Three dead after 6.4-magnitude quake topples 17-storey building in Taiwan, East Asia News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/building-partially-collapses-in-tainan-after-earthquake-official?xtor=EREC-16-1[ST_Newsletter_AM]-20160206-[Magnitude+6.4+quake+fells+17-storey+building+in+Taiwan%2C+123+rescued+so+far]&xts=538291

Three dead after 6.4-magnitude quake topples 17-storey building in Taiwan

TAIPEI (REUTERS) – Three people, including a 10-month-old baby, have died after a 17-storey residential building collapsed in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan following a strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake Saturday (Feb 6).  The baby, a man and a woman were pulled dead from the block, 

"These three people showed no signs of life before they were sent to the hospital, said Lin Kuan-cheng, spokesman for the National Fire Agency, as rescuers battled to free residents still trapped inside. "The search and rescue work continues there, home by home."

Officials said four buildings collapsed in the quake which struck the island in the early hours of the morning, but rescue efforts are centring on the tower block that tumbled onto its side. Firefighters pulled survivors from the twisted concrete, trying to access apartments through windows and scaling the rubble with ladders.  More than 100 residents have now been freed from the rubble, with local media reporting the tower contained more than 200 homes.

Officials were unable to give an estimate of how many were still trapped as they scoured the building. At least 30 people have been freed from another residential seven-storey building with reports that over 200 have been rescued across the city and more than 100 sent to hospital. One woman told how she had fought her way out of her home in one of the collapsed blocks.

"I used a hammer to break the door of my home which was twisted and locked, and managed to climb out," she told local channel SET TV, weeping as she spoke. 

At least five aftershocks of 3.8-magnitude or more shook Tainan about half an hour after the initial quake, according to Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau.

Taiwan's Formosa TV showed images of police, firefighters and some troops in camouflage uniforms at the site of a collapsed residential building and said its reporters could hear the cries of some residents trapped inside.

#BREAKING: #Taiwan government in #Tainan confirms half #collapsed #building after 6.7 #magnitude #earthquake.

— Or Ravid אור רביד (@OrRavid) 4:59 AM - 6 Feb 2016 · Israel, ישראל

Latest Photo: Buildings collapsed after 6.4 magnitude #earthquake strikes #Tainan, #Taiwan

— Perfect Foundation (@PerfectFdn) 6:01 AM - 6 Feb 2016

PHOTOS: Buildings collapsed after 6.4 magnitude #earthquake strikes #Tainan, #Taiwan

— Perfect Foundation (@PerfectFdn) 5:06 AM - 6 Feb 2016

Still no specific reports about damages and possible victims #Tainan, but news of multiple collapsed buildings! http://m.appledaily.com.tw/realtimenews/article/new/20160206/791484 …

— Hinrich Homann (何欣熹） (@Hinrich_77) 5:02 AM - 6 Feb 2016

Biggest #earthquake I've been through... #Tainan

— Pei Hsin (@Pei_Stardlin) 4:42 AM - 6 Feb 2016

The firefighters were hosing down part of the building to prevent a fire, while others used ladders and a crane to enter the upper floors.

The building appeared to have collapsed onto the first story where a child's clothes were visible fluttering on a laundry line.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the latest quake, struck at 2000 GMT  (4 am Singapore) on Friday (Feb 5) at a magnitude of 6.4, centred 43 km south-east of Tainan, a city of nearly two million people.

The quake was very shallow, at depth of 10 km, which would have amplified its effects, the USGS said. Tainan lies 39 kilometres northeast of Kaohsiung, the second-largest city on the island and an important port. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami was not expected. 

Taiwan lies in the seismically active "Pacific Ring of Fire" zone and it was struck by a magnitude 7.7 quake in September 1999 which killed more than 2,400 people.  A strong 6.3-magnitude quake that hit central Taiwan in June 2013 killed four people and caused widespread landslides.

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Queues form around Singapore to deposit money on 'auspicious' Li Chun, Singapore News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/queues-form-around-singapore-to-deposit-money-on-auspicious-li-chun?xtor=EREC-16-2[ST_Newsletter_PM]-20160204-[Queues+form+around+Singapore+to+deposit+money+on+%27auspicious%27+Li+Chun]&xts=538291

Queues form around Singapore to deposit money on 'auspicious' Li Chun

SINGAPORE - Scores of people braved the queues forming at banks and cash deposit machines across the island on Thursday (Feb 4) for a shot at improving their fortunes in the new year.

The practice of banking in money on Li Chun, which some believe can help grow their wealth and ensure good luck, has caught on in recent years.

Also known as Farmers' Day, Li Chun traditionally falls on Feb 4 each year.

Joining the winding queue at the DBS Bank in Bedok Town Centre at around 11am, Madam Teo Eng Lee was seen specially clad in a red blouse for the occasion.

"I'm a traditional person. By doing this, I hope each year will be better than the previous one. I've done this for about three years now and my life has been smooth so far," said Madam Teo, who is self-employed.

The 58-year-old, born in the Year of the Dog, shared that she chose to come at 11am to coincide with her "auspicious" time period.

Her family of 10 will also be depositing money at various times of the day, depending on which zodiac signs they belong to.

According to different charts circulating online, there are four two-hour windows for people to bank in their cash.

For instance, one such chart by shipping company 65daigou claims that those born in the Year of the Ox, Rabbit and Monkey should deposit their cash between 3pm and 4.59pm.

Earlier on Thursday morning in Bedok, people were spotted queuing as early as 3am - there was a 3am-4.59am window - to bank in their cash.

Retiree Madam Choo, 75, and her husband Michael Lim, 78, were among the early birds at the DBS and UOB bank branches in Bedok at around 10.30am and had to queue for only about 10 minutes.

Madam Choo told The Straits Times that she had heard from friends about the practice some years ago and decided to try it out last year and thought the year went by quite smoothly.

Mr Lim added: "Chun is the start of spring. I deposited money today because I believe it will give me prosperity for the new year. It's like hoping for a good harvest."

Ms Charlyn Tan, a 36-year-old sales administration executive, started queueing at DBS Bank with her colleague, Ms Wong Yen Nee, 29, at around 11.30am.

Ms Tan said they expected to wait 45 minutes for their turn. Both had checked for their auspicious timings and brought a specific amount of money based on their zodiac signs for extra luck.

"There's no harm in trying. It's not very difficult to do and it's also a good habit to save money," said Ms Tan.

Others, however, could not understand the hype over Li Chun.

Polytechnic student Lim Jian Hui, 20, who said he found it unusual that there was a queue to deposit money, was made to wait 45 minutes instead of the usual 15 minutes.

He had heard about Li Chun from his mother but does not believe in it. "It's just a superstition and I don't think it works. I will probably avoid going to the bank on this day next year to avoid the queue."

Some banks, aware of the popularity of the practice, were prepared for the onslaught. 

A spokesman for United Overseas Bank said the bank had added more staff and services to cope with high demand: "Longer queues were seen at our cash deposit machines after 3pm, as it was the auspicious timing to usher in the year of the Monkey.

"To ensure that our customers had a  good customer experience, we catered for extra manpower at our branches, and also ensured that cash deposit machines were serviced and emptied to accommodate the extra volume of cash deposits.

"There were also special seated queues for pregnant women, the elderly and disabled."
 

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Check out the worst passwords of 2015 - is yours on the list?, Singapore News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/check-out-the-worst-passwords-of-2015-is-yours-on-the-list?xtor=EREC-16-1[ST_Newsletter_AM]-20160131-[Check+out+the+worst+passwords+of+2015+-+is+yours+on+the+list%3F]&xts=538291

Check out the worst passwords of 2015 - is yours on the list?

Weak passwords, using the same one for different websites and unsafe surfing habits can make Singaporeans easy targets for cyber criminals looking to steal private data, cyber security experts here say.

Last Monday, a former administrative assistant admitted cracking the passwords of 300 SingPass account holders and selling the details to a China-based syndicate to produce sham Singapore visa applications.

James Sim Guan Liang, 39, made tens of thousands of attempts to guess them when he realised some people used their NRIC number as their SingPass password - which also happened to be their username.

James Sim Guan Liang cracked the passwords of 300 SingPass account holders and sold the details to a syndicate. ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

Such targeted attacks are only possible if people choose a word linked to their personal information, which may include things that they share through social media.

"Sometimes the answers to security questions for resetting passwords can easily be retrieved from an individual's personal data," said Ms Vicky Ray, a threat intelligence analyst from network security firm Palo Alto Networks.

"This could be responses to questions like: Where did one go to school? Such information can easily be retrieved from LinkedIn or Facebook."

• Five password errors that make it easy for hackers to access users' private information

• 1. Using personal information that can be found on social media or commonly used words as
  passwords

  2. Not using complex passwords that include a combination of lowercase letters, uppercase
  letters, digits and symbols.

  3. Using short passwords that are fewer than nine characters in length.

  4. Using one password for multiple websites or accounts.

  5. Not changing passwords regularly.

  LIST COMPILED BY VICKY RAY,ATHREAT INTELLIGENCE ANALYST
  FROM NETWORK SECURITY FIRM PALOALTO NETWORKS.

It is one of the many ways passwords are cracked by dedicated hackers. Another is by using a weak or common password, like one on the "world's worst password" list.

This was published last week by password management firm SplashData, which analysed more than 20 million passwords globally that were leaked over the last year.

The list was topped by "123456", "password" and "qwerty" - the first five letters on the top row of a regular keyboard. New entries on the list, now in its fifth year, include pop culture references like "star wars", "solo", and "princess", following the release of the latest Star Wars movie.

Weak passwords are bypassed with software using a "brute force" approach to guessing them.

"With common, widely available cyber security tools, the average six- character, all-lowercase password takes less than 10 minutes to be cracked," said Mr David Siah, country general manager of security software firm Trend Micro Singapore. "Adding just one capital letter and an asterisk increases the cracking time for an eight-letter password from 2.4 days to 2.1 centuries."

Users may also be tricked into giving up their passwords when they surf the Internet.

"Most stolen passwords are 'lost' through phishing, where the victim is tricked into voluntarily giving up his credentials to a fake website made to look like the real site," said senior research fellow Nick FitzGerald from security software maker ESET Asia Pacific.

But Mr Charles Lim, a senior industry analyst for digital transformation at research firm Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific, stressed that it is also important for organisations to have strong database security.

Their password database can be hacked into, and the information sold to criminals, he said.

To boost security, passwords should be eight characters or more and include a combination of lower and uppercase letters, digits and symbols. Users should also change passwords often, not use the same password on different sites or use personal information or common words as passwords.

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Mother and daughter killed after car plunges into Alexandra Canal near Valley Point Shopping Centre, Singapore News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/car-plunges-into-singapore-river-near-valley-point-shopping-centre?xtor=EREC-16-1[ST_Newsletter_AM]-20160125-[2+dead+after+car+plunges+into+Alexandra+Canal+near+Valley+Point+Shopping+Centre]&xts=538291

Mother and daughter killed after car plunges into Alexandra Canal near Valley Point Shopping Centre

SINGAPORE - The bodies of two women, believed to be mother and daughter, were recovered after a car plunged into Alexandra Canal on Sunday (Jan 24) night.

According to Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao, the two women were both long-haired and fair-skinned. One wore a T-shirt with black and white stripes.

Eyewitnesses told The Straits Times that a silver Mercedes emerged from the carpark of Valley Point Shopping Centre in River Valley Road at around 9pm. 

It drove straight into the bushes next to Alexandra Canal before hitting the water.

A 33-year-old man, who saw the accident happen but declined to be named, told The Straits Times: "I heard a loud bang as the car hit the barrier before it went straight into the canal."

The police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force arrived shortly after, as about 200 people gathered near the canal and the mall to see what was happening.

A floodlight was installed and a ladder placed at the spot where the vehicle was believed to have entered the water.

The Straits Times understands that the bodies of two women have been retrieved from the canal. Their nationality and age are unknown.

Investigations are ongoing.

On Dec 22, 1993, a Ford Laser plunged into the Singapore River near the junction of Boat Quay and Tew Chew Street at about 5am. The 22-year-old driver drowned in the accident.

A similar accident happened two years earlier, on March 27, 1991. A taxi driver blacked out behind the wheel and drove into the Singapore River at high tide about 100m from the scene of the December 1993 accident. The cabby was rescued by a hawker who dived into the river after witnessing the accident.

And on June 24, 1989, five people were killed when a Toyota Corolla plunged into the Singapore River near Clarke Quay during heavy rain.

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Ex-union leader Phey Yew Kok gets 5 years' jail for CBT, Singapore News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ex-union-leader-phey-yew-kok-gets-5-years-jail-for-cbt?xtor=EREC-16-1[ST_Newsletter_AM]-20160123-[Ex-union+leader+Phey+Yew+Kok+gets+5+years%27+jail+for+CBT]&xts=538291

Ex-union leader Phey Yew Kok gets 5 years' jail for CBT

{Photo omitted to avoid distraction}

(Above) The first public photo of Phey since he went on the run in 1979, and Phey in a 1973 photo at a meeting with the press on the opening of Singapore's first cooperative supermarket.PHOTOS:SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE, ST FILE

Phey Yew Kok, once Singapore's most powerful unionist before absconding after being charged with criminal breach of trust, has been sentenced to five years in jail, finally bringing to a close a criminal trial which began in 1979.
Yesterday, the 81-year-old former National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) chairman and People's Action Party (PAP) Member of Parliament, half-blind and hard of hearing, cut a frail figure in the dock as he pleaded guilty.
His lawyer later said Phey was well aware of his abuse of trust, which was something he was "very ashamed about and sorry".
Clad in a white T-shirt and brown trousers, Phey admitted to 12 of 34 charges, including 10 counts of criminal breach of trust involving $243,878. In all, he misappropriated more than $450,000 over a period of six years.
Deputy Presiding Judge Jennifer Marie said in her brief grounds of decision that instead of valuing and safeguarding the trust given to him, Phey saw fit to exploit it.
"The facts reveal that Phey, like a serial criminal, systematically and with deliberation over a period of six years, perpetrated these offences. He had no qualms in trying to evade detection and had the temerity to instigate his staff to fabricate false evidence," she said.
"His remorse, belatedly, does not displace the serious and aggravating nature of his offences and I attach little significance to this," said the judge, adding that his conduct deserved the "utmost censure of the Court".
It was front-page news when he was hauled to court to face charges in December 1979.
But the even bigger shock came when he failed to show up in court on Jan 7 the following year. He had fled Singapore on Dec 31, 1979, by taking a train to Kuala Lumpur, where he flew to Thailand. He remained a fugitive until his surrender at the Singapore Embassy in Bangkok on June 22 last year.
No other criminal has ever remained at large for as long as he has, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Kiat Pheng.
It was also revealed yesterday that as a fugitive, he could not stay in one place for long, and had to take up odd jobs, such as pig farming and hawking.
As his health got worse, it became harder for him to find a job. In those 35 years, Phey, who has three grown-up children and two granddaughters, never saw his family. According to his mitigation plea, he surrendered because he did not want to die in a foreign land, and wanted to make amends with his family.
None of his family members was present in court yesterday.
The bulk of the offences were committed when he helmed the Singapore Industrial Labour Organisation (Silo) and the Pioneer Industries Employees' Union (PIEU).
As general secretary, he had de facto power and control over the running of the two unions and their finances. "Such was the accused's position that he was seen, as union members put it, as a union 'god'," said DPP Tan.
The prosecutor accused him of treating a joint Silo-PIEU staff fund as his own "private slush fund" and "repeatedly dipping his hand into the cookie jar for his own benefit".
Phey also invested funds from Silo and PIEU in Forward Supermarket, later renamed Save-Well Supermarket, without the approval of the Finance Minister.
To supply Save-Well with goods, he, together with three others, clandestinely siphoned $210,859 worth of goods from the Silo Multi-purpose Cooperative Society.
His co-accused had previously been given jail terms of between four and 12 months each.
He used his position as the MP for Boon Teck to launder the goods through the PAP Boon Teck Branch. As MP, he was also accused of misappropriating funds meant for an education centre for three- to five-year-olds in his constituency. When he was being investigated in 1979, he instigated Silo general treasurer Yoon Mei Yoke to fabricate false evidence in an attempt to exonerate himself.
SEE TOP OF THE NEWS
Phey 'led a miserable life' and lived in fear while on the run
He misused funds to pay for house, generated fake invoices
Swift rise to power and fall from grace
End of a chapter in Singapore's union history

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'Adopted' toddler case: Singaporean woman gave RM12,000 'ang pow' to girl's father, SE Asia News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/adopted-toddler-case-singaporean-woman-gave-rm12000-ang-pow-to-girls-father?xtor=EREC-16-2[ST_Newsletter_PM]-20160105-[%27Adopted%27+toddler+case%3A+Singaporean+woman+gave+RM12%2C000+%27ang+pow%27+to+girl%27s+father]&xts=538291

'Adopted' toddler case: Singaporean woman gave RM12,000 'ang pow' to girl's father

From left: Mdm Lee, Johor Temple Foundation founder Yap Yeen Min and Mrs Cannie Wong at the press conference. ST PHOTO: AZIZ HUSSIN

JOHOR BARU - The couple who adopted two-year-old Angie Tiong gave a RM12,000 (S$3,940) 'ang pow' to the Malaysian toddler's father out of 'goodwill and sympathy'.

Mrs Cannie Wong, Angie's adoptive mother, revealed this during a press conference held at the South Johore Chinese Press Club - about a 10-minute drive from the Causeway - on Tuesday (Jan 5) morning.

"The middleman (who introduced Angie to the couple) said her father has debts and hoped we could help. So we provided it...it's like a token sum, so legally it's okay," said Mrs Wong, a Singaporean in her 40s, in Mandarin. 

She was addressing reporters together with her mother-in-law and Malaysian businessman and Johor Temple Foundation founder Yap Yeen Min - whom the couple had sought for help over the case - at the press conference.

Mrs Wong's husband, a Malaysian and Singapore permanent resident, was unable to attend the press conference as he was ill.

Contrary to earlier reports that said the couple were childless, Mrs Wong revealed that they have a son but she had wanted a daughter. They started looking for a child in 2013 and had attended adoption courses in Singapore.

Angie's 33-year-old father, who has a history of substance abuse, was accused by relatives of "selling" Angie after he took her away from her Johor Baru home on Nov 9 last year. He subsequently reported her missing on Dec 10. 

According to Malaysian newspaper China Press, Angie's mother was a Vietnamese who abandoned her when she was a baby.

Mrs Wong said she was shocked when her friend showed her newspaper reports of Angie's disappearance.

"I didn't know her family was so complicated. My intentions were purely to adopt her and provide a good family for her," she said.

The Wongs had brought Angie over to Singapore in mid-November after completing the adoption process in Malaysia through a lawyer.

They had planned to begin the adoption process in Singapore but decided to send Angie to Ipoh to be cared for by Mrs Wong's 75-year-old mother-in-law as they had business to attend to. 

Angie was in Ipoh when news first broke of the case at the end of December. 

While Malaysian police are still investigating the case, Mrs Wong revealed that she had recorded all her statements with the police. 

She also does not intend to claim back the RM12,000 'ang pow' she gave to Angie's father

"The case (for me) is closed already," she said. "We just want our normal lives back." 

Describing Angie as a "sweet" and "very intelligent" girl, Mrs Wong said she was content so long as Angie's relatives could provide the girl with a good and happy environment to grow up in.

When asked if she has plans to keep in touch with Angie or be her godmother, Mrs Wong said: "Her background is too complicated. So no...but in the future if she needs help, I'll help her but I'll go through Mr Yap."

Mr Yap Yeen Min carrying a smiling Angie after her haircut. PHOTO: COURTESY OF YAP YEEN MIN 

On why Angie's hair was cut short, Mrs Wong explained it was because the toddler did not like to shampoo her hair.

Angie is currently in the care of social workers and underwent a routine medical check-up at Hospital Sultanah Aminah on Monday.

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Missing JB toddler 'adopted by Singapore couple', SE Asia News & Top Stories - The Straits Times

http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/missing-jb-toddler-adopted-by-singapore-couple

Missing JB toddler 'adopted by Singapore couple'

JOHOR BARU • A two-year-old girl who went missing for weeks after an outing with her father has been reportedly "adopted" by a couple in Singapore, after the incident sparked a frantic search in Malaysia for the child.

The toddler, Angie Tiong, was being cared for by her relatives when her father took her away from her Johor Baru home on Nov 9 last year. But when the 33-year-old man, who has not been identified, failed to return with the girl, her relatives questioned the man who lodged a missing person police report on Dec 10.

The father, who has a history of substance abuse, told the police that he handed his child to a man in Johor who gave him RM12,000 (S$4,000). Angie's relatives suspect that he has sold his daughter.

Citing a source, China Press reported that the toddler - who is said to have been abandoned by her Vietnamese mother - has been "adopted" by a childless married couple in Singapore.

The paperwork was done by a lawyer in Johor Baru appointed by the couple's middleman, said the source, adding that the adoption process was done according to Singapore laws and Angie's father signed over the custody of the girl to the couple.

It is believed that the couple has never seen Angie's father. The source said he is not sure if money was given to him.

Angie's uncle Luo Jie Cheng, 49, told reporters that the couple had promised to take the child to the Johor Police Headquarters on Thursday, after reading news about her disappearance.

But the couple did not appear and instead got their lawyer to handle the case, according to Mr Luo, who waited for hours at the police station with his wife. They probably backed out due to the media attention, he added.

The police earlier said they have arrested three suspects - a cook, a labourer and an unemployed man - all aged between 30 and 33 years old. Angie's father was released after questioning.

It is not clear if Angie is in Malaysia or Singapore now, but she is said to be staying with relatives of her "adopted parents", the China Press reported.

Angie's aunt Tiong Mei Ling, 37, who works as a hawker stall helper in Singapore, was emotional when she learnt the girl was safe.

"I am really very happy. Friday is my birthday and to have found Angie is the best birthday present for me," she was quoted as saying by the Chinese language daily.

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