494 Reporting by Kevin Lim Editing by Lincoln Feast

SINGAPORE, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The annual salaries ofSingapore's ministers and senior civil servants are expected tofall by 12 to 20 percent this year in line with the shrinkingeconomy, local media reported on Tuesday. Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is also minister incharge of the civil service, told Parliament on Monday thatsenior permanent secretaries and entry-grade ministers willlikely receive S$1.54 million ($1.03 million), which is a dropof 20 percent from last year. Younger officers in the elite Administrative Service typically top performers in their early to mid-30s willreceive S$351,000 or about 12 percent less, Teo added. "As the salaries are linked to economic performance, the2009 salaries may be subject to further adjustments given thevolatility of the economy," he said. Singapore pegs ministers and senior civil servants' pay totop earners in the private sector, saying it needs to pay wellto retain talent in the government service. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last year received anestimated S$3.76 million, about five times the annual salary ofoutgoing U.S President George W Bush. Singapore, which became the first Asian economy to slipinto recession last year, has forecast the economy could shrinkby up to 2 percent this year.

It is considering dipping into its reserves worth hundredsof billions of dollars for the first time to tackle the slump,officials were quoted as saying on Monday. ID:nSP388780 The government could draw on the central bank's foreignreserves that totalled $174.2 billion in December, or its twosecretive sovereign funds GIC and Temasek that had at least acombined $230 billion in assets in reported figures last year. ($1S$1.494) (Reporting by Kevin Lim; Editing by Lincoln Feast). The regional airline also blamed the expanded loss in part onvolatile fuel prices, reporting 170 million yuan in unrealisedfuel hedging losses as of Dec 31 following a tumble in fuelprices during the second half of the year It gave no further details It will release full results incoming weeks.

Industry and government sources said last summer thatgovernment officials were discussing combining the twoShanghai-based carriers. ID:nSHA238383 ($16.834 Yuan) (Reporting by Edmund Klamann; Editing by Ken Wills). DENVER(Business Wire)Western Union (NYSE: WU), un líder mundial en servicios mundiales detransferencia de dinero, anunció hoy que ha seleccionado a BromleyCommunications como socio de comunicaciones de mercadotecnia hispana en EstadosUnidos. La decisión se tomó luego de realizar una búsqueda rigurosa de agenciasde mercadotecnia para administrar las iniciativas de la compañía en esta áreadirigidas al segmento de consumidores hispanos que viven en dicho país. "El equipo de Bromley trae su pasión para alinearse connuestra marca mundial y darle forma para crear una conexión con los hispanos".

Bromley colaborará con la planificación de medios y las compras, administraciónde cuentas y desarrollo creativo para captar, en forma amplia y diversa, a losconsumidores hispanos que confían en los servicios de Western Union tanto paratransferencias locales como internacionales. Durante ese período, la agencia administróla publicidad, promociones, relaciones públicas y mercadotecnia de campo, tantopara productos y servicios nacionales como internacionales. Ernest Bromley, presidente de Bromley Communications, agregó: "Ni el mercadohispano ni el negocio de las transferencias de dinero son estáticos. Por eso,nos exigimos para ser proactivos y también rápidos para reaccionar ante loscambios.