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People are taking photos and videos of themselves kissing camels in defiance of a warning from Saudi health authorities not to go near the animals, which have been linked to the deadly Mers virus. In recent days, Saudi Arabia has urged people to wear masks and gloves when dealing with camels, to stay away from raw camel meat and camel milk, and not to go near sick animals, the newspaper Gulf News reports. But some people have refused to listen to the government's advice, posting videos and sending messages in support of camels. In one video, a man stands between...

Iraqis 'could turn camel virus into bio-weapon' By Charles Arthur Technology Editor 18 April 2002 Iraqi scientists could turn a smallpox-style disease that infects camels into a deadly weapon, a British researcher says. Camelpox, a non-lethal disease that causes fever and skin rash in camels, has been found to be so similar to smallpox that only a few changes would be needed in its genetic make-up to create a harmful agent. Such a change could happen naturally or be engineered, New Scientist magazine reports today. In 1995, Iraq admitted to UN weapons inspectors that it was working with camelpox with...