Edisi 02 September 2011 | International Bali Post

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Almost 10,000 passengers arrive in Ngurah Rai Airport

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Friday, September 2, 2011

PAGE 8

Maroon 5 making moves thanks to ‘Jagger,’ ‘Voice’ PAGE 12

IBP/Yudi Karnaedi

Dida, former goalkeeper of AC Milan, arrived in Bali before their charity match in Jakarta

AC Milan Glorie arrive in Bali WEATHER FORECAST

Denpasar – The member of AC Milan Glorie who will play against Indonesian All Star Legends which will be held on September 4, 2011 in Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta arrived in Bali on Thursday, September 1, 2011.

Most of the former players who already well known by the Milanisti, the fans of AC Milan, was surrounded by the fans after they arrived in Ngurah Rai International Airport. Among them are, Nelson Dida, Marcos Cafu, Franco Baresi, and Alessandro Costacurta.

They will spend two days of holiday in Bali before fly to Jakarta for the preparation of the charity match. The match was arranged

by PT. Asia Sport Development (ASD) and the money will be donated to support the relief program for the disaster victims throughout South East Asia.(gie/afp)

CITY

TEMPERATURE OC

DENPASAR

21 - 30

Thousands of domestic tourists celebrate Idul Fitri in Bali

JAKARTA

24 - 32

Bali Post

BANDUNG

17 - 25

YOGYAKARTA

19 - 31

SURABAYA

19 - 31

KUTA - Celebration of the Idul Fitri 1432 H was not only taken advantage by people to go home.

Thousands of them filled it by spending holidays to Bali. At least, 57,028 domestic tourists arrived in the domestic arrival of the Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali.

Assistant Manager of Land Side Terminal Operations and Information of PT Angkasa Pura (AP) I, Sugiono, said in the Idul Fitri Integrated Command Post that the peak of domestic tourist arrivals happened on Sunday (Aug 28) and transported by 84

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aircrafts. “The number of people arriving is persistently growing.

Peak of the homecoming flow also occurs on the same day with a total of 13,269 passengers,” he explained.

According to him, the flow of tourists in the celebration accompanied with joint leave would likely continue to rise until next week.

Continued on page 6

Domestic tourists crowded at zoo park in Bali during holiday season.

IBP/Doc

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International

Friday, September 2, 2011

Bali News

Adverse weather, export of Bali coffee drops Denpasar (Bali Post)—

Coffee production of Bali has a considerable potential in the export market. In terms of quality, the coffee beans produced in Bali are getting better and has a scent with its own characteristic. However, the uncertain weather condition recently until the mid of 2011will have an impact on the drastic decline in the volume of coffee export. Based on the data of Bali Industry and Trade Agency, the volume of Bali coffee exports from January to June 2011 only reached 400 tons. Previously, the average export volume reached 8,000-9,000 tons per year.

The Head of Bali Industry and Trade Agency, Gde Darmaja, said some time ago the falling export volumes of Bali coffee was caused by the influence of weather affecting the delivery of coffee to a number of countries. Not only that, the decline in the coffee production due to the impact of climate change also affected the volume of Bali coffee exports. Gede Darmaja added that coffee beans and processed coffee could have penetrated the market of Japan, France and several countries in Europe.

“So far, the delivery of Bali coffee exports have been performed by means of shipping. On that account, the hostile condition of the recent wind led to delay to a few coffee exports.

The exporters tend not to take risk

during the adverse weather condition,” he said.

Even, based on the data of Bali Industry and Trade Agency in 2010, during the period from January to August 2010, the export of Bali coffee amounted to 7.8 tons valued at USD 80,850. In terms of export volume and acquisition value, the percentage showed a decrease over the same period in the previous year. In terms of volume, the coffee export declined 51.13 percent over the first eight months of 2009 reaching 16.1 tons.

Similarly, in terms of foreign exchange earnings, it reduced as much as 28.31 percent as in the same period of the previous year reaching USD 112,784.

On average, the Bali coffee production reached 13,000 tons per year. (bit)

Candikuning Muslims held Tumpengan to celebrate Idul Fitri Tabanan (Bali Post)-

The Muslim community at Candikuning Village, Baturiti, held a unique tradition for their Eid day with tumpengan (cone like shaped rice with its meals and vegetables surrounding the bottom) celebration held on six mosques and musholas of the village last Wednesday (31/8) as their thankfulness after one month of Ramadhan (fasting), Head of Islam Village Candikuning 2, Khaeroni accompanied by his Vice, Muhaimi, explained.

According to Khaeroni, the Muslims here are residents of the area that have lived here through generations until now 1700 families. The community was an exodus from Karangasem so they can speak Balinese language. The unique ritual held after shalat started 10 am local time where the people used their praying clothes and the women brought tumpengan with roast chicken to fruits on it. The shalat was ended by prayer led by local public figure before they start the tumpengan feast where families can share and exchange their food as the tumpengan brought by each family varied. After the one hour duration feast, they then went to their grave yard together to visit their family members that have died.

The people also held their sungkeman or ask for forgiveness from the elderly on each house where tears breath and sighs can be heard when it happened.

The peak was then by visiting their neighbours. “On the seventh day we would held a gathering at the kebun raya with ketupat (palm leave squared shaped covered rice) feast or called ketok somprong,” Khaeroni explained. (udi)

IBP/Eka

The tourists are packed Sanur area during teh Idul Fitri Holiday

Hotel occupancy in Sanur not affected by Idul Fitri holiday Denpasar (Bali Post)—

The arrival of domestic tourists related to Idul Fitri holidays did not bring in significant impact on the hotel occupancy rate in Sanur. It was different from a number of hotels downtown Denpasar. Despite quiet condition during the fasting month, but three days before holiday (H-3) celebration the hotel occupancy averagely reached 90-100 percent.

Chairman of the Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (PHRI) of Denpasar Chapter, IB. Sidharta Putra, said the arrival of foreign tourists even dominated the room occupancy of hotels in Sanur.

“Maybe, the hotels in Kuta tourist resort get a lot of domestic tourist spillover. But, Sanur does not enjoy a significant impact on the domestic tourist visits,” said Sidhartha Putra when contacted on Wednesday (Aug 31).

According to him, the occupancy rate of star hotels and budget hotels in Sanur as well as the surrounding area was still dominated by foreign tourists from Europe, Australia and others. On the contrary, domestic tourists preferred to take advantage of the facility in the budget hotels downtown Denpasar.

“The market of hotels in Sanur is more focused on non-domestic. If the hoteliers in Sanur would like to capture domestic tourists, of course they need to offer discounts,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kuta Beach remained a favorite destination for domestic tourists. They performed a variety of activities ranging from just having a promenade and lazing on the sand while enjoying the services of massage and tattoo.

Meanwhile, the Head of Kuta Beach Task Force, I Gusti Ngurah Tresna, stated that other than do-

mestic tourists, the white sandy beach also drew foreign tourists such as from France, England, Dutch and other European regions. “As in previous years, Bali is indeed visited by a lot of domestic tourists. They have visited Kuta Beach starting from one day before Idul Fitri,” he said.

He described that such increasing domestic tourist visit to Kuta Beach was predicted to happen until four days after Idul Fitri celebration. Most of them were from Jakarta, Surabaya, Semarang and some other major cities in Indonesia.

“Domestic tourists thronging the Kuta Beach on Idul Fitri holiday do not only reach thousands but have reached tens of thousands. If calculated, almost 60 percent of tourist overwhelming Kuta Beach is domestic tourists,” he added. (par)

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Bali News

International

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Friday, September 2, 2011

Idul Fitri, hawkers participate in securing Kuta Beach Mangupura (Bali Post)—

Hawkers on Kuta Beach were involved in securing the beach area during the long holiday of Idul Fitri. It aimed to anticipate the security problems caused by soaring tourist visits to Kuta Beach.

The Head of the Kuta Beach Task Force, IGN Tresna, said on Wednesday (Aug 31) that every year in the celebration of Idul Fitri Kuta Beach was always thronged by myriads of tourists, especially domestic tourists. The tourist visit was getting higher considering that from August to December each year was a high season.

To anticipate the undesirable things during the high season visits to the white sandy Kuta Beach, the hawkers including the surf-

board rental providers were also asked to lend a hand in monitoring the security of the coastal region.

He added that the lifeguard team together with beach police and tourism police was alerted for 24 hours to ensure the safety and convenience of tourists. The presence of police station on the beach once drew a number of questions of tourists. However, after being given an explanation, those tourists finally could understand. (kmb25)

IBP/File

The beautiful sunset in Kuta that attract many vistors to visit the beach which is famous throughout the world

Tourist objects in Tabanan thronged by myriads of visitors Tabanan (Bali Post)—

On Idul Fitri holiday season, a number of tourist objects in Tabanan were overwhelmed by myriads of visitors. One of them was the Bedugul botanical garden. Since the past three days, visitors to the natural tourist object increased to over 200 percent. They were dominated by domestic tourists from various regions in Java Island.

Sharp increase of visitors to botanical garden has started happening since Sunday (Aug 28) and continued until Wednesday (Aug 31). On average, those visitors were family groups and resident community. It was discernible from the number of buses and private cars parked and entering the garden area. “It’s indeed an annual phenomenon. Every long holiday season, the visit of domestic tourist has always risen sharply,” said Nyoman Peneng, one of the officers in charge at the Bedugul Botanical Garden last Wednesday.

The data obtained from the ticket counter of botanical garden showed that from last Friday the visit increased up to 2,000 people, namely from 1,687 to 3,853 people, whereas on weekdays the number of visit was only reaching around 100 people. It was estimated, the peak of visit occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday. “Possibly, today it will be back to normal because

the holiday is over,” said Peneng.

Surge of visitors usually occurred during school holidays where students from various regions paid a visit to this tourist object.

No less interesting was the area of Ulun Danu at Beratan lakeside. It had been visited by domestic tourists since the past three days. To fill in their holidays, they took advantage of a number of water tourist attractions such as jet sky and others.

The condition brought in a blessing for traders and tourism service providers in the region. “Our destination is only crowded by visitors during the holiday sea-

son. Beyond the holidays, it tends to be quiet,” said Made Yasa, a restaurateur at the southern edge of Lake Beratan. As in other regions, the domestic tourist was also dominated by families. They began arriving from early morning until late afternoon. Not infrequently, they also stayed here by taking advantage of a number of bungalows around the lakeside.

Other than Botanical Garden and Beratan lakeside, the tourist object of Tanah Lot was also flooded with domestic tourists.

Even, the number rose to 50 percent over last year. Averagely, they were families spending holi-

IBP/File

The number of tourists visited the tourism objects is increasing during Idul Fitri Holiday. The condition can be seen in Bedugul area.

days together. “We choose Bali because it retains a lot of beautiful places to visit,” said Jimmy, one of the domestic tourists from

Jakarta. Due to many visitors, the parking area of Tanah Lot was fully occupied, especially by four-wheeled vehicles. (udi)

Megibung and Mekele

Idul Fitri Tradition at Singaraja Village The people of Singaraja Village, Buleleng had its own unique tradition every year in celebrating Eid Al Fitr. The generations tradition known by eating rice on a tray (talam) or known by the Balinese as megibung, taken place after Eid Al Fitr shalat prayers. The scenery seemed to interest foreign tourists who were around there for the day last Wednesday (31/8).

The megibung was held with cheerfulness of 300 families. Every family would bring rice with its meats in a wide tray and put it at Nur Rahman Mosque. The unfinished meals were then given to those who did not join the megibung as they believe this meal is God’s grace.

The happiness was then continued in the mosque’s field where they held mekele or going around the village then ziarah or visiting the village’s grave yard. The unique of mekele every house was visited and asks the people inside to join

the group. Head of Singaraja Village, Agus Murzani, explained the megibung and mekele is nothing else but the people’s expressing their thankfulness after one month of Ramadhan then celebrates Eid Al Fitr also in preserving togetherness between the Muslims without differentiating social status between others. “As a continuing generation, this tradition has to be preserved as given by our ancestors, don’t let it be eaten by a new era,” Murzani explained.

One other unique tradition that was never forgotten was eating ketupat (palm leave square shaped covered rice) together called “lebaran ketupat” which held seven days after Eid Al Fitr where every family brings ketupat with its meats as an end of celebrating Eid Al Fitr. “Usually our people would fast again three days after Eid until the 7th day and end it with lebaran ketupat,” Murzani concluded. (kmb)

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News

Friday, September 2, 2011

International

PNG veteran Somare insists he is still PM Agence France Presse

Veteran Papua New Guinea leader Sir Michael Somare declared Thursday he is still the Pacific nation’s prime minister despite his family announcing his retirement while he was ill.

Somare, 76, has been in politics almost 50 years and became his country’s first prime minister on independence in 1975, but was sidelined by illness earlier this year, travelling to Singapore for heart surgery.

His family announced his resignation in June without consulting Somare, who they said was in intensive care and unable to discuss his future.

Peter O’Neill, once a finance minister in Somare’s government, was elevated to the top job last month by a majority vote of lawmakers after they ruled the prime ministership vacant.

But a defiant Somare on Thurs-

day insisted he was still the country’s leader in a signed statement sent to AFP from Singapore, saying there had “never been any vacancy in the position of prime minister”.

“Let me be clear. I am ready, willing and able to complete my term as the only legally elected prime minister of Papua New Guinea,” Somare wrote.

His son, Arthur, heralded his return to the tiny Pacific nation to resume parliamentary duty.

“Sir Michael will come back to PNG specifically to turn up to parliament on Tuesday so that he remains the member of East Sepik,” Arthur Somare said, according to Australian Associated Press.

“He will be returning to Papua New Guinea either Saturday or Sunday.”

However, the younger Somare, himself a member of parliament, repeated the family’s wish for the veteran patriarch to step down from politics.

FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2011 file photo, Yoshihiko Noda stands up after he was elected as the new leader of the Democratic Party of Japan during an election by the party lawmakers in Tokyo, paving the way for him to be the next prime minister and inherit the daunting task of recovering from the huge tsunami and nuclear crisis.

AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File

AP-GfK Poll: Japanese distrust govt after disaster Associated Press Writer

TOKYO — Five months after the tsunami and nuclear accident, the Japanese people lack confidence in the government’s ability to handle another major disaster and generally distrust elected leaders, an Associated Press-GfK poll has found.

IBP/afp

File photo of veteran Papua New Guinea leader Sir Michael Somare, who declared Thursday he is still the Pacific nation’s prime minister despite his family announcing his retirement while he was ill

The results depict widespread gloom about Japan’s present state and its future, and provide sobering insights into the complex set of problems confronting Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, elected this week.

Clear majorities believe the country is headed in the wrong direction and that Japan is a weaker international power than it was 10 years ago. A startling 84 percent of respondents believe the economy, overtaken by China’s to slide to third globally, is in poor shape, and 44

percent believe children born today will be worse off when they grow up than people are now.

The poll reflects shaken public confidence in government and in their own safety after the March 11 triple disasters — earthquake, tsunami and ensuing meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.

Noda’s predecessor, Naoto Kan, resigned amid widespread criticism that authorities have been slow to provide direction in the disaster recovery and less than forthcoming about the nuclear crisis.

Some 100,000 residents living around the plant remain dislocated with no clear idea when they will be able to return to their homes; authorities have said for some it could be years. Residents in the scores of towns and villages along the tsunami-wracked northeastern coast are still cleaning up and fault the central government for being preoccupied with the nuclear crisis.

Tokyo Electric Power Co., owner of the Fukushima plant, received a harsh assessment, with 8 in 10 people disapproving of its response to the disaster, while Kan and the nuclear safety agency got thumbs down from three-quarters of respondents.

However, the Japanese military, which mobilized quickly in relief work after the tsunami, got positive reviews from 9 out of 10 people.

Libya rebels claim Gadhafi foreign minister caught Associated Press Writer

TRIPOLI, Libya — Libyan rebels have captured Moammar Gadhafi’s foreign minister, a rebel official said Thursday.

Ahmed Said, an adviser to the interior minister in the rebels’ interim government, confirmed that the foreign minister had been captured but he did not identify him by name.

“We cannot give you details, but I can confirm that he is in custody,” Said said.

A week ago, Gadhafi’s Foreign Minister Abdul Ati al-Obeidi told British broadcaster Channel 4 that Gadhafi’s 42-year rule was over.

After six months of civil war, rebels have seized control of most of Libya, including the capital Tripoli, effectively ending Gadhafi’s rule. The longtime leader and his family, however had not been captured and rebels are hunting senior figures in the ousted regime. Rebels say they are hot on Gadhafi’s trail.

Late Wednesday, two men claiming to be two different sons of Gadhafi made conflicting appeals from hiding, one calling for talks with rebel leaders and the other urging regime loyalists to fight to

the death.

The dueling messages reflected the growing turmoil in Gadhafi’s inner circle on the eve of the 42nd anniversary of his rise to power. The rebels are pooling tips about Gadhafi’s whereabouts from captured regime fighters and others, and believe he is most likely no longer in Tripoli, said Abdel Hakim Belhaj, the rebels’ military chief in the capital.

Rebel forces have been advancing toward three regime strongholds: Gadhafi’s hometown of Sirte, the town of Bani Walid south of Misrata and Sabha, hundreds of miles south of the capital Tripoli.

There has been speculation that Gadhafi is hiding in one of those three towns.

FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2005 file photo, al-Saadi Gadhafi, the son of the Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi, arrives in Sydney, Australia. The rebel commander in Tripoli says Moammar Gadhafi’s son al-Saadi has called him to negotiate the terms of his own surrender.

AP Photo/Dan Peled, File

Activities

International

Friday, September 2, 2011

5

Golden Lotus Dim Sum Lunch IBP

If you are passionate about Chinese food and love entertaining family and friends, then the Golden Lotus for Sunday Dim Sum Lunch is the place for you.

As you may know our award winning Chinese Chef Nono excels when it comes to Dim Sum dishes, and has created over 60 different Dim Sum dishes for you to choose from.

As you can imagine It can get quite busy on Sundays, so come early. We haven’t forgotten the Kids; we offer half price for Kid’s less than 12 years old get a 50% discount, while Kid’s fewer than 6 eat free!

For only Rp.95,000 net per person, the price includes Chinese tea.

Don’t forget on lunchtime weekday you can enjoy Dim Sum a la carte menu. The Golden Lotus is a MSG free restaurant.

Temple Ceremony Calendar Event for August 7 through August 30, 2011 7 Aug Redite Paing Pahang Pasek Toh Jiwa Kekeran - Mengwi -Badung Pasek Sadra Peguyangan - Badung

15 Aug Soma Keliwon Krulut Pasel Gelgel Kekeran Temple Mngwi Badung Merajan Pasek Subadra Temple Kramas-Gianyar

9 Aug Anggara Wage Pahang Batu Madeg (Meru Tumpang Sanga) Besakih Hyang Tibha Batuan Sakah

20 Aug Tumpek Krurut Pasek Gelgel Temple Br Tengah Buleleng Dalem Pemuteran Temple Jelantik Tojan - Klungkung Pedarmaan Bhujangga W. Temple Besakih Taman Sari Temple Gunungsari Penebel - Tabanan Dalem Tarukan Temple Bebalang Bangli Benua Kangin Temple Besakih Merajan Kanginan Temple Besakih

10 aug Buda Keliwon Pahang Luhur Puncak Padang Dawa Baturiti Tabanan Silayukti Temple Padangbai-Karangasem Aer Jeruk Sukawati Dangin Pasar Batuan-Sukawati Penataran Temple Batuyang-Batubulan Desa Lembeng Ketewel-Sukawati Pasek Bendesa Dukuh-Kediri-Tabanan Kawitan Dalem Sukawati Gianyar Kresek Banyuning-Buleleng Puseh Temple Bebandem-Karangasem Merajan Pasek Kubayan-Gaji Merajan pasek Gelgel Jeroan Abang-Songan Merajan Pasek Subrata Temaga Merajan Pasek Gelgel Bungbungan Sad Kahyangan Batu Medahu. S Nusa Penida Buda Kliwon Penatih-Denpasar Penataran Dukuh Nagasari Bebandem Karangasem Pasek Bendesa Temple Tagtag Paguyangan Pulasari Temple Sibang Gede Abiansemal Batur Sari Temple Ubud Penataran Agung Temple Sukawati 13 Aug Purnama Karo Gelap Temple Besakih Dangkahyangan Temple Pengukur-ukur Pejeng Merajan Gerya Temple Kebon Tabanan Candi Goro Temple Tianyar-Kubu Karangasem Ponjok Batu Temple Tejakula-Buleleng

21 Aug Redite Umanis Merakih Parangan Tengah Temple Ceningan Kangin - Lembongan Dalem Temple Celuk Sukawati - Gianyar 24 Aug Buda Wage Merakih Bendesa Mas Kepisah Temple Pedungan - Denpasar Selatan Natih Temple Banjar Kalah - Batubulan Puseh. Temple Silakarang - Singapadu dalem Petitenget Temple Kerobokan - Kuta Dalem Pulasari Temple Samplangan - Gianyar Kubayan - Kepisah Temple Pedungan - Denpasar - Selatan Pasek gelgel Temple Banjar Tanahpegat - Tabanan Paibon Banjar Bengkel Sumerta - Denpasar Pasek Temple Lumintang - Denpasar Panti Penyarikan Medahan Sanding - Tampaksiring Pasar Agung Temple Kaba-kaba - Tabanan 30 Aug Anggar Kasih Tambir Dalem Puri Batuan Temple Sukawati Dalem Kediri Temple Silakarang - Singapadu Dalem Temple Sukawati Dalem Temple Singakerta - Ubud dalem Lembeng Temple Ketewel - Sukawati Paibon Pasek Tangkas Temple Peliatan - Ubud

Balinese Temple Ceremony EVERY Temple and Shrine has a special date for it annual Ceremony, or “ Odalan “, every 210 days according to Balinese calendar, including the smaller ancestral shrine which each family possesses. Because of this practically every few days a ceremony of festival of some kind takes place in some Village in Bali.

There are also times when the entire island celebrated the same Holiday, such as at Galungan, Kuningan, Nyepi day, Saraswati day, Tumpek Landep day, Pagerwesi day, Tumpek Wayang day etc.

The dedication or inauguration day of a Temple is considered its birth day and celebration always takes place on the same day if the wuku or 210 day calendar is used. When new moon is used then the celebration always happens on new moon or full moon. The day of course can differ the religious celebration of a temple lasts at least one full day with some temple celebrating for three days while the celebration of Besakih temple, the Mother Temple, is never less than 7 days and most of the time it lasts for 11 days, depending on the importance of the occasion.

The celebration is very colorful. The shrine are dressed with pieces of cloths and sometimes with brocade, sailings, decorations of carved wood and sometimes painted with gold and Chinese coins, very beautifully arranged, are hung in the four corners of the shrine. In front of shrine are placed red, white or black umbrellas depending which Gods are worshipped in the shrines.

In front of important shrine one sees, besides these umbrellas soars, tridents and other weapons, the “umbulumbul”, long flags, all these are prerogatives or attributes of Holiness. In front of the Temple gate put up “Penjor”, long bamboo poles, decorated beautifully ornaments of young coconut leaves, rice and other products of the land.

Most beautiful to see are the girls in their colorful attire, carrying offerings, arrangements of all kinds fruits and colored cakes, to the Temple. Every visitor admires the grace with which the carry their load on their heads.

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Friday, September 2, 2011

News Hong Kong worries about China’s tightening grip Associated Press Writer

IBP/afp

A real Libyan banknote (bottom) bearing the image of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, and a fake note made by rebels, bearing the image of late Libyan revolutionary leader Omar alMukhtar.

British plane flies cash to Libya Agence France Presse

A British plane has flown £140 million worth of Libyan banknotes to Libya after an assets freeze aimed at the then leader Moamer Kadhafi’s regime was lifted, a Whitehall official says.

The notes, amounting to 280 million Libyan dinar, should be available to replenish cash machines and distributed to banks within hours of arriving in the country on a Royal Air Force plane, the official said on Wednesday.

The cash, which was printed in Britain, is the first part of 1.86 billion Libyan dinar which will be released to Libya.

The official said the cash delivery would be handed to Libya’s Central Bank and should enable many public sector workers to be paid over the Eid holiday to mark the end of the Ramadan fasting

month.

The UN Security Council decided on Tuesday to allow Britain to release the money.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said following the Security Council decision that the release “represents another major step forward in getting necessary assistance to the Libyan people, building on the remarkable progress in recent days.

“These banknotes, which were frozen in the UK under UN sanctions, will help address urgent humanitarian needs, instill confidence in the banking sector, pay salaries of key public sector work-

ers and free up liquidity in the economy.”

Kadhafi’s regime had ordered the cash from British printing firm De La Rue but Britain blocked its shipment in March as part of international moves to put pressure on the Libyan leader over his crackdown on protests.

The release of the cash comes the day before an international conference on Libya is held in Paris.

Senior officials from around 60 countries will meet in the French capital on Thursday as the “friends of Libya” to secure financial and diplomatic support for the fledgling revolutionary regime.

HONG KONG — A visit by a senior Chinese leader meant to spread goodwill has instead left Hong Kong fuming over the smothering security that locals fear was aimed at muffling the media and protesters. In the two weeks since the visit, journalists have taken to the street in protest. Professors have taken out newspaper ads and students demanded the police chief resign. Police and local leaders have been raked over in the legislature.

The uproar is the latest clash of cultures between the controlling, authoritarian government in Beijing and Hong Kong, the financial center and former British colony returned to China’s control but allowed to keep its capitalism, civil liberties and Westernstyle legal system.

“People are very concerned that their freedoms are being undermined. The whole city is angry,” pro-democracy legislator Emily Lau said at a heated special meeting of the Legislative Council’s security panel this week.

Sparking the outrage were the security arrangements put on for Vice Premier Li Keqiang, a rising star in the Chinese leadership.

Hong Kong’s vigorous press complained they were kept far away from Li during the few events they were allowed to cover and had to compile their reports from government handouts. A few protesters who dared to get close say they were treated roughly by police officers.

While such tactics are standard procedure in mainland China, Chinese leaders are usually more careful not to alienate freewheeling Hong Kong. Li’s visit was intended to bolster his image — he’s expected to become premier in 2013 or sooner — and to show the government’s concern for Hong Kong. He announced measures to give Hong Kong companies better access to the mainland market and promote the territory as a trading center for Chinese yuan.

But the heavy-handed security has served to heighten concern in Hong Kong that its autonomy is being eroded by a mainland government that does not value the territory’s more freewheeling ways.

“I can understand why people feel unhappy or even angry with the way some of the situations were handled,” Jasper Tsang, a proBeijing legislator and president of the Legislative Council, said on a television talk show Sunday. “I would say this storm you refer to once again tells us that there’s still a difference between the values held by Hong Kong people and the conceptions, the beliefs of our central government.”

Thousands of domestic tourists From page 1 “We continue to anticipate the surge in the arrival of domestic tourists who take advantage of the Idul Fitri holiday,” he said.

In contrast to the incoming influx, the homecoming flow or departure had even decreased if compared to last Wednesday. The number of homecomers who would leave Bali had somewhat decreased.

If four days before holiday (H4), namely last Friday, the number of homecomers reached 8,867 people carried by 88 aircrafts, while last Wednesday they were less than 7,000 passengers.

The Idul Fitri celebration coinciding with the long weekend was also utilized by citizens who did not celebrate Idul Fitri by taking excursion. A number of tourist objects had prepared considerable attractive tour packages and programs, includ-

ing the anticipation of the booming visitors.

“Every Idul Fitri holiday is always bustling. This year’s Idul Fitri is estimated to generate abundant visitors. We estimate the number of visitors to Safari Park during this holiday will reach over 3,000 people per day,” said Astrid Iswulandari, Public Relations Officer of Safari Park.

Similar condition was also perceived by the operator of Bali Zoo. According to Made Pariasa, HRD Officer of Bali Zoo, on this Idul Fitri holiday season Bali Zoo would be crowded by visitors from outside Bali. “Of course, Bali local visitors who want to take advantage of the Idul Fitri moment, Bali Zoo offers a interesting program in the form of a discounted rate to admission fee by presenting Bali identity card (KTP),” he said. (par)

International

Indonesia Today

Friday, September 2, 2011

7

KRI Banjarmasin to carry returning holiday travelers to Jakarta Antara

AFP PHOTO / ROMEO GACAD

Indonesians arrive at the old Jakarta port of Sunda Kelapa, lined with traditional wooden boats, for prayers to celebrate the three-day Eid al-Fitr festival on August 31, 2011. The world’s most populated Muslim nation, Indonesia, started Eid celebrations marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan with feast of traditional dishes and delicacies served at large family reunions.

President holds open house for extended family Antara

JAKARTA - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday, the second day of this year‘s Lebaran season, held an open house at the Presidential Palace for members of his extended family.

According to a statement from the presidential office‘s press relations bureau, the open house started at 10 on Thursday morning.

“The head of state and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono held an open house for members of their extended family at the palace,” the statement said. The event was closed to the public and the media.

Earlier, on Wednesday, after attending an Idul Fitri prayer service at the Istiqlal grand mosque, the president also held an open house for state and government officials at the State Palace for about 30

minutes.

Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasa said Wednesday‘s open house continued until 12.30 and was attended by the vice president, leaders of state institutions, foreign ambassadors, and cabinet ministers.

Later, from 3 pm until 5.30 pm, the president and his family held another open house for the public at the palace.

Meanwhile, Vice President Boediono and Madame Herawati Boediono also received people from all walks of life at an open

house at their official residence in central Jakarta on Wednesday.

Foreign ambassadors, cabinet ministers and high-ranking state officials came to exchange Idul Fitri greetings at Boedionp‘s official residence on Jalan Diponegoro starting at 10 am.

Common people started arriving at 2.30 pm including the poor who came in modest clothes, flip flops and even barefoot. Boediono enthusiastically welcomed and shook hands with them.

“I never imagined I could come into his official residence and shake hands with him,” Ani, a resident of Manggarai, said.

After shaking hands with the vice president, visitors were led to an area where many kinds of drinks and foods were served.

Nineteen killed in road accidents ahead of Idul Fitri Antara

JAKARTA - The Jakarta Metropolitan Police have noted a decline in the number of home-bound travelers killed in road accidents ahead of the Idul Fitri festivity this year to 19 from 25 a year earlier.

“The number of fatalities fell.

But in total the number of road accidents increased.” the chief of the city police`s command post called Operasi Ketupat, Comr. Herman Ruswandi said.

The number of traffic accidents

ahead of the post-fasting month festivities this year reached 126, leaving 19 people dead, 51 people seriously injured and 88 others lightly injured, he said.

Meanwhile, 25 people were killed in 110 road accidents in the lead-up to such festivities last year with 40 people seriously injured and 73 others lightly injured, he said.

Herman said the Jakarta Metropolitan Police was prioritizing the effort to reduce the number of fatalities although the number of road accidents showed an upward trend.

Jakarta police personnel were taking firm measures against motorists violating traffic rules, he said citing an example that a total of 15,044 motorists were ticketed with 7,634 of them reprimanded within seven days ahead of the Idul Fitri festivities.

The figure fell sharply compared to the same period last year when 4,571 motorists were ticketed with 4,248 of them reprimanded, he said.

The Jakarta Metropolitan Police are deploying 18,444 personnel to conduct the operations from August 23 to September 8.

SEMARANG - The Indonesian warship KRI Banjarmasin 592 will leave Tanjung Emas port here on Saturday, Sept 3, 2011, for Jakarta with returning holiday travelers.

Chief of Central Java Information, Communication, and Transportation Department, Urip Sihabudin, said here on Thursday that the warship was operated to transport the travelers along with their motorcycles free of charge based on circular from Tanjung Emas Port Administrator.

“The KRI Banjarmasin 592 will leave Tanjung Emas port at 10 on Saturday morning for Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta,” Urip said.

The ship arrived in Semarang from Jakarta with some 700 homebound travelers on Sunday, August 28, 2011.

Arriving at Tanjung Emas port, the ship was greeted by port administration Karolus Sangadji,

commander of the Semarang naval base Col. Moelyanto and commander of water police directorate at the Central Java provincial police Snr. Comr. Sutrisna.

The commander of the warship, Lt. Col. Eko Jokowiyono said the ship with 130 crew members carried 700 homeward travelers along with their 300 motorcycles free of charge.

“This is a form of cooperation between the Transportation Ministry and the Indonesian Navy in providing transportation for Idul Fitri holiday makers,” he said at the time.

It took nearly 24 hours for the warship to reach Semarang.

“We also provided free meals to all homeward travelers during the trip,” he said.

Administrator of the Tanjung Emas Port Karolus Sengadji said the warship would also carry residents who would return to Jakarta after they celebrated the Idul Fitri festivities at their home towns.

Public cemeteries like recreational parks during Idul Fitri Antara

JAKARTA - Deserted and scary on ordinary days, many public and family cemeteries across Indonesia have since Monday become much like recreational parks.

On Monday and Tuesday, a multitude of Muslims across the country took the opportunity of the blessed Idul Fitri or Lebaran festivity to visit the graves of dead relatives to offer prayers.

After performing Idul Fitri prayers on Tuesday and holding a family gathering to share a meal and ask for each other‘s forgiveness, they make their way to the graves of loved ones.

Bringing flowers, people pack the cemeteries to offer prayers for their dead relatives after the month-long ban on visiting graves during the holy month of Ramadan.

In Denpasar, the provincial capital of predominantly Hindu resort island of Bali, Muslims packed a number of public cemeteries, including Wanasari, on Tuesday.

“We predict that many more Muslims will make devotional visits to the graves of their loved ones this afternoon,” Saharudin,

a staffer at the office of the Wanasari public cemetery for Muslims said on Tuesday.

He said many other Muslims also visited the graves of their dead relatives on Monday.

“Based on our experience of previous years, the number of people making devotional visits to cemeteries will reach the highest point after Idul Fitri prayers on Wednesday,” Saharudin said.

According to him, thousands of pilgrims, not only from Denpasar but also from other districts such as Badung and Gianyar would pack the public cemeteries on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Mt Merapi eruption victims on Tuesday in Sleman district, Yogyakarta, also made devotional visits to the graves of dead family members or relatives.

They came there with flowers to lie at the graves of their loved ones and then say some prayers for them. Pilgrimages to sacred places or graves of relatives are a traditional activity during the Idul Fitri festivity in Indonesia.

“Although the graves are buried under volcanic materials from Mt Merapi eruptions in 2010, we can still find and identify them,” Kepuharjo village head Heri Suprapto said.

8

International

Friday, September 2, 2011

Bali Today Almost 10,000 passengers arrive in Ngurah Rai Airport Antara

Denpasar – The passengers went through the domestic arrival terminal in Ngurah Rai International Airport on Thursday, September 1, 2011, a day after Lebaran, reached 9,747 people.

“Those passengers were using 79 airplanes consist of 77 regular flights and 2 extra flights which were carrying 294 passengers,” said Sugino, an officer of the Lebaran Post in Ngurah Rai Airport.

If we compare to the same day last year, the number of passengers coming on the next day after Lebaran was 9,445 passengers. “We predicted that the peak of the incoming flows to Bali will happen on Sunday, September 4, 2011,” he added.

This year, 800 officers employed to maintain the security level in the airport during the Lebaran holiday.

There are 143 extra flights on the domestic flights and the international one. “The extra seats are up

to 1,273 seats for the domestic flight while the international flights only prepared 220,” Sugino said.

Meanwhile, from Ubung Terminal in Denpasar, there was no increase in activity a day after Lebaran. The Head of the terminal, Nyoman Sutika, said that there were not too many passengers coming through Ubung.

The peak could happen on Saturday, September 3, 2011. This is because on Monday, September 5, all offices will start their normal activity.

Passengers crowded in Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali Island.

IBP/Eka Adhiyasa

Mangupura, the Capital of Badung Regency Mangupura is defined as the capital of Badung Regency. The inauguration was carried out by Minister of Home Affairs H. Gamawan Fauzi located at Badung

Civic Center, Mangupraja Mandala, Mangupura, Badung.

The name of Badung’s capital was actually stipulated on last November 16, 2009 by the President of

IBP/Net

Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Along with the event, the Minister of Home Affairs also handed over the Government Regulation No. 67/2009 about the Relocation of the Badung Regency’s Capital from Denpasar City to the territory of Mengwi subdistrict, Badung Regency to the Regent of Badung AA Gde Agung witnessed by Governor of Bali Made Mangku Pastika and Head of the Badung House I Made Sumer.

The name Mangupura itself represents an enchanting city, a place where to search for beauty, peace and happiness bringing prosperity and fostering a sense of security to people. Meanwhile, the capital of Badung according to Government Regulation No. 67/2009 includes nine villages in the Mengwi subdistrict namely the Village of Mengwi, Gulingan, Mengwitani, Kekeran, and then Municipality (Kelurahan) of Abianbase, Lukluk, Sempidi and Sading.

Before the main event, the Minister and Governor of Bali carried

out the planting of rain tree (Albizia saman) at the area of Badung Civic Center. At least, 1,000 invitees attending the event either of the elements of Bali Provincial Government, Regency/City in Bali and the components of society ranging from the head of customary village, head of subak cooperative, social troupes, and elder of royal palace. Also present on that occasion was Director General of Ministry of Home Affairs, Sutrisno.

Badung Regent A.A. Gde Agung in his speech said the development of Badung Civic Center was motivated by expansion process of Badung Regency into two areas namely Badung Regency and Denpasar Municipality in 1992. Such expansion has factually caused the Administrative Region of Denpasar to have two Civic Centers.

On the basis of these, there was thought to have a Civic Center located in Badung Regency. Having preceded by the purchase of land in 2007 the Badung Civic Center

was built on 46.6 ha of land. “In April 2009 the entire working units of regional apparatus (SKPD) were expected to base in the Badung Civic Center complex, so that public service of Badung community could be improved,” said the Regent.

In keeping with the development process of the civic center, so at the beginning of the year 2008 it was begun the process of determining the capital’s region and its name. Such measure was commenced with the absorption of people’s aspirations, initiated by the implementation workshop pioneered by Badung House where it was proposed the name of the capital of Badung to the House. “Based on decision of the Badung House, we propose the capital region and the name Mangupura to Governor of Bali to be further forwarded to the Minister of Home Affairs. Having passed through a discussion, ultimately the President of the RI stipulated on November 16, 2009 a Government Regulation No.67/ 2009,” explained the Regent. (BTN/Doc)

International

Friday, September 2, 2011

Balinese Culture Balinese Characters:

From Palm-leaf to Keyboards Probably, you have watched or are going to watch arja operetta or Ramayana Ballet during the visit in Bali. It would be more convenient if it is enjoyed while having dinner of Balinese cuisine. At the same time, you watch the beauty of culture and taste the delicacy of local culinary. You may hear the language spoken by players or puppeteer was not understandable. Of course, it is Balinese language.

As Japanese and Chinese, Balinese language also has its own characters. They consist of some 18 main characters and 10 vowel sounds. Ordinarily, Balinese characters are used to write palm-leaf manuscript or lontar. Such characters are incised with sharp knife or stylus. When the writing works have completed, they should be rubbed with a blend of oil and lamp shoot to blacken them. So they are visible easily. Since the works were performed manually, the copying of a manuscript took a long time.

At a glance, Balinese characters look like Old Javanese, Tamil (India). It is inseparable from historical aspect where they had similarity of genealogical lines. Today, Balinese characters still have restricted use, namely at school for local subject from elementary school to senior high school. It is becoming the responsibility of lo-

cal government to preserve and develop Balinese language in order it could survive in the midst of the growth of other languages like Bahasa Indonesia and foreign languages.

Balinese language poses a medium and spirit of Balinese culture.

To preserve Balinese culture should also simultaneously maintain and use of Balinese language in daily life. In other words, speaking Balinese language also characterizes one of the identities as a Balinese. Among the use of other languages, Balinese language should remain to give a space to grow and develop. Other than speaking and teaching it at schools, it should also accommodate the need of modern community or use in wider functions of language.

Balinese community receives abundant heritages of lontar or palm-leaf manuscripts from the predecessors retained by individuals and museums. They carry many aspects of knowledge, ranging from philosophy, local healing, literature, architecture, agriculture, herbal practice, astrology and so forth. Therefore, if they could be interpreted and presented in popular language, they could become attractive information for young generation and saleable books for commercial needs. Today, there is

also a trend of poising the tradition with modern science namely by reinterpreting the indigenous wisdoms that are relevant to the current time. People will get balanced inputs from the past and current orientation.

Of course, such treasures will be beneficial for the conservation and future development of Balinese culture because it stays in touch with its original roots. Young generation should be introduced to these roots at early stage. Later, they will not lose their identity and even could feel proud of it. Moreover, it could give them inspiration in making their creativities, either in fine arts, performance, traditional architecture or herbal healings.

Thanks to modern technology, the writing of Balinese characters now can be made easy by Bali Simbar font. It is the innovative thinking of I Made Suatjana (1986) lies behind the composing of this font. His work has helped the writing of Balinese characters in word processing application like Microsoft Word. Hopefully, there would be more creative software helping the development and learning of Balinese language so it would not come into extinction or be far left behind with the modern life. (BTN/punia)

Special Mussels:

Dissolved in Tenderness of Coconut Milk While boring with the ordinary servings, simply try a delightful flavor of seafood. For instance, with a combination of mussel ingredient and Balinese tuber spices, it could pamper the appetite of foodies or culinary adventurers. Tender coconut milk will enhance the flavor of mussel.

Ingredient: 250g mussel, a cup of coconut milk Spices: 6 cloves shallot, 4 cloves garlic, 1 large chili, 2 small chilies, 1 slice turmeric, 1 slice kencur (aromatic ginger), 1 slice ginger, 1 pc salam leaf, 2 pcs kaffir lime leaf, ½ tsp coriander, ½ tsp pepper, ½ tsp salt, 1 tbsp of lime juice and 2 tbsp palm oil Method: · Cleanse the mussels and drain. Give lime juice to remove its odor. · All spices are ground finely, except for kaffir lime leaf, salam leaf, pepper, salt and coriander. · Stir fry the ground spices until smelling fragrant. Pour the mussel into the spices on the frying pan and stir for a while. Add coconut milk while pouring salt, pepper, coriander. Wait for a while until the coconut milk turns a little dry. Take out and it is ready to serve. (BTN/punia)

Teep Beans:

Lazing while Enjoying Slow Snack Among the delicacy of Balinese food with hot spices, in fact, Balinese community also retains easy-peasy snack but sometimes a bit harder. One of them is the bean of teep. Its tree resembles to that of breadfruit.

However, its beans are far smaller compared to that of breadfruit. When its fruits have turned ripe, they usually attract the presence of civet. Actually, this nocturnal cat is only interested to eat the flesh of fruit. Similar thing also happens to coffee beans. Since the skin of beans is hard it cannot digest them so civet could only enjoy the flesh. On the next day, those seeds could be found at the feces of civet. All seeds remain intact. However, if people see the ripe fruits first, they will not need to wait the coming of civet to pick them.

To process the beans, they are first cleansed thoroughly and dry under the sun. Afterward, they should be fried without oil but sand. When they have been finely cooked they can be enjoyed while relaxing or lazing. As the shell and beans are slightly hard, it may take a bit long time to open and chew them.

However, if they are indeed dry enough and cooked well they must be easy to open and crispy. They are good to consume as slow snack while chatting or watching TV. (BTN/punia) C.045 ibp

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10

Destinations

Friday, September 2, 2011

International

Suluban beach SULUBAN Beach is one of the places of interest belonging to Badung regency. It is known for its beautiful beach along with amazing wave; best for surfing. The natural beauty of the southern tip of Bali’s highland with its hollowing waves and peaceful surroundings has attracted more and more visitors to enjoy its serenity and peacefulness. The water is also clear.

Located a few kilometers north of the ancient temple of Uluwatu, the beach is facing the vast Indian Ocean. From the parking area one must descend down stairs and pass through long narrow gap of cliff before reaching the large waves make it one of the best places for surfing in all of Bali, as surfing lovers throughout the world have already discovered.

This beach is located not so far to the north of Uluwatu, adjacent to the surf beach Bingin and Labuhan Sait.

Suluban derived from the Balinese language “Mesulub” which means “to run or pass under something.”

Suluban Beach named, because visitors who want to go there must go through a rock cave on the beach before finally reaching abroad, white sand with the waves roaring fun for surfers.

Coastal sea water is very clear and the waves are high enough, so that is the best known beach among surfers. In the afternoon, we could see a beautiful sunset views. Some tourism facilities such as restaurants, bars, surf equipment rental and repair shop is available.

This beach is not too crowded like Kuta or Dreamland. It is so very romantic to spend time with your partner or a walk with the family. On the rocks there is a gazebo that allows us to take photos with perfect and is the best place to look around.

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Friday, September 2, 2011

11

BUSINESS Asia’s factories quieter as exports slip Reuters

SINGAPORE - Slumping export demand slowed factory activity in some of Asia’s biggest economies in August, although China fared better thanks to solid domestic growth, a series of surveys released on Thursday showed.

The Purchasing Managers Indexes showed manufacturing contracted in South Korea and Taiwan as new export orders fell sharply.

China’s official PMI increased slightly, the first rise since March, but it also reflected the effects of slowing demand in the United States and Europe.

China’s overall PMI rose to 50.9 in August from 50.7 in July, according to government data, a touch weaker than economists polled by Reuters had predicted. The new export orders index dropped to 48.3 from July’s 50.4.

Beijing pinned the blame for the sharp fall in export orders at least partly on the debt crises in advanced economies. The National Bureau of Statistics said the export sector was “facing challenges.”

Taiwan’s PMI dropped to 45.2 in August, the lowest reading since January 2009, which was in the middle of the global financial crisis that crushed world trade. A reading below 50 indicates contraction.

“The West’s deteriorating growth outlook is becoming an increasingly heavy burden to bear,” said Donna Kwok, an economist with HSBC, which sponsors PMI reports in many countries including Taiwan.

HSBC’s PMI figure for China showed factory activity contracted for a second consecutive month, although the decline was less pro-

nounced than it was in July. HSBC’s survey relies more heavily on private companies rather than the large state-owned enterprises that dominate the government’s PMI report.

Weak economic growth in the United States and Europe has revived worries they will slip back into recession, which would deal a heavy blow to Asia’s export-driven economies. Data due later on Thursday is expected to show manufacturing contracted in the euro zone and the United States in August.

Most advanced economies have already cut interest rates to near zero, and with government finances constrained, policymakers have limited options for spurring stronger growth.

That leaves the big emerging economies as the best hope for propping up global growth. They may not be up to the task.

Credit Suisse cut its growth forecasts on Thursday for most Asian economies outside of Japan.

“Asian growth is set to slow more sharply than most expect over the coming months,” Credit Suisse economist Robert Prior-Wandesforde wrote in a note to clients.

China is battling inflation at a three-year high, and Premier Wen Jiabao said on Thursday that Beijing would try to engineer a bigger drop in consumer prices in the second half of the year. Chinese officials have said

repeatedly that fighting inflation is the top priority despite sluggish growth abroad.

Thursday’s data showed input prices rose in China last month, suggesting price pressures remain acute.

Brazil unexpectedly lowered interest rates on Wednesday because of concern about a global economic slowdown.

China isn’t the only Asian economy struggling to contain inflation. In South Korea, the consumer price index hit a three-year high, up 5.3 percent in August from a year earlier, marking the eighth consecutive month that inflation has exceeded the Bank of Korea’s target.

Thailand’s CPI was also higher than expected.

This puts Asia’s central bankers in a bind. Hot inflation points to more interest rate hikes, but the darkening global outlook argues for a policy pause.

China provided a bit of a counterweight to the global gloom. It has overtaken the United States and Europe as the top export destination for some Asian countries, so its rapid growth helps to cushion the export decline.

That also helped China’s factories outperform those in many neighboring countries. Although export orders fell sharply, overall new orders rose, indicating that domestic business continued to grow.

Germany cuts first-half public deficit to 0.6% Agence France-Presse

GERMANY - Germany, Europe’s powerhouse economy, announced on Thursday a reduction of its public finance deficit to 0.6 percent during the first half of the year, the lowest level since early 2008.

This compares to a 3.1-percent deficit in the first half of 2010 and to a 5.4 percent deficit in the second half of 2010, according to Destatis, the

federal office of statistics.

The improvement was due to a 6.0percent increase in tax revenues compared to tax income in the same period last year, and to slower spending which increased by just 0.3 percent compared to expenditure in the first half of 2010, Destatis said.

However, Destatis said that the overall 2010 deficit figure stood at 4.3 percent, up on previous estimates, because of the need to account for

negative equity held by state-controlled “bad bank” Hypo Real Estate.

As eurozone partners work on ever tighter austerity plans to balance their books, Germany is well ahead in the strength of its finances despite having spent heavily on stimulus programmes to offset the worst recession since 1945.

The government expects a 1.5 percent public finance deficit for this year and hopes to break even in 2014.

AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK

Job-seekers gather during an outdoor job fair at the Crenshaw Christian Center in South Los Angeles, August 31, 2011. U.S. retailers should report higher monthly sales in August, even though consumer confidence sagged and Hurricane Irene disrupted shopping along the East Coast during a key back-to-school weekend.

August sales likely rose despite hurricane Reuters

NEW YORK - U.S. retailers should report higher monthly sales in August, even though consumer confidence sagged and Hurricane Irene disrupted shopping along the East Coast during a key back-to-school weekend.

U.S. chain stores are expected to post a 4.6 percent gain in August sales at stores open at least a year, or same-store sales, based on analysts’ expectations of sales at 25 retailers tracked by Thomson Reuters. Most report the sales on Thursday.

The tally includes warehouse club operator Costco Wholesale Corp, department store chain Nordstrom Inc and clothing seller Gap Inc, and speaks to the strength of consumer spending, which accounts for roughly 70 percent of U.S. economic activity.

August is the peak of the back-to-school shopping season, the second most important period for U.S. retailers after the year-end holiday season.

Sales in recent months have held up despite weak economic indicators, offering hope of consumer resiliency in August and the rest of the year.

“If August continues as June and July did, I think that could bode well for a solid (year-end) holiday. I’m not saying that we’re going to have a blowout holiday, but a solid holiday,” said Madison Riley, managing director of retail consulting firm Kurt Salmon.

The holiday shopping season, which traditionally starts the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, can make up as much as 40 percent of a retailer’s annual revenue.

Hurricane Irene, which hit a wide area from North Carolina up to Vermont, essentially shut down malls during the last weekend of August, hurting sales of traditional back-to-school items like clothes, shoes and electronics.

Macy’s Inc and J.C. Penney Co Inc were among the many chains forced to shut stores in the New York area.

“The storm’s impact is clearly a wild card heading into Thursday’s reports,” said Ken Perkins, president of Retail Metrics.

Apparel retailers are expected to show the smallest sales gains in August, according to Thomson Reuters data. A glut of unsold merchandise could lead retailers to offer discounts to clear it, which could hurt quarterly profit margins.

By contrast, discount chains and drugstores are expected to show the biggest increases, helped by hurricane-related sales of things like batteries and bottled water. Walgreen Co, the biggest U.S. drugstore chain, will not report its monthly tally until next week, leaving investors to wait and see just how well that sector did.

The storm’s full impact on monthly sales will not be felt until September’s monthly report, since many retailers’August reporting periods ended on Saturday.

12

Entertainment

Friday, September 2, 2011

International

Maroon 5 making moves thanks to ‘Jagger,’ ‘Voice’ Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK — Before joining NBC’s “The Voice,” Adam Levine says some folks assumed he was some “singing bimbo that likes girls.” So he’s grateful to the show for providing a bit of clarification on his image.

“It was a nice opportunity to show my personality — that I have a brain,” said the lead singer of Maroon 5. “It’s also true: I am a bimbo and I like to sing and I like girls, but there’s more to my personality; it’s a little more dynamic than that, and I like to show that on the show. It’s cool.”

The singing competition — which also features Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton as music coaches — was a hit in its first season. The four coaches chose teams of eight after an audition process that allowed them only to hear the contestant’s voice, but not to see them. Once teams were whittled down to one contestant for each coach, Levine’s mentee — the crooner Javier Colon — was crowned the winner.

“The Voice” helped showcase the playful and sillier side of the heavily-inked Levine. Band keyboardist Jesse Carmichael says Levine’s presence on the show “was so positive for him definitely as a person, but for us as a band, too.”

Now, the group is taking advantage of the buzz: They recently released “Moves Like Jagger,” which features “Voice” co-star Aguilera, and it will be the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 charts Thursday. It also hit No. 1 on the European and

Canadian charts.

The dance song is a departure for the pop-rockers, and they say they’re rushing to get a new album out this fall. In the past, the group released an album every three or four years. “We’re going to make it as quickly as we can (and) ride this wave of momentum,” Levine said in an interview last week.

“That’s too long,” he explained about past breaks between records. “We can’t do that anymore. We’ve got to keep moving.” The Grammy-winning group’s 2002 debut, “Songs About Jane,” sold 4.7 million units and they followed that with another multiplatinumseller, 2006’s “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long.”

Last fall, they dropped their third album, the gold-selling “Hands All Over,” which was rereleased to feature “Jagger.”

On Maroon 5’s upcoming album, the group says they want to take a new direction. “Jagger” was produced Benny Blanco and Shellback, hitmakers for acts like Katy Perry, Ke$ha and Britney Spears.

“We can definitely stand to take more risks,” Levine said. “It’s awesome to have that little feeling in your stomach like, ‘Oh, this isn’t safe, this isn’t normal for us’ ... (and) if you don’t do that, I think you’re dead a as band.” The second season of “The Voice” premieres after the Super Bowl on Feb. 5.

Rihanna sues over leaks at $7 million LA-area home Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES — Rihanna is suing over a hillside home that she claims has serious structural defects that rendered in uninhabitable. The pop singer on Wednesday sued Prudential California Realty and several companies that designed and inspected the home.

The “S&M” singer’s lawsuit claims she would not have paid $6.9 million for the home in 2009 if she had known about

the problems. She claims water leaked into several rooms of the house from a balcony that lacks the proper slope and drainage after a rainstorm in early 2010. The suit states the damage left the home “uninhabitable.”

She claims Landmark Design Group, which remodeled the home, has failed to make necessary repairs.

Landmark could not be reached for comment. Prudential spokeswoman Wendy Durand says the company does not comment on pending lawsuits.

Adam Levine

AP Photo/NBC, Peter Kramer, file

George Clooney rules out political bid in US Associated Press Writer

VENICE, Italy — Idealism loses out to cynicism in George Clooney’s political drama “The Ides of March,” which opens the Venice Film Festival.

Clooney directs and acts in the political drama that features Ryan Gosling as a gung-ho press secretary swept into a sex scandal in the final days of a Democratic presidential primary in Ohio.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman

AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

and Paul Giamatti are rival campaign managers who use loyalty as a weapon in their epic battle for victory.

Marisa Tomei plays a Times reporter angling for scoops on the campaign trail. And Evan Rachel Wood, a pretty campaign volunteer eager to play in the big leagues, is yet another figure giving female political interns a bad rap.

Clooney’s idealistic presidential candidate, Pennsylvania Gov. Mike Morris, has a straightforward platform: He’s nonreligious but defends the freedom of religion. He also opposes the death penalty and

Actor George Clooney arrives in a boat for the 68th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2011. The Festival will start on Aug. 31st through Sept. 10.

wants to phase out internal combustion engines to reduce American dependence on foreign oil.

Clooney plays the presidential candidate, but told reporters at the festival Wednesday he is not looking to be one in real life.

“As for running for president, look, there’s a guy in office right now who is smarter than almost anyone you know, who’s nicer and who has more compassion than almost anyone you know. And he’s having an almost impossible time governing.

Why would anybody volunteer for that job?” Clooney told a news conference.

“I have a really good job. I get to hang out with very seductive people.

So I have no interest,” Clooney said.

For Clooney, the film wasn’t so much a political movie as a morality tale, exploring the question of whether the ends justify the means. The political arena “raised the stakes,” a relaxed

and jocular Clooney said, but the questions the film poses reside in many areas of life.

“You could literally put this in Wall Street, or you could put it pretty much anywhere. It’s all the same sort of issues. It’s issues of morality. It’s issues of whether or not you are willing to trade your soul for an outcome,” Clooney said. In the film, many characters use seduction to get what they want: to get closer to power, to undermine the other campaign, to win political backing.

Giamatti called his character “an unabashedly seductive guy.” His play to recruit Gosling’s character to the rival campaign opens the film’s exploration of loyalty and friendship in politics.

“My character is all about seduction ... the whole game of politics is a kind of sexy game in America, and I think (the movie) portrays it really well,” Giamatti said.

Science

International

Study of coral may lead to sunburn pill

Agence France Presse

A study of underwater coral reefs by researchers of King’s College London may lead to the development of a pill to prevent sunburn. The research team hope within the next two years to test a compound based on one which shields coral against harmful ultraviolet rays.

“We already knew that coral and some algae can protect themselves from the harsh UV rays in tropical climates by producing their own sunscreens but, until now, we didn?t know how,” said Dr Paul Long, head of the team. “What we have found is that the algae living within the coral makes a compound that we think is transported to the coral, which then modifies it into a sunscreen for the benefit of both the coral and the algae.

“Not only does this protect them both from UV damage, but we have seen that fish that feed on the coral also benefit from this sunscreen protection, so it is

clearly passed up the food chain,” the King’s team leader added.

“This led us to believe that if we can determine how this compound is created and passed on, we could biosynthetically develop it in the laboratory to create a sunscreen for human use, perhaps in the form of a tablet, which would work in a similar way.

“We are very close to being able to reproduce this compound in the lab, and if all goes well we would expect to test it within the next two years,” Long said.

“There would have to be a lot of toxicology tests done first but I imagine a sunscreen tablet might be developed in five years or so,” he said. “After taking the tablet you’d find the compound in your skin and eyes.

Nothing like it exists at the moment.”

This month, as part of the three-year project funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the King?s team collected coral samples for analysis from Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, in collaboration with Dr Walter Dunlap from the Australian Institute for Marine Science and Professor Malcolm Shick from the University of Maine USA.

Friday, September 2, 2011

13

Sony to release tablet computer this month Agence France Presse

Sony’s first tablet computer will hit the Japanese market on September 17 as the company looks to take on Apple’s popular iPad, the electronics giant said Thursday. The Sony Tablet will be powered by Google’s Android software, allowing users to download content such as books, movies and games.

The Sony Tablet “S” series with a 9.4-inch (23.8 centimetre) touchscreen display is expected to have a price tag of 45,000 yen ($580) for a 16-gigabyte data storage model and 53,000 yen for the 32-gigabyte version. The product will also become available in US and European markets later this month, with a price tag of $499 and 479 euros for the 16gigabyte model.

Competitors have rushed to cash in on soaring demand for tablets since the iPad was released in April last year, but Sony’s devices

will arrive well behind those of its rivals. The devices will have access to Sony’s cloud of online content such as movies, music, digital books, PlayStation games and other entertainment.

Sony has focused more on pushing its content such as games and music through hardware platforms including game consoles, smartphones and tablet computers.

It will release the dual-screened “P” series with a folding design, incorporating two 5.5-inch screens in Japan between October and November. The series will be launched in November in Europe and sometime later this year in the United States.

“Sony aims to grab the No. 1 share of the growing Android-based tablet market (in Japan) in fiscal 2012 (ending March 2013),” Kyodo News quoted Akihiro Matsubara, corporate vice president of Sony Marketing Inc, as saying. Sony shares rose 1.98 percent to 1,698 yen in Tokyo trade on Thursday.

IBP/afp

The foldable Sony tablet “P” is displayed after its presentation at the 51st edition of the “IFA” trade fair in Berlin. Sony’s first tablet computer will hit the Japanese market on September 17 as the company looks to take on Apple’s popular iPad

Ancient humans used hand axes earlier than thought Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES — Ancient humans fashioned hand axes, cleavers and picks much earlier than believed, but didn’t take the stone tools along when they left Africa, new research suggests.

A team from the United States and France made the findings after traveling to an archaeological site along the northwest shoreline of

AP Photo/ Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

This undated image provided by Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory shows Craig Feibel walking near an archaeological dig site where stone hand axes were unearthed near West Turkana in Kenya.

Kenya’s Lake Turkana. Two-faced blades and other large cutting tools had been previously excavated there along with primitive stone flakes.

Using a sophisticated technique to date the dirt, researchers calculated the age of the more advanced tools to be 1.76 million years old. That’s older than similar stone-age artifacts in Ethiopia and Tanzania estimated to be between 1.4 and 1.6 million years old.

This suggests that prehistoric humans were involved in refined toolmaking that required a higher level of thinking much earlier than thought. Unlike the simplest stone tools made from bashing rocks together, the early humans who shaped these more distinct objects planned the design and then created them.

This “required a good deal of forethought as well as dexterity to manufacture,” said paleoanthropologist Eric Delson at Lehman College in New York, who was not involved in the research. Results of the study, led

by Christopher Lepre of Rutgers University and Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, appear in Thursday’s issue of the journal Nature.

The stone tools, known collectively as Acheulian tools, are believed to be the handiwork of the human ancestor Homo erectus. The teardropshaped axes were “like a stone-age Leatherman or Swiss Army knife,” said New York University anthropologist Christian Tryon.

The axes were suited for butcher-

ing animals or chopping wood while the thicker picks were used for digging holes. Homo erectus walked upright like modern humans, but possessed a flat skull, sloping forehead and a smaller brain. It emerged about 2 million years ago in Africa. Most researchers think Homo erectus was the first to fan out widely from Africa.

There’s archaeological evidence that the first to leave carried only a simple toolkit. The earliest sites recovered in Asia and Europe contain pebble tools and flakes, but no sign of Acheulian technology like hand axes.

Why that is “remains an open question,” said anthropologist Sally McBrearty of the University of Connecticut, who had no role in the research.

14

Friday, September 2, 2011

Sport

International

Chelsea sign Meireles from Liverpool Chelsea signed Portugal midfielder Raul Meireles from Liverpool in the final moments before the transfer window closed on Wednesday. Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas moved quickly to snap up Meireles after his club’s £40 million bid for Croatia midfielder Luka Modric was rejected by Tottenham.

Meireles had to hand in a transfer request to force through the deal in time for the 2200GMT deadline and he will fill the gap in Chelsea’s squad left by the departure of Israel midfielder Yossi Benayoun to Arsenal.

“Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Raul Meireles from Liverpool on a four-year contract,” a statement on the club’s website confirmed.

Meireles arrives at Stamford Bridge, for a fee believed to be around £12 million ($19.4 million), after just over a season at Liverpool in which he made 44 appearances for the Reds.

The 28-year-old started this season on the bench for Kenny Dalglish’s side and Villas-Boas was able to persuade him that his first-team prospects were stronger at Chelsea than on Merseyside.

IBP/afp

Argentina’s new coach Alejandro Sabella said he wanted to build his 2014 World Cup team around superstar Lionel Messi, seen here in 2011

Sabella looks to build Argentina team around Messi Agence France Presse

Argentina’s new coach Alejandro Sabella said Wednesday he wanted to build his 2014 World Cup team around superstar Lionel Messi. “He is the captain from now on,” Sabella told reporters ahead of Friday’s friendly against Venezuela at the 120,000-seat Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata.

“We are looking to build a couple of options, looking for one or two players to build up a combination with him.” Argentina will look to start afresh after a disappointing show in the Copa America at home in July when they lost to eventual winners Uruguay in the quarter-finals.

The Copa failure cost Sergio Batista his job as national coach and led to the appointment of Sabella.

The FIFA-sanctioned friendly between the South American rivals, which comes in the build-up to World Cup 2014 qualifiers, will be the biggest football match ever

played in cricket-mad India.

It is also the first for Sabella as coach and for Messi as captain. “I am looking forward to having a great understanding with Messi. It’s important to build a good relationship with all the players,” said Sabella. “Football in Argentina is a passion and I know the supporters are expecting a lot from me. It’s very important to make a good start. “Winning will give us confidence. This is the beginning of a long trip ahead and we hope it finishes with qualification to the World Cup.” Thousands of fans waited at Kolkata airport for two-time World

Player of the Year Messi’s arrival early Wednesday, but he slipped past the chanting crowds without being spotted. Sabella, 56, said the players were excited to play in India although the artificial turf at the stadium would be a new experience.

“We are not used to playing on artificial turfs. It’s not normal for us but we will try to adapt and play a good game,” he said. The Argentina squad will travel to Bangladesh for another friendly against Nigeria on September 6. They will also play two games against Brazil ahead of World Cup qualifiers which begin in October.

Manchester United post record profits Agence France Presse

English champions Manchester United posted record operating profits of £110.9million ($179.7million) for the past financial year, figures released Thursday showed. The Old Trafford club have also recorded a record revenue of £334.1million — an increase of £45million from the previous year and passing £300million for the first time - according to fig-

ures for the year ended June 30, 2011.

United, who won the Premier League title and reached the Champions League final during the period, have also recorded a commercial turnover of £103.4million — which doesn’t include a new £10million a year sponsorship deal with global delivery company DHL. The figures were published as United considered a plan to raise more than £600million by selling

shares on the Singapore Stock Exchange.

That would help the Old Trafford club, owned by the US-based Glazer family, pay down a net debt that now stands at £308.3million — down from £376.9million according to the new figures.

The new results contrast markedly with last year’s figures when losses hit a record £83.3million, primarily as a result of the cost of a bond issue.

REUTERS/Phil Noble

Liverpool’s Raul Meireles holds his head during their English Premier League soccer match against Sunderland at Anfield in Liverpool, northern England August 13, 2011.

Sport

International

Friday, September 2, 2011

15

Venus Williams pulls out of US Open with illness Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK — Two days after playing her first match in two months, Venus Williams suddenly pulled out of the U.S. Open on Wednesday, revealing she recently was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that can cause joint pain. The 31-year-old American has won seven Grand Slam titles, including at Flushing Meadows in 2000 and 2001.

“I enjoyed playing my first match here, and wish I could continue but right now I am unable to,” Williams said in a statement released by the tournament. “I am thankful I finally have a diagnosis and am now focused on getting better and returning to the court soon.”

She was supposed to face 22ndseeded Sabine Lisicki in the second round Wednesday. Williams cited a virus when withdrawing from hard-court tuneup tournaments since losing in the fourth round at Wimbledon in late June.

She returned to action Monday, beating Vesna Dolonts 6-4, 6-3 in the first round in New York, then said: “No one is more in onematch-at-a-time mode than me now at this tournament. It will just be one match at a time, for sure.”

According to the Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation website,

the disease is a chronic autoimmune illness in which people’s white blood cells attack their moisture-producing glands. Common symptoms include dry eyes and dry mouth. As many as 4 million Americans have the disease.

In rare cases, it can cause arthritis and joint pain, said Dr. John Fitzgerald, director of clinical rheumatology at UCLA. Fitzgerald is not involved in treating Williams and does not know her symptoms or medical history.

But, he said, if Williams has the typical symptoms, “it does not seem life-threatening or careerending.”

Williams arrived at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Wednesday hours before her match was scheduled to begin and tried warming up by hitting balls.

When Williams left the site shortly before 5 p.m., wearing a

white sweater and purple shorts, she was asked by reporters whether she would say anything.

She smiled and waved and shook her head to indicate, “No,” then climbed into the back of a tournament transportation car and rode away.

“All of us came with the full expectation she’d be playing today.

She was geared up to play her match,” said Williams’ agent, Carlos Fleming. “I just hope she’s OK,” Fleming added, “and I hope she’s healthy and going to be fine.”

Venus Williams, of the United States, pumps her first after defeating Vesna Dolonts, of Russia, 6-4, 6-3 during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Monday, Aug. 29, 2011.

Oscar De La Hoya says recently hit “rock bottom”

AP Photo/Charles Krupa

‘Sluggish’ Felix into 200 final

Reuters Reuters

LOS ANGELES - Former boxing champ and Olympic gold medalist Oscar De La Hoya says he is battling addictions to cocaine and alcohol and seeking to rebuild his relationship with his wife after being unfaithful. De La Hoya, in his first interview since leaving a Malibu rehabilitation clinic, told the Spanish-language network Univision in a broadcast on Tuesday that his life was “a big mess.”

“Rock bottom was recently, within a couple of years. Just, thinking, ‘Is my life even worth it?,’” De La Hoya said. The 38-year-old former boxer, who won a gold medal in the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona, said he thought about committing suicide, but does not “have the courage” to take his own life.

De La Hoya, a Mexican-American fighter with matinee idol good looks, said he has been sober for three months. The former athlete said in the Spanish-language portion of the interview that he first began sneaking sips of alcohol at age nine, and that during his career he would sometimes “drink a little tequila to settle the nerves” before a fight.

“You can’t be the greatest athlete in the world doing that kind of thing,” he said. “You can’t do that. This addiction ruined my life.” He also discussed his difficulties with wife Millie Corretjer, a Puerto Rican-born singer with whom he has two children.

“I’ve been unfaithful to my wife,” De La Hoya told

IBP/rtr

Boxing promoter De La Hoya attends a news conference at the MGM Grand Resort in Las Vegas Univision, adding that he had cheated more than once and has been separated from his wife for nearly two years.

“I don’t want to explain to her anymore that I’m doing well, I want to show her,” he said. “It’s like they say, you have to walk the walk, and that’s what I’m doing.”

DAEGU, South Korea After putting her life on ice for two days, defending champion Allyson Felix eased into the final of the women’s 200 metres at the world champ i o n s h i p s o n T h u r s d a y.

Pipped to the gold medal in t h e 4 0 0 o n M o n d a y, t h e American admitted to feeling sluggish when returning to the more familiar discipline of the half-lap at the Deagu Stadium.

T h e 2 5 - y e a r- o l d p r o gressed comfortably enough despite finishing second in both in her morning heat and evening semi-final, where she ran 22.67 seconds but was beaten by Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown. “I just wanted to qualify easily and set myself up for tomorrow,” Felix told reporters. “I wouldn’t be human if I said I felt great.”

Felix, attempting her first 200-400 double at a major championships, said she had spent the two days between her events taking it as easy as possible. “I laid low, lots of ice bags, lots of treatment and lots and lots of movies,” she said.

Her compatriot Carmelita Jeter, who won the 100 gold on Monday, showed that she has a double of her own in mind by dominating her heat and then the opening semi-final in 22.47 seconds.

Jeter had a scare in the morning, though, when she lost her concentration as she was approaching the line in her heat and nearly drifting out of her lane before suddenly correcting herself. “ I w a s n ’t p a y i n g a t t e n tion,” she said. “I was really close to the line and I was looking down and saying ‘oh no, I’m gonna touch the line’ and I kind of stumbled, but I’m not hurt.”

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

16

Sport

Friday, September 2, 2011

Webber says he needs to stay with Red Bull Mark Webber says it would have been wrong for him to turn his back on Formula 1 this year, because he still feels that he has what it takes to fight for the world championship. Following the extension of his contract with Red Bull at last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, Webber feels that in the end there was only ever one option for him in 2012 - to carry on where he is.

Writing in his BBC column, Webber said: “It might look as if it took a long time to sort out, and I was weighing up various possibilities. But in the end the contract talks were done very quickly. “I’ve been an integral part of Red Bull since the start and I still enjoy it there. It would have been a mistake to stop racing.”

Webber is currently second in the drivers’ championship, but being 92 points behind his team-mate Sebastian Vettel with seven races remaining he only has a slim chance of ending the year on top.

However, Webber is refusing to give up on his chances - and feels that there remains the possibility of a surprise end to the campaign.

“I’m still driving well. I had a bit of a slow start to this year because it took me a little while to get on top of the new tyres.

I’m looking forward to taking on Seb -

and everyone else - again next year. “But this year isn’t over yet. There are still seven races to go, starting with Monza next weekend, and anything can still happen.”

Webber also commented on the tyre blistering controversy that surrounded his team after Spa – and insisted his outfit was not the only one running extreme camber settings. “It’s public knowledge that we were running the camber of our front wheels - the amount they lean away from vertical - on the upper limit of tyre supplier Pirelli’s recommendations,” he said.

“But I know we’re not the only team doing that. In any case, although we could have reduced the camber, it was not absolutely clear that would fix it. We push the cars to the limit and this was just something that happened.”

Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany has a pit service prior to winning the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011.

Ducati needs to improve DUCATI team manager Vittoriano Guareschi is adamant caused me to go straight and lose time. I found myself in last that his team must improve after enduring a disastrous India- place, but I decided to do what I could to at least get some napolis Grand Prix. The team’s best finish in the USA was a points.

“In this morning’s warm-up, we had made a small change 10th place for Valentino Rossi, who dropped to the back of the field after his bike jumped out of gear and into neutral, leaving that let us improve the pace a little, but the race was really him without drive momentarily during the race’s early stages. difficult. We know that we have to work hard. Ducati is doing Nicky Hayden, meanwhile, was the only rider in the field that, and my team and I are as well, because we must try to to use the softer of the two Bridgestone front tyres on offer, not let up and to get the bike ready while we wait for technical updates.” and after running strongly early on, the American was eventually forced to pit for fresh rubber before resuming in 14th and last. “Today was very challenging for our team and riders, and despite their typical great efforts, we struggled to bring home a few points,” Guareschi said.

“After the positive performance at Brno, we expected to find a good rhythm here at Indianapolis as well. We didn’t manage it. We know that we have to improve, and no-one at Ducati or in the team is holding back as we work toward that goal.” Rossi said that he had been left low on confidence following a crash early in qualifying, and that his gearbox problem, which struck on a number of occasions, had not helped matters.

“A number of things happened this weekend that contributed to making this a particularly difficult race: the crash yesterday in qualifying, which robbed some confidence and was part of the reason we had to start so far back on the grid, and today there was a problem with the gearbox,” the seven-time world AP Photo/Michael Conroy champion said.

Valentino Rossi, of Italy, rides a Ducati during the third free practice ses“The bike stuck in neutral six sion for the Indianapolis Moto GP motorcycle race at the Indianapolis Motor or seven times, and the first two Speedway in Indianapolis, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011.

AP Photo/Dimitar Dilkoff, pool