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Thursday, August 7, 2008
Raikkonen ‘not the driver Ferrari needs’ Kimi Raikkonen has come in for a scathing attack from the Italian media following another lacklustre performance in the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend – being described variously as ‘a pale imitation of the driver of the past’ and ‘not the driver Ferrari needs’.
Ferrari Formula One driver Kimi Raikkonen of Finland gestures during a pressconference for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring circuit near Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, July 31, 2008. The Hungarian Grand Prix takes place Sunday, Aug. 3, 2008.
AP Photo/Daniel Maurer
Dovi not intimidated by Rossi
Rookie Andrea Dovizioso appeared a little star struck when he lined up alongside seven time world champion, and Italian legend, Valentino Rossi for a pre-season MotoGP photo shoot. But the JiR Team Scot rider
soon overcame any feelings of intimidation by overtaking the Fiat Yamaha superstar for fourth place during the closing stages of his MotoGP debut at Qatar - and Dovi claims he is now comfortable racing against the second most successful
AFP
Andrea Dovizioso
16 Pages Number 165 1st Year
rider in 500cc/MotoGP history. “Before this year it was a dream to fight with Valentino, but now I am in the same class and I want to beat him,” Dovizioso told Crash.net. “It is very difficult because he has the best talent, but I beat him in my first race and finished very near to him at Barcelona. It is very very nice to fight with Valentino, but also with Stoner and Pedrosa,” he added. After eleven rounds, Dovizioso is the highest placed satellite rider in the MotoGP World Championship standings, holding fifth place with a best race finish of fourth (three times). The former 125cc world champion and 250cc title contender has his sights set on securing a factory Honda ride for 2009. Meanwhile James Toseland believes the challenge he faces in trying to reach the top of the MotoGP World Championship isn’t any harder than doing the same in the World Superbike Championship. “They’ve got different riding styles [in MotoGP] and the way you overtake in MotoGP is different to Superbike,” Toseland told Crash.net. “But it’s no easier to try and beat Valentino Rossi or the likes in MotoGP or Troy Bayliss in Superbikes. When I was in Superbikes we were all specialists in Superbike racing, so it was just as hard to win those races as these,” he explained.
The defending Formula 1 World Champion has now not triumphed in seven races, putting the defence of his hard-won 2007 crown in distinct jeopardy, with both McLarenMercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa seeming to be in considerably better shape than the Finn as the 2008 campaign races towards its conclusion. Since Raikkonen’s second – and thus far latest – victory of the season in Barcelona all the way back in April, the 28-year-old has notched up just 28 points, compared to the 42, 36 and 30 of title rivals Hamilton, Massa and Robert Kubica respectively. Though he may have lucked into a rostrum finish with third place in Budapest, the 17-time grand prix winner failed to convince weekend-
long, qualifying a lowly sixth and spending the first two-thirds of the race tucked up behind Fernando Alonso’s markedly slower Renault – a fact not lost on the notoriously merciless and fickle Italian press. “He seems a pale imitation of the driver of the past,’ blasted national sports newspaper Tuttosport. This Raikkonen is not the driver that Ferrari needs. He needs to ask himself whether he really still has the desire.” For his part, the erstwhile world championship leader has responded to claims that he is likely to hang up his F1 helmet at the end of the current campaign, second title in the bag or not. “I never said anything like that,” he stressed. “Somebody made it up.” There were rather warmer words, meanwhile, for Massa, who – against the odds – dominated the race around the Hungaroring, from his superbly aggressive pass all the way around the outside of pole-sitter Hamilton at the start to his cruel retirement with engine failure whilst in a commanding position a scant three laps from the chequered flag. “What more can Ferrari ask of its driver?” the respected La Gazzetta dello Sport mused.
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President witnesses’ mass cremation Paris Hilton issues tart rebuttal to McCain ad PAGE 12
Dovi not intimidated by Rossi
AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh
Hindu devotees offer prayers to snakes during the annual Hindu Nag Panchami festival, dedicated to the worship of snakes, in Allahabad, India, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008.
Bush starts South Korea summit after overnight protests
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Bush and Lee Myung-Bak were to discuss efforts to push a free trade pact and the denuclearisation of North
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Korea among a variety of other issues at their hour-long meeting, Seoul presidential officials said.
The US leader is expected to ask South Korea to play a greater role in Afghanistan following its troop pullout last year, US officials have said. Cost-sharing arrangements for the 28,500 US troops based in the South will also likely figure in the talks, the third between the two leaders sinceApril. Continued on page 6
AP Photo/Lee Jae-won, POOL
U.S. President George W. Bush, (L) and Lee Myung
Beijing Olympics should promote peace: Dalai Lama
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SEOUL - US President George W. Bush began summit talks Wednesday with his South Korean counterpart on ways to strengthen their decades-old alliance, after police arrested scores of people in overnight protests.
AP Photo
Dalai Lama.
DHARAMSHALA - Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday offered his “good wishes” for the Olympics, saying they were a moment of “great pride” for the Chinese, and should promote peace. The Beijing Games “should contribute to promoting the Olympic spirit of friendship, openness and peace,” the Nobel peace laureate said in Dharamshala, his home-inexile in northern India.
The 73-year-old Tibetan leader repeated his support for the Games due to start Friday, ignoring opposition from his radical younger followers, who have been staging protests in the Indian capital against China hosting the Olympics. “Right from the time of China’s application to hold the Olympic Games, I have supported China’s right to host the Games, the Dalai Lama said in a statement.
“This is a moment of great pride for the 1.3 billion Chinese people... and I would like to offer my greetings to China, the organizers and the athletes participating in the forthcoming Olympic Games,” he added. Beijing earlier this year accused the Dalai Lama of seeking to sabotage the games and fomenting deadly unrest in Tibet against China’s rule in a bid to embarrass the Chinese government — charges the Buddhist leader denied.
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International
Thursday, August 7, 2008
News
Sport
International
Munich - Amantino Mancini scored his debut goal for Inter in a prestigious 1-0 victory away to Bayern Munich to lift the Franz Beckenbauer Cup. The Nerazzurri began their high-profile continental tour at a packed Allianz Arena against Jurgen Klinsmann’s Bundesliga champions.
As in the previous Trofeo TIM outing, Jose Mourinho’s men seemed a little sluggish and unsure of themselves, handing the initiative to Bayern at the start. Francesco Toldo was tested by a Philipp Lahm angled drive and Hamit Altintop strike in the first half, although Demichelis went off with an injury. The bright spot of Inter’s opening 45 minutes was represented by Adriano, who moved well and had their only real chance with a free kick. The deadlock was broken in the Italians’ favour af-
NEWS
Olympic torch BEIJING - The Olympic flame approaches the final destination of its long and sometimes contentious global tour, greeted by rapturous crowds and tight security in the Chinese capital.
PARIS - To go or not to go - world leaders invited to the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics face a choice riddled with risks. The exceptional guest list for Friday’s Big Event suggests that fears of losing Chinese business crossed continents and oceans, and ultimately outweighed outrage over China’s human rights failings.
Too young to marry RIYADH - An 11year-old boy gave out invitations to his classmates for a big event his family was planning this summer and it wasn’t his birthday party. It was his wedding to a 10-yearold cousin. The case is among a recent spate of marriages involving the very young reported in the media and by Saudi human rights groups. Source: ap
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Mancini’s Munich triumph
WORLD
Olympic invitees
Thursday, August 7, 2008
AP Photo/Andrea Solero, pool
Pope Benedict XVI salutes faithful as he arrives to pay a visit to the home of Josef Freinademetz a 19th century saint who died as a missionary in China, and to pray in the church devoted to him, in Oies, Alta Badia, Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2008. Benedict XVI is urging China to open up to Christianity saying, “It is important for this great country to open itself to the Gospel.”
Pope says China should ‘open up’ to Jesus Agence France-Presse
ROME - Pope Benedict XVI said Tuesday that it was important that China “open up” to Christ, during a visit to the memorial of an Italian missionary who moved to the Asian country, ANSA news agency reported.
“We know that China is becoming more and more significant in political and economic life, as well as in the world of ideas,” the pope said. “It is important that this great continent open up to the gospel of Christ,” he said, three days before the Olympic
Games open in Beijing. The pope was speaking from Oies, a village near Bressanone in northern Italy where he is on holiday. He honoured the memory of Giuseppe Freinademetz, who left to preach the gospel in China in 1879 and died there of typhoid in 1908.
Three US Christians protest on Tiananmen Square: spokesman Agence France-Presse
BEIJING - Three American Christians staged a protest Wednesday on the fringes of Beijing’s Tiananmen Square against repression of religion and forced abortion in China, a USbased spokesman said. Two days before the start of the Olympics, the three unfurled a banner saying “Jesus Christ is
King” in English and Chinese, according to Rob Schenck, the USbased spokesman of the Christian Defence Coalition. “Their principal statement is against the brutal repression of religious rights in China as well as human rights. Forced abortion is one of these,” Schenck told AFP by telephone. The protest ended when the three, two men and one woman, knelt
down and prayed aloud, he said. At this point, plainclothes police seized the three and drove them away in a van, according to Schenck, who said he had not been in touch with them since. He identified the three as Patrick J. Mahoney, Brandi Swindell and Michael McMonagle. China’s one-child policy, in place since about 1980, has been a target of intense foreign criticism, partly
because its implementation is suspected of having caused large numbers of forced abortions. The Beijing Olympics, which begin on Friday, have become a magnet for a wide array of critics of the communist Chinese government. Earlier Wednesday, pro-Tibetan activists unfurled banners outside the Olympic stadium to protest against China’s rule of the Himalayan region.
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Inter Milan’s player Mancini celebrates after his goal during the soccer friendly match of the Beckenbauer cup between FC Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in the arena in Munich, southern Germany, on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2008.
ter 51 minutes, when Mancini trapped a long Luis Figo pass and chipped the Bayern goalkeeper for his first Inter goal. “Mourinho asked me for intensity
and I think I will have made him happy with the goal. My integration is going well and I am trying to do what the boss asks me. We played well and we are improving little by little and making important steps before the Super Cup.” Jose Mourinho is pleased with the progress his Inter side are making after last night’s win over Bayern Munich. An injury-hit Beneamata side was expected to struggle against Bayern, who are more advanced in their preseason preparations. But the Nerazzurri lifted the Franz Beckenbauer Cup thanks to an Amantino Mancini goal and Mourinho was delighted to lift his first silverware as Inter boss. “It was a good training exercise for us,” the Portuguese tactician declared. We played a great side who will start their Bundesliga campaign in a few days and are obviously a bit ahead of us in their preparations. They were a very well organised side.” “The team’s spirit also made me
happy. There was a noticeable empathy between the players. We seemed balanced and we managed possession well in the second half. In the last 15 minutes it was important to keep our lead because that situation will arise often during the season.” “Esteban Cambiasso has adapted very well to playing in the centre of defence and Nicolas Burdisso was also excellent. Francesco Toldo also made three crucial saves.” A buoyant Mourinho also took the chance to comment on his escalating war of words with Juventus counterpart Claudio Ranieri. “The story is simple. Ranieri spoke once and was happy and then spoke again and was happy and then spoke for a third time,” the ex-Chelsea man explained. “I just spoke once and he was a bit angry. It’s fine by me if it finishes here - it will be 3-1 to him but my goal was beautiful. Nobody likes to lose, but I will accept the defeat. Nonetheless I will support Juventus in the Champions League preliminaries.”
Scolari - Don’t say I’m like Mourinho Agence France - Presse
LONDON - Luiz Felipe Scolari has vowed to make Chelsea more popular by avoiding the kind of controversy that Jose Mourinho courted during his reign at Stamfordd Bridge. Scolari has only been in charge at Stamford Bridge since July and his forceful personality have already earned comparisons with Mourinho, who led Chelsea to two league titles. But the Brazilian is adamant he wants Chelsea to be loved so he won’t follow Mourinho’s penchant for making explosive comments about other teams and officials. “I am not Jose Mourinho, so why compare me with him? Mourinho says ‘I will win 10 championships’ but I am more modest than that,” Scolari said. “I am from south Brazil and in my culture we never say ‘I will win this or that’. I just say that I will try my best to win all the competitions. But Mourinho is Mourinho, he has a different culture to me. “I want to make Chelsea loved around the world, like Barcelona and Manchester United. It’s a surprise for me that people say Chelsea are unpopular, because when we went to China, they love Chelsea. “There were many people there. It’s a big surprise people don’t like us in England. Here in Russia, in Malaysia, it’s even better, but maybe not yet in Brazil or South America. “Chelsea is a club that is a growing name. Before, it was Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Milan. “If we win one or two big competitions, I’m sure we’ll
have fans all over the world. Maybe it won’t be the same as Madrid, Manchester or Milan because our history is not the same and you don’t make a history in two, three or ten years. Maybe in 20 or 50 years, Chelsea will be on that level.” While Mourinho spent millions on building Chelsea into one of Europe’s top clubs, Scolari is keen to implement the club’s new policy of bringing through more players from the youth academy. Scolari has signed only Portugal midfielder Deco since taking charge and, although he has been linked
with a bid for Real Madrid’s Robinho, he insists there is no need to spend big money on such a strong squad. “Since I came to Chelsea we have only spent eight million pounds on Deco. Jose Bosingwa came in before I arrived,” he said. “Maybe in the past they have spent more money, but now they don’t need to spend as much because they already have a solid base. Now they need a coach to develop young players and I think I am that coach. The new philosophy at Chelsea is to bring some young boys through the system.”
AP
Samuel Eto’o(center)
Eto’o shines in pre-season as future remains unclear Agence France - Presse
(AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)
Chelsea manager Luis Felipe Scolari seen during their Russian Railways Cup soccer match between Chelsea and FC Lokomotiv at Lokomotiv stadium in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Aug. 1, 2008.
MADRID - Barcelona have deemed Samuel Eto’o’s surplus but the Cameroon international stiker’s impressive performance in the pre-season has led his teammates and some fans to ask the Spanish club to reconsider. “The entire team backs him. He’s one of the best in the world. I don’t know what is going on with the club but he’s very important to the team,” French striker Thierry Henry said Sunday after Barcelona beat Mexican side CD Guadalajara 5-2 in a friendly in Chicago. Eto’o contributed two of the goals after coming on as a substitute in the second half, the first one just four minutes after he hit the pitch. The 27-yearold, Barcelona’s top scorer in the Spanish league last year with 16 goals, has scored three times in four pre-season matches. Eto’o was one of three high-pro-
file Barcelona layers - Deco and Ronaldinho being the others - told in June that he was not part of new coach Pep Guardiola’s plans as the club seeks to rebuild following a second successive trophyless season. Barcelona president Joan Laporta said recently that the three-times African Player of the Year could stay at the club. “In this world, nothing is unchanging. The decision is up to the technical staff. The sports dimension will always prevail. Samuel’s attitude is good and I appreciate his bahaviour,” he said, adding Barcelona sports chief Txiki Begiristain would have the final word. Begiristain, however, has insisted that Eto’o, who signed from Mallorca in 2004, is on the way out. “The best solution for Eto’o would be if he was sold before the Champions League preliminary games. The market is about to close and we’re considering many options with Pep Guardiola,” he said Tuesday.
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Thursday, August 7, 2008
International
News
International
Thursday, August 7, 2008
40 just a number for Dana Torres
Malaysia’s Anwar says to be charged with sodomy Thursday
BEIJING - US swimmer Dara Torres is finding a whole new set of fans as she tackles her fifth Olympics at the unlikely age of 41, and she’s happy to champion their cause.
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said he would be charged with sodomy on Thursday, accusing the government of trying to sabotage his bid to re-enter parliament in a by-election this month.
Agence France - Presse
“I just want to go out there for those 40-something girls and show that age is just a number,” said Torres, who won the first of her nine Olympic medals in Los Angeles way back in 1984. Since then she has retired twice, coming back the first time to compete in the 2000 Sydney Games, and given birth to daughter Tessa, now two years old. In a sport known to favor youth, Torres has addressed her age both seriously and with humor. At the US trials, she joked that it took a moment for her surprise victory in the 100m free to sink in because she couldn’t make out the scoreboard with her middle-aged eyes.
But she has also undertaken a rigorous programme of drug testing, knowing that in the doping-weary sports world exploits such as hers now automatically spark suspicion. But Torres was surprised Wednesday to hear herself described as the “Face of Female, 40 and Fierce”. “I’m embarrassed,” the momentarily nonplussed Torres said. “It’s a great feeling to go out there at my age and be doing what I’m doing.” Used to receiving autograph requests from youthful fans in her younger days, Torres said those following her career now are different. “I find adults coming up to me and not asking for autographs but talking to me and having long conversations and hearing about how they’ve
Agence France-Presse
been inspired,” she said. “It’s kind of nice to have a different age group following you, and hopefully I represent them well.” Torres’s relationships with her teammates have also changed. “I definitely see myself in some of the younger kids,” Torres said. “They’re all young, bouncing off the walls and full of energy.” While Torres has been affectionately dubbed the “mom” of the team, she said she has tried not to quash the exuberance of the Olympic newcomers. “I have to remind myself - when I’m, like, ‘shsh’ during the day when it’s naptime - I was once like them. “I try to be cognizant of that also and not act like the mom.”
Dana Torres of the USA adjusts her cap before taking part in a training session at the National Aquatics Center, also known as the Bird’s Nest, in preparation for the upcoming Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing on August 6, 2008. Torres, a 41 years old swimming mum star is competing in Beijing 24 years after winning her first Olympic gold. Torres owns nine Olympic medals, starting with that first relay gold in 1984.
AFP PHOTO / GREG WOOD
Hobbling Hewitt ready for Beijing shock 103 year-old volunteer proud to play his part Agence France - Presse
BEIJING - Lleyton Hewitt admitted on Wednesday that his long-standing hip injury could spark an Olympic Games dream performance which had seemed unlikely just four weeks ago. The 27-year-old Australian, who has played only three tournaments in four months, will be unseeded at the Games tennis tournament but he believes his low profile build-up
AFP
Lleyton Hewitt is ready to get the best result in Beijing
could work in his favour. “I could draw anyone and I’ll be a dangerous floater,” said the former world number one who is playing the Olympics for the first time since Sydney in 2000. “If I can get through one or two matches, then I’ll get better.” Hewitt hasn’t featured on the tour since losing to Roger Federer in the fourth round at Wimbledon, but he showed trademark tenacity in the face of crippling pain by taking Spanish world number five David Ferrer to five sets at the French Open. After Wimbledon, Hewitt admitted he may have had to shelve the Olympics and the US Open in order to undergo surgery on his hip. But after training with coach Tony Roche in Australia, he is now ready for action in the heat, humidity and smog of Beijing. “After Wimbledon, I didn’t give myself much of a chance of playing either here or at the US Open,” said Hewitt. “But I had some tests and they have paid dividends. I hit last week with Tony. I took it day by day and didn’t want to commit myself. But I felt good last week.” Hewitt, who was a first round loser in Sydney and then skipped the 2004 Athens Games because the tournament schedule was too close to the US Open, said his plans for the rest of the year are still in doubt. “It’s all up in the air. I’d love to play the Davis Cup match in Chile but playing on clay is different to a hard court. Surgery is still an option,” said Hewitt who’ll also team up with Chris Guccione in the doubles here. The Australian insisted that the infamous pollution of Beijing won’t be a problem for him. “I had a hit out there today. The smog didn’t worry me. I think the heat and humidity will cause more of a problem but I like to play in these conditions. “I’m not worried about the courts here, they are very similar to New York. The balls are a bit quicker through the air.” Meanwhile, both Hewitt and compatriot Alicia Molik, who was a bronze medallist in Athens in 2004, hit back at South African golfer Trevor Immelman’s claims that tennis, along with golf and basketball, should be axed from the Olympics.
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Agence France - Presse
BEIJING - Most centenarians would be content with putting their feet up and taking it easy, but not Fu Yiquan who is perhaps the oldest Olympic volunteer ever. The 103-year-old patrols the streets around his traditional hutong neighbourhood three times a day, offering help and assistance to Olympic spectators and tourists and ensuring trash is cleaned up. “This is what I can do for the Olympics. I can’t go to the stadiums to work, but I can make sure our community is safe and inorder,” Fu, an official “capital security volunteer”, told the Xinhua news agency. “Hosting the Olympic Games shows that our country has grown stronger. I feel so proud,” he added. Fu, who moved to Beijing in 1940 from Shandong province to escape invading Japanese forces, received an official invitation to attend the opening ceremony on Friday, but turned it down. “I don’t want to be any trouble to anyone. I would rather stay home and watch the live broadcast than bother people to take care of me,” he said. While he is proud to play his part at the world’s biggest sporting event, he has also suffered from Beijing being awarded the Olympics. When the city won its bid to host the Games in 2001, Fu was on the streets when fireworks erupted when the news broke that Beijing had won. “Suddenly the celebrating fireworks broke behind my ears just like a thunder, and my ears felt numb right away,” he recalled, adding that he never fully recovered. But he bears no grudges. “Whoever set out the fireworks behind me, they didn’t mean to hurt me, they just wanted to celebrate Beijing’s winning of the right to host the Olympics.” Some 400,000 volunteers are taking part in the Olympics.
Anwar, a former deputy premier who was jailed a decade ago on sodomy charges that were later overturned, was hit with the new accusations after announcing he was poised to seize power with the help of government defectors. “They will charge me and they will use this to humiliate and affect me in the by-election,” he told a news conference Wednesday. Anwar said there was no evidence to support the allegations levelled by 23-year-old aide Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, and said that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had engineered the latest development. “This charge is only possible on the orders from the prime minister, who today faces a confidence crisis and leadership struggle,” he said. Anwar said that Abdullah, who has faced calls to quit since March elections that handed the opposition unprecedented gains, was “desperate” and using the case “to cover up his failures and abuses.” Last week the 60-year-old opposition leader announced he would contest a by-election for a seat vacated by his wife. The Election
Commission announced the vote would be held on August 26. “I am confident of winning in the by-election,” Anwar said, adding that the coalition government which has been in power for half a century was in disarray and had mismanaged the economy. Police confirmed that Anwar had been ordered to appear in court at 10:00am (0200 GMT) to be charged with sodomy, which is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment in Malaysia, a conservative and predominantly Muslim country. Election Commission secretary Kamaruzaman Mohamad Noor said Anwar could still contest the byelection even after charges were laid, although he would be disqualified if found guilty and jailed. Anwar, the figurehead of the Keadilan party which heads the three-member opposition alliance, has said he is bracing for “massive” vote-rigging by the government to prevent him from winning. Keadilan information chief Tian Chua said that if Anwar goes to trial on the sodomy charges, the case will begin in September at the earliest, meaning there will be no outcome
AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, right, gestures as his wife Wan Azizah looks on during a press conference at the People’s Justice Party headquarters in Petaling Jaya, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008 until well after the election. Chua said there was also a “certain amount of risk” that Anwar could be taken into custody and not granted bail after being charged. Anwar’s lawyer Sulaiman Abdullah indicated that the opposition was prepared for a gruelling court battle. “We will fight hard against the might of the state. In any criminal case, the odds are stacked against the accused, and in a political case the odds will be stacked heavily against the accused,” he told reporters.
Ibrahim Suffian of the Merdeka Centre research firm said Anwar was virtually assured of victory in the ballot in his home state of Penang, in the country’s northwest. “Barring any unforeseen situation emerging in the next couple of weeks, I don’t think we are in for any surprise — he’s going to win the election by a handsome margin,” the pollster said. “The key thing will be the margin by which he wins, and whether it’s bigger than his wife’s margin, as a barometer of how opposition support
has improved or not since March.” In the by-election constituency of Permatang Pauh, there was strong support from residents of all races, including majority Muslim Malays and minority Indians and Chinese. “The government has been telling us that it was wrong for Anwar’s wife to resign so soon after the general elections,” said 35-year-old businesswoman J. Sumathi. “However, it is a non-issue as far as I am concerned. Anwar is a capable leader who should be in parliament to fight for our rights.”
Taiwan declassifies documents of ex- Coup in Mauritania President, PM arrested president’s probe Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
TAIPEI - Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou on Wednesday declassified documents allegedly implicating his predecessor Chen Shui-bian in a high-profile embezzlement case. The move will help prosecutors investigating if the former president was involved in a 14.8-million Taiwan dollars (480,500 US) special expenses case. “We’ve scrutinised the related evidence. There will be no problem such as endangering the country’s interest in making public these documents,” Chan Chun-poh, Ma’s chief aide, said at a press conference. Prosecutors named Chen, of the Democratic Progressive Party, as a suspect in the case in 2006. His wife, Wu Shu-chen, is on trial for corruption and document forgery in connection with the same case, but Chen had escaped prosecution due to his presidential immunity. Chen has admitted using false receipts to claim money from the state, but he insists those funds were used for “secret diplomatic missions,” and not his personal benefit. Nevertheless, prosecutors found that at least 1.5 million Taiwan dollars had been spent on diamond rings and other luxury items for his wife. The former president had classified the related documents before prosecutors launched an official investigation on May 20, the day he retired at the end of his second and final four-year term.
AFP PHOTO/Patrick LIN
Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-Jeou (L) addresses a gathering at the foreign ministry in Taipei on August 4, 2008. In a speech seen as the Ma administration’s diplomatic guidance, he renewed his call for a diplomatic truce with rival China while addressing more than 200 foreign ministry officials. The investigation has since stalled and calls have mounted to declassify the documents, though Chen and his party have repeatedly warned that Taiwan’s interests could be endangered with the release. Chen and his family have been mired in corruption scandals since early 2006, when son-in-law Chao Chienming was arrested for alleged insider trading. Chao was later sentenced to seven years in prison. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets that year demanding Chen resign over the scandals, but he has insisted he and his family were innocent.
NOUAKCHOTT - Troops staged a coup in the West African nation of Mauritania on Wednesday, arresting the president and prime minister and shutting down state radio and television, security sources said. President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi and Prime Minister Yahya Ould Ahmed Waghf had been placed under arrest after troops moved through the capital early Wednesday, security sources and witnesses said. “We are in contact with our embassy to obtain confirmation of the events that appear to be taking place in Nouakchott. Based on initial information, it seems that a group of generals are holding the prime minister,” a French foreign ministry spokesman told AFP in Paris. Mauritania has been facing a political crisis and on Monday 48 MPs walked out on the ruling party less than two weeks after a vote of no confidence in the government prompted a cabinet reshuffle. Abdallahi became Mauritania’s first democratically elected president last year after a period of transition supervised by a military council that deposed the previous president in a bloodless coup in August 2005. The largely desertified country has a history of coups since its independence from France in 1960. The renegade lawmakers criticised Abdallahi’s exercise of “personal power”, adding that he had “disappointed the hopes of Mauritanians,” a spokesman said. The Mauritanian president last month threatened to dissolve parliament after MPs filed a motion of no confidence in his new government, which then resigned. Recently, they tried to call a special session of parliament to create a commission to investigate the country’s response to the rising cost of living, and also the financing of a foundation run by the president’s wife. The West African country imports more than 70 percent of its food needs and has been hard hit by the food crisis.
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Thursday, August 7, 2008
Iraq arrests three women would-be bombers
Agence France-Presse
BAQUBA - Iraqi forces have arrested three women who were plotting suicide bombing missions against soldiers and police involved in a vast offensive against Al-Qaeda, the interior ministry said on Wednesday. “Acting on information received, our forces uncovered three women in a house in Al-Saada who were preparing to carry out suicide attacks against our forces in the region,” spokesman General Abdel Karim Khalaf told AFP. Al-Saada is just north of Baquba, the capital of the troubled central province of Diyala where a crackdown by American and Iraqi forces on Al-Qaeda and Shiite rebels have been underway since late July. The number of attacks carried out by women bombers has dramatically increased in 2008, and many of them have taken place in Baquba. A woman believed to have been responsible for recruiting female suicide bombers was among four Al-Qaeda-linked suspects arrested in Diyala at the weekend, according to the Iraqi military. On July 28, three suicide bombers believed to be women blew themselves up among Shiite pilgrims in the capital, killing at least 25 and wounding around 75.
Pakistani ‘Al-Qaeda’ woman faces US judge
Agence France-Presse
NEW YORK - A Pakistani mother who graduated from a top US university, then vanished five years ago, was charged Tuesday in New York with attempted murder of US officers in Afghanistan, in a case prompting protests from her homeland. Suffering from a bullet wound sustained during the alleged assault in Afghanistan, Aafia Siddiqui, 36, had to be helped into the New York courtroom to face murder and assault charges. A petite and frail figure wrapped in a maroon scarf, Siddiqui shook her head in apparent bewilderment as the judge read out the criminal complaint. She had been flown from Afghanistan into New York’s JFK Airport Monday after being formally arrested earlier that day, officials and her lawyers said. US officials claim Siddiqui, who studied neuroscience in the United States during the 1990s, before returning home to Pakistan, is an AlQaeda operative. On July 18 she allegedly seized a US serviceman’s rifle during interrogation in Afghanistan and opened fire. Her transfer from Afghanistan to Manhattan is painted by officials as an example of the United States’ long reach in a “war on terror.” But defense lawyers say Siddiqui has for the past five years been held captive — possibly in a secret US or allied prison — and that attempted murder charges were invented as a pretext to bring her to US territory. The defense asserts that Siddiqui, an honors graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was physically incapable of assaulting officers at an Afghan police station, as alleged. “Picture this woman, who is very tiny, and ask yourself how she engaged in armed conflict with six military men,” said defense lawyer Elaine Whitfield Sharp. “It’s not plausible. It’s not credible and there’s nothing to support it,” Elizabeth Fink, another lawyer, said. Siddiqui had suffered “enormous human rights violations,” Fink said. Siddiqui, who was also named in a 2004 US list of suspects linked to Al-Qaeda, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years prison on each charge, if found guilty.
AP Photo
Aafia Siddiqui
International
Sudan appoints Darfur prosecutor
The move came three weeks after the International Criminal Court chief prosecutor requested an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar alBeshir for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur. Sudan flatly refuses any recognition or dealings with the ICC. Instead Khartoum has pressed a diplomatic campaign to freeze any proceedings against Beshir and insists on the effectiveness of its own courts. “I have signed a decision to name a prosecutor for crimes in Darfur from 2003 until now,” Sabdarat told reporters at his ministry. “I have given him the authority to investigate these crimes and go to a judge if he finds cases,” Sabdarat added. He named the incoming prosecutor as Nimer Ibrahim Mohamed, sup-
ported by three assistants: Kamal Mahgoub Ahmed, Al-Hadi Makkawi and Mamoun Mekki. The move was swiftly criticised by some legal experts as a media stunt. “This is too little, too late. No prosecutor or committee can do anything unless the Sudan legal system is reformed,” said Kamal Omar, a defence lawyer representing Darfur rebels sentenced to death for a May attack on Khartoum. “There is no mention in Sudanese law of crimes such as genocide, ethnic cleansing or war crimes. So announcing this prosecutor or committee is just a media stunt,” Omar told AFP. The Sudan Media Centre, which is close to the intelligence services, reported on Monday that the justice ministry is making arrangements to draft new legislation that would incorporate
crimes listed in international law. It also said the ministry would send legal teams to the three states that make up Darfur, a vast arid region roughly the same size as France and gripped by conflict for five years, to monitor the situation on the ground. On July 14, ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo accused Beshir of ordering his forces to annihilate three non-Arab groups in Darfur, masterminding murder, torture, pillage and the use of rape to commit genocide. If approved by a panel of three judges, it would the first ICC arrest warrant against a sitting head of state. Both African Union and Arab League officials say Sudan has agreed to investigate alleged human rights abuses in Darfur. On July 23, a senior Arab League official said Sudan had agreed to set up special courts to try alleged human rights abuses in Darfur which will be monitored by international bodies including the UN. The African Union is drawing up a list of top lawyers to probe the situation in Sudan and work with the government after the ICC accusations. But previous Sudanese promises to try alleged Darfur war crimes have not materialised into credible trials that would see the ICC drop its charges. Two other Sudanese facing longstanding ICC arrest warrants — cabinet minister Ahmed Haroun and Arab militia leader Ali Kosheib — were due to be tried in Sudanese courts on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes. But Kosheib’s trial was indefinitely suspended in March 2007 and Harun was briefly detained and released last October for lack of evidence. According to the United Nations, up to 300,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million fled their homes since ethnic minority rebels first rose up against the Arab-dominated regime in Khartoum in February 2003. Sudan accuses the West of exaggerating the conflict and says that 10,000 people have been killed.
Agence France-Presse
The 500-page report alleged that France was aware of preparations for the genocide, contributed to planning the massacres and actively took part in the killing. It named former French prime minister Edouard Balladur, former foreign minister Alain Juppe and then-president Francois Mitterrand, who died in 1996, among 13 French politicians accused of playing a role in the massacres. Dominique de Villepin, who was then Juppe’s top aide and later became prime minister, was also among those listed in the Rwandan report. The report names 20 military officials as being responsible. France refused to comment di-
rectly on the report’s findings, saying the inquiry had lacked legitimacy or impartiality. A Defence Ministry spokesman instead referred reporters to the government’s position as set out in a statement from February 2007. That original statement declared that the Rwandan inquiry had no “independence or impartiality” because its stated remit was to “gather evidence of the involvement of the French state” in the Rwandan genocide. The inquiry, it stated, had “no legitimacy nor competence” to conduct interviews on French soil because it had broken off diplomatic relations with France in November 2006.
AP Photo/Abd Raouf
Supporters of Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir wave poster of the president during a rally of trade unionists to support him in Khartoum, Sudan, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2008. Sudan’s president says he refuses to deal with the international court whose prosecutor has charged him with war crimes and genocide in Darfur. Agence France-Presse
KHARTOUM - Sudanese Justice Minister Abdul Basit Sabdarat on Tuesday appointed a special prosecutor to probe alleged crimes in the war-torn western region of Darfur and with the power to take cases to court.
France took part in 1994 genocide: Rwandan report KIGALI - France played an active role in the 1994 Rwanda genocide, a report unveiled Tuesday by the Rwandan government said, naming French political and military officials it says should be prosecuted. The damning report accused a raft of top French politicians of involvement in the massacres, threatening to further mar relations between the two countries, which severed diplomatic ties in November 2006. “French forces directly assassinated Tutsis and Hutus accused of hiding Tutsis... French forces committed several rapes on Tutsi survivors,” said a justice ministry statement released after the report was presented in Kigali.
Life Style
International
Lens implant offers chance at beating lazy eye Dr. Paul Dougherty inserts a rolled-up intraocular lens implant through a tiny incision in the eye of Megan Garvin at his office in Los Angeles, Wednesday, July 30, 2008. A few air bubbles, later removed, are visible.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
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Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Dr. Paul Dougherty delicately slipped a tiny lens inside the right eye of 7-yearold Megan Garvin — a last-ditch shot at saving her sight in that eye. The California girl last week became one of a small number of U.S. children to try an experimental surgery to prevent virtual blindness from lazy eye diagnosed too late, or too severe, for standard treatment. The new approach: Implantable lenses, the same kind that nearsighted adults can have inserted for crisper vision — but that aren’t officially approved for use in children. “Without this technology, we couldn’t help her,” says Dougherty, a prominent Los Angeles eye surgeon who invited The Associated Press to document Megan’s surgery. “This would be written off as a blind eye.” Up to 5 percent of children have amblyopia, commonly called lazy eye, where one eye is so much stronger than the other that the brain learns to ignore the weaker eye. Untreated, the proper neural connections for vision don’t form, eventually rendering that eye useless. Catch it early — preferably by preschool — and it can be fairly easy to fix by patching over the strong eye, or using special drops in it, for several hours a day so that the brain is forced to use the weak eye. But the older the child is, the less effective the treatment — and by age 9, braineye connections are pretty well set. The leading cause is eyes that aren’t in perfect alignment. But a big difference in focusing power also triggers amblyopia. That’s what happened with the Garvin girl, who had near-perfect vision in one eye but the other was too nearsighted to even see the big E on the eye chart. It’s sneaky: Kids don’t realize they’re seeing clearly out of only one eye, and often won’t squint or otherwise signal there’s a problem. So Megan was fast passing the window to correct amblyopia when a kinder-
garten eye exam flagged a problem. “She reads perfectly, she’s a very normal active child,” says her mother, Rosie Garvin. “If she would not have had that vision test, I would never have known.” Ophthalmologists called it one of the worst cases they’d ever seen. Glasses weren’t doable: One side would have required a clear lens and the other a Coke-bottle thickness, a prescription of minus 12 diopters. Her parents tried inserting a contact lens in the bad eye — getting her to roughly 2060 vision in that eye, far from perfect but able to see blurrily while the good eye was patched. Contacts and young kids are a tough match. Megan cried when her mother inserted it. Teachers would call to say it had popped out. Frustrated, the Garvins ultimately opted for the implant — and days later, are feeling hopeful. It’s blurry, Megan tells her mother, but she can see out of her right eye, and is chafing at the required week of rest to let the tiny incisions in her eye heal. That’s just the first step. Months of patching lie ahead to try to reverse the lazy eye, or the brain would just stick with the connections it has already formed to her strong eye. Dougherty gave no guarantees. “I know we’ve got our work ahead of us,” says Rosie Garvin, from Simi Valley, Calif. “I’m so relieved ... and going to make sure I do everything they tell me to make sure this works for her for life.” Implantable lenses for adults, called phakic intraocular lenses or IOLs, hit the U.S. market in 2004. Unlike cataract surgery that requires removal of the eye’s natural lens because it is clouded, these lenses are put on top of a natural lens that can’t focus properly, thus helping sharpen vision. They have some risks: Surgical infection, inflammation, a potential for cataracts to form. At about $4,000 an eye, it’s more expensive than the controversial laser eye surgery
LASIK, but the lenses can be removed if there are problems. But, “how this lens is going to work in a child’s eye, we don’t know. We’ve never done studies,” cautions Dr. Punin Shah, a cornea specialist at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. It is legal to implant the lenses experimentally in a child, however. A handful of medical journal reports show surgeons are starting to try the approach for hard-to-treat amblyopia. In a French study of a dozen children, all had improved vision after the surgery and half recovered normal binocular vision. “It’s an exciting thing in a patient who has had conventional therapy and failed,” says Repka, a spokesman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. And while catching lazy eye very young is best, stay tuned: Repka’s own research shows it can be possible to treat after age 9, long the cutoff, and he is to publish details soon.
AFP PHOTO / Yoshikazu TSUNO
An employee of Japan’s Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) displays a prototype model of leaf and flower shaped organic solar cells, colored green and red, with flexible modules at a solar power exhibition in Tokyo on July 31, 2008. The AIST, Tokki Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation have developed colorful, flexible and light weight film shaped solar batteries.
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Thursday, August 7, 2008
Entertainment
International
Agence France-Presse
Attention, America: Paris has spoken. Paris Hilton, the blonde, doeeyed celebrity thrust into the presidential campaign in an ad by Republican candidate John McCain, issued a tart rebuttal Tuesday, albeit in a scantily clad, tongue-in-cheek kind of way.
Robin Williams Plans Stand-up Tour
Funnyman Robin Williams is hitting the road for his first standup tour in six years because the current political climate in the U.S. is too funny to pass up. The comedian-turned-actor has lined up 13 American dates in the run up to November’s election. And he insists his own private life will be part of the joke, following his recent alcohol problems and his split from wife Marsha. He says, “Between the politics and things that have happened to me personally, it’s free range... It’s an interesting time.” Onstage, on television, in the movies or in a serious interview, listening to and watching comedian/actor Robin Williams is an extraordinary experience. An improvisational master with a style comparable to Danny Kaye, his words rush forth in a gush of manic energy. They punctuate even the most basic story with sudden subject detours that often dissolve into flights of comic fancy, bawdy repartee, and unpredictable celebrity impressions before returning earthward with some pithy comment or dead-on observation.
McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds said Hilton appears to support his candidate’s “all of the above” energy solution. “Paris Hilton might not be as big a celebrity as Barack Obama, but she obviously has a better energy plan,” Bounds said. Hilton’s mother, who with her husband donated $4,600 to McCain’s campaign earlier in the year, has said McCain’s ad is “a complete waste of the country’s time and attention at the very moment when millions of people are losing their homes and their jobs.” McCain’s ad uses footage of Obama’s reception by Germans during a recent trip to Berlin to dismiss him as just another celebrity. Obama’s campaign has criticized the ad; McCain has defended it as humorous. Hilton’s rebuttal includes plenty of humor at McCain’s expense. An announcer calls him “the oldest celebrity in the world, like super-old, old enough to remember when dancing was a sin and beer was served in a bucket,” and asks, “but is he ready to lead?” Hilton’s spoof also intersperses images of McCain and Yoda from Star Wars and the cast of television’s “The Golden Girls.”
PHNOM PENH - Cambodia sentenced an American man to more than two years in prison for committing indecent acts against minors, and has arrested a Frenchman accused of abusing boys, officials said Wednesday.
AP Photo/Tariq Mikkel Khan, POLFOTO
Paris Hilton, left, and her boyfriend Benji Madden, try The Roller Coaster at Tivoli amusement park in Copenhagen, Denmark, Tuesday Aug. 5, 2008 .
The American, Thomas Wayne Rapanos, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after being convicted of committing indecent acts against minors, said judge Din Sivuthy. Rapanos, 55, was arrested in March after police raided a guesthouse and found a 12-year-old Vietnamese girl and a 16-year-old
Cambodian girl in his room. Rapanos held a Bible and cried outside the courtroom before the judge issued the verdict. “I am 100 percent innocent,” he told reporters as he was led off to prison. Frenchman Michel Roger Blanchard was arrested Monday for sexually abusing four Cambodian
boys aged between eight and 18, said Major General Bit Kimhong, the country’s top anti-trafficking official. Blanchard, 43, was arrested at his rental home in the popular seaside town of Sihanoukville on charges of committing sexual and indecent acts against minors, the official said. Cambodia has struggled to shed its reputation as a haven for paedophiles, putting dozens of foreigners in jail for child sex crimes or deporting them to face trial in their home countries since 2003.
Snoop Dogg raps in Bollywood comedy
Snoop Dogg’s done Hollywood. Now he’s moving on to Bollywood. “Yo, what up. This Big Snoop Dogg. Represent the Punjabi. Aye ya, Hit em with this,” the rapper says while introducing the title song to “Singh is Kinng,” the Bollywood film that opens Friday. Clad in a maroon slim-fitted Indian kurta and beige trousers and a diamond-studded turban, Snoop Dogg lounges on an oversized armchair draped with blue
Thursday, August 7, 2008
American, Frenchman in child sex cases in Cambodia
Paris Hilton issues tart rebuttal to McCain ad
Last week, McCain launched an ad comparing Democratic rival Barack Obama to Hilton and Britney Spears, suggesting Obama was no more than a celebrity candidate unready to lead the nation. Hilton initially shied away from the debate over the ad and its effectiveness. But she responded Tuesday with a spoof on the comedy Web site Funny or Die. “Hey America, I’m Paris Hilton and I’m a celebrity, too. Only I’m not from the olden days and I’m not promising change like that other guy. I’m just hot,” Hilton said, speaking as she reclined in a pool chair in a revealing bathing suit and a pair of pumps. “But then that wrinkly, whitehaired guy used me in his campaign ad, which I guess means I’m running for president. So thanks for the endorsement white-haired dude. I want America to know that I’m, like, totally ready to lead,” she said. She then discusses energy policy, and suggests a hybrid of McCain’s offshore oil drilling plan and Obama’s incentives for new energy technology. “Energy crisis solved! I’ll see you at the debates,” she said,
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and pink silk alongside Akshay Kumar, the movie’s lead star, in a video posted on the Internet by the producers, Cashmere Asia. “I’m just a king sitting on my throne all alone, “ Snoop Dogg raps, surrounded by energetic dancers in colorful headgear in a song peppered with rhythmic drum beats. “Singh is King. Singh is King. Snoop Dogg is also the King.” The video was shot over three days last month in Chicago. The film’s producers said this was more than a
blending of cultures and would pave the way for more collaborations and international brand advertising through Bollywood. The title song has already taken India by storm, and can be heard blaring repeatedly from radios and at bars. Snoop Dogg said he would follow up his success with a tour to India. “Snoop Dogg has a lot of fans in India and I love ‘em right back,” he said. “Get ready for me.”
AFP PHOTO/ TANG CHHIN SOTHY
American man Thomas Wayne Rapanos (C) is escorted by a Cambodian policeman (L) at a Phnom Penh court on August 6, 2008. Cambodia sentenced an American man to more than two years in prison for committing indecent acts against minors, and has arrested a Frenchman accused of abusing boys, officials said.
Ten Thai airmen killed in helicopter crash Agence France-Presse
G.400-ibp
Cholera kills 21 in Philippines: Red Cross
Agence France-Presse
GENERAL SANTOS - At least 21 people have died and more than 60 others are in hospital following a cholera outbreak in the southern Philippines, the local Red Cross said Wednesday. The outbreak began more than a week ago among Manobo tribesmen in an isolated area on the island of Mindanao, said Marilou Geturbos of the Philippine National Red Cross. “Many of the victims were not immediately given first-aid treatment because of the inaccessibility of the place,” said Gertubos, adding that most of the fatalities were children. She said the Red Cross initially went to the part of Palimbang town affected to check on reports that villagers were dying of starvation. “We found out that the victims were afflicted with cholera,” Getrubos said. The Health Department in Manila said it was still checking on the reports of a cholera outbreak.
Agence France-Presse
at Canggu Beach and Rice Field, 25 minutes from Kuta Beach
Reservation : Contact your Hotel or Bali Mas Lestari Travel : 0361-763736 E-mail : info@balihorseriding.com, Telp. 0361-7470644
AP Photo/Wildlife Conservation Society, Thomas Breuer
In this photo provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, a western lowland gorilla silverback is seen among members of a group in the Republic of Congo Thursday, July 31, 2008. A new census conducted by WCS and the government of the Republic of Congo tallied more than 125,000 western lowland gorillas in the northern part of the country. Previous estimates from the 1980s placed the entire population of western lowland gorillas, which occur in seven Central African nations, at less than 100,000.
Rare crocodile sighting sparks hunt in Singapore
EXPLORE BALI ON HORSEBACK for adult & children
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YALA - Ten members of Thailand’s armed forces were killed Wednesday when their military helicopter crashed while on a mission in the insurgency-hit far south, an army spokesman said. The UH-1H chopper was on its way to Betong district, Yala province, from a nearby air force base when it smashed into thick forest just before midday.“All 10 people on board were killed and their bodies are already
recovered,” Colonel Acra Tiproch told AFP from Yala. The pilot, co-pilot, seven other members of the air force and one army official were killed in the crash. Acra said they suspected technical malfunction was to blame and ruled out any involvement of separatist rebels. “There are no militants operating near the crash site,” he said. In June, four military officers and six forensic officials were killed
when a military helicopter crashed in the same province. The army blamed a technical fault for that incident. There is a strong military presence in Thailand’s three southernmost Muslim-majority provinces, where more than 3,300 people have been killed since a separatist insurgency broke out in January 2004. The far south was an autonomous Malay sultanate until Thailand annexed it in 1902, provoking decades of tension.
SINGAPORE - A rare crocodile sighting in a Singapore suburb has sparked a hunt by authorities — as well as locals eager to spot the beast, the Straits Times reported Wednesday. The one-metre (three-foot) long crocodile was first spotted two weeks ago at a park in a residential suburb, the Straits Times said. It is likely a saltwater crocodile common in mangroves and rivers in Southeast Asia, experts interviewed by the newspaper said. Authorities have been trying to trap the animal, but nature lovers are also looking out for a chance to photograph it, the report said. “I wanted to see the crocodile in its natural habitat before someone else does something to it. After all, Singapore has so little wildlife left,” said civil servant K.C. Wong, 53, who was combing the vicinity with his son. Animal experts urged the public to stay away from the reptile if they spot it. The park and mangrove swamp is frequented by nature lovers and joggers.Despite its small size and dense population, Singapore is dotted with forests, parks and nature reserves.
Philippine ferry tragedy
Investigator blames captain Agence France-Presse
MANILA - The captain of a Philippines ship that sank in a typhoon killing nearly 800 people dead was to blame for the disaster, an investigator said Wednesday. The captain took the ship to sea despite a typhoon warning, preliminary results of an official investigation into the sinking of the Princess of the Stars ferry found. “Human error is the principal mistake on the part of this tragedy,” said Captain Demetrio Ferrer, vice-chairman of the Board of Marine Inquiry. The ship’s captain, who is believed to be among the dead, should have realised it was not safe to go out, he added. The ferry capsized after sailing into the eye of Typhoon Fengshen on June 21. Only 58 of the 850 passengers and crew survived the tragedy.
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Thursday, August 7, 2008
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Thursday, August 7, 2008
US experts predict more active hurricane season Agence France-Presse
AFP PHOTO/ Sam PANTHAKY
Indian students and teachers pray while observing Hiroshima Peace Day to promote world peace, in Ahmedabad on August 6, 2008. August 6 is commemorated in Hiroshima in memory of those who died in the world’s first nuclear attack, the bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.
Price hikes take toll
South African workers set for national strike Agence France-Presse
JOHANNESBURG - South African unions plan to bring the country to a halt on Wednesday in a nationwide strike against rising electricity costs amid hard times for the country’s once strong economy. Nearly two million members of 21 trade unions in the private and public sectors had been mobilised to march in major cities countrywide against a 27.5 percent increase in power costs, the COSATU trade union federation said. “Every aspect of the economy will be affected,” said Zwelinzima Vavi, general secretary of COSATU, a junior partner in President Thabo Mbeki’s governing coalition. “If we were to judge by provincial action (in July), we have been able to close down every city in the country. We hope that will be repeated.” The strike follows smaller regional protests in the weeks leading up to Wednesday’s action after a recent move by energy giant Eskom to raise electricity prices for the second time since December, amounting to an average hike of 27.5 percent. It also comes as prices have risen sharply for many basic goods, mirroring trends that have occurred both regionally and across the world. Food prices in South Africa increased by 16.8 percent, interest rates by 20 percent and fuel prices by 35.6 percent from May 2007 to May 2008,
according to the Bureau of Market Research at the University of South Africa. During the same period, earnings per capita had risen by only 12 percent, according to the data. The country’s growth in the first quarter measured 2.1 percent on a 12month basis, down sharply from 5.3 percent in the last quarter of 2007, government statistics show. An electricity crisis earlier this year brought the country’s key mining industry to a halt, with shortages leading to severe blackouts. The National Union of Mineworkers, the largest of COSATU’s affiliates with 320,000 members, was also to participate in the strike and expected the mining industry to come to a standstill. “We’re expecting a complete shutdown,” said spokesman Lesiba Seshoka. Economists, while acknowledging the country’s worsening economic situation, cast doubt on what effect the strike could have. “These strikes will probably do more damage than good because all we do is send a message that we’re a strike-prone country and it’s not good for the image of South Africa,” said
Dawie Roodt of the Efficient Group financial services firm. But that argument may not sway many South African workers who have seen their lifestyles impacted by rising costs. Recent research showed that only two of every 10 COSATU members believed the government was doing well in addressing the electricity crisis. Ninety-four percent said food increases were not being handled well, and only one in 10 felt petrol price increases were being effectively dealt with, according to the figures released last month by the Ipsos Markinor research firm. Professor Carel van Aardt of the Bureau of Market Research said reasons for the strike were understandable, but mass action was not the best solution. “I just believe the costs far outweigh the benefits,” he said of the strike. “On the other hand, if we ignore the plight of the poor people we’re going to do it at our peril because this is a cry from the working and poor classes to do something dramatic.”
MIAMI - US weather experts raised their predictions for this year’s Atlantic hurricane season on Tuesday, warning that warmer waters could whip up 17 tropical storms including nine that will grow into hurricanes. The Colorado State University hurricane team added that five of the storms will mushroom into powerful hurricanes that carry winds of 179 kilometers (111 miles) per hour and higher. The experts had predicted in June that 15 named storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes would churn up in the Atlantic. “We have increased our forecast because there has already been a very active early tropical cyclone season in the deep tropics and more favorable hurricaneenhancing sea surface temperature and sea level pressure patterns in the tropical Atlantic have devel-
oped,” said Phil Klotzbach, lead author of the forecasts. The experts are predicting a very active season that will be well above average. On average between 19502000, there have been 9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes and 2.3 intense hurricanes per year. Five named storms have formed so far this season, including Hurricane Bertha, the longest-lived tropical cyclone to ever form during July, and Hurricane Dolly, which made landfall as a category two hurricane in south Texas on July 23. The experts issued their report as the fifth named storm of the season, Tropical Storm Edouard, struck the Texas coast on Tuesday. They predict that four tropical storm and three hurricanes, including a major one, will form this month. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.
Bush... From page 1 South Korea is expected to seek Bush’s support over the fatal shooting of a Seoul tourist at a North Korean resort last month, after she strayed into a restricted zone. Dennis Wilder, a top aide to Bush on Asian affairs, has said the US president wants the North to hold an open investigation in which the South can take part. Following the talks, the two leaders were to hold a press conference and release a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to developing the alliance forged after the 1950-53 Korean War. US beef will be on the menu at a lunch in a traditional Korean building in the compound of the presidential Blue House. On the eve of Lee’s first summit with Bush, at Camp David in April, Seoul agreed to resume US beef imports which had been suspended since 2003 over mad cow disease fears. The aim was to clear the way for a broader free trade agreement (FTA) awaiting legislative approval in both countries. But the beef deal sparked months of occasionally violent mass rallies in Seoul. Police used water cannon and arrested 167 people to break up protests Tuesday evening and overnight against the beef pact and Bush’s visit. Police said 2,700 people took part while organisers put the number at 10,000. “Down with Lee Myung-Bak!” and “We oppose Bush’s trip,” demonstrators chanted. A student trampled on a picture of Bush and Lee bearing the slogan: “No Bush. No mad cow.” Police have stationed about 7,000 officers to guard Bush while 17,000 more are being deployed against protests.
The rallies against US beef largely subsided after Seoul secured extra health safeguards for the imports. Attendance Tuesday was tiny compared to protests earlier in the summer. On Tuesday afternoon thousands of military veterans, rightwing activists and conservative Christians staged a rally in support of Bush’s visit. After a decade of sometimes strained relations under liberal presidents, Lee has made stronger US ties his top foreign priority. But South Korea, which withdrew medical and engineering military units from Afghanistan last year, was likely to resist calls to send troops back there, according to Seoul officials. Wilder has said the United States would like to see a greater role for Seoul in Afghanistan if Korean public opinion supports this. South Korea also has about 500 troops in Iraq on reconstruction work. The two will press for early ratification of the FTA, but US officials concede there are no guarantees it can pass Congress in an election year. South Korea and the US, along with China, Japan and Russia are negotiating a denuclearisation deal with North Korea. The North handed over details of its bomb-making nuclear programme in June and Bush announced his intention to remove it from a terrorism blacklist. But Washington says the communist regime must first agree to a comprehensive protocol on ways to verify the declaration. Lee gave Bush a red-carpet welcome to his palatial official residence. The leaders inspected an honour guard of US and Korean troops in ceremonial dress. Bush and First Lady Laura chatted to a group of children waving Korean and American flags before the summit talks began.
11
BUSINESS Japanese shares snap back as worries ease Agence France-Presse
TOKYO - Japanese share prices staged a powerful rally Wednesday, snapping a three-day downturn as investors cheered a drop in crude oil prices, gains on Wall Street and a weaker yen, dealers said. The Tokyo Stock Exchange’s benchmark Nikkei-225 index rose 340.23 points or 2.63 percent to end at 13,254.89. The broader Topix index of all first-section shares added 29.56 points or 2.37 percent to 1,277.27. Sentiment got a boost after US stocks ended sharply higher as the US Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and signaled it was in no hurry to raise borrowing costs given weak economic growth. But some market-watchers were cautious about the prospects of a further recovery. “It’s too optimistic to think that the worst is over,” Motomi Hiratsuka of BNP Paribas told Dow Jones Newswires. “Investors are still keeping an eye on signs of a recession
even if inflationary risks recede.” Electronics makers were in demand after solid earnings results from US giant Cisco Systems. Sanyo surged 10.0 percent to 228 yen, Pioneer leapt 13.0 percent to 870, Fujitsu climbed 9.5 percent to 827 and Sony added 5.7 percent to 4,290. Currency movements eased worries about exporter earnings after the dollar touched a seven-week high of 108.48 yen. In late Tokyo trade it stood at 108.44 yen, up from 108.10 a day earlier. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group lost 1.2 percent to 904 yen after reporting that its first-quarter net profits plunged 66 percent, hit by weak markets, a sluggish economy and the US financial crisis.
AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama
A worker walks past an electronic stock board in Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008 as Japan’s benchmark Nikkei Stock Average rose 340.23 points to close at 13,254.89.
Subprime meltdown behind worst stock Australia undertakes biggest tax review in 50 years market slide since 2001-2002 Agence France-Presse
PARIS - The collapse of the subprime mortgage market in the United States and the subsequent global financial crisis has provoked the sharpest fall on world stock markets since the end of the Internet bubble in 2001-2002. In the last year, leading indices have lost between 12 and 25 percent of their value. The sharpest plunge has been in Tokyo, 23.6 percent, followed by Paris, 20.7 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average in New York, 14.8 percent, the US Standard and Poor’s 500 index, 13.6 percent, Frankfurt, 12.2 percent, and London, 12.1 percent. Investor jitters regarding the health of securities backed by risky US home mortgages have weighed heavily on the financial sector. Major banks have announced big losses and asset write downs while others have had to be saved with costly bailouts. A credit squeeze, which emerged as nervous banks became reluctant to lend to one another and to businesses, has dragged down the most heavily indebted sectors and slowed the pace of mergers and acquisitions. Initial signs that the turmoil was spreading from financial markets to the broader economy accentuated pressures on equity markets early in the year. On January 21, for example, there were falls of 7.16 percent in Frankfurt, 6.83 percent in Paris, 5.48 percent in London and 3.86 percent in Tokyo.
A later surge in commodities prices eroded corporate operating margins and household purchasing power, severely penalising the consumer goods and automobile sectors.
Chris Hondros/Getty Images/AFP
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange just after the Federal Reserve announced that they would not be raising interest rates on August 5, 2008 in New York City. The collapse of the subprime mortgage market in the United States and the subsequent global financial crisis has provoked the sharpest fall on world stock markets since the end of the Internet bubble in 2001-2002.
SYDNEY - Australia has launched the most comprehensive review of its tax laws in more than 50 years as it bids to make them simpler and more globally competitive, Treasurer Wayne Swan said Wednesday. The government was serious about the “modernization of our tax and transfer payment system,” Swan said as he released a tax discussion paper. “So much has changed in Australia since the war: globalisation, the rise of new information technologies, population ageing, climate change — all of these challenges demand a comprehensive review of our tax system,” he said. The paper is the first step in a review to simplify Australia’s complicated taxation system, which includes at least 99 federal taxes, 25 state government taxes and one local government tax. It suggests that the tax structure could discourage foreign investment in Australia at a time when the government is pushing to make the country a financial hub for the region. “The rapid growth in cross-border
investments has highlighted the importance of international factors when considering how Australia taxes savings and investments,” the paper says. It notes that Australia’s company tax rate of 30 percent is the eighth highest among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, while company tax rates overseas are falling. “There are ongoing challenges to our ability to tax residents on their foreign sourced income and nonresidents on their income from investing in Australia,” it said. Swan refused to comment on which taxes could be eliminated but said the aim of the review was to make the system simpler and more efficient. The Australian government has already said the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which places a 10 percent levy on most goods and services and was introduced by the previous conservative administration, will not be altered. The findings of the review are expected to be announced by the end of the year.
10
Business
Thursday, August 7, 2008
International
International
Bank of England could spring surprise interest rate hike: analysts Agence France-Presse
LONDON - The Bank of England could shock markets with an interest rate hike on Thursday to keep inflation in check, despite expectations for no change because of slower economic growth, analysts said. Most economists think the British central bank’s rate-setting monetary policy committee (MPC) will leave rates at 5.00 percent for the fourth straight month after a two-day meet that starts on Wednesday. However, pundits are not ruling out a surprise quarter-point hike to 5.25 percent after British 12-month inflation spiked to a 16-year high in June on the back of surging food and fuel prices. The European Central Bank was also forecast to keep eurozone borrowing costs at 4.25 percent on Thursday amid concerns about record eurozone inflation coupled with sluggish eco-
nomic growth. On Tuesday, the US Federal Reserve left American interest rates at 2.0 percent, given the weakness of the world’s biggest economy. Analysts warned that British inflation would spike even higher in the coming months because of recent steep price increases from domestic gas and electricity suppliers. Energy firm Centrica last week hiked its gas prices by 35 percent because of the rocketing cost of wholesale energy. “Pressures for higher rates are likely to linger on the committee,” said Investec economist Philip Shaw, who
is calling for no change this month. “Overall we cannot entirely rule out the risk that the committee will sanction higher rates this time. He added: “Centrica’s 35 percent increase in domestic tariffs suggests that inflation will hit 5.0 percent.” The country’s annual inflation rate spiked to 3.8 percent in June — which was almost twice the Bank of England’s official inflation target of 2.0 percent. Britain’s economy, meanwhile, grew by only 0.2 percent in the April to June period compared with the first three months of 2008. That was the slowest pace of economic growth for more than three years and brought Britain closer to the threat of recession — which is defined as two or more successive quarters of negative growth. “Inflationary pressures continue to prevent the MPC from cutting rates in response to the deteriorating real economy,” added Capital Economics analyst Vicky Redwood. “In fact, if interest rates change this month, they are more likely to go up than down.”
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JAKARTA - The three convicted Bali bombers filed a petition against firing squads in Indonesia’s constitutional court Wednesday in a last-ditch bid to stave off their executions, lawyers said.
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The members of the Islamist Jemaah Islamiyah network — Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Ali Ghufron — are awaiting execution over the 2002 bombings on the resort island that killed more than 200 people, most of them foreign tourists. After exhausting their last appeals, they have now asked the constitutional court to rule on whether firing squads were a form of torture, their lawyers said. Lawyer Wirawan Adnan said the men wanted to be decapitated instead. “Execution by shooting won’t kill the convicts instantly. The law states that if the first shot on the heart doesn’t work, they must be shot again to the head,” he said. “The three have requested execution by decapitation.” Executions in Indonesia are by firing squad, usually carried out at night in isolated and undisclosed locations. The prisoner is notified at least 72 hours in advance. The bombers have shown no regret for the attacks and say they are looking forward to dying as “martyrs”. Indonesian officials have already said the constitutional court’s deliberations will
not delay the executions, unless it rules quickly in favour of the bombers. “The executions are one problem and the decision of the constitutional court is another problem — there is no relationship,” Human Rights Minister Andi Mattalatta told journalists. Attorney general’s office spokesman Bonaventura Nainggolan confirmed that planning for the executions was proceeding. “It has nothing to do with the execution process. The constitutional challenge they filed won’t have any effect on the planned execution,” he said. “It will only have an effect if the constitutional court issues a decision quickly in their favour.” But defence lawyer Adnan said the executions must be put on hold until the court rules on the petition. “Otherwise the execution will be illegitimate,” he said. Officials have said they hope to execute the bombers before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in September, and have already chosen men to form the firing squads.
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Antara
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(Penerbad). The helicopters’ procurement process was marred by a corruption scandal which caused the state to lose around US$3.24 million. However, the government went ahead with the purchase worth around US$21.6 million as the corruption case was being settled in court. Russian Ambassador Ivanov said the helicopters were reliable and had been used in many countries. “These helicopters can be used not only for military purposes but also for non-military assignments such as disaster mitigation operations,” he said. The envoy also said the arrival of the helicopters also marked the sound bilateral relations existing between Indonesia and Russia, especially in the military field.
Forest fire hot spots almost double on Borneo
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were considered superfluous in the operation of the company with its 22 aircraft. “However the implementation of the plan to lay off 1,500 employees still has to go through a long process, including possible negotiations with the employees,” he said. Earlier, chairman of Merpati Employees Solidarity I Wayan Suarna questioning the rationalization plan, said it would be more productive if the Rp 200 billion rationalization fund is used to buy more planes to increase the company’s income. In response, Roby said the implementation of the Merpati restructuring plan will be intensified this year. “This has to be done because the airline company is still in a critical condition. We are still losing Rp 20 billion every month,” he added. Even the plan to move the office to Makassar still stands as it will cost only Rp15 billion, he pointed out.
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Indonesian Greenpeace activists hold plants, banners and chainsaw cutouts as they hold a protest outside The Forestry Ministry in Jakarta on August 6, 2008. Greenpeace urged the ministry to stop granting new palm oil concessions on forest land permits with immediate effect to halt the ongoing forest destruction and help curb the country’s greenhouse gas emmissions.
JAKARTA - The number of forest fires on Indonesian Borneo hay doubled due to land clearing amid fears that hazy skies could return to the region, official said Wednesday. Forest fires from Indonesia caused by traditional farming methods have been blamed for the choking haze, which shrouds the region annually during the dry season. “Our latest data shows that the number of hot spots on Kalimantan Island has nearly doubled,” Israr Albar, a forestry ministry offical monitoring the forest fires via satellite, told AFP. He said that some 217 hot spots recorded on Borneo were from land clearing in West Kalimantan province, compared with 122 recorded a day earlier. The number of hot spots on Sumatra island had decreased slightly to 423 from 557, he added. Haze from the fires sent air pollution levels in neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore to unhealthy levels several times. Experts warn that the haze contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions and could be impacting on climate change.
8
International
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Bali Today Bali’s exports to Japan increase
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Balinese Culture
Denpasar to operate shuttle buses
Denpasar - Bali’s handicraft exports to Japan in April 2008 increased 104% in comparison to the previous month. In April, the exports amounted to $9.9 million compared to the $4.8 million in March 2008. Ni Wayan Kusumawathi, the head of the Foreign Trade Division at the Bali Industry and Trade Department, said that the numbers of handicraft exports to Japan are increasing every month.
The total income gained from the exports to Japan in the first four months of 2008 clocked in at $29.4 million, which is 17% of Bali’s total export income which amounted to $175 million from January through April 2008. Mrs. Kusumawathi said, “The increase in exports indicates that Bali’s businessmen are creating high demand from their Japanese customers, who tend to want practical and high
quality products.” For example, Balinese craftsmen have created bottle accessories made from gold and silver and carved with traditional Balinese motifs. Budiarta, a craftsman from Ubud, said that Japanese customers often order gold plated pens, chopsticks from black wood decorated with Balinese carvings made from silver, and also pillows with Balinese ornaments.
In addition to those products, Budiarta also exports other products such as traditional Japanese clothing including Kimonos. Japan also imported many sea products such as fresh tuna from Bali. The sea products are usually shipped from Tanjung Benoa harbor in Denpasar. Bali shipped 14,086 tons of tuna in the first four months of 2008 that amounted to $35 million.
President witnesses’ mass cremation Antara
DENPASAR - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono attended a mass cremation procession of 139 remains of Balinese people, at Batur village, Kintamani, Bangli District, around 60 km east of here,
on Wednesday. The cremated remains included those belonging to Guru Nyoman Santi, the father of Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik. Guru Nyoman Santi, who died at 94 years old, around 1.5 year ago, was one of the country’s
freedom fighters. The first mass cremation was held in Bali in 1963 at the initiative of Nyoman Santi and his colleagues. It is for the first time that a mass cremation Hindu ritual was attended by Indonesia’s head of state.
FOTO ANTARA/Nyoman Budhiana
President with Ani Yudhoyono listening to the explanation from Culture and Tourism Minister Jro Wacik during the mass cremation procession at Batur Village on Wednesday, August 6. The cremated remains included those belonging to Guru Nyoman Santi, the father of Culture and Tourism Minister Jro Wacik.
Bali Post/Doc
Tourists watching Balinese people flying kiteS. Denpasar’s government will start operating shuttle buses in order to improve upon their tourist services.
Devotional Services and Worship at Temple Festival
As a tourist destination, Bali bears some nicknames given by tourists. One of them is the Island of Thousand Temples. In reality, there must be more than this number. In Bali, there are approximately 500 villages. Suppose that each village supports three obligatory temples (puseh-desa and dalem temple) they will totally come to 1500. Assuredly, these have not included yet the sad kahyangan temples, temple of profession, family or clan. If observing the Balinese calendar, we will see averagely 10 times temple festival organized within each month. In other words, there will be a festival every three days at different temples across Bali. On that account, the temple festival is just about held endlessly all the year round. The Hindus may determine their temple festival based on lunar system falling once a year or coincides with the full moon or on pawukon system falling every 210 days. It very much depends on when the inauguration ceremony was held. Every temple has its own supporting devotees. A village temple is supported by its village members and a clan temple by its clan members, while the sad kahyangan and other greater uni-
versal temples are operationally supported by some villages nearby. However, they also give the opportunity to other devotees beyond those villages to lend a hand through a volunteer work. Meanwhile its worship is open to all devotees. Preparation of a temple festival is habitually done in compliance with its scale. Grandiose scale will need more preparation and ingredients. Some days in advance people have been bustled to collect those ingredients. Men prepare some bamboos required for installing platforms, penjor poles and base of the offerings, coconut and leaf of young coconut and palm. Meanwhile, the women will be assigned to make the offerings along with its complex filler like assorted cakes, beans and so forth. All are carried out voluntarily and with mutual assistance or gotongroyong. Then, one day before the festivity, devotees in medium Balinese costume are generally busy undertaking the last preparation. Penjor poles are erected, shrine paraphernalia installed, if required they also slaughter pigs and some chicken. The flesh is then used to make the filler of the offerings such as twisted, half-done, asem satay, caru exorcism oblation and so forth. Right on the festival day, all devotees pay homage at temple. Women
balance their colourful gebogan filled with assorted fruits, cakes and flower as presentation in uniformed costume, namely kebaya shirt and sarong tightened by a piece of sash on the waist. They march in elegant swaying movement and look so nice. This parade is called mapeed. It reflects their togetherness and solemn devotion to God. Joy and smile have started at home before paying homage to the Creator. As the series of the festival, it’s usually held the melasti procession where the holy effigy (representation of deity) and other ritual paraphernalia are brought to source of water to be spiritually purified. When the distance is within easy reach, they will go on foot but if it’s too far they will go by trucks. This procession will be accompanied by dynamic bleganjur gamelan orchestra. Fierce heat of the sun or drizzle never discourages them; they keep on walking to the end of destination. Having returned from this act, the participating devotees are welcomed by a pendet dance. Another dance like the rejang is also performed as symbol to welcome the deities attending the festival. It is a special slow elegant dance particularly presented by young girl. At the end of the ritual procession, it will be completed with the Sidakarya mask dance, hoping that everything is okay during its ex-
ecution and all blessed with bliss. At a smaller temple, the festival may only transpire for one day. However, the larger the temple is the longer the time required to give a flexible opportunity to devotees paying homage. It indirectly means that it has more supporting devotees and may be coming from remote places. By giving longer period of worshipping, devotees are enabled to choose their convenient time to come. Another unique activity may be the cockfight held as completion of the ritual. It starts with the fight of a pair of payung pagut paraphernalia, eggs and coconut. Sometimes it is resumed with the real cockfight. In Bali, a misunderstanding occurs on the difference between the tabuh rah and tajen. Tabuh rah is a ritual cockfight of maximally three rounds without involving any bets and only attended by authorized devotees. Meanwhile, tajen is gambling cockfight that involves bets and is attended by external parties consisting of gamblers, promoters, supporters and the like and unnecessarily associated with ritual event. The prevailing law strictly prohibits the latter and has been considered to be a social disease. (BTN/029)
Denpasar – Denpasar’s government will start operating shuttle buses in order to improve upon their tourist services. Putu Budiasa, the head of Denpasar’s Tourism Department, said that at first there will be two buses that will travel all around Denpasar. The route of the buses will start in Sumawang village in Sanur, then they will pass by the Bali Hyatt Hotel, Griya Santrian, Pergola restaurant, Grand Bali Beach, Bali’s People Struggle Monument, Matahari Department Store, Puputan Badung field, Art Center, and then they will finally return to Sanur. The trial runs will be conducted on August 9th and August 10th 2008. Mr. Budiasa said, “If the program receives positive responses from the tourists then it will be continued. The managers of the tourist sites have agreed to support the program. They were very enthusiastic regarding the shuttle bus program.” The shuttle buses are a part of the Denpasar Sightseeing program, and will also be carried out to support the 3rd annual Sanur Village Festival (SVF) 2008 which started August 6th and will last through August 10th 2008. Mr. Budiasa admitted that transportation for tourists is very limited in Denpasar, and hopes that the shuttle buses will also help promote the city tour. “We anticipate that the program will be a success, and that the shuttle buses will become a new form of transportation for tourists in Denpasar,” said Mr. Budiasa.
Clear Chicken Soup, a Taste on the Feast Day
The Festivity season for the Hindus in Bali has come. They celebrate the Galungan feast day falling every six months in Balinese pawukon system or 210 days. From early in the morning, devotees worship solemnly at temples, starting from the family temple to village temple. They do not only worship the Almighty God but also pay heartfelt tribute to their ancestors. This celebration will transpire for ten days and end on the Kuningan Day. One day before the Galungan, they have completed some preparations such as the offerings, ritual paraphernalia cakes and food. Some food will be presented to God, ancestor and delivered to relatives. One of the typical foods cooked at this festivity is clear soup or komoh other than urutan (Balinese sausage), tum (minced meat wrapped in banana leaf), lawar (chopped meat with cooked vegetables) and many more. As some people do not consume pork meat, as an alternative, chicken dish will be prepared as well for consumption. Komoh is normally made from selected chopped pork along with its sliced skin, grilled heart and then poured into boiling water. After that, it is added with fried complete Balinese condiment, fried shallot, squeeze of kaffir lime, sliced fresh chilli and salt (to taste). As an alternative, chicken can be used to make this special dish. (BTN/029)
Earthquakes affecting exports of ‘knock down houses’ Denpasar – Earthquakes which have occurred in many parts of the world have caused the sales of ‘knock down houses’ in Bali to increase. Made Suma, a marketing officer of a housing company, said that the rise in sales of ‘knock down houses’ started when earthquakes and tsunamis began to hit many countries in Asia including Indonesia. “No one predicted that the ‘knock down house’ exports would increase in the past few years especially in the United States, Europe, and Australia,” added Mr. Suma. According to Bali’s Industry and Trade Department, the number of ‘knock down house’ exports from January through May 2008 totaled at 4,372 houses, which profited appoximately $2million. The number has increased 46% compared to the same time period in 2007, where they only exported $1.4 million worth of ‘knock down houses’. The ‘knock down houses’ are more resistant to earthquakes then traditional Balinese architecture, and because of this many Balinese people are choosing to buy a ‘knock down house’ for safety measures. The promotion carried out by Bali’s businessmen has also helped in the rising numbers of ‘knock down house’ exports. The ‘knock down house’, which is made fully from wood, is exhibited at the annual Bali Art Bali Post/Doc The photo shows Bali’s ‘knock down Festival (PKB). The house’. Earthquakes which have oc- festival has promoted curred in many parts of the world have the house to domestic caused the sales of ‘knock down Bali’s and foreign tourists. houses’ in Bali to increase.
Pomegranate, Hundreds of Sweet Gemstone Inside At a glance, the pomegranate or Punica granatum looks like an apple. In fact, when we look at it closer, it hides a smooth angle on its round shape. Its leaves are small and long and have sharp thorn on every twig. When perfectly ripe, its skin turns glossy yellow. This fruit historically originated in the area between the Balkans and the Himalayas. Today, it has spread out across the Asian region and even beyond. This fruit has a leathery, yellow to red skin containing many seeds in a white (also pink of another kind), juicy, and somewhat acid pulp. It’s just like a precious ruby stone. Pomegranate is one of home garden plants commonly found in Bali. It can be said that its presence at the Balinese house compound is remarkably significant. However, it is not widely cultivated yet but only planted for two or three trunks at the house compound or within the area of family temple. As a religious community this fruit is extensively used as filler of oblation in Hindu rituals. Additionally, this versatile fruit can also be employed for herbal ingredients or consumed as snack fruit. (BTN/029)
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International
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Bali Today Bali’s exports to Japan increase
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Balinese Culture
Denpasar to operate shuttle buses
Denpasar - Bali’s handicraft exports to Japan in April 2008 increased 104% in comparison to the previous month. In April, the exports amounted to $9.9 million compared to the $4.8 million in March 2008. Ni Wayan Kusumawathi, the head of the Foreign Trade Division at the Bali Industry and Trade Department, said that the numbers of handicraft exports to Japan are increasing every month.
The total income gained from the exports to Japan in the first four months of 2008 clocked in at $29.4 million, which is 17% of Bali’s total export income which amounted to $175 million from January through April 2008. Mrs. Kusumawathi said, “The increase in exports indicates that Bali’s businessmen are creating high demand from their Japanese customers, who tend to want practical and high
quality products.” For example, Balinese craftsmen have created bottle accessories made from gold and silver and carved with traditional Balinese motifs. Budiarta, a craftsman from Ubud, said that Japanese customers often order gold plated pens, chopsticks from black wood decorated with Balinese carvings made from silver, and also pillows with Balinese ornaments.
In addition to those products, Budiarta also exports other products such as traditional Japanese clothing including Kimonos. Japan also imported many sea products such as fresh tuna from Bali. The sea products are usually shipped from Tanjung Benoa harbor in Denpasar. Bali shipped 14,086 tons of tuna in the first four months of 2008 that amounted to $35 million.
President witnesses’ mass cremation Antara
DENPASAR - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono attended a mass cremation procession of 139 remains of Balinese people, at Batur village, Kintamani, Bangli District, around 60 km east of here,
on Wednesday. The cremated remains included those belonging to Guru Nyoman Santi, the father of Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik. Guru Nyoman Santi, who died at 94 years old, around 1.5 year ago, was one of the country’s
freedom fighters. The first mass cremation was held in Bali in 1963 at the initiative of Nyoman Santi and his colleagues. It is for the first time that a mass cremation Hindu ritual was attended by Indonesia’s head of state.
FOTO ANTARA/Nyoman Budhiana
President with Ani Yudhoyono listening to the explanation from Culture and Tourism Minister Jro Wacik during the mass cremation procession at Batur Village on Wednesday, August 6. The cremated remains included those belonging to Guru Nyoman Santi, the father of Culture and Tourism Minister Jro Wacik.
Bali Post/Doc
Tourists watching Balinese people flying kiteS. Denpasar’s government will start operating shuttle buses in order to improve upon their tourist services.
Devotional Services and Worship at Temple Festival
As a tourist destination, Bali bears some nicknames given by tourists. One of them is the Island of Thousand Temples. In reality, there must be more than this number. In Bali, there are approximately 500 villages. Suppose that each village supports three obligatory temples (puseh-desa and dalem temple) they will totally come to 1500. Assuredly, these have not included yet the sad kahyangan temples, temple of profession, family or clan. If observing the Balinese calendar, we will see averagely 10 times temple festival organized within each month. In other words, there will be a festival every three days at different temples across Bali. On that account, the temple festival is just about held endlessly all the year round. The Hindus may determine their temple festival based on lunar system falling once a year or coincides with the full moon or on pawukon system falling every 210 days. It very much depends on when the inauguration ceremony was held. Every temple has its own supporting devotees. A village temple is supported by its village members and a clan temple by its clan members, while the sad kahyangan and other greater uni-
versal temples are operationally supported by some villages nearby. However, they also give the opportunity to other devotees beyond those villages to lend a hand through a volunteer work. Meanwhile its worship is open to all devotees. Preparation of a temple festival is habitually done in compliance with its scale. Grandiose scale will need more preparation and ingredients. Some days in advance people have been bustled to collect those ingredients. Men prepare some bamboos required for installing platforms, penjor poles and base of the offerings, coconut and leaf of young coconut and palm. Meanwhile, the women will be assigned to make the offerings along with its complex filler like assorted cakes, beans and so forth. All are carried out voluntarily and with mutual assistance or gotongroyong. Then, one day before the festivity, devotees in medium Balinese costume are generally busy undertaking the last preparation. Penjor poles are erected, shrine paraphernalia installed, if required they also slaughter pigs and some chicken. The flesh is then used to make the filler of the offerings such as twisted, half-done, asem satay, caru exorcism oblation and so forth. Right on the festival day, all devotees pay homage at temple. Women
balance their colourful gebogan filled with assorted fruits, cakes and flower as presentation in uniformed costume, namely kebaya shirt and sarong tightened by a piece of sash on the waist. They march in elegant swaying movement and look so nice. This parade is called mapeed. It reflects their togetherness and solemn devotion to God. Joy and smile have started at home before paying homage to the Creator. As the series of the festival, it’s usually held the melasti procession where the holy effigy (representation of deity) and other ritual paraphernalia are brought to source of water to be spiritually purified. When the distance is within easy reach, they will go on foot but if it’s too far they will go by trucks. This procession will be accompanied by dynamic bleganjur gamelan orchestra. Fierce heat of the sun or drizzle never discourages them; they keep on walking to the end of destination. Having returned from this act, the participating devotees are welcomed by a pendet dance. Another dance like the rejang is also performed as symbol to welcome the deities attending the festival. It is a special slow elegant dance particularly presented by young girl. At the end of the ritual procession, it will be completed with the Sidakarya mask dance, hoping that everything is okay during its ex-
ecution and all blessed with bliss. At a smaller temple, the festival may only transpire for one day. However, the larger the temple is the longer the time required to give a flexible opportunity to devotees paying homage. It indirectly means that it has more supporting devotees and may be coming from remote places. By giving longer period of worshipping, devotees are enabled to choose their convenient time to come. Another unique activity may be the cockfight held as completion of the ritual. It starts with the fight of a pair of payung pagut paraphernalia, eggs and coconut. Sometimes it is resumed with the real cockfight. In Bali, a misunderstanding occurs on the difference between the tabuh rah and tajen. Tabuh rah is a ritual cockfight of maximally three rounds without involving any bets and only attended by authorized devotees. Meanwhile, tajen is gambling cockfight that involves bets and is attended by external parties consisting of gamblers, promoters, supporters and the like and unnecessarily associated with ritual event. The prevailing law strictly prohibits the latter and has been considered to be a social disease. (BTN/029)
Denpasar – Denpasar’s government will start operating shuttle buses in order to improve upon their tourist services. Putu Budiasa, the head of Denpasar’s Tourism Department, said that at first there will be two buses that will travel all around Denpasar. The route of the buses will start in Sumawang village in Sanur, then they will pass by the Bali Hyatt Hotel, Griya Santrian, Pergola restaurant, Grand Bali Beach, Bali’s People Struggle Monument, Matahari Department Store, Puputan Badung field, Art Center, and then they will finally return to Sanur. The trial runs will be conducted on August 9th and August 10th 2008. Mr. Budiasa said, “If the program receives positive responses from the tourists then it will be continued. The managers of the tourist sites have agreed to support the program. They were very enthusiastic regarding the shuttle bus program.” The shuttle buses are a part of the Denpasar Sightseeing program, and will also be carried out to support the 3rd annual Sanur Village Festival (SVF) 2008 which started August 6th and will last through August 10th 2008. Mr. Budiasa admitted that transportation for tourists is very limited in Denpasar, and hopes that the shuttle buses will also help promote the city tour. “We anticipate that the program will be a success, and that the shuttle buses will become a new form of transportation for tourists in Denpasar,” said Mr. Budiasa.
Clear Chicken Soup, a Taste on the Feast Day
The Festivity season for the Hindus in Bali has come. They celebrate the Galungan feast day falling every six months in Balinese pawukon system or 210 days. From early in the morning, devotees worship solemnly at temples, starting from the family temple to village temple. They do not only worship the Almighty God but also pay heartfelt tribute to their ancestors. This celebration will transpire for ten days and end on the Kuningan Day. One day before the Galungan, they have completed some preparations such as the offerings, ritual paraphernalia cakes and food. Some food will be presented to God, ancestor and delivered to relatives. One of the typical foods cooked at this festivity is clear soup or komoh other than urutan (Balinese sausage), tum (minced meat wrapped in banana leaf), lawar (chopped meat with cooked vegetables) and many more. As some people do not consume pork meat, as an alternative, chicken dish will be prepared as well for consumption. Komoh is normally made from selected chopped pork along with its sliced skin, grilled heart and then poured into boiling water. After that, it is added with fried complete Balinese condiment, fried shallot, squeeze of kaffir lime, sliced fresh chilli and salt (to taste). As an alternative, chicken can be used to make this special dish. (BTN/029)
Earthquakes affecting exports of ‘knock down houses’ Denpasar – Earthquakes which have occurred in many parts of the world have caused the sales of ‘knock down houses’ in Bali to increase. Made Suma, a marketing officer of a housing company, said that the rise in sales of ‘knock down houses’ started when earthquakes and tsunamis began to hit many countries in Asia including Indonesia. “No one predicted that the ‘knock down house’ exports would increase in the past few years especially in the United States, Europe, and Australia,” added Mr. Suma. According to Bali’s Industry and Trade Department, the number of ‘knock down house’ exports from January through May 2008 totaled at 4,372 houses, which profited appoximately $2million. The number has increased 46% compared to the same time period in 2007, where they only exported $1.4 million worth of ‘knock down houses’. The ‘knock down houses’ are more resistant to earthquakes then traditional Balinese architecture, and because of this many Balinese people are choosing to buy a ‘knock down house’ for safety measures. The promotion carried out by Bali’s businessmen has also helped in the rising numbers of ‘knock down house’ exports. The ‘knock down house’, which is made fully from wood, is exhibited at the annual Bali Art Bali Post/Doc The photo shows Bali’s ‘knock down Festival (PKB). The house’. Earthquakes which have oc- festival has promoted curred in many parts of the world have the house to domestic caused the sales of ‘knock down Bali’s and foreign tourists. houses’ in Bali to increase.
Pomegranate, Hundreds of Sweet Gemstone Inside At a glance, the pomegranate or Punica granatum looks like an apple. In fact, when we look at it closer, it hides a smooth angle on its round shape. Its leaves are small and long and have sharp thorn on every twig. When perfectly ripe, its skin turns glossy yellow. This fruit historically originated in the area between the Balkans and the Himalayas. Today, it has spread out across the Asian region and even beyond. This fruit has a leathery, yellow to red skin containing many seeds in a white (also pink of another kind), juicy, and somewhat acid pulp. It’s just like a precious ruby stone. Pomegranate is one of home garden plants commonly found in Bali. It can be said that its presence at the Balinese house compound is remarkably significant. However, it is not widely cultivated yet but only planted for two or three trunks at the house compound or within the area of family temple. As a religious community this fruit is extensively used as filler of oblation in Hindu rituals. Additionally, this versatile fruit can also be employed for herbal ingredients or consumed as snack fruit. (BTN/029)
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Business
Thursday, August 7, 2008
International
International
Bank of England could spring surprise interest rate hike: analysts Agence France-Presse
LONDON - The Bank of England could shock markets with an interest rate hike on Thursday to keep inflation in check, despite expectations for no change because of slower economic growth, analysts said. Most economists think the British central bank’s rate-setting monetary policy committee (MPC) will leave rates at 5.00 percent for the fourth straight month after a two-day meet that starts on Wednesday. However, pundits are not ruling out a surprise quarter-point hike to 5.25 percent after British 12-month inflation spiked to a 16-year high in June on the back of surging food and fuel prices. The European Central Bank was also forecast to keep eurozone borrowing costs at 4.25 percent on Thursday amid concerns about record eurozone inflation coupled with sluggish eco-
nomic growth. On Tuesday, the US Federal Reserve left American interest rates at 2.0 percent, given the weakness of the world’s biggest economy. Analysts warned that British inflation would spike even higher in the coming months because of recent steep price increases from domestic gas and electricity suppliers. Energy firm Centrica last week hiked its gas prices by 35 percent because of the rocketing cost of wholesale energy. “Pressures for higher rates are likely to linger on the committee,” said Investec economist Philip Shaw, who
is calling for no change this month. “Overall we cannot entirely rule out the risk that the committee will sanction higher rates this time. He added: “Centrica’s 35 percent increase in domestic tariffs suggests that inflation will hit 5.0 percent.” The country’s annual inflation rate spiked to 3.8 percent in June — which was almost twice the Bank of England’s official inflation target of 2.0 percent. Britain’s economy, meanwhile, grew by only 0.2 percent in the April to June period compared with the first three months of 2008. That was the slowest pace of economic growth for more than three years and brought Britain closer to the threat of recession — which is defined as two or more successive quarters of negative growth. “Inflationary pressures continue to prevent the MPC from cutting rates in response to the deteriorating real economy,” added Capital Economics analyst Vicky Redwood. “In fact, if interest rates change this month, they are more likely to go up than down.”
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A person walks by a branch of British bank Northern Rock in central London, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2008. Nationalized British bank Northern Rock on Tuesday reported a net loss of 592 million pounds (US$1.2 billion) in the first half of the year, as mortgage customers failed to make timely repayments. The Bank of England could shock markets with an interest rate hike on Thursday to keep inflation in check, despite expectations for no change because of slower economic growth, analysts said.
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JAKARTA - The three convicted Bali bombers filed a petition against firing squads in Indonesia’s constitutional court Wednesday in a last-ditch bid to stave off their executions, lawyers said.
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The members of the Islamist Jemaah Islamiyah network — Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Ali Ghufron — are awaiting execution over the 2002 bombings on the resort island that killed more than 200 people, most of them foreign tourists. After exhausting their last appeals, they have now asked the constitutional court to rule on whether firing squads were a form of torture, their lawyers said. Lawyer Wirawan Adnan said the men wanted to be decapitated instead. “Execution by shooting won’t kill the convicts instantly. The law states that if the first shot on the heart doesn’t work, they must be shot again to the head,” he said. “The three have requested execution by decapitation.” Executions in Indonesia are by firing squad, usually carried out at night in isolated and undisclosed locations. The prisoner is notified at least 72 hours in advance. The bombers have shown no regret for the attacks and say they are looking forward to dying as “martyrs”. Indonesian officials have already said the constitutional court’s deliberations will
not delay the executions, unless it rules quickly in favour of the bombers. “The executions are one problem and the decision of the constitutional court is another problem — there is no relationship,” Human Rights Minister Andi Mattalatta told journalists. Attorney general’s office spokesman Bonaventura Nainggolan confirmed that planning for the executions was proceeding. “It has nothing to do with the execution process. The constitutional challenge they filed won’t have any effect on the planned execution,” he said. “It will only have an effect if the constitutional court issues a decision quickly in their favour.” But defence lawyer Adnan said the executions must be put on hold until the court rules on the petition. “Otherwise the execution will be illegitimate,” he said. Officials have said they hope to execute the bombers before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in September, and have already chosen men to form the firing squads.
Antara
JAKARTA - PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines (Merpati) eventually decided to lay off 1,500 of its employees, rather than purchasing more aircraft. “Some time in the past, the airline company planned to buy new planes at a cost of Rp600 billion, but abandoned the plan,” the company’s finance director Roby Eduardo Quento said in Jakarta on Tuesday in view of the government’s plan to raise the state’s equity participation of Rp 350 billion in the state airline company this year, which include Rp 200 billion for rationalization. He said he was still waiting for a government clarification on the fresh money injection. Roby added that laying off some of the employees was one of the options to keep the company on its feet. The airline company’s 2,590 employees
Antara
SURABAYA - Six Mi-17-V helicopters, ordered by Indonesia from Russia in 2003, arrived at the Indonesian Navy’s airbase in Surabaya, East Java, on Wednesday. The Indonesian Defense Ministry’s director general for defense facilities Rear Marshal Eris Heriyanto, Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Alexander Ivanov, and a number of Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI) officials were present at the air base when the brand-new helicopters arrived. After the helicopters had landed, Heriyanto and a representative of the Russian company that had made them, Rosoboronexport signed notes on the aircraft’s delivery. Fully armed, the six helicopters are to be used by the Army’s Aviation Center
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(Penerbad). The helicopters’ procurement process was marred by a corruption scandal which caused the state to lose around US$3.24 million. However, the government went ahead with the purchase worth around US$21.6 million as the corruption case was being settled in court. Russian Ambassador Ivanov said the helicopters were reliable and had been used in many countries. “These helicopters can be used not only for military purposes but also for non-military assignments such as disaster mitigation operations,” he said. The envoy also said the arrival of the helicopters also marked the sound bilateral relations existing between Indonesia and Russia, especially in the military field.
Forest fire hot spots almost double on Borneo
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were considered superfluous in the operation of the company with its 22 aircraft. “However the implementation of the plan to lay off 1,500 employees still has to go through a long process, including possible negotiations with the employees,” he said. Earlier, chairman of Merpati Employees Solidarity I Wayan Suarna questioning the rationalization plan, said it would be more productive if the Rp 200 billion rationalization fund is used to buy more planes to increase the company’s income. In response, Roby said the implementation of the Merpati restructuring plan will be intensified this year. “This has to be done because the airline company is still in a critical condition. We are still losing Rp 20 billion every month,” he added. Even the plan to move the office to Makassar still stands as it will cost only Rp15 billion, he pointed out.
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Merpati plans to lay off 1,500 employees
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Indonesian Greenpeace activists hold plants, banners and chainsaw cutouts as they hold a protest outside The Forestry Ministry in Jakarta on August 6, 2008. Greenpeace urged the ministry to stop granting new palm oil concessions on forest land permits with immediate effect to halt the ongoing forest destruction and help curb the country’s greenhouse gas emmissions.
JAKARTA - The number of forest fires on Indonesian Borneo hay doubled due to land clearing amid fears that hazy skies could return to the region, official said Wednesday. Forest fires from Indonesia caused by traditional farming methods have been blamed for the choking haze, which shrouds the region annually during the dry season. “Our latest data shows that the number of hot spots on Kalimantan Island has nearly doubled,” Israr Albar, a forestry ministry offical monitoring the forest fires via satellite, told AFP. He said that some 217 hot spots recorded on Borneo were from land clearing in West Kalimantan province, compared with 122 recorded a day earlier. The number of hot spots on Sumatra island had decreased slightly to 423 from 557, he added. Haze from the fires sent air pollution levels in neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore to unhealthy levels several times. Experts warn that the haze contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions and could be impacting on climate change.
6
Thursday, August 7, 2008
News
Thursday, August 7, 2008
US experts predict more active hurricane season Agence France-Presse
AFP PHOTO/ Sam PANTHAKY
Indian students and teachers pray while observing Hiroshima Peace Day to promote world peace, in Ahmedabad on August 6, 2008. August 6 is commemorated in Hiroshima in memory of those who died in the world’s first nuclear attack, the bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.
Price hikes take toll
South African workers set for national strike Agence France-Presse
JOHANNESBURG - South African unions plan to bring the country to a halt on Wednesday in a nationwide strike against rising electricity costs amid hard times for the country’s once strong economy. Nearly two million members of 21 trade unions in the private and public sectors had been mobilised to march in major cities countrywide against a 27.5 percent increase in power costs, the COSATU trade union federation said. “Every aspect of the economy will be affected,” said Zwelinzima Vavi, general secretary of COSATU, a junior partner in President Thabo Mbeki’s governing coalition. “If we were to judge by provincial action (in July), we have been able to close down every city in the country. We hope that will be repeated.” The strike follows smaller regional protests in the weeks leading up to Wednesday’s action after a recent move by energy giant Eskom to raise electricity prices for the second time since December, amounting to an average hike of 27.5 percent. It also comes as prices have risen sharply for many basic goods, mirroring trends that have occurred both regionally and across the world. Food prices in South Africa increased by 16.8 percent, interest rates by 20 percent and fuel prices by 35.6 percent from May 2007 to May 2008,
according to the Bureau of Market Research at the University of South Africa. During the same period, earnings per capita had risen by only 12 percent, according to the data. The country’s growth in the first quarter measured 2.1 percent on a 12month basis, down sharply from 5.3 percent in the last quarter of 2007, government statistics show. An electricity crisis earlier this year brought the country’s key mining industry to a halt, with shortages leading to severe blackouts. The National Union of Mineworkers, the largest of COSATU’s affiliates with 320,000 members, was also to participate in the strike and expected the mining industry to come to a standstill. “We’re expecting a complete shutdown,” said spokesman Lesiba Seshoka. Economists, while acknowledging the country’s worsening economic situation, cast doubt on what effect the strike could have. “These strikes will probably do more damage than good because all we do is send a message that we’re a strike-prone country and it’s not good for the image of South Africa,” said
Dawie Roodt of the Efficient Group financial services firm. But that argument may not sway many South African workers who have seen their lifestyles impacted by rising costs. Recent research showed that only two of every 10 COSATU members believed the government was doing well in addressing the electricity crisis. Ninety-four percent said food increases were not being handled well, and only one in 10 felt petrol price increases were being effectively dealt with, according to the figures released last month by the Ipsos Markinor research firm. Professor Carel van Aardt of the Bureau of Market Research said reasons for the strike were understandable, but mass action was not the best solution. “I just believe the costs far outweigh the benefits,” he said of the strike. “On the other hand, if we ignore the plight of the poor people we’re going to do it at our peril because this is a cry from the working and poor classes to do something dramatic.”
MIAMI - US weather experts raised their predictions for this year’s Atlantic hurricane season on Tuesday, warning that warmer waters could whip up 17 tropical storms including nine that will grow into hurricanes. The Colorado State University hurricane team added that five of the storms will mushroom into powerful hurricanes that carry winds of 179 kilometers (111 miles) per hour and higher. The experts had predicted in June that 15 named storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes would churn up in the Atlantic. “We have increased our forecast because there has already been a very active early tropical cyclone season in the deep tropics and more favorable hurricaneenhancing sea surface temperature and sea level pressure patterns in the tropical Atlantic have devel-
oped,” said Phil Klotzbach, lead author of the forecasts. The experts are predicting a very active season that will be well above average. On average between 19502000, there have been 9.6 named storms, 5.9 hurricanes and 2.3 intense hurricanes per year. Five named storms have formed so far this season, including Hurricane Bertha, the longest-lived tropical cyclone to ever form during July, and Hurricane Dolly, which made landfall as a category two hurricane in south Texas on July 23. The experts issued their report as the fifth named storm of the season, Tropical Storm Edouard, struck the Texas coast on Tuesday. They predict that four tropical storm and three hurricanes, including a major one, will form this month. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.
Bush... From page 1 South Korea is expected to seek Bush’s support over the fatal shooting of a Seoul tourist at a North Korean resort last month, after she strayed into a restricted zone. Dennis Wilder, a top aide to Bush on Asian affairs, has said the US president wants the North to hold an open investigation in which the South can take part. Following the talks, the two leaders were to hold a press conference and release a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to developing the alliance forged after the 1950-53 Korean War. US beef will be on the menu at a lunch in a traditional Korean building in the compound of the presidential Blue House. On the eve of Lee’s first summit with Bush, at Camp David in April, Seoul agreed to resume US beef imports which had been suspended since 2003 over mad cow disease fears. The aim was to clear the way for a broader free trade agreement (FTA) awaiting legislative approval in both countries. But the beef deal sparked months of occasionally violent mass rallies in Seoul. Police used water cannon and arrested 167 people to break up protests Tuesday evening and overnight against the beef pact and Bush’s visit. Police said 2,700 people took part while organisers put the number at 10,000. “Down with Lee Myung-Bak!” and “We oppose Bush’s trip,” demonstrators chanted. A student trampled on a picture of Bush and Lee bearing the slogan: “No Bush. No mad cow.” Police have stationed about 7,000 officers to guard Bush while 17,000 more are being deployed against protests.
The rallies against US beef largely subsided after Seoul secured extra health safeguards for the imports. Attendance Tuesday was tiny compared to protests earlier in the summer. On Tuesday afternoon thousands of military veterans, rightwing activists and conservative Christians staged a rally in support of Bush’s visit. After a decade of sometimes strained relations under liberal presidents, Lee has made stronger US ties his top foreign priority. But South Korea, which withdrew medical and engineering military units from Afghanistan last year, was likely to resist calls to send troops back there, according to Seoul officials. Wilder has said the United States would like to see a greater role for Seoul in Afghanistan if Korean public opinion supports this. South Korea also has about 500 troops in Iraq on reconstruction work. The two will press for early ratification of the FTA, but US officials concede there are no guarantees it can pass Congress in an election year. South Korea and the US, along with China, Japan and Russia are negotiating a denuclearisation deal with North Korea. The North handed over details of its bomb-making nuclear programme in June and Bush announced his intention to remove it from a terrorism blacklist. But Washington says the communist regime must first agree to a comprehensive protocol on ways to verify the declaration. Lee gave Bush a red-carpet welcome to his palatial official residence. The leaders inspected an honour guard of US and Korean troops in ceremonial dress. Bush and First Lady Laura chatted to a group of children waving Korean and American flags before the summit talks began.
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BUSINESS Japanese shares snap back as worries ease Agence France-Presse
TOKYO - Japanese share prices staged a powerful rally Wednesday, snapping a three-day downturn as investors cheered a drop in crude oil prices, gains on Wall Street and a weaker yen, dealers said. The Tokyo Stock Exchange’s benchmark Nikkei-225 index rose 340.23 points or 2.63 percent to end at 13,254.89. The broader Topix index of all first-section shares added 29.56 points or 2.37 percent to 1,277.27. Sentiment got a boost after US stocks ended sharply higher as the US Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and signaled it was in no hurry to raise borrowing costs given weak economic growth. But some market-watchers were cautious about the prospects of a further recovery. “It’s too optimistic to think that the worst is over,” Motomi Hiratsuka of BNP Paribas told Dow Jones Newswires. “Investors are still keeping an eye on signs of a recession
even if inflationary risks recede.” Electronics makers were in demand after solid earnings results from US giant Cisco Systems. Sanyo surged 10.0 percent to 228 yen, Pioneer leapt 13.0 percent to 870, Fujitsu climbed 9.5 percent to 827 and Sony added 5.7 percent to 4,290. Currency movements eased worries about exporter earnings after the dollar touched a seven-week high of 108.48 yen. In late Tokyo trade it stood at 108.44 yen, up from 108.10 a day earlier. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group lost 1.2 percent to 904 yen after reporting that its first-quarter net profits plunged 66 percent, hit by weak markets, a sluggish economy and the US financial crisis.
AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama
A worker walks past an electronic stock board in Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008 as Japan’s benchmark Nikkei Stock Average rose 340.23 points to close at 13,254.89.
Subprime meltdown behind worst stock Australia undertakes biggest tax review in 50 years market slide since 2001-2002 Agence France-Presse
PARIS - The collapse of the subprime mortgage market in the United States and the subsequent global financial crisis has provoked the sharpest fall on world stock markets since the end of the Internet bubble in 2001-2002. In the last year, leading indices have lost between 12 and 25 percent of their value. The sharpest plunge has been in Tokyo, 23.6 percent, followed by Paris, 20.7 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average in New York, 14.8 percent, the US Standard and Poor’s 500 index, 13.6 percent, Frankfurt, 12.2 percent, and London, 12.1 percent. Investor jitters regarding the health of securities backed by risky US home mortgages have weighed heavily on the financial sector. Major banks have announced big losses and asset write downs while others have had to be saved with costly bailouts. A credit squeeze, which emerged as nervous banks became reluctant to lend to one another and to businesses, has dragged down the most heavily indebted sectors and slowed the pace of mergers and acquisitions. Initial signs that the turmoil was spreading from financial markets to the broader economy accentuated pressures on equity markets early in the year. On January 21, for example, there were falls of 7.16 percent in Frankfurt, 6.83 percent in Paris, 5.48 percent in London and 3.86 percent in Tokyo.
A later surge in commodities prices eroded corporate operating margins and household purchasing power, severely penalising the consumer goods and automobile sectors.
Chris Hondros/Getty Images/AFP
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange just after the Federal Reserve announced that they would not be raising interest rates on August 5, 2008 in New York City. The collapse of the subprime mortgage market in the United States and the subsequent global financial crisis has provoked the sharpest fall on world stock markets since the end of the Internet bubble in 2001-2002.
SYDNEY - Australia has launched the most comprehensive review of its tax laws in more than 50 years as it bids to make them simpler and more globally competitive, Treasurer Wayne Swan said Wednesday. The government was serious about the “modernization of our tax and transfer payment system,” Swan said as he released a tax discussion paper. “So much has changed in Australia since the war: globalisation, the rise of new information technologies, population ageing, climate change — all of these challenges demand a comprehensive review of our tax system,” he said. The paper is the first step in a review to simplify Australia’s complicated taxation system, which includes at least 99 federal taxes, 25 state government taxes and one local government tax. It suggests that the tax structure could discourage foreign investment in Australia at a time when the government is pushing to make the country a financial hub for the region. “The rapid growth in cross-border
investments has highlighted the importance of international factors when considering how Australia taxes savings and investments,” the paper says. It notes that Australia’s company tax rate of 30 percent is the eighth highest among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, while company tax rates overseas are falling. “There are ongoing challenges to our ability to tax residents on their foreign sourced income and nonresidents on their income from investing in Australia,” it said. Swan refused to comment on which taxes could be eliminated but said the aim of the review was to make the system simpler and more efficient. The Australian government has already said the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which places a 10 percent levy on most goods and services and was introduced by the previous conservative administration, will not be altered. The findings of the review are expected to be announced by the end of the year.
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Thursday, August 7, 2008
Entertainment
International
Agence France-Presse
Attention, America: Paris has spoken. Paris Hilton, the blonde, doeeyed celebrity thrust into the presidential campaign in an ad by Republican candidate John McCain, issued a tart rebuttal Tuesday, albeit in a scantily clad, tongue-in-cheek kind of way.
Robin Williams Plans Stand-up Tour
Funnyman Robin Williams is hitting the road for his first standup tour in six years because the current political climate in the U.S. is too funny to pass up. The comedian-turned-actor has lined up 13 American dates in the run up to November’s election. And he insists his own private life will be part of the joke, following his recent alcohol problems and his split from wife Marsha. He says, “Between the politics and things that have happened to me personally, it’s free range... It’s an interesting time.” Onstage, on television, in the movies or in a serious interview, listening to and watching comedian/actor Robin Williams is an extraordinary experience. An improvisational master with a style comparable to Danny Kaye, his words rush forth in a gush of manic energy. They punctuate even the most basic story with sudden subject detours that often dissolve into flights of comic fancy, bawdy repartee, and unpredictable celebrity impressions before returning earthward with some pithy comment or dead-on observation.
McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds said Hilton appears to support his candidate’s “all of the above” energy solution. “Paris Hilton might not be as big a celebrity as Barack Obama, but she obviously has a better energy plan,” Bounds said. Hilton’s mother, who with her husband donated $4,600 to McCain’s campaign earlier in the year, has said McCain’s ad is “a complete waste of the country’s time and attention at the very moment when millions of people are losing their homes and their jobs.” McCain’s ad uses footage of Obama’s reception by Germans during a recent trip to Berlin to dismiss him as just another celebrity. Obama’s campaign has criticized the ad; McCain has defended it as humorous. Hilton’s rebuttal includes plenty of humor at McCain’s expense. An announcer calls him “the oldest celebrity in the world, like super-old, old enough to remember when dancing was a sin and beer was served in a bucket,” and asks, “but is he ready to lead?” Hilton’s spoof also intersperses images of McCain and Yoda from Star Wars and the cast of television’s “The Golden Girls.”
PHNOM PENH - Cambodia sentenced an American man to more than two years in prison for committing indecent acts against minors, and has arrested a Frenchman accused of abusing boys, officials said Wednesday.
AP Photo/Tariq Mikkel Khan, POLFOTO
Paris Hilton, left, and her boyfriend Benji Madden, try The Roller Coaster at Tivoli amusement park in Copenhagen, Denmark, Tuesday Aug. 5, 2008 .
The American, Thomas Wayne Rapanos, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after being convicted of committing indecent acts against minors, said judge Din Sivuthy. Rapanos, 55, was arrested in March after police raided a guesthouse and found a 12-year-old Vietnamese girl and a 16-year-old
Cambodian girl in his room. Rapanos held a Bible and cried outside the courtroom before the judge issued the verdict. “I am 100 percent innocent,” he told reporters as he was led off to prison. Frenchman Michel Roger Blanchard was arrested Monday for sexually abusing four Cambodian
boys aged between eight and 18, said Major General Bit Kimhong, the country’s top anti-trafficking official. Blanchard, 43, was arrested at his rental home in the popular seaside town of Sihanoukville on charges of committing sexual and indecent acts against minors, the official said. Cambodia has struggled to shed its reputation as a haven for paedophiles, putting dozens of foreigners in jail for child sex crimes or deporting them to face trial in their home countries since 2003.
Snoop Dogg raps in Bollywood comedy
Snoop Dogg’s done Hollywood. Now he’s moving on to Bollywood. “Yo, what up. This Big Snoop Dogg. Represent the Punjabi. Aye ya, Hit em with this,” the rapper says while introducing the title song to “Singh is Kinng,” the Bollywood film that opens Friday. Clad in a maroon slim-fitted Indian kurta and beige trousers and a diamond-studded turban, Snoop Dogg lounges on an oversized armchair draped with blue
Thursday, August 7, 2008
American, Frenchman in child sex cases in Cambodia
Paris Hilton issues tart rebuttal to McCain ad
Last week, McCain launched an ad comparing Democratic rival Barack Obama to Hilton and Britney Spears, suggesting Obama was no more than a celebrity candidate unready to lead the nation. Hilton initially shied away from the debate over the ad and its effectiveness. But she responded Tuesday with a spoof on the comedy Web site Funny or Die. “Hey America, I’m Paris Hilton and I’m a celebrity, too. Only I’m not from the olden days and I’m not promising change like that other guy. I’m just hot,” Hilton said, speaking as she reclined in a pool chair in a revealing bathing suit and a pair of pumps. “But then that wrinkly, whitehaired guy used me in his campaign ad, which I guess means I’m running for president. So thanks for the endorsement white-haired dude. I want America to know that I’m, like, totally ready to lead,” she said. She then discusses energy policy, and suggests a hybrid of McCain’s offshore oil drilling plan and Obama’s incentives for new energy technology. “Energy crisis solved! I’ll see you at the debates,” she said,
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International
and pink silk alongside Akshay Kumar, the movie’s lead star, in a video posted on the Internet by the producers, Cashmere Asia. “I’m just a king sitting on my throne all alone, “ Snoop Dogg raps, surrounded by energetic dancers in colorful headgear in a song peppered with rhythmic drum beats. “Singh is King. Singh is King. Snoop Dogg is also the King.” The video was shot over three days last month in Chicago. The film’s producers said this was more than a
blending of cultures and would pave the way for more collaborations and international brand advertising through Bollywood. The title song has already taken India by storm, and can be heard blaring repeatedly from radios and at bars. Snoop Dogg said he would follow up his success with a tour to India. “Snoop Dogg has a lot of fans in India and I love ‘em right back,” he said. “Get ready for me.”
AFP PHOTO/ TANG CHHIN SOTHY
American man Thomas Wayne Rapanos (C) is escorted by a Cambodian policeman (L) at a Phnom Penh court on August 6, 2008. Cambodia sentenced an American man to more than two years in prison for committing indecent acts against minors, and has arrested a Frenchman accused of abusing boys, officials said.
Ten Thai airmen killed in helicopter crash Agence France-Presse
G.400-ibp
Cholera kills 21 in Philippines: Red Cross
Agence France-Presse
GENERAL SANTOS - At least 21 people have died and more than 60 others are in hospital following a cholera outbreak in the southern Philippines, the local Red Cross said Wednesday. The outbreak began more than a week ago among Manobo tribesmen in an isolated area on the island of Mindanao, said Marilou Geturbos of the Philippine National Red Cross. “Many of the victims were not immediately given first-aid treatment because of the inaccessibility of the place,” said Gertubos, adding that most of the fatalities were children. She said the Red Cross initially went to the part of Palimbang town affected to check on reports that villagers were dying of starvation. “We found out that the victims were afflicted with cholera,” Getrubos said. The Health Department in Manila said it was still checking on the reports of a cholera outbreak.
Agence France-Presse
at Canggu Beach and Rice Field, 25 minutes from Kuta Beach
Reservation : Contact your Hotel or Bali Mas Lestari Travel : 0361-763736 E-mail : info@balihorseriding.com, Telp. 0361-7470644
AP Photo/Wildlife Conservation Society, Thomas Breuer
In this photo provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society, a western lowland gorilla silverback is seen among members of a group in the Republic of Congo Thursday, July 31, 2008. A new census conducted by WCS and the government of the Republic of Congo tallied more than 125,000 western lowland gorillas in the northern part of the country. Previous estimates from the 1980s placed the entire population of western lowland gorillas, which occur in seven Central African nations, at less than 100,000.
Rare crocodile sighting sparks hunt in Singapore
EXPLORE BALI ON HORSEBACK for adult & children
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YALA - Ten members of Thailand’s armed forces were killed Wednesday when their military helicopter crashed while on a mission in the insurgency-hit far south, an army spokesman said. The UH-1H chopper was on its way to Betong district, Yala province, from a nearby air force base when it smashed into thick forest just before midday.“All 10 people on board were killed and their bodies are already
recovered,” Colonel Acra Tiproch told AFP from Yala. The pilot, co-pilot, seven other members of the air force and one army official were killed in the crash. Acra said they suspected technical malfunction was to blame and ruled out any involvement of separatist rebels. “There are no militants operating near the crash site,” he said. In June, four military officers and six forensic officials were killed
when a military helicopter crashed in the same province. The army blamed a technical fault for that incident. There is a strong military presence in Thailand’s three southernmost Muslim-majority provinces, where more than 3,300 people have been killed since a separatist insurgency broke out in January 2004. The far south was an autonomous Malay sultanate until Thailand annexed it in 1902, provoking decades of tension.
SINGAPORE - A rare crocodile sighting in a Singapore suburb has sparked a hunt by authorities — as well as locals eager to spot the beast, the Straits Times reported Wednesday. The one-metre (three-foot) long crocodile was first spotted two weeks ago at a park in a residential suburb, the Straits Times said. It is likely a saltwater crocodile common in mangroves and rivers in Southeast Asia, experts interviewed by the newspaper said. Authorities have been trying to trap the animal, but nature lovers are also looking out for a chance to photograph it, the report said. “I wanted to see the crocodile in its natural habitat before someone else does something to it. After all, Singapore has so little wildlife left,” said civil servant K.C. Wong, 53, who was combing the vicinity with his son. Animal experts urged the public to stay away from the reptile if they spot it. The park and mangrove swamp is frequented by nature lovers and joggers.Despite its small size and dense population, Singapore is dotted with forests, parks and nature reserves.
Philippine ferry tragedy
Investigator blames captain Agence France-Presse
MANILA - The captain of a Philippines ship that sank in a typhoon killing nearly 800 people dead was to blame for the disaster, an investigator said Wednesday. The captain took the ship to sea despite a typhoon warning, preliminary results of an official investigation into the sinking of the Princess of the Stars ferry found. “Human error is the principal mistake on the part of this tragedy,” said Captain Demetrio Ferrer, vice-chairman of the Board of Marine Inquiry. The ship’s captain, who is believed to be among the dead, should have realised it was not safe to go out, he added. The ferry capsized after sailing into the eye of Typhoon Fengshen on June 21. Only 58 of the 850 passengers and crew survived the tragedy.
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News
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Iraq arrests three women would-be bombers
Agence France-Presse
BAQUBA - Iraqi forces have arrested three women who were plotting suicide bombing missions against soldiers and police involved in a vast offensive against Al-Qaeda, the interior ministry said on Wednesday. “Acting on information received, our forces uncovered three women in a house in Al-Saada who were preparing to carry out suicide attacks against our forces in the region,” spokesman General Abdel Karim Khalaf told AFP. Al-Saada is just north of Baquba, the capital of the troubled central province of Diyala where a crackdown by American and Iraqi forces on Al-Qaeda and Shiite rebels have been underway since late July. The number of attacks carried out by women bombers has dramatically increased in 2008, and many of them have taken place in Baquba. A woman believed to have been responsible for recruiting female suicide bombers was among four Al-Qaeda-linked suspects arrested in Diyala at the weekend, according to the Iraqi military. On July 28, three suicide bombers believed to be women blew themselves up among Shiite pilgrims in the capital, killing at least 25 and wounding around 75.
Pakistani ‘Al-Qaeda’ woman faces US judge
Agence France-Presse
NEW YORK - A Pakistani mother who graduated from a top US university, then vanished five years ago, was charged Tuesday in New York with attempted murder of US officers in Afghanistan, in a case prompting protests from her homeland. Suffering from a bullet wound sustained during the alleged assault in Afghanistan, Aafia Siddiqui, 36, had to be helped into the New York courtroom to face murder and assault charges. A petite and frail figure wrapped in a maroon scarf, Siddiqui shook her head in apparent bewilderment as the judge read out the criminal complaint. She had been flown from Afghanistan into New York’s JFK Airport Monday after being formally arrested earlier that day, officials and her lawyers said. US officials claim Siddiqui, who studied neuroscience in the United States during the 1990s, before returning home to Pakistan, is an AlQaeda operative. On July 18 she allegedly seized a US serviceman’s rifle during interrogation in Afghanistan and opened fire. Her transfer from Afghanistan to Manhattan is painted by officials as an example of the United States’ long reach in a “war on terror.” But defense lawyers say Siddiqui has for the past five years been held captive — possibly in a secret US or allied prison — and that attempted murder charges were invented as a pretext to bring her to US territory. The defense asserts that Siddiqui, an honors graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was physically incapable of assaulting officers at an Afghan police station, as alleged. “Picture this woman, who is very tiny, and ask yourself how she engaged in armed conflict with six military men,” said defense lawyer Elaine Whitfield Sharp. “It’s not plausible. It’s not credible and there’s nothing to support it,” Elizabeth Fink, another lawyer, said. Siddiqui had suffered “enormous human rights violations,” Fink said. Siddiqui, who was also named in a 2004 US list of suspects linked to Al-Qaeda, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years prison on each charge, if found guilty.
AP Photo
Aafia Siddiqui
International
Sudan appoints Darfur prosecutor
The move came three weeks after the International Criminal Court chief prosecutor requested an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar alBeshir for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur. Sudan flatly refuses any recognition or dealings with the ICC. Instead Khartoum has pressed a diplomatic campaign to freeze any proceedings against Beshir and insists on the effectiveness of its own courts. “I have signed a decision to name a prosecutor for crimes in Darfur from 2003 until now,” Sabdarat told reporters at his ministry. “I have given him the authority to investigate these crimes and go to a judge if he finds cases,” Sabdarat added. He named the incoming prosecutor as Nimer Ibrahim Mohamed, sup-
ported by three assistants: Kamal Mahgoub Ahmed, Al-Hadi Makkawi and Mamoun Mekki. The move was swiftly criticised by some legal experts as a media stunt. “This is too little, too late. No prosecutor or committee can do anything unless the Sudan legal system is reformed,” said Kamal Omar, a defence lawyer representing Darfur rebels sentenced to death for a May attack on Khartoum. “There is no mention in Sudanese law of crimes such as genocide, ethnic cleansing or war crimes. So announcing this prosecutor or committee is just a media stunt,” Omar told AFP. The Sudan Media Centre, which is close to the intelligence services, reported on Monday that the justice ministry is making arrangements to draft new legislation that would incorporate
crimes listed in international law. It also said the ministry would send legal teams to the three states that make up Darfur, a vast arid region roughly the same size as France and gripped by conflict for five years, to monitor the situation on the ground. On July 14, ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo accused Beshir of ordering his forces to annihilate three non-Arab groups in Darfur, masterminding murder, torture, pillage and the use of rape to commit genocide. If approved by a panel of three judges, it would the first ICC arrest warrant against a sitting head of state. Both African Union and Arab League officials say Sudan has agreed to investigate alleged human rights abuses in Darfur. On July 23, a senior Arab League official said Sudan had agreed to set up special courts to try alleged human rights abuses in Darfur which will be monitored by international bodies including the UN. The African Union is drawing up a list of top lawyers to probe the situation in Sudan and work with the government after the ICC accusations. But previous Sudanese promises to try alleged Darfur war crimes have not materialised into credible trials that would see the ICC drop its charges. Two other Sudanese facing longstanding ICC arrest warrants — cabinet minister Ahmed Haroun and Arab militia leader Ali Kosheib — were due to be tried in Sudanese courts on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes. But Kosheib’s trial was indefinitely suspended in March 2007 and Harun was briefly detained and released last October for lack of evidence. According to the United Nations, up to 300,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million fled their homes since ethnic minority rebels first rose up against the Arab-dominated regime in Khartoum in February 2003. Sudan accuses the West of exaggerating the conflict and says that 10,000 people have been killed.
Agence France-Presse
The 500-page report alleged that France was aware of preparations for the genocide, contributed to planning the massacres and actively took part in the killing. It named former French prime minister Edouard Balladur, former foreign minister Alain Juppe and then-president Francois Mitterrand, who died in 1996, among 13 French politicians accused of playing a role in the massacres. Dominique de Villepin, who was then Juppe’s top aide and later became prime minister, was also among those listed in the Rwandan report. The report names 20 military officials as being responsible. France refused to comment di-
rectly on the report’s findings, saying the inquiry had lacked legitimacy or impartiality. A Defence Ministry spokesman instead referred reporters to the government’s position as set out in a statement from February 2007. That original statement declared that the Rwandan inquiry had no “independence or impartiality” because its stated remit was to “gather evidence of the involvement of the French state” in the Rwandan genocide. The inquiry, it stated, had “no legitimacy nor competence” to conduct interviews on French soil because it had broken off diplomatic relations with France in November 2006.
AP Photo/Abd Raouf
Supporters of Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir wave poster of the president during a rally of trade unionists to support him in Khartoum, Sudan, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2008. Sudan’s president says he refuses to deal with the international court whose prosecutor has charged him with war crimes and genocide in Darfur. Agence France-Presse
KHARTOUM - Sudanese Justice Minister Abdul Basit Sabdarat on Tuesday appointed a special prosecutor to probe alleged crimes in the war-torn western region of Darfur and with the power to take cases to court.
France took part in 1994 genocide: Rwandan report KIGALI - France played an active role in the 1994 Rwanda genocide, a report unveiled Tuesday by the Rwandan government said, naming French political and military officials it says should be prosecuted. The damning report accused a raft of top French politicians of involvement in the massacres, threatening to further mar relations between the two countries, which severed diplomatic ties in November 2006. “French forces directly assassinated Tutsis and Hutus accused of hiding Tutsis... French forces committed several rapes on Tutsi survivors,” said a justice ministry statement released after the report was presented in Kigali.
Life Style
International
Lens implant offers chance at beating lazy eye Dr. Paul Dougherty inserts a rolled-up intraocular lens implant through a tiny incision in the eye of Megan Garvin at his office in Los Angeles, Wednesday, July 30, 2008. A few air bubbles, later removed, are visible.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
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In this photo provided by iRiver, the Lplayer media player is shown.
In this photo provided by SanDisk, the Sansa Fuze media player is shown.
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Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Dr. Paul Dougherty delicately slipped a tiny lens inside the right eye of 7-yearold Megan Garvin — a last-ditch shot at saving her sight in that eye. The California girl last week became one of a small number of U.S. children to try an experimental surgery to prevent virtual blindness from lazy eye diagnosed too late, or too severe, for standard treatment. The new approach: Implantable lenses, the same kind that nearsighted adults can have inserted for crisper vision — but that aren’t officially approved for use in children. “Without this technology, we couldn’t help her,” says Dougherty, a prominent Los Angeles eye surgeon who invited The Associated Press to document Megan’s surgery. “This would be written off as a blind eye.” Up to 5 percent of children have amblyopia, commonly called lazy eye, where one eye is so much stronger than the other that the brain learns to ignore the weaker eye. Untreated, the proper neural connections for vision don’t form, eventually rendering that eye useless. Catch it early — preferably by preschool — and it can be fairly easy to fix by patching over the strong eye, or using special drops in it, for several hours a day so that the brain is forced to use the weak eye. But the older the child is, the less effective the treatment — and by age 9, braineye connections are pretty well set. The leading cause is eyes that aren’t in perfect alignment. But a big difference in focusing power also triggers amblyopia. That’s what happened with the Garvin girl, who had near-perfect vision in one eye but the other was too nearsighted to even see the big E on the eye chart. It’s sneaky: Kids don’t realize they’re seeing clearly out of only one eye, and often won’t squint or otherwise signal there’s a problem. So Megan was fast passing the window to correct amblyopia when a kinder-
garten eye exam flagged a problem. “She reads perfectly, she’s a very normal active child,” says her mother, Rosie Garvin. “If she would not have had that vision test, I would never have known.” Ophthalmologists called it one of the worst cases they’d ever seen. Glasses weren’t doable: One side would have required a clear lens and the other a Coke-bottle thickness, a prescription of minus 12 diopters. Her parents tried inserting a contact lens in the bad eye — getting her to roughly 2060 vision in that eye, far from perfect but able to see blurrily while the good eye was patched. Contacts and young kids are a tough match. Megan cried when her mother inserted it. Teachers would call to say it had popped out. Frustrated, the Garvins ultimately opted for the implant — and days later, are feeling hopeful. It’s blurry, Megan tells her mother, but she can see out of her right eye, and is chafing at the required week of rest to let the tiny incisions in her eye heal. That’s just the first step. Months of patching lie ahead to try to reverse the lazy eye, or the brain would just stick with the connections it has already formed to her strong eye. Dougherty gave no guarantees. “I know we’ve got our work ahead of us,” says Rosie Garvin, from Simi Valley, Calif. “I’m so relieved ... and going to make sure I do everything they tell me to make sure this works for her for life.” Implantable lenses for adults, called phakic intraocular lenses or IOLs, hit the U.S. market in 2004. Unlike cataract surgery that requires removal of the eye’s natural lens because it is clouded, these lenses are put on top of a natural lens that can’t focus properly, thus helping sharpen vision. They have some risks: Surgical infection, inflammation, a potential for cataracts to form. At about $4,000 an eye, it’s more expensive than the controversial laser eye surgery
LASIK, but the lenses can be removed if there are problems. But, “how this lens is going to work in a child’s eye, we don’t know. We’ve never done studies,” cautions Dr. Punin Shah, a cornea specialist at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. It is legal to implant the lenses experimentally in a child, however. A handful of medical journal reports show surgeons are starting to try the approach for hard-to-treat amblyopia. In a French study of a dozen children, all had improved vision after the surgery and half recovered normal binocular vision. “It’s an exciting thing in a patient who has had conventional therapy and failed,” says Repka, a spokesman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. And while catching lazy eye very young is best, stay tuned: Repka’s own research shows it can be possible to treat after age 9, long the cutoff, and he is to publish details soon.
AFP PHOTO / Yoshikazu TSUNO
An employee of Japan’s Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) displays a prototype model of leaf and flower shaped organic solar cells, colored green and red, with flexible modules at a solar power exhibition in Tokyo on July 31, 2008. The AIST, Tokki Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation have developed colorful, flexible and light weight film shaped solar batteries.
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Sport
Thursday, August 7, 2008
International
News
International
Thursday, August 7, 2008
40 just a number for Dana Torres
Malaysia’s Anwar says to be charged with sodomy Thursday
BEIJING - US swimmer Dara Torres is finding a whole new set of fans as she tackles her fifth Olympics at the unlikely age of 41, and she’s happy to champion their cause.
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said he would be charged with sodomy on Thursday, accusing the government of trying to sabotage his bid to re-enter parliament in a by-election this month.
Agence France - Presse
“I just want to go out there for those 40-something girls and show that age is just a number,” said Torres, who won the first of her nine Olympic medals in Los Angeles way back in 1984. Since then she has retired twice, coming back the first time to compete in the 2000 Sydney Games, and given birth to daughter Tessa, now two years old. In a sport known to favor youth, Torres has addressed her age both seriously and with humor. At the US trials, she joked that it took a moment for her surprise victory in the 100m free to sink in because she couldn’t make out the scoreboard with her middle-aged eyes.
But she has also undertaken a rigorous programme of drug testing, knowing that in the doping-weary sports world exploits such as hers now automatically spark suspicion. But Torres was surprised Wednesday to hear herself described as the “Face of Female, 40 and Fierce”. “I’m embarrassed,” the momentarily nonplussed Torres said. “It’s a great feeling to go out there at my age and be doing what I’m doing.” Used to receiving autograph requests from youthful fans in her younger days, Torres said those following her career now are different. “I find adults coming up to me and not asking for autographs but talking to me and having long conversations and hearing about how they’ve
Agence France-Presse
been inspired,” she said. “It’s kind of nice to have a different age group following you, and hopefully I represent them well.” Torres’s relationships with her teammates have also changed. “I definitely see myself in some of the younger kids,” Torres said. “They’re all young, bouncing off the walls and full of energy.” While Torres has been affectionately dubbed the “mom” of the team, she said she has tried not to quash the exuberance of the Olympic newcomers. “I have to remind myself - when I’m, like, ‘shsh’ during the day when it’s naptime - I was once like them. “I try to be cognizant of that also and not act like the mom.”
Dana Torres of the USA adjusts her cap before taking part in a training session at the National Aquatics Center, also known as the Bird’s Nest, in preparation for the upcoming Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing on August 6, 2008. Torres, a 41 years old swimming mum star is competing in Beijing 24 years after winning her first Olympic gold. Torres owns nine Olympic medals, starting with that first relay gold in 1984.
AFP PHOTO / GREG WOOD
Hobbling Hewitt ready for Beijing shock 103 year-old volunteer proud to play his part Agence France - Presse
BEIJING - Lleyton Hewitt admitted on Wednesday that his long-standing hip injury could spark an Olympic Games dream performance which had seemed unlikely just four weeks ago. The 27-year-old Australian, who has played only three tournaments in four months, will be unseeded at the Games tennis tournament but he believes his low profile build-up
AFP
Lleyton Hewitt is ready to get the best result in Beijing
could work in his favour. “I could draw anyone and I’ll be a dangerous floater,” said the former world number one who is playing the Olympics for the first time since Sydney in 2000. “If I can get through one or two matches, then I’ll get better.” Hewitt hasn’t featured on the tour since losing to Roger Federer in the fourth round at Wimbledon, but he showed trademark tenacity in the face of crippling pain by taking Spanish world number five David Ferrer to five sets at the French Open. After Wimbledon, Hewitt admitted he may have had to shelve the Olympics and the US Open in order to undergo surgery on his hip. But after training with coach Tony Roche in Australia, he is now ready for action in the heat, humidity and smog of Beijing. “After Wimbledon, I didn’t give myself much of a chance of playing either here or at the US Open,” said Hewitt. “But I had some tests and they have paid dividends. I hit last week with Tony. I took it day by day and didn’t want to commit myself. But I felt good last week.” Hewitt, who was a first round loser in Sydney and then skipped the 2004 Athens Games because the tournament schedule was too close to the US Open, said his plans for the rest of the year are still in doubt. “It’s all up in the air. I’d love to play the Davis Cup match in Chile but playing on clay is different to a hard court. Surgery is still an option,” said Hewitt who’ll also team up with Chris Guccione in the doubles here. The Australian insisted that the infamous pollution of Beijing won’t be a problem for him. “I had a hit out there today. The smog didn’t worry me. I think the heat and humidity will cause more of a problem but I like to play in these conditions. “I’m not worried about the courts here, they are very similar to New York. The balls are a bit quicker through the air.” Meanwhile, both Hewitt and compatriot Alicia Molik, who was a bronze medallist in Athens in 2004, hit back at South African golfer Trevor Immelman’s claims that tennis, along with golf and basketball, should be axed from the Olympics.
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Agence France - Presse
BEIJING - Most centenarians would be content with putting their feet up and taking it easy, but not Fu Yiquan who is perhaps the oldest Olympic volunteer ever. The 103-year-old patrols the streets around his traditional hutong neighbourhood three times a day, offering help and assistance to Olympic spectators and tourists and ensuring trash is cleaned up. “This is what I can do for the Olympics. I can’t go to the stadiums to work, but I can make sure our community is safe and inorder,” Fu, an official “capital security volunteer”, told the Xinhua news agency. “Hosting the Olympic Games shows that our country has grown stronger. I feel so proud,” he added. Fu, who moved to Beijing in 1940 from Shandong province to escape invading Japanese forces, received an official invitation to attend the opening ceremony on Friday, but turned it down. “I don’t want to be any trouble to anyone. I would rather stay home and watch the live broadcast than bother people to take care of me,” he said. While he is proud to play his part at the world’s biggest sporting event, he has also suffered from Beijing being awarded the Olympics. When the city won its bid to host the Games in 2001, Fu was on the streets when fireworks erupted when the news broke that Beijing had won. “Suddenly the celebrating fireworks broke behind my ears just like a thunder, and my ears felt numb right away,” he recalled, adding that he never fully recovered. But he bears no grudges. “Whoever set out the fireworks behind me, they didn’t mean to hurt me, they just wanted to celebrate Beijing’s winning of the right to host the Olympics.” Some 400,000 volunteers are taking part in the Olympics.
Anwar, a former deputy premier who was jailed a decade ago on sodomy charges that were later overturned, was hit with the new accusations after announcing he was poised to seize power with the help of government defectors. “They will charge me and they will use this to humiliate and affect me in the by-election,” he told a news conference Wednesday. Anwar said there was no evidence to support the allegations levelled by 23-year-old aide Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, and said that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had engineered the latest development. “This charge is only possible on the orders from the prime minister, who today faces a confidence crisis and leadership struggle,” he said. Anwar said that Abdullah, who has faced calls to quit since March elections that handed the opposition unprecedented gains, was “desperate” and using the case “to cover up his failures and abuses.” Last week the 60-year-old opposition leader announced he would contest a by-election for a seat vacated by his wife. The Election
Commission announced the vote would be held on August 26. “I am confident of winning in the by-election,” Anwar said, adding that the coalition government which has been in power for half a century was in disarray and had mismanaged the economy. Police confirmed that Anwar had been ordered to appear in court at 10:00am (0200 GMT) to be charged with sodomy, which is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment in Malaysia, a conservative and predominantly Muslim country. Election Commission secretary Kamaruzaman Mohamad Noor said Anwar could still contest the byelection even after charges were laid, although he would be disqualified if found guilty and jailed. Anwar, the figurehead of the Keadilan party which heads the three-member opposition alliance, has said he is bracing for “massive” vote-rigging by the government to prevent him from winning. Keadilan information chief Tian Chua said that if Anwar goes to trial on the sodomy charges, the case will begin in September at the earliest, meaning there will be no outcome
AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, right, gestures as his wife Wan Azizah looks on during a press conference at the People’s Justice Party headquarters in Petaling Jaya, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008 until well after the election. Chua said there was also a “certain amount of risk” that Anwar could be taken into custody and not granted bail after being charged. Anwar’s lawyer Sulaiman Abdullah indicated that the opposition was prepared for a gruelling court battle. “We will fight hard against the might of the state. In any criminal case, the odds are stacked against the accused, and in a political case the odds will be stacked heavily against the accused,” he told reporters.
Ibrahim Suffian of the Merdeka Centre research firm said Anwar was virtually assured of victory in the ballot in his home state of Penang, in the country’s northwest. “Barring any unforeseen situation emerging in the next couple of weeks, I don’t think we are in for any surprise — he’s going to win the election by a handsome margin,” the pollster said. “The key thing will be the margin by which he wins, and whether it’s bigger than his wife’s margin, as a barometer of how opposition support
has improved or not since March.” In the by-election constituency of Permatang Pauh, there was strong support from residents of all races, including majority Muslim Malays and minority Indians and Chinese. “The government has been telling us that it was wrong for Anwar’s wife to resign so soon after the general elections,” said 35-year-old businesswoman J. Sumathi. “However, it is a non-issue as far as I am concerned. Anwar is a capable leader who should be in parliament to fight for our rights.”
Taiwan declassifies documents of ex- Coup in Mauritania President, PM arrested president’s probe Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
TAIPEI - Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou on Wednesday declassified documents allegedly implicating his predecessor Chen Shui-bian in a high-profile embezzlement case. The move will help prosecutors investigating if the former president was involved in a 14.8-million Taiwan dollars (480,500 US) special expenses case. “We’ve scrutinised the related evidence. There will be no problem such as endangering the country’s interest in making public these documents,” Chan Chun-poh, Ma’s chief aide, said at a press conference. Prosecutors named Chen, of the Democratic Progressive Party, as a suspect in the case in 2006. His wife, Wu Shu-chen, is on trial for corruption and document forgery in connection with the same case, but Chen had escaped prosecution due to his presidential immunity. Chen has admitted using false receipts to claim money from the state, but he insists those funds were used for “secret diplomatic missions,” and not his personal benefit. Nevertheless, prosecutors found that at least 1.5 million Taiwan dollars had been spent on diamond rings and other luxury items for his wife. The former president had classified the related documents before prosecutors launched an official investigation on May 20, the day he retired at the end of his second and final four-year term.
AFP PHOTO/Patrick LIN
Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-Jeou (L) addresses a gathering at the foreign ministry in Taipei on August 4, 2008. In a speech seen as the Ma administration’s diplomatic guidance, he renewed his call for a diplomatic truce with rival China while addressing more than 200 foreign ministry officials. The investigation has since stalled and calls have mounted to declassify the documents, though Chen and his party have repeatedly warned that Taiwan’s interests could be endangered with the release. Chen and his family have been mired in corruption scandals since early 2006, when son-in-law Chao Chienming was arrested for alleged insider trading. Chao was later sentenced to seven years in prison. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets that year demanding Chen resign over the scandals, but he has insisted he and his family were innocent.
NOUAKCHOTT - Troops staged a coup in the West African nation of Mauritania on Wednesday, arresting the president and prime minister and shutting down state radio and television, security sources said. President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi and Prime Minister Yahya Ould Ahmed Waghf had been placed under arrest after troops moved through the capital early Wednesday, security sources and witnesses said. “We are in contact with our embassy to obtain confirmation of the events that appear to be taking place in Nouakchott. Based on initial information, it seems that a group of generals are holding the prime minister,” a French foreign ministry spokesman told AFP in Paris. Mauritania has been facing a political crisis and on Monday 48 MPs walked out on the ruling party less than two weeks after a vote of no confidence in the government prompted a cabinet reshuffle. Abdallahi became Mauritania’s first democratically elected president last year after a period of transition supervised by a military council that deposed the previous president in a bloodless coup in August 2005. The largely desertified country has a history of coups since its independence from France in 1960. The renegade lawmakers criticised Abdallahi’s exercise of “personal power”, adding that he had “disappointed the hopes of Mauritanians,” a spokesman said. The Mauritanian president last month threatened to dissolve parliament after MPs filed a motion of no confidence in his new government, which then resigned. Recently, they tried to call a special session of parliament to create a commission to investigate the country’s response to the rising cost of living, and also the financing of a foundation run by the president’s wife. The West African country imports more than 70 percent of its food needs and has been hard hit by the food crisis.
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International
Thursday, August 7, 2008
News
Sport
International
Munich - Amantino Mancini scored his debut goal for Inter in a prestigious 1-0 victory away to Bayern Munich to lift the Franz Beckenbauer Cup. The Nerazzurri began their high-profile continental tour at a packed Allianz Arena against Jurgen Klinsmann’s Bundesliga champions.
As in the previous Trofeo TIM outing, Jose Mourinho’s men seemed a little sluggish and unsure of themselves, handing the initiative to Bayern at the start. Francesco Toldo was tested by a Philipp Lahm angled drive and Hamit Altintop strike in the first half, although Demichelis went off with an injury. The bright spot of Inter’s opening 45 minutes was represented by Adriano, who moved well and had their only real chance with a free kick. The deadlock was broken in the Italians’ favour af-
NEWS
Olympic torch BEIJING - The Olympic flame approaches the final destination of its long and sometimes contentious global tour, greeted by rapturous crowds and tight security in the Chinese capital.
PARIS - To go or not to go - world leaders invited to the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics face a choice riddled with risks. The exceptional guest list for Friday’s Big Event suggests that fears of losing Chinese business crossed continents and oceans, and ultimately outweighed outrage over China’s human rights failings.
Too young to marry RIYADH - An 11year-old boy gave out invitations to his classmates for a big event his family was planning this summer and it wasn’t his birthday party. It was his wedding to a 10-yearold cousin. The case is among a recent spate of marriages involving the very young reported in the media and by Saudi human rights groups. Source: ap
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Mancini’s Munich triumph
WORLD
Olympic invitees
Thursday, August 7, 2008
AP Photo/Andrea Solero, pool
Pope Benedict XVI salutes faithful as he arrives to pay a visit to the home of Josef Freinademetz a 19th century saint who died as a missionary in China, and to pray in the church devoted to him, in Oies, Alta Badia, Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2008. Benedict XVI is urging China to open up to Christianity saying, “It is important for this great country to open itself to the Gospel.”
Pope says China should ‘open up’ to Jesus Agence France-Presse
ROME - Pope Benedict XVI said Tuesday that it was important that China “open up” to Christ, during a visit to the memorial of an Italian missionary who moved to the Asian country, ANSA news agency reported.
“We know that China is becoming more and more significant in political and economic life, as well as in the world of ideas,” the pope said. “It is important that this great continent open up to the gospel of Christ,” he said, three days before the Olympic
Games open in Beijing. The pope was speaking from Oies, a village near Bressanone in northern Italy where he is on holiday. He honoured the memory of Giuseppe Freinademetz, who left to preach the gospel in China in 1879 and died there of typhoid in 1908.
Three US Christians protest on Tiananmen Square: spokesman Agence France-Presse
BEIJING - Three American Christians staged a protest Wednesday on the fringes of Beijing’s Tiananmen Square against repression of religion and forced abortion in China, a USbased spokesman said. Two days before the start of the Olympics, the three unfurled a banner saying “Jesus Christ is
King” in English and Chinese, according to Rob Schenck, the USbased spokesman of the Christian Defence Coalition. “Their principal statement is against the brutal repression of religious rights in China as well as human rights. Forced abortion is one of these,” Schenck told AFP by telephone. The protest ended when the three, two men and one woman, knelt
down and prayed aloud, he said. At this point, plainclothes police seized the three and drove them away in a van, according to Schenck, who said he had not been in touch with them since. He identified the three as Patrick J. Mahoney, Brandi Swindell and Michael McMonagle. China’s one-child policy, in place since about 1980, has been a target of intense foreign criticism, partly
because its implementation is suspected of having caused large numbers of forced abortions. The Beijing Olympics, which begin on Friday, have become a magnet for a wide array of critics of the communist Chinese government. Earlier Wednesday, pro-Tibetan activists unfurled banners outside the Olympic stadium to protest against China’s rule of the Himalayan region.
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Inter Milan’s player Mancini celebrates after his goal during the soccer friendly match of the Beckenbauer cup between FC Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in the arena in Munich, southern Germany, on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2008.
ter 51 minutes, when Mancini trapped a long Luis Figo pass and chipped the Bayern goalkeeper for his first Inter goal. “Mourinho asked me for intensity
and I think I will have made him happy with the goal. My integration is going well and I am trying to do what the boss asks me. We played well and we are improving little by little and making important steps before the Super Cup.” Jose Mourinho is pleased with the progress his Inter side are making after last night’s win over Bayern Munich. An injury-hit Beneamata side was expected to struggle against Bayern, who are more advanced in their preseason preparations. But the Nerazzurri lifted the Franz Beckenbauer Cup thanks to an Amantino Mancini goal and Mourinho was delighted to lift his first silverware as Inter boss. “It was a good training exercise for us,” the Portuguese tactician declared. We played a great side who will start their Bundesliga campaign in a few days and are obviously a bit ahead of us in their preparations. They were a very well organised side.” “The team’s spirit also made me
happy. There was a noticeable empathy between the players. We seemed balanced and we managed possession well in the second half. In the last 15 minutes it was important to keep our lead because that situation will arise often during the season.” “Esteban Cambiasso has adapted very well to playing in the centre of defence and Nicolas Burdisso was also excellent. Francesco Toldo also made three crucial saves.” A buoyant Mourinho also took the chance to comment on his escalating war of words with Juventus counterpart Claudio Ranieri. “The story is simple. Ranieri spoke once and was happy and then spoke again and was happy and then spoke for a third time,” the ex-Chelsea man explained. “I just spoke once and he was a bit angry. It’s fine by me if it finishes here - it will be 3-1 to him but my goal was beautiful. Nobody likes to lose, but I will accept the defeat. Nonetheless I will support Juventus in the Champions League preliminaries.”
Scolari - Don’t say I’m like Mourinho Agence France - Presse
LONDON - Luiz Felipe Scolari has vowed to make Chelsea more popular by avoiding the kind of controversy that Jose Mourinho courted during his reign at Stamfordd Bridge. Scolari has only been in charge at Stamford Bridge since July and his forceful personality have already earned comparisons with Mourinho, who led Chelsea to two league titles. But the Brazilian is adamant he wants Chelsea to be loved so he won’t follow Mourinho’s penchant for making explosive comments about other teams and officials. “I am not Jose Mourinho, so why compare me with him? Mourinho says ‘I will win 10 championships’ but I am more modest than that,” Scolari said. “I am from south Brazil and in my culture we never say ‘I will win this or that’. I just say that I will try my best to win all the competitions. But Mourinho is Mourinho, he has a different culture to me. “I want to make Chelsea loved around the world, like Barcelona and Manchester United. It’s a surprise for me that people say Chelsea are unpopular, because when we went to China, they love Chelsea. “There were many people there. It’s a big surprise people don’t like us in England. Here in Russia, in Malaysia, it’s even better, but maybe not yet in Brazil or South America. “Chelsea is a club that is a growing name. Before, it was Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Milan. “If we win one or two big competitions, I’m sure we’ll
have fans all over the world. Maybe it won’t be the same as Madrid, Manchester or Milan because our history is not the same and you don’t make a history in two, three or ten years. Maybe in 20 or 50 years, Chelsea will be on that level.” While Mourinho spent millions on building Chelsea into one of Europe’s top clubs, Scolari is keen to implement the club’s new policy of bringing through more players from the youth academy. Scolari has signed only Portugal midfielder Deco since taking charge and, although he has been linked
with a bid for Real Madrid’s Robinho, he insists there is no need to spend big money on such a strong squad. “Since I came to Chelsea we have only spent eight million pounds on Deco. Jose Bosingwa came in before I arrived,” he said. “Maybe in the past they have spent more money, but now they don’t need to spend as much because they already have a solid base. Now they need a coach to develop young players and I think I am that coach. The new philosophy at Chelsea is to bring some young boys through the system.”
AP
Samuel Eto’o(center)
Eto’o shines in pre-season as future remains unclear Agence France - Presse
(AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)
Chelsea manager Luis Felipe Scolari seen during their Russian Railways Cup soccer match between Chelsea and FC Lokomotiv at Lokomotiv stadium in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Aug. 1, 2008.
MADRID - Barcelona have deemed Samuel Eto’o’s surplus but the Cameroon international stiker’s impressive performance in the pre-season has led his teammates and some fans to ask the Spanish club to reconsider. “The entire team backs him. He’s one of the best in the world. I don’t know what is going on with the club but he’s very important to the team,” French striker Thierry Henry said Sunday after Barcelona beat Mexican side CD Guadalajara 5-2 in a friendly in Chicago. Eto’o contributed two of the goals after coming on as a substitute in the second half, the first one just four minutes after he hit the pitch. The 27-yearold, Barcelona’s top scorer in the Spanish league last year with 16 goals, has scored three times in four pre-season matches. Eto’o was one of three high-pro-
file Barcelona layers - Deco and Ronaldinho being the others - told in June that he was not part of new coach Pep Guardiola’s plans as the club seeks to rebuild following a second successive trophyless season. Barcelona president Joan Laporta said recently that the three-times African Player of the Year could stay at the club. “In this world, nothing is unchanging. The decision is up to the technical staff. The sports dimension will always prevail. Samuel’s attitude is good and I appreciate his bahaviour,” he said, adding Barcelona sports chief Txiki Begiristain would have the final word. Begiristain, however, has insisted that Eto’o, who signed from Mallorca in 2004, is on the way out. “The best solution for Eto’o would be if he was sold before the Champions League preliminary games. The market is about to close and we’re considering many options with Pep Guardiola,” he said Tuesday.
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Thursday, August 7, 2008
Raikkonen ‘not the driver Ferrari needs’ Kimi Raikkonen has come in for a scathing attack from the Italian media following another lacklustre performance in the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend – being described variously as ‘a pale imitation of the driver of the past’ and ‘not the driver Ferrari needs’.
Ferrari Formula One driver Kimi Raikkonen of Finland gestures during a pressconference for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring circuit near Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, July 31, 2008. The Hungarian Grand Prix takes place Sunday, Aug. 3, 2008.
AP Photo/Daniel Maurer
Dovi not intimidated by Rossi
Rookie Andrea Dovizioso appeared a little star struck when he lined up alongside seven time world champion, and Italian legend, Valentino Rossi for a pre-season MotoGP photo shoot. But the JiR Team Scot rider
soon overcame any feelings of intimidation by overtaking the Fiat Yamaha superstar for fourth place during the closing stages of his MotoGP debut at Qatar - and Dovi claims he is now comfortable racing against the second most successful
AFP
Andrea Dovizioso
16 Pages Number 165 1st Year
rider in 500cc/MotoGP history. “Before this year it was a dream to fight with Valentino, but now I am in the same class and I want to beat him,” Dovizioso told Crash.net. “It is very difficult because he has the best talent, but I beat him in my first race and finished very near to him at Barcelona. It is very very nice to fight with Valentino, but also with Stoner and Pedrosa,” he added. After eleven rounds, Dovizioso is the highest placed satellite rider in the MotoGP World Championship standings, holding fifth place with a best race finish of fourth (three times). The former 125cc world champion and 250cc title contender has his sights set on securing a factory Honda ride for 2009. Meanwhile James Toseland believes the challenge he faces in trying to reach the top of the MotoGP World Championship isn’t any harder than doing the same in the World Superbike Championship. “They’ve got different riding styles [in MotoGP] and the way you overtake in MotoGP is different to Superbike,” Toseland told Crash.net. “But it’s no easier to try and beat Valentino Rossi or the likes in MotoGP or Troy Bayliss in Superbikes. When I was in Superbikes we were all specialists in Superbike racing, so it was just as hard to win those races as these,” he explained.
The defending Formula 1 World Champion has now not triumphed in seven races, putting the defence of his hard-won 2007 crown in distinct jeopardy, with both McLarenMercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa seeming to be in considerably better shape than the Finn as the 2008 campaign races towards its conclusion. Since Raikkonen’s second – and thus far latest – victory of the season in Barcelona all the way back in April, the 28-year-old has notched up just 28 points, compared to the 42, 36 and 30 of title rivals Hamilton, Massa and Robert Kubica respectively. Though he may have lucked into a rostrum finish with third place in Budapest, the 17-time grand prix winner failed to convince weekend-
long, qualifying a lowly sixth and spending the first two-thirds of the race tucked up behind Fernando Alonso’s markedly slower Renault – a fact not lost on the notoriously merciless and fickle Italian press. “He seems a pale imitation of the driver of the past,’ blasted national sports newspaper Tuttosport. This Raikkonen is not the driver that Ferrari needs. He needs to ask himself whether he really still has the desire.” For his part, the erstwhile world championship leader has responded to claims that he is likely to hang up his F1 helmet at the end of the current campaign, second title in the bag or not. “I never said anything like that,” he stressed. “Somebody made it up.” There were rather warmer words, meanwhile, for Massa, who – against the odds – dominated the race around the Hungaroring, from his superbly aggressive pass all the way around the outside of pole-sitter Hamilton at the start to his cruel retirement with engine failure whilst in a commanding position a scant three laps from the chequered flag. “What more can Ferrari ask of its driver?” the respected La Gazzetta dello Sport mused.
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Thursday, August 7, 2008
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President witnesses’ mass cremation Paris Hilton issues tart rebuttal to McCain ad PAGE 12
Dovi not intimidated by Rossi
AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh
Hindu devotees offer prayers to snakes during the annual Hindu Nag Panchami festival, dedicated to the worship of snakes, in Allahabad, India, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008.
Bush starts South Korea summit after overnight protests
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Agence France-Presse
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Bush and Lee Myung-Bak were to discuss efforts to push a free trade pact and the denuclearisation of North
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Korea among a variety of other issues at their hour-long meeting, Seoul presidential officials said.
The US leader is expected to ask South Korea to play a greater role in Afghanistan following its troop pullout last year, US officials have said. Cost-sharing arrangements for the 28,500 US troops based in the South will also likely figure in the talks, the third between the two leaders sinceApril. Continued on page 6
AP Photo/Lee Jae-won, POOL
U.S. President George W. Bush, (L) and Lee Myung
Beijing Olympics should promote peace: Dalai Lama
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SEOUL - US President George W. Bush began summit talks Wednesday with his South Korean counterpart on ways to strengthen their decades-old alliance, after police arrested scores of people in overnight protests.
AP Photo
Dalai Lama.
DHARAMSHALA - Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday offered his “good wishes” for the Olympics, saying they were a moment of “great pride” for the Chinese, and should promote peace. The Beijing Games “should contribute to promoting the Olympic spirit of friendship, openness and peace,” the Nobel peace laureate said in Dharamshala, his home-inexile in northern India.
The 73-year-old Tibetan leader repeated his support for the Games due to start Friday, ignoring opposition from his radical younger followers, who have been staging protests in the Indian capital against China hosting the Olympics. “Right from the time of China’s application to hold the Olympic Games, I have supported China’s right to host the Games, the Dalai Lama said in a statement.
“This is a moment of great pride for the 1.3 billion Chinese people... and I would like to offer my greetings to China, the organizers and the athletes participating in the forthcoming Olympic Games,” he added. Beijing earlier this year accused the Dalai Lama of seeking to sabotage the games and fomenting deadly unrest in Tibet against China’s rule in a bid to embarrass the Chinese government — charges the Buddhist leader denied.