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More and more people in Singapore are showing concern over the killing of civilians in Gaza ever since Israel launched its latest military operation on Tuesday. A Facebook page called “Singaporeans Stand with Palestine”, which was created in 2010, saw a surge of up to 10,000 new likes just this week, in a sign of rising concern about the deaths in the war-torn strip. The death toll in Gaza has shot up to close to 90 as of Friday as Israel’s military regime presses on. “To call the situation in Gaza, Palestine a 'war' is an utmost disrespect to the Palestinians. The term 'war' denotes two opposing parties (often at close military strength) fighting it out with each other,” said a Facebook user in one of the more popular posts on the page, which got over 600 Likes. Another user’s comment, “Palestine, we stand with you” got over 1,000 Likes. According to a media report, Israel has no plans for a ceasefire and that their officials seemed to have hinted on a possible invasion by ground forces. Using popular hashtags such as #SaveGaza, #PrayforGaza and #SavePalestine, many people in Singapore have flocked to social media, flooding newsfeeds with posts relating to their concerns over the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza due to Israeli strikes. Some have changed their Facebook profile cover photos to show support for those in Gaza and share political commentaries and news about the conflict on their profiles. Singapore Facebook user Sarah Bagharib who had shared a few posts on the Gaza conflict this week said to Yahoo Singapore, “One can tell when something is outrightly wrong and blatantly evil…I’m concerned for oppressed communities – those who are suffering and reaching out for help but little has been done or rather efforts have been inadequate to help them.” “I don’t think more and more people are only showing concern now. I think it has always been a cause that mainly Muslim Singaporeans have been more vocal about,” the 24-year-old added. Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also shared the government’s concern on Thursday. It said in a statement, “We are deeply concerned about the escalating violence. The rocket attacks on Israel must cease immediately. At the same time, we call on Israel to exercise maximum restraint and do its utmost to prevent the loss of innocent lives. All sides must urgently find ways to de-escalate the situation, work towards a ceasefire and ensure the safety and security of all civilians.” Singapore is not the only country showing concerns over the conflict. According to Al Jazeera, people from many Arab and Muslim countries have condemned Israel for its airstrikes that are taking place as Muslims in Gaza observe the holy month of Ramadhan. Communities such as the ones in the UK have shown their concern and support for Palestine through a “Palestine Solidarity Campaign” Facebook group. Other world leaders have also shared their views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A US state department spokesperson reportedly said, “No country should be expected to stand by while rocket attacks from a terrorist organisation are launching into their country and impacting innocent civilians.” The United Nations' Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reportedly said rocket attacks from Gaza are “unacceptable” and “condemn” the rising number of civilian lives lost in Gaza. Source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/what-is-buzzing/sympathy-for-palestine-surges-in-singapore-amid-heightened-israel-gaza-conflict-033837106.html

from what i can see, petrol prices going to increase again. the increase could be before CNY

Oil surges $11 to record $138 NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Oil prices shot up nearly $11 a barrel and settled Friday at a record $138.54 on geopolitical jitters, a dollar decline and a forecast that oil would hit $150 by July 4. Friday's spike in the July contract for light crude on the New York Mercantile Exchange marks the largest singe-day increase in oil prices on record. The contract hit an intraday record of $139.12, breaking the previous trading record of $135.09.

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp.../348308/1/.html Posted: 17 May 2008 0645 hrs NEW YORK - Oil rocketed to a new high near 128 dollars a barrel in New York Friday after a key investment bank hiked its forecast, adding to buying fervor. Goldman Sachs, the most active investment bank in energy markets, predicted a jump to 141 dollars for the second half of the year for crude. After peaking at a record 127.98 dollars, New York's main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for June delivery, closed at an all-time high of 126.29 dollars, up 2.17 dollars from Thursday's close. In London, Brent crude contract for June spiked to an all-time high of 126.34 dollars, before settling at 124.99, up 2.36 dollars. Goldman Sachs, which was one of the first in the market to call for crude prices to hit 100 dollars a barrel back in 2005, argued that global gross domestic product (GDP) growth will continue to outstrip oil production increases, pushing prices higher. It hiked its forecast to 141 dollars a barrel, from 107 dollars. "To balance trend global GDP growth of 3.8 percent against trend supply growth of 1.0 percent, prices need to rise on average 14 percent from here in the second half of 2008," the bank said in a research note, adding that "resource protectionism" by many oil-producing countries was curbing supply growth. Earlier this month, a Goldman Sachs analyst predicted prices could hit between 150 and 200 dollars a barrel over the next two years. Oil prices also were underpinned Friday by speculation about a rise in oil imports to China, the second-largest energy consumer after the United States. "Indications are PetroChina will boost imports because of the powerful earthquake in Sichuan. Supplies in the region are very tight, pipelines running there are operating at reduced capacity, and backup generators are needed to help make up for the loss of some power generation capacity," said Eric Wittenauer at Wachovia Securities. The market shrugged off the announcement that the US is suspending shipments to its strategic oil reserve for the second half of the year after Congress passed a bill calling for the halt in a bid to ease prices. The move affects up to 13 million barrels of crude oil. Meanwhile, US President George W. Bush, visiting Saudi Arabia, pressed the oil-rich kingdom to increase output to help cool runaway prices that are weighing on US and other countries' economic growth. Saudi Arabia's oil minister, Ali al-Nuaimi, told reporters the kingdom has increased oil production by 300,000 barrels per day from May 10 in response to orders from customers, mostly from the United States, and will pump 9.45 million barrels per day in June. Saudi Arabia is the biggest producer in the 13-nation Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, which pumps 40 percent of the world's oil. Oil prices have surged some 25 percent since the start of 2008, when they crossed 100 dollars a barrel for the first time. "The global oil market remains indeed structurally tight," said Victor Shum, an analyst with energy consultancy Purvin and Gertz in Singapore. "Even though demand growth is showing some weakness, supply growth is also not there. OPEC continues to restrain supply and production in non-OPEC states are not expected to be strong." On Thursday, OPEC trimmed its 2008 estimate of world oil demand growth, citing higher prices and slower economic momentum in major industrialized countries including the United States. Global oil demand was projected to grow by 1.35 percent in 2008, compared with a previous estimate of 1.4 percent, OPEC said in a monthly survey. - AFP /ls