TOKYO - JAPANESE exports plunged almost 10 per cent in the first 20 days of October as bankruptcies soared, pushing Asia's largest economy deeper into a slump, a slew of gloomy data showed on Tuesday.

The sharp drop in exports reflected a rapid deterioration in the global economy that has hammered Japanese corporate giants such as Toyota Motor and Sony, and caused more than 1,400 firms to go bust last month alone.

THE Marina Bay integrated resort remains the 'No 1' priority for Las Vegas Sands even as the casino operator suspends projects in its Macau headquarters and scales back on a development in Pennsylvania, its top suits promised.

Sands president and chief operating officer William Weidner said the Singapore IR is not only 'a very important project' which offers 'terrific returns on investment', but it is also 'probably the most important project' in their portfolio.

NEW YORK - MAJOR banks are stepping up their efforts to curtail losses from souring mortgages, with Citigroup Inc becoming the latest institution to adopt initiatives aimed at helping at-risk borrowers remain in their homes.

With defaults mounting, lenders including JPMorgan Chase & Co and Bank of America Corp have become more aggressive about modifications to mortgage agreements.

HONG KONG - NO ONE political system is the best for generating sustained economic growth, and the success of a country's economy does not rest on whether the governance is Asian-style or Western-style, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said on Tuesday night.

'Every country must find the political system that can deliver the goods, given its special and specific circumstances,' he said.