SINGAPORE: A second bug bounty programme targeting five Government systems and websites in Singapore is currently underway, according to a joint release by the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) and Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA).

Issued on Friday (Dec 21), both agencies said they will partner local and overseas ethical, or white hat, hackers to search for vulnerabilities in these systems in return for rewards.

READ: Singapore start-up catches computer bugs for a living, and wants more to do the same

The five highly used systems are: the Gov.sg website, the REACH website, Ministry of Communications and Information’s Press Accreditation Card Online, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) website and MFA’s eRegister. 

Rewards for vulnerabilities found can range from US$250 to US$10,000 depending on its severity, and reported bugs will be addressed by the relevant organisation, the release said. 

US-based HackerOne is again running the programme for the Government and it will last three weeks. It conducted one for the Ministry of Defence last December, which saw it pay out US$14,750 in bounties to 17 successful hackers who participated.

“The Government Bug Bounty Programme is part of the Singapore Government’s ongoing efforts to build a secure and resilient Smart Nation,” GovTech and CSA said. 

“With cyberattacks growing in scale and complexity, the (programme) will help to build an innovative cyber ecosystem, draw in a wide range of expertise to help identify the Government’s cyber blind spots, and benchmark its defences against skilled global hackers.”

Key findings from this exercise will be shared next March and such bug bounty programmes will be expanded to includre more Government IT systems in future, they added. 

SINGAPORE: After months of silence and as the deadline to roll out nationwide outdoor mobile service coverage here loomed large, Singapore’s fourth telco TPG Telecom finally showed more of its intentions for this market. 

In a press release on Friday (Dec 21), TPG said it will offer free mobile service for a year to the first 20,000 who register their interest with the telco. 

The SIM-only plan includes unlimited data and unlimited mobile-to-mobile calls, it added. However, data at 4G speeds are capped at 2GB, after which it will be capped at 1Mbps on a daily basis. There will also be 20 local SMS messages and 20 minutes of outgoing calls to local fixed lines each month, it added. 

Mobile calls require a voice over LTE (VoLTE) capable handset compatible with its mobile network, and devices like Huawei’s Nova 3i, P20 and Mate 20 as well as Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and S9+ are supported, TPG said.   

The successful applicants will be provided with a newly allocated number as mobile number porting is currently being certified and will be made available after the trial, the company said. 

It added the trial plan comes with no lock-in contract and customers will be notified of the standard monthly charge at least two months before the end of the 12-month free trial period. 

The press release did not state if this free mobile service replaces or complements its March announcement that it plans to offer free 24-month data plan to elderly at launch. 

But replying to Channel NewsAsia’s queries, TPG said it aims to improve on the plan and will soon release it when it is able to port mobile numbers along with improved voice calling support across a wider spectrum of devices that are commonly used by senior citizens.

“Through this service trial, we hope to seek public feedback as we optimise our network and service offerings through our unique Community Forum. The trial plan announced is tailored to encourage active usage of our network and we hope to eventually extend the incredible benefits and value when we launch full commercial services,” said executive chairman David Teoh in the release.

There were question marks over TPG Telecom’s plans here after it announced a US$11 billion merger with Vodafone Hutchinson Australia in August, which includes plans to spin off the Singapore operations. 

It did not reply to Channel NewsAsia’s queries on these issues previously.  

Those interested to participate in the trial can register their interest at www.tpgtelecom.com.sg.

SINGAPORE: A woman has been taken to hospital after a fire broke out at Rentokil Initial in MacPherson on Friday morning (Dec 21). 

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it responded to the incident at 16 Jalan Mesin at about 9.20am. 

“Upon SCDF’s arrival, the fire was well alight at the ground floor of a building. SCDF is currently at work with six water jets,” it first said in a Facebook post at 10.20am.

In a later update at around noon, SCDF said a total of 14 emergency vehicles and about 45 firefighters were deployed.

“At the height of the operations, seven water jets, including the application of foam, were used to bring the fire under control.”  

The fire, which involved pest control equipment, was fully extinguished in about two hours, said SCDF, adding that damping down operations were ongoing. 

Damping down is a term to describe the application of water to wet burnt surfaces immediately after a fire is put out. This is to prevent any potential rekindling of fire from hot surfaces. 

SCDF added that the injured woman was taken to Raffles Hospital after complaining of back pain while evacuating the building. No one else was injured.

In an update on Facebook at 10.51am, SCDF said, the fire was “under control” and that it was confined to a storage area on the ground floor of the three-storey building. 

In a statement to the media, Rentokil Initial confirmed the fire broke out at their premises. A total of 84 employees were evacuated, and the woman was taken to hospital “due to a prior injury,” the pest company said. 

Rentokil added that it is investigating the cause of the fire. 

Photos and videos sent in by Channel NewsAsia reader Raymond Wee showed plumes of thick black smoke billowing from the scene. “We took notice (to the fire) due to a loud explosion around 9.30am,” he said, adding that there were two other explosions.

Another reader, May who worked opposite the building, said she immediately evacuated her office when she heard loud explosions at about 9.30am. 

“I asked our building cleaner the cause of the fire, they said no idea but there are lots of chemicals inside that cause the fire (to) rise so quickly,” she added.

Channel NewsAsia reader Khyree Adriel Tan said the fire appeared to be put out by about 10.30am, adding that there was still a burning smell in the Circuit Road area at the time. 

Twitter user @owais_zahid also posted video of the smoke. 

This story came from a reader tip-off. If you would like to send in photos or videos of something newsworthy, WhatsApp our Mediacorp news hotline at +65 8218 8281 or message us on Facebook.

SINGAPORE: A woman has been taken to hospital after a fire broke out at 16 Jalan Mesin, in MacPherson on Friday morning (Dec 21). 

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it responded to the incident at about 9.20am. 

“Upon SCDF’s arrival, the fire was well alight at the ground floor of a building. SCDF is currently at work with six water jets,” it said in a Facebook post. 

Photos and videos sent in by Channel NewsAsia reader Raymond Wee showed plumes of thick black smoke billowing from the scene. “We took notice (to the fire) due to a loud explosion around 9.30am,” he said, adding that there were two other explosions.

In an update on Facebook at 10.51am, SCDF said, the fire was “under control” and that it was confined to a storage area on the ground floor of the three-storey building. 

Channel NewsAsia Khyree Adriel Tan said the fire appeared to be put out by about 10.30am, adding that there was still a burning smell in the Circuit Road area at the time. 

Twitter user @owais_zahid also posted video of the smoke. 

This story is developing. Please refresh for updates.

This story came from a reader tip-off. If you would like to send in photos or videos of something newsworthy, WhatsApp our Mediacorp news hotline at +65 8218 8281 or message us on Facebook.

SINGAPORE: As 2018 comes to a close, the Marina Bay area is set to be the centre of celebrations as Singapore welcomes in the New Year.

Here’s our round-up of events to check out: 

MARINA BAY LIGHT UP

From Dec 26, the facades of Marina Bay landmarks will be lit with colourful projections adapted from artworks by students and beneficiaries of local schools and welfare organisations.

Among these landmarks is The Fullerton Hotel Singapore. From Dec 26 to Dec 31, its facade will be illuminated with artworks by the beneficiaries of the Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN) and the Metta Welfare Association (Metta).

The shows run at 15-minute intervals between 8pm and 10.30pm, except on New Year’s Eve when it will run until 11.30pm.

From Dec 29 to 31, between 8.15pm and 10.30pm, there will also be light projection shows on the ArtScience Museum showcasing artworks by beneficiaries of AWWA and the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore (CPAS).

Artwork by students from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) will be projected on the Merlion on Dec 29 and 30 between 8pm and 10.30pm. On New Year’s Eve, the show will be extended until 11.30pm.

The light projections are part the Build A Dream initiative, presented by the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown, in partnership with National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) to support the less fortunate in fulfilling their dreams and personal development.

COUNTDOWN PARTIES

A seven-minute fireworks display, visible from around Marina Bay, is set to light up the sky at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Day. Leading up to the big moment are an array of activities and programmes lined up through the evening.

Live performances will feature in Mediacorp’s Let Celebrate 2018 countdown concert at The Promontory. Look out for the augmented reality (AR) mermaid created by four students from ITE College Central. 

Over at The Float @ Marina Bay, a fireworks musical – part of the STAR ISLAND Singapore Countdown Edition – will aim to wow audiences with an hour of performance acts by taiko drummers, dancers and fire performers. 

FESTIVAL FUN

If you’re in the market for more thrills and spills, the Prudential Marina Bay Carnival is back for a second year – and promises four new rides. 

​​​​​​​

Here’s what last year’s carnival looked like:

The Civic District is also going car-free again. From 4pm on Dec 31, St Andrew’s Road, part of Fullerton Road, the stretch of Connaught Drive between Esplanade Park and The Padang will be closed to traffic.

At Esplanade Park, The Incubator will feature a pop-up lifestyle festival featuring a local craft bazaar. On the ground level, visitors will be able to relive their childhood days by taking part in capteh, congkak and five stones challenges. Kids will also be able to enjoy bouncy castles as part of the Families for Life celebrations.

At Empress Lawn, outdoor movie screenings and live band performances will keep you entertained.

KEEPING FIT

To keep things moving, hop on the Popcycle for a spin around Connaught Drive and Fullerton Road after 8.30pm. The Asian Civilisations Museum will also be turned into an open dance floor, with a free salsa dancing workshop.

Or if you’re looking for some family-friendly sports and activities – along St Andrew’s Road and in Esplanade Park, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) will have giant board games like snakes and ladders, tic tac toe and “bubble soccer”, as well as golf and archery.

There’s also the HPB Countdown Dance Workout, comprising Fight-Do, K-Kardio Dance and Zumba, in front of the National Gallery Singapore.

SINGAPORE: Walk into any hawker center in Singapore and one might come across one of six food ventures by Yu Kee Group including the eponymous Yu Kee Braised Duck Rice stall.

Apart from their famous duck rice, Yu Kee also owns food brands like Penang Kitchen, My Kampung Chicken Rice and Suka Ramai. It is also in the business of running food courts with its own two chains, halal-certified My Kampung Food Court and Kampung Food Court. 

The group operates more than than 50 stalls, a quarter of which is located within hawker centres, including those run by social enterprises. These so-called socially-conscious hawker centres (SEHCs) were introduced in 2015 and have been in the spotlight recently as hawkers located within them grapple with the new model of hawker centre management.

The government said a review of this “generally sound” model is underway to allay hawkers’ concerns over low profit margins, rising operating costs and challenging operating conditions.

Yu Kee founder Seah Book Lock told Channel NewsAsia that the group has come a long way from its hawker beginnings in the 1950s as a street pushcart stall. While he acknowledged the challenging environment for hawkers today, he said they “can still succeed” as he did.

SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY TO GROW

Mr Seah said Yu Kee started with a stall operated by his father at Lakeview Hawker Centre in the 1970s. In the 1990s, he and his four brothers expanded the business to eight stalls. 

“Around the 1980s, I realised that there were a lot of new neighbourhood centres and coffeeshops spaces in Yishun. Rent was cheap at that time and business at these eateries was very good,” he said.

“People who moved from kampongs to these new flats had some money and they were willing to spend more on food unlike during my father’s day where people mostly ate at home,” Mr Seah added.

In the last decade, Yu Kee decided to set up a central kitchen which helped not only to maintain quality but also allowed them to scale up, he said. 

However, just when the business was growing with the central kitchen, Yu Kee was hit badly by SARS in 2003 and two bouts of Avian flu in 2004 and 2006. 

“We saw some brands which were selling chicken or duck dishes shutter their business and did not recover from that time,” said Mr Seah.

“After the second Avian flu outbreak, we were scared by how affected the business was and I decided that we had to venture beyond duck rice. We started with Suka Ramai which offered halal char kway teow,” he added. The new brands came about after research and development of new recipes.

Like Mr Seah, former hawker Jimmy Soh seized an opportunity to start Tenderfresh in 1982, which offers fried chicken at an affordable price.

“Last time people rarely went to KFC. Only during birthdays or celebrations. At that time, nobody sold fried spring chicken at all. We were the only one,” Mr Soh said. 

The business idea was sparked when he worked as a chicken salesman. He noticed that his customers were rejecting undersized chickens for larger ones. He decided to sell them as fried chickens as he did not want to let them go to waste.

In the first year at Whitley Road Hawker Centre, business was “really bad” and Mr Soh’s stall chalked up meagre sales – S$50 to S$60 daily.

“I was forced to add new products to the menu like barbecued chicken wings. That recipe was so good that before I opened my stall, orders would come in for say, 300 pieces of BBQ wings and spring chicken,” he said. 

After a few years a second Tenderfresh outlet was opened at a coffee shop in Jurong.

“It’s not that we made money and so we wanted to expand. I had the thought that if we had one outlet, there is a limit to how much money we can make. So we decided for my wife to open a second outlet so we can make more. We had the dream to grow bigger,” he said. 

Mr Soh said he wanted his brand to be seen everywhere and to become a household name so the company expanded rapidly and worked on its branding. For instance, the brand works with actor-host Ben Yeo who co-owns several outlets. From a hawker stall, Tenderfresh expanded first through coffeeshops but later moved onto having its own eateries such as its flagship store on Cheong Chin Nam Road and hawker-themed restaurant Hawkerman. 

“We had an outlet in Clementi and that’s where the universities are. So we targeted students and came to be a student favourite,” Mr Soh said. 

Tenderfresh now has 68 outlets across its food brands. It also has a presence in regional capital cities such as Kuala Lumpur and Yangon. At one point, it had more than 100 outlets but some had to shutter due to manpower shortages. 

“At the end of the day, hawker work is very tough work. I have worked those hours and I know it myself. 14 to 16 hours a day with little breaks, it is not an attractive job,” Mr Soh said. 

While operating conditions now may be different from when the two men started as hawkers, Mr Seah was optimistic that hawkers today can still succeed regardless of where their stalls are, SEHC or not.

What is important is the recipe, the hawker’s commitment to consistency and quality and good service, said Mr Seah. That is half the battle won, Mr Soh said. 

DIFFICULT CONDITIONS TODAY, BUT STILL POSSIBLE TO SUCCEED

Mr Soh said that when Tenderfresh first started out at Whitley Road Hawker Centre in the 80s, monthly expenses including rent and miscellaneous charges were about S$230. Today, running a hawker stall can run one’s expenses up to S$3,000 to S$4,000, he said.

However, he was quick to point out that the environment then was different. 

“There were not really these extra services like cleaning services and the area was quite dirty,” he said. There were also subsidies for first-generation hawkers who moved from the streets to newly-built hawker centre premises, he added. 

Apart from operational costs, raw material costs have gone up over the years and food prices do not commensurate the increases, he added.

“Over the years, these costs have increased by 40 to 50 per cent. The selling price has not increased 40 to 50 per cent. The selling price increased only about 20 to 30 per cent. In a way, they are earning less than first-generation hawkers,” he said. 

Tenderfresh used to offer its fried spring chicken for S$3.50 in the 80s.

Today, it continues to offer the same signature fried chicken but at S$10.50. But the chickens used are now bigger and can be shared by two to three persons. 

Despite that, rising costs have eroded profit margins to about 5 per cent, he said. But Tenderfresh makes up for it in its volume of sales and collaborations with other F&B brands, Mr Soh added. 

READ: Profit margins for hawker fare? As low as 20 to 30 cents

In such an environment, he acknowledged that hawkers need a strong commitment to succeed, adding that other jobs would offer better perks such as annual leave entitlement, medical benefits and regular working hours. 

“When the younger generation come out to work, they can look for a S$3,000 to S$4,000 job easily. When they come to join as a hawker, I doubt they can get S$3,000 to S$4,000. Some even can make S$1,000 to S$2,000 or even in worse cases, make losses. So do you think it’s worth for them to give the hawker trade a try?” said Mr Soh. 

Mr Soh wondered if Tenderfresh would be as successful if it was to start and operate in the current environment. 

READ: COMMENTARY: Our hawkers deserve more

SUPPORTING HAWKERS TODAY

To support the vocation, Mr Soh has partnered up with young hawkers by opening up his centralised kitchen to help them deal with rising costs while expanding their business. 

Mr Soh said that in the last few years, Tenderfresh has worked with four second- and third-generation hawkers including Yong Tan, the son of “Hokkien Mee Master” Tan Kue Kim, to preserve his father’s legacy. 

Under the collaboration of more than a year, an area was carved out of Tenderfresh’s high-tech central kitchen to allow Warong Kim to scale up its food production with savings. 

The brand expanded to set up two hawker stalls Warong Kim’s Goreng Delights at two SEHCs at Our Tampines Hub and Kampung Admiralty. 

READ: Fish balls made by hand and sold out daily? Meet one of a rare breed of hawkers

“For them to start up themselves, it’s very costly. They have to put in S$300,000 to S$400,000 to start a central kitchen. You must also have at least 15 outlets then your central kitchen will make sense if not it will be a cost burden,” he said.

“It’s also a win-win situation. I can have more business, my volume will grow. What we can supply them is way much cheaper,” he added. The collaboration puts him in touch with F&B owners that could potentially complement the food offerings under Tenderfresh and diversify his business, he said. 

In this way, Mr Soh said he can also extend a hand to help young hawkers and preserving disappearing traditional dishes.

“You can succeed. Have a good recipe. Aim for quality instead of quantity or extras like ‘Instagrammable food’ and so on. These things are no use,” he said. 

SINGAPORE: Fourteen people were taken to hospital on Thursday (Dec 20) evening after a tree at Sembawang Park fell on a shelter during a thunderstorm.

It was one of two trees that were uprooted during intense thunderstorms and gusty winds on Thursday evening, the National Parks Board (NParks) said.

The tree that fell on the shelter was an Erythrophleum suaveolens, commonly known as a red water tree. It was around 21m tall, according to NParks.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that it responded to the incident at Beaulieu Road at about 5.55pm. Rescue and medical resources were dispatched to the scene. 

There were no trapped casualties when SCDF arrived at the scene and the 14 people were taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in SCDF ambulances.

READ: Two cars damaged by fallen tree near Dawson

READ: Fallen trees on TPE block traffic on Saturday morning

Another tree, a Tabebuia rosea, also known as a trumpet tree, was also uprooted in the storm, NParks said.

Mr Chuah Hock Seong, NParks group director for parks, said the board was investigating the cause of the incident.

“We understand that all the injured persons are in stable condition and we are in the midst of getting in touch with them and their families,” he added.

INJURED WERE HAVING CHRISTMAS PARTY BEFORE TREE FELL

Mr Lim Hock Lye, who owns restaurant Beaulieu House in Sembawang Park, told Channel NewsAsia that he saw police and SCDF officers in the park at around 6pm.

He said he heard from a passer-by that a group of about 10 to 15 were having a Christmas party near a playground. They took shelter in a pavilion, which was crushed when the tree fell on it, he said.

“I understand from the other people there that there’s a group of around 10 to 15 persons partying, then the sudden rain came and they took cover,” he said.

“I think it’s because of the heavy rain and thunderstorm, the old tree was tilted, and it crushed onto the shelter, so those people taking cover under there got injured.”

READ: Tembusu tree accident: Death of woman a ‘tragic misadventure’, says coroner

READ: Inspection of trees in Singapore in line with global standards: NParks in 2017

READ: NParks arborists inspect trees under its purview; job not outsourced: Lawrence Wong in 2017

SINGAPORE: Fourteen people were taken to hospital on Thursday (Dec 20) evening after a tree fell in Sembawang Park. 

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they responded to the incident at Beaulieu Road at about 5.55pm. Rescue and medical resources were dispatched to the scene. 

There were no trapped casualties and the 14 people were taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in SCDF ambulances.

Mr Lim Hock Lye, who owns restaurant Beaulieu House in Sembawang Park, told Channel NewsAsia that he saw police and SCDF officers in the park at around 6pm. 

He said he heard from a passer-by that a group of about 10 were having a Christmas party near a playground. They took shelter in a pavilion, which was crushed when the tree fell on it, he said.

It was raining heavily in the area at the time of the incident, the Meteorological Service Singapore’s Weather@SG app showed.

The National Environment Agency had issued a heavy rain alert at around 5.50pm, warning of “moderate to heavy thundery showers with gusty wind” over the northern, eastern and central areas of Singapore at the time.

This story is developing. Refresh for updates.

SINGAPORE: For the first time, revellers ringing in the new year in Singapore will be treated to a special augmented reality (AR) segment at this year’s Mediacorp countdown party at The Promontory, which will also feature a host of local acts.
 
At the Let’s Celebrate 2019 show ‪on Dec 31‬, a mermaid created using AR will emerge and “swim” above the audience during an act by local singer-songwriter Joel Tan – better known as Gentle Bones.

The one-minute spectacle was created by four students from ITE College Central’s School of Design and Media with media company Cgangs International over three months.

Speaking to Channel NewsAsia on Thursday (Dec 20), one of the students, Mr Shermon See, said many factors such as where the audience will be and where the live performance will take place had to be considered when determining where and how the mermaid would move.

“We took time doing a lot of research, watching videos online and slowly getting the hang of it (animating) and slowly playing with the more advanced stuff in animation. I felt nervous at first, but after getting closer to the date, I felt more rewarded as I know this is one of the best works we have done,” the 18-year-old said.

The idea to incorporate AR in this year’s show came from its executive producer Lum Wai Loon, who was inspired by a gaming championship that had used the feature.

“We used a gaming technology (to do this). We are actually marrying the two – getting domain knowledge from some of the people who are actually very well-versed in the gaming industry and putting it into the broadcast medium,” said Mr Lum.

“There is actually a gap in the skill set in Singapore. We do not actually have the people working in the gaming industry to merge together with the broadcast industry,” he added. “So that’s how we got in touch with ITE College Central … That also gave us an opportunity to find and groom new talent in this industry as well.”

Such collaboration with homegrown talent seems to be the key message of this year’s show – which aims to unite Singaporeans.

The event will also feature a fashion show, done in collaboration with renowned Singaporean fashion icon Daniel Boey. Audiences can expect to see Singapore models don locally designed pieces.

Local music talents will be performing at the event too, including veteran performers Taufik Batisah and Joanna Dong, as well as up-and-coming rappers Yung Raja and Fariz Jabba.

“We no longer live in a vacuum, where we stand alone as a media company. We need to start leveraging on other people’s strengths in this whole ecosystem. We are all working in a very challenging environment trying to catch the eyeballs of people, and also with very limited resources. So the only way to succeed in doing well is that we start to look out for people to collaborate with us,” said Mr Lum.

Let’s Celebrate 2019 will be hosted by Mediacorp artistes Chua Enlai and Sonia Chew. 

The free event is expected to attract a 5,000-strong crowd, as well as hundreds of thousands more watching on Channel 5 and Toggle.

LONDON: Oil prices fell more than 4 percent on Thursday, hitting their lowest in more than a year on worries about oversupply and the outlook for energy demand as a U.S. interest rate rise knocked stock markets.

Stock markets dropped worldwide after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised rates and maintained most of its guidance for additional hikes over the next two years, dashing investor hopes for a more dovish policy outlook.

U.S. light crude oil fell US$2.35 a barrel, or 4.9 percent, to a low of US$45.82, before recovering a little to around US$46.50 by 1020 GMT.

North Sea Brent dropped down US$2.60, or 4.5 percent, to a low of US$54.64 a barrel, its lowest since September 2017.

Both major oil futures contracts rallied sharply on Wednesday but are now at or close to their lowest levels for over 15 months, more than 30 percent below multi-year highs reached at the beginning of October.

“Wednesday’s recovery was short-covering,” said Xi Jiarui, chief oil analyst at consultancy JLC.

“Investors quickly moved their attention to deteriorating fundamentals in the oil markets, including more signs of slowing economic growth next year, record production and the lack of confidence with OPEC’s pledge to curb production.”

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other oil producers including Russia agreed this month to curb output by 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) in an attempt to drain tanks and boost prices.

But the cuts will not happen until next month, and production has been at or near record highs in the United States, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said he expected global oil stocks to fall by the end of the first quarter, but added that the market remained vulnerable to political and economic factors as well as speculation.

OPEC plans to release a table detailing voluntary output cut quotas for its members and allies such as Russia in an effort to shore up prices, OPEC Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo said in a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday.

U.S. inventory data offered some support.

U.S. crude inventories fell by 497,000 barrels in the week to Dec. 14, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said, smaller than the decrease of 2.4 million barrels analysts had expected.

Distillate stockpiles , which include diesel and heating oil, dropped by 4.2 million barrels, the EIA said, versus expectations of a 573,000-barrel increase.

Distillate demand rose to the highest since January 2003, which bolstered buying, particularly in heating oil futures, the market’s proxy for diesel.

(For a graphic on ‘Global oil inventories’ click https://tmsnrt.rs/2SiXCUQ)

(Reporting by Christopher Johnson in London and Meng Meng and Aizhu Chen in Beijing; Editing by Dale Hudson and Jan Harvey)