Jim Paull

KUALA LUMPUR: UMW Oil & Gas Corp is teaming up with foreign partners for the first time to venture outside of Asia, Bloomberg reports.

The Kuala Lumpur-based company, which had a record loss last year as it idled six out of eight drilling rigs, is forging alliances with overseas firms to boost its chances of winning jobs beyond its home base of Southeast Asia, President Rohaizad Darus said in an interview.

Rohaizad told Bloomberg over the phone: “We are already jointly bidding for contracts with our partners, and the alliances would be formalised after we get them. My main objective is to get the rigs to work. We are seeing some recovery, but it will be slow.”

He said they were still discussing whether it should be a joint venture or a consortium.

He said venturing beyond Southeast Asia could help the firm secure higher charter rates and raise the utilisation of rigs.

Charter rates for drilling rigs dropped from a peak of USD180,000 a day in late 2014 to about USD100,000 a day in the third quarter of 2015, and are probably now less than USD70,000 in Southeast Asia today, according to CIMB Group Holdings Bhd. in a report last week.

“The price war for charter rates has stopped, and everybody has reached a level that they can’t go lower,” said Rohaizad.

Crude has surged about 85 per cent from a 12-month low in January, boosting the outlook for oil and gas service providers. They were the worst performers on Malaysia’s stock market in the past two years as the rout in oil dried up demand for their services and sparked a price war on charter rates, the report said.

UMW Oil & Gas’s stock has plummeted about 80 per cent from its 2014 high, making it the worst performer on the FTSE Bursa Malaysia 100 Index of the nation’s top companies, according to the report.

The stock is trading at 60 per cent of its book value, compared with an average of more than twice that since it was listed in 2013. The company posted a loss of RM372 million last year and a RM65 million loss in the first quarter of 2016.

Earlier this week, the company won a charter contract from Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd, the exploration arm of state oil company Petroliam Nasional Bhd.

“The Petronas contract will give us earnings visibility for at least two years. It is significant to our bottom line in this current environment,” Bloomberg quoted Rohaizad as saying.

Everyone has their methods for cramm—I mean, studying for tests. I barely scraped by with mine (energy drinks, late nights, and panic attacks,) but AsapSCIENCE’s science-backed study tips may help you when it’s time to hit the books again. For instance, you’ll absorb better by creating flashcards than highlighting the text you’re reading.

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If you can’t find the time to get to the gym every day, this under-desk elliptical lets you squeeze in some light exercise while you fill out your TPS reports. This typically sells for $170 or more on Amazon, and today’s $120 deal is one of the best prices we’ve ever seen.

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As much as I love regular pancakes, there's something about Dutch babies that elevates them to the status of something special. Even though they're surprisingly easy to make, they're so impressive when they emerge out of the oven all puffed up and proud. Since I tend toward savory rather than sweet breakfasts, this Dutch baby, loaded with spicy roasted chiles and melty cheese, is right up my alley.

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Our bodies rely on good bacteria to stay healthy, but ingesting that bacteria—whether in pills or in foods like yogurt —isn’t always clearly linked to better health. A new online tool uses published research to link brands to health conditions where they have been shown to be effective.

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Ramadan (in Arabic: رمضان, Ramadān) is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. During the whole month, observers of Islam fast from sunrise to sunset. During the fast, no food or drink is consumed, and thoughts must be kept pure. Followers of Islam believe that fasting teaches patience, modesty, and spirituality. Meals are served before sunrise, called suhoor, and after sunset, called iftar, and eaten with family or with the local community.

Read more: What Is Ramadan?

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Installing wall storage is useful, but hard to do without putting a ton of holes in your walls. Use IKEA’s $10 SULTAN LADE bed slat set to give you lots of wall storage options with only a few holes needed to install the whole thing.

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Stretching your vacation budget by finding cheap places to travel is great, but if you have a particular spot in mind, this index shows you how to figure out when’s the right time to visit to get the most for your dollars.

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Did a bin of firm, underripe avocados dash your hopes for a piece of avocado toast once again? Take a minute to wallow in disappointment, and then follow my lead because I can help you enjoy that underripe avocado.

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PETALING JAYA: Kelantan MCA today mocked the Kelantan Government’s decision to allow cinemas to be opened in the state, granted it adheres to certain guidelines, including gender segregation.

“Cinemas in Kelantan would be lucky to have a handful of patrons if hardline conditions are imposed,” Kelantan MCA Liaison Committee Secretary Lua Choon Hann said in a statement.

Earlier today, the Kelantan Government said it was open to approving the setting up of cinemas provided the operators were willing to adhere strictly to the conditions laid out by the Kelantan authorities.

Apart from separating the male and female patrons, other conditions include halting operations during Ramadan and at prayer times at night.

Some of the lights must be switched on.

Lua said the guidelines were “laughable”.

“On one hand, you compel males and females to sit separately while watching the movie, but once they walk out from the cinema, they will be sitting in the same car.”

Lua also said the guidelines would encroach and impinge on the lifestyle of non-Muslims, apart from possibly leading to a loss in income.

The concept is to ascertain whether the food product is safe, hygienic and non-hazardous to human health.

Brother laser printers dominated the voting in our Kinja Co-Op for best printer, and it’s easy to see why: They basically never jam, toner is much cheaper than ink (and it never dries out if you don’t use it), and they print much faster than any other consumer-level printer; on the order of 25-30 pages per minute, even when printing duplex. The glaring trade-off is that they don’t print in color, but it’s easier to live without that than you might think.

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Plants can go almost anywhere in your home, even your bathroom . If you don’t have the wall or counter space for bathroom plants, add them to your shower with this easy DIY planter, made from a shower caddy.

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Some people like the sound of running water because it helps them relax. For others, it creates a strong urge to urinate. This is no coincidence, and it happens more commonly than you think—all thanks to the power of suggestion.

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I was in Japan 14 years ago when a friend from Hiroshima wanted to introduce me to a beloved local food. It had a funny name, a funny taste and a funny appearance. It wasn’t for me. It’s called okonomiyaki, informally referred to as the Japanese pancake. But it’s unlike any pancake you’ve had...

JOHOR BARU: A Johor leader has warned the people against falling victim to bogus agents who claim that they are able help people become Johoreans by helping them change their MyKad middle digits.

Despite being used to portray strange and frightening creatures that puff up and attack in the movie “Holes,” bearded dragons are generally docile and tolerate handling better than other lizards species.^[1] Pet “beardies” are really curious, gentle, friendly and easy to hold. And regular handling accustoms them to people and minimizes stress during baths,^[2] habitat cleanings, and trips to the vet.

EditSteps

EditPreparing to Hold

1. Wash your hands. Washing your hands before you handle a bearded dragon will reduce the risk of passing any germs or illnesses on to the dragon. You may also consider wearing gloves; this has the added benefit of protecting your hands from the dragon’s rough skin.
   
2. Approach the lizard slowly until you are able to touch it. It is important that your actions around the beardie are calm and deliberate. If the beardie is stressed, it will not be comfortable being held. If the beardie is in a cage or enclosure, you will have to slowly reach in, but do not attempt to reach from above; bearded dragons have sensory nerves on top of their heads that will interpret your reach as an attack.
   
   • Do not interrupt the bearded dragon while it is eating.
   • Do not back a beardie up in a corner, as it will feel threatened.
   • Do not tease the lizard with your finger, as it might think it's a worm and chomp!
3. Pet the bearded dragon’s head gently. This will allow the dragon to become accustomed to your hand and feel comfortable. When the bearded dragon has blinked or closed its eyes, it is calm enough to pick up. A beardie shows anger or stress by making his chin go black, and if he's very angry his chin is black and puffed up. If you see this, then it's best to back off as the beardie is not in the right frame of mind to be picked up.^[3]
   

EditHolding a Bearded Dragon

1. Pick up the beardie. Gently put your hand, palm upturned, under its body and scoop it up. Use your thumb and forefinger to support the front arms while the body rests in the palm of your hand. Make sure that all of the dragon's legs are supported. You might place a second hand under the tail as well.
   
   • If getting your hand under the dragon is awkward, gently grasp the dragon behind the front shoulders with your forefinger and thumb to lift slightly, and slide your other hand underneath.
   • Don’t squeeze, just support. Let it sit on your hands.
   • Be aware that if the beardie's back end is not supported, he will 'windmill' his tail around in circles. If this happens, immediately support his rear legs and tail, so that he feels more secure. Otherwise, he may injure his back.
2. Get comfortable and stay calm. Place the bearded dragon on your arm, chest, or lap and it will most likely stay there comfortably while you pet it. Your calm gentle touches will help the beardie to feel relaxed. Adult bearded dragons can be up to two feet long, so you may be most comfortable sitting with it. Young dragons are speedy, so you may want to loosely hold on.
   
   • Know that a beardie's scales and spikes point in one direction, so pet him along the scales rather than against or you will end up with prickles in your skin and an angry beardie.
3. Read the bearded dragon’s body language. The bearded dragon will communicate its level of comfort to you and if you’re able to decipher what it’s saying, you’ll have a better experience holding it.^[4] If it becomes stressed or agitated, put it back in its cage. Watch for these gestures:
   
   • Inflated beard: When a lizard wants to show dominance, or feels startled or threatened - this particularly happens during breeding season - it puffs its throat out.
   • Mouth gaping: As with the inflated beard, this gesture is meant to make the dragon look menacing, as a show of dominance or to scare off a potential aggressor.
   • Mouth open, but not wide. It may just be trying to cool off.
   • Bobbing head: Males show dominance with this gesture.
   • Arm waving: Sometimes a dragon may hold up one front leg and slowly wave it, which is a sign of submission.
   • Raised tail: This is commonly seen during breeding season. It can also be a sign of alertness and activeness. Juveniles tend to raise their tail when they're hunting prey.^[5]
4. Return the dragon to its habitat. When you are done holding the dragon, or the dragon is done being held, return it to is enclosure using the steps described above. You can hold a bearded dragon for as long as it will tolerate being held. Start with 15 minutes once a day and as it gets used to being handled, you can hold it longer. Some dragons enjoy being held several times a day for several hours. When the beardie becomes restless, it is time to put him back.
   
   • The length of time he can stay out of his vivarium depends on the room temperature. Reptiles are cold-blooded, so if the room is cool, he may start to chill and his digestion will stop. If his belly feels cool to the touch, then return him to the vivarium to warm up.
5. Wash your hands. Bearded dragons, like most reptiles carry Salmonella. It is normal for them, but can cause illness in people. Always wash your hands after handling a bearded dragon.^[6]
   

EditTips

• If you are calm when dealing with these animals then most likely they will be calm for you.
• Bearded dragons sometimes cling to your clothing.
• Please supervise children at all times.
• Have patience with a baby Beardie. Let him warm up to you! Don't try to force him to touch you, and don't feel discouraged if he isn't friendly with you right away.
• Babies are more fragile than adults, so be prepared for them to jump; you might accidentally drop them in surprise.
• Young dragons, or ones not accustomed to human contact may become stressed and uninterested in food if over-handled .
• Very young dragons may be frightened at first, and should be kept close to the floor in case of a sudden dash.
• If a Bearded Dragon gets its claws stuck in your clothing just gently pick up the beardie's finger and very carefully move it out until the hand is not in your clothes and then leave the lizard to get relaxed so it does not get stressed.
• Bearded Dragons might try and escape a couple times if they are not used to you. When you first get your lizard, let it sit inside of its vivarium for a day or two before holding it because they need to get used to their new surroundings first.
• Bearded dragons, just like any other pet, should not be fed crickets or worms from your garden. They may contain diseases that your beardie will not have been exposed to before.

EditWarnings

• If the bearded dragon is bobbing its head or has a puffy beard - do not attempt. They are busy communicating, to you or another lizard, and they may bite.
• If this happens put an object between it and the other dragon/animal because there might be a fight.

EditRelated wikiHows

• Care for Bearded Dragons
• Teach a Bearded Dragon to Drink from a Water Bowl
• Raise Bearded Dragon Hatchlings
• Breed Bearded Dragons
• Look After Baby Bearded Dragons
• Feed a Bearded Dragon
• Handle Bearded Dragons Around Children
• Build Love With Your Bearded Dragon
• Make a Bearded Dragon Habitat
• Bathe a Bearded Dragon
• Get Your Parents to Let You Have a Bearded Dragon
• Buy a Bearded Dragon
• Take Good Care of a Bearded Dragon

EditSources and Citations

Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found

We’ve all had to throw away leftovers or cuts of meat and cheese that spent a little too much time in the fridge or freezer, but vacuum sealing your foods can keep them safe from freezer burn pretty much indefinitely, and dramatically extend their shelf life everywhere else.

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The technology being used by the US nuclear forces is obsolete and the hardware parts are unsupported.

Caring for zoo animals requires the ability to deal with an awful lot of poo … or dung, excrement, animal waste, or faeces (the latter being used if you want to be more technical). Shovelling the proverbial is often how we start and end our day in the zoo. But aside from ensuring that we provide...

Here are seven of the best photos that readers added to the Consumerist Flickr Pool in the last week, picked for usability in a Consumerist post or for just plain neatness.

Want to see your pictures on our site? Our Flickr pool is the place where Consumerist readers upload photos for possible use in future Consumerist posts. Just be a registered Flickr user, go here, and click “Join Group?” up on the top right. Choose your best photos, then click “send to group” on the individual images you want to add to the pool.

You may already know common plants, like oleander or holly, that are harmful to dogs and cats, but if you’re thinking of buying a plant and aren’t sure if it is safe for your pet, the ASPCA’s searchable index can help.

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Macaroni salad is as classic American as apple pie. Traditionally it calls for a slightly sweet mayo-mustard dressing mixed into regular elbow macaroni, with a snappy crunch of raw carrot and celery. For me, though, with so many more fresh ingredients at our fingertips now, this old-school recipe is due for a makeover.

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KUALA LUMPUR: Shell Refining Company (Federation of Malaya) Bhd had on Thursday assured its employees there would not be any lay-offs after Malaysia Hengyuan International Ltd (MHIL) buys 51% of the company.

 

KUALA LUMPUR: Confusion reigned in Parliament today when PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang’s Private Member’s Bill to amend Syariah Court Act (Criminal Jurisdiction) 1965, which paves the way for hudud to be implemented in Kelantan, was unexpectedly brought forward.

The bill was originally listed as the last item to be debated in the Dewan Rakyat today.

That was until Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Azalina Othman Said proposed for it to jump queue, seconded by Deputy Works Minister Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin.

The bill is meant to amend the syariah court’s jurisdiction to allow it to mete out hudud sentences.

It will also pave the way for hudud to be implemented in Kelantan, a goal which PAS had long fought for.

However, despite receiving the green light from Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia, Hadi, after reading out his motion, requested for it to be postponed to the next session.

This was then agreed to by Pandikar.

As the next parliamentary session is scheduled only in October, the bill will not see the light of day for the next few months.

Even then, it is still unclear if it would even make it to the Dewan Rakyat again.

Reasons for Hadi’s request for postponement were not provided.

Meanwhile, Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) Communications Director Khalid Samad labelled the bringing forward of the bill as “peculiar”.

He conceded that no rules were broken in terms of procedure, but maintained it was peculiar for the government to prioritise the Private Member’s Bill.

“I am not saying it’s wrong, but it is very peculiar that they prioritised the bill over government bills.

“Some questions need to be asked and this should be looked into,” he told reporters outside the Dewan Rakyat today.

When asked if Amanah supported the bill, Khalid insisted that it had to be analysed first.

“Whatever the bill is, if it is beneficial to the people, we’ll support it.

“It has to be analysed first, I cannot tell you straight away whether or not we support it.

“If it is beneficial and if it is for the greater good, we’ll support it.”

Android/iOS: If you’re a music lover, particularly of the electronic music variety, Beatactive could be a sweet workout companion. Beatactive syncs up upbeat tunes, bodyweight exercises, and a DJ who guides you through each workout.

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PETALING JAYA: Switzerland has honoured two Sarawak activists with the Bruno Manser Prize for Moral Courage.

They were Komeok Joe and Peter Kallang, the Bruno Manser Fund announced in a statement today.

The prize is named after rainforest activist Bruno Manser and honours personalities who have proven moral courage in defending the environment and human rights.

Komeok Joe and Peter Kallang are the first to receive the new award and were chosen for their outstanding commitment in defending indigenous rights in Sarawak, the press release said.

Komeok Joe, member of Malaysia’s indigenous peoples network Joas, was honoured for his struggle to defend the rights of the Penan.

Since the late 1980s, he had been working to protect Sarawak’s remaining primary forests and for the acknowledgement of the land rights of the Penan.

The statement said the commitment of Komeok Joe and the Penan Selungo communities had resulted in significant areas of primary rainforests being preserved until today.

Peter Kallang, as chairman of the grassroots network SAVE Rivers, was honoured for his courage in defending indigenous livelihoods against the threat of dams.

He and his fellow activists had managed to convince the Sarawak Government to cancel the Baram Dam, which would have led to the resettlement of up to 20,000 indigenous people, the statement said.

Kaspar Müller, representative of the Bruno Manser estate, praised the two activists.

“You receive this award in the name of all of us and we all do it with our deepest and profoundest respect for your long engagement in favour of the rights of indigenous people and for the protection of the rainforests.

“Congratulations and thank you for all you have done and what you have achieved.

“Bruno Manser, who disappeared on May 25,, 2000, 16 years ago, would be very proud of you.”

Swiss activist Bruno Manser lived with the Penan in Borneo’s rainforest from 1984 to 1990.

With his moral courage in defending the Penan’s rights against logging activities, he became an iconic figure of the international movement for forest protection.

Bruno Manser disappeared in 2000 in Sarawak’s rainforest. Until today, his fate remains a mystery.

KUALA LUMPUR: The significant increase in the salaries of Members of Parliament make it easier for an elected official from a modest background to become corrupt.

So said Sungai Siput MP Michael Jeyakumar of PSM, who is the sole lawmaker to have declared his assets since taking office in 2008.

According to him, the salary increase for MPs last year put them among the top five wage earners in the country.

“If you become an MP, you can become corrupt with all the perks and benefits. If you are well off before coming to office, then maybe the lifestyle is not that different,” he told a press conference when he announced his assets at the PSM headquarters in Brickfields here today.

MPs’ salaries and allowances bumped up almost three-fold after the Dewan Rakyat passed amendments to the Members of Parliament (Renumeration) (Amendment) Act in April last year. It saw the salaries of MPs almost triple from about RM6,500 a month to RM16,000 a month.

With the increase, Jeyakumar’s monthly income as an MP, with salary plus allowances, is RM25,500 monthly – about double of last year’s RM12,950.

The former medical doctor also receives a pension of about RM2,441 per month.

Jeyakumar also announced that his semi-detached house in Ipoh had also increased in value to RM150,000 now, a jump of RM10,000 from last year. He maintains four cars for personal and office use, worth a combined RM30,000 and also declared his Employees Provident Fund (EPF) savings of RM130,000, from his days as a doctor.

He runs a clinic in Sungai Siput once a week – operating at a loss.

Jeyakumar also announced that he had put in RM242,296 for his constituency last year – the bulk of which of came from his own income and the rest from friends’ contributions.

PETALING JAYA: Guru besar di sebuah SJKC di Selangor didakwa menjual “air suci” di dalam sekolah.

China Press melaporkan, menerusi Facebook “Orang Klang” tersebar satu catatan yang mendakwa guru besar itu juga akan mengadakan upacara keagamaan pada waktu sekolah dengan menjirus “air suci” di kepala murid-murid.

Menurut catatan di Facebook itu, “air suci” itu dikatakan boleh membantu memperbaiki keputusan peperiksaan murid serta menghalau syaitan.

Sekolah itu juga didakwa menjual “air suci” itu pada harga RM3 sebotol sebagai air minuman.

Malah, murid sekolah itu juga didakwa dikerah untuk mengangkat “air suci” itu untuk disimpan dalam stor sekolah dan pihak sekolah juga dikatakan menjemput sebuah stesen televisyen terkenal di China untuk merakamkan video promosi “air suci” terbabit.

Akhbar berbahasa Cina itu juga memetik seorang pengguna Facebook yang meninggalkan komen dalam catatan berkenaan sebagai mendakwa anak perempuannya pernah mengambil “air suci” itu pulang ke rumah, namun selepas beliau telah menghalang anaknya berbuat demikian selepas minum air berkenaan dan mendapati ada bau pelik.