Top stories from The Straits Times on Wednesday, Feb 13

Good morning! Here are our top stories to kick-start your Wednesday, Feb 13.

HIV data leak: Gan Kim Yong defends how incident has been handled

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said that while action has been taken to delete the information that had been leaked, the authorities are still monitoring further exposure of the data. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM GOV.SG

Public disclosure of the matter was a judgment call balancing the need to be transparent and how it would affect individuals on the HIV registry, said the Health Minister.

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Faulty gear likely cause of Jan 26 blackout

Shunfu Mart Food Centre was among the areas hit by the Jan 26 blackout. It was the first power failure in five years involving a faulty voltage transformer, said Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Koh Poh Koon. PHOTO: COURTESY OF ST READER

A faulty voltage transformer at a substation was the likely cause of a 90 minute power outage last month that affected around 27,000 people.

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HIV data leak: People hold power to fight stigma, show compassion

Thousands of lives have been affected by the leak of confidential information from the HIV Registry, and some have contemplated suicide. PHOTO: REUTERS

Treat people with HIV with compassion and respect so that the condition is no longer a stigma that has to be kept secret, says ST senior health correspondent Salma Khalik.

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Interfaith champion Siti Noor Mastura named The Straits Times Singaporean of the Year 2018

President Halimah Yacob presenting the award to Singaporean of the Year winner Siti Noor Mastura. The Straits Times editor Warren Fernandez (extreme left) and Mr Edmund Koh, President UBS Asia Pacific, were also at the event. ST PHOTO: TIMOTHY DAVID

The 28-year-old, who co-founded non-profit organisation Interfaith Youth Circle, beat 10 other finalists for the award which is now into its fourth year.

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Drug lord, escape artist 'El Chapo' convicted by US jury

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is escorted by soldiers in Mexico in 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS

The world's most infamous cartel boss, who rose from poverty in rural Mexico to amass billions of dollars, was found guilty of smuggling tons of drugs to the United States over a violent, colourful, decades-long career.

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Normal (Academic) students pass subject-based banding test

Unity Secondary School's Keane Chua was promoted to the Normal (Academic) stream from Normal (Technical) when he was in Sec 2. ST PHOTO: KHALID BABA

Normal (Academic) students from the pilot scheme did "comparably" with peers from last year's O-Level cohort, said MOE.

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Merdeka Generation: 'Son of Ubi' firmly rooted in the area

Mr Low Ah Sai volunteers at an activity centre for the elderly and has no intention of stopping any time soon. PHOTOS: KELVIN CHNG, COURTESY OF LOW AH SAI

Mr Low Ah Sai was born in Ubi and has lived in the area all his life, from growing up on a poultry farm there to seeing high-rise Housing Board blocks being built.

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Thai princess apologises after being disqualified from PM run

Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya apologised on Instagram. PHOTO: AFP

Princess Ubolratana said she was genuinely sorry for causing "problems" for the Thai people ahead of next month's election.

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No Christmas cheer as December retail sales fall more steeply than expected

Car sales took the biggest hit, tumbling 20.7 per cent year on year. PHOTO: ST FILE

It was a blue Christmas for retailers, with sales well down last December - the second consecutive month of decline.

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Taking Singapore e-sports to the next level

E-sports today, like traditional sports, require a full-time commitment just to be competitive, which, in turn, requires an ecosystem capable of sustaining full-time players. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Challenges for e-sports here include getting financial help for full-time players and integrating the sport into the culture and lifestyle of Singaporeans.

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