Edisi 03 Maret 2015 | International Bali Post

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

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

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Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Lady Gaga, Vince Vaughn take charity polar plunge in Chicago CHICAGO — Lady Gaga and Vince Vaughn plunged into the icy waters of Chicago’s Lake Michigan at a fundraiser for the Special Olympics.

Special Olympics Chicago President Casey Hogan said Sunday that Lady Gaga made the plunge with more than 4,500 other participants. Hogan says the singer’s appearance was “a very nice surprise.”

Lady Gaga recently announced her engagement to “Chicago Fire” actor Taylor Kinney. Photos show her and a bare-chested Kinney going into the water together.

Vaughn also made the plunge.

The native of the Chicago suburb Lake Forest was dressed in a Chicago Blackhawks jersey and jeans. The actor went in up to his knees, then eased himself down backward in the water.

Last year, comedian Jimmy Fallon jumped in wearing a suit and tie, and helped raise more than $1 million.

The air temperature was a frigid 20 degrees at the time of the plunge, according to the National Weather Service. (ap)

Pop star Lady Gaga, top, gets a piggy back ride from her fiancée, Taylor Kinney, as they and members of the “Chicago Fire” cast take part in the Chicago Polar Plunge at North Avenue Beach on Sunday, March 1, 2015 in Chicago.

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WEATHER FORECAST Dps

Will Smith, left, and Margot Robbie arrive at the world premiere of “Focus” at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, in Los Angeles.

Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Will Smith’s ‘Focus’ tops box office with $19.1 million

NEW YORK — Will Smith’s con-man caper “Focus” disrobed “Fifty Shades of Grey” at the box office, but the film’s modest $19.1 million opening still left questions about the drawing power of the once unstoppable star.

According to studio estimates Sunday, Warner Bros.’ “Focus” easily topped all competitors on a weekend with little competition at North American multiplexes. In second place was the Colin Firth spy thriller “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” which made $11.8 million in its third week of release.

After two weeks atop the box office, “Fifty Shades of Grey” continued its steep slide, landing in fourth with an estimated $10.9 million for Universal Pictures. “Fifty Shades,” which has made $486.2 million globally, fell just behind Paramount’s “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water,” which earned $11.2 million in its fourth week.

The weekend’s only other new wide release, Relativity’s horror film “The Lazarus Effect,” opened in fifth place with $10.6 million.

But the weekend was largely seen, fairly or not, as a referendum on Smith’s star power. “Focus,” written and directed by the “Crazy, Stupid, Love” duo Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, is Smith’s first film since 2013’s “After Earth,” the science-fiction flop in which he co-starred with his son, Jaden.

Smith has been frank about the sting of that film’s box-office performance. “I can’t allow the box-office success, or lack thereof, to determine my self-image,” he said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

But “Focus,” made for about $50 million and co-starring Margot Robbie of “The Wolf of Wall Street,” was never intended to be a summer-sized

blockbuster. It had been predicted to make around $21 million.

“This is a mid-budgeted film with a result that matches,” said Jeff Goldstein, head of distribution for Warner Bros., who added that winter storms accounted for a drop of $1-2 million. “There’s no question we got hammered because of inclement weather in the South and the Midwest.”

The R-rated “Focus,” overwhelmingly appealed to adults, with 88 percent of its audience older than 25 — not a good sign for Smith’s appeal to a new generation of moviegoers who weren’t around for his triumphs in “Independence Day.” Nevertheless, there aren’t many stars who could do better with a drama in late February. And “Focus” should play well internationally, where Smith’s popularity remains strong.

“This still goes on his balance sheet as a number one debut,” said Paul Degarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office data firm Rentrak. “He can still draw an audience, particularly with a film that’s R-rated and not aimed at the young crowd.”

Some of last Sunday’s Oscar winners saw slight bumps at the box office. Best-picture winner “Birdman (Or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” added some 800 screens to bring in $2 million over the weekend, pushing its total past $40 million. “Still Alice,” for which Julianne Moore won best actress, added 553 screens and earned $2.7 million. It’s now made $12 million for Sony Pictures Classics.

“American Sniper,” far and away the biggest box-office hit of the best-picture nominees, was also easily the top post-Oscars draw. It added another $7.7 million, to bring its cumulative domestic gross to $331.1 million. (ap)

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Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Kerry, Russian FM meet in Geneva as Ukraine tensions simmer

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Napoli loses 1-0 at Torino as Lazio closes in on 3rd spot

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Tourism thrives in Malaysia despite association with tragedy

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Badung River and Mati River have the worst pollution

DENPASAR - At least 401 rivers flow across the Island of the Gods. Pollution is affecting 22 of them that pass through urban areas or counties.

The Head of the Bali Environment Agency (BLH), Gede Suarjana, said that according to the 25 parameters determining the pollution of a river Badung River was

experiencing the most severe pollution. “We see that the greatest degradation is in the Badung River due to pressure by so much population, while the Mati River experiences pollution in terms of several parameters,” he said.

Of the 25 parameters, added Suarjana, there were five key parameters that determined a polluted river. Among them, there

were Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), temperature, Total Suspended Solid (TSS) and ammonia.

“For Badung River, its dissolved oxygen decreases but the ammonia level does not.

Meanwhile, there is still an increase in TSS, mainly in the central region. That’s all showing an increase,” he explained. (kmb32)

News can also be heard in “Bali Image” at Global Radio FM 96.5 from 9.30 until 10.00 am. Listen to Global Radio FM at http:// globalfmbali.listen2myradio.com or live video streaming at http://radioglobalfmbali.com and http:// ustream.tv/channel/global-fm-bali.

IBP/Yudi Karnaedi

A child played canoe at Mati River recenlty. At least 401 rivers flow across the Island of the Gods. Pollution is affecting 22 of them that pass through urban areas or counties.

The Head of the Bali Environment Agency (BLH), Gede Suarjana, said that according to the 25 parameters determining the pollution of a river Badung River was experiencing the most severe pollution.

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Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Bali News Denpasar has not yet designated sustainable agricultural land

DENPASAR - Denpasar Municipality has seen efforts to protect sustainable agricultural land bogged down in red tape that has made it impossible to apply precise zoning laws. The Head of Denpasar Agriculture, Food Crops and Horticulture Agency, I Gede Ambara Putra, has stated that the government had not been able to move ahead because his staff has not received zoning information.“We just determined the green belt and are still waiting for the detailed spatial provisions. The detailed spatial provisions are still being discussed. After that, we will know where the zones are,” said Ambara Putra. throughout all sub-districts. That number is feared to be on the decline.

In 2014, the conversion of agricultural land reached 5 hectares: 3 hectares in East Denpasar and 2 hectares in West Denpasar.

According to Ambara Putra, the fact that Denpasar is an urban area contributes to the challenge. Even though land and property tax subsidies have been provided for the agricultural land, economic pressure is the main reason why people have sold or con-

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verted their agricultural land.

Interestingly, although agricultural land in Denpasar is scarce, its productivity is the highest in Bali.

Rice production reached 8 to 10 tons per hectare. “It happens because our land availability is very little. Then, farmers are willing to follow the advice of the government on how to use seeds, fertilizer and cropping pattern. They are very vivacious how to make their little land produce a lot,” he said. (kmb25)

Three employees of Villa Ketapang fired without reason

TABANAN - Unfair and arbitrary treatment was perceived by three employees of Villa Ketapang located at Klecung, East Selamadeg. Without obvious reason, all the three female employees were fired by the newly appointed villa manager. The three employees are Ni Luh P, 25, from Gunung Salak, East Selemadeg, Ni Luh N, 29, and Ni Luh N, 28, from Tegal Mengkeb, East Selemadeg. The act of dismissal was carried out by the new manager named Agus Jayadi.

“The newly appointed villa manager replacing the previous manager suddenly fired the three of us,” said Luh P. The dismissal occurred Wednesday (Feb. 25) when the manager summoned all 19 employees after lunch. “One by one, we were summoned for the distribution of service charge payments for January, but only three of us were immediately fired, while the others were not,” she said.

At that time, Pertamasari said that after being given the service charge payment for January she was immediately given a layoff letter. “Without a clear reason, we were asked to sign the layoff letter and he said it was based on the owner’s decision,” she said.

Seeing the decision was unilateral, the three of them defended themselves by giving reasons which were ignored by the manager.

Ni Luh N showed a guest book where she received a reward as the best employee from the villa but Agus did not respond. “The reason is not clear and even it seems invented. Our work is claimed poor or our contract has expired,” she said.

Since they could not do much, all the three eventually agreed to sign the layoff letter. Yet, when they asked for severance, the manager named Agus ignored them. “We are small people, sir. We do not demand anything, but if we indeed have the right, please give us our right accordingly,” said the mother of a child.

The villa manager, Agus Jayadi, could not be contacted when his comment was sought. Some employees also complained that manager could not be contacted via his cellular phone. (kmb28)

Road access of Tampaksiring covered up by avalanches GIANYAR - The rain flushing Gianyar caused a number of road accesses in Tampaksiring to be closed by road avalanche. Tampaksiring-Tegallalang and Tampaksiring-Kintamani road section was hampered by avalanche materials, Sunday (Mar. 1).

Since Sunday morning, the officers of quick response team of the Gianyar Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) were preoccupied with the avalanche evacuation. As happened on Sunday afternoon, the Jalan Raya Tirta Empul as the leading highway from Tampaksiring to Kintamani was disconnected. More seriously, the avalanche materials accompanied with fallen trees closed the road along eight meters.

Chief of Tampaksiring Police, I Made Uder, said the incident took place around 4:15 p.m. At that time, the rain was indeed flushing the area of Tampaksiring and its surroundings.

Moreover, it was thickly cloudy in the northern region of Gianyar. “Before

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

IBP/Courtesy of Archipelago International

Hampered by zoning delays

Efforts to suppress the conversion of agricultural land continued to be on the government agenda, especially since agricultural land in Denpasar is already scarce. Subak Anggabaya, East Denpasar, for instance, already has a bylaw requiring the agricultural land to continue to function as agricultural land. “Selling the land is allowed, but it must be used for agricultural needs,” he said.

Currently Denpasar has 2,506 hectares of paddy fields scattered

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the avalanche, it indeed rained heavily. At this moment it is still raining,” he said.

Police officers were deployed in the rain to regulate traffic. Meanwhile, the quick response team of the BPBD Gianyar did evacuation of avalanche materials in the north of Mengening Temple or 100 meters before the Tirta Empul tourist attraction. The avalanche reached eight meters and covered up the entire road. “In addition to soil, some trees like jackfruit and coconut as well as telecom cable pole were also eroded and hampered the road access,” he said.

The avalanche only hampered road access. No casualties were reported.

The Tampaksiring-Kintamani, Bangli road section was disconnected because the road body was fully covered by avalanche materials. Until nightfall the traffic was diverted to some alternative paths. A number of vehicles were directed to cross the territory of Selat or Manukaya Anyar. (kmb16)

Launch of Aston Anyer Beach Hotel

JAKARTA – Archipelago International has officially opened its doors to Aston Anyer Beach Hotel, its newest beach front hotel, to an overwhelmingly positive response from travelers in the region. This hotel marks their 100th for the group and are set to host an exclusive launch party in April on site.

Anyer, a breathtaking beachside setting in Banten, is one of the most soughtafter holiday destinations for Jakarta and West Java’s residents. But for many business travelers, Anyer is becoming most popular for its close proximity to Cilegon – a major coastal industrial city famous for its thriving factories and trading opportunities.

Cilegon, also located in the Banten province of Indonesia, covers 175.51km2 of industrial and commercial land. Among the factories in Cilegon are Krakatau Steel Company, a vital producer of steel for domestic and foreign needs, and Asahimas Chemical Company. Unsurprisingly, Cilegon has garnered the nickname “Steel City” since the city is the largest steel producer in Southeast Asia, producing around 6 million tons of steel each year.

Additionally, Cilegon is also one of the vital state objects. This is because there is a wide range of other vital objects in the city

such as the Merak Harbour, the Krakatau Steel Industrial Zone, as well as PLTU Suralaya, the Krakatau power plant, the Krakatau Tirta Industrial Water Treatment Plant and the Sunda Strait Industrial Zones.

With these major industrial landmarks so close to Anyer in Cilegon, together with the opening of the new airport in Banten, the city and surrounding area is destined to become one of West Java’s preferred MICE and leisure destinations, with the added bonus of Anyer beach on the doorstep for when business travelers are off the clock.

Aston Anyer Beach Hotel is located in the heart of Anyer only 90 minutes from Indonesia’s capital city, offering the perfect mix of convenience and exotic scenery. This 3 star hotel on Jalan Raya Karang Bolong will feature 101 guest rooms and suites stylishly designed in the contemporary Aston way. As part of the MICE facilities, the modern conference

center boasts 3 auxiliary meeting rooms purposefully built on the top floor to soak up the beautiful ocean views. Complete with an outdoor terrace, this breezy area is perfect for refreshing coffee breaks or dramatic sunset cocktail receptions.

The three meetings rooms range in size, from the smallest room that can accommodate up to 85 people, through to the largest room than can hold up to 400 guests. Each of the meeting rooms also include their own partitions, meaning they can be divided into three smaller rooms for more intimate meetings, or opened up for larger MICE events and other social gatherings.

The hotel also features a cozy all-day dining restaurant for casual meetings or a relaxed meal, together with recreational facilities for downtime including an outdoor swimming pool, a private beach, a pool table and ping pong table and a bonfire pit.

Profile

Amarjeet Singh Takhi

Consul of India to run “Friends of India”

The officers are trying to clean the road from the dirt.

IBP/File

 Founder : K.Nadha,  General Manager :Palgunadi Chief Editor: Diah Dewi Juniarti  Editors: Gugiek Savindra,Alit Susrini, Alit Sumertha, Daniel Fajry, Mawa, Suana, Sueca, Sugiartha, Yudi Winanto Denpasar: Dira Arsana, Giriana Saputra, Subrata, Sumatika, Asmara Putra. Bangli: Suasrina, Buleleng: Dewa kusuma, Gianyar: Agung Dharmada, Karangasem: Budana, Klungkung: Bagiarta. Jakarta: Nikson, Hardianto, Ade Irawan. NTB: Agus Talino, Izzul Khairi, Raka Akriyani. Surabaya: Bambang Wilianto.  Development: Alit Purnata, Mas Ruscitadewi.  Office: Jalan Kepundung 67 A Denpasar 80232. Telephone (0361)225764, Facsimile: 227418, P.O.Box: 3010 Denpasar 80001. Bali Post Jakarta, Advertizing: Jl.Palmerah Barat 21F. Telp 021-5357602, Facsimile: 021-5357605 Jakarta Pusat. NTB: Jalam Bangau No. 15 Cakranegara Telp.

(0370) 639543, Facsimile: (0370) 628257. Publisher: PT Bali Post

Starting in early January until June 2015, the Consul of India will be running a program known a ‘Friends of India.’ The idea is to improve cooperation between Indonesia and India with Indonesia through provincial as well as county and municipal government participation. “We hope that cooperation between the two countries, and particularly with Denpasar, will continue to increase in breadth” said Consul General of India Amarjeet Singh Takhi.

During the meeting, the Indian Consul Amarjeet Singh described the ‘Friends of India’ program which is organizing a group of Indian tour operators to come to to Bali on March 2526., saying that such activities would

encourage Indian’s to visit Bali and ths have a positive impact on the development of tourism. “We expect that cooperation will not only take place in the field of culture and tourism but also in economic and educational fields as well asbetween individuals,” he added.

‘Friends of India’ will also be touring a cultural show through 15 cities in Indonesia, including Denpasar for the Bali Arts Festival. Previously the show had been performed at Institute Seni Indonesia (ISI) Denpasar. (kmb)

IBP/File Photo

“We are very excited and proud to open our 100th hotels as the latest Aston brand here in Anyer. We have received very good response with 65% occupancy since its opened in December. Many families are coming for the weekend and also start receiving group meeting for the weekday. Not only is Anyer a stunning location for a beachside break, it is also in close proximity to Cilegon, meaning Anyer is also on the radar of business travelers that flock to the bustling industrial city. With this in mind, we are delighted to be offering Aston Anyer Beach Hotel as a MICE destination to cater to the area’s business market.” Said Mr. Charles Brookfield – Chairman of Archipelago International.

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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Science

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

International

Ice age emperor penguins hit hard by the cold

SYDNEY - Antarctica’s Ross Sea has been a rare safe haven for emperor penguins for thousands of years, even when temperatures were too harsh for their liking, a study released Monday suggests.

Researchers looking at how climatic changes have affected the highly cold-adapted penguin -- the tallest and heaviest of all penguin species -- over the last 30,000 years suggest that only three populations survived the last ice age.

Conditions were so severe that emperor penguins numbers on the frozen continent were seven-times less than they are today and in many fewer locations, said joint lead researcher Jane Younger.

“We hadn’t really thought about the fact that it would be too cold for them in the past,” Younger, a PhD student at the University of Tasmania, told AFP. “They live through life in minus 30 degrees Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit) now so they are pretty cold adapted.”

By examining the genetic diversity of modern and ancient penguin populations, scientists from the universities of Tasmania, Southampton and Oxford in Britain, and the Australian Antarctic Division were able to estimate their numbers over time.

They found that numbers began increasing over the last 12,000 years when temperatures rose by an average of about 15 degrees Celsius and as the amount of sea ice around Antarctica began to reduce.

Younger said the warmer temperatures likely gave penguin chicks a better chance of surviving the winter -- when temperatures would have dropped to minus 45 degrees Celsius.

A reduction in sea ice would have allowed them easier access to the open ocean to feed.

“We were actually really surprised by this. What we had thought was that the ice age, because there was so much more sea ice which they need (to breed) and because they are so cold-adapted, that this would probably be a good thing for them,” she said.

The researchers believe a population survived in the Ross Sea region because an area of ocean was always kept free of sea ice by wind and currents, according to the study published in Global Change Biology.

Brother of Australian on death row pleads for mercy

DENPASAR - The brother of an Australian facing imminent execution in Indonesia has appealed on national television for President Joko Widodo to spare the drug smuggler’s life.

Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the ringleaders of the so-called “Bali Nine” drug trafficking gang, were convicted of trying to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia in 2005 and sentenced to death the following year.

The men, in their early 30s, recently lost their appeals for presidential clemency, typically a death row convict’s last chance to avoid the firing squad, and are expected to be put to death soon.

The families of the pair have been calling for Widodo to show mercy, arguing the men are reformed characters after years in prison, and late Sunday Chan’s brother, Michael, made a fresh appeal.

“I would say to Mr President Jokowi that as a family we are very sorry for this situation and we apologise for An-

In this Jan. 22, 2015 photo, Gentoo penguins stand on rocks near the Chilean station Bernardo O’Higgins, Antarctica. Antarctica’s Ross Sea has been a rare safe haven for emperor penguins for thousands of years, even when temperatures were too harsh for their liking, a study released Monday suggests.

“The Ross Sea is probably really important,” said Younger of the area on the Pacific Ocean side of Antarctica which is considered the world’s most intact marine ecosystem.

Sky-scanning instrument finds new galaxies

PARIS - A new instrument on Europe’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) has produced the most detailed 3-D view yet of the deep Universe, discovering 26 distant galaxies in just 27 hours of scanning, its operators said Friday.

MUSE, for Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer, captures high-resolution images of deep space, and breaks the light observed from distant objects down into its component colours in order to study the composition, distance and movement of galaxies.

The 22-million euro ($25 million) instrument, which took 10 years to design and build, started operating last year as part of the European Southern Observatory’s VLT array based in Chile’s Atacama desert.

Its first results have “given astronomers the best ever three-dimensional view of the deep Universe,” an ESO statement said.

“The new observations reveal the distances, motions and other properties of far more galaxies than ever before in this tiny piece of the sky.”

MUSE has allowed the team to study

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objects that even Hubble, the powerful orbiting telescope, have not been able to spot.

A joint project of the American and European space agencies, Hubble has captured iconic long exposure pictures that taught us much about the young Universe.

But to find out more about the galaxies in these “deep field” images, astronomers have to study them with other instruments -- a difficult and time-consuming job, said the ESO statement.

“But now, for the first time, the new MUSE instrument can do both jobs at once -- and far more quickly,” it added.

In 20 years, astronomers have been able to analyse 18 of some 500 objects discovered by Hubble in a part of the sky known as Hubble Deep Field South, for example.

The MUSE team, on the other hand, was able to study and determine the distances to 189 galaxies in the same area, the instrument’s principal investigator Roland Bacon of France’s Lyon Centre

“They have survived there for at least the last 30,000 years and even when the environment has been really unsuitable in a lot of other places the Ross Sea has been kind

for Astrophysics Research told AFP. In 27 hours over four nights, MUSE found 26 galaxies that had been too far and too faint to be included in Hubble’s map.

“This opens many new avenues,” said Bacon, hailing the “fantastic” results.

“It shows that we have built a machine that performs extremely well and will allow us to learn many things.”

The results allowed astronomers to look back about 12 billion years -- not long after the Big Bang that formed the Universe some 13.7 billion years ago.

MUSE studies the mechanism by which galaxies form, how they move and what they are composed of, in order to better understand our world.

The team, said Bacon, is looking specifically for young systems giving birth to bright, new stars, and were less concerned with massive clusters which can be spotted more “but don’t resemble our own galaxy.”

The results were published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. (afp)

of a safe haven for them.

“The Ross Sea seems to come up time and time again as a really important part of the Antarctic ecosystem.” (afp)

drew,” he told Indonesia’s tvOne, using Widodo’s nickname. “It has brought a lot of unnecessary shame to the Indonesian people and their country.”

“Andrew is a changed man from 10 years ago,” he added, urging Widodo to give him a “second chance”.

He added the Chan and Sukumaran “have embraced Indonesian culture, the way of life and they are very sorry for the things they have done”.

On Monday, the head of the Bali prosecutor’s office, Momock Bambang Samiarso, said that the pair would be moved this week from their jail on the resort island to a prison off Java, where the executions will take place.

He said officials were still discussing the details.

Canberra has been piling pressure on

Jakarta to change course on the executions, and Prime Minister Tony Abbott last week offered a glimmer of hoping after talking to Widodo, saying that the leader was “carefully considering his position”.

However, Widodo shot down that suggestion, insisting that Indonesia’s stance on the pending executions was “clear”.

The Australians are among a group of foreigners, including a Frenchman and a Brazilian, who have lost their appeals for clemency and are facing imminent execution.

Brazil and France have also been ramping up pressure on Jakarta, with Paris summoning Indonesia’s envoy and the Brazilian president refusing to accept the credentials of the new Indonesian ambassador. (afp)

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

More Japanese visiting Bali

DENPASAR - The number of Japanese holiday makers visiting the tourist island of Bali has increased sharply with the government’s plan to offer visa free facility for visitors from a number of countries including Japan and the availability of direct flights between Japan and the island.

“The number of holiday makers from Japan surged 25 percent early 2015 after shrinking trend earlier,” a tourist guide for Japanese speaking visitors Made Sutarka said.

Japanese holiday makers began to come in groups to Bali this year, Sutarka said.

Based on data from the Bali Tourism Office , in January this year, there were 17,946 Japanese flying to Bali directly from Japan as against only 14,256 in the same month a year earlier. The number was the third largest after visitors from Australia and China or 5.95 percent of the total number of foreign visitors to Bali that totaled 301,618 to Bali in January, 2015. The number of Japanese visitors from Japan has declined after the devastating tsunami in 2011. The plan to offer visa free visit for tourists from a number of friendly countries including Japan has contributed greatly to the rise in the number of visitors from Japan, Sutarka said. “Hopefully the visa free facility would attract more visitors to Bali,” he said. (ant)

PAN has new general chairman NUSA DUA - Zulkifli Hasan was named new general chairman of the country’s 5th largest politi-

cal party the National Mandate Party (PAN) for the next five years after defeating incumbent

Hatta Rajasa in an election on Sunday night.

Zulkifli, who is chairman of

the country People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), garnered 292 votes only slightly over Hatta’s

New volcano island getting big in Japan TOKYO - Famously crowded Japan is getting a bit more space as a newly-formed volcanic island just keeps on growing.

New footage of the remote Nishinoshima, some 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) south of Tokyo, shows a volcano erupting up to six times a minute, spewing huge volumes of magma -- and scientists say there is plenty more still to come.

A tiny islet emerged in November 2013 right next to the original Nishinoshima, when molten rock cooled and began to poke its head just above the water.

That speck of land grew as the volcano kept going, and soon engulfed its once larger neighbour.

The new super-island is now a respectable 2.46 square kilometres (0.95 square miles), the Japan Coast Guard says -roughly the size of 345 football pitches -- while the still-spewing volcano is now a healthy 100

metres (330 feet) tall.

Kenji Nogami of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, who helped conduct the latest of the coastguard’s monthly observations, said volcanic activity is likely to continue for the time being.

“There have not been any significant changes at the volcanic vent of the pyroclastic cone, where eruptions of lava are seen several times a minute,” he said in a statement.

“Magma has risen to shallow areas of the vent, and lava flows to the east have continued to stretch out.

“Therefore, I conclude a stable supply of magma is continuing,” he said.

The coastguard has asked sailors to stay away from the island.

Japan sits on the Pacific ring of fire, where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are relatively commonplace. (afp)

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ANTARA FOTO/Rosa Panggabean

Zulkifli Hasan (right) was named new general chairman of the country’s 5th largest political party the National Mandate Party (PAN) for the next five years after defeating incumbent Hatta Rajasa in an election on Sunday night.

286 votes in a two men contest.

The election was held in a closed door voting by 582 participants of the congress with four votes declared invalid.

Chairman of the steering committee Taufik Kurniawan declared Zulkifli as the new general chairman after approval from the participants of the congress. (ant)

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Tuesday, March 3, 2015

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Tourism thrives in Malaysia despite association with tragedy

Murder victim’s wife had proposed a divorce DENPASAR – The murder of a 60 year old British citizen, Robert Kevin Ellis, currently in court. The defendant, Julaikah Noor Aini, the victim’s wife, has revealed the hidden story behind the couple’s relationship. In fact, the defendant had attempted to have a reconciliation after disputes because the victim was alleged to have an affair with another woman.

Information was gathered for a divorce suit filed on June 4, 2014 in the Denpasar District Court. However, the lawsuit was stopped because there was information that the relationship of the plaintiff had improved. Then another dispute occurred which led to the murder of Robert Kevin Ellis aka Mr. Bob. Legal counsel of Noor Aini, Nyoman Wisnu and Ketut Suwiga Arya Dauh, discussed the circumstances saying that their client had filed the divorce four months before the murder of the foreigner. “Yes, we are accompanying her at the time,” said Wisnu. What was the basis of the suit? Wisnu said there was a presence of a third party, namely another woman in their household. “Besides, there was domestic violence and he does not become a good husband to her children,” added Wisnu.

Before the marriage, Noor has owned a business and they started up a business together in Jakarta moving to Bali in 2001.

Bob continued to develop his business in Jakarta. In Bali Noor served as chairperson of the company in the construction field and then expanded into property and water sports.

According to another legal counsel, Arya Dauh, she was an independent woman and worked to support herself. Meanwhile, the joint venture with her husband was more intended for her children.

Asked about the murder case, Wisnu said that he just knew if Noor Aini was involved in the murder after police investigation. According to him, Noor shared her problem with a housemaid, and was taken seriously. After the reconciliation and another dispute, Noor wanted to improve her relationship and had proposed shock therapy. But, in fact the murder occurred. (kmb37)

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Tuesday, March 3, 2015

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Two airplane catastrophes put Malaysia on the map in a bad way in 2014. But they didn’t hurt the country’s tourism, and the higher visibility may even have helped: visitor numbers had their strongest growth in years.

The tunnel which lead water to the ricefield in Banjarangkan damage and causing many hectares of rice plants suffer from drought

IBP/File

Water tunnel of Dutch heritage breaks down

244 hectares of rice field threatened to face harvest failure SEMARAPURA - Heavy rain flushing the region of Klungkung lately caused the water tunnel to Subak Dlod Banjarangkan to break down. The tunnel located at Tusan village, Banjarangkan is damaged along six times six meters with a height of seven meters above the river. As a result, about 244 hectares of paddy field at Subak Dlod Banjarangkan are threatened to face crop failure. Moreover, the subak area has entered rice planting season.

Other than threatening paddy fields at Subak Banjarangkan, this channel also irrigates the area of Subak Tulikup, Gianyar. Precisely the tunnel is located under the Dalem Kayu Putih Temple, Tusan.

It is the main tunnel made during the Dutch era. A local resident doubling as subak member, Wayan Edik Arianta, when encountered said the water tunnel collapsed when it rained heavily four days ago. Before collapsing, the tunnel with a diameter of 1.5 meters was clogged with rubbish. So, when heavy rain

occurred the tunnel collapsed.

For the time being, the water cannot flow into the tunnel and was wasted into the river. According to Edik, some subak members hoped the Klungkung and Bali government could find solution and help so that the tunnel could be functioned again. Moreover, the Subak Dlod Banjarangkan spreading across the area of 244 hectares was ahead of planting season. “Without an immediate repair, we can be threatened by crop failure,” he said.

Meanwhile, the tunnel break-

down at Tusan village also drew the attention of Klungkung Regent, Nyoman Suwirta. With subdistrict head of Banjarangkan, Komang Wisnuadi and Spokesperson, Wayan Parna, the regent came down to check the subak irrigation building and the collapsed tunnel.

But to get to the location of the collapsed tunnel should go through a fairly difficult terrain. Regent Suwirta and the entourage could just arrive at location after walking through paddy fields as far as about one kilometer.

After checking the condition of the collapsed water tunnel, Suwirta admitted that he would seek to address the damage. Moreover, the tunnel was in the category of disaster. Then regent would also make coordination with the Klungkung Disaster Mitigation Agency

(BPBD) regarding the handling.

Nonetheless, this regent from Nusa Penida invited subak members as well as the personnel of Indonesian Military and National Police to repair it together.

“For the time being, we will invite subak members to perform mutual works, including inviting the personnel of the Indonesian Military and National Police to help,” he said.

But for long term, Suwirta said that since it belonged to main channel, it also became the authority of Bali government. So, the regent would also coordinate it with provincial government. “For a permanent handling, it needs careful study because the terrain is too difficult. Hopefully, it can be used for a long time and permanently,” he said. (kmb)

For the past decade, Malaysia has run an elaborate campaign to market itself abroad as an ideal Asian destination, touting a multiethnic culture, lush rainforests and pristine beaches.

Despite the effort to internationalize, its tourism industry still relies heavily on tightly-packed neighboring Singapore and in a renewed push the government had designated 2014 as “Visit Malaysia Year.”

So when Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went missing with 239 people on board en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, it put the global spotlight on Malaysia and seemingly dealt a blow to its tourism strategy. A double whammy came four months later when a Malaysia Airlines jet was shot down over rebel-held eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. Tourism, however, grew at its fastest pace since 2008.

Figures for all of 2014 haven’t been released yet but the JanuaryOctober data shows 22.9 million visitors, a jump of nearly 10 percent from a year earlier. That far outpaced 2.5 percent growth for the same period in 2013 and a 0.7 percent rise in 2012.

The full year growth rates for those two years are close to the 10-month figures.

“The bad publicity has made Malaysia more well known to the world,” said Jaya Kumar Sannadurai, vice president at Dayangti Transport

and Tours. The overall effect on visitor numbers is probably marginal but being the center of attention “is an advantage to us in some ways,” he said. The strong growth in tourism came despite a sharp drop in visitors from China, which had 153 nationals on Flight 370. Many in China were angered by Malaysia’s perceived mishandling of the tragedy.

The Malaysian government says satellite data showed the jet crashed into the southern Indian Ocean, but no wreckage has been found despite an exhaustive multi-nation search.

Authorities believe the plane was flown deliberately off course, but are still investigating the cause of the disappearance.

Kidnappings since April of foreigners including a Chinese fish breeder and a Chinese female tourist from a resort in Malaysia’s Sabah state in Borneo by Philippine gangs also put off tourists. All were released after ransom was paid. Sabah, a popular destination for scuba-diving and nature trails, is a short boat ride from southern Philippines, home to Muslim militants and kidnap gangs.

For January-October, Chinese tourists to Malaysia dropped by 11 percent or some 175,000 people. It remained Malaysia’s third biggest source of visitors.

The aim of the Visit Malaysia campaign, with the endangered

AP Photo/Joshua Paul

In this Friday, March 1, 2015 photo, Malaysia’s landmark the Petronas Twin Towers and Kuala Lumpur Tower is seen illuminated during dusk in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

pot-bellied proboscis monkey as its mascot, was to lure 28 million visitors and 76 billion ringgit ($21.1 billion) in spending. Tourism is already Malaysia’s second biggest earner of foreign exchange after manufactured goods.

The country might fall a little short of the 28 million visitors goal for 2014 but a high level of fully paid advance tour bookings and a quick change in marketing strategy by tourism officials helped keep the industry on a growth path overall.

Tourism Malaysia cut promotions in China and focused efforts on India and other markets after Flight 370’s disappearance, said its deputy director-general Azizan Noordin.

This helped to boost growth in all markets for the first 10 months of last year, except China and Taiwan, he said.

Arrivals from India, which is the 6th biggest source of visitors for Malaysia, were up 21 percent and the number of South Koreans visiting increased by 43 percent. There

was also strong growth from Western nations such as the United Kingdom, U.S., Australia and Germany.

But it was Singapore along with Indonesia and Thailand that provided the mass market numbers, together accounting for about two thirds of total visitors.

“Our Southeast Asian neighbors helped to keep the tourist numbers up.

We could have done better if it wasn’t for the China market,” said Hamzah Rahmat, president of the Malaysian Tour and Travel Associations. (ap)

Seoul: North Korea test fires 2 short-range missiles

AP Photo/Lee Jin-man

A man watches a TV news program reporting that North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles, at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 2, 2015.

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Monday fired two shortrange ballistic missiles into the sea and warned of “merciless strikes” against its enemies as allies Seoul and Washington launched annual military drills Pyongyang claims are preparation for a northward invasion. North Korea regularly conducts such test firings of missiles, rockets and artillery, and they are often timed to express the country’s dissatisfaction with actions

by Washington and Seoul. Monday was the start of military drills that will run until the end of April.

Early Monday morning, two missiles launched from North Korea’s west coast flew about 500 kilometers (310miles) before landing in waters off the east coast, according to South Korea’s Defense Ministry.

Spokesman Kim Min-seok called the launches an “armed protest” against the South Korea-U.S. drills

and a challenge to peace on the Korean Peninsula.

The annual U.S.-South Korean military drills inevitably lead to angry North Korean rhetoric, although the allies say they are purely defensive. The North’s rhetoric is meant to show its people that a tough leadership is confronting what its propaganda portrays as outside hostility, but analysts also believe the drills infuriate because they cost Pyongyang precious resources by forcing the country to respond with its own drills and launches.

“The only means to cope with the aggression and war by the U.S. imperialists and their followers is neither dialogue nor peace.

They should be dealt with only by merciless strikes,” an unidentified spokesman for the North Korean military’s general staff said in a statement carried by state media.

He said the U.S.-South Korean drills are aimed at conquering the North’s capital, Pyongyang, and removing its leadership. During the 2013 drills, tension rose amid North Korean rhetoric that included vows of nuclear strikes on Washington and Seoul.

The rival Koreas earlier this year floated the possibility of holding what would be the third summit between their leaders since the countries were divided 70 years ago. But they have been at odds in recent weeks over terms, and prospects seem dim.

North Korea separately told the U.S. that it was willing to impose a temporary moratorium on its nuclear tests if Washington cancels the joint military drills with South Korea. But the U.S. rejected the overture, calling it an “implicit threat.” (ap)

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International

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

BUSINESS Oil prices stabilise in Asian trade

SINGAPORE - Oil prices stabilised in Asia Monday following sharp gains in the previous session as dealers predicted the end of volatile trading and the beaten-down commodity bottoming out, analysts said.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for April delivery fell 36 cents to $49.40 while Brent crude eased 41 cents to $62.17 in afternoon trade.

WTI advanced $1.59 while Brent gained a hefty $2.53 on Friday.

WTI, after falling in early 2015 to a six-year low, swung wildly in February, but finished the month a little more than $1.50 higher.

By contrast, Brent gained about $12.

Crude oil has lost about 50 percent of its value since June, largely due to a global supply glut partially caused by surging US shale production.

“Although there is still a global supply glut, oil prices are on a general increasing trend especially with the falling rig count numbers indicating that US shale is responding to low prices,” Ken Hasegawa, energy trading manager at Newedge Group in Tokyo, told AFP. The weekly Baker Hughes US drilling rig count showed the number of rigs in operation fell by 33 to 986 in the week to February 27. The count is down 39 percent since October, according to Bloomberg News.

Hasegawa said thin losses in Asian trading early Monday was possibly due to “a profit-taking setting coming into play”.

Analysts said dealers will next be scrutinising a slew of US economic data to be released later Monday for clues on demand prospects in the world’s biggest crude consumer. (afp)

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

5

Melanting waterfall

A natural wonder attracting European travelers

The 2015 Mercedes AMG GT S is displayed on the opening day of the 2015 Chicago Auto Show. Small SUVs for families and powerful sports cars for the rich are the big things at this year’s Geneva International Motor Show. Environmentally correct electrics and hybrids, not so much — thanks to cheaper gas and limits on battery life.

SINGARAJA - Buleleng County is known as an area with many natural features with tourism potential. Gitgit Waterfall, for instance, located in Sukasada subdistrict has been widely known in the world of tourism. With the development of the tourist industry in Buleleng, some other potential waterfall attractions are being developed in North Bali that are no less interesting.

AP Photo/Sun-Times Media, James Foster

Small SUVs, pricey sports cars dominate at Geneva auto show FRANKFURT — Small SUVs for families and powerful sports cars for the rich are the big things at this year’s Geneva International Motor Show. Environmentally correct electrics and hybrids, not so much — thanks to cheaper gas and limits on battery life.

Analysts say this show is more about the search for hit vehicles than new technology, since automakers are trying to boost sales as Europe slowly recovers from its debt crisis.

Car registrations in the 28-country European Union increased 5.6 percent last year to 12.5 million, but remain woefully below their peak of around 16 million in 2007. High unemployment and weak growth are still holding back the industry, despite 17 straight months of increasing sales.

And there are headwinds from Russia, which appears headed for recession after the ruble’s plunge.

On the other side of the ledger, expensive new luxury and sports cars will cater to demands from buyers in the recovering U.S. economy and China.

Small SUVs and car-like SUVs known as crossovers have become a hot seller for growth-hungry automakers. The category will get even more crowded with new vehicles on

Bali News

International

display at Geneva. Renault will offer the Kadjar, a crossover in two- or four-wheel drive versions, while Honda blurs the borders between car and hatchback with its new HR-V, touting acoustic insulation that reduces road noise and three different ways to configure the interior to carry things. At the higher priced end, Infiniti shows off its QX30 concept with carbon-fiber trim and big 21-inch wheels. Concepts are clues to what the company may introduce in the future.

Small SUVs are the same length as compact or smaller midsize cars, but have more ground clearance and off-road features such as cladding protecting the wheel wells and underside.

High-priced sports cars and luxury vehicles will be on display in abundance. Audi is showing a new version of its R8 with a 10-cylinder engine churning out 610 horsepower and acceleration of 0-100 kph (0-62 mph) in only 3.2 seconds. It’s priced

at 165,000 euros ($185,000) for the basic version, 187,000 euros ($202,000) for the more powerful one and goes on sale in Europe this summer.

For those lusting after a bit more pickup, the McLaren 675LT offers 0-100 kph in 2.9 seconds and 0-200 kph in 7.9 seconds, on your way to a top speed of 330 kph (205 mph). The engine puts out 675 horsepower under the metric PS standard. The price will be around $345,000 when the car goes on sale later this year, although the U.S. version is already sold out.

Ferrari will join in with its 488 GTB, powered by a turbocharged eight-cylinder engine.

In the ultra-luxury market, Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz has the Maybach Pullman, a stretched highend version of its S-class. It’s 6.5 meters (21 feet) long and lets people in the back sit facing each other behind an electric partition window separating them from the chauffeur.

Prices start at around 500,000 euros ($560,000).

Electric models and hybrids have lost some buzz. They are still arriving, as Mercedes introduces a plug-in hybrid version of its C-class

sedan. Problem is, as a class they don’t sell well yet. Only 75,331 electrics and hybrids were sold in the EU last year. That’s up 37 percent, but their limited range and higher costs mean little demand aside from environmental enthusiasts.

“You’ve got low gas prices at the moment, and the e-mobility issue is at a very difficult phase of development,” said Stefan Bratzel, an industry expert at the University of Applied Sciences in Bergisch Gladbach.

For electric sales to take off, he said, the battery range will have to expand from around 150 kilometers (93 miles) now to 400-500 kilometers (250-310 miles), and there have to be more charging stations. That could happen — but not this year.

One of BMW’s new vehicles is the 2-Series Gran Tourer, a sevenseat family vehicle that’s something of a contrast with the company’s powerful sedans and SUVs. Analysts say luxury carmakers have dipped into more moderately priced categories in search of more sales revenue. The basic version starts at 26,950 euros ($30,000) in Germany. (ap)

Melanting waterfall located in Banjar subdistrict is one of them. As it is introduced through a limited promotional effort, this attraction can be said to have its own following among visitors. By and large, visitors to the waterfall are travelers from Europe, chiefly French tourists on trekking package tours. French tourists not only enjoy the Melanting waterfall, but are also attracted by the atmosphere of rural agro-tourism, around Munduk village.

Unspoiled natural scenery, the traditional farming system and the art potential seem to be a magnet for travelers. The Melanting waterfall ion is topographically located at the border of Munduk village and Gobleg village in Banjar subdistrict. To reach the waterfall, travelers can come from Lovina tourist area about 30 kilometers to the south. In addition, travelers can come from Denpasar overland in approximately one and a half hour by car.

Runoff from the twin lakes (Lake IBP/File Photo Buyan and Lake Tamblingan) in the Melanting waterfall located in Banjar subdistrict is one of them. As it is introduced through a south flows swiftly in the river passlimited promotional effort, this attraction can be said to have its own following among visitors. ing the two neighboring villages. The

first waterfall has a height of about 30 meters, while the second one is 60 meters high. Following the river from the first waterfall over rough terrain there are five more waterfalls of varying heights. Since Munduk has developed into a village with tourist accommodations managed by local people, most travelers prefer to stay at Munduk and take a trekking package to Melanting waterfall. From the center of Munduk village, travelers can reach this object by walking a distance of approximately 300 meters.

Along the trekking path, traveler is pampered by panoramic views of pristine nature. Clove plantation and rice paddies garnish this unforgettable and beautiful area. The crystal clear river and scenic Melanting waterfall are provide the perfect location for taking pictures.

Pools provide an allure for travelers to swim in cold water. “This object is visited by travelers from Europe that love natural landscapes and it dominates their visit to our village,” said Chief of Munduk customary village, Jro Putu Ardana. (mud)

Blahbatuh Grand Palace as center of art conservation

Palace is the ancient royal house. As the ruler of kingdom, all the materials and design of the building are selected from the best quality. Besides, the architect is not arbitrary and the design is unique as well as hard to replicate. Last but not least, the making also considers the auspicious day, so that when entering the palace, visitors will feel different and the divine vibration or taksu really exists.

The atmosphere can be intensely felt when visiting the Blahbatuh Grand Palace. The palace located at Kebon hamlet, Blahbatuh village, Gianyar—about 18 km from Denpasar still preserves all the existing buildings. The layout is based on the Asta Kosala Kosali (Balinese geomancy). “Even, if there are damaged buildings, they will be repaired in accordance with the original design,” said AA Kakarsana, a descendant of Blahbatuh kingdom.

Sublime, wise and authoritative impression remains visible here.

Spatial division is nicely arranged into the outermost, middle and innermost courtyard and the architecture

is still original. Even, there is a carving pattern that cannot be replicated, no matter if it is done by a skilled craftsman. “Gunung rata located in the Rajadani building (a royal room) is still in the original design and no one can imitate it,” he said.

Its ornament tells a story and contains a philosophy of life. It is made of bricks producing a neat slanting formation. Since it is sanctified, any woman who gets her period is not allowed to come in and this prohibition also applies to all the royal family members. A Vietnam War general veteran from the United States has visited the architecture for four times. “We ever asked people to plagiarize the wall ornamental style, but none were successful,” he affirmed.

People coming into the palace area must pass through the gates made in traditional architectural style. Beautiful garden is overgrown by colorful flowers denoting the native plants to the Island of the Gods. Similarly, the big trees grow sustainably in the palace area belong to rare plants. “We deliberately

plant the rare species belonging to Balinese ancestors. Aside from preserving, these trees can also exude a positive aura,” he said.

Loji, a building for hosting guests remains sturdy and applies traditional ornament. Meanwhile, in the next building is stored a gamelan set that is usually played by natural artists from local village.

Meanwhile, weaving activity used to be performed by royal ladies in the past remains to survive. However, it is carried out by some artisans living close to royal palace.

On Saturdays and Sundays or any particular time, the area is thronged by kids. They learn to dance and play gamelan music. It is a cultural course organized at free of charge and instructors are specially brought in to the palace.

“We want to preserve the function of palace as a center for cultural preservation. Besides, it also poses an attempt to encourage younger generation to love their cultural heritages,” he said.

Sacred objects such as the Gajah Mada mask and Ki Tunjung Tutur

Blahbatuh Grand Palace

weapon (in the form of large blowpipe) and puppet gambuh make this palace more unique. Other than community leaders and government officials, many tourists also make a visit. “We remain open for tourists who want to make a visit, but there are certain norms to be followed,” he said.

IBP/File Photo

Kakarsana then pointed out that it was not allowed to organize any wedding ritual or other rituals in the royal palace. Meanwhile, reception or art performance was still allowed. Even, the royal party would support it. According to him, it was carried out to keep the sacred culture. (kmb)

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Tuesday, March 3, 2015

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RLD

AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right, meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Monday, March 2, 2015 in Geneva. The meeting came amid continuing tensions over Ukraine and American calls for a full probe into the murder of a prominent opposition figure in Moscow.

Kerry, Russian FM meet in Geneva as Ukraine tensions simmer

GENEVA — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Monday with his Russian counterpart in what appeared to be less than amicable talks amid continuing tensions over Ukraine and American calls for a full probe into the murder of a prominent opposition figure in Moscow.

Kerry and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke for roughly 80 minutes at a Geneva hotel, according to the State Department, which did not immediately provide details of the discussion. Kerry said in a tweet that they talked about Ukraine, Syria and ongoing negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.

But in a change from their usual cordial encounters for cameras, neither man smiled or spoke substantively as they shook hands at the start of the talks that took place less than a week after Kerry told Congress that Russian officials have lied to his face about Moscow’s role in Ukraine.

That comment drew a rebuke from the Russian foreign ministry. U.S. officials have pointed out that Kerry did not specifically accuse Lavrov of lying to him. They say he was referring to public statements and media reports, although Lavrov is the only Russian official Kerry is

known to have met face-to-face in recent months. The pair last met in February on the sidelines of an international security conference in Munich shortly before a new Ukraine ceasefire agreement was agreed upon.

Both Ukraine and the Russianbacked rebels have accused each other of violating the truce and the meeting comes as the U.S. and its European allies contemplate additional sanctions on Russia for its actions in Ukraine.

In his congressional testimony last week, Kerry said that fresh U.S. sanctions had already been prepared and suggested they could be implemented soon.

However, U.S. officials have said since that they will wait to see if the ceasefire and follow-on commitments to end the violence in Ukraine’s east are complied with before putting the sanctions in place.

As the two men met, the Geneva-based U.N. human rights office

said that more than 6,000 people have died in eastern Ukraine since the start of the conflict almost a year ago. It said the fighting has led to a “merciless devastation of civilian lives and infrastructure.”

Hundreds of civilians and military personnel have been killed in recent weeks alone after an upswing in fighting particularly near Donetsk airport and in the Debaltseve area, the body said in a report covering the period from December to February. The strategic railroad town of Debaltseve was captured from Ukrainian government forces last month by pro-Russian separatists.

While Russia denies its troops are fighting in Ukraine, the U.N. cited “credible reports (that) indicate a continuing flow of heavy weaponry and foreign fighters” from Russia. Kerry and Lavrov are to address the U.N. Human Rights Council separately later Monday. (ap)

International

Chinese shoppers latest target of Hong Kong protest anger HONG KONG — Hong Kong police arrested nearly three dozen people Sunday after scuffles broke out in the latest protest against the growing influx of mainland Chinese shoppers. Police officers drew batons and used pepper spray on the crowds after the demonstration in a border town turned unruly. The protesters clashed with crowds of residents opposed to the event who taunted them along the route.

Police said 38 people were arrested including a 13-year-old boy and 10 officers were injured. Hundreds turned out for the third major protest in the past month to target the mainland shoppers, who have been blamed for voracious buying habits that distort the local economy.

The protesters marched in the suburban district of Yuen Long, near the border with China. The route went through a neighborhood with dozens of pharmacies selling imported baby formula to cater to mainland shoppers.

Chinese shun domestic brands after repeated food safety scares including a 2008 melamine-tainted milk scandal that killed at least six babies.

Baby formula is such a hot commodity for mainland visitors that

Hong Kong, which has a reputation for authentic and high-quality goods, restricts the amount people can take out of the city.

Smartphones, cosmetics, medicine and luxury goods are also popular purchases in Hong Kong, where a lack of sales tax makes them cheaper. The shoppers, usually seen in big groups with wheelie suitcases, often work for shadowy networks that organize the resale of the goods across the border for a profit, in what’s known as parallel trading.

“There is a lot of anger from other people on Chinese smugglers because we just don’t like how they drive up all the prices, drive up everything, create a lot of chaos, and we aren’t benefiting from it,” said protester Kelvin Lee, who was with Hong Kong Indigenous, one of two groups that organized the demonstration.

The Yuen Long demonstration follows two other rowdy protests at shopping malls in other parts of Hong Kong’s northern suburbs last month. Police also drew batons and unleashed pepper spray against protesters heckling Chinese shoppers at those demonstrations, arresting a total of 19 people. (ap)

PARIS — France’s foreign minister is calling for an investigation into the killing of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, calling it an “assassination that was revolting.”

Laurent Fabius said on BFM television Monday that the shooting of Nemtsov in Moscow on Friday night “raises a series of questions.” He insisted on a thorough investigation, but would not comment on whether he thought Russian authorities’ ef-

forts would be sufficient.

Russian investigators have said they are looking into several possible motives forA the killing. The opposition sees the Kremlin as responsible, while Vladimir Putin’s spokesman called it a “provocation,” possibly to discredit Russia’s leadership.

Noting killings of other Russian opposition figures in the past, Fabius said, “The fact is that it is not good to be an opposition figure in Russia.” (ap)

French foreign minister wants probe into Nemtsov killing

International

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

INDONESIA Inflation slows on lower fuel, food costs

JAKARTA - Inflation slowed further in February, official data showed Monday, owing to the lower cost of fuel and some staple foods in Southeast Asia’s top economy.

Prices rose 6.29 percent year-on-year last month, slowing from a 6.96 percent rise in January, according to data from the statistics agency.

The rate had accelerated in recent months after the new government reduced huge subsidies on petrol and diesel, pushing up the cost of transportation and delivering goods.

But after the price of oil fell dramatically, the government decided to almost entirely scrap the decades-old fuel subsidy regime.

Because of the the collapse in global oil prices, letting fuel float with the market actually reduced costs, which has fed through to lower inflation.

February’s slowdown was “caused by low prices of staple foods such as chillies, onions and transportation as a result of lower fuel prices”, said statistics agency official Sasmito Hadi Wi-

bowo.

Lower inflation last month prompted the central Bank Indonesia to announce a shock cut in its key interest rate, reducing it 25 basis points to 7.50 percent, saying it was confident prices would remain under control.

An aggressive cycle of rate rises had been blamed in part for a slowdown in economic growth, which has sunk to five-year lows.

Bank Indonesia last week suggested further rate cuts could follow, prompting the rupiah to fall to a near 17-year low.

Separately, HSBC said its purchasing managers’ index of Indonesia’s manufacturing activity hit a record low of 47.5 in February, down from 48.5 in January.

A reading above 50 indicates growth, while below 50 indicates contraction. (afp)

Bangladesh arrests suspect in killing of American blogger DHAKA, Banglades — Bangladesh security officials say they have arrested a leading suspect in the hacking death of an American blogger who wrote against religious extremism.

The elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion force says the suspect, Farabi Shafiur Rahman, was arrested Monday, four days after at least two attackers killed Avijit Roy with meat cleavers on a crowded sidewalk in

Dhaka.

It says Rahman had threatened to kill Roy in posts on Facebook. Rahman, who has strongly denounced atheism, was arrested previously for threatening an imam who performed funeral prayers for an atheist blogger who was killed in 2013.

Roy, a Bangladesh-born U.S. citizen, was a prominent voice against religious intolerance. His wife was also injured in the attack. (ap)

AP Photo/Dita Alangkara

Police officers examine the newly-recovered remains of the fuselage of the ill-fated AirAsia Flight 8501 on the deck of rescue ship Crest Onyx at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, March 2, 2015. The Airbus A320-200 with 162 people on board crashed into the Java Sea on Dec. 28, 2014 while flying from Surabaya, East Java, to Singapore.

11

President affirmed no clemency for drug traffickers on death row

JAKARTA - No clemency will be granted to drug traffickers who have been sentenced to death, President Joko Widodo stated. “It (capital punishment) is still our positive law, and it is not the president who decides the death penalty, but it is the court’s verdict. The president is only requested to grant clemency, but there is no clemency for drug traffickers,” the president remarked on Monday.

As 50 people die every day due to drug consumption, therefore drug offenders should not be given clemency, he emphasized. “How can we give them clemency when 50 people die every day, 18 thousand die every year, and 4.5 million people need rehabilitation? I say no, no clemency for such crimes,” he stated.

He affirmed that no country should interfere in Indonesia’s legal sovereignty.

Executions of drug-related criminals on death row are part of the legal sovereignty of Indonesia, he noted.

The attorney general plans to execute 11 criminals, comprising eight involved in drug offenses and three in murders.

The 11 people are Syofial, alias Iyen bin Azwar (Indonesian), for a murder case; Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso (Filipino) for a drug case; Myuran Sukumaran, alias Mark (Australian), for drug smuggling; Harun bin Ajis (Indonesian) for murder; Sargawi, alias Ali bin Sanusi (Indonesian), for murder; Serge Areski Atlaoui (French) for a drug-related case; Martin Anderson, alias Belo (Ghanian), for a drug case; Zainal Abidin (Indonesian) for a drug case; Raheem Agbaje Salami (Cordovan) for a drug case; Rodrigo Gularte (Brazilian) for a drug case; and Andrew Chan (Australian) for a drug case.

Taking a firm stance against drug dealers in January, the government of President Joko Widodo in January 2015 executed six convicted drug dealers on death row.

Besides one of its own citizens, the convicts were from Malawi, Nigeria, Vietnam, Brazil, and the Netherlands.

The executions prompted Brazil and the Netherlands to recall their ambassadors in protest. (ant)

MAGELANG - Elephant rides are a favorite among both domestic and foreign tourists visiting Borobudur Temple, the world’s largest Buddhist Temple, located in Magelang, Central Java Province.

Five elephants are ready to entertain the tourists interested in riding them to tour Borobudur Temple or just around Lumbini Park, Aryono Hendro Malyanto of the Borobudur Temple Tourism Park (TWCB) stated recently.

Some elephant tourism packages are offered to tourists at a fee of up to Rp1.5 million per person.

The tourists are taken on a ride through the green rice fields in Tanjung Sari Village and later through Nglipoh Village, which is known for its earthenware craft industry.

The elephants will also take the tourists to Kali Tengah traditional market and Nampan Village, where the scenery is dominated by rice fields.

“Mostly foreign tourists are interested to opt for the ride as it is quite costly,” he noted.

Some 10 to 100 tourists daily opt for the elephant ride around Borobudur Temple.

In the meantime, the TWCB management has been promoting the

world’s largest Buddhist temple overseas to lure foreign tourists. “We still rely on overseas promotional activities to attract foreign tourists,” Malyanto added.

The promotional activities have been carried out in cooperation with the Indonesian embassies and the tourism ministry. This week, a promotional event is being organized in India, which is hosting an International Ramayana Festival in New Delhi.

“In March, we will hold promotional activities in the Netherlands and Germany,” he noted.

Some 211,004 foreign tourists visited Borobudur Temple in 2014.

The largest number of tourists came from the Netherlands, with 42,096 people, followed by Japan 38,543; Malaysia 26,531; and France 25,608.

The huge mountain temple of Borobudur was built during the reign of a king of the Saliendra Dynasty between A.D. 750 and 842. Located about 42 kilometers from the city of Yogyakarta, Borobudur is one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world and was included on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1991, as mentioned by UNESCO on its official website. (ant)

Tourist opt for elephant rides at Borobudur Temple

10

Destination

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Sports

International

International

MANGUPURA - Nungnung waterfall has increased in popularity for French and German visitors to Bali. The waterfalls are located near the village of Plaga in the area of Petang, Northern Badung, The way down to the source of the water is about 50 meters and used to be very difficult and steep. But now it can be easily reached through hundreds of concrete stairs. The idea to build these stairs was initiated by the people who live in the neighborhood in cooperation with the government. It takes about 60 minutes (40 km) from Denpasar to get to the location of the waterfalls by bus. Walking up and down the stairs is not as tiring as it sounds, thanks to the cool air in the mountain which makes the body fresh, as does the surrounding panorama.

While having a rest we can breathe the fresh air and enjoy the beautiful scenery, which soon drives away all feelings of fatigue. Not far from the waterfalls, visitors can see the process of making wooden statues in Banjar Kerta, and in Banjar Sekarmukti, Plaga. They can observe traditional and modern painters in Banjar Batulantang or gold and silver handicraft artists and songket weavers in Carangsari Village. If visitors want to take a rest or spend a night, they can make use of the bungalows in the village of Plaga. The weather in Plaga village is cold, It is geographically similar to Kintamani and Bedugul since the village is located next to the two resorts, which have been famous for a lot longer.

Food, drink and bathing are not a problem in the Plaga bungalows since everything is available, Alter having a rest visitors may continue the trip from Plaga village to Kintamani in the east or Bedugul in the west.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Rafael Nadal won his first title in nearly nine months Sunday after defeating Juan Monaco 6-4, 6-1 at the Argentina Open. The top-seeded Spaniard hadn’t reached a final since winning at Roland Garros last year.

It was Nadal’s 46th title on clay, moving him within three of the record set by Argentine Guillermo Vilas when he played in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Nadal broke Monaco’s serve late in the first set to take a 1-0 lead against the 60th-ranked Argentine, then dominated the second to close out the match in 1 hour, 26 minutes. Rain delayed and interrupted the match in Buenos Aires.

“It was a complicated day for

everybody,” Nadal said. “Both for me and (Monaco) but especially for the fans who had to wait. We have to thank them for staying here until the end.” Nadal, who had to deal with injuries in recent months, now has 65 singles titles.

Vilas, ranked No. 2 in the world in 1975, won a total of 62 singles titles. The 62-year-old former player was at the final in Buenos Aires on Sunday.

The fourth-ranked Nadal was

coming off elimination in the semifinal of the Rio Open. It was his first title in Argentina, where he hadn’t played since 2005.

It is the seventh consecutive year that a Spaniard player has won the Argentina Open. David Ferrer won three titles in a row from 2012-2014. (ap)

Rafael Nadal, of Spain, lifts his trophy after winning the final tennis match at the ATP Argentina Open against Juan Monaco, of Argentina, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, March 1, 2015. Nadal won 6-4, 6-1.

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AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano

Harden’s 33 points leads Rockets over Cavs 105-103 in OT

HOUSTON — James Harden scored 33 points and LeBron James missed a pair of free throws with 4.2 seconds left in overtime, helping the Houston Rockets hold on for a 105-103 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. James hit a 3-pointer with 43.5 seconds left to get Cleveland within one point. Harden and James got tangled up on Houston’s next possession, but no foul was called and the shot clock expired.

James drove into the lane and was fouled by Josh Smith, but missed both free throws to finish 3 for 11 at the line. Harden, who had his 26th 30-point game this season, added a free throw and Cleveland missed a 3 at the buzzer.

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Nadal beats Monaco to win 1st title in nearly 9 months

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AP Photo/Pat Sullivan

Houston Rockets’ James Harden (13) pushes against Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James (23) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 1, 2015, in Houston.

The Rockets won 105-103 in overtime.

technicals and a flagrant foul by Harden on James. The Cavaliers had a chance to win in regulation but James held the ball until right before the buzzer and his jump shot bounced off the rim.

Golden State’s Stephen Curry scored 37 points, making four straight free throws to clinch it in the final seconds as the Warriors erased a 26-point deficit to beat the Boston Celtics 106-101.

Golden State won for the seventh time in nine games and ended Boston’s three-game winning streak.

Klay Thompson scored 20 for the Warriors, Harrison Barnes had 17 and Draymond Green scored 11 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Isaiah Thomas scored 20 points off the bench for Boston.

In Chicago, DeAndre Jordan had 26 rebounds and Chris Paul scored 28 points to lead the Los Angeles Clippers past the Chicago Bulls 96-86.

Los Angeles was behind 7675 when Jamal Crawford made a 3-pointer with 8:02 left. The Clippers never trailed the rest of the way. After a scoreless first half, Crawford had 16 points in the final two quarters. Bulls rookie reserve Nikola Mirotic scored a careerhigh 29 points. (ap)

8

International

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

International

Sp rt

Napoli loses 1-0 at Torino as Lazio closes in on 3rd spot

MILAN — Napoli missed the chance to move level with second-placed Roma as it lost 1-0 at Torino in Serie A on Sunday, while Lazio closed in on third place with the race for the final Champions League spot gathering pace. Kamil Glik scored to boost Torino’s chances of qualifying for Europe and ensure Napoli remained three points behind Roma, which plays Italian league leader Juventus on Monday.

1-0 victory at Inter Milan, while Sampdoria was three points further back after coming from behind to win 2-1 at Atalanta.

Elsewhere, Cagliari lost a relegation battle 2-1 at home to Hellas Verona, fellow struggler Cesena beat Udinese 1-0 and Palermo drew 0-0 at Empoli.

Parma’s match at Genoa was postponed, with the players protesting the situation at the financially-stricken club and the lack of help from the Italian footballing authorities. It was the second match in a row Parma has postponed and all matches this

weekend started 15 minutes late in a show of solidarity with the crisis-hit club.

Napoli came into the match having lost only one of its previous 10 matches in all competition, but Torino was also full of confidence after beating Athletic Bilbao in Spain to also progress to the Europa League round of 16. Glik netted his sixth league goal of the season in the 68th minute, heading home a corner.

Manolo Gabbiadini curled a trademark free kick off the

Fighting in eastern Ukraine displaces Donetsk’s soccer team LVIV, Ukraine — The sleek stadium, built six years ago and host to some of Europe’s biggest soccer matches, is silent. It sits in the middle of the city of Donetsk, a war zone controlled by proRussian separatists battling Ukrainian troops. The $425 million Donbass Arena now serves as a depot and distribution point for supplies of humanitarian aid, stacked in corridors beneath its 52,000 orange-and-black seats.

It is the home of the talented soccer team known as Shakhtar Donetsk — but the squad hasn’t played there since

May 2. The fighting in eastern Ukraine has forced the team to temporarily relocate, playing its home games in the far western city of Lviv, near the border with Poland, more than 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) away.

Players like Ivan Ordets originally packed light for what they thought would be a short stay, living in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev and traveling by bus to the games in Lviv. Nine months later, with the war dragging on through failed cease-fires and nearly 5,800 people killed, the players have rented apart-

FILE - In this Monday, June 6, 2011 file photo, a view of soccer stadium, Donbass Arena, in Donetsk, Ukraine. More than a year ago, Shakhtar Donetsk was poised to become one of European soccer’s giants.

AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, file

ments in Kiev and are starting to build new lives there, but their thoughts never stray far from the conflict.

“It’s the first time in my life that I haven’t been home for a long time,” the 22-year-old Ordets told The Associated Press, tears welling in his eyes.Although his mother has moved with him to Kiev, other relatives remained behind. “My uncle, my aunt, my dad — they’ve stayed in the east of Ukraine,” he added.

“In that way, it’s hard and I’m worried for them.”

Ordets, a defender, is one of the few Ukrainians on Shakhtar Donetsk, a team that includes 13 Brazilians, more than half its roster. He comes from Volnovakha, a small town near Donetsk, but on the Ukrainian government side of the lines.

Last month, a passenger bus in Volnovakha was hit by a shell, killing 13 people. The Ukrainian government accused the Russia-backed separatists, who denied responsibility.

“They’re shooting and it’s not a calm situation there in the town. There’s a lot

of troops in the town,” Ordets said, speaking in a luxury hotel in Kiev that serves as the team’s temporary base.

Some neighborhoods of Donetsk have been wrecked by indiscriminate shelling, and its airport — refurbished and modernized for the 2012 European soccer championships — is in ruins.

The team’s Donbass Arena has suffered some exterior damage from the fighting. Security-camera video from Oct. 20 showed a person was nearly hit by falling glass from the top of the stadium, and the club said it was caused by a shock wave from a nearby explosion, although it added that no one was hurt.

The team takes its name, “Shakhtar,” from the coal miners who work in the industrialized region of the Donbass — or Donetsk Basin — of eastern Ukraine. Most of the residents in the east speak Russian and want closer ties to Moscow, regarding the government in Kiev with suspicion. By contrast,

9

Tello nets 3, Porto beats Sporting 3-0 in Portugal

Torino’ Fabio Quagliarella, top, kicks the ball during a Serie A soccer match between Torino and Napoli at the Olympic stadium, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, March 1, 2015.

LISBON, Portugal — Cristian Tello scored a hat trick to give FC Porto a 3-0 win over Sporting Lisbon at home and keep it in the Portuguese league title race on Sunday.

Tello, on loan from Barcelona, struck his first goal in the

31st minute after being found by Jackson Martinez.

Martinez set up Tello again in the 58th before the Spaniard added a third goal in the 82nd.

Porto stayed within four points of leader Benfica, while Sporting was left in third place at 12

points adrift.

Also on Sunday, Moreirense won 2-1 at bottom side Penafiel, while Arouca drew 1-1 at Academica.

Nacional beat Setubal 3-0 in a game postponed from Saturday because of heavy fog. (ap)

BARCELONA — Real Madrid stumbled to a costly 1-1 draw with Villarreal at home on Sunday to tighten the Spanish league title race. Cristiano Ronaldo gave Madrid the lead in the 52nd minute with a penalty he earned and converted. But Madrid squandered Ronaldo’s league-leading 30th goal of the season when it conceded a goal to Villarreal striker Gerard Moreno.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side still had 25 minutes left to push for a winner in a back-and-forth finale. And even though Ronaldo went close three times to getting a second goal, Madrid also could have lost if not for goalkeeper Iker Casillas’ late save to deny Luciano Vietto.

Madrid inched two points ahead of Barcelona with the fierce rivals approaching their clash at Camp Nou in three rounds. “We dropped two points, but we must make good the advantage we

still have,” said Ancelotti. “As I said before, the league will come down to the last round.”

Besides Barcelona, the other main beneficiary of Madrid’s slip was the defending champion. Atletico Madrid remained seven points adrift in third despite also drawing, 0-0, at fifth-place Sevilla in a tactical battle between managers that ended in a scoreless stalemate.

Villarreal’s gutsy performance confirmed its excellent season. It has hold of sixth place in the league, reached the Europa League’s last 16, and has hopes of overturning a 3-1 deficit when it hosts Barcelona in their second-leg Copa del Rey semifinal on Wednesday. “We had worked hard to win, but we leave with the draw and are very satisfied,” Moreno said.

“We knew that we would have our opportunity.”

Madrid had a lackadaisical start and almost fell behind early when Moreno drew a save from Casillas from close range, and Madrid needed

Dani Carvajal to block Moi Gomez’s follow-up effort with his head in the 12th. With Ronaldo and Karim Benzema oddly subdued, Gareth Bale led Madrid from the right flank. His floated ball clipped the crossbar in the hosts’ best first-half effort three minutes before halftime.

Ronaldo emerged from the break eager to get his 39th goal in all competitions this campaign, and it fell to him after defender Eric Bailly pulled him down in the area. Ronaldo stroked in the spot kick and appeared to have set Madrid on its way to victory.

But Villarreal coach Marcelino Garcia sent on first-choice striker Luciano Vietto and attacking midfielder Manuel Trigueros— who he had rested until then with the Copa del Rey semifinal in mind. Villarreal responded with a series of passes that Madrid player Toni Kroos tried to break, but instead he ended up leaving the ball in perfect condition for Moreno to drive a low, long strike beyond Casillas and into the corner of the net.

“It feels incredibly good to draw here against Madrid, and above all considering the way we did it,” said Marcelino. “The draw was completely deserved.”

Ancelotti threw on strikers Jese Rodriguez and Javier Hernandez, only to see Rodriguez volley the ball wide with goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo off his line. Casillas was then called upon to reach Vietto’s glancing header with four to go. Ronaldo’s bid for last-second heroics never materialized after he sent a header over the bar in stoppage time.

“In the first half we were to slow moving the ball,” said Ancelotti. “In the second half we increased our pace and had more chances, but we didn’t take advantage of them.”

Sevilla remained the only undefeated home side in the league. Even so, it fell seven points behind forthplace Valencia and the last Champions League spot after Valencia won.

Valencia beat Real Sociedad 2-0 at home thanks to Pablo Piatti’s double shortly after halftime. (ap)

Madrid stumbles to 1-1 draw with Villarreal in Spain

AP Photo/ Massimo Pinca

“I didn’t like the game,” a clearly frustrated Rafa Benitez said. “I didn’t like the first half, I didn’t like other things. “I’m disappointed to have lost. I didn’t like our first-half performance, I liked the second up until the mistake for the goal.”

Lazio closed the gap on Napoli to two points with a 3-0 victory at Sassuolo, with goals from Felipe Anderson, Miroslav Klose and Marco Parolo helping the capital club to a third successive win.

Mohamed Salah was on target again as Fiorentina remained a point behind Lazio following a

base of the left upright as Torino held on to stretch its unbeaten run to 12 league matches — its best streak in a season since 1977.

“It’s certainly one of the best weeks since I’ve been at Torino,” Glik said. “An important month is ahead of us and we hope it ends well. I think we’re in great form now, we’re also ready mentally, so we are happy and we’ll keep it going.” (ap)

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

western Ukraine tilts more toward Europe, and the city of Lviv is a stronghold of Ukrainian nationalism.

Shakhtar Donetsk is owned by billionaire RinatAkhmetov, an industrialist who is Ukraine’s richest man. His companies employ thousands in the Donetsk area, he built Donbass Arena, and he has publicly opposed the separatists.

Not surprisingly, Ordets said “all the team, all the guys are for a united Ukraine,” and many of the club’s fans also have been vocal opponents of the rebels. Online forums for Shakhtar supporters are filled with appeals to raise funds for Ukrainian troops trying to retake Donetsk. Some fans sell Shakhtar apparel — normally orange and black — with Ukraine’s national colors of yellow and blue.

Under Akhmetov, the team imported the Brazilian stars en masse with a mission to win the Champions League, Europe’s most prestigious competition. Last year, Shakhtar Donetsk finished atop the Ukrainian Premier League. (ap)

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo gestures during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, March 1, 2015. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

AP Photo/Peter Morrison

FIFA president Sepp Blatter leaves after the International Football Association Board (IFAB) meeting in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015.

Broadcasters propose FIFA election debate to Blatter, rivals

LONDON — Sepp Blatter and his three FIFA presidential election rivals have been invited to participate in a television debate by the BBC and Sky. The Londonbased broadcasters have written to the candidates proposing a one-hour “fans’ congress” live on their globally available channels, websites and Facebook ahead of the election in May. The 78-year-old Blatter is seeking a fifth, four-year term running football. FIFA Vice President Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, Portugal great Luis Figo and Dutch football association chief Michael van Praag want to end Blatter’s reign, which began in 1998.

Prince Ali and Figo have already said publicly they are willing to participate in a debate. In a letter to Blatter seen by The Associated Press, Sky and BBC wrote: “There is significant interest from other candidates.”

The broadcasters would invite supporters representing the 209 FIFA member nations to the de-

bate, with questions coming from the audience and viewers worldwide. They want to air the debate in April or May and a moderator is yet to be decided.

Unlike his rivals, Blatter has not published any details of his plans for FIFA if he wins the secret May 29 election of the 209 national associations.

“We believe this will present an unprecedented opportunity for the candidates to set out their plans and communicate directly with fans from around the world,” Sky News said in a statement. “We hope for a positive response from all four candidates.”

The English Football Association, which has been one of the most vocal anti-Blatter voices in world football, offered its national stadium as a debate location.

“I would love to see the four candidates for this election get in a room together and be questioned,” FA chairman Greg Dyke said. “We would happily host it at Wembley.” (ap)

8

International

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

International

Sp rt

Napoli loses 1-0 at Torino as Lazio closes in on 3rd spot

MILAN — Napoli missed the chance to move level with second-placed Roma as it lost 1-0 at Torino in Serie A on Sunday, while Lazio closed in on third place with the race for the final Champions League spot gathering pace. Kamil Glik scored to boost Torino’s chances of qualifying for Europe and ensure Napoli remained three points behind Roma, which plays Italian league leader Juventus on Monday.

1-0 victory at Inter Milan, while Sampdoria was three points further back after coming from behind to win 2-1 at Atalanta.

Elsewhere, Cagliari lost a relegation battle 2-1 at home to Hellas Verona, fellow struggler Cesena beat Udinese 1-0 and Palermo drew 0-0 at Empoli.

Parma’s match at Genoa was postponed, with the players protesting the situation at the financially-stricken club and the lack of help from the Italian footballing authorities. It was the second match in a row Parma has postponed and all matches this

weekend started 15 minutes late in a show of solidarity with the crisis-hit club.

Napoli came into the match having lost only one of its previous 10 matches in all competition, but Torino was also full of confidence after beating Athletic Bilbao in Spain to also progress to the Europa League round of 16. Glik netted his sixth league goal of the season in the 68th minute, heading home a corner.

Manolo Gabbiadini curled a trademark free kick off the

Fighting in eastern Ukraine displaces Donetsk’s soccer team LVIV, Ukraine — The sleek stadium, built six years ago and host to some of Europe’s biggest soccer matches, is silent. It sits in the middle of the city of Donetsk, a war zone controlled by proRussian separatists battling Ukrainian troops. The $425 million Donbass Arena now serves as a depot and distribution point for supplies of humanitarian aid, stacked in corridors beneath its 52,000 orange-and-black seats.

It is the home of the talented soccer team known as Shakhtar Donetsk — but the squad hasn’t played there since

May 2. The fighting in eastern Ukraine has forced the team to temporarily relocate, playing its home games in the far western city of Lviv, near the border with Poland, more than 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) away.

Players like Ivan Ordets originally packed light for what they thought would be a short stay, living in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev and traveling by bus to the games in Lviv. Nine months later, with the war dragging on through failed cease-fires and nearly 5,800 people killed, the players have rented apart-

FILE - In this Monday, June 6, 2011 file photo, a view of soccer stadium, Donbass Arena, in Donetsk, Ukraine. More than a year ago, Shakhtar Donetsk was poised to become one of European soccer’s giants.

AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, file

ments in Kiev and are starting to build new lives there, but their thoughts never stray far from the conflict.

“It’s the first time in my life that I haven’t been home for a long time,” the 22-year-old Ordets told The Associated Press, tears welling in his eyes.Although his mother has moved with him to Kiev, other relatives remained behind. “My uncle, my aunt, my dad — they’ve stayed in the east of Ukraine,” he added.

“In that way, it’s hard and I’m worried for them.”

Ordets, a defender, is one of the few Ukrainians on Shakhtar Donetsk, a team that includes 13 Brazilians, more than half its roster. He comes from Volnovakha, a small town near Donetsk, but on the Ukrainian government side of the lines.

Last month, a passenger bus in Volnovakha was hit by a shell, killing 13 people. The Ukrainian government accused the Russia-backed separatists, who denied responsibility.

“They’re shooting and it’s not a calm situation there in the town. There’s a lot

of troops in the town,” Ordets said, speaking in a luxury hotel in Kiev that serves as the team’s temporary base.

Some neighborhoods of Donetsk have been wrecked by indiscriminate shelling, and its airport — refurbished and modernized for the 2012 European soccer championships — is in ruins.

The team’s Donbass Arena has suffered some exterior damage from the fighting. Security-camera video from Oct. 20 showed a person was nearly hit by falling glass from the top of the stadium, and the club said it was caused by a shock wave from a nearby explosion, although it added that no one was hurt.

The team takes its name, “Shakhtar,” from the coal miners who work in the industrialized region of the Donbass — or Donetsk Basin — of eastern Ukraine. Most of the residents in the east speak Russian and want closer ties to Moscow, regarding the government in Kiev with suspicion. By contrast,

9

Tello nets 3, Porto beats Sporting 3-0 in Portugal

Torino’ Fabio Quagliarella, top, kicks the ball during a Serie A soccer match between Torino and Napoli at the Olympic stadium, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, March 1, 2015.

LISBON, Portugal — Cristian Tello scored a hat trick to give FC Porto a 3-0 win over Sporting Lisbon at home and keep it in the Portuguese league title race on Sunday.

Tello, on loan from Barcelona, struck his first goal in the

31st minute after being found by Jackson Martinez.

Martinez set up Tello again in the 58th before the Spaniard added a third goal in the 82nd.

Porto stayed within four points of leader Benfica, while Sporting was left in third place at 12

points adrift.

Also on Sunday, Moreirense won 2-1 at bottom side Penafiel, while Arouca drew 1-1 at Academica.

Nacional beat Setubal 3-0 in a game postponed from Saturday because of heavy fog. (ap)

BARCELONA — Real Madrid stumbled to a costly 1-1 draw with Villarreal at home on Sunday to tighten the Spanish league title race. Cristiano Ronaldo gave Madrid the lead in the 52nd minute with a penalty he earned and converted. But Madrid squandered Ronaldo’s league-leading 30th goal of the season when it conceded a goal to Villarreal striker Gerard Moreno.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side still had 25 minutes left to push for a winner in a back-and-forth finale. And even though Ronaldo went close three times to getting a second goal, Madrid also could have lost if not for goalkeeper Iker Casillas’ late save to deny Luciano Vietto.

Madrid inched two points ahead of Barcelona with the fierce rivals approaching their clash at Camp Nou in three rounds. “We dropped two points, but we must make good the advantage we

still have,” said Ancelotti. “As I said before, the league will come down to the last round.”

Besides Barcelona, the other main beneficiary of Madrid’s slip was the defending champion. Atletico Madrid remained seven points adrift in third despite also drawing, 0-0, at fifth-place Sevilla in a tactical battle between managers that ended in a scoreless stalemate.

Villarreal’s gutsy performance confirmed its excellent season. It has hold of sixth place in the league, reached the Europa League’s last 16, and has hopes of overturning a 3-1 deficit when it hosts Barcelona in their second-leg Copa del Rey semifinal on Wednesday. “We had worked hard to win, but we leave with the draw and are very satisfied,” Moreno said.

“We knew that we would have our opportunity.”

Madrid had a lackadaisical start and almost fell behind early when Moreno drew a save from Casillas from close range, and Madrid needed

Dani Carvajal to block Moi Gomez’s follow-up effort with his head in the 12th. With Ronaldo and Karim Benzema oddly subdued, Gareth Bale led Madrid from the right flank. His floated ball clipped the crossbar in the hosts’ best first-half effort three minutes before halftime.

Ronaldo emerged from the break eager to get his 39th goal in all competitions this campaign, and it fell to him after defender Eric Bailly pulled him down in the area. Ronaldo stroked in the spot kick and appeared to have set Madrid on its way to victory.

But Villarreal coach Marcelino Garcia sent on first-choice striker Luciano Vietto and attacking midfielder Manuel Trigueros— who he had rested until then with the Copa del Rey semifinal in mind. Villarreal responded with a series of passes that Madrid player Toni Kroos tried to break, but instead he ended up leaving the ball in perfect condition for Moreno to drive a low, long strike beyond Casillas and into the corner of the net.

“It feels incredibly good to draw here against Madrid, and above all considering the way we did it,” said Marcelino. “The draw was completely deserved.”

Ancelotti threw on strikers Jese Rodriguez and Javier Hernandez, only to see Rodriguez volley the ball wide with goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo off his line. Casillas was then called upon to reach Vietto’s glancing header with four to go. Ronaldo’s bid for last-second heroics never materialized after he sent a header over the bar in stoppage time.

“In the first half we were to slow moving the ball,” said Ancelotti. “In the second half we increased our pace and had more chances, but we didn’t take advantage of them.”

Sevilla remained the only undefeated home side in the league. Even so, it fell seven points behind forthplace Valencia and the last Champions League spot after Valencia won.

Valencia beat Real Sociedad 2-0 at home thanks to Pablo Piatti’s double shortly after halftime. (ap)

Madrid stumbles to 1-1 draw with Villarreal in Spain

AP Photo/ Massimo Pinca

“I didn’t like the game,” a clearly frustrated Rafa Benitez said. “I didn’t like the first half, I didn’t like other things. “I’m disappointed to have lost. I didn’t like our first-half performance, I liked the second up until the mistake for the goal.”

Lazio closed the gap on Napoli to two points with a 3-0 victory at Sassuolo, with goals from Felipe Anderson, Miroslav Klose and Marco Parolo helping the capital club to a third successive win.

Mohamed Salah was on target again as Fiorentina remained a point behind Lazio following a

base of the left upright as Torino held on to stretch its unbeaten run to 12 league matches — its best streak in a season since 1977.

“It’s certainly one of the best weeks since I’ve been at Torino,” Glik said. “An important month is ahead of us and we hope it ends well. I think we’re in great form now, we’re also ready mentally, so we are happy and we’ll keep it going.” (ap)

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

western Ukraine tilts more toward Europe, and the city of Lviv is a stronghold of Ukrainian nationalism.

Shakhtar Donetsk is owned by billionaire RinatAkhmetov, an industrialist who is Ukraine’s richest man. His companies employ thousands in the Donetsk area, he built Donbass Arena, and he has publicly opposed the separatists.

Not surprisingly, Ordets said “all the team, all the guys are for a united Ukraine,” and many of the club’s fans also have been vocal opponents of the rebels. Online forums for Shakhtar supporters are filled with appeals to raise funds for Ukrainian troops trying to retake Donetsk. Some fans sell Shakhtar apparel — normally orange and black — with Ukraine’s national colors of yellow and blue.

Under Akhmetov, the team imported the Brazilian stars en masse with a mission to win the Champions League, Europe’s most prestigious competition. Last year, Shakhtar Donetsk finished atop the Ukrainian Premier League. (ap)

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo gestures during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, March 1, 2015. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

AP Photo/Peter Morrison

FIFA president Sepp Blatter leaves after the International Football Association Board (IFAB) meeting in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015.

Broadcasters propose FIFA election debate to Blatter, rivals

LONDON — Sepp Blatter and his three FIFA presidential election rivals have been invited to participate in a television debate by the BBC and Sky. The Londonbased broadcasters have written to the candidates proposing a one-hour “fans’ congress” live on their globally available channels, websites and Facebook ahead of the election in May. The 78-year-old Blatter is seeking a fifth, four-year term running football. FIFA Vice President Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, Portugal great Luis Figo and Dutch football association chief Michael van Praag want to end Blatter’s reign, which began in 1998.

Prince Ali and Figo have already said publicly they are willing to participate in a debate. In a letter to Blatter seen by The Associated Press, Sky and BBC wrote: “There is significant interest from other candidates.”

The broadcasters would invite supporters representing the 209 FIFA member nations to the de-

bate, with questions coming from the audience and viewers worldwide. They want to air the debate in April or May and a moderator is yet to be decided.

Unlike his rivals, Blatter has not published any details of his plans for FIFA if he wins the secret May 29 election of the 209 national associations.

“We believe this will present an unprecedented opportunity for the candidates to set out their plans and communicate directly with fans from around the world,” Sky News said in a statement. “We hope for a positive response from all four candidates.”

The English Football Association, which has been one of the most vocal anti-Blatter voices in world football, offered its national stadium as a debate location.

“I would love to see the four candidates for this election get in a room together and be questioned,” FA chairman Greg Dyke said. “We would happily host it at Wembley.” (ap)

10

Destination

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Sports

International

International

MANGUPURA - Nungnung waterfall has increased in popularity for French and German visitors to Bali. The waterfalls are located near the village of Plaga in the area of Petang, Northern Badung, The way down to the source of the water is about 50 meters and used to be very difficult and steep. But now it can be easily reached through hundreds of concrete stairs. The idea to build these stairs was initiated by the people who live in the neighborhood in cooperation with the government. It takes about 60 minutes (40 km) from Denpasar to get to the location of the waterfalls by bus. Walking up and down the stairs is not as tiring as it sounds, thanks to the cool air in the mountain which makes the body fresh, as does the surrounding panorama.

While having a rest we can breathe the fresh air and enjoy the beautiful scenery, which soon drives away all feelings of fatigue. Not far from the waterfalls, visitors can see the process of making wooden statues in Banjar Kerta, and in Banjar Sekarmukti, Plaga. They can observe traditional and modern painters in Banjar Batulantang or gold and silver handicraft artists and songket weavers in Carangsari Village. If visitors want to take a rest or spend a night, they can make use of the bungalows in the village of Plaga. The weather in Plaga village is cold, It is geographically similar to Kintamani and Bedugul since the village is located next to the two resorts, which have been famous for a lot longer.

Food, drink and bathing are not a problem in the Plaga bungalows since everything is available, Alter having a rest visitors may continue the trip from Plaga village to Kintamani in the east or Bedugul in the west.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Rafael Nadal won his first title in nearly nine months Sunday after defeating Juan Monaco 6-4, 6-1 at the Argentina Open. The top-seeded Spaniard hadn’t reached a final since winning at Roland Garros last year.

It was Nadal’s 46th title on clay, moving him within three of the record set by Argentine Guillermo Vilas when he played in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Nadal broke Monaco’s serve late in the first set to take a 1-0 lead against the 60th-ranked Argentine, then dominated the second to close out the match in 1 hour, 26 minutes. Rain delayed and interrupted the match in Buenos Aires.

“It was a complicated day for

everybody,” Nadal said. “Both for me and (Monaco) but especially for the fans who had to wait. We have to thank them for staying here until the end.” Nadal, who had to deal with injuries in recent months, now has 65 singles titles.

Vilas, ranked No. 2 in the world in 1975, won a total of 62 singles titles. The 62-year-old former player was at the final in Buenos Aires on Sunday.

The fourth-ranked Nadal was

coming off elimination in the semifinal of the Rio Open. It was his first title in Argentina, where he hadn’t played since 2005.

It is the seventh consecutive year that a Spaniard player has won the Argentina Open. David Ferrer won three titles in a row from 2012-2014. (ap)

Rafael Nadal, of Spain, lifts his trophy after winning the final tennis match at the ATP Argentina Open against Juan Monaco, of Argentina, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, March 1, 2015. Nadal won 6-4, 6-1.

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AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano

Harden’s 33 points leads Rockets over Cavs 105-103 in OT

HOUSTON — James Harden scored 33 points and LeBron James missed a pair of free throws with 4.2 seconds left in overtime, helping the Houston Rockets hold on for a 105-103 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. James hit a 3-pointer with 43.5 seconds left to get Cleveland within one point. Harden and James got tangled up on Houston’s next possession, but no foul was called and the shot clock expired.

James drove into the lane and was fouled by Josh Smith, but missed both free throws to finish 3 for 11 at the line. Harden, who had his 26th 30-point game this season, added a free throw and Cleveland missed a 3 at the buzzer.

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Nadal beats Monaco to win 1st title in nearly 9 months

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AP Photo/Pat Sullivan

Houston Rockets’ James Harden (13) pushes against Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James (23) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 1, 2015, in Houston.

The Rockets won 105-103 in overtime.

technicals and a flagrant foul by Harden on James. The Cavaliers had a chance to win in regulation but James held the ball until right before the buzzer and his jump shot bounced off the rim.

Golden State’s Stephen Curry scored 37 points, making four straight free throws to clinch it in the final seconds as the Warriors erased a 26-point deficit to beat the Boston Celtics 106-101.

Golden State won for the seventh time in nine games and ended Boston’s three-game winning streak.

Klay Thompson scored 20 for the Warriors, Harrison Barnes had 17 and Draymond Green scored 11 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Isaiah Thomas scored 20 points off the bench for Boston.

In Chicago, DeAndre Jordan had 26 rebounds and Chris Paul scored 28 points to lead the Los Angeles Clippers past the Chicago Bulls 96-86.

Los Angeles was behind 7675 when Jamal Crawford made a 3-pointer with 8:02 left. The Clippers never trailed the rest of the way. After a scoreless first half, Crawford had 16 points in the final two quarters. Bulls rookie reserve Nikola Mirotic scored a careerhigh 29 points. (ap)

6

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

W

RLD

AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, right, meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Monday, March 2, 2015 in Geneva. The meeting came amid continuing tensions over Ukraine and American calls for a full probe into the murder of a prominent opposition figure in Moscow.

Kerry, Russian FM meet in Geneva as Ukraine tensions simmer

GENEVA — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Monday with his Russian counterpart in what appeared to be less than amicable talks amid continuing tensions over Ukraine and American calls for a full probe into the murder of a prominent opposition figure in Moscow.

Kerry and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke for roughly 80 minutes at a Geneva hotel, according to the State Department, which did not immediately provide details of the discussion. Kerry said in a tweet that they talked about Ukraine, Syria and ongoing negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.

But in a change from their usual cordial encounters for cameras, neither man smiled or spoke substantively as they shook hands at the start of the talks that took place less than a week after Kerry told Congress that Russian officials have lied to his face about Moscow’s role in Ukraine.

That comment drew a rebuke from the Russian foreign ministry. U.S. officials have pointed out that Kerry did not specifically accuse Lavrov of lying to him. They say he was referring to public statements and media reports, although Lavrov is the only Russian official Kerry is

known to have met face-to-face in recent months. The pair last met in February on the sidelines of an international security conference in Munich shortly before a new Ukraine ceasefire agreement was agreed upon.

Both Ukraine and the Russianbacked rebels have accused each other of violating the truce and the meeting comes as the U.S. and its European allies contemplate additional sanctions on Russia for its actions in Ukraine.

In his congressional testimony last week, Kerry said that fresh U.S. sanctions had already been prepared and suggested they could be implemented soon.

However, U.S. officials have said since that they will wait to see if the ceasefire and follow-on commitments to end the violence in Ukraine’s east are complied with before putting the sanctions in place.

As the two men met, the Geneva-based U.N. human rights office

said that more than 6,000 people have died in eastern Ukraine since the start of the conflict almost a year ago. It said the fighting has led to a “merciless devastation of civilian lives and infrastructure.”

Hundreds of civilians and military personnel have been killed in recent weeks alone after an upswing in fighting particularly near Donetsk airport and in the Debaltseve area, the body said in a report covering the period from December to February. The strategic railroad town of Debaltseve was captured from Ukrainian government forces last month by pro-Russian separatists.

While Russia denies its troops are fighting in Ukraine, the U.N. cited “credible reports (that) indicate a continuing flow of heavy weaponry and foreign fighters” from Russia. Kerry and Lavrov are to address the U.N. Human Rights Council separately later Monday. (ap)

International

Chinese shoppers latest target of Hong Kong protest anger HONG KONG — Hong Kong police arrested nearly three dozen people Sunday after scuffles broke out in the latest protest against the growing influx of mainland Chinese shoppers. Police officers drew batons and used pepper spray on the crowds after the demonstration in a border town turned unruly. The protesters clashed with crowds of residents opposed to the event who taunted them along the route.

Police said 38 people were arrested including a 13-year-old boy and 10 officers were injured. Hundreds turned out for the third major protest in the past month to target the mainland shoppers, who have been blamed for voracious buying habits that distort the local economy.

The protesters marched in the suburban district of Yuen Long, near the border with China. The route went through a neighborhood with dozens of pharmacies selling imported baby formula to cater to mainland shoppers.

Chinese shun domestic brands after repeated food safety scares including a 2008 melamine-tainted milk scandal that killed at least six babies.

Baby formula is such a hot commodity for mainland visitors that

Hong Kong, which has a reputation for authentic and high-quality goods, restricts the amount people can take out of the city.

Smartphones, cosmetics, medicine and luxury goods are also popular purchases in Hong Kong, where a lack of sales tax makes them cheaper. The shoppers, usually seen in big groups with wheelie suitcases, often work for shadowy networks that organize the resale of the goods across the border for a profit, in what’s known as parallel trading.

“There is a lot of anger from other people on Chinese smugglers because we just don’t like how they drive up all the prices, drive up everything, create a lot of chaos, and we aren’t benefiting from it,” said protester Kelvin Lee, who was with Hong Kong Indigenous, one of two groups that organized the demonstration.

The Yuen Long demonstration follows two other rowdy protests at shopping malls in other parts of Hong Kong’s northern suburbs last month. Police also drew batons and unleashed pepper spray against protesters heckling Chinese shoppers at those demonstrations, arresting a total of 19 people. (ap)

PARIS — France’s foreign minister is calling for an investigation into the killing of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, calling it an “assassination that was revolting.”

Laurent Fabius said on BFM television Monday that the shooting of Nemtsov in Moscow on Friday night “raises a series of questions.” He insisted on a thorough investigation, but would not comment on whether he thought Russian authorities’ ef-

forts would be sufficient.

Russian investigators have said they are looking into several possible motives forA the killing. The opposition sees the Kremlin as responsible, while Vladimir Putin’s spokesman called it a “provocation,” possibly to discredit Russia’s leadership.

Noting killings of other Russian opposition figures in the past, Fabius said, “The fact is that it is not good to be an opposition figure in Russia.” (ap)

French foreign minister wants probe into Nemtsov killing

International

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

INDONESIA Inflation slows on lower fuel, food costs

JAKARTA - Inflation slowed further in February, official data showed Monday, owing to the lower cost of fuel and some staple foods in Southeast Asia’s top economy.

Prices rose 6.29 percent year-on-year last month, slowing from a 6.96 percent rise in January, according to data from the statistics agency.

The rate had accelerated in recent months after the new government reduced huge subsidies on petrol and diesel, pushing up the cost of transportation and delivering goods.

But after the price of oil fell dramatically, the government decided to almost entirely scrap the decades-old fuel subsidy regime.

Because of the the collapse in global oil prices, letting fuel float with the market actually reduced costs, which has fed through to lower inflation.

February’s slowdown was “caused by low prices of staple foods such as chillies, onions and transportation as a result of lower fuel prices”, said statistics agency official Sasmito Hadi Wi-

bowo.

Lower inflation last month prompted the central Bank Indonesia to announce a shock cut in its key interest rate, reducing it 25 basis points to 7.50 percent, saying it was confident prices would remain under control.

An aggressive cycle of rate rises had been blamed in part for a slowdown in economic growth, which has sunk to five-year lows.

Bank Indonesia last week suggested further rate cuts could follow, prompting the rupiah to fall to a near 17-year low.

Separately, HSBC said its purchasing managers’ index of Indonesia’s manufacturing activity hit a record low of 47.5 in February, down from 48.5 in January.

A reading above 50 indicates growth, while below 50 indicates contraction. (afp)

Bangladesh arrests suspect in killing of American blogger DHAKA, Banglades — Bangladesh security officials say they have arrested a leading suspect in the hacking death of an American blogger who wrote against religious extremism.

The elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion force says the suspect, Farabi Shafiur Rahman, was arrested Monday, four days after at least two attackers killed Avijit Roy with meat cleavers on a crowded sidewalk in

Dhaka.

It says Rahman had threatened to kill Roy in posts on Facebook. Rahman, who has strongly denounced atheism, was arrested previously for threatening an imam who performed funeral prayers for an atheist blogger who was killed in 2013.

Roy, a Bangladesh-born U.S. citizen, was a prominent voice against religious intolerance. His wife was also injured in the attack. (ap)

AP Photo/Dita Alangkara

Police officers examine the newly-recovered remains of the fuselage of the ill-fated AirAsia Flight 8501 on the deck of rescue ship Crest Onyx at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, March 2, 2015. The Airbus A320-200 with 162 people on board crashed into the Java Sea on Dec. 28, 2014 while flying from Surabaya, East Java, to Singapore.

11

President affirmed no clemency for drug traffickers on death row

JAKARTA - No clemency will be granted to drug traffickers who have been sentenced to death, President Joko Widodo stated. “It (capital punishment) is still our positive law, and it is not the president who decides the death penalty, but it is the court’s verdict. The president is only requested to grant clemency, but there is no clemency for drug traffickers,” the president remarked on Monday.

As 50 people die every day due to drug consumption, therefore drug offenders should not be given clemency, he emphasized. “How can we give them clemency when 50 people die every day, 18 thousand die every year, and 4.5 million people need rehabilitation? I say no, no clemency for such crimes,” he stated.

He affirmed that no country should interfere in Indonesia’s legal sovereignty.

Executions of drug-related criminals on death row are part of the legal sovereignty of Indonesia, he noted.

The attorney general plans to execute 11 criminals, comprising eight involved in drug offenses and three in murders.

The 11 people are Syofial, alias Iyen bin Azwar (Indonesian), for a murder case; Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso (Filipino) for a drug case; Myuran Sukumaran, alias Mark (Australian), for drug smuggling; Harun bin Ajis (Indonesian) for murder; Sargawi, alias Ali bin Sanusi (Indonesian), for murder; Serge Areski Atlaoui (French) for a drug-related case; Martin Anderson, alias Belo (Ghanian), for a drug case; Zainal Abidin (Indonesian) for a drug case; Raheem Agbaje Salami (Cordovan) for a drug case; Rodrigo Gularte (Brazilian) for a drug case; and Andrew Chan (Australian) for a drug case.

Taking a firm stance against drug dealers in January, the government of President Joko Widodo in January 2015 executed six convicted drug dealers on death row.

Besides one of its own citizens, the convicts were from Malawi, Nigeria, Vietnam, Brazil, and the Netherlands.

The executions prompted Brazil and the Netherlands to recall their ambassadors in protest. (ant)

MAGELANG - Elephant rides are a favorite among both domestic and foreign tourists visiting Borobudur Temple, the world’s largest Buddhist Temple, located in Magelang, Central Java Province.

Five elephants are ready to entertain the tourists interested in riding them to tour Borobudur Temple or just around Lumbini Park, Aryono Hendro Malyanto of the Borobudur Temple Tourism Park (TWCB) stated recently.

Some elephant tourism packages are offered to tourists at a fee of up to Rp1.5 million per person.

The tourists are taken on a ride through the green rice fields in Tanjung Sari Village and later through Nglipoh Village, which is known for its earthenware craft industry.

The elephants will also take the tourists to Kali Tengah traditional market and Nampan Village, where the scenery is dominated by rice fields.

“Mostly foreign tourists are interested to opt for the ride as it is quite costly,” he noted.

Some 10 to 100 tourists daily opt for the elephant ride around Borobudur Temple.

In the meantime, the TWCB management has been promoting the

world’s largest Buddhist temple overseas to lure foreign tourists. “We still rely on overseas promotional activities to attract foreign tourists,” Malyanto added.

The promotional activities have been carried out in cooperation with the Indonesian embassies and the tourism ministry. This week, a promotional event is being organized in India, which is hosting an International Ramayana Festival in New Delhi.

“In March, we will hold promotional activities in the Netherlands and Germany,” he noted.

Some 211,004 foreign tourists visited Borobudur Temple in 2014.

The largest number of tourists came from the Netherlands, with 42,096 people, followed by Japan 38,543; Malaysia 26,531; and France 25,608.

The huge mountain temple of Borobudur was built during the reign of a king of the Saliendra Dynasty between A.D. 750 and 842. Located about 42 kilometers from the city of Yogyakarta, Borobudur is one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world and was included on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1991, as mentioned by UNESCO on its official website. (ant)

Tourist opt for elephant rides at Borobudur Temple

12

International

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

BUSINESS Oil prices stabilise in Asian trade

SINGAPORE - Oil prices stabilised in Asia Monday following sharp gains in the previous session as dealers predicted the end of volatile trading and the beaten-down commodity bottoming out, analysts said.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for April delivery fell 36 cents to $49.40 while Brent crude eased 41 cents to $62.17 in afternoon trade.

WTI advanced $1.59 while Brent gained a hefty $2.53 on Friday.

WTI, after falling in early 2015 to a six-year low, swung wildly in February, but finished the month a little more than $1.50 higher.

By contrast, Brent gained about $12.

Crude oil has lost about 50 percent of its value since June, largely due to a global supply glut partially caused by surging US shale production.

“Although there is still a global supply glut, oil prices are on a general increasing trend especially with the falling rig count numbers indicating that US shale is responding to low prices,” Ken Hasegawa, energy trading manager at Newedge Group in Tokyo, told AFP. The weekly Baker Hughes US drilling rig count showed the number of rigs in operation fell by 33 to 986 in the week to February 27. The count is down 39 percent since October, according to Bloomberg News.

Hasegawa said thin losses in Asian trading early Monday was possibly due to “a profit-taking setting coming into play”.

Analysts said dealers will next be scrutinising a slew of US economic data to be released later Monday for clues on demand prospects in the world’s biggest crude consumer. (afp)

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

5

Melanting waterfall

A natural wonder attracting European travelers

The 2015 Mercedes AMG GT S is displayed on the opening day of the 2015 Chicago Auto Show. Small SUVs for families and powerful sports cars for the rich are the big things at this year’s Geneva International Motor Show. Environmentally correct electrics and hybrids, not so much — thanks to cheaper gas and limits on battery life.

SINGARAJA - Buleleng County is known as an area with many natural features with tourism potential. Gitgit Waterfall, for instance, located in Sukasada subdistrict has been widely known in the world of tourism. With the development of the tourist industry in Buleleng, some other potential waterfall attractions are being developed in North Bali that are no less interesting.

AP Photo/Sun-Times Media, James Foster

Small SUVs, pricey sports cars dominate at Geneva auto show FRANKFURT — Small SUVs for families and powerful sports cars for the rich are the big things at this year’s Geneva International Motor Show. Environmentally correct electrics and hybrids, not so much — thanks to cheaper gas and limits on battery life.

Analysts say this show is more about the search for hit vehicles than new technology, since automakers are trying to boost sales as Europe slowly recovers from its debt crisis.

Car registrations in the 28-country European Union increased 5.6 percent last year to 12.5 million, but remain woefully below their peak of around 16 million in 2007. High unemployment and weak growth are still holding back the industry, despite 17 straight months of increasing sales.

And there are headwinds from Russia, which appears headed for recession after the ruble’s plunge.

On the other side of the ledger, expensive new luxury and sports cars will cater to demands from buyers in the recovering U.S. economy and China.

Small SUVs and car-like SUVs known as crossovers have become a hot seller for growth-hungry automakers. The category will get even more crowded with new vehicles on

Bali News

International

display at Geneva. Renault will offer the Kadjar, a crossover in two- or four-wheel drive versions, while Honda blurs the borders between car and hatchback with its new HR-V, touting acoustic insulation that reduces road noise and three different ways to configure the interior to carry things. At the higher priced end, Infiniti shows off its QX30 concept with carbon-fiber trim and big 21-inch wheels. Concepts are clues to what the company may introduce in the future.

Small SUVs are the same length as compact or smaller midsize cars, but have more ground clearance and off-road features such as cladding protecting the wheel wells and underside.

High-priced sports cars and luxury vehicles will be on display in abundance. Audi is showing a new version of its R8 with a 10-cylinder engine churning out 610 horsepower and acceleration of 0-100 kph (0-62 mph) in only 3.2 seconds. It’s priced

at 165,000 euros ($185,000) for the basic version, 187,000 euros ($202,000) for the more powerful one and goes on sale in Europe this summer.

For those lusting after a bit more pickup, the McLaren 675LT offers 0-100 kph in 2.9 seconds and 0-200 kph in 7.9 seconds, on your way to a top speed of 330 kph (205 mph). The engine puts out 675 horsepower under the metric PS standard. The price will be around $345,000 when the car goes on sale later this year, although the U.S. version is already sold out.

Ferrari will join in with its 488 GTB, powered by a turbocharged eight-cylinder engine.

In the ultra-luxury market, Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz has the Maybach Pullman, a stretched highend version of its S-class. It’s 6.5 meters (21 feet) long and lets people in the back sit facing each other behind an electric partition window separating them from the chauffeur.

Prices start at around 500,000 euros ($560,000).

Electric models and hybrids have lost some buzz. They are still arriving, as Mercedes introduces a plug-in hybrid version of its C-class

sedan. Problem is, as a class they don’t sell well yet. Only 75,331 electrics and hybrids were sold in the EU last year. That’s up 37 percent, but their limited range and higher costs mean little demand aside from environmental enthusiasts.

“You’ve got low gas prices at the moment, and the e-mobility issue is at a very difficult phase of development,” said Stefan Bratzel, an industry expert at the University of Applied Sciences in Bergisch Gladbach.

For electric sales to take off, he said, the battery range will have to expand from around 150 kilometers (93 miles) now to 400-500 kilometers (250-310 miles), and there have to be more charging stations. That could happen — but not this year.

One of BMW’s new vehicles is the 2-Series Gran Tourer, a sevenseat family vehicle that’s something of a contrast with the company’s powerful sedans and SUVs. Analysts say luxury carmakers have dipped into more moderately priced categories in search of more sales revenue. The basic version starts at 26,950 euros ($30,000) in Germany. (ap)

Melanting waterfall located in Banjar subdistrict is one of them. As it is introduced through a limited promotional effort, this attraction can be said to have its own following among visitors. By and large, visitors to the waterfall are travelers from Europe, chiefly French tourists on trekking package tours. French tourists not only enjoy the Melanting waterfall, but are also attracted by the atmosphere of rural agro-tourism, around Munduk village.

Unspoiled natural scenery, the traditional farming system and the art potential seem to be a magnet for travelers. The Melanting waterfall ion is topographically located at the border of Munduk village and Gobleg village in Banjar subdistrict. To reach the waterfall, travelers can come from Lovina tourist area about 30 kilometers to the south. In addition, travelers can come from Denpasar overland in approximately one and a half hour by car.

Runoff from the twin lakes (Lake IBP/File Photo Buyan and Lake Tamblingan) in the Melanting waterfall located in Banjar subdistrict is one of them. As it is introduced through a south flows swiftly in the river passlimited promotional effort, this attraction can be said to have its own following among visitors. ing the two neighboring villages. The

first waterfall has a height of about 30 meters, while the second one is 60 meters high. Following the river from the first waterfall over rough terrain there are five more waterfalls of varying heights. Since Munduk has developed into a village with tourist accommodations managed by local people, most travelers prefer to stay at Munduk and take a trekking package to Melanting waterfall. From the center of Munduk village, travelers can reach this object by walking a distance of approximately 300 meters.

Along the trekking path, traveler is pampered by panoramic views of pristine nature. Clove plantation and rice paddies garnish this unforgettable and beautiful area. The crystal clear river and scenic Melanting waterfall are provide the perfect location for taking pictures.

Pools provide an allure for travelers to swim in cold water. “This object is visited by travelers from Europe that love natural landscapes and it dominates their visit to our village,” said Chief of Munduk customary village, Jro Putu Ardana. (mud)

Blahbatuh Grand Palace as center of art conservation

Palace is the ancient royal house. As the ruler of kingdom, all the materials and design of the building are selected from the best quality. Besides, the architect is not arbitrary and the design is unique as well as hard to replicate. Last but not least, the making also considers the auspicious day, so that when entering the palace, visitors will feel different and the divine vibration or taksu really exists.

The atmosphere can be intensely felt when visiting the Blahbatuh Grand Palace. The palace located at Kebon hamlet, Blahbatuh village, Gianyar—about 18 km from Denpasar still preserves all the existing buildings. The layout is based on the Asta Kosala Kosali (Balinese geomancy). “Even, if there are damaged buildings, they will be repaired in accordance with the original design,” said AA Kakarsana, a descendant of Blahbatuh kingdom.

Sublime, wise and authoritative impression remains visible here.

Spatial division is nicely arranged into the outermost, middle and innermost courtyard and the architecture

is still original. Even, there is a carving pattern that cannot be replicated, no matter if it is done by a skilled craftsman. “Gunung rata located in the Rajadani building (a royal room) is still in the original design and no one can imitate it,” he said.

Its ornament tells a story and contains a philosophy of life. It is made of bricks producing a neat slanting formation. Since it is sanctified, any woman who gets her period is not allowed to come in and this prohibition also applies to all the royal family members. A Vietnam War general veteran from the United States has visited the architecture for four times. “We ever asked people to plagiarize the wall ornamental style, but none were successful,” he affirmed.

People coming into the palace area must pass through the gates made in traditional architectural style. Beautiful garden is overgrown by colorful flowers denoting the native plants to the Island of the Gods. Similarly, the big trees grow sustainably in the palace area belong to rare plants. “We deliberately

plant the rare species belonging to Balinese ancestors. Aside from preserving, these trees can also exude a positive aura,” he said.

Loji, a building for hosting guests remains sturdy and applies traditional ornament. Meanwhile, in the next building is stored a gamelan set that is usually played by natural artists from local village.

Meanwhile, weaving activity used to be performed by royal ladies in the past remains to survive. However, it is carried out by some artisans living close to royal palace.

On Saturdays and Sundays or any particular time, the area is thronged by kids. They learn to dance and play gamelan music. It is a cultural course organized at free of charge and instructors are specially brought in to the palace.

“We want to preserve the function of palace as a center for cultural preservation. Besides, it also poses an attempt to encourage younger generation to love their cultural heritages,” he said.

Sacred objects such as the Gajah Mada mask and Ki Tunjung Tutur

Blahbatuh Grand Palace

weapon (in the form of large blowpipe) and puppet gambuh make this palace more unique. Other than community leaders and government officials, many tourists also make a visit. “We remain open for tourists who want to make a visit, but there are certain norms to be followed,” he said.

IBP/File Photo

Kakarsana then pointed out that it was not allowed to organize any wedding ritual or other rituals in the royal palace. Meanwhile, reception or art performance was still allowed. Even, the royal party would support it. According to him, it was carried out to keep the sacred culture. (kmb)

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Tuesday, March 3, 2015

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Tourism thrives in Malaysia despite association with tragedy

Murder victim’s wife had proposed a divorce DENPASAR – The murder of a 60 year old British citizen, Robert Kevin Ellis, currently in court. The defendant, Julaikah Noor Aini, the victim’s wife, has revealed the hidden story behind the couple’s relationship. In fact, the defendant had attempted to have a reconciliation after disputes because the victim was alleged to have an affair with another woman.

Information was gathered for a divorce suit filed on June 4, 2014 in the Denpasar District Court. However, the lawsuit was stopped because there was information that the relationship of the plaintiff had improved. Then another dispute occurred which led to the murder of Robert Kevin Ellis aka Mr. Bob. Legal counsel of Noor Aini, Nyoman Wisnu and Ketut Suwiga Arya Dauh, discussed the circumstances saying that their client had filed the divorce four months before the murder of the foreigner. “Yes, we are accompanying her at the time,” said Wisnu. What was the basis of the suit? Wisnu said there was a presence of a third party, namely another woman in their household. “Besides, there was domestic violence and he does not become a good husband to her children,” added Wisnu.

Before the marriage, Noor has owned a business and they started up a business together in Jakarta moving to Bali in 2001.

Bob continued to develop his business in Jakarta. In Bali Noor served as chairperson of the company in the construction field and then expanded into property and water sports.

According to another legal counsel, Arya Dauh, she was an independent woman and worked to support herself. Meanwhile, the joint venture with her husband was more intended for her children.

Asked about the murder case, Wisnu said that he just knew if Noor Aini was involved in the murder after police investigation. According to him, Noor shared her problem with a housemaid, and was taken seriously. After the reconciliation and another dispute, Noor wanted to improve her relationship and had proposed shock therapy. But, in fact the murder occurred. (kmb37)

W

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Two airplane catastrophes put Malaysia on the map in a bad way in 2014. But they didn’t hurt the country’s tourism, and the higher visibility may even have helped: visitor numbers had their strongest growth in years.

The tunnel which lead water to the ricefield in Banjarangkan damage and causing many hectares of rice plants suffer from drought

IBP/File

Water tunnel of Dutch heritage breaks down

244 hectares of rice field threatened to face harvest failure SEMARAPURA - Heavy rain flushing the region of Klungkung lately caused the water tunnel to Subak Dlod Banjarangkan to break down. The tunnel located at Tusan village, Banjarangkan is damaged along six times six meters with a height of seven meters above the river. As a result, about 244 hectares of paddy field at Subak Dlod Banjarangkan are threatened to face crop failure. Moreover, the subak area has entered rice planting season.

Other than threatening paddy fields at Subak Banjarangkan, this channel also irrigates the area of Subak Tulikup, Gianyar. Precisely the tunnel is located under the Dalem Kayu Putih Temple, Tusan.

It is the main tunnel made during the Dutch era. A local resident doubling as subak member, Wayan Edik Arianta, when encountered said the water tunnel collapsed when it rained heavily four days ago. Before collapsing, the tunnel with a diameter of 1.5 meters was clogged with rubbish. So, when heavy rain

occurred the tunnel collapsed.

For the time being, the water cannot flow into the tunnel and was wasted into the river. According to Edik, some subak members hoped the Klungkung and Bali government could find solution and help so that the tunnel could be functioned again. Moreover, the Subak Dlod Banjarangkan spreading across the area of 244 hectares was ahead of planting season. “Without an immediate repair, we can be threatened by crop failure,” he said.

Meanwhile, the tunnel break-

down at Tusan village also drew the attention of Klungkung Regent, Nyoman Suwirta. With subdistrict head of Banjarangkan, Komang Wisnuadi and Spokesperson, Wayan Parna, the regent came down to check the subak irrigation building and the collapsed tunnel.

But to get to the location of the collapsed tunnel should go through a fairly difficult terrain. Regent Suwirta and the entourage could just arrive at location after walking through paddy fields as far as about one kilometer.

After checking the condition of the collapsed water tunnel, Suwirta admitted that he would seek to address the damage. Moreover, the tunnel was in the category of disaster. Then regent would also make coordination with the Klungkung Disaster Mitigation Agency

(BPBD) regarding the handling.

Nonetheless, this regent from Nusa Penida invited subak members as well as the personnel of Indonesian Military and National Police to repair it together.

“For the time being, we will invite subak members to perform mutual works, including inviting the personnel of the Indonesian Military and National Police to help,” he said.

But for long term, Suwirta said that since it belonged to main channel, it also became the authority of Bali government. So, the regent would also coordinate it with provincial government. “For a permanent handling, it needs careful study because the terrain is too difficult. Hopefully, it can be used for a long time and permanently,” he said. (kmb)

For the past decade, Malaysia has run an elaborate campaign to market itself abroad as an ideal Asian destination, touting a multiethnic culture, lush rainforests and pristine beaches.

Despite the effort to internationalize, its tourism industry still relies heavily on tightly-packed neighboring Singapore and in a renewed push the government had designated 2014 as “Visit Malaysia Year.”

So when Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went missing with 239 people on board en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, it put the global spotlight on Malaysia and seemingly dealt a blow to its tourism strategy. A double whammy came four months later when a Malaysia Airlines jet was shot down over rebel-held eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. Tourism, however, grew at its fastest pace since 2008.

Figures for all of 2014 haven’t been released yet but the JanuaryOctober data shows 22.9 million visitors, a jump of nearly 10 percent from a year earlier. That far outpaced 2.5 percent growth for the same period in 2013 and a 0.7 percent rise in 2012.

The full year growth rates for those two years are close to the 10-month figures.

“The bad publicity has made Malaysia more well known to the world,” said Jaya Kumar Sannadurai, vice president at Dayangti Transport

and Tours. The overall effect on visitor numbers is probably marginal but being the center of attention “is an advantage to us in some ways,” he said. The strong growth in tourism came despite a sharp drop in visitors from China, which had 153 nationals on Flight 370. Many in China were angered by Malaysia’s perceived mishandling of the tragedy.

The Malaysian government says satellite data showed the jet crashed into the southern Indian Ocean, but no wreckage has been found despite an exhaustive multi-nation search.

Authorities believe the plane was flown deliberately off course, but are still investigating the cause of the disappearance.

Kidnappings since April of foreigners including a Chinese fish breeder and a Chinese female tourist from a resort in Malaysia’s Sabah state in Borneo by Philippine gangs also put off tourists. All were released after ransom was paid. Sabah, a popular destination for scuba-diving and nature trails, is a short boat ride from southern Philippines, home to Muslim militants and kidnap gangs.

For January-October, Chinese tourists to Malaysia dropped by 11 percent or some 175,000 people. It remained Malaysia’s third biggest source of visitors.

The aim of the Visit Malaysia campaign, with the endangered

AP Photo/Joshua Paul

In this Friday, March 1, 2015 photo, Malaysia’s landmark the Petronas Twin Towers and Kuala Lumpur Tower is seen illuminated during dusk in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

pot-bellied proboscis monkey as its mascot, was to lure 28 million visitors and 76 billion ringgit ($21.1 billion) in spending. Tourism is already Malaysia’s second biggest earner of foreign exchange after manufactured goods.

The country might fall a little short of the 28 million visitors goal for 2014 but a high level of fully paid advance tour bookings and a quick change in marketing strategy by tourism officials helped keep the industry on a growth path overall.

Tourism Malaysia cut promotions in China and focused efforts on India and other markets after Flight 370’s disappearance, said its deputy director-general Azizan Noordin.

This helped to boost growth in all markets for the first 10 months of last year, except China and Taiwan, he said.

Arrivals from India, which is the 6th biggest source of visitors for Malaysia, were up 21 percent and the number of South Koreans visiting increased by 43 percent. There

was also strong growth from Western nations such as the United Kingdom, U.S., Australia and Germany.

But it was Singapore along with Indonesia and Thailand that provided the mass market numbers, together accounting for about two thirds of total visitors.

“Our Southeast Asian neighbors helped to keep the tourist numbers up.

We could have done better if it wasn’t for the China market,” said Hamzah Rahmat, president of the Malaysian Tour and Travel Associations. (ap)

Seoul: North Korea test fires 2 short-range missiles

AP Photo/Lee Jin-man

A man watches a TV news program reporting that North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles, at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 2, 2015.

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Monday fired two shortrange ballistic missiles into the sea and warned of “merciless strikes” against its enemies as allies Seoul and Washington launched annual military drills Pyongyang claims are preparation for a northward invasion. North Korea regularly conducts such test firings of missiles, rockets and artillery, and they are often timed to express the country’s dissatisfaction with actions

by Washington and Seoul. Monday was the start of military drills that will run until the end of April.

Early Monday morning, two missiles launched from North Korea’s west coast flew about 500 kilometers (310miles) before landing in waters off the east coast, according to South Korea’s Defense Ministry.

Spokesman Kim Min-seok called the launches an “armed protest” against the South Korea-U.S. drills

and a challenge to peace on the Korean Peninsula.

The annual U.S.-South Korean military drills inevitably lead to angry North Korean rhetoric, although the allies say they are purely defensive. The North’s rhetoric is meant to show its people that a tough leadership is confronting what its propaganda portrays as outside hostility, but analysts also believe the drills infuriate because they cost Pyongyang precious resources by forcing the country to respond with its own drills and launches.

“The only means to cope with the aggression and war by the U.S. imperialists and their followers is neither dialogue nor peace.

They should be dealt with only by merciless strikes,” an unidentified spokesman for the North Korean military’s general staff said in a statement carried by state media.

He said the U.S.-South Korean drills are aimed at conquering the North’s capital, Pyongyang, and removing its leadership. During the 2013 drills, tension rose amid North Korean rhetoric that included vows of nuclear strikes on Washington and Seoul.

The rival Koreas earlier this year floated the possibility of holding what would be the third summit between their leaders since the countries were divided 70 years ago. But they have been at odds in recent weeks over terms, and prospects seem dim.

North Korea separately told the U.S. that it was willing to impose a temporary moratorium on its nuclear tests if Washington cancels the joint military drills with South Korea. But the U.S. rejected the overture, calling it an “implicit threat.” (ap)

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Science

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

International

Ice age emperor penguins hit hard by the cold

SYDNEY - Antarctica’s Ross Sea has been a rare safe haven for emperor penguins for thousands of years, even when temperatures were too harsh for their liking, a study released Monday suggests.

Researchers looking at how climatic changes have affected the highly cold-adapted penguin -- the tallest and heaviest of all penguin species -- over the last 30,000 years suggest that only three populations survived the last ice age.

Conditions were so severe that emperor penguins numbers on the frozen continent were seven-times less than they are today and in many fewer locations, said joint lead researcher Jane Younger.

“We hadn’t really thought about the fact that it would be too cold for them in the past,” Younger, a PhD student at the University of Tasmania, told AFP. “They live through life in minus 30 degrees Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit) now so they are pretty cold adapted.”

By examining the genetic diversity of modern and ancient penguin populations, scientists from the universities of Tasmania, Southampton and Oxford in Britain, and the Australian Antarctic Division were able to estimate their numbers over time.

They found that numbers began increasing over the last 12,000 years when temperatures rose by an average of about 15 degrees Celsius and as the amount of sea ice around Antarctica began to reduce.

Younger said the warmer temperatures likely gave penguin chicks a better chance of surviving the winter -- when temperatures would have dropped to minus 45 degrees Celsius.

A reduction in sea ice would have allowed them easier access to the open ocean to feed.

“We were actually really surprised by this. What we had thought was that the ice age, because there was so much more sea ice which they need (to breed) and because they are so cold-adapted, that this would probably be a good thing for them,” she said.

The researchers believe a population survived in the Ross Sea region because an area of ocean was always kept free of sea ice by wind and currents, according to the study published in Global Change Biology.

Brother of Australian on death row pleads for mercy

DENPASAR - The brother of an Australian facing imminent execution in Indonesia has appealed on national television for President Joko Widodo to spare the drug smuggler’s life.

Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the ringleaders of the so-called “Bali Nine” drug trafficking gang, were convicted of trying to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia in 2005 and sentenced to death the following year.

The men, in their early 30s, recently lost their appeals for presidential clemency, typically a death row convict’s last chance to avoid the firing squad, and are expected to be put to death soon.

The families of the pair have been calling for Widodo to show mercy, arguing the men are reformed characters after years in prison, and late Sunday Chan’s brother, Michael, made a fresh appeal.

“I would say to Mr President Jokowi that as a family we are very sorry for this situation and we apologise for An-

In this Jan. 22, 2015 photo, Gentoo penguins stand on rocks near the Chilean station Bernardo O’Higgins, Antarctica. Antarctica’s Ross Sea has been a rare safe haven for emperor penguins for thousands of years, even when temperatures were too harsh for their liking, a study released Monday suggests.

“The Ross Sea is probably really important,” said Younger of the area on the Pacific Ocean side of Antarctica which is considered the world’s most intact marine ecosystem.

Sky-scanning instrument finds new galaxies

PARIS - A new instrument on Europe’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) has produced the most detailed 3-D view yet of the deep Universe, discovering 26 distant galaxies in just 27 hours of scanning, its operators said Friday.

MUSE, for Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer, captures high-resolution images of deep space, and breaks the light observed from distant objects down into its component colours in order to study the composition, distance and movement of galaxies.

The 22-million euro ($25 million) instrument, which took 10 years to design and build, started operating last year as part of the European Southern Observatory’s VLT array based in Chile’s Atacama desert.

Its first results have “given astronomers the best ever three-dimensional view of the deep Universe,” an ESO statement said.

“The new observations reveal the distances, motions and other properties of far more galaxies than ever before in this tiny piece of the sky.”

MUSE has allowed the team to study

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objects that even Hubble, the powerful orbiting telescope, have not been able to spot.

A joint project of the American and European space agencies, Hubble has captured iconic long exposure pictures that taught us much about the young Universe.

But to find out more about the galaxies in these “deep field” images, astronomers have to study them with other instruments -- a difficult and time-consuming job, said the ESO statement.

“But now, for the first time, the new MUSE instrument can do both jobs at once -- and far more quickly,” it added.

In 20 years, astronomers have been able to analyse 18 of some 500 objects discovered by Hubble in a part of the sky known as Hubble Deep Field South, for example.

The MUSE team, on the other hand, was able to study and determine the distances to 189 galaxies in the same area, the instrument’s principal investigator Roland Bacon of France’s Lyon Centre

“They have survived there for at least the last 30,000 years and even when the environment has been really unsuitable in a lot of other places the Ross Sea has been kind

for Astrophysics Research told AFP. In 27 hours over four nights, MUSE found 26 galaxies that had been too far and too faint to be included in Hubble’s map.

“This opens many new avenues,” said Bacon, hailing the “fantastic” results.

“It shows that we have built a machine that performs extremely well and will allow us to learn many things.”

The results allowed astronomers to look back about 12 billion years -- not long after the Big Bang that formed the Universe some 13.7 billion years ago.

MUSE studies the mechanism by which galaxies form, how they move and what they are composed of, in order to better understand our world.

The team, said Bacon, is looking specifically for young systems giving birth to bright, new stars, and were less concerned with massive clusters which can be spotted more “but don’t resemble our own galaxy.”

The results were published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. (afp)

of a safe haven for them.

“The Ross Sea seems to come up time and time again as a really important part of the Antarctic ecosystem.” (afp)

drew,” he told Indonesia’s tvOne, using Widodo’s nickname. “It has brought a lot of unnecessary shame to the Indonesian people and their country.”

“Andrew is a changed man from 10 years ago,” he added, urging Widodo to give him a “second chance”.

He added the Chan and Sukumaran “have embraced Indonesian culture, the way of life and they are very sorry for the things they have done”.

On Monday, the head of the Bali prosecutor’s office, Momock Bambang Samiarso, said that the pair would be moved this week from their jail on the resort island to a prison off Java, where the executions will take place.

He said officials were still discussing the details.

Canberra has been piling pressure on

Jakarta to change course on the executions, and Prime Minister Tony Abbott last week offered a glimmer of hoping after talking to Widodo, saying that the leader was “carefully considering his position”.

However, Widodo shot down that suggestion, insisting that Indonesia’s stance on the pending executions was “clear”.

The Australians are among a group of foreigners, including a Frenchman and a Brazilian, who have lost their appeals for clemency and are facing imminent execution.

Brazil and France have also been ramping up pressure on Jakarta, with Paris summoning Indonesia’s envoy and the Brazilian president refusing to accept the credentials of the new Indonesian ambassador. (afp)

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

More Japanese visiting Bali

DENPASAR - The number of Japanese holiday makers visiting the tourist island of Bali has increased sharply with the government’s plan to offer visa free facility for visitors from a number of countries including Japan and the availability of direct flights between Japan and the island.

“The number of holiday makers from Japan surged 25 percent early 2015 after shrinking trend earlier,” a tourist guide for Japanese speaking visitors Made Sutarka said.

Japanese holiday makers began to come in groups to Bali this year, Sutarka said.

Based on data from the Bali Tourism Office , in January this year, there were 17,946 Japanese flying to Bali directly from Japan as against only 14,256 in the same month a year earlier. The number was the third largest after visitors from Australia and China or 5.95 percent of the total number of foreign visitors to Bali that totaled 301,618 to Bali in January, 2015. The number of Japanese visitors from Japan has declined after the devastating tsunami in 2011. The plan to offer visa free visit for tourists from a number of friendly countries including Japan has contributed greatly to the rise in the number of visitors from Japan, Sutarka said. “Hopefully the visa free facility would attract more visitors to Bali,” he said. (ant)

PAN has new general chairman NUSA DUA - Zulkifli Hasan was named new general chairman of the country’s 5th largest politi-

cal party the National Mandate Party (PAN) for the next five years after defeating incumbent

Hatta Rajasa in an election on Sunday night.

Zulkifli, who is chairman of

the country People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), garnered 292 votes only slightly over Hatta’s

New volcano island getting big in Japan TOKYO - Famously crowded Japan is getting a bit more space as a newly-formed volcanic island just keeps on growing.

New footage of the remote Nishinoshima, some 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) south of Tokyo, shows a volcano erupting up to six times a minute, spewing huge volumes of magma -- and scientists say there is plenty more still to come.

A tiny islet emerged in November 2013 right next to the original Nishinoshima, when molten rock cooled and began to poke its head just above the water.

That speck of land grew as the volcano kept going, and soon engulfed its once larger neighbour.

The new super-island is now a respectable 2.46 square kilometres (0.95 square miles), the Japan Coast Guard says -roughly the size of 345 football pitches -- while the still-spewing volcano is now a healthy 100

metres (330 feet) tall.

Kenji Nogami of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, who helped conduct the latest of the coastguard’s monthly observations, said volcanic activity is likely to continue for the time being.

“There have not been any significant changes at the volcanic vent of the pyroclastic cone, where eruptions of lava are seen several times a minute,” he said in a statement.

“Magma has risen to shallow areas of the vent, and lava flows to the east have continued to stretch out.

“Therefore, I conclude a stable supply of magma is continuing,” he said.

The coastguard has asked sailors to stay away from the island.

Japan sits on the Pacific ring of fire, where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are relatively commonplace. (afp)

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ANTARA FOTO/Rosa Panggabean

Zulkifli Hasan (right) was named new general chairman of the country’s 5th largest political party the National Mandate Party (PAN) for the next five years after defeating incumbent Hatta Rajasa in an election on Sunday night.

286 votes in a two men contest.

The election was held in a closed door voting by 582 participants of the congress with four votes declared invalid.

Chairman of the steering committee Taufik Kurniawan declared Zulkifli as the new general chairman after approval from the participants of the congress. (ant)

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International

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Bali News Denpasar has not yet designated sustainable agricultural land

DENPASAR - Denpasar Municipality has seen efforts to protect sustainable agricultural land bogged down in red tape that has made it impossible to apply precise zoning laws. The Head of Denpasar Agriculture, Food Crops and Horticulture Agency, I Gede Ambara Putra, has stated that the government had not been able to move ahead because his staff has not received zoning information.“We just determined the green belt and are still waiting for the detailed spatial provisions. The detailed spatial provisions are still being discussed. After that, we will know where the zones are,” said Ambara Putra. throughout all sub-districts. That number is feared to be on the decline.

In 2014, the conversion of agricultural land reached 5 hectares: 3 hectares in East Denpasar and 2 hectares in West Denpasar.

According to Ambara Putra, the fact that Denpasar is an urban area contributes to the challenge. Even though land and property tax subsidies have been provided for the agricultural land, economic pressure is the main reason why people have sold or con-

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verted their agricultural land.

Interestingly, although agricultural land in Denpasar is scarce, its productivity is the highest in Bali.

Rice production reached 8 to 10 tons per hectare. “It happens because our land availability is very little. Then, farmers are willing to follow the advice of the government on how to use seeds, fertilizer and cropping pattern. They are very vivacious how to make their little land produce a lot,” he said. (kmb25)

Three employees of Villa Ketapang fired without reason

TABANAN - Unfair and arbitrary treatment was perceived by three employees of Villa Ketapang located at Klecung, East Selamadeg. Without obvious reason, all the three female employees were fired by the newly appointed villa manager. The three employees are Ni Luh P, 25, from Gunung Salak, East Selemadeg, Ni Luh N, 29, and Ni Luh N, 28, from Tegal Mengkeb, East Selemadeg. The act of dismissal was carried out by the new manager named Agus Jayadi.

“The newly appointed villa manager replacing the previous manager suddenly fired the three of us,” said Luh P. The dismissal occurred Wednesday (Feb. 25) when the manager summoned all 19 employees after lunch. “One by one, we were summoned for the distribution of service charge payments for January, but only three of us were immediately fired, while the others were not,” she said.

At that time, Pertamasari said that after being given the service charge payment for January she was immediately given a layoff letter. “Without a clear reason, we were asked to sign the layoff letter and he said it was based on the owner’s decision,” she said.

Seeing the decision was unilateral, the three of them defended themselves by giving reasons which were ignored by the manager.

Ni Luh N showed a guest book where she received a reward as the best employee from the villa but Agus did not respond. “The reason is not clear and even it seems invented. Our work is claimed poor or our contract has expired,” she said.

Since they could not do much, all the three eventually agreed to sign the layoff letter. Yet, when they asked for severance, the manager named Agus ignored them. “We are small people, sir. We do not demand anything, but if we indeed have the right, please give us our right accordingly,” said the mother of a child.

The villa manager, Agus Jayadi, could not be contacted when his comment was sought. Some employees also complained that manager could not be contacted via his cellular phone. (kmb28)

Road access of Tampaksiring covered up by avalanches GIANYAR - The rain flushing Gianyar caused a number of road accesses in Tampaksiring to be closed by road avalanche. Tampaksiring-Tegallalang and Tampaksiring-Kintamani road section was hampered by avalanche materials, Sunday (Mar. 1).

Since Sunday morning, the officers of quick response team of the Gianyar Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) were preoccupied with the avalanche evacuation. As happened on Sunday afternoon, the Jalan Raya Tirta Empul as the leading highway from Tampaksiring to Kintamani was disconnected. More seriously, the avalanche materials accompanied with fallen trees closed the road along eight meters.

Chief of Tampaksiring Police, I Made Uder, said the incident took place around 4:15 p.m. At that time, the rain was indeed flushing the area of Tampaksiring and its surroundings.

Moreover, it was thickly cloudy in the northern region of Gianyar. “Before

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

IBP/Courtesy of Archipelago International

Hampered by zoning delays

Efforts to suppress the conversion of agricultural land continued to be on the government agenda, especially since agricultural land in Denpasar is already scarce. Subak Anggabaya, East Denpasar, for instance, already has a bylaw requiring the agricultural land to continue to function as agricultural land. “Selling the land is allowed, but it must be used for agricultural needs,” he said.

Currently Denpasar has 2,506 hectares of paddy fields scattered

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the avalanche, it indeed rained heavily. At this moment it is still raining,” he said.

Police officers were deployed in the rain to regulate traffic. Meanwhile, the quick response team of the BPBD Gianyar did evacuation of avalanche materials in the north of Mengening Temple or 100 meters before the Tirta Empul tourist attraction. The avalanche reached eight meters and covered up the entire road. “In addition to soil, some trees like jackfruit and coconut as well as telecom cable pole were also eroded and hampered the road access,” he said.

The avalanche only hampered road access. No casualties were reported.

The Tampaksiring-Kintamani, Bangli road section was disconnected because the road body was fully covered by avalanche materials. Until nightfall the traffic was diverted to some alternative paths. A number of vehicles were directed to cross the territory of Selat or Manukaya Anyar. (kmb16)

Launch of Aston Anyer Beach Hotel

JAKARTA – Archipelago International has officially opened its doors to Aston Anyer Beach Hotel, its newest beach front hotel, to an overwhelmingly positive response from travelers in the region. This hotel marks their 100th for the group and are set to host an exclusive launch party in April on site.

Anyer, a breathtaking beachside setting in Banten, is one of the most soughtafter holiday destinations for Jakarta and West Java’s residents. But for many business travelers, Anyer is becoming most popular for its close proximity to Cilegon – a major coastal industrial city famous for its thriving factories and trading opportunities.

Cilegon, also located in the Banten province of Indonesia, covers 175.51km2 of industrial and commercial land. Among the factories in Cilegon are Krakatau Steel Company, a vital producer of steel for domestic and foreign needs, and Asahimas Chemical Company. Unsurprisingly, Cilegon has garnered the nickname “Steel City” since the city is the largest steel producer in Southeast Asia, producing around 6 million tons of steel each year.

Additionally, Cilegon is also one of the vital state objects. This is because there is a wide range of other vital objects in the city

such as the Merak Harbour, the Krakatau Steel Industrial Zone, as well as PLTU Suralaya, the Krakatau power plant, the Krakatau Tirta Industrial Water Treatment Plant and the Sunda Strait Industrial Zones.

With these major industrial landmarks so close to Anyer in Cilegon, together with the opening of the new airport in Banten, the city and surrounding area is destined to become one of West Java’s preferred MICE and leisure destinations, with the added bonus of Anyer beach on the doorstep for when business travelers are off the clock.

Aston Anyer Beach Hotel is located in the heart of Anyer only 90 minutes from Indonesia’s capital city, offering the perfect mix of convenience and exotic scenery. This 3 star hotel on Jalan Raya Karang Bolong will feature 101 guest rooms and suites stylishly designed in the contemporary Aston way. As part of the MICE facilities, the modern conference

center boasts 3 auxiliary meeting rooms purposefully built on the top floor to soak up the beautiful ocean views. Complete with an outdoor terrace, this breezy area is perfect for refreshing coffee breaks or dramatic sunset cocktail receptions.

The three meetings rooms range in size, from the smallest room that can accommodate up to 85 people, through to the largest room than can hold up to 400 guests. Each of the meeting rooms also include their own partitions, meaning they can be divided into three smaller rooms for more intimate meetings, or opened up for larger MICE events and other social gatherings.

The hotel also features a cozy all-day dining restaurant for casual meetings or a relaxed meal, together with recreational facilities for downtime including an outdoor swimming pool, a private beach, a pool table and ping pong table and a bonfire pit.

Profile

Amarjeet Singh Takhi

Consul of India to run “Friends of India”

The officers are trying to clean the road from the dirt.

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Starting in early January until June 2015, the Consul of India will be running a program known a ‘Friends of India.’ The idea is to improve cooperation between Indonesia and India with Indonesia through provincial as well as county and municipal government participation. “We hope that cooperation between the two countries, and particularly with Denpasar, will continue to increase in breadth” said Consul General of India Amarjeet Singh Takhi.

During the meeting, the Indian Consul Amarjeet Singh described the ‘Friends of India’ program which is organizing a group of Indian tour operators to come to to Bali on March 2526., saying that such activities would

encourage Indian’s to visit Bali and ths have a positive impact on the development of tourism. “We expect that cooperation will not only take place in the field of culture and tourism but also in economic and educational fields as well asbetween individuals,” he added.

‘Friends of India’ will also be touring a cultural show through 15 cities in Indonesia, including Denpasar for the Bali Arts Festival. Previously the show had been performed at Institute Seni Indonesia (ISI) Denpasar. (kmb)

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“We are very excited and proud to open our 100th hotels as the latest Aston brand here in Anyer. We have received very good response with 65% occupancy since its opened in December. Many families are coming for the weekend and also start receiving group meeting for the weekday. Not only is Anyer a stunning location for a beachside break, it is also in close proximity to Cilegon, meaning Anyer is also on the radar of business travelers that flock to the bustling industrial city. With this in mind, we are delighted to be offering Aston Anyer Beach Hotel as a MICE destination to cater to the area’s business market.” Said Mr. Charles Brookfield – Chairman of Archipelago International.

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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Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Lady Gaga, Vince Vaughn take charity polar plunge in Chicago CHICAGO — Lady Gaga and Vince Vaughn plunged into the icy waters of Chicago’s Lake Michigan at a fundraiser for the Special Olympics.

Special Olympics Chicago President Casey Hogan said Sunday that Lady Gaga made the plunge with more than 4,500 other participants. Hogan says the singer’s appearance was “a very nice surprise.”

Lady Gaga recently announced her engagement to “Chicago Fire” actor Taylor Kinney. Photos show her and a bare-chested Kinney going into the water together.

Vaughn also made the plunge.

The native of the Chicago suburb Lake Forest was dressed in a Chicago Blackhawks jersey and jeans. The actor went in up to his knees, then eased himself down backward in the water.

Last year, comedian Jimmy Fallon jumped in wearing a suit and tie, and helped raise more than $1 million.

The air temperature was a frigid 20 degrees at the time of the plunge, according to the National Weather Service. (ap)

Pop star Lady Gaga, top, gets a piggy back ride from her fiancée, Taylor Kinney, as they and members of the “Chicago Fire” cast take part in the Chicago Polar Plunge at North Avenue Beach on Sunday, March 1, 2015 in Chicago.

Entertainment

WEATHER FORECAST Dps

Will Smith, left, and Margot Robbie arrive at the world premiere of “Focus” at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, in Los Angeles.

Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Will Smith’s ‘Focus’ tops box office with $19.1 million

NEW YORK — Will Smith’s con-man caper “Focus” disrobed “Fifty Shades of Grey” at the box office, but the film’s modest $19.1 million opening still left questions about the drawing power of the once unstoppable star.

According to studio estimates Sunday, Warner Bros.’ “Focus” easily topped all competitors on a weekend with little competition at North American multiplexes. In second place was the Colin Firth spy thriller “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” which made $11.8 million in its third week of release.

After two weeks atop the box office, “Fifty Shades of Grey” continued its steep slide, landing in fourth with an estimated $10.9 million for Universal Pictures. “Fifty Shades,” which has made $486.2 million globally, fell just behind Paramount’s “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water,” which earned $11.2 million in its fourth week.

The weekend’s only other new wide release, Relativity’s horror film “The Lazarus Effect,” opened in fifth place with $10.6 million.

But the weekend was largely seen, fairly or not, as a referendum on Smith’s star power. “Focus,” written and directed by the “Crazy, Stupid, Love” duo Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, is Smith’s first film since 2013’s “After Earth,” the science-fiction flop in which he co-starred with his son, Jaden.

Smith has been frank about the sting of that film’s box-office performance. “I can’t allow the box-office success, or lack thereof, to determine my self-image,” he said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

But “Focus,” made for about $50 million and co-starring Margot Robbie of “The Wolf of Wall Street,” was never intended to be a summer-sized

blockbuster. It had been predicted to make around $21 million.

“This is a mid-budgeted film with a result that matches,” said Jeff Goldstein, head of distribution for Warner Bros., who added that winter storms accounted for a drop of $1-2 million. “There’s no question we got hammered because of inclement weather in the South and the Midwest.”

The R-rated “Focus,” overwhelmingly appealed to adults, with 88 percent of its audience older than 25 — not a good sign for Smith’s appeal to a new generation of moviegoers who weren’t around for his triumphs in “Independence Day.” Nevertheless, there aren’t many stars who could do better with a drama in late February. And “Focus” should play well internationally, where Smith’s popularity remains strong.

“This still goes on his balance sheet as a number one debut,” said Paul Degarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office data firm Rentrak. “He can still draw an audience, particularly with a film that’s R-rated and not aimed at the young crowd.”

Some of last Sunday’s Oscar winners saw slight bumps at the box office. Best-picture winner “Birdman (Or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” added some 800 screens to bring in $2 million over the weekend, pushing its total past $40 million. “Still Alice,” for which Julianne Moore won best actress, added 553 screens and earned $2.7 million. It’s now made $12 million for Sony Pictures Classics.

“American Sniper,” far and away the biggest box-office hit of the best-picture nominees, was also easily the top post-Oscars draw. It added another $7.7 million, to bring its cumulative domestic gross to $331.1 million. (ap)

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Tuesday, March 3, 2015

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Tourism thrives in Malaysia despite association with tragedy

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Badung River and Mati River have the worst pollution

DENPASAR - At least 401 rivers flow across the Island of the Gods. Pollution is affecting 22 of them that pass through urban areas or counties.

The Head of the Bali Environment Agency (BLH), Gede Suarjana, said that according to the 25 parameters determining the pollution of a river Badung River was

experiencing the most severe pollution. “We see that the greatest degradation is in the Badung River due to pressure by so much population, while the Mati River experiences pollution in terms of several parameters,” he said.

Of the 25 parameters, added Suarjana, there were five key parameters that determined a polluted river. Among them, there

were Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), temperature, Total Suspended Solid (TSS) and ammonia.

“For Badung River, its dissolved oxygen decreases but the ammonia level does not.

Meanwhile, there is still an increase in TSS, mainly in the central region. That’s all showing an increase,” he explained. (kmb32)

News can also be heard in “Bali Image” at Global Radio FM 96.5 from 9.30 until 10.00 am. Listen to Global Radio FM at http:// globalfmbali.listen2myradio.com or live video streaming at http://radioglobalfmbali.com and http:// ustream.tv/channel/global-fm-bali.

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A child played canoe at Mati River recenlty. At least 401 rivers flow across the Island of the Gods. Pollution is affecting 22 of them that pass through urban areas or counties.

The Head of the Bali Environment Agency (BLH), Gede Suarjana, said that according to the 25 parameters determining the pollution of a river Badung River was experiencing the most severe pollution.