Plankton bloom reason for mass fish death on Singapore’s beach |
- Plankton bloom reason for mass fish death on Singapore’s beach
- Indian preacher Zakir Naik wins Saudi prize for ‘service to Islam’
- Visiting Terengganu? Dress this way
- Inter Milan insists Icardi not for sale
- Bearish oil wagers surge to record high as supply glut grows
- Five things we learnt from Chelsea’s League Cup final win
| Plankton bloom reason for mass fish death on Singapore’s beach Posted: 01 Mar 2015 05:09 PM PST
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said the post-mortem results of fish samples collected from the affected farms indicated the fish had died as a result of gill damage caused by plankton, which are microorganisms found in seawater. They can bloom or multiply quickly in a very short time, draining the seawater of oxygen. "Laboratory tests conducted so far did not detect marine biotoxins in the fish," it said. Local fish farmers said the fish deaths on Saturday morning were worse than those during a similar event that happened at around the same time last year. Mr Teh Aik Hua, who owns two fish farms in Sembawang and Pasir Ris, said he is left with only 1 per cent of his fish stock, compared with a 20 per cent survival rate last year. "The problem is more serious this year. Even wild fish were found dead," he added. With the recent hot and dry weather, which is expected to stretch into this month, Mr Teh said about 40 per cent of his fish stock at the Sembawang farm has also died from the increasing salinity of the water. Another fish farmer, who only wanted to be known as Simon, painted a similar picture. Nearly all his fish were wiped out this time, whereas last year, half of his stock had survived. Around this time last year, there were fish deaths at 34 fish farms along the East Johor Straits and five farms along the West Johor Straits. About 160 tonnes of fish were found dead because of low levels of dissolved oxygen in the waters or a plankton bloom, or both, as well as the hot weather. In response to queries, the AVA said fish harvested from local farms are safe for consumption. The largest supermarket chain here, NTUC FairPrice, also assuaged consumer concerns, saying it imports fish from local farms that are accredited by the AVA, which has taken steps to ensure only live and healthy fish are being supplied. FairPrice, which has more than 120 outlets, said some of these fish farms, including those in Pasir Ris, Changi, Lim Chu Kang and inland Kranji, have taken steps to move their harvests to other locations and increase the aeration of the water. "As such, our supply of local fish remains unaffected," said a FairPrice spokesperson. — TODAY  |
| Indian preacher Zakir Naik wins Saudi prize for ‘service to Islam’ Posted: 01 Mar 2015 05:01 PM PST
Zakir Naik, president of the Islamic Research Foundation in India, was one of five recipients of the King Faisal International Prize from Saudi Arabia's King Salman during a ceremony at a luxury Riyadh hotel. The annual prizes are a project of the King Faisal Foundation, established in 1976 by the children of King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz who died in 1975. Naik was honoured for being one of the most renowned non-Arabic speaking promoters of Islam. He founded the Peace TV channel, billed as the world's only channel specialising in comparative religion. It has an estimated English-language audience exceeding 100 million, according to his award citation. "Islam is the only religion that can bring peace to the whole of humanity," he said in a video biography aired at the ceremony. In a July 2008 Peace TV broadcast Naik suggested that Al-Qaeda was not responsible for flying hijacked airliners into New York's World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, killing almost 3,000 people. "Even a fool will know that this was an inside job," he said in the video, claiming then-President George W. Bush was behind the attacks. In 2010 Naik was reportedly barred from entering Britain after the Home Secretary cited "numerous comments" which showed his "unacceptable behaviour". Naik told yesterday's ceremony that he would donate all of his US$200,000 (RM726,425) prize money to Peace TV. The other prizewinners were: — In Islamic studies, Saudi Arabia's Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Kaki for his research on the cultural heritage of the Muslim holy city of Medina — In medicine, Jeffrey Ivan Gordon of the United States, whose research has enhanced understanding of diseases such as obesity, which is a growing problem in Saudi Arabia — In science: Michael Gratzel of Switzerland for his development of solar cells, and co-winner Omar Mwannes Yaghi of the United States for his work in the new field of metal organic frameworks. — AFP |
| Visiting Terengganu? Dress this way Posted: 01 Mar 2015 05:00 PM PST
The yet-to-be-released guideline targets women in particular although it contains rules for both genders. According to The Star on its website today, the new dress code will be distributed soon to all travel agents both in Malaysia and in neighbouring countries. The guideline that is specifically addressed to tourists were initially publicised in an article on the state government's website, Teganukita, that has since been removed. It is unclear what the specific dress code entails other than that it will be based on Islamic standards. In The Star's report, a source told the newspaper that both men and women need not dress entirely according to Islamic requirements, but their attire must be "decent." Failure to comply will result in offenders being sent to "counselling". It is unclear if said counselling will be religious in nature. The east coast state of Terengganu is almost entirely Malay-Muslim, with only a handful of other ethnic minorities residing there. It is popular with tourists for the marine turtles that visit the state to nest, and for its beautiful beaches and islands such as Redang and Perhentian. Terengganu recently made headlines, also for its enforcement of Islamic rules, when it announced that it will punish Friday prayer truancy by parading absentees in hearses to shame them. As with neighbour Kelantan, Terengganu has hudud Islamic penal laws that are dormant due to constitutional barriers. |
| Inter Milan insists Icardi not for sale Posted: 01 Mar 2015 04:58 PM PST
Interest in Icardi has blossomed recently after the 21-year-old took his Serie A goals tally this season to 14 to sit top of the league scoring charts alongside Juventus marksman Carlos Tevez. The English media yesterday republished reports from Italy a day earlier, claiming Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has been bombarding Icardi with telephone calls and messages in a bid to lure him to the club. But Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio said Icardi is going nowhere. "We're building a squad for the future with some top quality young players, among whom is Icardi," Ausilio told Sky Sport when asked about a reported offer from Chelsea of €40 million (RM161.5 million). "We'll be bringing another player in, but we'll also be counting on Icardi in the future. We have no intention of putting him on the market. Icardi's present, and future, is with us." Inter, who sit eighth in the league, host Fiorentina looking to make it four wins from four as Roberto Mancini's side continue their push for European football next season. — AFP |
| Bearish oil wagers surge to record high as supply glut grows Posted: 01 Mar 2015 04:53 PM PST
Money managers increased short positions in West Texas Intermediate crude by 17 per cent in the seven days ended February 24, US Commodity Futures Trading Commission data show. Net— long positions slid to the lowest in seven weeks. Stockpiles in the US have risen for seven consecutive weeks to a record 434.1 million barrels. Domestic production is continually topping weekly records, reaching 9.29 million barrels a day during the report period, while an unprecedented decline in oil drilling rigs is showing signs of slowing. "This tidal wave of crude oil is just too overwhelming," John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital LLC, a New York-based hedge fund that focuses on energy, said by phone February 27. "There's no end in sight." West Texas Intermediate crude, the US benchmark, tumbled US$4.25 (RM15.44) to US$49.28 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange in the week covered by the report. WTI, which settled at US$49.76 on February 27, has lost more than half its value since reaching last year's high in June. US crude inventories climbed 7.72 million barrels in the seven days ended February 13 and jumped another 8.43 million the following week to reach 434.1 million, the most in records compiled since August 1982 by the Energy Information Administration. Rig count While the number of rigs drilling for US oil has fallen 39 per cent since October 10, the decline reported by Baker Hughes Inc. on February 27 was the smallest in eight weeks and domestic crude production has continued to climb. The EIA, the US Energy Department's statistical arm, forecast production will rise 7.8 per cent to average 9.3 million barrels a day this year, the most since 1972. "You would have to take 2 million barrels a day of production away just to get to thinking that the market is no longer oversupplied," Michael Hiley, head of over-the-counter energy trading at LPS Partners Inc. in New York, said by phone. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which accounts for 40 per cent of the world's oil, has resisted calls to curb production and has no plans for an emergency meeting as prices fall, an OPEC delegate who asked not to be identified because the group's talks are private, said on February 23. OPEC production Total OPEC output climbed 0.5 per cent in February to 30.568 million barrels a day, the most since October, a Bloomberg survey shows. Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said on February 25 that oil demand is rising and the market is "calm." Short positions in WTI increased by 17,180 contracts to 117,646 futures and options, the most in CFTC data going back to 2006. Net long positions fell 3.1 per cent to 202,609, while longs gained 3.4 per cent. In other markets, net-short positions in US ultra low sulfur diesel shrank 25 per cent to 15,229 contracts, the least since August. Futures rose 2.6 per cent to US$2.0289 a gallon in the report week as freezing temperatures, refinery upsets and repairs pinched supplies. Net-long position in gasoline fell 7.2 per cent to 41,189 futures and options. Futures gained 1.9 per cent to US$1.6202 a gallon on Nymex in the report week. Regular gasoline at US pumps rose 1.8 cents to US$2.414 a gallon on February 28, the highest in more than two months, according to Heathrow, Florida-based AAA, the nation's biggest motoring group. Natural gas Net shorts on natural gas narrowed for a second week, with contracts down 3.9 per cent to 42,219. The measure includes an index of four contracts adjusted to futures equivalents: Nymex natural gas futures, Nymex Henry Hub Swap Futures, Nymex ClearPort Henry Hub Penultimate Swaps and the ICE Futures US Henry Hub contract. Natural gas futures gained 14.3 cents to US$2.902 per million British thermal units in the week covered by the report. Oil wagers may turn more bullish because the 7.9 per cent drop in the CFTC report period came after a 7 per cent gain in the previous week, Phil Flynn, senior market analyst at the Price Futures Group in Chicago, said by phone. "It could have just been viewed as a technical correction," he said. "Demand is increasing, and seasonally, the market is getting close to a bottom." — Bloomberg |
| Five things we learnt from Chelsea’s League Cup final win Posted: 01 Mar 2015 04:52 PM PST
Mourinho's gamble pays off With Nemanja Matic suspended, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho sprang a surprise by selecting French defender Kurt Zouma to replace the Serbian in central midfield. Chelsea had been overpowered by Tottenham in their 5-3 defeat at White Hart Lane on New Year's day. But Zouma, charged with keeping a close eye on Tottenham playmaker Christian Eriksen, ensured there would be no lack of muscle to Chelsea's challenge this time. The 20-year-old rose to the occasion admirably, making Mourinho's switch look a stroke of genius as he tirelessly tackled and harried the Spurs into submission. Peerless Terry leads by example While his personality will always make him a polarising figure, few can deny John Terry remains by far England's most dominant central defender. The Chelsea captain delivered a defensive master class to keep Tottenham's in-form striker Harry Kane under wraps and still had time to pop up with the opening goal when his deflected shot found the net in the final minute of the first half. It was the kind of performance that must make England manager Roy Hodgson wish the 34-year-old would come out of international retirement. Costa makes his mark Diego Costa has become the snarling face of Chelsea following his move from Atletico Madrid last year and his recent three game ban for stamping on Liverpool's Emre Can clearly hadn't taken the edge off his aggressive style as he clashed with Kyle Walker and shoved a hand into Nabil Bentaleb's face in the first half. But, just as importantly, the Spain striker remained a menace in the penalty area, as he proved with Chelsea's second goal when his astute movement off his marker created space for a powerful shot that deflected in off Walker for a 56th minute own goal. Kane not able to shine The precocious Tottenham striker arrived at Wembley hailed as the brightest young striker in English football after netting 24 times in a breakthrough campaign. However, after a bright start which saw him test Petr Cech with a low strike, Kane, expected to earn his first senior England call-up later this month, experienced a rare off-day in his first major final with a subdued display that left Tottenham desperately short of cutting edge. More glory to come for Chelsea? Before they had even kicked off at Wembley, it had already been a good day for Chelsea as Manchester City, their main rivals for the Premier League title, slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Liverpool. A victory for Manuel Pellegrini's side at Anfield would have closed the gap on leaders Chelsea to just two points, but instead Mourinho and company were able to focus on winning their first silverware of the season knowing their advantage at the top of the table remained intact. — AFP |
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