CDAC increases funds to help families

Self-help group Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) has set aside more funds to help more families move up the social ladder.

Its budget for this year is bigger by 15 per cent - at about S$25 million, and it aims to help 64,500 beneficiaries. Last year, it spent more than S$21 million to help 61,700 people.

Yesterday, the self-help group unveiled a song and a logo to mark the council's 20th anniversary. While the self-help group has made good progress over the past two decades, CDAC chairman Lim Swee Say expects the pace of economic restructuring to be "even faster, in response to global competition".

There will also be programmes for workers to motivate them to pursue a better career path. However, these new programmes will cost more.

Mr Lim said: "The support needed per student, per family, per worker, relatively speaking, is higher than our so-called traditional programmes in helping them to cope with examinations and so on.

"The amount of effort and resources needed for each student, worker and family will likewise go up. What it means is that we need more financial resources and at the same time, if not more importantly, we need to have more volunteers."

CDAC will also set up two new centres in Bedok and Jurong in collaboration with the respective Community Development Councils.

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Third suspect named in ATM fraud case

Ref: 2 Malaysians arrested as DBS pays out S$1m to 696 customers in ATM scam

A third suspect, Chin Yew Pong, has been named along with the two Malaysians who were charged in court yesterday for their involvement in the DBS ATM skimming case.

Loke Siew Fei, 27, and H'ng Gaik Chin, 39, were arrested on Thursday at a hotel in Lorong 22 Geylang, during a raid operation by the Commercial Affairs Department of the Singapore Police Force.

They were found with various devices used for ATM card skimming, including a customised panel with a pin-hole camera and a fake Fraudulent Device Inhibitor (FDI). The FDI they possessed was a green plastic object resembling an ATM card slot, ST said.

Loke and H'ng had their charges read to them on Saturday morning. If found guilty, they face a jail term of up to 10 years, or a fine, or both.

No further details were provided by the court about Chin, the alleged accomplice.

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Hacker says to release full Norton Antivirus code on Tuesday

A hacker who goes by the name of 'Yama Tough' threatened on Saturday to release next week the full source code for Symantec Corp's flagship Norton Antivirus software.

'This coming Tuesday behold the full Norton Antivirus 1,7Gb src, the rest will follow,' Yama Tough posted via Twitter.

In the past week Yama Tough has released fragments of source code from Symantec products along with a cache of emails. The hacker says all the data was taken from Indian government servers.

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Man steals temple's donation box to splurge on beer and cigarettes

On Nov 8 2011 at 9.20pm, the caretaker of Long Nan Dian Temple in Jalan Kayu had locked up the temple leaving a donation tin at the temple's entrance. There was a lock on the tin but it was not secured to any fixture. The next morning, the tin was missing.

Investigations revealed that Chew Chin Hwang, 42 stole the tin, broke it open and spent the $350 he found mostly on beer and cigarettes.

By the time he was arrested on Nov 22, Chew had also broken into four vehicles parked at the multi-storey car parks in Sengkang. He smashed the windows of the cars and stole $160 in cash and cashcards with a total stored value of $104.

Chew was sentenced to five years of corrective training. This harsher prison regime is specially for recalcitrant offenders and incorporated strenuous activities and counselling to instill discipline and training so inmates are able to find employment upon release. There is also no one-third remission of sentence that ordinary prisoners get for good behaviour.

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Falling cat leaves elderly woman critically hurt

An elderly woman in Argentina was left fighting for her life on Saturday after a cat thrown out of a fourth-floor apartment during a heated argument landed on her head.

The incident occurred in the Belgrano neighbourhood of Buenos Aires when, during a dispute, a man grabbed the family cat and threw it at his wife who managed to dodge the feline, which then sailed through an open window plunging toward the ground and striking the woman, an 85-year-old neighbour.

Police told Argentine media that the victim suffered a fractured skull and was rushed to hospital, where she had to be connected to a ventilator.

The report was silent on the fate of the cat.

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What does it take to be a part of Scoot's cabin crew?

Singapore's first long-haul budget carrier Scoot said it could fly to five or more destinations other than Sydney, when it begins operations in June.

In an exclusive interview with MediaCorp, Scoot said it has also recruited the 51 pilots it needs.

The pilots - 26 captains and 25 first officers - will undergo training soon.

It has also hired half of the 240 cabin crew staff it requires.

Scoot received more than a thousand online applications for its first of three mass recruitment drives for cabin crew.

The airline is open to hiring those without any prior experience.

Candidates are first tested on their verbal and mathematical skills, followed by a problem-solving task as a group, while their every move is assessed by staff from Scoot.

After that is a test on public-speaking.

Candidates face a final round of interviews before being informed on the same day if they made the cut.

In the first recruitment drive, only about one in two candidates were offered a job.

Ng Ju Li, Scoot's head of cabin crew, said: "We are not a stereotypical airline that looks only for beauties of a certain height and weight... all those things are not so important to us.

"They need to be able to converse and entertain passengers to keep them occupied, because we are going medium to long haul, and will need to keep passengers engaged."

Scoot's CEO Campbell Wilson, said: "They are constantly up and down the aisle, and they are constantly selling, because at the end of the day, our model is based on people purchasing services, over and above the very cheap seat that we are selling to begin with."

The typical starting salary for cabin crew working with a budget carrier is about S$2,200. And one difference with Scoot is that compared to most airlines, Scoot's cabin crew will be expected to share rooms during their transit stops.

The next two recruitment drives will take place in February and March.

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MSL Roundup: T-Team lead the way in Malaysia

Malaysian Super League Saturday Results

T-Team 3-0 Kuala Lumpur

Kedah 0-0 LionsXII

Sabah 2-1 Sarawak

Terengganu 3-0 Felda United 

Selangor 1-0 Perak

Negri Sembilan 2-0 Johor FC

T-Team continued where they left off after gunning down Kuala Lumpur 3-0 at Stadium Hang Jebat in Melaka, thanks to a brace from skipper Zairo Anuar Zalani and a strike from Zacharia Simukonda.

The LIONSXII registered their maiden point of the new campaign after playing out a goalless draw with Kedah at Stadium Darul Aman in Alor Star. Chances were at a premium for both sides with Shahril Ishak perhaps coming closest for the visitors in the second half with a header that flashed just wide of goal.

Sabah claimed the share of the spoils in their East Malaysian derby clash with Sarawak after earning a 2-1 win at Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu. Goals from Michael William Baird and Bobby Gonzales secured all three points for Sabah while K.Ravindran netted Sarawak's only goal of the match.

Terengganu drubbed Felda United 3-0 at the Stadium Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah with Mohamad Ashaari Samsudin grabbing a double coupled with a Faruqi Asha'ri effort.

Heavyweights Selangor overcame Perak in a hard-fought 1-0 triumph at Stadium Nasional in Bukit Jalil with Safiq Rahim finding the back of the net.

Negri Sembilan defeated Johor FC 2-0 at the Pasir Gudang Municipal Council Stadium with Ahmad Shakir Md. Ali netting an impressive double.

Super League 2012

POS TEAM P W D L F A +/- PTS 1 Terengganu PBDKT T-Team 2 2 0 0 6 0 6 6 2 Negeri Sembilan 2 1 1 0 4 2 2 4 3 Selangor 2 1 1 0 3 2 1 4 4 Terengganu 2 1 0 1 3 1 2 3 5 Sarawak 2 1 0 1 3 2 1 3 6 Kelantan 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 3 7 Perak 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 3 8 Johor FC 2 1 0 1 2 3 -1 3 9 Kuala Lumpur Felda United FC 2 1 0 1 2 3 -1 3 10 Sabah 2 1 0 1 2 3 -1 3 11 LION XII FC 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1 1 12 Kedah 2 0 1 1 0 3 -3 1 13 Selangor PKNS 1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0 14 Kuala Lumpur 2 0 0 2 0 5 -5 0

Related: LionsXII's lack of bite a worry

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iFly Singapore accident leaves instructor with fractured shin

The iFly Singapore, an indoor skydiving simulator, had its first accident on Saturday when an instructor fractured his right shin.

Mr Scott Pereira failed to break a high-speed dive during a demonstration for beginner flyers.

Mr Pereira, 24, has more than 100 hours of indoor skydiving experience, excluding the 20 to 30 hours of training.

He was wrapping up the 1 1/2-hour session with a demonstration of advanced techniques when he failed to complete a high-speed manoeuvre. His right leg then hit the safety net at ground level.

Witness Jeppe Wikstrom, 48, said the accident was so quick - it 'lasted less than two seconds'. The Swedish photojournalist is on holiday with his two children.

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Vatican raises 'suspicious timing' of S&P downgrade

The Vatican raised doubts on Saturday about the timing chosen by ratings agency Standard and Poor's to downgrade nine EU countries' credit-worthiness.

In a front-page article headlined 'Suspicious Timing,' the Holy See's official newspaper Osservatore Romano deplored that the rating agency's decision came 'just when the markets were showing signs of slight improvement, thanks to reduced tensions over government bonds.'

But 'the attack arrived with perfect and suspicious timing,' said the Vatican daily, referring to Friday's decision to downgrade several EU countries including France and Italy.

It was 'a partly expected decision but one that could strike a severe blow for Europe as it battles the crisis,' said the paper, noting that 'even Beijing has raised doubts about the credibility of these rating agencies.'

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DBS unremorseful after skimming gaffe

DBS Bank revealed on Saturday that both the ATMs in the Bugis area that had been compromised in the recent ATM card skimming scheme did not have 'jitter' technology turned on.

Jitter technology is commonly employed at ATM machines here and globally. It shakes the card upon insertion and removal to make it difficult for crooks who install skimming devices to get a reading.

"It is correct that the ATMs in Bugis Street did not have the 'jitter' as part of the combination of security measures in place when the skimming took place in November," a DBS spokesman said.

However the bank maintained that it was unlikely the crime could have been prevented even if that security feature had been turned on.

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BPL Sat 14 Jan Update: Merseysiders drop points, Man U and Spurs march on

Saturday 14th January 2012

Liverpool	0-0	Stoke	Preview Report
		Shawcross 28:48 Sorensen 82:58 Walters 90:00(2:13)

Aston Villa	1-1	Everton	Preview Report
Bent 55:25 Albrighton 89:02		Anichebe 68:07 Fellaini 34:15

West Brom	1-2	Norwich	Preview Report
Long 67:18 Scored		Surman 42:42 Morison 78:45 Ayala 66:32

Blackburn	3-1	Fulham	Preview Report
Pedersen 45:00(3:19) Dunn 45:56 Formica 78:38 Pedersen 74:52 Yakubu 22:33		Duff 55:17 Senderos 86:01

Man Utd	3-0	Bolton	Preview Report
Rooney 21:02 Saved Scholes 45:00(0:08) Welbeck 73:55 Carrick 82:47		Knight 20:41

Tottenham	1-1	Wolverhampton	Preview Report
Modric 50:13 Assou-Ekotto 68:44		Fletcher 21:33 Frimpong 28:54 Henry 83:07

Chelsea	1-0	Sunderland	Preview Report
Lampard 12:25 Luiz 7:38 Torres 65:25 Meireles 72:32		Cattermole 57:15

Wednesday 11th January 2012

Tottenham	2-0	Everton	Preview Report
Lennon 34:13 Assou-Ekotto 62:38 Lennon 73:55		Donovan 45:00(1:49) Cahill 82:56 Fellaini 84:25

	Teams	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	W	D	L	GF	GA	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	P
1	Man City	20	15	3	2	56	16	10	0	0	31	4	5	3	2	25	12	40	48
2	Man Utd	21	15	3	3	52	20	8	1	2	33	14	7	2	1	19	6	32	48
3	Tottenham	21	14	4	3	39	21	8	2	1	21	9	6	2	2	18	12	18	46
4	Chelsea	21	12	4	5	40	25	7	1	3	24	16	5	3	2	16	9	15	40
5	Arsenal	20	11	3	6	36	28	7	2	1	16	6	4	1	5	20	22	8	36
6	Liverpool	21	9	8	4	24	18	4	7	0	14	8	5	1	4	10	10	6	35
7	Newcastle	20	9	6	5	29	25	5	3	2	15	11	4	3	3	14	14	4	33
8	Stoke	21	8	6	7	22	31	4	4	2	14	11	4	2	5	8	20	-9	30
9	Norwich	21	7	7	7	32	36	4	3	3	17	15	3	4	4	15	21	-4	28
10	Everton	21	7	4	10	21	25	3	2	5	10	12	4	2	5	11	13	-4	25
11	Sunderland	21	6	6	9	27	24	3	4	3	14	11	3	2	6	13	13	3	24
12	Aston Villa	21	5	9	7	23	27	3	3	5	12	14	2	6	2	11	13	-4	24
13	Swansea	20	5	8	7	20	23	4	5	1	12	4	1	3	6	8	19	-3	23
14	Fulham	21	5	8	8	23	29	4	3	3	16	15	1	5	5	7	14	-6	23
15	West Brom	21	6	4	11	20	30	2	2	7	8	14	4	2	4	12	16	-10	22
16	Wolverhampton	21	4	6	11	23	37	3	2	5	14	17	1	4	6	9	20	-14	18
17	Blackburn	21	4	5	12	32	44	3	0	8	16	22	1	5	4	16	22	-12	17
18	QPR	20	4	5	11	19	35	1	4	5	9	17	3	1	6	10	18	-16	17
19	Bolton	21	5	1	15	25	46	1	1	8	11	24	4	0	7	14	22	-21	16
20	Wigan	20	3	6	11	18	41	1	4	5	10	20	2	2	6	8	21	-23	15

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