WASHINGTON - US FEDERAL Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned on Tuesday that unless government efforts succeed in restoring financial stability, the nation's recession may not end this year.

Mr Bernanke told lawmakers that the sharply shrinking economy was at further risk from mutually reinforcing weakening growth and financial market strain.

MORE consumers here are missing their credit card and personal loan payments but the numbers still fall below the highs recorded during the Sars outbreak in 2003.

According to the latest figures from Credit Bureau Singapore (CBS), the percentage of consumers, who missed at least one credit card payment rose slightly from 1.48 per cent in December 2007, to 1.67 per cent last December.

TAIPEI - TAIWAN'S export orders plunged a record 41.67 per cent to US$17.68 billion (S$27 billion) in January as the global economic crisis evaporated demand for electronic products, the economic ministry said on Tuesday.

It was the biggest fall since 1984 when the government started compiling export order figures, a ministry official said.

THE loot that an ex-employee of luxury watch retailer Cortina was supposed to have made off with is worth more than $13 million in the marketplace.

Jerry Ee, 35, who is wanted by police for the Christmas Day heist at Cortina's Raffles City store, was picky about the watches he stole.