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............. HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY ........... To LKY yahoo news: Lee Kuan Yew celebrates 90th birthday, world leaders send well wishes Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew celebrates another milestone in his life on Monday as he turns 90. In an interview with The Straits Times, he said he was "lucky" to reach 90. He also revealed that his greatest satisfaction when he looked back on his life is seeing Singapore's progress. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also told The Straits Times that his father's greatest achievement is building a nation "nobody believed possible". The former minister mentor will be celebrating his birthday with his family at a private dinner. Birthday greetings for Singapore's founding prime minister are also streaming in from across the globe. UK's Queen Elizabeth II congratulated Lee on his 90th birthday and noted how his life has been "inextricably interwoven with the history and development" of Singapore. The queen also mentioned that she's delighted that the links between both countries remain strong, 50 years after Singapore's independence from the UK. Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel also honoured Lee, noting how he has been a decisive figure helping to shape Singapore's destiny and leading the country to peace and prosperity. She added that Lee's prudent policymaking has also helped ASEAN become a force for reconciliation and stability in Asia. Merkel also said Singapore will remain a key partner for Germany in Asia. China's former vice premier, Li Lanqing, also paid tribute to Lee and recognised his efforts in forging the friendship between China and Singapore. Li also wished the former minister mentor good health, longevity and happiness. more stories Link: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/lee-kuan-yew-cele...-041451642.html

From Yahoo!News Are Singaporeans a happy lot? Not quite, if the latest Happy Planet Index (HPI) is anything to go by. The index measures how governments from around the world provide long, happy and sustainable lives for their people, based on three factors: life expectancy, happiness and environmental sustainability. The results from the 2012 study, which was released on Thursday, ranked Singapore a lowly 90th out of 151 countries. Coming in top for the second year running is Costa Rica, while the highest-ranked Asian country is Vietnam (second). Hong Kong, in 102th position, is the only Asian nation that is ranked lower than Singapore. Singapore scored well in life expectancy and well-being, but did poorly in environmental sustainability. Overall, it scored 39.8. The Lion City performed better in the same study done in 2009, where it was ranked 49 out of 143 countries, with a score of 48.2. But its showing this year is an improvement from 2006, where it came in at 131st position, out of 178 countries, with a score of just 36.1. For more information on how the Happy Planet Index is calculated, go to http://www.happyplanetindex.org/about/