'Business as usual' at Borders S'pore

While debt-ridden REDgroup Retail's businesses in Australia and New Zealand are under financial scrutiny and belt-tightening measures, Singapore operations are unaffected, say group spokesmen.

'REDgroup can confirm that Borders Singapore and Supanews Singapore have not been placed into voluntary administration. It is currently business as usual at Borders Singapore,' said a statement on Monday from REDgroup Retail, referring to both its book-selling business and news agency here.

The Singapore store's current status was confirmed by Mr Steve Sherman, a partner at recovery firm Ferrier Hodgson, which now controls REDgroup Retail's assets and is helping it find ways to pay creditors.

ORIGINAL SOURCE

Female robber jailed ten years and fined $30,000 for a series of offences

On Dec 27, last year, Maya Murugananthem, a recalcitrant substance abuser, robbed Madam Govindarajoo Theregi, 58, in a lift at Block 655 Yishun Avenue 4 by throwing chili powder into her face before making off with her gold chain. Maya committed the offence with another woman, Lalita Shandra Goval, 32, who has already been charged with the offence.

Maya gave half of the ill-gotten gains to her accomplice before selling the chain to a second-hand dealer for about $600 and using some of it to buy drugs..

She was yesterday jailed a total of 10 years and fined $30,000 for robbery as well as drug and loansharking-related offences.

ORIGINAL SOURCE

Seafood supplier charged with giving $1m in bribes

A SEAFOOD supplier was brought to court on Tuesday for corruptly giving bribes totalling about $992,000 to 19 chefs.

Tay Ee Tiong, 55, owner of Wealthy Seafood Product and Enterprise, is the first to be charged, following a 2009 probe by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau into more than 20 top chefs who allegedly accepted the kickbacks.

Tay, who faces 223 charges, is said to have given bribes of between $232 and $24,143 between 2006 and 2009 to chefs of popular Chinese restaurants and five-star hotels to advance his company's business by ensuring that they continued to buy seafood products from his company.

The chefs were from 17 restaurants. Among them are PFS Pte Ltd, Shangri-La Hotel, Meritus Mandarin, Marriott Hotel, Goodwood Park Hotel, Grand Hyatt, Four Seasons Hotel, Sheraton Hotel and Por Kee Eating House.

If convicted, Tay faces a fine of up to $100,000 and/or a jail term of up to five years on each charge.

ORIGINAL SOURCE

New Zealand's worst earthquake kills 65... and counting

CHRISTCHURCH - A POWERFUL 6.3 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday killed 65 people and trapped dozens more under flattened buildings in New Zealand's most devastating tremor in 80 years.

Frantic rescuers and bystanders dug for survivors and thousands of panicked residents rushed into the streets of Christchurch, just six months after a 7.0 quake weakened buildings in the southern city of 340,000.

Prime Minister John Key warned the death toll was likely to rise after the earthquake, which struck at lunchtime as streets were thronged with shoppers, and turned the city centre into a rubble-strewn war zone.

ORIGINAL SOURCE

Video: St. Petersburg police search for killer as they mourn another fallen officer

ST. PETERSBURG — Veteran St. Petersburg police Officer David S. Crawford was shot and killed Monday as he and another officer investigated a report of a suspicious character at a downtown residence.

At least 50 police officers and the Pinellas sheriff's helicopter and canine units began an intense search for the shooter.

The suspect was described as a black man in his late teens or early 20s who was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt.

Crawford's killing came one month after two St. Petersburg police officers were fatally shot in the line of duty — the first police officers killed in the city in 31 years.

An intensive manhunt was under way for the killer Tuesday morning, with several downtown blocks closed and police checking cars. The Tampa Police Department immediately sent 12 officers to help secure the search area, and later dedicated more officers.

ORIGINAL SOURCE

Breakup notifier now available on Facebook

Breakup Notifier is a new app for Facebook that helps you snag those recently-single friends.

The app can only notify you of your target's relationship status if they list their relationship status on Facebook.

ORIGINAL SOURCE

Snatch thief died after private parts severed

The incident happened soon after the 28-year-old snatch theft victim was locking the gate to leave her home in Taman Mega Jaya in Ampang at around 8.30am yesterday. She had left the bag in her Toyota Vios, while the car engine was on.

A man suddenly appeared, opened the car door and snatched the bag. The woman tried to fight back but was kicked in the abdomen.

The woman then got into her car and gave chase before blocking them.

The two men were caught off-guard and rammed right into the victim's car resulting in both of them being flung from the machine, about 200m from the woman's house.

It was a gory end for one of the snatch thieves who died with his private parts severed in the collision.

The police and passers-by found the body of the 35-year-old suspect in a drain, with his penis almost crushed and detached from his body. His pants had been ripped from his body in the accident.

His accomplice, who was riding pillion, suffered bodily injuries.

ORIGINAL SOURCE

S'poreans give positive Budget feedback

SINGAPORE: Government feedback unit REACH said it has received generally positive responses from Singaporeans about Budget 2011.

Close to 30 per cent of the more than 600 feedback inputs REACH received were on growth payouts.

REACH said most people supported the government's move to share surpluses.

But some felt the amount was not enough to cover rising costs, and others felt it was unfair to base the payout on housing size.

Rewarding working Singaporeans was also a hot issue with 20 per cent commenting on it.

A majority of contributors welcomed the additional support for lower- and middle-income earners.

They also welcomed the removal of television and radio license fees, more progressive personal income tax schedule.

Most were generally for the increase in Central Provident Fund (CPF) contribution by employers, with a few suggesting the additional amount be credited into the Ordinary Account or Minimum Sum instead of the Special Account.

Compared to the same time last year, REACH received three times more feedback inputs for Budget 2011.

Members of public can continue to share their views on Budget 2011 on the REACH's dedicated Budget website.

ORIGINAL SOURCE

Euro Champs' League - Lyon and Real battle to a stalemate, Chelsea formalizes proceedings

Olympique Lyon 1 Real Madrid 1
If you were expecting a boring, defensive, tactical 0-0 draw at the Stade Gerland, you expected wrong. Real Madrid and Olympique Lyon played a great game on Tuesday night.

The first half belonged to Lyon, with their gameplan working to perfection. They had the better of the chances and stifled Madrid's attack, limiting the touches in dangerous areas of Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria, Mesut Özil, and Emmanuel Adebayor.

Madrid came out guns blazing in the second half. During a period of less than 15 minutes, Madrid hit the woodwork twice and had a legitimate penalty shout denied, just moments before Karim Benzema entered the game.

Painted by the media as the villain in the pre-match build up, Benzema was actually given a standing ovation by the Lyon fans when he entered the match for Adebayor in the 64th minute. Their love affair would not last, though, as it took mere seconds for Benzema to punish his former club by scoring for Madrid.

In the 85th minute, Bafetimbi Gomis found a vital equalizer on a set piece, assisted by a great header from Cris who outjumped two Madrid defenders in the process.

Copenhagen 0 Chelsea 2
Nicolas Anelka scored a double to open up a healthy lead going into the second leg at Stamford Bridge on March 16.

The Frenchman benefited off a loose pass from former Blues man, Jesper Gronkjaer, after only 17 minutes for his first goal.

Frank Lampard played a delicious ball through to Anelka for his second as Chelsea stamped their authority on the match, as Copenhagen, who had not played a game in three months, looked heavily off the pace.

EPL: Misfiring Spurs slump to 3-1 defeat at Blackpool

Tottenham Hotspur missed the chance to climb to third place in the Premier League when they suffered a 3-1 defeat at lowly Blackpool despite dominating the game for long periods at Bloomfield Road on Tuesday.

Charlie Adam, the target of a Spurs approach in the transfer window, put Blackpool ahead with a penalty in the 18th minute after Sebastien Bassong barged over DJ Campbell, who himself ended a swift counter-attack with their second just before halftime.

Brett Ormerod then wrapped up the victory with his first Premier League goal for seven years 10 minutes from time to complete a record of scoring for Blackpool in all four league divisions.

Spurs had 25 goal attempts, shots cleared off the line and penalty appeals turned down but the pluck and spirit Blackpool have shown throughout their first season in the top flight for 39 years saw them triumph and move up to 12th spot.

Spurs got a late consolation goal from Roman Pavlyuchenko, staying on 47 points from 27 games and remaining two behind Manchester City and two ahead of Chelsea.

ORIGINAL SOURCE

Premier League table

#	Team	MP	D	P
1	Manchester United	26	+32	57
2	Arsenal	26	+29	53
3	Manchester City	27	+19	49
4	Tottenham Hotspur	27	+7	47
5	Chelsea	26	+24	45
6	Liverpool	27	+3	39
7	Sunderland	27	+0	37
8	Bolton Wanderers	27	+1	36
9	Newcastle United	27	+4	35
10	Stoke City	26	-2	33
11	Blackburn Rovers	27	-8	32
12	Blackpool	27	-9	32
13	Fulham	27	+0	31
14	Everton	26	-3	30
15	Birmingham City	26	-10	30
16	Aston Villa	27	-15	30
17	West Bromwich …	27	-17	28
18	Wigan Athletic	27	-18	27
19	West Ham United	27	-18	25
20	Wolverhampton …	27	-19	25