Edisi 05 Januari 2016 | International Bali Post

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Tuesday, January 5, 2016 This photo provided by Disney shows a scene from the new film, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” directed by J.J. Abrams.

Film Frame/Copyright Lucasfilm 2015 via AP

‘Star Wars’ box office surpasses ‘Titanic,’ ‘Jurassic World’

LOS ANGELES — “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” marched confidently into the new year, raking in an additional $88.3 million over the New Year’s weekend and topping the box office for a third week, according to studio estimates Sunday.

In addition to setting a new high mark in New Year’s box office history, the record-busting film blew past the domestic grosses of both “Jurassic World” ($652.3 million) and “Titanic” ($658.7 million) to become the second-highest earner of all time with $740.3 million in just 19 days of release.

The top domestic film is “Avatar” with a $760.5 million lifetime domestic gross, but “Star Wars” is barreling in to surpass it soon. For context, it took “Avatar” 72 days to reach $700 million. “Star Wars” did that in 16 days.

Internationally, “Star Wars” earned $96.3 million this weekend, boosting its global total to $184.6 million. The film opens in China on Jan. 9.

While “Star Wars” might not give up its throne any time soon, films like “Daddy’s Home” and “Sisters”

have proven to be incredibly strong performers.

“Daddy’s Home,” the comedy starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, came in second with an estimated $29 million, bringing its total to $93.7 million in just two weeks. The film fell only 25 percent from its first weekend in theaters. Even more formidable is the mere 11 percent drop from the Tina Fey and Amy Poehler comedy “Sisters,” which brought in $12.6 million in its third weekend for a fourthplace spot. The film has earned $61.7 million so far.

“When you look at the holding power of ‘Daddy’s Home’ and ‘Sisters,’ it shows you that those films are for many people the antidote to ‘Star Wars,’” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for box office tracker Rentrak. “The diversity of the slate that the studios created by not re-

treating from ‘Star Wars’ is helping.”

Quentin Tarantino’s bloody Western “The Hateful Eight,” meanwhile, took third with $16.2 million in its first weekend in wide release after a strong limited debut. The three-hour epic, which cost a reported $44 million to produce, has made $29.6 million to date — just shy of what “Django Unchained” made in its first weekend.

“There is still a big audience out there for auteur-driven cinema,” Dergarabedian said. “Tarantino, no matter what, is an interesting filmmaker. Film fans want to see what he’s up to. It’s not as big as some of his other films, but it’s still doing well as it expands.”

“Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip” took fifth place with $11.8 million, dropping only 10 percent from last weekend.

The year is off to a strong start overall, up 24.5 percent from last year.

This New Year’s weekend could even set a record if it tops the $220 million total of 2009/2010, when both “Avatar” and “Sherlock Holmes” were in theaters. (ap)

Vegas police investigating Chris Brown for alleged battery

LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas police are investigating an allegation of battery against R&B singer Chris Brown.

Authorities received a call shortly before 10:30 a.m. Saturday about the alleged battery at the Palms Casino Resort, Lt. Jeff Goodwin said. A police statement Saturday evening said an altercation took place in a room at the resort when the woman went to take a picture of Brown.

The woman said she was struck

by Brown and that he had taken her cellphone, police said. Detectives tried to speak with Brown at his hotel room, but the singer left before police had arrived.

A crime report has been taken for misdemeanor theft and misdemeanor battery listing Brown as a suspect, police said.

Nicole Perna, publicist for Brown, issued a statement Saturday night calling the woman’s charges “unequivocally untrue.”

The woman “was escorted out of the private after party at the Palms Casino Resort for being disruptive

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and out of control,” Perna said.

“Once she was in the hallway, while waiting for Chris Brown’s security to bring out her phone, she had a total meltdown -- throwing her purse to the ground and claiming that she ‘could buy everyone in the hotel’ -- as witnessed by numerous people waiting to get into the party.

The Palms Casino Resort security also saw her wild behavior via hotel security cameras and immediately came up to the hallway to escort her out of the hotel.”

“Her claim that she had her phone in her possession inside the after party and was able to take a photo causing an altercation with Chris Brown is a complete fabrication,” Perna said.

Brown performed Friday at Drai’s nightclub at The Cromwell Las Vegas, where he appears regularly.

Brown was freed from felony probation last year, more than six years after he attacked thengirlfriend Rihanna. The singer pleaded guilty to felony assault in that case. (ap)

‘Stokelona’ eyes another upset in League Cup semifinals Page 8

A look at longfraught relation between Saudi Arabia, Iran Page 8

Courage needed to limit capitalist grasp on Bali

IBP/Yudi Karnaedi

Tourists visited Tirta Gangga in Karangasem Regency, Bali Island, during the New Year’s holiday. Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said he was proud of Bali for being selected as one of the world’s best islands by the US Travel+Leisure Magazine at the end of 2015.

Bali selected as World’s Best Island

JAKARTA - Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said he was proud of Bali for being selected as one of the world’s best islands by the US Travel+Leisure Magazine at the end of 2015.

Rich Fury/Invision/AP, File

“I am very proud of Bali for being selected as one of the world’s best islands,” the minister said on Sunday.

Based on the New York-based Travel+Leisure Magazine, the ratings of the world’s best islands are Galapagos Islands of Ecuador with a score of 90.82, Bali of Indonesia (Score 88.98), Maldives (score: 88.53), Tasmania of Australia (score: 88.32), Santorini of Greece (score: 87.93), Moorea of French Polynesia (score: 87.90), Maui of Hawaii (score: 87.89), Kauai of Hawaii (score: 87,88), Great Barrier Reef of Australia (score: 87.31), and Malta (score: 86.90).

The minister said he was proud of the trust given to Bali by the world community which appreciated Bali for the beauty of its nature,

the uniqueness of its culture and the hospitality of its people.

The minister said he would promote other destinations in the country whose beauty were not inferior to that of Bali.

“We have to be confident that our tourism is great for snorkling with the beauty of its diving tourism. We can outclass Galapagos, even with our two Rajaampat and Pulau Komodo tourist distinations,” he said.

The Travel + Leisure is a monthly magazine based in New York with 4.8 million readers. It is the biggest competitor of Conde Nast Traveler and National Geographic Traveler.

In the meantime, the Bali Tourism Office has set the target for tourist arrivals at the world-renowned

tourist island at 4.2 million for 2016.

“This is a provisional target. We have not made detailed calculations because we still have to coordinate with the Udayana University. Ideally, it should be 4.5 million but we cannot set a target recklessly,” Head of the Bali Tourism Office Anak Agung Gede Yuniartha Putra said.

He made the remarks on the sidelines of a function marking the inauguration of the executive board members of the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) on December 16, 2015. The provisional target would be only 200 thousand more tourists, compared to the target set for tourist arrivals in 2015 at 4 million, he said.

“To achieve the target of tourist arrivals next year, we will receive promotion assistance from the central government. In addition, we have also prepared a calendar of ac-

tivities to be organized throughout 2016,” he said.

With the calendar of activities, tourists would be assured of cultural and tourism activities taking place in Bali, he said.

The tourism office has also set the target of domestic tourists visiting the resort island for 2016 at 7.8 million, he said.

The Chairman of PHRI of Bali Chapter, Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati, urged that for increasing the number of tourist arrivals, the quality of tourist destinations in Bali needs to be improved. (ant) 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.

BALINESE people are losing their sovereignty over Bali. The strengthening power of pure capitalism, coupled with urbanization is marginalizing Balinese people, as space on the island is being targeted for the sake of profit alone.

Also, the government is no longer prioritizing cultural preservation nor agriculture in their strategic programs. Ironically, Balinese people are being lulled by lure of the apparent economic growth, whereas few local businesses or individuals are actually benefitting from it. That which taste so sweet to unbridled capitalists, tastes very bitter to those who suffer the consequences - particularly people living on the outskirts of economic centres.

In the context of ‘mental revolution’, Bali’s rulers should be serving as models for the empowerment of Balinese people in their own land. Leaders should not be spouting false doctrines that never benefit the people. Mental revolution needs to involve real actions taken to maintain Bali, rather than actions that alienate Balinese people from maintaining and managing Bali’s sovereignty.

According to Udayana University academic, Prof. Wayan Windia, a ‘mental revolution’ must be driven by all elements of society, and leaders who are ready to be role models. These leaders have to have the courage to reject purely capitalist interests in favor of allowing a space for local authorities to strive towards self-reliance.

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Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Bali News

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BINTAN ISLAND - The Sanchaya Bintan is greeting its first anniversary this month with a slate of promotions focused on wellness, romance and golf.

BALI tends to serve as a barometer of national economic growth and is presently showing signs of being vulnerable to severe economic downturn, that is affecting nearly every sector of the economy. worse if tourism - as the economic motor of the island, continues to be undermined by disruptions - including infrastructure development projects.

Aside from the ongoing and never completed infrastructure improvement projects in tourism centres, Wiraputra also pointed to the other forms of instability that cause domestic travellers to avoid visiting Bali. Conflicts between members of mass organizations (gangs) that took place recently also caused may tourists to cancel their trip to Bali. “Balinese people must not be complacent, things need to be understood and interpreted. Bali needs to start making reforms and come up with strategic breakthroughs in terms of managing Bali’s potential,” he emphasized.

Wiraputra also said that ‘mental revolution’ is not just a catch-phrase, but needs to to touch on fundamental aspects of how things are done, particularly concerning the moral responsibility of Bali’s rulers. Our future leaders need to embrace all levels of society, so that the island’s potential capital is strengthened and put to use towards building up Bali’s economic independence.

Deputy Chairman of the Advisory Board to the Bali Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Wayan Jondra, added that to achieve economic independence, the nine prioritised agendas of the government need to be put into action, and government officials need to be serious about empowering Bali’s local businesses.

It is important that Bali’s leaders not encourage investors with huge capital from outside of Bali, to manage the island’s economic potential. Rather, the government should be providing opportunities for local economic players, especially the economically disadvantaged, by dong things like creating packages of jobs that can be contracted out to native Balinese workers. (dir/win)

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

The Sanchaya Bintan celebrates remarkable first year

Bali’s economy on the brink of disaster Tourism, as Bali’s leading economic sector, appears lethargic with a reported 20 percent drop in tourist visits to the island. This sluggishness directly impacts property businesses, handycraftt businesses, the service sector and other links in the chain of the economy. In fact, within the next four months it is predicted that business in Bali will enter a highly precarious zone.

Concerns about Bali’s economy were recently revealed by Chairman of the Bali Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), A.A. Wiraputra.

In their year-end studies, KADIN received worrying reports from several of their member associations. “Without a ‘mental revolution’, Bali will fall into a bleak period of its economic management. Bali’s economy needs to be stimulated through the management of the punctual budget within the next four months, otherwise we will be facing serious threats to our economic independence,” said Wiraputra.

Tourism experts say that it is likely that only 300,000 of the projected 500,000 tourists arrived in Bali at the end of 2015. These numbers are estimates based on the figures from September 2015. Infrastructure improvement projects that took place at that time, caused traffic jams that made Bali less appealing for year-end vacationers. “Such simple things have a great impact on Bali’s economic independence,” explained Wiraputra.

According to Wiraputra, the next four months represent a life or death challenge for Bali’s economy. If bureaucrats do not come up with a breakthrough way of managing the budget, Bali’s business sector is bound to collapse. He therefore strongly urges bureaucrats to start rolling out funds for January or the very latest February 2016 in order to avoid seeing businesses go bankrupt. He added that condition will certainly become even

Activities

International

IBP/Wawan

Tourists passed a hotel project in Kuta area, Bali Island. Balinese people are losing their sovereignty over Bali. The strengthening power of pure capitalism, coupled with urbanization is marginalizing Balinese people, as space on the island is being targeted for the sake of profit alone.

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Capital cannot be used to support investments that have a massive potential to damage Bali. Politicians need to get back to using the accumulated funds in the regional budget for strengthening the agricultural sector and social economy.

“Bali is on the brink of destruction. If the mental revolution is not immediately implemented by Bali’s elites -who hold the power of policy making, a bleak future lies in store for all. Leaders should act as nurturing parents, who support the struggle of the Balinese people to keep their land and the culture and traditions that go with it,” stated Windia.

On the same topic, Executive Director of the Dharma Institute for Strategic Studies, Dr. I Wayan Jondra, said that we need to remember that, although Bali is currently a tourism community, the agrarian and cultural background of Bali must not the ignored. The agrarian cultural communities of Bali are still very much dependant on government policies, therefore, it is imperative that the government put in place regulations that encourage the local economy’s competitiveness in the international arena -both in terms of human and natural resources.

This is all the more true in light of the impending implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community, that is set to commence in early 2016. “The local community’s background needs to be understood so that economic competitiveness can be improved. Our leaders need to do more than advertise the concept of ‘mental revolution’, and tell people that they need to change, our leaders themselves need to actually change. When our leaders have given thought to, discussed and then implemented ways of empowering the local economy, economic security will start to improve,” said Jondra.

He also affirmed that the ‘mental revolution’ as outlined in the national nawacita program, needs to be thorough and started by leaders, public figures, government officials and other rulers, in order for the larger community to then follow suit. To that end, the government should be taking action from the smallest to the largest of ways, starting with creating regulations that support the competitiveness of Bali’s economic actors. This can be done through such things as job training and certification to ensure that Bali’s local man-power is professionally competent and certified. (dir/win)

 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

Among the promotions, guests can embark on a restorative twonight getaway called “Healthy Retreat” priced from USD 1610, that includes wholesome breakfasts, a Balinese massage, two hours of private yoga sessions with The Sanchaya’s in-house instructor, a guided bicycle tour and surprise gift on departure.

From USD 1015, couples can indulge the one-night “Experience Romance” package featuring a couple’s Balinese massage, threecourse set romantic dinner for two with a bottle of the estate’s sommelier champagne, breakfast for two in bed, and a private one-hour croquet session for two.

Meanwhile golf enthusiasts can, from USD 710, not only stay at The Sanchaya for one night but tee off at the breathtaking Ria Bintan Golf Club designed by Gary Player.

The Sanchaya is also currently offering weekday and advance purchase discounts and incentives.

Since opening its doors in December 2014,the luxurious 21-villa and nine-suite beachfront estate has won some of the world’s most coveted hospitality awards, including the Conde Nast Traveler Hot List of Best New Hotels in the World, Travel + Leisure IT List for Best 43 New Hotels Around the Globe and DestinAsian’s Luxe List, all for 2015.

P49 Deesign & Associates, the

team behind a design that captures the elegance of the Orient with European refinement, clinched the International Hotel and Property Award 2015 in the under 50 rooms Asia-Pacific category for The Sanchaya.

Meaning “collection” in Sanskrit, The Sanchaya is home to an exquisite clubhouse, two restaurants and 24-hour in-villa dining, a bar, wine, cheese and cigar lounge and wine cellar, function space, 50meter long infinity pool, spa, fitness center, beach-facing yoga pavilion, croquet lawn, and more.

Overlooking powder white sands, aquamarine waters and picturesque islands, The Sanchaya is the only property on Bintan Island - only a 45-minute ferry ride from Singapore - with its own VIP lounge at the Bandar Bentan Telani Ferry Terminal, ensuring a seamless arrival and departure experience due to express immigration and customs clearance.

Estate manager Anshuman Narayan said in addition to the accolades, he was proud of how the exquisite property had shaped up as a whole, including the March 2015 completion of the property’s USD 12,000 presidential suite, the sprawling four-bedroom Vanda Villa complete with a 90m² balcony and private swimming pool.

“The Vanda Villa is a stunning expression of Asian chic, and one

more reason why the very best of Bintan measures up to the very best on the Maldives,” said Narayan.

Last month, the estate launched a new event series called Pala. Its debut featured Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel and legendary film producer Edward R. Pressman.

The Sanchaya has also hosted the international campaign Le Tour De Bochic, a year-long creative collaboration between celebrity photographer Murad Osmann, his supermodel muse Natalia Zakharova and Bochic, the fine jewelry brand founded by David Joseph.

IBP/Courtesy of Sanchaya Bintan

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 “umbul-umbul”, 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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Youth and LPM Kedonganan demonstrate against Benoa Bay reclamation MANGUPURA - Youth from Kedonganan, Badung, supported by the Bali Development Observer Forum and the Institute for Community Empowerment (LPM) marched in demontsration against the Benoa Bay reclamation on Sunday (Jan. 3). The long march started at catus pata (central intersection) of Kedonganan village and and wound its way to the junction where the Watermark Hotel stands, where they put up a billboard that expressed they rejection of the reclamation plan.

A person walks with a dog along the banks of the Neris river as temperatures dipped to -19 degrees Celsius (-2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016. With temperatures above freezing at the North Pole, deadly tornadoes in Texas, extreme heat in Australia and floods in Britain and Missouri, the world is beset by extreme weather events as it welcomes 2016.

AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis

Weird weather brings warm welcome to 2016

LONDON - With temperatures above freezing at the North Pole, deadly tornadoes in Texas, extreme heat in Australia and floods in Britain and Missouri, the world is beset by extreme weather events as it welcomes 2016.

A powerful and destructive low-pressure system in the North Atlantic has pushed the mercury up to two degrees Celsius (35.6 Fahrenheit) at the pole, 20 degrees above the seasonal norm.

The Arctic has borne the brunt of global warming, with temperatures three degrees higher than the preindustrial era.

But linking the current mild conditions to climate change is premature, warned Natalie Hasell, meteorologist at the Canadian Department of the Environment, saying that scientists do not base their conclusions “on one anomaly”.

The North Atlantic depression also brought eastern Canada an unusually warm holiday period, with temperatures hitting 15.9 degrees Celsius in Montreal on Christmas Eve, around 20 degrees above the seasonal average.

This was followed by heavy snowfall that covered the country’s eastern half.

In the United States, tornadoes and floods left at least 49 dead.

The waters of the mighty Mississippi River have already exceeded overflow levels by four metres in some areas, claiming 13 lives.

In the south, spectacular tornadoes devastated parts of Texas.

The common cause of the unusual events is a particularly strong El Nino system, amplified by global warming, according to scientists.

El Ninos, which emerge every four to seven years on average and run from October through January, are triggered by a shift in trade winds across the Pacific around the Equator.

However, the 2015 episode is “probably the strongest in the last 100 years,” said Jerome Lecou,

??forecaster at Meteo-France.

“There is no simple answer” to explain the exceptional conditions, he added.

Strawberries at Christmas Although centred on the Pacific Ocean, El Nino “has an impact on a global scale,” Jean Jouzel, former vice president of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), told AFP. “Generally, El Nino years are warmer than average,” he said.

In Australia, scorching heat has led to large forest fires and temperatures are forecast to soon hit 38 degrees Celsius in the south.

In France, the unseasonably warm weather has baffled Mother Nature with Perigord strawberries, Alsatian asparagus and mimosas all flourishing on the French Riviera.

In Spain, higher temperatures

and low rainfall have led to an unusual outbreak of wildfires in the north.

Several Italian cities have introduced traffic restrictions to combat fine-particle pollution, which has been worsened by the dry and calm conditions.

Record rainfall has brought unprecedented flooding to the north of England, leaving the historic city of York under feet of water and thousands evacuated over December.

Stormy weather buffeting the North Sea has brought havoc to oilfields on New Year’s Eve, with one man reported killed by a giant wave hitting a rig, and hundreds of workers evacuated after a huge barge broke its moorings and began drifting.

“There is no doubt in my mind that climate change is partly responsible for the flooding across the north of England,” said Piers Forster, professor of climate science at Leeds University.

Britain’s mean December tem-

perature was a record-breaking eight degrees Celsius, smashing the previous high of 6.9 degrees set in 1934, according to the Met Office.

It was also the wettest December on record for Scotland and Wales and one of the top 10 wettest in Britain as a whole.

Worldwide, temperatures between January and November have already broken records, suggesting that 2015 will be the hottest in modern history, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“On a global level, we really are in an exceptional year as it is just over a tenth of a degree warmer than 2014, which itself was a record year,” said Jean Jouzel.

“This is a real leap, one tenth of a degree from one year to another,” he added.

With El Nino showing little sign of running out of steam, he predicted that 2016 could be warmer still, but that following years may be less extreme. (afp)

The youths voiced their determination that Benoa Bay reman a conservation area and sacred zone so that that the bay can continue to have positive effects on the local community- particularly those living on the coast, rather than have the bay only benefit the interests of investors in the reclamation plan.

“In fact, we do not need the reclamation plan, because it is only subterfuge on the part of the investors that will have a very bad impact on us. One of the negative impacts that this plan would have on us is that we would be drowned. We are afraid, as sea water is already rising,” said Chief of the LPM Kedonganan, Ketut Budana.

Budana said that he hopes that the younger generation of Kedongan’s demonstration against the reclamation plan will also inspire the elders in the village. So far, the chief of the customary village has not issued an official stance not the matter, eventhough the majority of the people of Kedonganan have already expressed their rejection of the proposed plan. Everyone living in the coastal are of Benoa Bay is expected to stand in solidarity against the plan to create a new island that would extend over some 700 hectares.

“Striving together is the strength of the people,” emphasized Budana.

Chief of the Eka Canthi customary youth club, I Wayan Yustisia Semarariana, added that the Benoa Bay reclamation plan is not just a matter that affects the environment. It is also related to democracy, as billboards that express the rejection of the Benioa Bay reclamation plan have been repeatedly vandalized or taken down.

“We started to be really disturbed when our billboards were taken down during President SBY’s visit to Bali.

This is not just an environmental issue but is also an issue related to democracy. Why were our billboards taken down? Why can’t the matter be discussed openly?” queried Semarariana.

The Kedonganan younth demonstration was also attended by Bali DPD senator, Gede Pasek Suardika. Pasek admitted that he had been invited to join the demonstration through Facebook. He did not hesitate to make a speech before the public in attendance and said that the DPD had twice invited the reclamation plan investors

(once to Bali and once to Jakarta) to discuss what it was they wanted to build in the reclaimed island. “The description that the investors presented to us, convinced us that the plan to reclaim Benoa Bay must in fact be rejected. Why should it be rejected?

Because, presently Bali is ranked as the second as the best island in the world. The creation of our motherland has been carefully painted into the beautiful Island of Bali. Why would arrogant human beings want to build a new island?” he asked.

Pasek added that the investors promise to provide 200,000 jobs is not in line with the needs of the Balinese people. There are only 36,000 new jobs needed.

Furthermore, if the plan is to go through, Bali will have a serious resource crisis on its hands - particularly in terms of water. Also creating a new island would not provide any benefits to the already high price of land in Bali.

The only advantages of this project are that the investors themselves might stand to make some money.

“With current land priced averaging IDR 2 billion per 100 square meters, that would mean the the asset value of the reclaimed land would amount to some IDR 80 trillion. The investors claim that the project will cost IDR 30 trillion, meaning that they would instantly have made a profit of some IDR 50 trillion. Taxes paid to the state would be about IDR 3 trillion, while the only thing that the people of Bali would get is the promise of jobs.

Balinese people would thus become Sudra - not the owners,” explained Pasek.

He also advised Bali’s provincial government to have the Serangan Island reclamation plan finished beforae even thinking about the reclamation of Benoa Bay. So far, the Serangan Island reclamation has not produced any prosperity for Bali, as was originally promised. Instead, the creation of Serangan Island has only cause severe abrasion to eat away several of Bali’s beaches.

“Bali has just declared a mental revolution. A concrete example of the mental revolution is having the courage to reject the Benoa Bay reclamation plan. Now, I again remind the officials of the government of Bali who claim that the reclamation of Benoa

IBP/Yudi Karnaedi

Youth from Kedonganan, Badung, supported by the Bali Development Observer Forum and the Institute for Community Empowerment (LPM) marched in demontsration against the Benoa Bay reclamation on Sunday (Jan. 3).

Bay is not the responsibility of the government of Bali but rather the responsibility of the central government -that this is a lie. If the government of Bali rejects it (the reclamation plan— Ed) then the plan will not go ahead,” stated Pasek emphatically.

ForBALI Coordinator, Wayan ‘Gendo’ Suardana, weighed in saying that Kedonganan is one of the regions that pioneered the movement

to reject the reclamation of Benoa Bay. He went on to remind the local community as well as other the coastal communities of Benoa Bay that they need to remain cautious and alert. So far, the reclamation investors are still trying to influence the public into support the Benoa Bay reclamation plan.

“They use silent operations and now they’re trying to interview

members of the community under the guise of conducting research.

People are verbally manipulated into stated that they agree with the Benoa Bay reclamation plan, so please beware! I remind you to remain vigilant because these investors have a thousand and one ways to influence people and make it seem as if the public supports the reclamation plan,” he warned. (kmb32)

Not optimal, function of TPI and Kedonganan pier MANGUPURA - Since being managed by the government, the functions of fish auction base (TPI) Kedonganan becomes not optimal. The building that should be functioned for transaction place of fishermen to sell their fishing results is even functioned as a place to record fish catch.

When met at location, a legislator of the Badung House of Representatives, I Made Sugita, said that after catching fish, fishermen come to the TPI and then their fish catch is recorded by the officers. After that, the data are reported to the Badung Fisheries Agency. Customary village authority has suggested the TPI management to be handed over to the village cooperatives (KUD).

“So, it gives impression that the local officers just record and report the data. Its governance is not clear. After fishermen get fish, it is unclear who will buy it. Where to sell and at what price, these must still be handled by fishermen,” he said.

According to him, before the issuance of the legislation on fisheries, the TPI was managed by KUD. It consists of fishing communities that know better about the problem of fisheries and maritime affairs. “At that time, the management was better. Fish catch of fishermen is collected and auctioned to get the best deal. But now, it is only noted,” he said.

Sugita who is also a fisherman explained that TPI never accommodates and markets fish catch of fishermen. “As a fisherman, we assess the TPI management

was better when being managed by fishermen than by the government. It has been felt by fishermen at Kelan and Kedonganan,” he said.

On the other hand, he also hoped that the management of local pier could be entrusted back to local fishermen through village cooperatives. Government should only be in charge of overseeing and facilitating the needs of fishermen and coastal communities.

“The Watu Nunggul Pier at Kedonganan is never functioned optimally. Vessels of fishermen rarely moor at the pier and the pier itself is even more frequently used as a fishing ground,” he explained.

According to him, one of the obstacles in the empowerment of fishermen and coastal communities this time precisely lies in the regulation that gives management authority of fish unloading dock to the government.

“For example, it can be seen in licensing issue for the vessel to moor at the pier. Licensing is under the authority of provincial government of Bali. Actually, the licensing especially for vessel with tonnage of 7 GT was formerly under the authority of district government,” he said.

Traditional fishermen in Badung, said Sugita, are more practical if they submit the license in Badung.

“Fishermen in Buleleng, for instance, will be ineffective when they must submit the license to provincial government. So, these rules must be reviewed again so that fishermen will not get many difficulties,” he concluded. (kmb27)

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Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Bali News

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

International

International

Chinese rescuers slowly dig down to rescue 4 trapped miners

Penelokan is still one of the favorite touris destination in Bangli Regency. However, the lack of arrangement made the area unorganize

IBP/Suasrina AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File

First time in 45 years

Gogo rice planted in Nusa Penida

SEMARAPURA - The dry conditions of the barren land in Nusa Penida, has not deterred the government of Klungkung from taking steps to develop agriculture in the area. The district government, through the Klungkung Agriculture Agency has planted gogo rice on 1.5 hectares of non-irrigated land as a trial. The last time that anyone tried to grow this type of rice in Nusa Penida, was in 1970.

Head of the Agriculture Agency, Wayan Durma, recently said that the cultivation of gogo rice started on December 9th, 2015 in two villages; Batumadeg and Batukandik.

The rice was panted early in the rainy season, on land owned by local farmers. “The Agriculture Agency, only provided the farmers with seedlings and advice about maintaing the rice plants,” said Durma.

If the experiment is successful, he said that the gogo rice cultiva-

tion program will be expanded to other plots of land in the area. If however the program fails, they will try alternative methods of planting this strain of rice during the next rainy season.

The Agricultrue Agency also plans to carry out detailed evaluations of the obstacles faced in planting and maintaining the rice that was planted in 2015. “If the gogo rice cultivation trial is a success, the program will be carried out in other villages including; Batu

Kandik, Batumadeg, Bungamekar, Klumpu and Sekartaji,” explained Durma.

Weather conditions obviously affect how well cultivation goes and given that the gogo rice was planted at the beginning of the rainy season, and that rainfall has not be equally distributed throughout Nusa Penida, they will have to wait to see how things go. So far pest control has not been a problem. “We hope that the planting of this rice works well and can be further developed in other Nusa Penida villages. So far, pests such as birds, rodents and others have not been an issue,” he said If the gogo rice cultivation is successful, farmers will be able to yield a maximum of four tons of grain per hectare per harvest, in dry land and up to six tons in irrigated fields. (kmb)

IBP/Dewa Farend

Manhunt of clash executor at Teuku Umar

Their hideaway continuously tracked

DENPASAR - The Denpasar Police Criminal Investigation Unit does not want to process the clashes of mass organizations on Jalan Teuku Umar Denpasar half-heartedly. On that account, the hunt for the executor with the initials GP is intensively conducted and his hiding place is continuously tracked.

“Last night (Sunday—Ed), we already made surveillance on his presence (GP—Ed), but he did not show-up. Hopefully, we can arrest him immediately,” said the Chief of Den-

pasar Police Criminal Investigation Unit, Reinhard, Sunday (Jan. 3).

He asserted that the murderer of Made Mertayasa aka Kadek Donal will be unable to run away. Reinhard is confident that GP remains in Bali but always on the move in order to escape from police hunt. “He continues to remove his traces. However, we still seek to arrest him. How long will be able to hide?” he said.

Related to the investigation process against the 15 suspects having been detained, according to him,

the investigators are encouraged to expeditiously complete the case file.

Moreover, the case has drawn public attention and is very detrimental to Bali. “From the beginning, our investigation has been coordinated with the prosecutor. Until now, there are no obstacles,” he said.

Reinhard revealed that the 15 suspects namely To, Gung Ad, Gung Iw, Lo, Pu, KD, An, Is, RK, Ek, Su, La, Me, Gi and Dd are still commended at the detention house of Tohpati Mobile Brigade and Bali Police

FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2015 file photo, Iranian officials pray as they touch the coffin of a dead hajj pilgrim who was killed in a deadly stampede in Mina near Mecca in Saudi Arabia, at Mehrabad airport in Tehran, Iran. On Sept. 24, a stampede and crush strikes the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

A look at long-fraught relation between Saudi Arabia, Iran

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been tense since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, though there have been occasional thaws between the two rivals.

The Regent of Klungkung I Nyoman Suwirta is inspecting the gogo paddy in Nusa Penida

headquarters. It is done to maintain conduciveness and security of the Denpasar Police detention house. On Wednesday (Dec. 30), five suspects were commended to the Mobile Brigade detention house and ten others to the detention house of Bali Police Headquarters. The suspects were transported by some armored personnel carriers and the detainees were guarded by completely armed riot squads.

As reported, special team of the Denpasar Police Criminal Investi-

gation Unit is still chasing another executor related to the clash cases and murder of the mass organization member on Jalan Teuku Umar Denpasar, Thursday (Dec. 17). The executor has the initials GP and together with the suspect Dd arrested in Banyuwangi murdered I Made Mertayasa alias Kadek Donal. From confession of Dd to the investigators, he slaughtered the victim from Abiansemal with GP. GP is the younger brother of the suspect Gung Ad having been arrested. (kmb36)

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The tensions have now sharply escalated with Saudi Arabia severing ties with the Islamic Republic following attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran. Here’s a look at how relations between the two Mideast powers have shifted over the last decades: PRE-REVOLUTION RELATIONS: Under the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran had rocky relations with Saudi Arabia, though they improved toward the end of his reign. Both were original members of the oil cartel OPEC. POST-REVOLUTION: After the overthrow of the shah and takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Saudi Arabia quickly became America’s top ally in the region. In the ensuing 1980s war between Iran and Iraq, Saudi Arabia backed Iraq despite its concerns about dictator Saddam Hussein. That war would kill 1 million people.

1987 HAJJ RIOTS: The annual pilgrimage to Islamic holy sites in Saudi Arabia, required of all ablebodied Muslims once in their life,

saw bloodshed when Iranians held a political demonstration. Iranian pilgrims later battled Saudi riot police, violence that killed at least 402 people. Iran claimed 600 of its pilgrims were killed and said police fired machine guns at the crowd. In Tehran, mobs attacked the Saudi, Kuwaiti, French and Iraqi embassies, ransacking the first two.

SEVERING TIES: In 1988, Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran, citing the 1987 hajj rioting and Iran’s attacks on shipping in the Persian Gulf. Iranians responded by boycotting the hajj in 1988 and 1989. The two countries restored diplomatic ties in 1991.

EASING TENSIONS: Relations between the two nations improved after Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, a political moderate, took office in 1997. Ties warmed further after historic visits by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to Tehran in December 1997 and Khatami to the kingdom in May 1999.

NUCLEAR DISPUTE: Worries about Iran resumed in Saudi Arabia amid international sanctions against

Tehran over its contested nuclear program and the increasingly harsh rhetoric of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iran and Saudi Arabia each backed opposite sides in Syria’s civil war, as well as in the civil war in Yemen. Saudi Arabia also grows increasingly suspicious of Iran as it reaches a deal with world powers over its nuclear program.

2015 HAJJ DISASTER: On Sept.

24, a stampede and crush strikes the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. While the kingdom says 769 pilgrims are killed, an Associated Press count shows over 2,400 people were killed. Iran says at least 464 of its pilgrims were killed and blames Saudi Arabia’s “incompetence” for the deaths.

SHEIKH’S EXECUTION: On Jan. 2, Saudi Arabia executed Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others — the largest execution carried out by the kingdom in three and a half decades. The execution of al-Nimr, a central figure in Arab Spring-inspired protests by Saudi Arabia’s Shiite minority, sparked protests across the Mideast and attacks on Saudi diplomatic facilities in Iran. Saudi Arabia responded by announcing it was severing diplomatic ties with Iran over the attacks.(ap)

BEIJING — Rescuers have dropped provisions to four Chinese mine workers trapped for 10 days in a wrecked gypsum mine and are slowly drilling a route to save them, state media said Monday.

The men are trapped more than 200 meters below the surface, and state media has reported they are in good condition. Because the ground is so fragile, the rescuers managed to drill only 25 meters deep after more than 40 hours, China National Radio reported.

Rescue leader Du Bingjian said he could not give a time when the men would be pulled up, according to the radio report.

Rescuers using infrared cameras fed into a narrow opening detected the survivors last Wednesday — five days after the cave-in.

The Dec. 25 mine collapse in Shandong province killed at least one person. Thirteen others are missing, and 11 made it to safety or were rescued earlier.

Rescuers initially believed they had found eight trapped survivors but were able to make contact with only four.

The same narrow opening used for the cameras was used to deliver bottles of nutritional liquid, which would have to float on water toward the trapped men. But the so-called lifeline hole is not wide enough for a person. Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral that is widely used in construction. (ap)

Catalan secessionist parties to discuss way forward

MADRID — Catalonia’s two main pro-independence parties will meet to discuss how to salvage their secessionist drive after a key far-left party refused to back the re-election of incumbent regional leader Artur Mas. Mas’ ruling conservative Convergence party and the Republican Left of Catalonia group joined forces under the “Together for Yes” alliance to win 62 seats in the 135-seat regional parliament last September. But they needed the support of the far-left CUP’s 10 seats to secure Mas a workable majority and further the independence push.

The two larger parties will hold executive board meetings separately Monday to discuss CUP’s weekend shut-out of Mas. The region has until Jan. 10 to select a regional president or face a new local election, which Mas has warned could derail the independence drive. (ap)

AP Photo/Francisco Seco

In this Friday, Dec. 11, 2015 photo, Ciudadanos party leader Albert Rivera poses for the media during a debate meeting with businessmen and journalists in Madrid. Rivera, said Monday Dec. 21, 2015, that his party and the Socialists should abstain in the Parliament vote and give the Popular Party a possibility of forming a minority government.

12

International

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

International

BUSINESS

Bali News

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Yeh Gangga fishermen stop their fishing activities

Oil prices rise after Saudi Arabia cuts ties with Iran

SINGAPORE - Oil prices rose in Asia Monday after crude kingpin producer Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran following a row over the Saudi execution of a Shiite cleric.

Saudi Arabia announced the decision Sunday, a day after protesters ransacked its embassy in Tehran over the execution of the cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel alJubeir said Iranian diplomats had 48 hours to leave. Iran’s supreme leader warned Saudi Arabia it would face “quick consequences” for the execution.

Fearing further upheaval in the already volatile Middle East, the United States has urged regional leaders to try to ease tensions.

At around 0610 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for

delivery in February was up 77 cents, or 2.08 percent, at $37.81.

Brent crude for February was trading 91 cents, or 2.44 percent, higher at $38.19.

“Oil started the new year on the mend, as Asian markets reacted to fears that geopolitical tensions in the Middle East may threaten the supply of oil,” said Bernard Aw, market strategist at IG Markets in Singapore.

Despite the rise, Aw said the persistent global crude oversupply would continue to weigh on prices over the longer term.

“Unless we see a convincing drop in oil output from these

two nations, and the broader oilproducing community, the supply glut issue will persist, which means oil prices would remain under pressure for a longer period,” he told AFP. Sanjeev Gupta, head of the Asia Pacific oil and gas practice at professional services firm EY, said that “continued adverse news involving the Middle East region could result in spike in prices, at least in the short term”. But Gupta added that the current supply glut would likely restrict any sharp upswings.

Saudi Arabia is the biggest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, which last month decided against cutting output levels despite a plunge in oil prices. Iran is also a key OPEC member. (afp)

James Quigg/The Victor Valley Daily Press via AP, File

This May 13, 2015, file photo shows gas prices are nearing or exceeding four dollars a gallon at some High Desert gas stations. Oil prices rose in Asia Monday after crude kingpin producer Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran following a row over the Saudi execution of a Shiite cleric.

Apple raises iPhone prices in Germany over Singapore GDP growth drops to 2.1 percent in 2015 new content levy BERLIN — Apple raised the prices for hand-held devices in Germany at the start of the year, following a deal between the tech industry and content producers that will benefit a range of creative professionals including musicians, actors and pornographic filmmakers.

The Cupertino, California-based company confirmed in a statement Sunday to The Associated Press that the price increase affecting iPhones and iPads is linked to the new copyright levy.

Apple Inc., Samsung and others agreed last month to pay about 5-7 euros ($5.50-$7.70) for each smartphone or tablet imported to Germany. A basic version of iPhone 6s now retails for 744.95 euros ($811.03), compared with 739 euros last year.

The agreement matches similar arrangements already in place for other consumer electronics and consumables such as blank CDs. It is based on a 1965 German law that allows consumers to make private copies of sound, images or texts in return for a small surcharge when they buy the device.

Markus Scheufele, a copyright expert at the tech industry lobby group Bitkom, said the deal includes back payments for phones sold after 2008, and tablets sold after 2012.

In the long term, the industry wants to move away from adding a fixed surcharge on devices to subscription services and pay-per-use models, where consumers only pay for what they actually download, he said.

But Juergen Becker, a spokesman for the umbrella organization ZPUe that negotiated the deal on behalf of content producers, said past experience had shown that consumers would always find ways to copy material for free, without paying for it, making the up-front surcharge on devices fairer.

All forms of content are covered by the deal, meaning that proceeds from the new levy will also be shared with a group representing “creators, producers and acting artists of erotic and pornographic films.”

“Since it’s assumed that these are copied too, they get a share,” Becker said. (ap)

SINGAPORE - Singapore’s trade-dependent economy grew by an estimated 2.1 percent in 2015, its worst performance since the 2009 recession, as global demand for Asian exports slumped, official data showed Monday.

The gross domestic product expansion figure, down from 2.9 percent in 2014, was based on advance estimates that GDP in the fourth quarter of last year rose 2.0 percent year-on-year.

The 2015 growth estimate was in line with the government’s latest revised forecast for GDP to expand “close to 2.0 percent”.

Singapore’s GDP contracted by 0.6 percent in 2009 during the global financial crisis, but rebounded the following year with exceptional growth of 15.2 percent.

The trade ministry has projected GDP growth of between 1.0 and 3.0 percent in 2016.

Singapore’s manufacturing sector, which makes up about a fifth of the economy, contracted 6.0 percent in the December 2015 quarter, marking its fourth consecutive quarterly decline.

In 2015, manufacturing sank 4.8 percent, the ministry said, due to weak demand for key exports like semiconductors and precision engineering products.

Demand for oil drilling rigs has also been dented as exploration activities dwindled due to the prolonged slump in crude prices.

Singapore is the largest manufacturer of

jack-up rigs, accounting for 70 percent of the world market.

Construction and services cushioned the impact of the weak manufacturing sector in 2015.

Construction expanded 7.0 percent and services climbed 6.5 percent year-on-year in the fourth quarter but manufacturing remains a drag.

“Singapore’s manufacturing sector is still mired in recessionary conditions, reflecting moderating Chinese growth, the broader regional slump in East Asian exports and transmission effects to the industrial supply chain,” said Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific chief economist at IHS Global Insight.

Research house Capital Economics also expressed doubt that Singapore’s domestically oriented construction sector can sustain its growth in the face of rising interest rates as the US Federal Reserve continues to tighten monetary policy.

“Higher borrowing costs are likely to further weaken the housing market and dampen construction activity. Rising rates will also crimp consumer spending,” it said.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had cautioned against the slowing economy in his New Year’s Day message over the weekend.

“Our economy is slowing down and undergoing transition. We cannot expect an easy journey ahead,” he said. (afp)

5

The Denpasar Festival

IBP/Wawan

Denfest turnover estimated to reach IDR 5 billion

DENPASAR - Implementation of the Denpasar Festival (Denfest) 2015 annual event was closed last yearend. Such an activity is an opportunity to showcase a variety of creativity products made by community, including generating local products such as cuisines, handicraft and textiles (endek). During the four days of the festival, the turnover is estimated to reach more than IDR 5 billion. This was confirmed by the Secretary of the Denfest Committee, I Made Saryawan, who met at the office of the Denpasar Mayor, Sunday (Jan. 3).

This estimation is considered to be very rational because visitors coming to the Denfest venue were very interested in trying to enjoy a variety of culinary treasures specially presented by the Denfest participants. “Precise turnover is not available yet because it must be collected first. However, the estimation is certainly

above IDR 5 billion,” he said.

Some culinary products got the attention of visitors, namely the Balinese cuisines such as tipat blayag. Due to many visitors are interested in tasting traditional cuisines in the eighth Denfest, the queue was quite long at each booth even though the price offered was

relatively expensive.

Nevertheless, many visitors also purchased a variety of culinary products and the turnover of the booth owners is quite fantastic. “The turnover increased when compared to the one achieved in the Denfest 2014,” he said.

The increasing turnover of Denfest shows that the annual event is more widely known by the public. Besides, there is always new innovation in the implementation when compared to the previous year. For instance, in the current Denfest the committee increased the number of booths and provided spaces for young entrepreneurs to sell their products like distribution outlets. (kmb12)

TABANAN - Re-enactment of the Regulation of the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries No.1/2015 that regulates the size of lobster for export over 300 grams after the issuance of circular No. 18/2015 reducing the size does not apply per December 31, 2015, makes fishermen in Tabanan go bankrupt or stop fishing. Of course, this condition makes fishermen restless.

Moreover, the regulation is judged to have been stipulated without considering the study and the impact on fishermen. There is no substitute for skill or other livelihood options for fishermen from the government so that they are forced to lie idle for long time because they cannot catch lobster.

This was revealed by Chairman of the Indonesia Fishermen Association (HNSI) Tabanan, Ketut Arsana Yasa, Sunday (Jan. 3). He deplored the determination of the ministerial regulation because it is considered to generalize the lobster type in the waters of Indonesia and was not made with appropriate studies. “Most lobsters in Tabanan belong to sand types with the average weight of 100 to 200 grams. They even have spawned in the weight of 100 grams and above. So, it is hard to look for lobster of 300 grams,” he said.

Further, Arsana Yasa added that fishermen realized that the ministerial regulation is meant to preserve lobster. “Regarding the preservation, it has been done by our fishermen. They do not catch young lobsters and release the spawned ones. Moreover, they catch by traditional lobster trap or bubu,” he said. In addition, fishermen do not catch lobster during its proliferation season lasting in June to September.

He and fishermen colleagues have been struggling to convey their aspirations both at the district and provincial level but there are no results so far. According to Arsana Yasa, the fishermen hoped the ministerial regulation can be reviewed and revised where the export policy can allow the lobster weighing 100 grams upwards. “Otherwise, it’s a pity on the fishermen.

Fishermen relying on their income from selling lobster will become idle,” he said.

He continued that when issuing a regulation, the government should also think about other opportunities that can be taken by fishermen so that they can have other income source. “They are not possible to switch to other fields like tourism because they have been fisherman for years. At least, think about other opportunities in the field of fishing for them. The assistance in the form of boats, fuel subsidies and nets are useless because they do not go to sea,” explained Arsana Yasa.

One of the lobster collectors at Yeh Ganga, Dewa Gede Ada Artana, admitted to no longer perform the activities of buying and selling lobster for export. It happens due to difficulty to get lobster over 300 grams.

“Some fishermen have tried. However, the lobsters captured even weigh 100 grams and 200 grams,” he said. Since there was no lobster of over 300 grams, he then decided to stop exporting lobster.

Another fisherman from Yeh Ganga, Ketut Beret, is forced not to catch lobster any longer rather than suffering losses. “The income obtained is not comparable to our operating costs,” he said.

Fortunately he still has farmland to be cultivated during idle period. However, not all fishermen in Tabanan have farmland like Baret. Those whose life highly depends on fishing are forced to occasionally go to sea to catch fish whose value does not enough to support their life. When getting a lobster and unsold, fishermen usually take advantage of it for self consumption. (kmb24)

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Tuesday, January 5, 2016

W

RLD

International

Britain studies latest Islamic State group video threat

International

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

INDONESIA Railways can solve Papua’s transportation problems

LONDON — British security officials are studying an Islamic State group video that threatens more action against the United Kingdom.

Officials are looking for clues Monday about the identity of a masked man who speaks with a British accent on the video before shooting a purported spy in the head. The man says the extremists will soon invade Britain. Four others accused of spying for Britain are also shot dead by others who do not speak.

The video circulated Sunday features an apparent replacement for Mohammed Emwazi, the British-accented man known as “Jihadi John,” who was killed in a drone strike in Syria in November. He had figured prominently in earlier IS propaganda videos. It also features a young boy who threatens Britons at the end of the video. (ap)

Sweden, Denmark introduce border checks to stem migrant flow

AP Photo/Bullu Raj

Indian soldiers and locals remove debris from a damaged building after an earthquake in Imphal, capital of the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Monday, Jan. 4, 2016. A 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit India’s remote northeast region before dawn on Monday.

Strong quake in India’s remote northeast kills at least 8

GAUHATI — A strong earthquake hit India’s remote northeast region before dawn Monday, killing at least eight people, injuring more than 100 and causing damage to several buildings.

The death and injuries were caused by falling debris. Manipur state’s home minister, G. Gaikhangam, said several parts of the state suffered extensive damage. He said the state capital of Imphal was hit hard, but did not give any details. Authorities were still assessing the situation, Gaikhangam told reporters.

Three people were killed in Imphal and the other five in other parts of the state, said police officer A.K. Jalajit.

Media reports said five people were killed by the earthquake in neighboring Bangladesh, but there was no immediate official confirmation. In India, the 6.7-magnitude tremor left large cracks in walls, and a portion of a popular market building collapsed in Imphal. The area is dotted with small houses.

There are few tall buildings

in the region, although a newly constructed six-story building collapsed in Imphal, police said.

A bridge also was damaged on the outskirts of the city.

India’s Meteorological Department said the epicenter of the quake was in the Tamenglong region of Manipur. It struck at a depth of 17 kilometers (10 miles) below the surface and not far from the border with Myanmar.

Police officer L. Ragui said by telephone that dozens of homes were slightly damaged in Tamenglong. Shangthon Kamei, a teacher in Tamenglong, said the earthquake rattled buildings.

“It lasted for around one minute. We were sleeping and were woken up by the earthquake,” he said. Telephone and electricity connections were disrupted in some areas.

The epicenter was 35 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of Imphal. The area is remote, with poor cellphone and Internet connections, and information about conditions outside of major cities may take time to emerge.

Nearly 90 members of the National Disaster Response Force, a specialized federal force for natural disasters, have left to check on remote areas, police said.

People panicked and rushed out of their homes in Gauhati, the capital of neighboring Assam state, as they felt massive shaking at least twice within 60 seconds.

In Imphal, residents said furniture was knocked over and books fell off shelves.

“The ground swayed for almost a minute, jolting people awake in their homes,” said one resident, Apem Arthur.(ap)

COPENHAGEN — Denmark on Monday tightened controls at its border with Germany just hours after neighboring Sweden introduced similar measures to stem the flow of migrants.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmusssen told reporters in Copenhagen that as of noon Monday (1100 GMT, 6 a.m. EST), police were conducting spot checks on travelers crossing the border from Germany.

“We are introducing temporary border controls, but in a balanced way,” Loekke Rasmussen said, adding there would be no problem for “ordinary” Danes and Germans to cross the border.

It was the latest move by a European Union country to suspend an agreement to keep internal borders open after 1 million migrants entered the bloc in 2015. “If the European Union cannot protect the external border you will see more and more countries forced to introduce temporary border controls,” the prime minister said.

He said the Danish move was in response to new ID checks introduced by Sweden on Monday for all passengers entering the country by train, bus or ferry. To comply with the new Swedish rules, passengers had to show identification to board trains departing from Copenhagen Airport to Sweden across a bridge-and-tunnel link.

Danish officials have criticized the move and suggested Sweden should pay for the cost of the ID checks.

The Swedish government decided to tighten border controls after 160,000 people applied for asylum in Sweden last year — the highest number in Europe except for Germany. Most of them were from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (ap)

REUTERS/Beawiharta

Workers weight frozen tuna before selling at Muara Angke fish auction in Jakarta, January 4, 2016. Indonesia’s annual inflation rate cooled to the lowest in six years in December, which might pave the way for the central bank to cut a benchmark rate held at 7.50 percent since February 2015.

Target overshot in state budget deficit 2.8 percent of GDP

JAKARTA - Finance Minister said the target was overshot for the state budget deficit in 2015 reaching Rp318.5 trillion or 2.8 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The deficit was larger than the target of Rp222.5 trillion or 1.9 percent of the GDP , the chief spokesperson of the finance ministry NE Fatimah said in a statement on Sunday.

Fatimah said state income reached only Rp1,491.5 trillion as against state spending of Rp1,810 trillion. Realization of state income reached only 84.7 percent of the target of Rp1,761.6 trillion including Rp1,235.8 trillion in tax revenues or 83 percent of the target of Rp1,489.3 trillion and non tax state revenues of Rp252.4 trillion or 93.8 percent of the target of Rp269.1 trillion.

The shortfall in the tax revenues was attributable to slowdown in the manufacturing and mining sectors as

well as shrinking imports and falling commodity prices.

Increase was recorded in oil and gas income to a total of Rp547.5 trillion or 19 percent higher than in 2014.

Tax revenues from non oil/gas sector reached Rp1,005.7 trillion or an increase of 12 percent bringing the total tax revenues to Rp1,150 trillion gross. Total net tax revenues was recorded at Rp1,055 trillion.

Meanwhile state spending totaled Rp1,810 trillion or 91.2 percent of the ceiling of Rp1,984.1 trillion with breakdown : spending by the central government at Rp1,187.1 trillion or 90 percent of the ceiling of Rp1,319.5 trillion and transfer to the regions and rural funds at Rp623 trillion or 93.7

percent of the ceiling of Rp664.6 trillion.

The spending by the central government included spending by ministries at Rp724.3 trillion or 91.1 percent of the ceiling of Rp795.5 trillion and spending by non ministerial agencies at Rp462.7 trillion or 88.3 percent of the ceiling of Rp524.1 trillion.

“Altogether, spending by the ministries reached Rp724.3 trillion nominally higher than Rp577.2 trillion in 2014.

Capital spending reached Rp213.3 trillion or an increase of 45 percent year-on-year,” NE Fatimah said.

With the state budget deficit at Rp318.5 trillion and funding at Rp329.4 trillion, there was Rp10.8 trillion in unspent budget. (ant)

Soekarno Hatta Airport operator ensures baggage security Bjorn Lindgren / TT News Agency via AP

Security staff check IDs at Kastrups train station outside Copenhagen, Denmark, Monday, Jan. 2015. Sweden requires train companies with service across a bridge-and-tunnel link from Denmark to refuse passengers without IDs.

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JAKARTA - State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II is working in coordination with airline companies to ensure baggage security at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

“The measures to improve the handling and security of baggage at the airport are implemented and monitored through a 24-hour secu-

rity surveillance system using CCTV devices,” Senior General Manager of PT Angkasa Pura II Zulfahmi noted in a statement on Monday.

Coordination between the airlines and the baggage handling ground staff is needed to realize the same vision and improve services at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

“It is our duty to find a solution to every problem faced by passengers at the airport,” he emphasized.

One of the airport’s porters was arrested in November 2015 for breaking into a passenger’s luggage to steal valuable goods. The suspect was caught red-handed after his criminal act was captured by a CCTV camera. (ant)

JAKARTA - Railways are considered to be the most economical and efficient means to solve the transportation problems in Indonesia’s easternmost provinces of Papua and West Papua.

The people in the two provinces have, for several years, relied on sea and air transport, and they now need overland transportation, such as train service for them to travel from one district to another.

Railway systems are the backbone of transportation globally as they provide fast, high capacity, safe, and punctual transportation with good environmental performance and energy efficiency.

In light of this, the people of Papua and West Papua have expressed hope that the plan to build a railway system there would be implemented immediately.

Karlos Dorowe, a West Papua youth leader, remarked in Sorong on Monday that the railway project could be realized during the administration of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

“We hope the railway line, which has been planned since a long time, would be realized during the present government of President Jokowi and Vice President Kalla,” Dorowe stated.

He noted that the local community had long awaited the implementation of the railway project.

Dorowe affirmed that railways offer the right solution to solving the transportation problems in Papua and West Papua, which have so far relied solely on sea and air transport that are much more expensive, and only a few people from the highincome group could afford air transport.

“Land transportation facility is very limited to the urban areas. There are no roads connecting one district to another in the province,” he pointed out.

He stated that the local people strongly supported the government’s plan to build a rail transport facility to link Sorong in the western end to the West Papua provincial city of Manokwari.

According to Dorowe, the railway transport facility would help to boost the province’s economy.

“We are confident that both President Jokowi and Vice President Kalla would pay special attention to the development in West Papua,” he affirmed.

West Papua Transportation and Communication Department spokesman Bambang Heriawan Soesanto said in Manokwari early in December 2015 that the master plan of a railway project in the province was expected to be completed immediately.

“The railway system should be available soon as this program is important for large-scale economic development in West Papua,” Soesanto remarked.

He stated that the consulting and technical teams from the West Papua Department of Transportation and Communication had been on the field to survey, assess, and seek inputs on the districts and cities that will be covered by the railway network.

Soesanto stated that the construction of a railway network in West Papua is a great program with a long-term vision.

He believes that the existence of a railway network in West Papua will be able to improve effectiveness and efficiency in the distribution of mining, agricultural, and plantation commodities to support the regional economy.

“With the existence of a railway network, oil, gas, minerals, coal, and agricultural and other natural resources can be distributed more quickly and at relatively low costs,” he pointed out.

He expressed hope that the people and all public elements in the area would support the railway network, which has been launched by the central government.

President Joko Widodo has indicated that construction of the project would start in 2016. He pledged that all districts in West Papua would be connected with railway tracks in 2018. (ant)

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Destination

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

International

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

International

Lorenzo not intimidated by Valentino Rossi’s popularity

Goa Garba GIANYAR - If you are a spiritualist, try to feel the vibration of the magical temple of Goa Garba or Garba Cave. Aura of the cave is so pronounced. People who aim to meditate and gain knowledge often come to this cave. This Goa Garba ancient relic is located beneath the Pengukur-Ukuran Temple estimated to have been built around the twelfth century AD during the reign of King Jayapangus.

Goa Garba is located at Sawegunung hamlet, Pejeng village, Tampaksiring subdistrict, Gianyar.

By car, it is about 50 minutes away

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or about 34 km from Denpasar.

This historic site is now becoming a tourist destination visited by many foreign travelers.

Other than being known as a tourist destination with an abundance of temples, Bali also retains a good few of cave. One of them is Goa Garba posing one of the ancient relics having a great significance. Goa Garba is located beneath the Pengukur-Ukuran Temple. The temple was formerly used as a school for the kings of Bali.

It is situated on a steep cliff, right on the bank of the Pakerisan River.

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Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP

Chicago Bulls’ Jimmy Butler celebrates a three-point basket against the Toronto Raptors during second half NBA basketball action in Toronto on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016.

IBP/File Photo

Based on information of local residents, Goa Garba is a hermitage niche carved on the wall of cliff edge of the Pakerisan River. On top of this hermitage lie a number of pools and showers where at pool side sits a hole leading to a cave.

To achieve this cultural heritage, visitor must first visit a neat entrance gate with nicely arranged stairs made of river stone. Meanwhile, the entrance gate is made of sand stone. It is said that the cave was made by Kebo Iwa, a Balinese vice regent having supernatural power.

There is a stone containing the footprints whose size exceeds the size of an ordinary human foot and it is believed to belong to Kebo Iwa. At the time of making the staircase, the stone is said to move by itself in accordance with the will of Kebo Iwa. Uniquely, every time of stepping down the stone staircase, its number is always different. When counting them for again and again, the amount will not be the same.

In the niche can be found several sculptures such as a stone board carved with the motif of a pot. In the meantime, in the Pengukur-

Ukuran temple can be found several carved stones and a stone door that reads Saka Year 1116 or be equal to 1194 AD. In the inscription is mentioned the name Dharmaanyar and this may be the former name of the temple.

To support the tourism sector, this Goa Garba tourist attraction has been equipped with facilities like a spacious parking lot. Although most of the population around the Goa Garba has livelihood as farmers, they have intelligent mind, so that the ancient relics can be preserved well.

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Butler breaks Jordan’s record as Bulls beat Raptors

TORONTO — Chicago’s Jimmy Butler broke Michael Jordan’s team record for points in a half, scoring 40 of his 42 after the break to lead the Bulls to a 115-113 win against Toronto on Sunday.

Jordan had 39 in the second half of a game against Milwaukee in 1989. Among other results, Arron Afflalo led New York to victory over Atlanta and Miami dominated an undermanned Washington.

Chicago notched a fourth successive win as Butler shot 14 of 19 in the final two quarters after a 1-for-4 start.

Pau Gasol had his 17th double-double of the season with 19 points and 13 rebounds as Chicago beat Toronto for the seventh straight time.

DeMar DeRozan led the way for the Raptors with 24 points. New York’s Afflalo scored a season-high

38 points to lead the Knicks to a 11197 win against Atlanta.

Afflalo was 14 for 17 from the field and 7 for 8 from 3-point range, making his first seven attempts and nearing his career best of 43 points.

The Knicks are 8-2 when Afflalo scores 15 or more points and 8-17 when he doesn’t. Paul Millsap scored 19 points for the Hawks. Miami cruised to a 97-75 win against a Washington team that was as inaccurate as it was undermanned.

With just nine healthy players, Washington was outscored in the second quarter 25-7. The Wizards missed

Jorge Lorenzo says he has learned not to be intimidated by Yamaha MotoGP team-mate Valentino Rossi’s huge global popularity.

While motorcycle racing legend Rossi receives adulation the world over, Lorenzo has sometimes received boos from some sections of fans when on grand prix podiums, as Marc Marquez did amid his spat with Rossi in the final rounds of 2015.

Asked if the volume of support for Rossi made it feel like he was fighting “against the world”, Lorenzo replied: “Every person in the world is fighting against the world.

“Valentino, with his career and his personality and all that he won, has won more quantity of fans than us. “And these fans make a lot of noise because there are a lot of them and they want to support their rider in a different way.

“It’s nothing to be worried about. “I stay good with my people.

“Your hear people making noise, but it doesn’t change my life, my happiness or my work.”

He said he has never felt any favouritism towards Rossi from Yamaha, despite the Italian being such a pivotal part of its MotoGP success story, and wants to make sure he leaves his mark on the team’s history too.

“I feel protected and supported by Yamaha always, from when I arrived with them in 2008,” said Lorenzo. “I always had a good bike and the same material, even when Valentino was the main rider in Yamaha in the first years.

“Every marriage has its moments of disagreement, but my goal and my dream is to retire at Yamaha without changing team. “Now I’m reaching my objective to be a Yamaha legend with this third world title.

“I am a five-time world champion in general, three times in MotoGP, equalling legends like Wayne Rainey, my friend Kenny Roberts Sr, and in the motorsport world Ayrton Senna.

“It’s amazing to feel that and we have to enjoy it at the maximum because there moments are very difficult to reach.”(rtr)

20 of their 22 field goal attempts as the Heat took a 50-31 halftime lead.

John Wall, who led Washington with 14 points, hit just six of his 21 field goal attempts. The Wizards shot just 34.1 percent and their 75 points were a season low.

Chris Bosh scored 23 points and Goran Dragic had 18 for the Heat, who conceded the fewest points of their season.

Portland’s C.J. McCollum had 25 points and seven assists to lead the Trail Blazers to a 112-106 win over Denver, which has lost six straight.

Los Angeles’ Lou Williams scored a season-high 30 points as the Lakers won three in a row for the first time this season, beating struggling Phoenix 97-77, condemning the Suns to a ninth straight loss.(ap)

Stosur survives another tricky outing in Brisbane

Australian Sam Stosur narrowly avoided another disappointment on home turf as she battled through a wrist injury and three tough sets to claim an opening victory at the Brisbane International on Monday.

The former U.S. Open champion recovered from 0-3 down in the final set to record a 6-4 3-6 6-4 victory over Slovakian qualifier Jana Cepelova to kick off her always intense Australian summer in posi-

tive style.

The 31-year-old has frequently failed to hit the heights on home turf, having never won a tournament or progressed past the fourth round at the Australian Open, and bemoaned on Sunday the unfair emphasis she received for her domestic form.

The world number 27 looked set to give the critics another stick to beat her with before a spirited effort did for the world number 147 and

set up a second-round clash with Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro on Tuesday.

“I am really pleased to walk away with a win, especially being down in that third set and then find that ability to come back and play well and win it when you are down, to turn things around,” Stosur said. “There were lots of positives I could take out of that.”

Stosur needed treatment for a

wrist problem midway through the second set but was not overly concerned about the injury. “I’m not freaking out about it,” said the righthander, winner of eight WTA titles.

“I need to go see my physio and do whatever we need to do tonight.

“Then tomorrow playing night match there is that little bit of extra time if it is a bit sore. I’m sure we’ll come up with a plan and be out on court ready to go.”

Italy’s Roberto Vinci, who ended Serena Williams’ bid for a calendar grand slam at the U.S. Open semifinals last year, also needed three tough sets to make the second round on the Brisbane hard courts.

The 32-year-old prevailed 3-6 6-2 6-4 over former world number one Jelena Jankovic, while Germany’s world number 10 Angelique Kerber shook off the rust in a 5-7 6-3 6-0 victory over Camila Giorgi of Italy.(rtr)

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Benitez’s Madrid stumbles again in 2-2 draw at Valencia

Stoke City’s Marko Arnautovic, left, and Ibrahim Afellay applaud fans after defeating Manchster United 2-0 in the English Premier League soccer match between Stoke City and Manchester United at the Britannia Stadium, Stoke on Trent, England, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2015.

‘Stokelona’ eyes another upset in League Cup semifinals

AP Photo/Rui Vieira

MANCHESTER, England — Think of Stoke City over the last past decade, and what immediately springs to mind is a physical, powerful team, route-one football and Rory Delap’s long throw.

That’s all been consigned to the past during a season in which the transformation of Stoke’s playing approach rivals Leicester’s rise and Chelsea’s decline as the story of the 2015-16 campaign in English soccer.

After dismantling the two Manchester giants at home and Everton away in impressive Premier League victories in December, Stoke was tagged with a nickname few can

ever have imagined the team getting — “Stokelona,” in reference to Spain’s Barcelona.

Stoke has a long way to go to match the level of the current European champions but, in relative terms, there’s a comparison to be made.

And it makes the central English team a genuine contender when the League Cup semifinals begin this week with the first-leg matches:

Stoke vs. Liverpool on Tuesday, and Everton vs. Manchester City on Wednesday.

The reshaping of once-unfashionable Stoke under manager Mark Hughes, who had a spell at Barcelona during his playing career, has seen former Barca players Bojan Krkic, Ibrahim Afellay and Marc Muniesa join the club since 2014, bringing a new mentality to the Britannia Stadium. The style of play

Chelsea still have a chance of finishing in the Premier League top four and securing Champions League football at the end of the season, interim manager Guus Hiddink has said. Chelsea beat Crystal Palace 3-0 on Sunday to register their sixth league win of the season and their first since Hiddink took the reins from Jose Mourinho last month.

The win moved Chelsea up to

14th place in the table and 13 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, and Hiddink refused to write off his side’s chances of finishing in the top four although he admitted it would be “difficult”.

“Everyone knows there’s a lot of quality but sometimes a team which has just become champions has a tendency to become complacent,” the Dutchman told the BBC. “When I started, we said math-

ematically when we could get to a Champions League position it would be lovely.

“It’s difficult because this league has become so strong. Everyone can win from everyone, which means it’s very difficult to get there.

“But as long as we play like (we did against Palace), we can be happy and then results will come.

It’s possible still, but a long way to go.” (rtr)

has changed, too, from a long-ball game to an emphasis on passing and possession.

Then there’s the creation and blossoming of a lively front three comprising Bojan, another diminutive attacker in record-signing Xherdan Shaqiri and one-time enfant terrible Marko Arnautovic — Stoke’s answer to the Lionel Messi-NeymarLuis Suarez triumvirate.

The change has been startling.

Man City and Man United were blown away when they visited Stoke last month, with their 2-0 losses potentially being much heavier. Stoke

then went to Everton and won 4-3 in a devastating display of attacking football.

“Compliments are fine and we take them,” Hughes has said of the “Stokelona” tag, “but probably doesn’t sit too comfortably with us at the moment because we usually slip under the radar and others get the plaudits. “If the profile of what we are doing is raised, it’s what we have to deal with.”

Stoke, which won the League Cup in 1972, is up against a Liverpool team that has won the competition a record eight times. (ap)

Chelsea can still finish in top four, says Hiddink

BARCELONA — Real Madrid squandered a great opening goal and a chance to catch Barcelona in the Spanish league standings when it slipped to a 2-2 draw at Valencia in a match it ended with 10 men on Sunday.

Madrid seemed set to romp to an easy victory after Karim Benzema finished off a superb move in the 16th minute, but Valencia’s Dani Parejo leveled from the penalty spot just before halftime.

Gareth Bale headed Madrid back in front in the 82nd despite his team playing a man down after Mateo Kovacic saw a direct red card, only for Paco Alcacer to strike right back for the hosts a minute later to spark a thrilling finish by both teams.

Coach Rafa Benitez will face even more scrutiny after Madrid failed to capitalize on Barcelona’s scoreless stalemate at Espanyol on Saturday and remained two points behind the defending champions, which have a game to play.

Madrid also fell four points behind provisional leader Atletico Madrid, the only title contender to win this round. Benitez said “I can’t stop some people from speculating” about his future.

“What I can do is get the team to work hard like they did today,” he said.

“We missed an opportunity - only if you look at the result. But the effort

that my team made deserves more praise that anything else.”

The struggling powerhouse, which has already been disqualified from the Copa del Rey for fielding an ineligible player, will also have to be careful not to be caught by fourth-place Villarreal after Bruno Soriano scored his second of two goals deep into stoppage time to grab a 2-1 victory at Deportivo La Coruna.

Benitez’s latest stumble, which arrived after losses at home to Barcelona and away at Sevilla and Villarreal in the last eight rounds, came in his return to a Mestalla Stadium where he established his reputation with two league titles and a UEFA Cup trophy.

Benitez’s counterpart, Gary Neville, remained winless in his fourth league game since taking over at Valencia, but his team earned a morale-boosting result.

“That was the best performance we have had over 90 minutes. It wasn’t enough, but you have to be practical, Gareth Bale was on the other side,” Neville said.

Madrid’s strong start provoked panic in Valencia, which was hemmed into its box until Madrid got what seemed to be the inevitable opener from an exquisite combination by its three star strikers.

Bale started the move with an audacious back-heeled flick to send Benzema’s pass to Cristiano Ronaldo, who slid the ball back for Benzema to slot his shot into the corner of the net.

But instead of going for a second goal to finish the hosts off, Madrid let complacency creep in and Valencia slowly began to push forward through midfielder Andres Gomes and forward Joao Cancelo. Cancelo fired a warning shot across the far post of Keylor Navas’ goal in the 31st, soon to be followed by Gomes and Aymen Abdennour forcing Madrid’s backline to scramble.

Another Gomes incursion was only stopped when Pepe tripped him in the area, letting Parejo step up and level the score. Madrid recovered some of its attacking verve after the restart, but it was stalled by Kovacic’s sending-off for a lunging tackle on Cancelo in the 70th.

Toni Kroos, however, placed a free kick for Bale to rise up and gracefully head in off the far post to momentarily restore Madrid’s lead.

But Valencia charged right back down to score when Rodrigo Moreno headed down a pass for Alcacer to nod home.

Both sides then had a chance to grab a lastgasp winner when substitute Alvaro Negredo failed to beat Navas one-on-one, before Bale fired high at the other end. At Deportivo, Soriano gave Villarreal a first-half lead, before Luis Alberto made it 1-1 three minutes after halftime.

The match was heading toward a draw when a rash foul by Fernando Navarro on Matias Nahuel gave Soriano a spot kick that he converted five minutes into injury time to secure Villarreal a fifth straight win. Villarreal moved one point adrift Madrid.(ap)

AP Photo/Alberto Saiz

Reuters / Dylan Martinez

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink (L) appeals as Diego Costa goes down

Real Madrid’s head coach Rafael Benitez gestures to his players during a Spanish La Liga soccer match against Valencia at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia, Spain, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016.

AP Photo/Christophe Ena

PSG’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores his side’s 2nd goal during the Champions League Group A soccer match between PSG and FC Shakhtar at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Tuesday, Dec. 08, 2015.

Ibrahimovic scores winner as PSG advances in French Cup PARIS — Zlatan Ibrahimovic headed home the winner as Paris Saint-Gemain started the defense of its French Cup title with a scrappy 1-0 win over fourth-tier side Wasquehal while Monaco scored 10 goals to advance on Sunday.

Playing its first game of 2016 in the northern city of Lille in rainy conditions, PSG was in control throughout and created plenty of scoring chances. But it lacked a cutting edge until the Sweden international connected with Marco Verratti’s long ball on the hour mark.

“We’d like to have played better today, to be safe earlier in the match and play with more serenity,” PSG coach Laurent Blanc said. “But this afternoon we were unable to achieve this.”

Having opened up a 19-point lead over second-place Monaco at the top of the French league standings in just 19 games, PSG is looking to reproduce the domestic treble Laurent Blanc’s side achieved last season when it won the league title, the League Cup and the Cup. Facing amateur club SaintJean-Beaulieu, a team playing in the seventh tier of French football, Monaco took advantage of its opponents’ attacking style of play to catch them on the break and score goals galore in a 10-2 victory.

Both teams finished with 10 players following an altercation early in the second half between Monaco striker Lacina Traore — who scored four goals before being sent off — and Yann Mariotti.

Among the top-tier teams also advancing to the round of 32 were Marseille, Lille, Lorient, Saint-Etienne, Bordeaux, Lyon and Montpellier.

Ten-time winner Marseille beat Caen on penalties in the day’s only match between toptier teams - despite playing for an hour with 10 men following Karim Rekik’s dismissal in the 61st minute for a reckless tackle.

Lyon’s new coach Bruno Genesio, who replaced Hubert Fournier during the winter break, celebrated his first game in charge with a 7-0 thrashing of fifth-division Limoges after Maxwell Cornet and Rachid Ghezzal each scored a brace.

Montpellier, which also changed coach during the festive period and appointed former player Pascal Baills following Rolland Courbis’ resignation, defeated fifth-tier Epernay 1-0.

Bordeaux came close of suffering a shock exit at the hands of third-tier Frejus-Saint-Raphael, coming twice from behind before Diego Rolan sealed a 3-2 win in added time with a fine volley.(ap)

8

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9

Benitez’s Madrid stumbles again in 2-2 draw at Valencia

Stoke City’s Marko Arnautovic, left, and Ibrahim Afellay applaud fans after defeating Manchster United 2-0 in the English Premier League soccer match between Stoke City and Manchester United at the Britannia Stadium, Stoke on Trent, England, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2015.

‘Stokelona’ eyes another upset in League Cup semifinals

AP Photo/Rui Vieira

MANCHESTER, England — Think of Stoke City over the last past decade, and what immediately springs to mind is a physical, powerful team, route-one football and Rory Delap’s long throw.

That’s all been consigned to the past during a season in which the transformation of Stoke’s playing approach rivals Leicester’s rise and Chelsea’s decline as the story of the 2015-16 campaign in English soccer.

After dismantling the two Manchester giants at home and Everton away in impressive Premier League victories in December, Stoke was tagged with a nickname few can

ever have imagined the team getting — “Stokelona,” in reference to Spain’s Barcelona.

Stoke has a long way to go to match the level of the current European champions but, in relative terms, there’s a comparison to be made.

And it makes the central English team a genuine contender when the League Cup semifinals begin this week with the first-leg matches:

Stoke vs. Liverpool on Tuesday, and Everton vs. Manchester City on Wednesday.

The reshaping of once-unfashionable Stoke under manager Mark Hughes, who had a spell at Barcelona during his playing career, has seen former Barca players Bojan Krkic, Ibrahim Afellay and Marc Muniesa join the club since 2014, bringing a new mentality to the Britannia Stadium. The style of play

Chelsea still have a chance of finishing in the Premier League top four and securing Champions League football at the end of the season, interim manager Guus Hiddink has said. Chelsea beat Crystal Palace 3-0 on Sunday to register their sixth league win of the season and their first since Hiddink took the reins from Jose Mourinho last month.

The win moved Chelsea up to

14th place in the table and 13 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, and Hiddink refused to write off his side’s chances of finishing in the top four although he admitted it would be “difficult”.

“Everyone knows there’s a lot of quality but sometimes a team which has just become champions has a tendency to become complacent,” the Dutchman told the BBC. “When I started, we said math-

ematically when we could get to a Champions League position it would be lovely.

“It’s difficult because this league has become so strong. Everyone can win from everyone, which means it’s very difficult to get there.

“But as long as we play like (we did against Palace), we can be happy and then results will come.

It’s possible still, but a long way to go.” (rtr)

has changed, too, from a long-ball game to an emphasis on passing and possession.

Then there’s the creation and blossoming of a lively front three comprising Bojan, another diminutive attacker in record-signing Xherdan Shaqiri and one-time enfant terrible Marko Arnautovic — Stoke’s answer to the Lionel Messi-NeymarLuis Suarez triumvirate.

The change has been startling.

Man City and Man United were blown away when they visited Stoke last month, with their 2-0 losses potentially being much heavier. Stoke

then went to Everton and won 4-3 in a devastating display of attacking football.

“Compliments are fine and we take them,” Hughes has said of the “Stokelona” tag, “but probably doesn’t sit too comfortably with us at the moment because we usually slip under the radar and others get the plaudits. “If the profile of what we are doing is raised, it’s what we have to deal with.”

Stoke, which won the League Cup in 1972, is up against a Liverpool team that has won the competition a record eight times. (ap)

Chelsea can still finish in top four, says Hiddink

BARCELONA — Real Madrid squandered a great opening goal and a chance to catch Barcelona in the Spanish league standings when it slipped to a 2-2 draw at Valencia in a match it ended with 10 men on Sunday.

Madrid seemed set to romp to an easy victory after Karim Benzema finished off a superb move in the 16th minute, but Valencia’s Dani Parejo leveled from the penalty spot just before halftime.

Gareth Bale headed Madrid back in front in the 82nd despite his team playing a man down after Mateo Kovacic saw a direct red card, only for Paco Alcacer to strike right back for the hosts a minute later to spark a thrilling finish by both teams.

Coach Rafa Benitez will face even more scrutiny after Madrid failed to capitalize on Barcelona’s scoreless stalemate at Espanyol on Saturday and remained two points behind the defending champions, which have a game to play.

Madrid also fell four points behind provisional leader Atletico Madrid, the only title contender to win this round. Benitez said “I can’t stop some people from speculating” about his future.

“What I can do is get the team to work hard like they did today,” he said.

“We missed an opportunity - only if you look at the result. But the effort

that my team made deserves more praise that anything else.”

The struggling powerhouse, which has already been disqualified from the Copa del Rey for fielding an ineligible player, will also have to be careful not to be caught by fourth-place Villarreal after Bruno Soriano scored his second of two goals deep into stoppage time to grab a 2-1 victory at Deportivo La Coruna.

Benitez’s latest stumble, which arrived after losses at home to Barcelona and away at Sevilla and Villarreal in the last eight rounds, came in his return to a Mestalla Stadium where he established his reputation with two league titles and a UEFA Cup trophy.

Benitez’s counterpart, Gary Neville, remained winless in his fourth league game since taking over at Valencia, but his team earned a morale-boosting result.

“That was the best performance we have had over 90 minutes. It wasn’t enough, but you have to be practical, Gareth Bale was on the other side,” Neville said.

Madrid’s strong start provoked panic in Valencia, which was hemmed into its box until Madrid got what seemed to be the inevitable opener from an exquisite combination by its three star strikers.

Bale started the move with an audacious back-heeled flick to send Benzema’s pass to Cristiano Ronaldo, who slid the ball back for Benzema to slot his shot into the corner of the net.

But instead of going for a second goal to finish the hosts off, Madrid let complacency creep in and Valencia slowly began to push forward through midfielder Andres Gomes and forward Joao Cancelo. Cancelo fired a warning shot across the far post of Keylor Navas’ goal in the 31st, soon to be followed by Gomes and Aymen Abdennour forcing Madrid’s backline to scramble.

Another Gomes incursion was only stopped when Pepe tripped him in the area, letting Parejo step up and level the score. Madrid recovered some of its attacking verve after the restart, but it was stalled by Kovacic’s sending-off for a lunging tackle on Cancelo in the 70th.

Toni Kroos, however, placed a free kick for Bale to rise up and gracefully head in off the far post to momentarily restore Madrid’s lead.

But Valencia charged right back down to score when Rodrigo Moreno headed down a pass for Alcacer to nod home.

Both sides then had a chance to grab a lastgasp winner when substitute Alvaro Negredo failed to beat Navas one-on-one, before Bale fired high at the other end. At Deportivo, Soriano gave Villarreal a first-half lead, before Luis Alberto made it 1-1 three minutes after halftime.

The match was heading toward a draw when a rash foul by Fernando Navarro on Matias Nahuel gave Soriano a spot kick that he converted five minutes into injury time to secure Villarreal a fifth straight win. Villarreal moved one point adrift Madrid.(ap)

AP Photo/Alberto Saiz

Reuters / Dylan Martinez

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink (L) appeals as Diego Costa goes down

Real Madrid’s head coach Rafael Benitez gestures to his players during a Spanish La Liga soccer match against Valencia at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia, Spain, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016.

AP Photo/Christophe Ena

PSG’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores his side’s 2nd goal during the Champions League Group A soccer match between PSG and FC Shakhtar at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Tuesday, Dec. 08, 2015.

Ibrahimovic scores winner as PSG advances in French Cup PARIS — Zlatan Ibrahimovic headed home the winner as Paris Saint-Gemain started the defense of its French Cup title with a scrappy 1-0 win over fourth-tier side Wasquehal while Monaco scored 10 goals to advance on Sunday.

Playing its first game of 2016 in the northern city of Lille in rainy conditions, PSG was in control throughout and created plenty of scoring chances. But it lacked a cutting edge until the Sweden international connected with Marco Verratti’s long ball on the hour mark.

“We’d like to have played better today, to be safe earlier in the match and play with more serenity,” PSG coach Laurent Blanc said. “But this afternoon we were unable to achieve this.”

Having opened up a 19-point lead over second-place Monaco at the top of the French league standings in just 19 games, PSG is looking to reproduce the domestic treble Laurent Blanc’s side achieved last season when it won the league title, the League Cup and the Cup. Facing amateur club SaintJean-Beaulieu, a team playing in the seventh tier of French football, Monaco took advantage of its opponents’ attacking style of play to catch them on the break and score goals galore in a 10-2 victory.

Both teams finished with 10 players following an altercation early in the second half between Monaco striker Lacina Traore — who scored four goals before being sent off — and Yann Mariotti.

Among the top-tier teams also advancing to the round of 32 were Marseille, Lille, Lorient, Saint-Etienne, Bordeaux, Lyon and Montpellier.

Ten-time winner Marseille beat Caen on penalties in the day’s only match between toptier teams - despite playing for an hour with 10 men following Karim Rekik’s dismissal in the 61st minute for a reckless tackle.

Lyon’s new coach Bruno Genesio, who replaced Hubert Fournier during the winter break, celebrated his first game in charge with a 7-0 thrashing of fifth-division Limoges after Maxwell Cornet and Rachid Ghezzal each scored a brace.

Montpellier, which also changed coach during the festive period and appointed former player Pascal Baills following Rolland Courbis’ resignation, defeated fifth-tier Epernay 1-0.

Bordeaux came close of suffering a shock exit at the hands of third-tier Frejus-Saint-Raphael, coming twice from behind before Diego Rolan sealed a 3-2 win in added time with a fine volley.(ap)

10

Destination

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

International

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

International

Lorenzo not intimidated by Valentino Rossi’s popularity

Goa Garba GIANYAR - If you are a spiritualist, try to feel the vibration of the magical temple of Goa Garba or Garba Cave. Aura of the cave is so pronounced. People who aim to meditate and gain knowledge often come to this cave. This Goa Garba ancient relic is located beneath the Pengukur-Ukuran Temple estimated to have been built around the twelfth century AD during the reign of King Jayapangus.

Goa Garba is located at Sawegunung hamlet, Pejeng village, Tampaksiring subdistrict, Gianyar.

By car, it is about 50 minutes away

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or about 34 km from Denpasar.

This historic site is now becoming a tourist destination visited by many foreign travelers.

Other than being known as a tourist destination with an abundance of temples, Bali also retains a good few of cave. One of them is Goa Garba posing one of the ancient relics having a great significance. Goa Garba is located beneath the Pengukur-Ukuran Temple. The temple was formerly used as a school for the kings of Bali.

It is situated on a steep cliff, right on the bank of the Pakerisan River.

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Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP

Chicago Bulls’ Jimmy Butler celebrates a three-point basket against the Toronto Raptors during second half NBA basketball action in Toronto on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016.

IBP/File Photo

Based on information of local residents, Goa Garba is a hermitage niche carved on the wall of cliff edge of the Pakerisan River. On top of this hermitage lie a number of pools and showers where at pool side sits a hole leading to a cave.

To achieve this cultural heritage, visitor must first visit a neat entrance gate with nicely arranged stairs made of river stone. Meanwhile, the entrance gate is made of sand stone. It is said that the cave was made by Kebo Iwa, a Balinese vice regent having supernatural power.

There is a stone containing the footprints whose size exceeds the size of an ordinary human foot and it is believed to belong to Kebo Iwa. At the time of making the staircase, the stone is said to move by itself in accordance with the will of Kebo Iwa. Uniquely, every time of stepping down the stone staircase, its number is always different. When counting them for again and again, the amount will not be the same.

In the niche can be found several sculptures such as a stone board carved with the motif of a pot. In the meantime, in the Pengukur-

Ukuran temple can be found several carved stones and a stone door that reads Saka Year 1116 or be equal to 1194 AD. In the inscription is mentioned the name Dharmaanyar and this may be the former name of the temple.

To support the tourism sector, this Goa Garba tourist attraction has been equipped with facilities like a spacious parking lot. Although most of the population around the Goa Garba has livelihood as farmers, they have intelligent mind, so that the ancient relics can be preserved well.

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Butler breaks Jordan’s record as Bulls beat Raptors

TORONTO — Chicago’s Jimmy Butler broke Michael Jordan’s team record for points in a half, scoring 40 of his 42 after the break to lead the Bulls to a 115-113 win against Toronto on Sunday.

Jordan had 39 in the second half of a game against Milwaukee in 1989. Among other results, Arron Afflalo led New York to victory over Atlanta and Miami dominated an undermanned Washington.

Chicago notched a fourth successive win as Butler shot 14 of 19 in the final two quarters after a 1-for-4 start.

Pau Gasol had his 17th double-double of the season with 19 points and 13 rebounds as Chicago beat Toronto for the seventh straight time.

DeMar DeRozan led the way for the Raptors with 24 points. New York’s Afflalo scored a season-high

38 points to lead the Knicks to a 11197 win against Atlanta.

Afflalo was 14 for 17 from the field and 7 for 8 from 3-point range, making his first seven attempts and nearing his career best of 43 points.

The Knicks are 8-2 when Afflalo scores 15 or more points and 8-17 when he doesn’t. Paul Millsap scored 19 points for the Hawks. Miami cruised to a 97-75 win against a Washington team that was as inaccurate as it was undermanned.

With just nine healthy players, Washington was outscored in the second quarter 25-7. The Wizards missed

Jorge Lorenzo says he has learned not to be intimidated by Yamaha MotoGP team-mate Valentino Rossi’s huge global popularity.

While motorcycle racing legend Rossi receives adulation the world over, Lorenzo has sometimes received boos from some sections of fans when on grand prix podiums, as Marc Marquez did amid his spat with Rossi in the final rounds of 2015.

Asked if the volume of support for Rossi made it feel like he was fighting “against the world”, Lorenzo replied: “Every person in the world is fighting against the world.

“Valentino, with his career and his personality and all that he won, has won more quantity of fans than us. “And these fans make a lot of noise because there are a lot of them and they want to support their rider in a different way.

“It’s nothing to be worried about. “I stay good with my people.

“Your hear people making noise, but it doesn’t change my life, my happiness or my work.”

He said he has never felt any favouritism towards Rossi from Yamaha, despite the Italian being such a pivotal part of its MotoGP success story, and wants to make sure he leaves his mark on the team’s history too.

“I feel protected and supported by Yamaha always, from when I arrived with them in 2008,” said Lorenzo. “I always had a good bike and the same material, even when Valentino was the main rider in Yamaha in the first years.

“Every marriage has its moments of disagreement, but my goal and my dream is to retire at Yamaha without changing team. “Now I’m reaching my objective to be a Yamaha legend with this third world title.

“I am a five-time world champion in general, three times in MotoGP, equalling legends like Wayne Rainey, my friend Kenny Roberts Sr, and in the motorsport world Ayrton Senna.

“It’s amazing to feel that and we have to enjoy it at the maximum because there moments are very difficult to reach.”(rtr)

20 of their 22 field goal attempts as the Heat took a 50-31 halftime lead.

John Wall, who led Washington with 14 points, hit just six of his 21 field goal attempts. The Wizards shot just 34.1 percent and their 75 points were a season low.

Chris Bosh scored 23 points and Goran Dragic had 18 for the Heat, who conceded the fewest points of their season.

Portland’s C.J. McCollum had 25 points and seven assists to lead the Trail Blazers to a 112-106 win over Denver, which has lost six straight.

Los Angeles’ Lou Williams scored a season-high 30 points as the Lakers won three in a row for the first time this season, beating struggling Phoenix 97-77, condemning the Suns to a ninth straight loss.(ap)

Stosur survives another tricky outing in Brisbane

Australian Sam Stosur narrowly avoided another disappointment on home turf as she battled through a wrist injury and three tough sets to claim an opening victory at the Brisbane International on Monday.

The former U.S. Open champion recovered from 0-3 down in the final set to record a 6-4 3-6 6-4 victory over Slovakian qualifier Jana Cepelova to kick off her always intense Australian summer in posi-

tive style.

The 31-year-old has frequently failed to hit the heights on home turf, having never won a tournament or progressed past the fourth round at the Australian Open, and bemoaned on Sunday the unfair emphasis she received for her domestic form.

The world number 27 looked set to give the critics another stick to beat her with before a spirited effort did for the world number 147 and

set up a second-round clash with Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro on Tuesday.

“I am really pleased to walk away with a win, especially being down in that third set and then find that ability to come back and play well and win it when you are down, to turn things around,” Stosur said. “There were lots of positives I could take out of that.”

Stosur needed treatment for a

wrist problem midway through the second set but was not overly concerned about the injury. “I’m not freaking out about it,” said the righthander, winner of eight WTA titles.

“I need to go see my physio and do whatever we need to do tonight.

“Then tomorrow playing night match there is that little bit of extra time if it is a bit sore. I’m sure we’ll come up with a plan and be out on court ready to go.”

Italy’s Roberto Vinci, who ended Serena Williams’ bid for a calendar grand slam at the U.S. Open semifinals last year, also needed three tough sets to make the second round on the Brisbane hard courts.

The 32-year-old prevailed 3-6 6-2 6-4 over former world number one Jelena Jankovic, while Germany’s world number 10 Angelique Kerber shook off the rust in a 5-7 6-3 6-0 victory over Camila Giorgi of Italy.(rtr)

6

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

W

RLD

International

Britain studies latest Islamic State group video threat

International

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

INDONESIA Railways can solve Papua’s transportation problems

LONDON — British security officials are studying an Islamic State group video that threatens more action against the United Kingdom.

Officials are looking for clues Monday about the identity of a masked man who speaks with a British accent on the video before shooting a purported spy in the head. The man says the extremists will soon invade Britain. Four others accused of spying for Britain are also shot dead by others who do not speak.

The video circulated Sunday features an apparent replacement for Mohammed Emwazi, the British-accented man known as “Jihadi John,” who was killed in a drone strike in Syria in November. He had figured prominently in earlier IS propaganda videos. It also features a young boy who threatens Britons at the end of the video. (ap)

Sweden, Denmark introduce border checks to stem migrant flow

AP Photo/Bullu Raj

Indian soldiers and locals remove debris from a damaged building after an earthquake in Imphal, capital of the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Monday, Jan. 4, 2016. A 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit India’s remote northeast region before dawn on Monday.

Strong quake in India’s remote northeast kills at least 8

GAUHATI — A strong earthquake hit India’s remote northeast region before dawn Monday, killing at least eight people, injuring more than 100 and causing damage to several buildings.

The death and injuries were caused by falling debris. Manipur state’s home minister, G. Gaikhangam, said several parts of the state suffered extensive damage. He said the state capital of Imphal was hit hard, but did not give any details. Authorities were still assessing the situation, Gaikhangam told reporters.

Three people were killed in Imphal and the other five in other parts of the state, said police officer A.K. Jalajit.

Media reports said five people were killed by the earthquake in neighboring Bangladesh, but there was no immediate official confirmation. In India, the 6.7-magnitude tremor left large cracks in walls, and a portion of a popular market building collapsed in Imphal. The area is dotted with small houses.

There are few tall buildings

in the region, although a newly constructed six-story building collapsed in Imphal, police said.

A bridge also was damaged on the outskirts of the city.

India’s Meteorological Department said the epicenter of the quake was in the Tamenglong region of Manipur. It struck at a depth of 17 kilometers (10 miles) below the surface and not far from the border with Myanmar.

Police officer L. Ragui said by telephone that dozens of homes were slightly damaged in Tamenglong. Shangthon Kamei, a teacher in Tamenglong, said the earthquake rattled buildings.

“It lasted for around one minute. We were sleeping and were woken up by the earthquake,” he said. Telephone and electricity connections were disrupted in some areas.

The epicenter was 35 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of Imphal. The area is remote, with poor cellphone and Internet connections, and information about conditions outside of major cities may take time to emerge.

Nearly 90 members of the National Disaster Response Force, a specialized federal force for natural disasters, have left to check on remote areas, police said.

People panicked and rushed out of their homes in Gauhati, the capital of neighboring Assam state, as they felt massive shaking at least twice within 60 seconds.

In Imphal, residents said furniture was knocked over and books fell off shelves.

“The ground swayed for almost a minute, jolting people awake in their homes,” said one resident, Apem Arthur.(ap)

COPENHAGEN — Denmark on Monday tightened controls at its border with Germany just hours after neighboring Sweden introduced similar measures to stem the flow of migrants.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmusssen told reporters in Copenhagen that as of noon Monday (1100 GMT, 6 a.m. EST), police were conducting spot checks on travelers crossing the border from Germany.

“We are introducing temporary border controls, but in a balanced way,” Loekke Rasmussen said, adding there would be no problem for “ordinary” Danes and Germans to cross the border.

It was the latest move by a European Union country to suspend an agreement to keep internal borders open after 1 million migrants entered the bloc in 2015. “If the European Union cannot protect the external border you will see more and more countries forced to introduce temporary border controls,” the prime minister said.

He said the Danish move was in response to new ID checks introduced by Sweden on Monday for all passengers entering the country by train, bus or ferry. To comply with the new Swedish rules, passengers had to show identification to board trains departing from Copenhagen Airport to Sweden across a bridge-and-tunnel link.

Danish officials have criticized the move and suggested Sweden should pay for the cost of the ID checks.

The Swedish government decided to tighten border controls after 160,000 people applied for asylum in Sweden last year — the highest number in Europe except for Germany. Most of them were from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. (ap)

REUTERS/Beawiharta

Workers weight frozen tuna before selling at Muara Angke fish auction in Jakarta, January 4, 2016. Indonesia’s annual inflation rate cooled to the lowest in six years in December, which might pave the way for the central bank to cut a benchmark rate held at 7.50 percent since February 2015.

Target overshot in state budget deficit 2.8 percent of GDP

JAKARTA - Finance Minister said the target was overshot for the state budget deficit in 2015 reaching Rp318.5 trillion or 2.8 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The deficit was larger than the target of Rp222.5 trillion or 1.9 percent of the GDP , the chief spokesperson of the finance ministry NE Fatimah said in a statement on Sunday.

Fatimah said state income reached only Rp1,491.5 trillion as against state spending of Rp1,810 trillion. Realization of state income reached only 84.7 percent of the target of Rp1,761.6 trillion including Rp1,235.8 trillion in tax revenues or 83 percent of the target of Rp1,489.3 trillion and non tax state revenues of Rp252.4 trillion or 93.8 percent of the target of Rp269.1 trillion.

The shortfall in the tax revenues was attributable to slowdown in the manufacturing and mining sectors as

well as shrinking imports and falling commodity prices.

Increase was recorded in oil and gas income to a total of Rp547.5 trillion or 19 percent higher than in 2014.

Tax revenues from non oil/gas sector reached Rp1,005.7 trillion or an increase of 12 percent bringing the total tax revenues to Rp1,150 trillion gross. Total net tax revenues was recorded at Rp1,055 trillion.

Meanwhile state spending totaled Rp1,810 trillion or 91.2 percent of the ceiling of Rp1,984.1 trillion with breakdown : spending by the central government at Rp1,187.1 trillion or 90 percent of the ceiling of Rp1,319.5 trillion and transfer to the regions and rural funds at Rp623 trillion or 93.7

percent of the ceiling of Rp664.6 trillion.

The spending by the central government included spending by ministries at Rp724.3 trillion or 91.1 percent of the ceiling of Rp795.5 trillion and spending by non ministerial agencies at Rp462.7 trillion or 88.3 percent of the ceiling of Rp524.1 trillion.

“Altogether, spending by the ministries reached Rp724.3 trillion nominally higher than Rp577.2 trillion in 2014.

Capital spending reached Rp213.3 trillion or an increase of 45 percent year-on-year,” NE Fatimah said.

With the state budget deficit at Rp318.5 trillion and funding at Rp329.4 trillion, there was Rp10.8 trillion in unspent budget. (ant)

Soekarno Hatta Airport operator ensures baggage security Bjorn Lindgren / TT News Agency via AP

Security staff check IDs at Kastrups train station outside Copenhagen, Denmark, Monday, Jan. 2015. Sweden requires train companies with service across a bridge-and-tunnel link from Denmark to refuse passengers without IDs.

11

JAKARTA - State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II is working in coordination with airline companies to ensure baggage security at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

“The measures to improve the handling and security of baggage at the airport are implemented and monitored through a 24-hour secu-

rity surveillance system using CCTV devices,” Senior General Manager of PT Angkasa Pura II Zulfahmi noted in a statement on Monday.

Coordination between the airlines and the baggage handling ground staff is needed to realize the same vision and improve services at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

“It is our duty to find a solution to every problem faced by passengers at the airport,” he emphasized.

One of the airport’s porters was arrested in November 2015 for breaking into a passenger’s luggage to steal valuable goods. The suspect was caught red-handed after his criminal act was captured by a CCTV camera. (ant)

JAKARTA - Railways are considered to be the most economical and efficient means to solve the transportation problems in Indonesia’s easternmost provinces of Papua and West Papua.

The people in the two provinces have, for several years, relied on sea and air transport, and they now need overland transportation, such as train service for them to travel from one district to another.

Railway systems are the backbone of transportation globally as they provide fast, high capacity, safe, and punctual transportation with good environmental performance and energy efficiency.

In light of this, the people of Papua and West Papua have expressed hope that the plan to build a railway system there would be implemented immediately.

Karlos Dorowe, a West Papua youth leader, remarked in Sorong on Monday that the railway project could be realized during the administration of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

“We hope the railway line, which has been planned since a long time, would be realized during the present government of President Jokowi and Vice President Kalla,” Dorowe stated.

He noted that the local community had long awaited the implementation of the railway project.

Dorowe affirmed that railways offer the right solution to solving the transportation problems in Papua and West Papua, which have so far relied solely on sea and air transport that are much more expensive, and only a few people from the highincome group could afford air transport.

“Land transportation facility is very limited to the urban areas. There are no roads connecting one district to another in the province,” he pointed out.

He stated that the local people strongly supported the government’s plan to build a rail transport facility to link Sorong in the western end to the West Papua provincial city of Manokwari.

According to Dorowe, the railway transport facility would help to boost the province’s economy.

“We are confident that both President Jokowi and Vice President Kalla would pay special attention to the development in West Papua,” he affirmed.

West Papua Transportation and Communication Department spokesman Bambang Heriawan Soesanto said in Manokwari early in December 2015 that the master plan of a railway project in the province was expected to be completed immediately.

“The railway system should be available soon as this program is important for large-scale economic development in West Papua,” Soesanto remarked.

He stated that the consulting and technical teams from the West Papua Department of Transportation and Communication had been on the field to survey, assess, and seek inputs on the districts and cities that will be covered by the railway network.

Soesanto stated that the construction of a railway network in West Papua is a great program with a long-term vision.

He believes that the existence of a railway network in West Papua will be able to improve effectiveness and efficiency in the distribution of mining, agricultural, and plantation commodities to support the regional economy.

“With the existence of a railway network, oil, gas, minerals, coal, and agricultural and other natural resources can be distributed more quickly and at relatively low costs,” he pointed out.

He expressed hope that the people and all public elements in the area would support the railway network, which has been launched by the central government.

President Joko Widodo has indicated that construction of the project would start in 2016. He pledged that all districts in West Papua would be connected with railway tracks in 2018. (ant)

12

International

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

International

BUSINESS

Bali News

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Yeh Gangga fishermen stop their fishing activities

Oil prices rise after Saudi Arabia cuts ties with Iran

SINGAPORE - Oil prices rose in Asia Monday after crude kingpin producer Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran following a row over the Saudi execution of a Shiite cleric.

Saudi Arabia announced the decision Sunday, a day after protesters ransacked its embassy in Tehran over the execution of the cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel alJubeir said Iranian diplomats had 48 hours to leave. Iran’s supreme leader warned Saudi Arabia it would face “quick consequences” for the execution.

Fearing further upheaval in the already volatile Middle East, the United States has urged regional leaders to try to ease tensions.

At around 0610 GMT, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for

delivery in February was up 77 cents, or 2.08 percent, at $37.81.

Brent crude for February was trading 91 cents, or 2.44 percent, higher at $38.19.

“Oil started the new year on the mend, as Asian markets reacted to fears that geopolitical tensions in the Middle East may threaten the supply of oil,” said Bernard Aw, market strategist at IG Markets in Singapore.

Despite the rise, Aw said the persistent global crude oversupply would continue to weigh on prices over the longer term.

“Unless we see a convincing drop in oil output from these

two nations, and the broader oilproducing community, the supply glut issue will persist, which means oil prices would remain under pressure for a longer period,” he told AFP. Sanjeev Gupta, head of the Asia Pacific oil and gas practice at professional services firm EY, said that “continued adverse news involving the Middle East region could result in spike in prices, at least in the short term”. But Gupta added that the current supply glut would likely restrict any sharp upswings.

Saudi Arabia is the biggest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, which last month decided against cutting output levels despite a plunge in oil prices. Iran is also a key OPEC member. (afp)

James Quigg/The Victor Valley Daily Press via AP, File

This May 13, 2015, file photo shows gas prices are nearing or exceeding four dollars a gallon at some High Desert gas stations. Oil prices rose in Asia Monday after crude kingpin producer Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran following a row over the Saudi execution of a Shiite cleric.

Apple raises iPhone prices in Germany over Singapore GDP growth drops to 2.1 percent in 2015 new content levy BERLIN — Apple raised the prices for hand-held devices in Germany at the start of the year, following a deal between the tech industry and content producers that will benefit a range of creative professionals including musicians, actors and pornographic filmmakers.

The Cupertino, California-based company confirmed in a statement Sunday to The Associated Press that the price increase affecting iPhones and iPads is linked to the new copyright levy.

Apple Inc., Samsung and others agreed last month to pay about 5-7 euros ($5.50-$7.70) for each smartphone or tablet imported to Germany. A basic version of iPhone 6s now retails for 744.95 euros ($811.03), compared with 739 euros last year.

The agreement matches similar arrangements already in place for other consumer electronics and consumables such as blank CDs. It is based on a 1965 German law that allows consumers to make private copies of sound, images or texts in return for a small surcharge when they buy the device.

Markus Scheufele, a copyright expert at the tech industry lobby group Bitkom, said the deal includes back payments for phones sold after 2008, and tablets sold after 2012.

In the long term, the industry wants to move away from adding a fixed surcharge on devices to subscription services and pay-per-use models, where consumers only pay for what they actually download, he said.

But Juergen Becker, a spokesman for the umbrella organization ZPUe that negotiated the deal on behalf of content producers, said past experience had shown that consumers would always find ways to copy material for free, without paying for it, making the up-front surcharge on devices fairer.

All forms of content are covered by the deal, meaning that proceeds from the new levy will also be shared with a group representing “creators, producers and acting artists of erotic and pornographic films.”

“Since it’s assumed that these are copied too, they get a share,” Becker said. (ap)

SINGAPORE - Singapore’s trade-dependent economy grew by an estimated 2.1 percent in 2015, its worst performance since the 2009 recession, as global demand for Asian exports slumped, official data showed Monday.

The gross domestic product expansion figure, down from 2.9 percent in 2014, was based on advance estimates that GDP in the fourth quarter of last year rose 2.0 percent year-on-year.

The 2015 growth estimate was in line with the government’s latest revised forecast for GDP to expand “close to 2.0 percent”.

Singapore’s GDP contracted by 0.6 percent in 2009 during the global financial crisis, but rebounded the following year with exceptional growth of 15.2 percent.

The trade ministry has projected GDP growth of between 1.0 and 3.0 percent in 2016.

Singapore’s manufacturing sector, which makes up about a fifth of the economy, contracted 6.0 percent in the December 2015 quarter, marking its fourth consecutive quarterly decline.

In 2015, manufacturing sank 4.8 percent, the ministry said, due to weak demand for key exports like semiconductors and precision engineering products.

Demand for oil drilling rigs has also been dented as exploration activities dwindled due to the prolonged slump in crude prices.

Singapore is the largest manufacturer of

jack-up rigs, accounting for 70 percent of the world market.

Construction and services cushioned the impact of the weak manufacturing sector in 2015.

Construction expanded 7.0 percent and services climbed 6.5 percent year-on-year in the fourth quarter but manufacturing remains a drag.

“Singapore’s manufacturing sector is still mired in recessionary conditions, reflecting moderating Chinese growth, the broader regional slump in East Asian exports and transmission effects to the industrial supply chain,” said Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific chief economist at IHS Global Insight.

Research house Capital Economics also expressed doubt that Singapore’s domestically oriented construction sector can sustain its growth in the face of rising interest rates as the US Federal Reserve continues to tighten monetary policy.

“Higher borrowing costs are likely to further weaken the housing market and dampen construction activity. Rising rates will also crimp consumer spending,” it said.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had cautioned against the slowing economy in his New Year’s Day message over the weekend.

“Our economy is slowing down and undergoing transition. We cannot expect an easy journey ahead,” he said. (afp)

5

The Denpasar Festival

IBP/Wawan

Denfest turnover estimated to reach IDR 5 billion

DENPASAR - Implementation of the Denpasar Festival (Denfest) 2015 annual event was closed last yearend. Such an activity is an opportunity to showcase a variety of creativity products made by community, including generating local products such as cuisines, handicraft and textiles (endek). During the four days of the festival, the turnover is estimated to reach more than IDR 5 billion. This was confirmed by the Secretary of the Denfest Committee, I Made Saryawan, who met at the office of the Denpasar Mayor, Sunday (Jan. 3).

This estimation is considered to be very rational because visitors coming to the Denfest venue were very interested in trying to enjoy a variety of culinary treasures specially presented by the Denfest participants. “Precise turnover is not available yet because it must be collected first. However, the estimation is certainly

above IDR 5 billion,” he said.

Some culinary products got the attention of visitors, namely the Balinese cuisines such as tipat blayag. Due to many visitors are interested in tasting traditional cuisines in the eighth Denfest, the queue was quite long at each booth even though the price offered was

relatively expensive.

Nevertheless, many visitors also purchased a variety of culinary products and the turnover of the booth owners is quite fantastic. “The turnover increased when compared to the one achieved in the Denfest 2014,” he said.

The increasing turnover of Denfest shows that the annual event is more widely known by the public. Besides, there is always new innovation in the implementation when compared to the previous year. For instance, in the current Denfest the committee increased the number of booths and provided spaces for young entrepreneurs to sell their products like distribution outlets. (kmb12)

TABANAN - Re-enactment of the Regulation of the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries No.1/2015 that regulates the size of lobster for export over 300 grams after the issuance of circular No. 18/2015 reducing the size does not apply per December 31, 2015, makes fishermen in Tabanan go bankrupt or stop fishing. Of course, this condition makes fishermen restless.

Moreover, the regulation is judged to have been stipulated without considering the study and the impact on fishermen. There is no substitute for skill or other livelihood options for fishermen from the government so that they are forced to lie idle for long time because they cannot catch lobster.

This was revealed by Chairman of the Indonesia Fishermen Association (HNSI) Tabanan, Ketut Arsana Yasa, Sunday (Jan. 3). He deplored the determination of the ministerial regulation because it is considered to generalize the lobster type in the waters of Indonesia and was not made with appropriate studies. “Most lobsters in Tabanan belong to sand types with the average weight of 100 to 200 grams. They even have spawned in the weight of 100 grams and above. So, it is hard to look for lobster of 300 grams,” he said.

Further, Arsana Yasa added that fishermen realized that the ministerial regulation is meant to preserve lobster. “Regarding the preservation, it has been done by our fishermen. They do not catch young lobsters and release the spawned ones. Moreover, they catch by traditional lobster trap or bubu,” he said. In addition, fishermen do not catch lobster during its proliferation season lasting in June to September.

He and fishermen colleagues have been struggling to convey their aspirations both at the district and provincial level but there are no results so far. According to Arsana Yasa, the fishermen hoped the ministerial regulation can be reviewed and revised where the export policy can allow the lobster weighing 100 grams upwards. “Otherwise, it’s a pity on the fishermen.

Fishermen relying on their income from selling lobster will become idle,” he said.

He continued that when issuing a regulation, the government should also think about other opportunities that can be taken by fishermen so that they can have other income source. “They are not possible to switch to other fields like tourism because they have been fisherman for years. At least, think about other opportunities in the field of fishing for them. The assistance in the form of boats, fuel subsidies and nets are useless because they do not go to sea,” explained Arsana Yasa.

One of the lobster collectors at Yeh Ganga, Dewa Gede Ada Artana, admitted to no longer perform the activities of buying and selling lobster for export. It happens due to difficulty to get lobster over 300 grams.

“Some fishermen have tried. However, the lobsters captured even weigh 100 grams and 200 grams,” he said. Since there was no lobster of over 300 grams, he then decided to stop exporting lobster.

Another fisherman from Yeh Ganga, Ketut Beret, is forced not to catch lobster any longer rather than suffering losses. “The income obtained is not comparable to our operating costs,” he said.

Fortunately he still has farmland to be cultivated during idle period. However, not all fishermen in Tabanan have farmland like Baret. Those whose life highly depends on fishing are forced to occasionally go to sea to catch fish whose value does not enough to support their life. When getting a lobster and unsold, fishermen usually take advantage of it for self consumption. (kmb24)

4

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Bali News

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

International

International

Chinese rescuers slowly dig down to rescue 4 trapped miners

Penelokan is still one of the favorite touris destination in Bangli Regency. However, the lack of arrangement made the area unorganize

IBP/Suasrina AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File

First time in 45 years

Gogo rice planted in Nusa Penida

SEMARAPURA - The dry conditions of the barren land in Nusa Penida, has not deterred the government of Klungkung from taking steps to develop agriculture in the area. The district government, through the Klungkung Agriculture Agency has planted gogo rice on 1.5 hectares of non-irrigated land as a trial. The last time that anyone tried to grow this type of rice in Nusa Penida, was in 1970.

Head of the Agriculture Agency, Wayan Durma, recently said that the cultivation of gogo rice started on December 9th, 2015 in two villages; Batumadeg and Batukandik.

The rice was panted early in the rainy season, on land owned by local farmers. “The Agriculture Agency, only provided the farmers with seedlings and advice about maintaing the rice plants,” said Durma.

If the experiment is successful, he said that the gogo rice cultiva-

tion program will be expanded to other plots of land in the area. If however the program fails, they will try alternative methods of planting this strain of rice during the next rainy season.

The Agricultrue Agency also plans to carry out detailed evaluations of the obstacles faced in planting and maintaining the rice that was planted in 2015. “If the gogo rice cultivation trial is a success, the program will be carried out in other villages including; Batu

Kandik, Batumadeg, Bungamekar, Klumpu and Sekartaji,” explained Durma.

Weather conditions obviously affect how well cultivation goes and given that the gogo rice was planted at the beginning of the rainy season, and that rainfall has not be equally distributed throughout Nusa Penida, they will have to wait to see how things go. So far pest control has not been a problem. “We hope that the planting of this rice works well and can be further developed in other Nusa Penida villages. So far, pests such as birds, rodents and others have not been an issue,” he said If the gogo rice cultivation is successful, farmers will be able to yield a maximum of four tons of grain per hectare per harvest, in dry land and up to six tons in irrigated fields. (kmb)

IBP/Dewa Farend

Manhunt of clash executor at Teuku Umar

Their hideaway continuously tracked

DENPASAR - The Denpasar Police Criminal Investigation Unit does not want to process the clashes of mass organizations on Jalan Teuku Umar Denpasar half-heartedly. On that account, the hunt for the executor with the initials GP is intensively conducted and his hiding place is continuously tracked.

“Last night (Sunday—Ed), we already made surveillance on his presence (GP—Ed), but he did not show-up. Hopefully, we can arrest him immediately,” said the Chief of Den-

pasar Police Criminal Investigation Unit, Reinhard, Sunday (Jan. 3).

He asserted that the murderer of Made Mertayasa aka Kadek Donal will be unable to run away. Reinhard is confident that GP remains in Bali but always on the move in order to escape from police hunt. “He continues to remove his traces. However, we still seek to arrest him. How long will be able to hide?” he said.

Related to the investigation process against the 15 suspects having been detained, according to him,

the investigators are encouraged to expeditiously complete the case file.

Moreover, the case has drawn public attention and is very detrimental to Bali. “From the beginning, our investigation has been coordinated with the prosecutor. Until now, there are no obstacles,” he said.

Reinhard revealed that the 15 suspects namely To, Gung Ad, Gung Iw, Lo, Pu, KD, An, Is, RK, Ek, Su, La, Me, Gi and Dd are still commended at the detention house of Tohpati Mobile Brigade and Bali Police

FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2015 file photo, Iranian officials pray as they touch the coffin of a dead hajj pilgrim who was killed in a deadly stampede in Mina near Mecca in Saudi Arabia, at Mehrabad airport in Tehran, Iran. On Sept. 24, a stampede and crush strikes the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

A look at long-fraught relation between Saudi Arabia, Iran

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been tense since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, though there have been occasional thaws between the two rivals.

The Regent of Klungkung I Nyoman Suwirta is inspecting the gogo paddy in Nusa Penida

headquarters. It is done to maintain conduciveness and security of the Denpasar Police detention house. On Wednesday (Dec. 30), five suspects were commended to the Mobile Brigade detention house and ten others to the detention house of Bali Police Headquarters. The suspects were transported by some armored personnel carriers and the detainees were guarded by completely armed riot squads.

As reported, special team of the Denpasar Police Criminal Investi-

gation Unit is still chasing another executor related to the clash cases and murder of the mass organization member on Jalan Teuku Umar Denpasar, Thursday (Dec. 17). The executor has the initials GP and together with the suspect Dd arrested in Banyuwangi murdered I Made Mertayasa alias Kadek Donal. From confession of Dd to the investigators, he slaughtered the victim from Abiansemal with GP. GP is the younger brother of the suspect Gung Ad having been arrested. (kmb36)

13

The tensions have now sharply escalated with Saudi Arabia severing ties with the Islamic Republic following attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran. Here’s a look at how relations between the two Mideast powers have shifted over the last decades: PRE-REVOLUTION RELATIONS: Under the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran had rocky relations with Saudi Arabia, though they improved toward the end of his reign. Both were original members of the oil cartel OPEC. POST-REVOLUTION: After the overthrow of the shah and takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Saudi Arabia quickly became America’s top ally in the region. In the ensuing 1980s war between Iran and Iraq, Saudi Arabia backed Iraq despite its concerns about dictator Saddam Hussein. That war would kill 1 million people.

1987 HAJJ RIOTS: The annual pilgrimage to Islamic holy sites in Saudi Arabia, required of all ablebodied Muslims once in their life,

saw bloodshed when Iranians held a political demonstration. Iranian pilgrims later battled Saudi riot police, violence that killed at least 402 people. Iran claimed 600 of its pilgrims were killed and said police fired machine guns at the crowd. In Tehran, mobs attacked the Saudi, Kuwaiti, French and Iraqi embassies, ransacking the first two.

SEVERING TIES: In 1988, Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran, citing the 1987 hajj rioting and Iran’s attacks on shipping in the Persian Gulf. Iranians responded by boycotting the hajj in 1988 and 1989. The two countries restored diplomatic ties in 1991.

EASING TENSIONS: Relations between the two nations improved after Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, a political moderate, took office in 1997. Ties warmed further after historic visits by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to Tehran in December 1997 and Khatami to the kingdom in May 1999.

NUCLEAR DISPUTE: Worries about Iran resumed in Saudi Arabia amid international sanctions against

Tehran over its contested nuclear program and the increasingly harsh rhetoric of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iran and Saudi Arabia each backed opposite sides in Syria’s civil war, as well as in the civil war in Yemen. Saudi Arabia also grows increasingly suspicious of Iran as it reaches a deal with world powers over its nuclear program.

2015 HAJJ DISASTER: On Sept.

24, a stampede and crush strikes the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. While the kingdom says 769 pilgrims are killed, an Associated Press count shows over 2,400 people were killed. Iran says at least 464 of its pilgrims were killed and blames Saudi Arabia’s “incompetence” for the deaths.

SHEIKH’S EXECUTION: On Jan. 2, Saudi Arabia executed Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others — the largest execution carried out by the kingdom in three and a half decades. The execution of al-Nimr, a central figure in Arab Spring-inspired protests by Saudi Arabia’s Shiite minority, sparked protests across the Mideast and attacks on Saudi diplomatic facilities in Iran. Saudi Arabia responded by announcing it was severing diplomatic ties with Iran over the attacks.(ap)

BEIJING — Rescuers have dropped provisions to four Chinese mine workers trapped for 10 days in a wrecked gypsum mine and are slowly drilling a route to save them, state media said Monday.

The men are trapped more than 200 meters below the surface, and state media has reported they are in good condition. Because the ground is so fragile, the rescuers managed to drill only 25 meters deep after more than 40 hours, China National Radio reported.

Rescue leader Du Bingjian said he could not give a time when the men would be pulled up, according to the radio report.

Rescuers using infrared cameras fed into a narrow opening detected the survivors last Wednesday — five days after the cave-in.

The Dec. 25 mine collapse in Shandong province killed at least one person. Thirteen others are missing, and 11 made it to safety or were rescued earlier.

Rescuers initially believed they had found eight trapped survivors but were able to make contact with only four.

The same narrow opening used for the cameras was used to deliver bottles of nutritional liquid, which would have to float on water toward the trapped men. But the so-called lifeline hole is not wide enough for a person. Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral that is widely used in construction. (ap)

Catalan secessionist parties to discuss way forward

MADRID — Catalonia’s two main pro-independence parties will meet to discuss how to salvage their secessionist drive after a key far-left party refused to back the re-election of incumbent regional leader Artur Mas. Mas’ ruling conservative Convergence party and the Republican Left of Catalonia group joined forces under the “Together for Yes” alliance to win 62 seats in the 135-seat regional parliament last September. But they needed the support of the far-left CUP’s 10 seats to secure Mas a workable majority and further the independence push.

The two larger parties will hold executive board meetings separately Monday to discuss CUP’s weekend shut-out of Mas. The region has until Jan. 10 to select a regional president or face a new local election, which Mas has warned could derail the independence drive. (ap)

AP Photo/Francisco Seco

In this Friday, Dec. 11, 2015 photo, Ciudadanos party leader Albert Rivera poses for the media during a debate meeting with businessmen and journalists in Madrid. Rivera, said Monday Dec. 21, 2015, that his party and the Socialists should abstain in the Parliament vote and give the Popular Party a possibility of forming a minority government.

14

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Science

International

Bali News

International

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

3

Youth and LPM Kedonganan demonstrate against Benoa Bay reclamation MANGUPURA - Youth from Kedonganan, Badung, supported by the Bali Development Observer Forum and the Institute for Community Empowerment (LPM) marched in demontsration against the Benoa Bay reclamation on Sunday (Jan. 3). The long march started at catus pata (central intersection) of Kedonganan village and and wound its way to the junction where the Watermark Hotel stands, where they put up a billboard that expressed they rejection of the reclamation plan.

A person walks with a dog along the banks of the Neris river as temperatures dipped to -19 degrees Celsius (-2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016. With temperatures above freezing at the North Pole, deadly tornadoes in Texas, extreme heat in Australia and floods in Britain and Missouri, the world is beset by extreme weather events as it welcomes 2016.

AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis

Weird weather brings warm welcome to 2016

LONDON - With temperatures above freezing at the North Pole, deadly tornadoes in Texas, extreme heat in Australia and floods in Britain and Missouri, the world is beset by extreme weather events as it welcomes 2016.

A powerful and destructive low-pressure system in the North Atlantic has pushed the mercury up to two degrees Celsius (35.6 Fahrenheit) at the pole, 20 degrees above the seasonal norm.

The Arctic has borne the brunt of global warming, with temperatures three degrees higher than the preindustrial era.

But linking the current mild conditions to climate change is premature, warned Natalie Hasell, meteorologist at the Canadian Department of the Environment, saying that scientists do not base their conclusions “on one anomaly”.

The North Atlantic depression also brought eastern Canada an unusually warm holiday period, with temperatures hitting 15.9 degrees Celsius in Montreal on Christmas Eve, around 20 degrees above the seasonal average.

This was followed by heavy snowfall that covered the country’s eastern half.

In the United States, tornadoes and floods left at least 49 dead.

The waters of the mighty Mississippi River have already exceeded overflow levels by four metres in some areas, claiming 13 lives.

In the south, spectacular tornadoes devastated parts of Texas.

The common cause of the unusual events is a particularly strong El Nino system, amplified by global warming, according to scientists.

El Ninos, which emerge every four to seven years on average and run from October through January, are triggered by a shift in trade winds across the Pacific around the Equator.

However, the 2015 episode is “probably the strongest in the last 100 years,” said Jerome Lecou,

??forecaster at Meteo-France.

“There is no simple answer” to explain the exceptional conditions, he added.

Strawberries at Christmas Although centred on the Pacific Ocean, El Nino “has an impact on a global scale,” Jean Jouzel, former vice president of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), told AFP. “Generally, El Nino years are warmer than average,” he said.

In Australia, scorching heat has led to large forest fires and temperatures are forecast to soon hit 38 degrees Celsius in the south.

In France, the unseasonably warm weather has baffled Mother Nature with Perigord strawberries, Alsatian asparagus and mimosas all flourishing on the French Riviera.

In Spain, higher temperatures

and low rainfall have led to an unusual outbreak of wildfires in the north.

Several Italian cities have introduced traffic restrictions to combat fine-particle pollution, which has been worsened by the dry and calm conditions.

Record rainfall has brought unprecedented flooding to the north of England, leaving the historic city of York under feet of water and thousands evacuated over December.

Stormy weather buffeting the North Sea has brought havoc to oilfields on New Year’s Eve, with one man reported killed by a giant wave hitting a rig, and hundreds of workers evacuated after a huge barge broke its moorings and began drifting.

“There is no doubt in my mind that climate change is partly responsible for the flooding across the north of England,” said Piers Forster, professor of climate science at Leeds University.

Britain’s mean December tem-

perature was a record-breaking eight degrees Celsius, smashing the previous high of 6.9 degrees set in 1934, according to the Met Office.

It was also the wettest December on record for Scotland and Wales and one of the top 10 wettest in Britain as a whole.

Worldwide, temperatures between January and November have already broken records, suggesting that 2015 will be the hottest in modern history, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“On a global level, we really are in an exceptional year as it is just over a tenth of a degree warmer than 2014, which itself was a record year,” said Jean Jouzel.

“This is a real leap, one tenth of a degree from one year to another,” he added.

With El Nino showing little sign of running out of steam, he predicted that 2016 could be warmer still, but that following years may be less extreme. (afp)

The youths voiced their determination that Benoa Bay reman a conservation area and sacred zone so that that the bay can continue to have positive effects on the local community- particularly those living on the coast, rather than have the bay only benefit the interests of investors in the reclamation plan.

“In fact, we do not need the reclamation plan, because it is only subterfuge on the part of the investors that will have a very bad impact on us. One of the negative impacts that this plan would have on us is that we would be drowned. We are afraid, as sea water is already rising,” said Chief of the LPM Kedonganan, Ketut Budana.

Budana said that he hopes that the younger generation of Kedongan’s demonstration against the reclamation plan will also inspire the elders in the village. So far, the chief of the customary village has not issued an official stance not the matter, eventhough the majority of the people of Kedonganan have already expressed their rejection of the proposed plan. Everyone living in the coastal are of Benoa Bay is expected to stand in solidarity against the plan to create a new island that would extend over some 700 hectares.

“Striving together is the strength of the people,” emphasized Budana.

Chief of the Eka Canthi customary youth club, I Wayan Yustisia Semarariana, added that the Benoa Bay reclamation plan is not just a matter that affects the environment. It is also related to democracy, as billboards that express the rejection of the Benioa Bay reclamation plan have been repeatedly vandalized or taken down.

“We started to be really disturbed when our billboards were taken down during President SBY’s visit to Bali.

This is not just an environmental issue but is also an issue related to democracy. Why were our billboards taken down? Why can’t the matter be discussed openly?” queried Semarariana.

The Kedonganan younth demonstration was also attended by Bali DPD senator, Gede Pasek Suardika. Pasek admitted that he had been invited to join the demonstration through Facebook. He did not hesitate to make a speech before the public in attendance and said that the DPD had twice invited the reclamation plan investors

(once to Bali and once to Jakarta) to discuss what it was they wanted to build in the reclaimed island. “The description that the investors presented to us, convinced us that the plan to reclaim Benoa Bay must in fact be rejected. Why should it be rejected?

Because, presently Bali is ranked as the second as the best island in the world. The creation of our motherland has been carefully painted into the beautiful Island of Bali. Why would arrogant human beings want to build a new island?” he asked.

Pasek added that the investors promise to provide 200,000 jobs is not in line with the needs of the Balinese people. There are only 36,000 new jobs needed.

Furthermore, if the plan is to go through, Bali will have a serious resource crisis on its hands - particularly in terms of water. Also creating a new island would not provide any benefits to the already high price of land in Bali.

The only advantages of this project are that the investors themselves might stand to make some money.

“With current land priced averaging IDR 2 billion per 100 square meters, that would mean the the asset value of the reclaimed land would amount to some IDR 80 trillion. The investors claim that the project will cost IDR 30 trillion, meaning that they would instantly have made a profit of some IDR 50 trillion. Taxes paid to the state would be about IDR 3 trillion, while the only thing that the people of Bali would get is the promise of jobs.

Balinese people would thus become Sudra - not the owners,” explained Pasek.

He also advised Bali’s provincial government to have the Serangan Island reclamation plan finished beforae even thinking about the reclamation of Benoa Bay. So far, the Serangan Island reclamation has not produced any prosperity for Bali, as was originally promised. Instead, the creation of Serangan Island has only cause severe abrasion to eat away several of Bali’s beaches.

“Bali has just declared a mental revolution. A concrete example of the mental revolution is having the courage to reject the Benoa Bay reclamation plan. Now, I again remind the officials of the government of Bali who claim that the reclamation of Benoa

IBP/Yudi Karnaedi

Youth from Kedonganan, Badung, supported by the Bali Development Observer Forum and the Institute for Community Empowerment (LPM) marched in demontsration against the Benoa Bay reclamation on Sunday (Jan. 3).

Bay is not the responsibility of the government of Bali but rather the responsibility of the central government -that this is a lie. If the government of Bali rejects it (the reclamation plan— Ed) then the plan will not go ahead,” stated Pasek emphatically.

ForBALI Coordinator, Wayan ‘Gendo’ Suardana, weighed in saying that Kedonganan is one of the regions that pioneered the movement

to reject the reclamation of Benoa Bay. He went on to remind the local community as well as other the coastal communities of Benoa Bay that they need to remain cautious and alert. So far, the reclamation investors are still trying to influence the public into support the Benoa Bay reclamation plan.

“They use silent operations and now they’re trying to interview

members of the community under the guise of conducting research.

People are verbally manipulated into stated that they agree with the Benoa Bay reclamation plan, so please beware! I remind you to remain vigilant because these investors have a thousand and one ways to influence people and make it seem as if the public supports the reclamation plan,” he warned. (kmb32)

Not optimal, function of TPI and Kedonganan pier MANGUPURA - Since being managed by the government, the functions of fish auction base (TPI) Kedonganan becomes not optimal. The building that should be functioned for transaction place of fishermen to sell their fishing results is even functioned as a place to record fish catch.

When met at location, a legislator of the Badung House of Representatives, I Made Sugita, said that after catching fish, fishermen come to the TPI and then their fish catch is recorded by the officers. After that, the data are reported to the Badung Fisheries Agency. Customary village authority has suggested the TPI management to be handed over to the village cooperatives (KUD).

“So, it gives impression that the local officers just record and report the data. Its governance is not clear. After fishermen get fish, it is unclear who will buy it. Where to sell and at what price, these must still be handled by fishermen,” he said.

According to him, before the issuance of the legislation on fisheries, the TPI was managed by KUD. It consists of fishing communities that know better about the problem of fisheries and maritime affairs. “At that time, the management was better. Fish catch of fishermen is collected and auctioned to get the best deal. But now, it is only noted,” he said.

Sugita who is also a fisherman explained that TPI never accommodates and markets fish catch of fishermen. “As a fisherman, we assess the TPI management

was better when being managed by fishermen than by the government. It has been felt by fishermen at Kelan and Kedonganan,” he said.

On the other hand, he also hoped that the management of local pier could be entrusted back to local fishermen through village cooperatives. Government should only be in charge of overseeing and facilitating the needs of fishermen and coastal communities.

“The Watu Nunggul Pier at Kedonganan is never functioned optimally. Vessels of fishermen rarely moor at the pier and the pier itself is even more frequently used as a fishing ground,” he explained.

According to him, one of the obstacles in the empowerment of fishermen and coastal communities this time precisely lies in the regulation that gives management authority of fish unloading dock to the government.

“For example, it can be seen in licensing issue for the vessel to moor at the pier. Licensing is under the authority of provincial government of Bali. Actually, the licensing especially for vessel with tonnage of 7 GT was formerly under the authority of district government,” he said.

Traditional fishermen in Badung, said Sugita, are more practical if they submit the license in Badung.

“Fishermen in Buleleng, for instance, will be ineffective when they must submit the license to provincial government. So, these rules must be reviewed again so that fishermen will not get many difficulties,” he concluded. (kmb27)

2

International

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Bali News

15

BINTAN ISLAND - The Sanchaya Bintan is greeting its first anniversary this month with a slate of promotions focused on wellness, romance and golf.

BALI tends to serve as a barometer of national economic growth and is presently showing signs of being vulnerable to severe economic downturn, that is affecting nearly every sector of the economy. worse if tourism - as the economic motor of the island, continues to be undermined by disruptions - including infrastructure development projects.

Aside from the ongoing and never completed infrastructure improvement projects in tourism centres, Wiraputra also pointed to the other forms of instability that cause domestic travellers to avoid visiting Bali. Conflicts between members of mass organizations (gangs) that took place recently also caused may tourists to cancel their trip to Bali. “Balinese people must not be complacent, things need to be understood and interpreted. Bali needs to start making reforms and come up with strategic breakthroughs in terms of managing Bali’s potential,” he emphasized.

Wiraputra also said that ‘mental revolution’ is not just a catch-phrase, but needs to to touch on fundamental aspects of how things are done, particularly concerning the moral responsibility of Bali’s rulers. Our future leaders need to embrace all levels of society, so that the island’s potential capital is strengthened and put to use towards building up Bali’s economic independence.

Deputy Chairman of the Advisory Board to the Bali Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Wayan Jondra, added that to achieve economic independence, the nine prioritised agendas of the government need to be put into action, and government officials need to be serious about empowering Bali’s local businesses.

It is important that Bali’s leaders not encourage investors with huge capital from outside of Bali, to manage the island’s economic potential. Rather, the government should be providing opportunities for local economic players, especially the economically disadvantaged, by dong things like creating packages of jobs that can be contracted out to native Balinese workers. (dir/win)

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

The Sanchaya Bintan celebrates remarkable first year

Bali’s economy on the brink of disaster Tourism, as Bali’s leading economic sector, appears lethargic with a reported 20 percent drop in tourist visits to the island. This sluggishness directly impacts property businesses, handycraftt businesses, the service sector and other links in the chain of the economy. In fact, within the next four months it is predicted that business in Bali will enter a highly precarious zone.

Concerns about Bali’s economy were recently revealed by Chairman of the Bali Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), A.A. Wiraputra.

In their year-end studies, KADIN received worrying reports from several of their member associations. “Without a ‘mental revolution’, Bali will fall into a bleak period of its economic management. Bali’s economy needs to be stimulated through the management of the punctual budget within the next four months, otherwise we will be facing serious threats to our economic independence,” said Wiraputra.

Tourism experts say that it is likely that only 300,000 of the projected 500,000 tourists arrived in Bali at the end of 2015. These numbers are estimates based on the figures from September 2015. Infrastructure improvement projects that took place at that time, caused traffic jams that made Bali less appealing for year-end vacationers. “Such simple things have a great impact on Bali’s economic independence,” explained Wiraputra.

According to Wiraputra, the next four months represent a life or death challenge for Bali’s economy. If bureaucrats do not come up with a breakthrough way of managing the budget, Bali’s business sector is bound to collapse. He therefore strongly urges bureaucrats to start rolling out funds for January or the very latest February 2016 in order to avoid seeing businesses go bankrupt. He added that condition will certainly become even

Activities

International

IBP/Wawan

Tourists passed a hotel project in Kuta area, Bali Island. Balinese people are losing their sovereignty over Bali. The strengthening power of pure capitalism, coupled with urbanization is marginalizing Balinese people, as space on the island is being targeted for the sake of profit alone.

From page 1

Damage ...

Capital cannot be used to support investments that have a massive potential to damage Bali. Politicians need to get back to using the accumulated funds in the regional budget for strengthening the agricultural sector and social economy.

“Bali is on the brink of destruction. If the mental revolution is not immediately implemented by Bali’s elites -who hold the power of policy making, a bleak future lies in store for all. Leaders should act as nurturing parents, who support the struggle of the Balinese people to keep their land and the culture and traditions that go with it,” stated Windia.

On the same topic, Executive Director of the Dharma Institute for Strategic Studies, Dr. I Wayan Jondra, said that we need to remember that, although Bali is currently a tourism community, the agrarian and cultural background of Bali must not the ignored. The agrarian cultural communities of Bali are still very much dependant on government policies, therefore, it is imperative that the government put in place regulations that encourage the local economy’s competitiveness in the international arena -both in terms of human and natural resources.

This is all the more true in light of the impending implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community, that is set to commence in early 2016. “The local community’s background needs to be understood so that economic competitiveness can be improved. Our leaders need to do more than advertise the concept of ‘mental revolution’, and tell people that they need to change, our leaders themselves need to actually change. When our leaders have given thought to, discussed and then implemented ways of empowering the local economy, economic security will start to improve,” said Jondra.

He also affirmed that the ‘mental revolution’ as outlined in the national nawacita program, needs to be thorough and started by leaders, public figures, government officials and other rulers, in order for the larger community to then follow suit. To that end, the government should be taking action from the smallest to the largest of ways, starting with creating regulations that support the competitiveness of Bali’s economic actors. This can be done through such things as job training and certification to ensure that Bali’s local man-power is professionally competent and certified. (dir/win)

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Among the promotions, guests can embark on a restorative twonight getaway called “Healthy Retreat” priced from USD 1610, that includes wholesome breakfasts, a Balinese massage, two hours of private yoga sessions with The Sanchaya’s in-house instructor, a guided bicycle tour and surprise gift on departure.

From USD 1015, couples can indulge the one-night “Experience Romance” package featuring a couple’s Balinese massage, threecourse set romantic dinner for two with a bottle of the estate’s sommelier champagne, breakfast for two in bed, and a private one-hour croquet session for two.

Meanwhile golf enthusiasts can, from USD 710, not only stay at The Sanchaya for one night but tee off at the breathtaking Ria Bintan Golf Club designed by Gary Player.

The Sanchaya is also currently offering weekday and advance purchase discounts and incentives.

Since opening its doors in December 2014,the luxurious 21-villa and nine-suite beachfront estate has won some of the world’s most coveted hospitality awards, including the Conde Nast Traveler Hot List of Best New Hotels in the World, Travel + Leisure IT List for Best 43 New Hotels Around the Globe and DestinAsian’s Luxe List, all for 2015.

P49 Deesign & Associates, the

team behind a design that captures the elegance of the Orient with European refinement, clinched the International Hotel and Property Award 2015 in the under 50 rooms Asia-Pacific category for The Sanchaya.

Meaning “collection” in Sanskrit, The Sanchaya is home to an exquisite clubhouse, two restaurants and 24-hour in-villa dining, a bar, wine, cheese and cigar lounge and wine cellar, function space, 50meter long infinity pool, spa, fitness center, beach-facing yoga pavilion, croquet lawn, and more.

Overlooking powder white sands, aquamarine waters and picturesque islands, The Sanchaya is the only property on Bintan Island - only a 45-minute ferry ride from Singapore - with its own VIP lounge at the Bandar Bentan Telani Ferry Terminal, ensuring a seamless arrival and departure experience due to express immigration and customs clearance.

Estate manager Anshuman Narayan said in addition to the accolades, he was proud of how the exquisite property had shaped up as a whole, including the March 2015 completion of the property’s USD 12,000 presidential suite, the sprawling four-bedroom Vanda Villa complete with a 90m² balcony and private swimming pool.

“The Vanda Villa is a stunning expression of Asian chic, and one

more reason why the very best of Bintan measures up to the very best on the Maldives,” said Narayan.

Last month, the estate launched a new event series called Pala. Its debut featured Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel and legendary film producer Edward R. Pressman.

The Sanchaya has also hosted the international campaign Le Tour De Bochic, a year-long creative collaboration between celebrity photographer Murad Osmann, his supermodel muse Natalia Zakharova and Bochic, the fine jewelry brand founded by David Joseph.

IBP/Courtesy of Sanchaya Bintan

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 “umbul-umbul”, 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, January 5, 2016 This photo provided by Disney shows a scene from the new film, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” directed by J.J. Abrams.

Film Frame/Copyright Lucasfilm 2015 via AP

‘Star Wars’ box office surpasses ‘Titanic,’ ‘Jurassic World’

LOS ANGELES — “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” marched confidently into the new year, raking in an additional $88.3 million over the New Year’s weekend and topping the box office for a third week, according to studio estimates Sunday.

In addition to setting a new high mark in New Year’s box office history, the record-busting film blew past the domestic grosses of both “Jurassic World” ($652.3 million) and “Titanic” ($658.7 million) to become the second-highest earner of all time with $740.3 million in just 19 days of release.

The top domestic film is “Avatar” with a $760.5 million lifetime domestic gross, but “Star Wars” is barreling in to surpass it soon. For context, it took “Avatar” 72 days to reach $700 million. “Star Wars” did that in 16 days.

Internationally, “Star Wars” earned $96.3 million this weekend, boosting its global total to $184.6 million. The film opens in China on Jan. 9.

While “Star Wars” might not give up its throne any time soon, films like “Daddy’s Home” and “Sisters”

have proven to be incredibly strong performers.

“Daddy’s Home,” the comedy starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, came in second with an estimated $29 million, bringing its total to $93.7 million in just two weeks. The film fell only 25 percent from its first weekend in theaters. Even more formidable is the mere 11 percent drop from the Tina Fey and Amy Poehler comedy “Sisters,” which brought in $12.6 million in its third weekend for a fourthplace spot. The film has earned $61.7 million so far.

“When you look at the holding power of ‘Daddy’s Home’ and ‘Sisters,’ it shows you that those films are for many people the antidote to ‘Star Wars,’” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for box office tracker Rentrak. “The diversity of the slate that the studios created by not re-

treating from ‘Star Wars’ is helping.”

Quentin Tarantino’s bloody Western “The Hateful Eight,” meanwhile, took third with $16.2 million in its first weekend in wide release after a strong limited debut. The three-hour epic, which cost a reported $44 million to produce, has made $29.6 million to date — just shy of what “Django Unchained” made in its first weekend.

“There is still a big audience out there for auteur-driven cinema,” Dergarabedian said. “Tarantino, no matter what, is an interesting filmmaker. Film fans want to see what he’s up to. It’s not as big as some of his other films, but it’s still doing well as it expands.”

“Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip” took fifth place with $11.8 million, dropping only 10 percent from last weekend.

The year is off to a strong start overall, up 24.5 percent from last year.

This New Year’s weekend could even set a record if it tops the $220 million total of 2009/2010, when both “Avatar” and “Sherlock Holmes” were in theaters. (ap)

Vegas police investigating Chris Brown for alleged battery

LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas police are investigating an allegation of battery against R&B singer Chris Brown.

Authorities received a call shortly before 10:30 a.m. Saturday about the alleged battery at the Palms Casino Resort, Lt. Jeff Goodwin said. A police statement Saturday evening said an altercation took place in a room at the resort when the woman went to take a picture of Brown.

The woman said she was struck

by Brown and that he had taken her cellphone, police said. Detectives tried to speak with Brown at his hotel room, but the singer left before police had arrived.

A crime report has been taken for misdemeanor theft and misdemeanor battery listing Brown as a suspect, police said.

Nicole Perna, publicist for Brown, issued a statement Saturday night calling the woman’s charges “unequivocally untrue.”

The woman “was escorted out of the private after party at the Palms Casino Resort for being disruptive

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Tuesday, January 5, 2016 Strong quake in India’s remote northeast kills at least 8 Page 6

and out of control,” Perna said.

“Once she was in the hallway, while waiting for Chris Brown’s security to bring out her phone, she had a total meltdown -- throwing her purse to the ground and claiming that she ‘could buy everyone in the hotel’ -- as witnessed by numerous people waiting to get into the party.

The Palms Casino Resort security also saw her wild behavior via hotel security cameras and immediately came up to the hallway to escort her out of the hotel.”

“Her claim that she had her phone in her possession inside the after party and was able to take a photo causing an altercation with Chris Brown is a complete fabrication,” Perna said.

Brown performed Friday at Drai’s nightclub at The Cromwell Las Vegas, where he appears regularly.

Brown was freed from felony probation last year, more than six years after he attacked thengirlfriend Rihanna. The singer pleaded guilty to felony assault in that case. (ap)

‘Stokelona’ eyes another upset in League Cup semifinals Page 8

A look at longfraught relation between Saudi Arabia, Iran Page 8

Courage needed to limit capitalist grasp on Bali

IBP/Yudi Karnaedi

Tourists visited Tirta Gangga in Karangasem Regency, Bali Island, during the New Year’s holiday. Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said he was proud of Bali for being selected as one of the world’s best islands by the US Travel+Leisure Magazine at the end of 2015.

Bali selected as World’s Best Island

JAKARTA - Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said he was proud of Bali for being selected as one of the world’s best islands by the US Travel+Leisure Magazine at the end of 2015.

Rich Fury/Invision/AP, File

“I am very proud of Bali for being selected as one of the world’s best islands,” the minister said on Sunday.

Based on the New York-based Travel+Leisure Magazine, the ratings of the world’s best islands are Galapagos Islands of Ecuador with a score of 90.82, Bali of Indonesia (Score 88.98), Maldives (score: 88.53), Tasmania of Australia (score: 88.32), Santorini of Greece (score: 87.93), Moorea of French Polynesia (score: 87.90), Maui of Hawaii (score: 87.89), Kauai of Hawaii (score: 87,88), Great Barrier Reef of Australia (score: 87.31), and Malta (score: 86.90).

The minister said he was proud of the trust given to Bali by the world community which appreciated Bali for the beauty of its nature,

the uniqueness of its culture and the hospitality of its people.

The minister said he would promote other destinations in the country whose beauty were not inferior to that of Bali.

“We have to be confident that our tourism is great for snorkling with the beauty of its diving tourism. We can outclass Galapagos, even with our two Rajaampat and Pulau Komodo tourist distinations,” he said.

The Travel + Leisure is a monthly magazine based in New York with 4.8 million readers. It is the biggest competitor of Conde Nast Traveler and National Geographic Traveler.

In the meantime, the Bali Tourism Office has set the target for tourist arrivals at the world-renowned

tourist island at 4.2 million for 2016.

“This is a provisional target. We have not made detailed calculations because we still have to coordinate with the Udayana University. Ideally, it should be 4.5 million but we cannot set a target recklessly,” Head of the Bali Tourism Office Anak Agung Gede Yuniartha Putra said.

He made the remarks on the sidelines of a function marking the inauguration of the executive board members of the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) on December 16, 2015. The provisional target would be only 200 thousand more tourists, compared to the target set for tourist arrivals in 2015 at 4 million, he said.

“To achieve the target of tourist arrivals next year, we will receive promotion assistance from the central government. In addition, we have also prepared a calendar of ac-

tivities to be organized throughout 2016,” he said.

With the calendar of activities, tourists would be assured of cultural and tourism activities taking place in Bali, he said.

The tourism office has also set the target of domestic tourists visiting the resort island for 2016 at 7.8 million, he said.

The Chairman of PHRI of Bali Chapter, Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati, urged that for increasing the number of tourist arrivals, the quality of tourist destinations in Bali needs to be improved. (ant) 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.

BALINESE people are losing their sovereignty over Bali. The strengthening power of pure capitalism, coupled with urbanization is marginalizing Balinese people, as space on the island is being targeted for the sake of profit alone.

Also, the government is no longer prioritizing cultural preservation nor agriculture in their strategic programs. Ironically, Balinese people are being lulled by lure of the apparent economic growth, whereas few local businesses or individuals are actually benefitting from it. That which taste so sweet to unbridled capitalists, tastes very bitter to those who suffer the consequences - particularly people living on the outskirts of economic centres.

In the context of ‘mental revolution’, Bali’s rulers should be serving as models for the empowerment of Balinese people in their own land. Leaders should not be spouting false doctrines that never benefit the people. Mental revolution needs to involve real actions taken to maintain Bali, rather than actions that alienate Balinese people from maintaining and managing Bali’s sovereignty.

According to Udayana University academic, Prof. Wayan Windia, a ‘mental revolution’ must be driven by all elements of society, and leaders who are ready to be role models. These leaders have to have the courage to reject purely capitalist interests in favor of allowing a space for local authorities to strive towards self-reliance.

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