Singapore  - A former employee of a Singapore luxury watch retailer who allegedly made off with watches worth several million US dollars last Christmas Day surrendered to the authorities in Bangkok on Tuesday, Singapore police reported.

"Jerry Ee ... is currently in the custody of the Royal Thai Police, and more than 200 pieces of the stolen watches were recovered," a statement by Singapore Police Force said.

The 35-year-old, who was on Interpol's wanted list, is suspected of having taken more than 380 watches from expensive designer brands.

Singapore - A Singapore court on Tuesday sentenced a serial molester who preyed on children and teenagers in lifts to nine years in jail, media reports said.

Singapore - Singapore Airlines (SIA), one of the world's leading carriers, posted a heavy slump in passenger numbers and a decline in cargo shipment Tuesday, as the aviation industry is further hit by the global economic downturn.

In February, SIA carried 1.18 million passengers, down 20.2 per cent from the same month last year, the airline said.

Singapore - Bayer Schering Pharma Asia-Pacific's sales grew 23 per cent to 910 million euros (1.3 billion US dollars) in 2008 despite the global economic downturn, the company's regional head, Chris Lee, said Tuesday in Singapore.

The growth rate, based on business numbers that excluded Japan, made the subsidiary of Germany-based Bayer Schering Pharma AG "one of the fastest-growing multinational pharmaceutical companies in Asia," Lee said.

Singapore  - Singapore's economy is expected to recover slightly in the final quarter of 2009, just after sliding even deeper into recession during the first three quarters of the year, a survey by the city-state's central bank showed Monday.

A poll of 20 economists and analysts by the Monetary Authority of Singapore in February showed they expect Singapore's gross domestic product (GDP) to fall 8.5 percent in the first quarter 2009 compared to the same period a year ago.

Singapore - Container traffic in Singapore's port slumped 19.8 per cent in February compared with a year ago as the shipping industry is hit hard by the ongoing decline in worldwide trade.

The container traffic through the city-state's port reached 1.85 million 20-foot equivalent units in February, down from
2.31 million units in February last year, according to preliminary estimates published Saturday on the website of the Maritime and Port Authority Singapore.