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1999 ban on raw pork from Malaysia lifted Raw pork from Malaysia is back in markets here, marking the end of an import ban on the product for more than a decade. The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) recently approved the import of frozen pork from one slaughterhouse in Sarawak. The first consignment arrived here in February and, as of last month, about 9 tonnes of frozen pork products have been imported from there. The ban on the import of live pigs and raw pork from Malaysian was introduced in 1999, after an outbreak of the Nipah virus. The virus, which is carried by pigs, killed 100 Malaysian pig farmers and an abattoir worker here. A spokesman for AVA said Sarawak's state animal and veterinary public health programmes were assessed, and inspections were conducted at the pig farming area and slaughterhouse to ensure that their bio-security control measures and hygiene standards meet AVA's requirements. "During our inspections, areas of improvement were highlighted, which the slaughterhouse rectified accordingly," she said. A trial sample batch was also tested at AVA's Veterinary Public Health Laboratory and met food-safety requirements. Austria was also approved as a new source of pork last year and, as of last month, about 175 tonnes of frozen pork from Austria have been exported to Singapore. In April last year, Singapore imported its first batch of beef products from Britain since 1996, after AVA lifted its ban on deboned beef from Britain in September 2013. Over the last year, around 2.5 tonnes of chilled or frozen beef products have been imported from 15 slaughterhouses. The ban had been placed on British beef imports due to the threat of mad cow disease. At that point, Singapore was importing about 15 tonnes of beef from Britain, which made up about 0.12 per cent of overall beef imports. AVA has since found the situation in Britain to be "well-controlled" and the threat of the disease "negligible". It added that, as a precaution, it allows the import of only deboned beef from cattle under 30 months of age as they have less nervous tissue, which reduces their risk of contracting the disease. The spokesman said the agency will monitor all consignments and take the necessary action when there are food-safety lapses. It will also continue to diversity its food sources. "By buying from diverse sources, we are better buffered against potential short-term supply disruptions from any one source," she said. [email protected] Buzzing in and around Singapore - See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/1999-ban-raw-pork-malaysia-lifted#sthash.NeZwv7nx.dpuf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFVHW2B1ee0 Boy Gets Tangled in Huge Kite and Falls to Death - Vietnam A five-year-old boy was accidentally picked up by a huge kite and then fell down from a height of 20 meters, dying on Sunday in Ho Chi Minh City. The victim was Van Minh Dat, whose parents sell beverages to kite fliers and watchers in the Dong Dieu area in Hoc Mon District. This is an area where people often fly kites of various colors and sizes in the afternoon, attracting a lot of spectators, especially children brought by their parents. At about 4:00 pm yesterday, Dat was standing next to a huge red kite that was about to be flown on a pilot basis by the Saigon Kite Club in preparation for a kite festival to be held in Vung Tau, a seaside city about 100km from Ho Chi Minh City, soon. While a group of people were trying to fly the kite, whose wingspan is 18 meters wide, Dat managed to get under the kite’s wing without anyone noticing, according to Nguoi Lao Dong (Laborer) newspaper. When the kite picked up enough air it flew up, taking Dat along with it, as the boy’s legs had accidentally become tied around strings on the kite’s wing, Nguoi Lao Dong said. At that time, some witnesses dashed to pull the kite back down but they failed, the newspaper said. When the kite reached a height of about 20 meters, the strings unwound from his legs, causing him to fall to the ground. Witnesses took the boy to the Hoc Mon General Hospital for emergency aid but he died soon after. Meanwhile, the kite was pulled down to the ground. Local police have detained a number of people involved in the case for investigation. Dat’s family lives in Hoc Mon’s Xuan Thoi Dong Commune.

What gone wrong with the 3 vehicles rear lifted up into the air ? Could it be cross wind blown through that traffic junction ? Very strange isn't it ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhuYzIQ1Zos

AS CNY is coming, AVA issue warning of buying Bak Kwa from MY. Nipah virus outbreak in MY was almost 10 years ago. if consumption of pork from MY is not safe, then many in MY would have been infected.I'm wondering why and when the ban will be lifted. IMO I think the garmen is trying to help local bak kwa vendor to make huge profit. (Price can increase daily as CNY come nearer, can go up to more than $40 per kg) in return they can collect more taxes from them. In time of inflation, the garmen should help to keep prices down and not help them profitering .Would like to hear from bros/sis your comment.

To think that our nation's fate is in the hands of 21 men & women in the cabinet is really chilling to the bone. And in extreme cases, it is down to 11 folks determining what happens to you, me, our future & our children's future if there is also a democratic system of majority-wins during their cabinet meetings. How did I ever come to this assumption? With a 82-2 overwhelming majority in parliament, whatever decisions/bills these 21 people comes out with WILL BECOME LAW unless the party whip is lifted. And even if the party whip is lifted, there is no guarantee that the ruling party MPs will vote with their own conscience if there is actually a group think thingy going on or they vote for these bills simply out of fear of antagonising their party colleagues or superiors. So regardless of what the background i.e. humble or otherwise, the potential i.e. minister-cailbre or otherwise or their stated convictions i.e. wanting to listen more, willing to change or otherwise, the present slate of eager & earnest newbies together with the existing batch of MPs will LL have to vote along the party line if the whip is not lifted. The idea of 9 NCMPs provided after the amendments to our constitution sounds great on paper. They can debate all they can but plays absolutely no part in deciding our nation's fate as they are only pseudo MPs & cannot vote at all. We are all pragmatic people & know the present government, despite all the apparently misgivings about transparency, accountability & dominance, is still functioning properly. Who can say, however, few GEs down the road, that their substance will still be the same? And if we are still relying on a A-Team formula, what happens if the gov of the day turns rogue then? Will it be so simple as to some say, just vote them out? Who is to stop these jokers from enacting bills to entrench them in perpetual control of the country? Will our future generations need to do what many of the Middle East folks are doing now to get things back in order? So my message is the same as what the ruling party is urging you now: THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU CAST THAT PRECIOUS VOTE COME MAY 7... Just my 2 cts...

This coming Geneva International Motor Show (6th to 16th March 2008), Hyundai Motor Co. will present two new production models, a stunning new concept car and a program to enhance the general environmental compatibility of its vehicles. On the model front, the Sonata has become the standard bearer for Hyundai across the world in the D segment. As it enters its sixth generation, the car that regularly tops the US polls for customer satisfaction becomes even more European in both performance and style. Hyundai will also unveil its 2008 face-lifted MATRIX. The new car

same as the old superb, based on previous generation passat B5.5 with 100mm added Just that there are now electric seats for the front passengers with 3 memory settings for the driver, cruise control and audio controls on the steering wheel. the side mirrors are foldable(auto) with signal lights Price $93K OMV $28k reasonable? how much is the passat nowadays? other cars considered include Vectra 1.8MTA, Mazda 6, Cefiro, Legacy 2.0R, Accord and other similar sized cars.

Hi Folks, I just got my 3 weeks old Lancer and has been parking in the open HDB car-parks since. Last 3 days, something quite weird happened. Every morning, I noticed my right wiper is always lifted up (stationary) but my left wiper is at rest. Anyone knows why? Did I not turn off my wiper correctly? Thx.

My frd witness a stunt whereby a Rex E-braked when travelling in excess of 200km/HR in a deserted Malaysian road.The Rex screeeched to a stop with the 2 rear tires lifting up to approx above knee to waist level.Apparently this was done in purpose as the driver was a rich SOB with money to throw. Wat I'll like to know is that is it possible to e-brake til a car's rear end come up. As apparently I had told another guy frd abt the incident and he swore that it's not possible as the car would have simply skidded sideways or spin etc and told me he's 100% sure it cannot be done and I'll be the joke in town to tell ppl abt wat happ though I tend to disagree with wat he had said I mean stopping from 200KM/hr,where is the momentum and inertia force going to go right?

Pics of the face-lifted Audi A4. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revised A4 Breaks 3? You weren't supposed to see this new model until next year - but Audi has taken the wraps off early in a bid to get one over its main rivals. In a bid to steal a march on BMW's forthcoming new 3-Series, the Ingolstadt company has facelifted the A4 ahead of schedule. And as these official pictures reveal, the model now features Audi's extended grille, bringing it in line with the A8, A6 and A3 Sportback. The front end also includes more prominent bonnet creases, sculptured clear-lens headlamps and a deeper front bumper. Combined with new side panels, these changes give the car a more muscular stance. Around the back, two-piece tail-lights - which resemble those of the Nuvolari sports car concept revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in 2003 - complete the A4's revamp. Audi's design team has boosted the cabin with updated seat trims and additional aluminium touches, while the new steering wheel echoes the grille. Available as a saloon or Avant estate, the revised A4 will take centre stage at the Paris Motor Show later this month. When it goes on sale here in January, it will come with a choice of 10 engines. New to the range will be the 255bhp 3.2-litre FSI V6 and 200bhp 2.0-litre T FSI direct-injection petrol units. There are also 140bhp 2.0-litre TDI and 204bhp 3.0-litre V6 TDI diesel powerplants. As before, flagship S4 variants are to get a 344bhp 4.2-litre V8 petrol engine under the bonnet. These range-toppers will be distinguishable from lesser versions by their unique 18-inch alloy wheels, quad exhaust pipes and different front grille. In an attempt to make the A4 as good to drive as the 3-Series, Audi has uprated the suspension and brakes, while safety is improved across the line-up, too. All A4s now get Audi's latest stability system, ESP8, and come with a clever brake disc wipe function that's designed to aid stopping power in wet conditions. Other standard safety kit includes six airbags and active head restraints.

Has anyone done this?? Mondeo mentioned its just adding washers or something... Seen couple of cars on the road like that...and all the cars taking part at Kallang Rally have done the same thing Anyone got more info on this? Hope u guys know what I'm talking about