Posts Subscribe to Revolution ChurchComments

Jumaat, 11 April 2014

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

0 ulasan 11:13 PTG Dicatat oleh blog2
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

Studying panda poo part of 'Rediscover' city activity

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT

A chance to analyse panda droppings at the River Safari, a tour of Singapore Cable Car's back-of-house and a guided tour of the Singapore Sports Museum by sports personalities.

These are some of the activities the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has lined up from April to October for the second phase of its Tourism50 celebrations.

The STB was set up in 1964 as the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board and is marking 50 years of tourism development and promotion.

The new string of activities, called Rediscover, was launched yesterday.

It offers a glimpse into how tourist attractions in Singapore are run behind the scenes.

STB hopes it will help Singapo-reans rediscover their country's tourism offerings and appreciate the people behind them.

"It's not always about discovering the new," said Melissa Ow, assistant chief executive of STB's experience development group.

"It's also important to help people revisit, reconnect and understand that there's so much we offer as a city and destination."

Rediscover will kick off over the Easter weekend, from April 18 to 20, with a family carnival at the 43-year-old Jurong Bird Park.

More than 20 events from the arts, attractions, cruise and sports industries will be held during the seven-month celebrations.

Other highlights will include free guided tours of the artworks displayed at MRT stations on the North-East and Circle lines next month, and a "Be a Panda Researcher" programme with experts at River Safari in June.

Every Sunday in September, sports personalities such as marathon runner Mok Ying Ren and national sprint legend C. Kunalan will lead guided tours of the new National Stadium and Singapore Sports Museum at the Singapore Sports Hub.

These will cost S$25 (RM65) per person.

Attractions such as the Singapore Flyer and Gardens by the Bay will also be offering promotions such as free admission and discounts for locals.

The first Tourism50 event, offering free tours of Haw Par Villa, attracted more than 13,000 visitors over two weekends last month.

More information on Tourism50 can be found at www.xinmsn.com/rediscoversg. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Indian national jailed for molest

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT

On Jan 16 this year, a woman said goodbye to a worker who had completed upgrading work in her HDB flat in Tampines, and turned away.

From behind, he suddenly slid his hand under her armpit and reached for her breast. It was only after she bit his palm that he released her.

Vadla Kandappachari was sentenced to nine months in prison yesterday, after pleading guilty to molesting the 43-year-old woman.

The construction worker from India also admitted to one other charge of outraging his victim's modesty by kissing the back of her right palm. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Thai forces shoot dead seven drug suspects

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 10:36 PM PDT

BANGKOK, April 12, 2014 (AFP) - Thai security forces shot dead seven suspected drug smugglers and seized hundreds of thousands of methamphetamine pills after a firefight in the Golden Triangle border region, an official said Saturday.

The clash broke out late Friday in the mountains of northern Chiang Rai province after a border patrol spotted about 10 hill tribe people who refused to stop after crossing the frontier, according to the authorities.

"When we cleared the clash site we found seven men shot dead and we seized six bags of methamphetamine," a local border task force official said by telephone, adding that each bag contained an estimated 100,000 tablets.

"Sporadic shooting continued through the night," said the official, who did not want to be named.

Clashes between security forces and drug traffickers are fairly common in the kingdom's border regions including in the Golden Triangle, where the remote edges of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet.

Thailand has seen a marked increase in seizures of methamphetamine, which is relatively cheap and easy to make.

Known as yaba - "crazy medicine" - the pills are often smuggled from neighbouring Myanmar where armed rebels use profits from narcotics to fund their operations.

There are an estimated 600,000 yaba users in Thailand.

General Pongsapat Pongcharoen, commander of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, said the traffickers probably wanted to take advantage of Thailand's Songkran New Year holiday which starts this weekend.

"They thought that police are busy directing traffic or taking days off during the holidays but in fact we intensify the crackdown during this period," he said.

"This fatal incident may deter them for a while but it will not root out the drugs problem," he added.
Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

0 ulasan 9:04 PTG Dicatat oleh blog2
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: World Updates

Former U.S. Marine Hekmati retried, convicted in Iran - report

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 07:10 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iranian-American Amir Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine whose previous death sentence in Iran on espionage charges was overturned, has been secretly retried, convicted of collaborating with the U.S. government and sentenced to 10 years in prison, the New York Times reported on Friday, quoting his lawyer.

The newspaper quoted lawyer Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaei as saying Hekmati, held since 2011, was not told by Iranian officials about the retrial, conviction or prison sentence. The Times quoted Tabatabaei as saying Hekmati was retried by a revolutionary court in December and convicted of "practical collaboration with the American government."

The U.S. State Department did not confirm the developments but reiterated America calls for his release.

"We remain concerned about the fate of Mr. Hekmati, who has been detained by Iranian officials for over two years and was sentenced on fabricated espionage charges. We again ask Iranian authorities to release him so he may be safely reunited with his family," said a State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Times said Tabatabaei suggested that Hekmati possibly could be released in a matter of months, particularly if the United States frees at least some Iranian prisoners. The newspaper said the lawyer did not name these prisoners.

Tabatabaei said that "a lot depends on the Americans," the Times reported. "If they show their good will, it will become much easier to get Mr. Hekmati freed," the lawyer was quoted as saying.

The Hekmati case is another irritant in relations between the United States and Iran. The report about Hekmati's case came on the same day that the U.S. government said it would not grant a visa to Iran's proposed U.N. ambassador, citing the envoy's links to the 1979-1981 hostage crisis.

Hekmati was arrested in August 2011, his family says, and convicted of spying for the CIA, a charge his relatives and the United States deny. His family says he was detained while visiting his grandmother in Tehran.

He was sentenced to death, but a higher court nullified the penalty in March 2012 and sent the case to another court.

Tabatabaei said he learned of the retrial, conviction and sentence only recently in discussions with Iranian judiciary officials, the Times reported. The newspaper said the lawyer informed Hekmati, who is being held in Tehran's Evin prison, as well as his family members in Flint, Michigan.

Hekmati's family has called for his release. The family has struggled to pursue the case because Iran and the United States have no direct diplomatic relations. Ties were cut in 1980 after Iranian students took 52 U.S. diplomats hostage following the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Hekmati served as an infantryman, language and cultural adviser and Arabic and Persian linguist in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2001 to 2005, performing some of his service in Iraq.

The Times reported that Tabatabaei, who is well connected to Iran's highest leaders, gave the information about Hekmati in interviews this week at his office in Tehran, providing the first authoritative disclosures in more than two years about the status of the case.

The United States and other world powers are engaged in negotiations with Iran over curbing the Iranian nuclear program in exchange for easing economic sanctions.

(Reporting by Will Dunham; Editing by Ken Wills and Mohammad Zargham)

Madagascar names new prime minister, eyes World Bank aid

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 04:40 PM PDT

ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - Madagascar named Kolo Christopher Laurent Roger, a radiologist who lived abroad for decades, as its new prime minister on Friday, part of a process aimed at ending prolonged political turmoil on the Indian Ocean island.

Kolo, 70, faces a big challenge reviving the mineral-rich island's economy, which has slumped since a 2009 military coup.

President Hery Rajaonarimampianina, who took office in January, has pledged to woo foreign investors and tourists to Madagascar, which is famed for its exotic wildlife and also boasts nickel, cobalt, coal, iron ore and uranium deposits.

"(Roger Kolo) was proposed by 12 parties with 93 members (backing him). The majority required by the constitution was easily exceeded," Rajaonarimampianina told a news conference announcing the choice.

"If I took so much time to name him, it's because I listened to many parties," he added.

In Madagascar, the president wields most power, while the prime minister's job is to run day-to-day affairs of government and to implement the president's policies and orders.

However, the World Bank has said its resumption of normal lending would hinge on the appointment of a new prime minister.

The International Monetary Fund restored ties with Madagascar in March. External financing made up 40 percent of the island's budget until donors withdrew aid after rebel troops led by former disc jockey Andry Rajoelina seized power in 2009.

Rajoelina has been at the heart of a power struggle that stoked five years of turmoil in the island nation. He was barred from standing in December's presidential election under the terms of a peace deal brokered by regional African states.

Kolo, who returned to Madagascar last year after spending more than 30 years abroad and who ran a radiology practice in Switzerland, was barred from contesting the presidential election because of residency rules.

Rajoelina ruled out seeking the post of prime minister for himself in February, a decision that was seen easing political divisions that had driven away investors and hurt the economy.

U.S. says G7 backs more sanctions if Russia escalates Ukraine crisis

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 03:50 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of the world's leading rich nations will support increasing sanctions against Russia if Moscow escalates the crisis in Ukraine, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said on Friday.

"There is broad and strong unity within the G7 on increasing sanctions and costs in response to escalating action from Russia," Lew said at a news conference, referring to the Group of Seven industrial nations.

(Reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Business

0 ulasan 7:13 PTG Dicatat oleh blog2
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Business

Next round of FiT quota allocation next month

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT

PUTRAJAYA: The next round of feed-in-tariff (FiT) quota allocation for homeowners and small-scale renewable energy (RE) projects, that includes biogas and mini-hydro, will start from May 2.

The Sustainable Energy Development Authority Malaysia (Seda) will also allow, for the first time, community places such as schools, mosques, churches and welfare homes to apply for FiT quotas.

"We expect to receive about 100 applications from the community category," Seda chief executive officer Datin Badriyah Abdul Malek told reporters on the sidelines of a briefing.

Previously, this group had to compete for quotas in the commercial category.

Seda has allocated a quota of five megawatts this year for the community category, with maximum size of 24 kilowatts per site.

Seda is offering 65 MW in RE quota for 2014.

More than half of the allocation is reserved for solar. The four RE resources that are eligible for FiT are biogas, biomass, small hydropower and solar photovoltaic.

The FiT programme is funded by electricity consumers who contribute 1% of their total power bill towards the Renewable Energy Fund.

To improve efficiency, the fund plans to stop paying the additional 26 sen per kilowatt incentive that was previously enjoyed by homeowners who replaced their rooftops with special solar panels.

"Seda is seriously considering to totally remove this particular bonus for the installation of solar PV as building materials or also known as building integrated photovoltaic next year," said chief operating officer Dr Ali Askar Sher Mohamad.

Nasdaq ends below 4,000 for first time since early Feb

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 03:47 PM PDT

NEW YORK: U.S. stocks slid in a volatile session on Friday, with the Nasdaq closing below the 4,000 mark for the first time since early February.

Selling accelerated late in the afternoon, with the biotech and other momentum stocks again leading the Nasdaq sharply lower. JPMorgan's disappointing earnings also gave investors a reason to sell some bank stocks.

For the week, the S&P 500 fell 2.6 percent and the Nasdaq lost 3.1 percent, the biggest weekly decline for both indexes since June 2012.

"Today's decline is what we've been seeing all week. The weakness in the biotech and momentum names is getting investors worried about where the market is headed in the near-term, eventually triggering a selloff in everything," said Robert Pavlik, chief market strategist at Banyan Partners in New York.

"Our long-term outlook on the market hasn't changed because if you understand why the market is selling off, you know it's not rational, that it doesn't make sense," he added.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 143.47 points or 0.89 percent, to end at 16,026.75. The S&P 500 <.SPX> lost 17.39 points or 0.95 percent, to finish at 1,815.69. The Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> dropped 54.372 points or 1.34 percent, to close at 3,999.734.

The Nasdaq Composite fell through 4,000 for the first time since early February and many one-time market darlings are now down substantially from records reached only six or seven weeks ago.

JPMorgan Chase & Co <JPM.N> shares fell 3.7 percent to close at $55.30. The stock was the biggest drag on the S&P 500 after the bank reported a far weaker-than-expected quarterly profit as revenue from securities trading fell.

The S&P financial index <.SPSY> dropped 1.2 percent. It was the S&P 500's worst-performing sector.

The Nasdaq biotech index <.NBI> fell 2.8 percent after rising as much as 1 percent earlier. The Global X social media index <SOCL.O>, which includes Facebook <FB.O> and LinkedIn <LNKD.N>, slid 2.3 percent. Facebook shares fell 1.1 percent to $58.53. LinkedIn shares lost 2.5 percent to end at $165.78.

In contrast to the day's sharp downturn, shares of Wells Fargo & Co <WFC.N> rose 0.8 percent to $48.08 after the biggest mortgage lender in the United States reported a 14 percent increase in first-quarter net profit.

Shares of Herbalife <HLF.N> sold off late in the day after the Financial Times reported that the Department of Justice and the FBI had launched a probe into the company. The stock tumbled 14 percent to close at $51.48.

Even with the recent declines, investors appear committed to equities. Investors in U.S.-based funds poured $8.9 billion into stock funds in the week ended April 9, data from Thomson Reuters' Lipper service showed on Thursday.

The latest economic data showed that consumers felt more optimistic as April got under way. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's preliminary April reading on the overall index of consumer sentiment came in at 82.6, the highest since July, as both current conditions and expectations brightened.

The seasonally adjusted producer price index for final demand increased 0.5 percent last month, the largest increase in nine months, pointing to some pockets of inflation at the factory gate.

Trading volume was around 7.3 billion shares on U.S. exchanges, above the 6.9 billion average so far this month, according to data from BATS Global Markets.- Reuters

Southeast Asia stocks: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore fall

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 03:39 PM PDT

SINGAPORE: Indonesia shares ended higher on Friday, trimming losses on the week amid bargain hunting in battered large caps as investors weighed political uncertainties after an unconvincing election win by the main opposition party. 
    Jakarta's Composite Index closed up 1.1 percent,
recouping some of the more than 3 percent drop on the previous
session as shares of Bank Mandiri and Bank Rakyat
Indonesia rebounded after steep losses on Thursday.
    It was down 0.9 percent on the week.
    Stocks in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand
 drifted lower on the week after recent rally. The
Philippines and Vietnam outperformed, with a
weekly gain of 0.6 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively.
    Global equities slipped to a two-week low on Friday as a
sell-off on Wall Street led by technology and biotech shares and
triggered by concerns that valuations are over stretched spread
to Asia and Europe. 
    The Thai market will be closed on Monday and Tuesday for a
public holiday.
 For Asian Companies click;  
 For South East Asia Hot Stock reports, click;   
 
 SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS
 Change on day
 Market             Current     Prev Close    Pct Move
 TR SE Asia Index*   416.78        417.74       -0.23
 Singapore          3198.22       3203.58       -0.17
 Kuala Lumpur       1852.66       1859.52       -0.37
 Bangkok            1389.16       1389.56       -0.03
 Jakarta            4816.58       4765.73       +1.07
 Manila             6596.96       6638.89       -0.63
 Ho Chi Minh         600.57        601.33       -0.13
 
 Change on year
 Market             Current       End 2013    Pct Move
 TR SE Asia Index*   416.78        417.74       +7.32
 Singapore          3198.22       3203.58       +0.97
 Kuala Lumpur       1852.66       1859.52       -0.77
 Bangkok            1389.16       1389.56       +6.96
 Jakarta            4816.58       4765.73      +12.69
 Manila             6596.96       6638.89      +12.01
 Ho Chi Minh         600.57        601.33      +19.01- Reuters
Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Metro: Central

0 ulasan 1:34 PTG Dicatat oleh blog2
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Metro: Central

William and Kate to take to the water in New Zealand

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 05:39 PM PDT

AUCKLAND, April 11, 2014 (AFP) - Prince William and wife Catherine plan to test their sea legs Friday racing America's Cup yachts against one another on Auckland Harbour on day five of their New Zealand tour.

The royal couple will visit Team New Zealand's harbourside headquarters then, weather permitting, take to the water on rival America's Cup boats.

William told Prime Minister John Key at a function on Thursday night that both he and Kate were looking to gain bragging rights over each other in their nautical showdown.

"It will be a competition... a bit of healthy competition," he said.

Team NZ chief operating officer Kevin Shoebridge said the race was expected to take about two hours.

"They're free to pretty much do what they want, we haven't been given any restrictions," he told 3News.

"We're hoping to start the boats and then we'll hand the wheel over to them, give them a little bit of tuition and let them do it themselves... I think everyone will have a good time."

The royals will be hoping for a better performance than Team NZ produced when they lost the America's Cup final to US rivals Oracle in San Francisco last year.

The team were up 8-1, needing just one more race to claim victory, before collapsing spectacularly and losing 9-8 in what has been described as the greatest choke in sporting history.

The royals will also meet New Zealand air force personnel Friday at a base just outside Auckland and go on a brief walkabout in New Zealand's largest city, as well as cross the harbour in an amphibious vessel.

Lobby group Republic New Zealand said that while the royals are on the water it plans to send a plane above Auckland trailing a banner reading "Time for a New Zealand head of state".

"Having the UK supply us with a head of state no longer works for New Zealand, we need our own head of state," the group said in a statement.

Baby Prince George is travelling with his parents on the three-week tour of New Zealand and Australia but remains at their Wellington base with recently appointed Spanish nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo. - AFP
Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Metro: South & East

0 ulasan 11:26 PG Dicatat oleh blog2
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Metro: South &amp; East

William and Kate to take to the water in New Zealand

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 05:39 PM PDT

AUCKLAND, April 11, 2014 (AFP) - Prince William and wife Catherine plan to test their sea legs Friday racing America's Cup yachts against one another on Auckland Harbour on day five of their New Zealand tour.

The royal couple will visit Team New Zealand's harbourside headquarters then, weather permitting, take to the water on rival America's Cup boats.

William told Prime Minister John Key at a function on Thursday night that both he and Kate were looking to gain bragging rights over each other in their nautical showdown.

"It will be a competition... a bit of healthy competition," he said.

Team NZ chief operating officer Kevin Shoebridge said the race was expected to take about two hours.

"They're free to pretty much do what they want, we haven't been given any restrictions," he told 3News.

"We're hoping to start the boats and then we'll hand the wheel over to them, give them a little bit of tuition and let them do it themselves... I think everyone will have a good time."

The royals will be hoping for a better performance than Team NZ produced when they lost the America's Cup final to US rivals Oracle in San Francisco last year.

The team were up 8-1, needing just one more race to claim victory, before collapsing spectacularly and losing 9-8 in what has been described as the greatest choke in sporting history.

The royals will also meet New Zealand air force personnel Friday at a base just outside Auckland and go on a brief walkabout in New Zealand's largest city, as well as cross the harbour in an amphibious vessel.

Lobby group Republic New Zealand said that while the royals are on the water it plans to send a plane above Auckland trailing a banner reading "Time for a New Zealand head of state".

"Having the UK supply us with a head of state no longer works for New Zealand, we need our own head of state," the group said in a statement.

Baby Prince George is travelling with his parents on the three-week tour of New Zealand and Australia but remains at their Wellington base with recently appointed Spanish nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo. - AFP

India&#39;s Gandhi mocks rival Modi over wedlock confession

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:24 AM PDT

NEW DELHI, April 11, 2014 (AFP) - Rahul Gandhi, vice president of the ruling Congress party, Friday accused opposition election frontrunner Narendra Modi of hypocrisy over his belated disclosure that he is married.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) premier candidate Modi, 63, is routinely described as a bachelor and is thought to have lived alone in his adult life, having risen through the ranks of a grassroots Hindu nationalist organisation in which celibacy is expected.

But on Wednesday Modi acknowledged he had a wife in an affidavit while filing papers to run for the national parliament in western Gujarat state.

Gandhi, the 43-year-old scion of India's famous political dynasty and unwed himself, is leading the campaign for Congress, which is tipped to lose to the BJP in elections that began this week.

He said Modi promises respect and security for women while on the campaign trail but never acknowledges his own wife.

"I don't know how many elections he (Modi) has fought before but this is the first time he's mentioned he's married," Gandhi told an election rally in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Modi, chief minister of Gujarat, has contested seats four times in the state's regional assembly but never previously revealed his marital status on affidavits.

"In Delhi, posters read 'respect for women' but his wife's name never reaches his affidavit," Gandhi said.

In the column of the affidavit mentioning spouses, Modi wrote the name "Jashodaben". But he stated elsewhere in the filing he had "no information" about her.

Modi's brother said in a statement Thursday that Modi was betrothed as a child to the now 62-year-old retired schoolteacher, who gave an interview in February in which she said she didn't "feel bad" about not being part of her husband's life.

"I know he is doing so due to destiny," Modi's wife told The Indian Express in February.

The marriage, formalised when Modi was 17, is never believed to have been consummated. Modi went on to rise through the ranks of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a Hindu group which frowns on marriage for its senior cadres.

India's mammoth national election, which kicked off Monday, has been described as a "battle of the bachelors" pitting Gandhi against Modi. Results are due on May 16.

Last month, Gandhi said he would wed "when I find the right girl". In the past, he has been linked to several foreign girlfriends.
Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: TV Tracks

0 ulasan 9:34 PG Dicatat oleh blog2
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star eCentral: TV Tracks

Kris Jenner, mastermind of the Kardashian brand

Posted: 09 Apr 2014 04:52 PM PDT

Despite the haters, Kris Jenner is having the last laugh as 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians' enters its ninth season.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Parenting

0 ulasan 9:20 PG Dicatat oleh blog2
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Lifestyle: Parenting

Be a champion to your child

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Children do as you do; so live healthily and be good role models.

If you're like most parents, you probably teach your children all that's important to you. You'd explain why they are important, and you'd remind your child why he should do the things he's supposed to do.

As well-meaning parents pushing our children to achieve their goals and triumph in life, we sometimes fail to reflect and ask ourselves if we are positive influences on our young ones. Are we good role models?

Parents are the first individuals that children come in contact with. Between the age of seven and 12, children are at their most impressionable.

This is the time they imitate the mannerisms and absorb the qualities of those closest to them.

As parents, we are most responsible for our children's upbringing and welfare, especially with regards to their mental and functional developments.

At times, with a million things to do, we may not be fully aware that we are being closely watched by our little ones.

It is through our example that children learn and adopt habits, attitudes and values.

During this time, children are highly susceptible to influences as they have yet to have fully formed identities.

They require constant guidance and reassurance from us as they search for their place in this big world.

Eating balanced meals and exercising regularly are not only good for our children but for us as well. Some of us sometimes neglect to eat well and stay active, and we blame it on our hectic lifestyle. Unfortunately, this does not set a good example for our children to follow.

As role models to our children, we should take the first step and encourage our young ones to lead a healthy lifestyle.

"We can start our day positively with a healthy breakfast. A child's rapid growth results in a need for a balance of 55-70% of carbohydrates, 10-15% of protein and 20-30% of fat. Combined with regular exercise, these nutrients will ignite the Positive Energy within us.

"Positive Energy enables us to have the positive mindset to take on the day's challenges, making us champions," says Nestle Products' senior nutritionist Nurul Iliani Ahmad.

Five healthy breakfasts

Nourishing your body with a well-balanced meal plays a vital role in maximising the benefits of exercise, thus unlocking the Positive Energy within us. Start today with a breakfast containing essential nutrients to tackle the day's challenges.

Here are five tips for a healthy nutritious breakfast.

> Use as many different coloured fruits and vegetables as possible. They are an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber which are naturally low in fat.

Each different coloured fruits and vegetables has their health benefits. For instance, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables such as carrots and papaya are packed with nutrients that can help strengthen a child's immune system and eyes.

Purple fruits and vegetables such as dragon fruit and eggplant are loaded with nutrients that promote youthful healthy skin.

> Opt for complex carbohydrates. Choose foods such as wholemeal bread, oatmeal and whole grain cereals which contain complex carbohydrates. They are digested slowly by the body, thus providing longer lasting energy. Complex carbohydrates are perfect for your children's fast-growing bodies, as it helps power them during their morning in school. It helps them concentrate better in class and prevents them from tiring out easily even after participating in physical activities

> Limit food high in salt, sugar and fat. Childhood is the best time for children to adopt healthy eating. Make sure to limit intake of high fat, sugar and salt foods as these are harmful to both adults and children as it is associated with many health-related diseases. 

A high or regular intake of these foods in childhood will contribute to higher risk of diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure or heart disease in their future. We should keep in mind that what we put into our bodies may not have an immediate impact but a factor to how we are later in life.

> Serve a balanced mix of food groups in a meal. Be creative; mix and match foods. This allows for a nutritious breakfast as it contains all the essential nutrients. For instance, create a vegetable omelette with a side of toasted whole grain bread for breakfast. Eggs provide great source of protein, a much needed source for building and repairing muscles for children and adults, while vegetables is a source of vitamin, mineral and dietary fiber. Toasted whole grain bread fills your quota of carbohydrates. 

A bowl of oatmeal cereal made with skimmed milk and chopped banana is another good choice for a balanced breakfast. Oatmeal cereal with skimmed milk contains adequate amounts of complex carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals. The chopped bananas are a source of dietary fibre that also contain potassium which helps lower systolic blood pressure.

> Always have a nutritious beverage, a drink which contains a balanced ratio of carbohydrates, protein and fat such as a mug of Milo. Nutrients such as Protomalt and Actigen E found in Milo aid in releasing optimal energy for our children's growing bodies and sustain us with sufficient energy to go about our daily tasks

Be a champion for the family

Keeping our mind and body active and alert will energise us. A nutritious breakfast serves as power for the brain and energy for the body. The same goes for our children. Spending time with our children, doing activities such as playing board games helps to exercise the mind while keeping it active and stimulated. 

Teaching them a new sport or a visit to the park to play football are good physical exercises for the family. Physical exercise helps to regulate our excess energy and keep our health in check.

Once our children see us enjoying the time spent with them, it will let them know that they are doing something good. They will then be encouraged to adopt these positive habits.

With the formula of Positive Energy and the benefits of its components, we are armed with the right elements in shaping ourselves to set out the goals we wish to achieve.

Keeping our little ones close, they will recognise the champions in us while we bring out the champion in them.

Practising good habits together as a family will have a positive impact on our children. Leading by example and allowing for open communication will make us champions in our children's eyes.

>> This article is provided by Milo.

Unleash your child&#39;s power of imagination by playing along

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Go along with your children on their adventures, and let their creativity rule.

When children embark on an adventure, it opens up their minds, widens their experiences and offers them an avenue to go beyond their boundaries.

"Children have wild imaginations and they can come up with several games just by using their minds. For example, a child may sit on a chair and imagine it to be a car or a plane.

"As parents, instead of saying no and reprimanding them for messing up the furniture, we have to play our role by encouraging and joining them on these little made-up adventures," says Kits4Kids Foundation founder Prof Dr Eric Lim.

He categorises adventures as intellectual adventures and contemporary adventures.

According to Lim, when children use their imagination and play using objects around the house, it's intellectual adventure. Intellectual adventure also includes building blocks, colouring pictures, playing outdoor games and embarking on activities that stimulate their minds.

"During this stage of a child's life, they are able to process information, reason, develop language skills and enhance other aspects of brain development," says Lim. adding that creating a sense of adventure helps in the cognitive development of a child.

"Contemporary adventure, on the other hand, is when a child seeks adventure through digital devices such as playing computer games and using other smart devices to keep them entertained. While this type of adventure also stimulates brain functionality, it can lead to addiction.

"This is where parents need to learn to strike a balance between digital-game-time and non-digital-game-time. However, sometimes both these adventures can take place in a day, to offer a child variation," says Dr Lim during a recent Tiger Biskuat NutriFruit's briefing on "Living an Adventurous Life with Your Child".

Actress Sharifah Sofia Syed Hussein is a believer in adventure and she encourages her two daughters to play out their imaginations.

"My eldest daughter, Sharifah Ariana, has a wild imagination. She goes around our house creating play spots in different corners and turns each spot into a fun location. For instance, one day she decided to take me to the beach and used clothes from our laundry basket to make sandcastles," shares the amused mother.

To Sharifah and her daughters, their imaginative play is what defines an epic adventure.

"I let my children do what they like as long as it doesn't endanger them.

"When I was a kid, my life was full of adventure. From little things like playing hide and seek, to climbing a tree and hiding in the drain, each day was a new discovery.

"Even though we live in the digital era, I am keen to expose my daughters to more than computer games and show them the world outside," says Sharifah who professes to having a vivid imagination.

Parents these days are, however, wary of letting their children run free outdoors. Lim suggests parents get together to organise activities so they will be better able to watch over their children.

"Instead of limiting our kids from going outside on bike rides, for example, what we can do is seek help from other parents who are willing to oversee a play date.

"Look for homemakers, or even teenagers looking to make babysitting money, to help out. If we form a group and stay together, we can offer our children the freedom they want and at the same time keep them safe," says Lim.

It is important for parents to understand that creating adventures will also help children reach their full potential.

"As parents, we must ensure we do everything in our power to unleash our children's unique qualities," says Lim.

Sharifah often tries to lead her own mini family adventures.

"A child's creativity should not be limited and they should be allowed to explore and discover new things. Put your smartphones away for a couple of hours a day and use that time to create simple adventures with your children which you can be part of, too.

"There are many ways parents can ensure their children have exciting, memorable adventures and the best part is most of it can be done in the comfort of your own home.

"An indoor scavenger hunt is an adventure children and their parents can embark on during rainy days. Have a picnic or camp out in your own backyard.

"On lazy days, try coming up with new recipes in the kitchen with your children.

"Let their creativity run wild and you'll be amazed at the outcome," says Sharifah, adding that fun adventures are also great for bonding with her children.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

0 ulasan 12:24 PG Dicatat oleh blog2
Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

William and Kate to take to the water in New Zealand

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 05:39 PM PDT

AUCKLAND, April 11, 2014 (AFP) - Prince William and wife Catherine plan to test their sea legs Friday racing America's Cup yachts against one another on Auckland Harbour on day five of their New Zealand tour.

The royal couple will visit Team New Zealand's harbourside headquarters then, weather permitting, take to the water on rival America's Cup boats.

William told Prime Minister John Key at a function on Thursday night that both he and Kate were looking to gain bragging rights over each other in their nautical showdown.

"It will be a competition... a bit of healthy competition," he said.

Team NZ chief operating officer Kevin Shoebridge said the race was expected to take about two hours.

"They're free to pretty much do what they want, we haven't been given any restrictions," he told 3News.

"We're hoping to start the boats and then we'll hand the wheel over to them, give them a little bit of tuition and let them do it themselves... I think everyone will have a good time."

The royals will be hoping for a better performance than Team NZ produced when they lost the America's Cup final to US rivals Oracle in San Francisco last year.

The team were up 8-1, needing just one more race to claim victory, before collapsing spectacularly and losing 9-8 in what has been described as the greatest choke in sporting history.

The royals will also meet New Zealand air force personnel Friday at a base just outside Auckland and go on a brief walkabout in New Zealand's largest city, as well as cross the harbour in an amphibious vessel.

Lobby group Republic New Zealand said that while the royals are on the water it plans to send a plane above Auckland trailing a banner reading "Time for a New Zealand head of state".

"Having the UK supply us with a head of state no longer works for New Zealand, we need our own head of state," the group said in a statement.

Baby Prince George is travelling with his parents on the three-week tour of New Zealand and Australia but remains at their Wellington base with recently appointed Spanish nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo. - AFP

Japan kills 251 minke whales

Posted: 09 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT

TOKYO: Japan killed 251 minke whales during the 2014 Antarctic hunt, in what is expected to be the last "research whaling" mission in the Southern Ocean after an international court ruling.

According to data released by Japan's Fisheries Agency on Tuesday, the catch was more than double last year's tally of 103 minke whales, but much smaller than the target of 935.

The whalers caught no fin whales during the hunt, which ran between Jan 3 and March 13, the agency said.

Japan is a signatory to the International Whaling Commission (IWC), which bans commercial hunting, but has insisted its operation was research – even though it acknowledged the meat from the animals ended up on dinner tables.

Militant environmentalist group Sea Shepherd has annually sent its vessels to the Southern Ocean to confront the whalers, and has in the past taken credit for the vastly-reduced catch.

The United Nations' International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled last week that the programme was a commercial hunt disguised as science, vindicating claims by opponents, notably Australia.

In the wake of the verdict, Japan said it was cancelling the annual Antarctic mission for the first time in more than a quarter of a century.

Japan has another research whaling programme that operates in the northwestern Pacific.

This hunt, which is not affected by the court ruling, operates two excursions a year, in coastal waters and offshore, from early summer through autumn.

Last year's whaling in the area netted 58 minke whales in coastal waters and 132 mammals – including minke, sei and sperm whales – offshore.

Analysts say Japan will likely have to review this programme in the Pacific in light of the UN court ruling.

Japanese fishermen also catch a small number of whales in coastal waters under an IWC provision allowing for small-scale "indigenous whaling". — AFP

Extra-terrestrial tweets up links Tokyo with space

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 10:48 PM PDT

Tokyo (AFP) - An unusual "Tweet-up" -- a meeting of people who know each other on Twitter -- involving an ambassador, an astronaut and a prime minister has taken place on a video-link between Japan and the International Space Station.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy chatted with the Japanese commander of the ISS, Koichi Wakata, as he circled the Earth hundreds of miles up.

The three, who are all active on the micro-blogging site, talked on Thursday evening about daily life aboard the station, while Kennedy and Wakata traded compliments on their activities in the blogosphere.

"It's an honour to be able to speak with you," Kennedy, the only surviving daughter of assassinated US president John F. Kennedy said.

"Congratulations Commander Wakata on being the first Japanese commander of the space station and I am glad that we follow each other on Twitter," Kennedy said.

"Ambassador Kennedy, it's quite an honour that you follow my tweets," Wakata replied.

Wakata who was flanked by fellow space-farers from Russia and the US, battled with zero-gravity to grab the microphone and make himself heard back on Earth as Abe addressed him.

"You are the first Asian to become commander of the ISS," the Japanese PM said. "Are there days when you think that it is hard work?"

Wakata, a practised diplomat as well as an astronaut said the multi-national crew was an effective unit.

"I think we really work well as a team," he said. "But we are more than just crew mates, qualities from all the countries we represent complete each other and we can communicate perfectly," he added.

The conversation took place hours after a a Russian cargo ship docked with the ISS, bringing the crew crucial supplies and water.

Earlier this month NASA announced that it was cutting space cooperation with Russia -- except over the ISS -- because of Moscow's actions in Ukraine, including the takeover of Crimea last month.

NASA has been wholly reliant on Russia for delivering astronauts to the space station since the US retired its space shuttles in 2011.
Kredit: www.thestar.com.my
Langgan: Catatan (Atom)
 

The Star Online

Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved