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Health experts are warning that a fatal infectious disease that is spreading across the country among deer, elk and moose may be transmittable to humans. Chronic wasting disease (CWD), which is described as a progressive, fatal disease that affects the brain, spinal cord and other tissues of animals, has been documented in at least 24 states as of January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The disease, which can take years for symptoms to appear after infection, is believed to spread through bodily fluids like feces, saliva, blood, or urine, by both direct and indirect contact in the environment. There are no treatments or vaccines. The symptoms, which have been compared to those of zombies, may include drastic weight loss, stumbling, lack of coordination, listlessness, drooling, excessive thirst or urination, drooping ears, lack of fear of people, and aggression. Though there have been no confirmed animal to human transmissions, some health officials, pointing to laboratory tests, say it may be only a matter of time. “It is probable that human cases of CWD associated with the consumption of contaminated meat will be documented in the years ahead,” Michael Osterholm, the director for the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease and Research Prevention, told Minnesota lawmakers on Thursday, according to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press. “It is possible that (the) number of human cases will be substantial and will not be isolated events.” Laboratory studies have shown that the CWD’s mutated protein, which is called a prion, is capable of infecting animals that carry human genes like squirrel monkeys, macaques, and lab mice, according to the CDC. It is possible that (the) number of human cases will be substantial and will not be isolated events. One study performed by German and Canadian scientists has also found that macaques could be infected by eating meat from infected deer or elk, as well as deer that had CWD but had yet to show symptoms. An earlier study did not confirm this transmission, however, the CDC said. “To date, there is no strong evidence for the occurrence of CWD in people, and it is not known if people can get infected with CWD prions,” the CDC’s website states. “Nevertheless, these experimental studies raise the concern that CWD may pose a risk to people and suggest that it is important to prevent human exposures to CWD https://sg.news.yahoo.com/experts-warn-fatal-zombie-deer-193709907.html

Cook your sardine first. https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/can-of-worms-malaysia-warns-of-disease-carrying-parasites-in-canned-sardines-from-china

Sexual jihad is a controversial practice of women within some Wahhabist groups allegedly offering themselves in sexual comfort roles to fighters for the establishment of Islamic state. Definition in wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_jihad Disturbing, but we should all be aware of the power of these radical groups. Somehow, the ISIS is able to brainwash these girls to become sexual objects for the ISIS fighters. Interesting talk show on the topic of sexual jihad. http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/isis-luring-young-girls-around-the-world-join-its-terror-ranks-20150 PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysian police are on the alert for a new tactic by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria to lure young girls from around the world to join its ranks. Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division's principal assistant director Senior Asst Comm Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said the militant group was trying to lure girls as young as 14 and 15 to the ranks for sex jihad, among other activities. "We will not allow them to be exploited by IS or any other terror groups. "We are pooling our resources to ensure that these children do not fall into the trap," he told The Star on Sunday. Stressing that the division was monitoring the situation closely, SAC Ayob Khan advised parents to be more wary of their children's activities. "These young girls can easily be influenced by the militants via social media, especially Facebook. "So, parents, please play your part by monitoring your children's activities," he said. SAC Ayob Khan said that although the division had managed to thwart seven Malaysian women from going to Syria to join the militants since last year, seven others had managed to go there, adding that most of the women were in their 20s. "The youngest so far is the 14-year-old who was arrested last week," he said. The girl was nabbed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport while attempting to head to Cairo, purportedly to marry a student there before going to Syria. SAC Ayob Khan said the latest arrest reflected the IS' worrying trend to brainwash and enlist youngsters from around the world into joining its terror ranks. Britain's Scotland Yard is now looking for three teenage girls who are believed to be travelling to Syria via Turkey to join the ISIS. They are Shamima Begum, 15, who could be using the name of Acklina Begum, and 16-year-old Kadiza Sultana. The third girl, 15, has not been named at the request of her family. Their friend, also a 15-year-old, is said to have joined the militants in December. In November, a 19-year-old Dutch girl was brought home by her mother after marrying an ISIS fighter in Syria. Earlier on Sunday, Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri said there were some people in the country who were influenced by the activities of militant groups. "Their ability to recruit young people for their false struggle is worrying. To date, there have been several of our young people who not only joined them in IS territories as supporters but also became directly involved in military activities such as suicide bombing. "Going by the experience of neighbouring countries, we should also give IS serious attention," he said. He gave the assurance that police and military intelligence units were monitoring militant groups and would not let them grow to the point where they could threaten the security of the nation. He said parents should always monitor their children's activities to prevent them from getting involved in terror groups like the ISIS. - See more at: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/isis-luring-young-girls-around-the-world-join-its-terror-ranks-20150#sthash.IEyoIzZx.dpuf -------------------------

A device that can warn drivers of impending collisions was launched on Monday morning, under a move to reduce road accidents here. Consisting of a camera and screen mounted on the car dashboard, it can also help alert drivers to speed limits on the roads and warn them if they are drifting out of the lane. Called the Mobileye Telemetrics Advanced Driver Assistance System, it is an initiative of the Singapore Transport Association (STA) and Spring Singapore, which is supporting companies' adoption of the technology through its Capability Development Grant. STA chairman Dave Ng said the technology can help improve road safety, especially at a time where the number of accidents involving heavy vehicles are on the rise. Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/device-warns-drivers-about-collisions-launched-monday-20

Malaysian state energy firm Petronas said Monday net profit fell 34 percent in the third quarter and warned of challenging times ahead due to global economic uncertainty. Profit at Malaysia's biggest company dipped to 15.6 billion ringgit ($5.2 billion) in the three months to December 31, compared to 23.7 billion in the corresponding period a year before. Petronas attributed the drop to a higher base of comparison in the third quarter of 2010 due to one-off gains from the listing of two subsidiaries that amounted to 9.2 billion ringgit. Petronas said cumulative profit for the nine months to December 31 was 10.6 percent higher than the same period a year earlier, reaching 55.6 billion ringgit due mainly to higher crude oil prices and sales. Revenue for the period rose 26.9 percent to 222.80 billion ringgit. But Petronas president and CEO Shamsul Azhar Abbas warned that this year and next would be tough due to uncertainties in crude oil prices on the back of Europe's economic woes and lower expected crude production. "Europe is going into a recession. Demand from BRIC economies -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- is going to be weak," he told reporters, adding that "geo-political tensions in the Middle East" were also clouding the outlook. The next two years would "not be as strong as we have seen last year as the current crude oil prices won't last long," he added. Shamsul said crude oil prices were expected to hover at between $85 to $90 per barrel this year -- compared to around $110 currently -- before rebounding in 2014. Shamsul said Petronas would continue to focus on domestic exploration in deepwater areas and on re-exploration in marginal fields as it faces depleting oil and gas reserves in the country. Crude output was expected to be lower in 2012 due to depletion, he said. "Our challenge is going to be in production," he said. Petronas -- Malaysia's only Fortune 500 company -- contributes almost half of the country's budget revenues. Although the recent quarter was the third of the fiscal year, Petronas has ended the financial year on December 31 as part of an adjustment that will see its new financial year start from January 1 from now on.

DUBAI (AFP) -

'The price of oil will rise again in the coming weeks. We have to follow the evolution of the dollar, because a one per cent fall in the dollar means four dollars more on the price of oil,' Mr Khelil, who is Algeria's minister of energy and mines, told the independent daily. Hmmmm this statement only makes sense for car owners living in the US, but for Singaporeans there should be no increase at all in oil prices as the SGD can buy more USD. Makes sense?

Can this happen in Singapore? SYDNEY: Australia's consumer watchdog on Tuesday demanded that fuel companies slash the cost of petrol within a week, saying they have failed to lower pump prices as world oil prices fall. A leading motoring organisation welcomed the call, accusing oil companies of "ripping off" motorists as oil prices fluctuated wildly, but the fuel companies denied the charge. As crude oil prices hit an almost two-year low, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) chief Graeme Samuel said a survey of 3,000 fuel stations had revealed a price aberration when global benchmarks were applied. "At the present time we're seeing a variation occur, we're seeing the Singapore price falling but the Australian retail price not falling consistently with it," Samuel told Seven Network television. Unless prices fell within a week, some "fairly hard" questions would be asked of the oil companies, he warned. "I think what we can do is ask hard questions of them and expose some of the answers out into the public arena," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. But the watchdog ruled out a call for government regulation of petrol prices, saying such a move would ultimately hurt motorists. "You do some significant disadvantage to motorists if you say to the government, 'Step in to regulate prices'," Samuel said. "The moment we set a price at that level then companies price up to that level and we don't get discounts, there's no reason for it ... we want to see competition push prices down as low as possible," he added. National Road and Motorists' Association president Alan Evans welcomed the watchdog's move, saying consumers have been paying high prices for petrol for too long. "We believe that it's quite a clear message from Graeme Samuel, the head of the ACCC, that oil companies' days of ripping motorists off might be numbered," he told the ABC. "We've been campaigning for two years to get the ACCC to take action - we welcome this intervention. "Motorists have been ripped off by the oil companies quite substantially over the last couple of years and it's about time they were called to account," Evans added. British Petroleum (BP) told the ABC it was willing to discuss the ACCC's concerns, while rival Shell said its wholesale fuel prices were in line with current world oil pricing. - AFP/so