to slip the ball past the onrushing Edwin van der Sar. It was a frustrating leveller, largely undeserved and just as the Reds had appeared to take control. United immediately looked to make amends when Reina just held onto a deflected Ronaldo free-kick, and shortly before half time Michael Carrick sent a wicked shot just over the bar. But seconds later Liverpool took the lead. Gerrard latched onto Torres’ pass and Patrice Evra brought him down. The Liverpool skipper calmly despatched his spot-kick, though Edwin guessed the right way. In the second half, no doubt with Sir Alex’s words still ringing in their ears, the United players pressed forward, roared on by the Old Trafford crowd. Reina was twice lucky to escape after spilling crosses, once allowing the ball to rebound off his post, another dropped on the goal line. But neither occasion gleaned an equaliser. Nor did Ronaldo’s flashed cross on 63 minutes, or the return ball from Rooney which Tevez couldn’t quite reach. But United were definitely in the ascendancy. Tevez had an even better chance on 70 minutes when Carrick’s lofted pass found him free in the area. He chested the ball down but could apply the finish. Shortly afterwards, United made a triple substitution with Berbatov, Scholes and Giggs coming on for Carrick, Anderson and Park. But United’s hopes of turning this match around were all but curtailed when Vidic was given a straight red card for hauling down Gerrard who was through on goal, and to make matters worse Aurelio curled the resulting free-kick into the top corner of van der Sar’s goal. It all but snuffed out even the slimmest hopes of a Reds recovery and Andrea Dossena's late lob compounded matters and made this a day to forget. Liverpool may claim the bragging rights and a double over United in the league this season, but Sir Alex and co's sights are set on bigger prizes.

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Layoff survival: Ways to keep your skills sharp By EILEEN AJ CONNELLY, AP Personal Finance Writer AP - Thursday, March 12 NEW YORK - Losing a job can mean losing more than just a paycheck. Without some planning, an extended layoff can cause job skills to fade and make someone less attractive to potential employers. And it's not just the unemployed 8.1 percent of the workforce that has to worry about a personal brain drain. Add in those working part time or who have given up looking for a job, and the Labor Department says 14.8 percent of the U.S. work force is "underutilized." Whether they can speak a foreign language or analyze financial spreadsheets as easily as sports statistics, those people need to find ways to keep their skills up. "Maintaining your skills and advancing your skills is critical to advancing if you're employed, and getting a new job if you're unemployed," said Dean Tracy, a recruiter and career coach in San Ramon, Calif. But how do you stay on top of your field when you've been downsized? Tracy and other career counseling experts identified three potential avenues: continuing education, professional organizations and volunteering. CONTINUING EDUCATION Even for those who are not out of work, learning new skills or brushing up old ones is always beneficial. Several experts said classes that offer certifications are particularly helpful. "What it tells the employer is, you're not sitting around wondering what to do next, you're taking the initiative," said Tracy. Those who can't attend a class should look for online training. Technology and business models have evolved so rapidly that anyone who got their education 10 or more years ago is no longer current in the market, said Don Straits, president of the Auburn, Calif.-based executive search firm Corporate Warriors: "That MBA from Stanford that you got in 1978 or 1980? That and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee." Underscoring that idea, Straits said it is vital for today's workers to take advantage of Web-based technologies. "I won't say they need to be Twittering," he said, referring to the fast-growing service through which users to send out short messages. "But they do need to be connected or involved in Web 2.0. It's not just a matter of surfing the Web any more." Social networking, he said, is a good place to get acquainted with the expanding possibilities online. It's an area that is easily self-taught, and one that can have numerous applications once you're back in the workplace. As a bonus, establishing a network of contacts can also help during a job hunt. Pointing to a 24-year-old staffer at his company who has 4,000 "friends" on MySpace and 300 connections on LinkedIn, Straits said, "He will never have a problem connecting to a position." Teaching: Experts in using resources like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn may be able to help others by teaching a class or leading a workshop for a professional organization. Another possibility is to seek an adjunct faculty position at a local college. "Having a faculty appointment is never a bad thing," said Roy Cohen, a master coach for The Five O'Clock Club, a New York-based career coaching network. An added plus: "You have access to other faculty members you can network with." PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Beyond the potential for teaching fellow members, professional organizations typically offer access to broader workshops and seminars. But Straits said it's important not only to join, but to be active in professional groups. "One of the best jobs in any association is the membership chairman," he said, "because you are going to get to know every single company or individual in that organization." Professional organizations also often need help with tasks like maintaining their Web sites or organizing their finances, providing more opportunities to put languishing skills to use. VOLUNTEERING Donating your time can also add some interest to a resume and demonstrate a commitment to community that may impress a potential employer. Tracy says it's a mistake to rule out listing a volunteer position on your resume: "Just because you got paid or didn't get paid does not diminish the importance of that being a job that enables you to enhance your skills." If you're searching for a suitable spot, look for organizations that connect volunteers with nonprofits needing expert help. The Taproot Foundation is one national group that provides pro bono help with things like strategic planning, annual report preparation and marketing. Taproot recruitment manager Melanie Damm said the group has seen a huge influx of volunteers in the past six months. Though at times Taproot had been limited by the number of pro bono consultants it could recruit, now there is a bit of a problem finding projects for all the volunteers in some cities. But, she said, "we still have shortages for very specific sorts of skill sets" like Web site development and graphic design. Being open to working as an unpaid intern at a for-profit company, or volunteering to help on a specific project, may get you in the door. Cohen, of The Five O'Clock Club, has a client who approached a company offering to be an apprentice that was accepted. "They were very taken with his strategy," he said. It's a tactic that worked for Shawn Graham, the director of MBA career services at the University of Pittsburgh and author of the book, "Courting Your Career." In 1997, he was downsized by the retail company he worked for and decided to try the career counseling field. He approached three colleges seeking to volunteer in their career offices, and one took him up on the offer. A few months later, he was given a paid spot there, and has since moved up in the field by working at two other universities. Graham said, "Sometimes just calling up and offering to help on a project can be the toehold to get into the organization."

Jobseekers say more than 4 months needed to get new job Channel NewsAsia - Thursday, March 12 SINGAPORE: Eight in 10 jobseekers from more than 85 countries around the world predicted it would take unemployed workers more than four months to find a new job in today’s turbulent market. And four in 10 said the process might take seven months or even longer. This is according to a recent survey of some 1,000 unemployed executives by the Korn/Ferry Institute, a talent management and leadership research firm. Forty—three per cent of executives surveyed said they are keen on pursuing studies during the downturn. Most jobless executives looking at educational opportunities were considering MBAs or other advanced degrees. The survey also found that while 55 per cent of the jobseekers spent the majority of their time between jobs looking for new opportunities, one in four focused their time on professional development. One in 10 chose to spend time more leisurely with family and friends, while seven per cent went on a vacation. — CNA/yt

EDB’s Prep—Up scheme to create 100 new jobs in 2009 Channel NewsAsia - Thursday, March 12 SINGAPORE: The pharmaceutical sector will be the first to benefit from the Prep—Up (Preparing for the Upturn) scheme recently launched by the Economic Development Board (EDB). All in, some 2,000 jobs are expected to be created under the initiative, with 100 going to the pharmaceutical sector this year. The S$100 million initiative launched on January 19 is aimed at helping businesses cope with manpower expenses and co—share labour costs in the current challenging environment. EDB said it does not have a target time frame to create these jobs. Director, Biomedical Sciences, EDB, Beh Kian Teik, said: "The programme basically allows the companies and Singapore to widen our lead in our capabilities, and widen our lead in becoming the trusted and best in manufacturing — particularly in biomedical/pharmaceutical manufacturing. "There are other areas... but the first area we wanted to start off with was in part pharmaceutical manufacturing." The pharmaceutical sector is expected to employ some 6,000 people in Singapore by 2011 when new investments come onstream, up from 1,900 in 2000. And it is looking to hire not just chemical engineers, but professionals from other industries. Mr Beh said: "When we think about this sector, it is not just about the chemical engineers who are working on the main process itself. There are tremendous opportunities beyond these technical engineers. "It is often a myth that only if you are trained as a chemical engineer then can you enter the industry, but the opportunities are immense because even if you are not trained, the job scope is quite vast." The EDB also anticipates that there will be a growing number of people looking to change career path to the biomedical sector. To help those job seekers find out more about the sector, EDB is working with the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and National University of Singapore (NUS) to bring discussion panel Bio Biz to the public for the first time at the end of this month, attracting some 800 people. The discussion panel will take place on the March 28. Bio Biz has been run for the past few years by NTU and NUS alumni and is usually only for students of the respective universities. — CNA/yt

World faces 'Great Recession': IMF chief AFP - Wednesday, March 11 PARIS (AFP) - - The world is now in the grip of the "Great Recession" and economic growth could dip below zero in 2009, the head of the IMF warned on Tuesday, as stock markets hit their lowest levels in decades. As China grappled with deflation, Germany was hit by an exports slump in and investment guru Warren Buffett said the US economy has "fallen off a cliff", calls for coordinated international action to tackle the downturn were growing. The European Union meanwhile called on the IMF's resources for struggling nations to be doubled as the fund's chief warned the crisis risks throwing millions of Africans back into poverty. Speaking at a gathering of African finance ministers in the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam, IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said they were meeting at a "critical juncture in history. "The global financial crisis, that might now be called the great recession, provides a sobering backdrop to our conference. The IMF expects global growth to slow below zero this year, the worst performance in most of our lifetimes," he said. "Even though the crisis has been slow in reaching Africa's shores, we all know that it's coming and its impact will be severe. "And the threat is not only economic, there is a real risk that millions will be thrown back into poverty," he added. It is the first time that Strauss-Kahn, who said last week he saw no chance of a global recovery before 2010, had predicted an actual global contraction. The conference was expected to hear appeals not to cut levels of foreign aid at a time when budgets are shrinking. The impact of the crisis, meanwhile, on one of the world's wealthiest countries was highlighted by German figures showing its exports plunged 20.7 percent in January as a result of a reduction in demand. The heavily export-driven German economy, the largest in Europe, is suffering its worst recession in six decades, with the government expecting output to shrink 2.25 percent this year. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said last week that he expected the world's third-largest economy to meet a target of eight percent growth this year but news that it is now experiencing deflation could put that goal at risk. China's statistics bureau said consumer prices -- including food, clothes and fuel -- were 1.6 percent cheaper in February than a year earlier, the first such fall since December 2002. Elsewhere in Asia, Japan's Nikkei stock index closed down 0.44 percent to 7,054.98 points after another sell-off on Wall Street, hitting the lowest level since October 1982 for a second straight day. US stocks tumbled in choppy trade to 12-year lows overnight, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 1.21 percent to 6,547.05 points. "I've never seen Americans more fearful," Buffett, one of the world's richest men, said in a CNBC television interview. "It takes five minutes to become fearful, much more time to regain confidence. The system does not work without confidence." British finance minister Alistair Darling, whose country will host a summit of the G20 world powers focusing on the crisis next month, said governments "must be prepared to do more." "In these extraordinary times it is essential that governments act together" Darling wrote in the Guardian newspaper. His comments, ahead of an EU finance ministers meeting Tuesday, again highlighted differences between world powers ahead of the G20 summit. After a eurozone finance ministers' meeting Monday, German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck said that no further measures were planned, adding: "We should concentrate on measures that have already been decided." At Tuesday's meeting, the European Union was expected to call for the IMF's resources for struggling nations to be doubled to 500 billion dollars (396 billion euros), a draft document showed.

Aiyah...early say lah. Moi no need to wait 'long-long' mah.