Edition Thursday, December 7, 2017 | International Bali Post

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Thursday, December 7, 2017

Taylor Swift spends third week atop Billboard 200 chart

Garrison Keillor

IBP/net

‘Prairie Home Companion’ to be renamed after Garrison Keillor’s firing

LOS ANGELES - Taylor Swift held onto her throne atop the weekly U.S. Billboard 200 album chart for a third consecutive week on Monday.

Swift’s “Reputation” record sold another 147,000 album units in the week ending Nov. 30, according to figures from Nielsen Music.

At No. 2 this week is acappella group Pentatonix’s festive album “A Pentatonix Christmas,” while British singer Sam Smith’s latest album “The Thrill of it All” held

NEW YORK - “A Prairie Home Companion,” the U.S. radio variety show that Garrison Keillor presented for decades until his retirement last year, is to be renamed after the raconteur was accused of sexual misconduct.

Chris Thile, the mandolinist who took over as host of the longrunning show last year, addressed the accusations on Saturday from the Town Hall, the New York City theater where it is staged before a live audience.

In opening the first episode since Minnesota Public Radio ended its business relationship with Keillor, Thile called Keillor’s dismissal “heartbreaking news” and linked it to other prominent men in politics, media and entertainment who have been accused of sexual harassment or assault.

“As for this show, I want it to be a place for us to gather around, hear great music, laugh together, reflect and gain respite from our weekly troubles,” Thile said. “And I’m as thrilled as ever to say: “Coming to you live from New York City, welcome to Town Hall.”

A spokesman for the show did not respond to questions on Sunday.

After his firing, Keillor, 75, said in an email to the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he had accidentally touched the bare back of a woman with whom he had worked and that he later sent a note apologizing to her after seeing her recoil.

The woman who accused him of misconduct has not been publicly identified.

Keillor created “A Prairie Home Companion,” a mixture of gentle comedy sketches, music and social commentary, and hosted the program from 1974 to 2016. He created a fictional Minnesota town, Lake Wobegon, which featured in the show.

Besides Town Hall, the show was often staged at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, in Keillor’s home state of Minnesota. (rtr)

steady at No. 3.

The only new entry in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart this week was a collaborative album by rappers Jadakiss and Fabolous, “Friday on Elm Street,” opening at No. 10.

The Billboard 200 chart tallies units from album sales, song sales (10 songs equal one album) and

streaming activity (1,500 streams equal one album).

On the Digital Songs chart, which measures online single sales, Ed Sheeran’s love song “Perfect” climbed to No. 1 from No. 3 with nearly 60,000 copies sold.

The singer released a new version of “Perfect” on Dec. 1, in which he duets with Beyonce. As of Monday, the song is at the top of the U.S. iTunes chart and has been viewed nearly 22 million times on YouTube. (rtr)

Antara Foto/Hafidz Mubarak A/ via REUTERS

A woman collects fish from a fishing boat after it arrived on shore as Mount Agung is seen in the background from Amed, Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia December 5, 2017 in this photo taken by Antara Foto.

Tourism needs to be rescued

Transportation access could be key solution

Taylor Swift

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images/AFP

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Thursday, December 7, 2017

Jl. D.Poso No 68 Jl. D.Poso No. 50D Jl. D.Poso No. 39 Jl. D.Poso Sanur Jl. D.Poso Sanur Jl. D.Poso Sanur Jl. D.Poso Sanur Jl. D.Tamblingan Sanur Jl. D.Tamblingan

19 Smirnof Cafee Jl. D.Tamblingan Sanur 20 Legwa Hotel Jl. D.Tamblingan Sanur 21 Nu Laser Cafee Jl. D.Tamblingan Sanur 22 Ganesa Book Jl. D.Tamblingan Sanur 23 All For Daiving Jl. D.Tamblingan Sanur 24 Barocca Jl.Petitenget 17 DKerobokan 25 Lantern Jl.Petitenget 17E Kerobokan 26 Shearlock Jl.Petitenget 17C Kerobokan Klod 27 Cafe Degan Jl.Petitenget 9 Kerobokan Klod

28 Kopi Made Jl. Raya Puputan No. 106 Dps 29 Dimsum Manan Jl. Raya Niti Mandala Renon No 148 30 Furama Jl. Raya Niti Mandala No. 148 Renon 31 Warung Subah Renon Jl. Mohamad Yamin No.18 32 Ayam Betutu khas Gilimanuk Jl. Merdeka No.88 Renon 33 Bali Bakery Jl. Hayam Wuruk 184 Denpasar

DENPASAR - Residents of Karangasem’s disaster prone areas are not the only ones to feel the effects of the eruption of Mount Agung. Bali’s tourism sector has become sluggish as a result of the volcanic eruption. Many tourists attractions that are usually crowded are now deserted and some have even lost their jobs.

“Well, this situation is not so easy to manage. In September and October when the mountain first started showing signs of volcanic activity, there was already a 15 percent decrease in the number of tourist arrivals through Ngurah Rai Airport”, said a member of Commission II of the Bali House of Representatives, A.A. Ngurah Adhi Ardhana, when contacted on Tuesday (Dec. 5).

Ardhana added that tourist arrivals

are predicted to drop by 60 percent in the period of November – January.

He is also pessimistic about the goal of 5.5 million tourists per year being met for 2017. The government, he said needs to take serious steps to rescue tourism from this disaster as 60 percent of Bali’s GRDP comes from the tourism sector.

“Restoring the trust of tourists in transport access to Bali is key. The government needs to consider this a

tourism emergency if things do not improve in the next month”, said this PDI-P politician from Denpasar.

Currently, continued Ardhana, rescue measures need to include building trust in transport access and maintaining the liquidity of the tourism industry. Promotion needs to be done and services and comfort for visitors also needs to be addressed more aggressively.

Appeals to banks, he said should also be made regarding loosening its policies related to the tourism sector. District and municipals governments as well as banks also need to make concession for outstanding liabilities for now and during the

recovery period, he added.

“IN order to reach the targeted number of tourist visits, capital needs to be invested. Lack of liquidity in the short term is dangerous, he explained. Tourism businesses require a lot of capital due to high costs and high costs, but also yields high profits. This means tourism has high prospects – even higher than oil and gas as long as conditions remain secure and there is no disaster” , he explained.

The government, he added should think about alternate modes of transportation such as high speed trains and tourist ferries in case the airport closes again, he said.

When contacted separately, Head of Bali Tourism Office, A.A. Gede Yuniartha Putra, said that things like promotion and communication with ambassadors have been intensified as a way to maintain tourism in Bali amidst these difficult conditions.

Continued to page 6 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.

2

Bali News

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Heavy rain on mountain top

Cold lava flow in Yeh Sah River, shrine swept away

AMLAPURA - Cold lava flowed into Yeh Sah River in Muncan Village, Selat on Tuesday (Dec.), after heavy rains fell on Mount Agung.

This is the largest cold lava flow yet and it even dragged away a shrine that had been standing in the middle of the river.

Hundreds of people came out to see the cold lava flow, causing traffic jams in the area. The cold lava mixed with mud exuded a strong smell of sulfure. Several large trees were seen flowing down the river and along the riverside has also been eroded.

An officer of the Bali Public Works Agency named

Komang Sukrasena, explained that buffer beams had already been set up below the bridge that rises Yeh Sah River in anticipation of cold lava flows. “This is the largest cold lava flow we have seen since Mount Agung erupted and it swept away the embankment that we had set up”, he said.

A new embankment will be installed so that if there is another cold lava flow, the bridge will remain secure.

If the bridge breaks traffic between Rendang and Selat will surely be disrupted, he added.

“The bridge is still intact but we will add gabions to secure the bridge beams from the brunt of the cold lava flows that carry stone and other materials”, said Sukra. (kmb41)

International

Traffic on Bali Mandara Toll down

JBT to apply new tariff on December 8

DENPASAR - In October 2017, the daily traffic on the Bali Mandara Toll Road decreased by 20 percent. This decrease is seen from the initial target of 53,000 vehicles per day, but in reality only 43,000 vehicles per day. Meanwhile, in November the traffic also decreased by 25 percent from the initial target of 53,000 vehicles per day. The target can only be realized as much as 38,000 vehicles per day.

“Per year, we target 18 million vehicles, but until now, only 17 million vehicles have been reached,” said President Director of PT. Jasamarga Bali Toll (JBT), Akhmad Tito Karim, when giving information related to toll tariff adjustment on Tuesday (Dec. 5) in Denpasar.

Although traffic conditions decreased, starting next Friday (Dec. 8) at 00:00, the tariff of Bali Mandara Toll Road will be adjusted. Indeed, it is carried out every two years and adjusted to the rate of inflation. Before new tariff applies, the management should have proposed tariff adjustment to the government at least three months in advance through the Toll Road Regulatory Agency (BPJT). “This tariff adjustment

is based on the Law No.38/2014 Article 48 on Roads where the evaluation and tariff adjustment is done every two years depending on the rate of inflation,” he said.

Tito disclosed that tariff adjustment is intended to maintain the level of service to toll road users as well as to provide certainty of return on investment of the toll road infrastructure. Related to the evaluation and adjustment of the toll rates, it has been previously carried out by the BPJT based on the previous rates adjusted to the influence of inflation. “Before the toll tariff is adjusted, BPJT has deployed inspection team to assess whether the Bali Mandara Toll Road meets the minimum service standards (SPM). BPJT has requested the data of inflation in Bali to Central Statistics Agency,” he said.

The new tariff is as follows: Class I is only adjusted as much as IDR 500, from IDR 11,000 to IDR 11,500. Class II increased from IDR 16,500 to IDR 17,500; Class III from IDR 22,000 to IDR 23,500; Class IV from IDR 27,500 to IDR 29,000; Class V from IDR 33,000 to IDR 35,000; and Class VI for motorcycles will remains at IDR 4,500. (kmb23)

Affected by bad weather

Perancak fishermen catch less fish

The flooding which happen in Yeh Sah River

IBP/kmb

NEGARA - Traditional fishermen have been unable to go out to sea recently due to bad weather conditions. Fish prices are rising as a result though for fishermen it means no income.

A number of fishermen at Perancak village, have not been out to sea for two months as weather has not been friendly and they are afraid of not catching any fish.

Their Boats sit moored on the coast and according to a group of fishermen who were met with on Tuesday (Dec 5), there have been less fish available for the past few months..“When we do go to sea the waves are dangerous, and we may not catch anything at all because of the swift sea currents that carry the fish elsewhere”, said Wayan Neken, a local fisherman.

Traditional fishermen have to rely on their instincts when they search for fish. “Often when we

go out to sea now, the income from our catches is less than our operating costs” he added.

Due to the lack of fish on the market, prices have given up.

Neken says he now only catches about 15 kg a day, compare to the 25-40 kg of mackerel tuna and pennat fish that he usually catches. Most fishermen are choosing to stay on land, make repairs to their boats and fishing gear or look for odd jobs to provide for their daily needs.

The price of pennant fish during fish season is about IDR 9,000 per kg but now it has soared to IDR 14,000. Nengah Udiani, a fishmonger, explained that the rise is price is due to scarcity.

He can see for himself that many fishermen’s boats are now moored on Perancak Beach and the fishermen are busying themselves with repairing their nets. (kmb26)

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Activities

International

Thursday, December 7, 2017

15

Beachwalk Shopping Center

HOLIDAY STARTS HERE – December 2017

HOLIDAY STARTS HERE! This December Beachwalk Shopping Center is still happening with “FEELIN’ FESTIVE” by highlighting the holiday as well as festive vibes and as usual Beachwalk Shopping Center has bunch of events and promo to enliven the holiday moments in Bali.

This year Beachwalk Shopping Center celebrates their 5th Anniversary with theme “BEACHWALK ANNIVER5THARY-NON STOP

CELEBRATION”. The 5th Years Beachwalk anniversary celebration promises a 5 days (3rd -7th December 2017) of non-stop enticing rewards and promotions for Customers, as well as series of exciting activities held to Beachwalk Shopping Center Anniver5thary. Discover the series of activities such as the frames “Beauty of Bali”, DJ’s On Stage by Sky Garden, Anniversary Fashion Trunk Show from local designer

EVERY MONDAY Movie Monday19:00-21:00 Genius Cafe- Home to the entrepreneur Beach CLub Mertasari Beach (Next to Mercure), Sanur EVERY TUESDAY Ecstatic contact dance: Transformative journey Paradiso Ubud, Jalan Goutama Selatan, Ubud 100k includes dinner EVERY WEDNESDAY DEep Dive Dance Guided improvised movement 19:00-21:00 Paradiso Ubud Jalan Goutama Selatan, Ubud 100k EVERY THURSDAY African Drums with Catur SAng Klang Wijaya 16:00-18:00 Experience the healing power of drumming, all levels welcome

BY DONATION SUNDAY MARKETS 10AM 1PM Sunday Market at Batu Jimbar Jl. Danau Tablingan , Sanur 10AM-4PM The Sands Beach Club and Restaurant Sunday MArket Jl. Danau Tamblingan, No 27, Sanur 9:30AM-1PM Sunday Market @ Warung Sopa Jl. Sugriwas no36, Padang Tegal, Ubud 9AM-2PM Samadi Sunday Market Jalan. Padang Linjong 39, Canggu, 9AM-2PM Wednesday and Sunday Ubud Organik Market Jl. Raya Pengosekan across from Zens Hotel Tebesaya, Ubud 12PM-10PM Sunday Food Festival & Bazaar Byrdhouse Beach Club, Sanur 10AM-6PM, Mercure,last sunday of every month, jl. ,Mertasari, Sanur, fashion food and and kids activities The Coffee Spot, Jalan Peigenet 888X,Seminyak, last Sunday of every month, garage sale clothing, books, and hand-made jewellery

and Beachwalk’s tenants, Shop & Sport, Beachwalk Tells Stories Photo Exhibition – by Photo Leisure Bali, Holiday Starts Here Experience and Embrace the Iconic 5 of Bali Cultural Experience. Beachwalk give special privilege to our CORNER’S CLUB members on the Beachwalk Anniver5thary like: Free Weekdays Lunch Time Parking from 11 AM – 1 PM, vouchers of 5 magnifique Bali’s best destinations, 5 room night vouchers at 5 stars hotel in Bali. Moreover Customers can get bunch of discounts and promotions from our retail stores and restaurants/cafés trough Beachwalk Treasure Hunt program from 3rd – 7th December 2017.

In order to enliven the celebration of Christmas, Beachwalk Shopping Center present “PAINT YOUR SOUL” this will be held on December 10th - 25th 2017. This “PAINT YOUR SOUL” focus on kids’ activities events for instance Paint and drawing for kids by Faber Castell, Face Painting, Children Story Telling, Fashion Illustration, Christmas Choir, Marching Band, Meet the Santa and still many more activities that cannot be missed by Customers. For the New Year Celebration Beachwalk create special events such as Dance Exhibi-

tion, Icon Mobile, Culture Experience and DJ Performance on 28th – 31st December 2017. This event will be held at the Fountain Stage, Beachwalk level 1.

Beachwalk as Bali’s shopping destination presents its annual “BEACHWALK YEAR END SALE” participated more than 100 fashion retail stores and restaurants/cafés by providing a variety of discounts and attractive promotions for Customers.

Various discounts are given by tenants such as Topshop, TopMan, Mango, Zara, H&M, Pull & Bear, Stradivarius, Bershka, Tumi, Cath Kidston, Victoria’s Secret, Gingersnaps, Wakai and many more. For Customers who love shopping can’t miss the opportunity in “BEACHWALK YEAR END SALE”.

YOUR REWARDS, YOUR WAY! Not to be missed is Beachwalk “CORNER’S CLUB” – has just launched this year, a special loyalty card programme for Beachwalk Shopping Center’s loyal customers that lets them collect and redeem points with countless special gifts and fantastic vouchers. All you have to do to become a “CORNER’S CLUB” member is just simply do a single purchase of a minimum IDR 50,000

in a single receipt and redeem it at our Customer Service, level 1. Another advantage of having “CORNER’S CLUB” is, Customers are eligible to have it’s benefits not only in Beachwalk Shopping Center but also at all the Cornerstone malls, those are: fx Sudirman, Jakarta & 23Paskal, Bandung. Beachwalk give special privilege to all “CORNER’S CLUB” member by minimum purchase IDR 500,000 (single receipt) get additional 10 points from 15th – 30th December 2017. In addition to customers who already posses “CORNER’S CLUB” can have the opportunity to win a lucky draw to 1 night stay at The ONE Legian Bali Hotel.

Check out Beachwalk Shopping Center new website with a fresh design and totally brand new concept.

Several new features added to ease the Customer in accessing our website, such as an interactive floor map feature. Please access our website at www.beachwalkbali.com.

Beachwalk Shopping Center always presents the unique experiences for tourists and shoppers. The various monthly programs offer more attractions in Kuta and emphasizing the Beachwalk Shopping Center’s tagline, “Bali Starts Here”.

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Thursday, December 7, 2017

Health

International

Bali News

International

Trouble mounts for Sanofi dengue vaccine over safety concerns

THE World Health Organization said on Monday it hopes to review safety data on Sanofi’s dengue vaccine this month, while the Philippines ordered an investigation of its now suspended massive immunization program after the French drugmaker said it could actually worsen the disease in some cases.

The safety fears involve possible increased risk to people who had not previously been exposed to the dengue virus prior to vaccination with Dengvaxia.

Sanofi SA attempted to allay concerns, saying in a statement that “the vast majority of those vaccinated to date live in high endemic settings and, therefore, will have had a prior dengue infection before vaccination.”

Dengvaxia, the first approved Dengue vaccine, had been forecast

by Sanofi to eventually bring in nearly $1 billion in annual sales.

But even recent more modest analysts’ sales forecasts are now looking unattainable given the safety issue and clinical evidence revealing unequal protection against different strains of dengue.

The vaccine so far has been approved in 19 countries and launched in 11, Sanofi said. Most sales have come from the Philippines through its government immunization program involving more than 730,000 children, and Brazil, where the state of Parana has seen a three-fold increase in dengue in the past few years.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne tropical disease that kills about 20,000 people a year and infects hundreds of millions.

The WHO, which issued a report

identifying the vaccine’s safety risk in mid-2016, recommended it only be used in people who had prior dengue infection.

Brazil confirmed it already had recommended restricting use of the vaccine to those previously infected with dengue but had not suspended it entirely.

Brazilian health regulator Anvisa, in an emailed statement to Reuters, said it had not received any reports of vaccine recipients dying or falling more severely ill because of the drug. It does not know how many people have received the vaccine in Brazil since its 2015 approval.

Sanofi, whose shares rose 0.4 percent in Paris on Monday, explained its “new findings” of increased risk at a news conference in Manila. It did not say why action was not taken when the WHO raised the issue last year.

The Philippines Department of Health halted use of Dengvaxia last week after Sanofi reported it could worsen the disease in some people.

“As far as we know, as far as we are made aware, there are no reported deaths that are related to dengue vaccination,” said Ruby Dizon, medical director at Sanofi Pasteur Philippines.

A Philippine health official said the deaths of three children who

received Dengvaxia, reported by a non-government organization, were not related to the vaccine.

Nearly 734,000 children aged 9 and over in the Philippines have received one dose of the vaccine as part of a program that cost 3.5 billion pesos ($69.54 million).

Sanofi said it had not seen any evidence of increased incidence of severe dengue in vaccinated individuals in the real world experience with the vaccine. The drugmaker said the long-term safety evaluation of Dengvaxia showed significantly fewer hospitalizations due to dengue in vaccinated people over 9 years old compared with those who had not been vaccinated.

Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority said last week it was working with Sanofi to strengthen risk warnings on the drug’s packaging.

Sanofi spent 20 years developing the world’s first dengue vaccine at a cost of around 1.5 billion euros ($1.78 billion).

In addition to Brazil, the Philippines and Singapore, Dengvaxia is being sold in Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand, Paraguay, Peru, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala.

Health officials in Mexico, the first country to approve the vaccine in 2015, and in Peru had no immediate comment. Paraguay’s health officials said Dengvaxia is not widely used due to cost but that they have not received reports of problems from doctors who provide the vaccine.

It is approved but not yet

Prescription video games help children with ADHD in trial

LONDON - Playing tailor-made video games can help children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to results from a pivotal clinical trial announced on Monday.

The U.S. company developing the treatment, unlisted Akili, now plans to file for regulatory approval with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the first half of 2018, paving the way for what would be the first such “digital” prescription product.

Akili is an affiliate of Londonlisted PureTech Health .

Cases of ADHD have been rising around the world in recent decades, with children often given drugs to treat the disorder. Akili’s product takes a different approach by using a game to stimulate spe-

cific cognitive neural systems in the brain.

In the randomised, controlled trial of 348 children and adolescents with ADHD, Akili’s product AKL-T01 showed a statistically significant improvement compared

launched in Honduras, Malaysia, Australia, Argentina, Venezuela, Bolivia, Bangladesh and Cambodia.

Sanofi said it plans to discuss with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration moving forward with its U.S. regulatory filing for Dengvaxia with new labeling recommendations.

Dengvaxia is under review by European health regulators. A spokeswoman said in an email that regulators there could not comment

on the status of the application but that any emerging data will be taken into account during the assessment of the vaccine.

Consensus analyst forecasts collated by Thomson Reuters before the latest problems pointed to Dengvaxia sales of about 360 million euros ($426.5 million) by 2022. Some analysts now expect that figure to fall significantly as national vaccination programs are curtailed and usage restrictions put in place. (rtr)

Pratama residents inundated by seawater floods

MANGUPURA — Seawater floods soaked six houses on Jalan Pratama, Benoa village on Sunday night (Dec. 3). The one-meter high seawater flood happened due to the collapse of the revetment following the tidal seawater.

REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco

Concepcion Yusop, a national immunization program manager, shows an anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia inside a vaccine storage room in Sta. Cruz city, Metro Manila, Philippines December 4, 2017.

Division Head of Emergency and Logistics of Badung Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Ni Nyoman Ermy Setiari, with the permission of the Head of BPBD Badung I Nyoman Wijaya, said that a total of nine families were hit by seawater flood. Hearing the incident, the BPBD

team, subdistrict head, hamlet chief and LPM Benoa directly came down to the field.

“Yeah ... six houses of residents living at Terora hamlet, Jalan Pratama Gang Bidadari, are hit by seawater floods due to tidal waters rising to the mainland,” said Ermy as confirmed on Monday (Dec. 4).

According to local residents, the adult knee-high floods occurred from 21:00 Local Time. Not long after, the water soaking people’s homes gradually receded. “Seawater began to recede at 23:11, where the water decreased to 15 cm.

“After we examine the seawater flood, in fact it was caused

by the collapse of existing traditional revetment following the occurrence of tidal seawater,” he said.

He said to have taken emergency measures by deploying heavy equipment (excavator) to make temporary embankment. Furthermore, this natural disaster will be coordinated with Badung Public Works and Housing Agency (PUPR) to create permanent dikes.

“We just got the equipment (excavator—Ed) because the road access to the location is narrow and the work just commenced at 14:00. Currently (Monday—Ed) we are still in the field,” he said. (kmb27)

Two new tropical cyclones insignificantly impact on Bali Sea waters

IBP/kmb

IBP/net

IBP/kmb

The flood happened due to the collapse of the revetment following the tidal seawater.

with an active control in attention performance. The control was also a video game.

Medicating ADHD is big business, with Shire a leading player in the field. Shire is also an investor in Akili. (rtr)

Prescription video games help children with ADHD in trial.

3

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Based on press release of the central BMKG, the 93W tropical cyclone is observed in the Andaman Sea north of Aceh, with a maximum wind speed of 56 km / hour.

DENPASAR — The National Weather Service (BMKG) recently noted the emergence of two prospective new tropical cyclones is ready to replace the Dahlia tropical cyclone that previously hit the waters of Indonesia. The two prospective new tropical cyclones are 93W and 97S. However, both tropical cyclones have no significant impact on Bali’s waters.

“For the time being, there is no movement of prospective cyclone leading to Bali, Dahlia cyclone has been away from Indonesia to Australia,” explained Division Head of Data and Information of BMKG for Region III Denpasar on Monday (Dec. 4).

Based on press release of the central BMKG, the 93W tropical cyclone is observed in the Andaman Sea north of Aceh, with a maximum wind speed of 56 km / hour. This tropical cyclone is moving eastward away from Indonesia. It will lead to moderate-toheavy rainfall in the northern part of Aceh and winds of more than 37 km / hour in Aceh and the northern of Malacca Strait.

In addition, 4-meter-high waves will also occur in the waters of Lhokseumawe, Sabang and the waters

north and west of Aceh. Meanwhile, the waves as high as 4-6 meters occur in the north of the Malacca Strait.

Movement of 97S tropical cyclone was observed in the Indian Ocean precisely located south of East Nusa Tenggara. The wind speed blew at 28 km / hour. Waves with the height of 4 meters in the waters of the Bali Strait, Lombok Strait, south of Alas Strait, south of Sunda Strait, waters of South East Java and Lombok will be affected by this 97S cyclone and heavy rain will hit NTT. BMKG estimated these two prospective new tropical cyclone will move away from the territory of Indonesia and lead to Australian waters.

Nevertheless, the BMKG for Region III Denpasar appealed to the community to be aware of the potential for heavy rain with intensity and high sea waves reaching two meters or more in the waters of South Bali. Meanwhile, fishermen community and marine tourism activities should consider the height of sea waves reaching two meters or more in the waters of Southern Bali and always pay attention to BMKG’s information especially the early warning weather / extreme climate. (win)

4

Bali News

Thursday, December 7, 2017

International

Mount Agung eruption

SYDNEY - Australia, concerned about rising Chinese influence, will ban foreign political donations as part of a crackdown aimed at preventing external interference in domestic politics, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Tuesday.

SEMARAPURA — Mount Agung eruption does not only cause sand deposits in the area of Karangasem but also on the tributary of Unda River, Klungkung district. It becomes like a ‘blessing in disguise’ for a number of residents living nearby.

The building material is mined and sold. The results are able to meet the needs of their life.

Karangasem area in line with the closure of quarry activities on the slopes of Mount Agung.

“The quality is pretty good. It is the same as that of Karangasem,” said this middle-aged man. Mining for one day with some colleagues, he managed to get two trucks of sand. They have been sold out.

“The miners only consist of local residents,” he added.

The existence of the sand also provides job opportunities for other residents. One of them is Wayan Budiarta. He has the task to shift the sand. The wage can be used to meet the increasingly complex life needs. Moreover, such condition is claimed as ‘blessing.’ “Well, we can get a job,” he said.

Prior to at that location, a number of residents looked for sand in the Unda River by utilizing the makeshift equipment, such as hoes and large inner tubes. The result is not so seductive and the quality is worse. “However, with the current situation, the flood is still going on so that people do not dare to look for,” he said. (kmb45)

AAP/Lukas Coch/via REUTERS

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks to the media during a news conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia December 5, 2017.

IBP/kmb45

It becomes like a ‘blessing in disguise’ for a number of residents living nearby. The building material is mined and sold. The results are able to meet the needs of their life.

China suspends flights from Bali to China due to volcanic ash - report

REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

A passenger waiting for his flight to depart watches a plane take off from the domestic terminal at Ngurah Rai International Airport, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia December 4, 2017.

SHANGHAI - China’s aviation authority has suspended all flights from the Indonesian holiday island of Bali to Chinese cities until the threat of volcanic ash clears, the state-run People’s Daily newspaper reported on Monday.

Clouds of volcanic ash from Bali’s erupting Mount Agung volcano disrupted flights to and from the island’s airport last week, stranding many thousands of tourists.

Flights began resuming when the airport reopened on Wednesday, after the wind changed and blew the ash away from flight paths. Individual airlines make their own decisions on whether to operate.

Australia’s Jetstar resumed flying tourists in to Bali on Monday, while Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd said it planned to do so on Tuesday.

Despite the resumption of some services, China’s aviation authority was stopping any more flights after the return on Monday of the last charter flight, bringing to 15,237 the number of stranded Chinese tourists brought home, the People’s Daily newspaper said on its Twitter page.

“China’s aviation authority has suspended all flights from Bali to Chinese cities until volcanic ash threat clears,” it said.

China Eastern Airlines and China Southern

13

Australia, citing concerns over China, cracks down on foreign political influence

Blessing in disguise for residents at Unda Riverside

As seen on Monday (Dec. 4), the sand deposits were found in the tributary with the width of about five meters. Some residents were seen mining by using traditional equipment. Some others were uploading the sand onto trucks and sifting. Previously, the location was only used to wash trucks.

One of the miners, Nengah Karta, said that sediment occurred shortly after the lava flood a week ago. Considering the quality is good enough for building material, he mines with a number of residents. This measure is also for normalization and avoiding the occurrence of siltation that can trigger the lava flow into the settlement.

“The quarries are only done from yesterday. We just use a regular shovel, without heavy equipment.

This is also to facilitate the flow of water,” he said.

The sand is sold to residents in Klungkung area for IDR 1.1 million per truck and IDR 200,000 per pickup truck. The demand is said to be quite high, especially after the depletion of supply from

Thursday, December 7, 2017

International

Airlines, which stopped flying new tourists into Bali last week, told Reuters that any resumption of flights would depend on the situation.

They declined to comment on the reported directive from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

The CAAC did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

China Southern, which flies to Bali from the cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou, said in an email that “due to volcanic activity in the area, the local airport and associated routes are not airworthy so flights on these two routes have been cancelled in the near term”.

China has overtaken Australia this year as the biggest source of international visitors to Bali, representing about a quarter of the 4.9 million arrivals from January to September, according to industry statistics.

Airlines avoid flying through volcanic ash as it can damage aircraft engines, clogging fuel and cooling systems, hampering pilot visibility and even causing engine failure.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency, said on Twitter that Mount Agung was no longer spewing ash but just white smoke that reached a height of 1,000 metres early on Monday. (rtr)

Turnbull told reporters in Canberra that foreign powers were making “unprecedented and increasingly sophisticated attempts to influence the political process” in Australia and the world. He cited “disturbing reports about Chinese influence”.

Australia and neighbouring New

Zealand are among roughly a third of countries worldwide that allow foreign donations to political parties. Such donations are prohibited in the United States, Britain and several European countries.

Australia’s new laws, modelled in part on the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act, would criminalise

foreign interference and require the registration of lobbyists working for nation states, Turnbull said.

The announcement came as concern grows that Beijing may be extending its influence and as relationships between Australian politicians and Chinese government interests have become in-

creasingly contentious.

Fairfax Media and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported in June on a concerted campaign by China to “infiltrate” Australian politics to promote Chinese interests.

China denies the claims.

In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China had no intention of interfering with Australia’s internal affairs or using political funding to influence them.

“At the same time, we want to again urge Australia to remove their biases and take an objective and positive attitude to assess China and its relations with Australia,” he added.

However, leading opposition Senator Sam Dastyari quit some senior Labor Party positions last week after a tape surfaced of him appearing to endorse China’s contentious expansion in disputed areas of the South China Sea, against his party’s platform.

The tape, which showed him standing next to property developer Huang Xiangmo, a major Chinese political donor, was leaked to the media.

“I take those reports, as do my colleagues, very seriously,” Turnbull said. However, the new laws “are not about any one country”, he said.

“Foreign interference is a global issue ... for example, we’re all familiar with very credible reports that Russia sought to actively undermine the United States’ elec-

tion ... the threat is real,” Turnbull said.

The new laws, should they pass parliament, would ban foreign donations to political parties or any political group that has spent more than A$100,000 ($76,350) campaigning in the past four years - a rule that could also likely affect environmental and other campaign groups.

Australia expressed deep concern last month over a crackdown on pro-democracy groups in Cambodia. Despite that, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said foreign donations to activist group GetUp!, a non-partisan but vocal critic of the centre-right government, would be banned under Australia’s new laws.

GetUp! said in a statement only 0.5 percent of its donations come from overseas. It criticised the proposed laws as an attempt to avoid scrutiny of government policies and for failing to curtail donations from multinational corporations.

The definitions of treason and espionage would also be broadened under the new laws to include possessing or receiving sensitive information, rather than just transmitting it.

Since the controversial sale of the port of Darwin to a Chinese company in 2015, the government has been at pains to demonstrate limits to its ties to China, its biggest export partner, blocking sales of Australia’s biggest cattle station and biggest power grid to Chinese interests. (rtr)

Rebel Honduran police ignore curfew order, election protesters rejoice

TEGUCIGALPA - Hondurans spilled into the streets of the capital on Monday night, banging pots and pans and joining rebel police in defiance of a curfew imposed after a presidential election that was heavily criticized by the Organization of American States.

Some police officers abandoned their posts and joined carnival-like demonstrations that erupted across the city hours after night fell and the curfew was supposed to have begun.

A statement issued in the name of the National Police said the officers were upset with the government over a political crisis that was not their responsibility.

“Our people are sovereign,” said a member of the elite Cobra riot police, reading the statement. “We cannot confront and repress their rights.”

Authorities finished counting votes on Monday after a week of increas-

ingly widespread criticism about the Nov. 26 election, with Organization of American States (OAS) lending credence to opposition claims the government manipulated the results to ensure a win.

“The tight margin, along with the irregularities, errors and systematic problems that have surrounded this election, does not allow the mission to be certain about the results,” said former Bolivian President Jorge Quiroga, heading the OAS election observation mission in the Central American country.

Electoral authorities said President Juan Orlando Hernandez won 42.98 percent of the vote, compared with opposition challenger Salvador Nasralla’s 41.39 percent, based on 99.96 percent of ballot boxes tallied.

However, authorities refrained from declaring a winner, with Nasralla’s center-left opposition Alliance

demanding a wide recount of nearly a third of votes, a request backed by the OAS and European Union election observers.

Lending more support to that view, a leader of rebellious Cobra riot police told reporters the country wanted a vote-by-vote recount to clarify the results, and called on the armed forces to come out in support of the police protest.

The Alliance, which claims that results sheets from ballot boxes were altered, is expected to formally contest the results.

President Hernandez, who has been praised by the United States for his crackdown on street gangs, also refrained from calling himself the winner on Monday, despite claiming victory several times since the election.

“I make a call for peace, for brotherhood, for sanity, for national unity,”

he told reporters.

In a striking sign of support for Hernandez, 49, the U.S. State Department cleared the way for Honduras to receive millions of dollars in U.S. aid

two days after the election, certifying that the government has been fighting corruption and upholding human rights, a document seen by Reuters showed. (rtr)

REUTERS/Jorge Cabrera

Members of the Honduran police take part in a strike to demand higher wages and rest after working extra hours due to protests caused by the delay in vote counting in the general election, at their headquarters in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, December 4, 2017.

12

International

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Bali News

International

BUSINESS

Thursday, December 7, 2017

5

As Cathay Pacific wields jobs axe, ‘Swire prince’ culture survives

SINGAPORE - Loss-making Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd hired McKinsey & Co consultants earlier this year to advise on a transformation plan, drawing on turnarounds at regional rivals such as Qantas Airways Ltd and Japan Airlines Co Ltd. Battered by competition from Chinese and Middle East airlines and hobbled by missteps in fuel hedging, Cathay in January completed a strategic review, and later announced its biggest job cuts in almost two decades.

Following McKinsey’s subsequent input - which has not been previously reported - Greg Hughes, Cathay’s Chief Operations and Service Delivery Officer, said more than 740 initiatives had so far been identified to cut costs, boost productivity and improve customer service - including easier access to higher ‘frequent flyer’ status, more economy-class seats on Boeing 777 airliners, and on-demand dining for business-class fliers.

“We were very keen on learning from them the best way to go about a transformation,” Hughes told Reuters. “They have done thousands of them, and we haven’t.”

Steve Saxon, McKinsey’s aviation expert partner in Shanghai, said the firm’s policy is to decline comment on client work.

Hughes said McKinsey’s involvement ended after its consultants helped structure the three-year transformation programme, which is being carried out by Cathay Pacific staff and aims for HK$4 billion ($512 million) of savings from lowering costs and boosting productivity. “We have always wanted our transformation programme to be something that our people own and can deliver upon,” he said.

“COLONIAL CULTURE” But, as Cathay chases a return to profitability, it looks set to continue a practice that some current and former employees say may be the biggest obstacle to a real change of culture: the airline’s unusual executive rotation system. Under this system, so-called “house staff” at unlisted British conglomerate John Swire & Sons Ltd - which owns a majority stake in Hong Kong-listed Swire Pacific, which, in turn, owns 45 percent of Cathay - rotate positions at group companies every few years.

This could, in theory, see a Coca-Cola refrigeration manager at a Swire-owned plant in China take charge of Cathay’s operations

in France. Supporters of the scheme say it brings a fresh eye and diverse experience to the job, and helps succession planning. “If they go through all these different areas they learn to look at things from different perspectives,” said Achim Czerny, associate professor of aviation management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Critics, though, say it’s a costly, two-tiered relic that leads to shortterm and conservative thinking and can demotivate talented middlemanagers, who feel excluded from the scheme. Some blame it for Cathay being slow to spot the strategic threat from rival airlines.

“It’s a bit of a colonial culture,” said Terence Fan, an assistant professor specialising in transport at Singapore Management University. “There’s certainly a lot of complacency.” Cathay declined to say whether McKinsey had examined its rotation system, but said it planned to keep it in place as part of its transformation programme.

‘SWIRE PRINCES’ Founded as an import-export business in Liverpool in 1816, John Swire & Sons opened its first China office 70 years later. Still familycontrolled, it also owns majority stakes in maintenance group Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Co Ltd (HAECO) and Swire Properties Ltd. As a management service fee, the companies pay John Swire & Sons 2.5 percent of their profit before tax and non-controlling interests.

The arrangement doesn’t give Cathay much incentive to hire top executives from outside as it pays Swire regardless. Air China Ltd and Qatar Airways are major Cathay shareholders, though Swire gives them little say in the airline’s dayto-day operations.

Former Cathay CEO John Slosar is chairman of Swire Pacific, Cathay, HAECO and Swire Proper-

Barong Bangkung Street Show

Gracing Galungan and Kuningan Festivity As a tradition, the Hindu community in Bali celebrates Galungan and Kuningan by delivering oblations accompanied with art activities. It also happens to the celebration of Galungan (Feb. 10) and Kuningan (Feb. 20), where during the feast the barong bangkung or barong bangkal troupe will definitely do ngelawang or street.

As a tradition, the Hindu community in Bali celebrates Galungan and Kuningan by delivering oblations accompanied with art activities. It also happens to the celebration of Galungan (Feb. 10) and Kuningan (Feb. 20), where during the feast the barong bangkung or barong bangkal troupe will definitely do ngelawang or street show.

REUTERS/David Gray

A Cathay Pacific Airways Airbus A330 plane is towed past other planes parked at the Sydney International Airport terminal in Australia, November 30, 2017. ties. Like many senior managers - including Cathay’s current CEO Rupert Hogg - Slosar started out on Swire’s “house staff” programme - once an all-male and predominantly ‘Oxbridge’ preserve, with members dubbed by outsiders as ‘Swire princes’.

There is a separate stream of management trainees, more usually Hong Kong locals with Chinese language skills, who stay at a Swire company throughout their careers but move around within that company. Hogg’s predecessor, Ivan Chu, began as a management trainee at Cathay.

Many airlines have graduate programmes and employees rotating between management posts, but at Cathay managers could be rotated in with no knowledge of the aviation industry. Cathay rarely brings in top outside talent from rival airlines.

“It’s a very traditional, fairly conservative company and its policy has always been to grow its own management talent,” said a person who previously worked with Swire, and didn’t want to be named so as not to jeopardise rela-

tions with the company.

A former Cathay employee, who asked not to be named, said the rotation system at the top was frustrating for middle managers.

“These weren’t glass ceilings, but brutally hard concrete ceilings. If you were in middle-management, there was no way you were going to get into the cadre of top management.”

One current employee said the Swire culture held up decision making as approvals were needed to react to sometimes fastchanging situations, and another said it hampered the airline’s longterm strategy as CEOs commonly moved on after 2-3 years, with a new manager coming in “changing things again”.

However, a second former Cathay middle manager, who didn’t want to be named as he is still in the aviation industry, said Swire’s two-tiered management system worked well. While senior country and regional managers sometimes brought no aviation knowledge, “they were there for their corporate knowledge, for their business acumen.”

“The culture is a fabulous thing,” said a former ‘house staff’ member.

“If there’s one small weakness, you might argue that if you grow up with people, it’s sometimes quite hard to look them in the eye and call them out when they are wrong, and have a really robust conversation.”

Slosar declined an interview request, but told The Wall Street Journal in 2014 that a benefit of the rotation system was that managers were all on the same page with the corporate culture. The downside, he acknowledged, was Swire had to ensure it assimilated new ideas from outside and kept pace with trends.

Singapore Management University’s Fan said that hiring McKinsey showed Cathay was serious about change, but it was a mistake not to consider adjusting the rotation system.

“If you’re thinking about drastic change, I’m not sure whether hiring people who have been steeped in the same culture will be sufficient to bring in the more fundamental changes that might be required,” he said.(rtr)

Barong bangkal or barong bangkung is a large enough and old pig considered a mythical animal having a mystical power. Attires of the barong are made of black and white velvet. However, in general, the attires are not pretentious like that of other types of barong.

In every show, the barong bangkung is also equipped with trinkets of ate leaves and the dancers are wearing checkered trousers and rattles tied on legs, so that when moving they will generate rattling sound. Barong bangkal is carried by two dancers and the performances are held in the streets and around the village.

With the presence of barong

show, villagers will feel they have been protected by deities marked by the arrival of barong bangkal or barong bangkung. The show is accompanied with batel bebarongan gamelan music consisting of drums, tawa-tawa, kelenang, kelenong, cymbals and kempur.

The word ngelawang is derived from the word lawang meaning ‘door,’ a term in the Balinese language that means a gallivanting show from one house to another or from one village to another. This gallivanting show with diverse Balinese artistic traditions is performed by art troupe.

Allegedly this traditional show sources from a Hindu mythology,

namely Shiva Tattva. Once upon a time Lord Shiva and Goddess Uma are making love in improper place and time, so that harmony shakes. As a result, it brings in misery for mankind and other living beings.

After realizing his fault, Lord Shiva sent gods to calm down the situation and reassure the whole universe. When arriving on earth, the gods created and performed a variety of art forms. Through the love of art show the whole universe is back to peaceful condition.

The meaning of purification in the Shiva Tattva mythology is also harmonious with the content of disaster repellent in the legend on the

insolence destruction of Mayadenawa that was then celebrated as the starting point of Galungan, the celebration of victory of dharma (truth) against adharma (untruth). Ngelawang poses a cultural energy having a spiritual aspect, arts and entertainment.

This tradition means to expel evil spirits and protects population from any plagues or diseases caused by evil spirits (bhuta kala).

When performing ngelawang, homeowners will usually offer an oblation with sesari (money).

Ngelawang tradition inherited from generation to generation means to neutralize the universe, reject all kinds of diseases interfering with human life, including psychically driving away those having evil intention.

By and large, this street show is performed five days before Galungan to the celebration of Kuningan. In the 1970s, the nomadic art crystallized into art event that jazzed up the Galungan. In recent years, this art tends to go extinct in line with the changing of times, so that it is difficult to find

this kind of performance.

Values of education Ngelawang does not only pose an attractive art show, but also contains positive values. In addition to preserving local culture, it also serves as a medium of creativity to sharpen educational values, norms, ethics and moral.

They do this art activity in togetherness while making others happy through entertainment. Ngelawang is carried out with joy, so that the interaction among them serves as a form of character education and cultivation of artistic values as well as has the meaning of socialization.

In harmony with the development of times, ngelawang has different purposes. There are people only doing the ngelawang to maintain tradition, just run a hobby and raise funds. Apparently, the latest development is widely practiced by barong troupe, so that the location of the show is chosen specifically such as in tourist areas like Kuta, Ubud, Sanur and others. (kmb)

Sesarin Canang, from Folded Betel Leaf to Banknotes Sesarin canang as an expression of people’s gratitude to God is often found in canang (oblation) offered by people when saying prayers. Nowadays, most people use banknotes placed on the canang sari.

Sesari in the form of banknotes are rampantly used recently. When viewed from the development of times, the money used keeps changing in line with the times. At the same time, sesari also follows the development of times.

Sesari or canang sari is not only offered while going to temple, many other religious activities also use sesari. Like the activity of nunas baos (consulting to medium), sesari is also used.

Ni Madé Gerot, 70, a traditional healer (Balian) at Besakih,

Rendang, Karangasem, when met some time ago, told that pursuant to her experience during ngayah (paying devotional work), the use of banknotes as a sesari has begun since several years ago.

She added that according to explanation of her senior figure, before using banknotes as sesari, there were several types of money used as sesari. Before the use of banknotes, sesari of canang used folded betel leaf completed with lime, tobacco, gambier, and betel nut.

“Formerly, the folded betel leaf was used as sesarin canang, symbolizing a prostration of the community. Although currently using banknotes, the use of folded betel leaf can still be found in several places,” she said.

He told that according to the story of her senior figure, before using banknotes as we find today people used perforated coin. In 1963, the sesari in use included ringgit, rupiah (silver), as well as other coins of several denominations applied at that time.

After that, the use of perforated coin began and lasts until now and the use of banknotes also develops.

“Using rupiah money as sesari is indeed legitimate. However, the most important is the sincerity of people,” she explained.

She hoped and reminded that as devotees both as people doing devotional services and general public, sesari is an offering. Actually, the money used sesari is perforated coin. It is the symbol of Shiva Sunya meaning sincerity. (kmb)

6

Thursday, December 7, 2017

W

International

RLD

Chaotic scenes as former Georgian president Saakashvili detained in Kiev

KIEV - Ukraine detained former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on Tuesday on suspicion of assisting a criminal organisation, sparking clashes between his supporters and police who fired teargas into the crowd.

Masked officers dragged Saakashvili from an apartment in the capital Kiev while his supporters protested on the street and tried to stop the police van from leaving, crowding the vehicle and setting up a barricade with tyres, wood and stones.

It is the latest twist in a prolonged feud between Ukrainian authorities and Saakashvili, who was invited

by President Petro Poroshenko to become a regional governor after protests in 2014 ousted a pro-Russian president but quickly fell out with his one-time ally.

Addressing supporters earlier from the roof of the house, Saakashvili had accused Poroshenko of being a traitor and a thief. He tried to address the crowd again as he was being bundled into a blue minivan.

“What they are doing is lawlessness in the eyes of the whole world,” Saakashvili said. “I urge all Ukrainians to take to the streets and drive out the thieves.”

Saakashvili could be jailed for up to five years if found guilty. Georgian prosecutors said they had not been informed of Tuesday’s developments by their Ukrainian counterparts. The 49-year-old is wanted in Georgia on criminal charges which he says were trumped up for political reasons.

Saakashvili made a dramatic return to Ukraine in September, barging his way across the border from

Poland despite having been stripped of Ukrainian citizenship and facing the threat of possible extradition to Georgia.

He wants to unseat Poroshenko and replace him with a new, younger politician. His supporters have camped in tents outside parliament and launched sporadic protests since his return.

“We have been waiting for it (the arrest) for months, of course, and especially in the recent weeks,” Saakashvili’s wife Sandra Roelofs told Georgian TV Rustavi 2.

“It’s illegal and outrageous.”

Saakashvili was made governor of the Odessa region in 2015 on the strength of the reforms he carried out in Georgia.

But he fell out with Poroshenko, accusing him of corruption, while Poroshenko’s office said Saakashvili was trying to deflect from his own shortcomings as an administrator.

Saakashvili’s supporters see him as a fearless crusader against corruption but critics say there is little substance behind his blustery rhetoric.

Back home in Georgia, where he took power after a peaceful pro-Western uprising, known as the Rose Revolution, in 2003, his time in office was tarnished by what critics said was his monopolising power and exerting pressure on the judiciary.

He was president at the time of a disastrous five-day war with Russia in 2008, a conflict that his critics argued was the result of his own miscalculations. (rtr)

REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

A supporter of Georgian former President Mikheil Saakashvili clashes with National Guard officers in Kiev, Ukraine December 5, 2017.

Transportation...

From page 1

He added however that volcanic eruptions are unpredictable. Even though Mount Agung appears calm the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazards (PVMBG) has not dared to lower the alert level.

“We are not sure how we should

talk to tourists because even though things are safe now, we cannot say what will happen. We have been informing people that the red zone is only in the east within a 7.5 km radius of the mountain and that other areas are perfectly safe to visit. This is what we have been telling everyone” he explained.

Foreigners are very sensitive to safety , so we cannot arbitrarily say

that things are safe, he added. Something needs to be done to revive tourism however. Putra remains confident that the target of 5. 5 million visitors by the end of the year can be reached.

“So far, we have already received 5. 3 million visitors. Indeed there has been a decline but I believe we can reach 5. 5 million by the end of the year, though it may take a lot of work’ he said.

International

Thursday, December 7, 2017

11

Transportation Ministry to impose firm sanction on Lion Air pilot

Tangerang - The Transportation Ministry will impose a firm sanction on a Lion Air pilot found consuming crystal meth, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said. “I am concerned about the case. Of course, we will take firm measures,” he stated at Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Tangerang, west of Jakarta, on Tuesday.

REUTERS/Yves Herman

The Lion Air pilot, identified by his initials as MS, is believed to have consumed crystal meth when

the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) searched his hotel room in the East Nusa Tenggara provincial

capital of Kupang on Monday night (Dec 4).

Lion Air spokesman Ramaditya Handoko noted that the management of the airline company expressed gratitude to BNN and police for their continued efforts to eradicate drug abuses.

“We highly support any effort to eradicate drug abuse involving air crew members,” he remarked.

The management of Lion Air monitors the health of its crew members every morning, in accordance with its standing procedures.

In addition, the airline also routinely conducts medical checkups on its pilots once every six months, he added.

The pilot, who was believed to have abused drugs, is a senior pilot who had been working for the

airline since 2014. According to the airline, he has good medical record and good conduct.

“If he is found guilty of abusing drugs, he will be subjected to a sanction in accordance with the company`s rule. The sanction may include dismissal as an employee,” he revealed. The pilot has been taken to the Kupang city police station for questioning. (ant)

Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May is welcomed by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, December 4, 2017.

Irish border row thwarts May bid to clinch Brexit trade deal

BRUSSELS - Prime Minister Theresa May failed to clinch a deal on Monday to open talks on post-Brexit free trade with the European Union after a tentative deal with Dublin to keep EU rules in Northern Ireland angered her allies in Belfast.

The British leader had sat down to lunch with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker hoping that a last-minute offer to the Irish government of “regulatory alignment” on both sides of a new UK-EU land border would remove a last obstacle to the EU open talks next week on future trade.

Yet as May and Juncker spoke in Brussels and the pound rose on prospects of free trade and perhaps a very “soft Brexit”, Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) issued an uncompromising reiteration of its refusal to accept any “divergence” from rules on the British mainland.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar cancelled a news conference

Yuniartha also said that he hopes that the tourism industry can survive the next few months without having to lay off too many people. Efficiency is one way to weather this storm, he said. “ We are appealing to tourism business owners to keep their employees because the economy depends on it” he explained.

Tourism, added Yuniartha has actually started to improve since

and the pound fell back, losing a cent against the dollar, as May and Juncker emerged to say there was still not “sufficient progress” on divorce terms to move ahead.

May agreed with Juncker that a deal could be reached in a few days before the EU summit on Dec. 14-15, but that promise did little to stem recriminations at home, where Brexit campaigners want Britain to become what one called a “free agent” and set its own rules.

Varadkar shared the view of some officials in Brussels that it was an opportunity missed.

“I’m surprised and disappointed that the U.K. government appears not to be in a position to conclude what was agreed earlier today,” he told a news conference in Dublin.

“I accept that the British prime minister has asked for more time and I know that she faces many challenges and I acknowledge that she is negotiating in good faith but my position and that of the Irish government is unequivocal.” (rtr) the airport shut down for a few days recently. Normally there are about 15,000 tourist arrivals per day while now there are anywhere from 3,000 – 5,000 a day. “ When the airport close there were of course no arrivals, but the next day there were 3,000 arrivals, then 4,000 and now about 5,000. So there is an increase.

This is according to data from the tourism office”, he said. (kmb32)

IBP/rtr

Government acknowledges failure to reach housing target

JAKARTA - The Public Works and Housing Ministry acknowledged realization fall short of target to build one million units of houses per year.

“Yes, we have not reached the target. Realization has reached only 765,120 units including 70 percent houses for low income people (MBR) and 30 percent for non MBR,” Director General of Housing Provision Khalawi Abdul Hamid told reporters here on Tues-

day. Khalawi said the program to build a million houses began in 2015 to reduce the backlog of 7.6 million units, which grow 800,000 units per year.

“In 2015 , realization totaled 699,770 units and in 2016 totaled 805,169 units,” he said. Khalawi said the general problems faced in the procurement of houses are regulation and availability of land, therefore, breakthrough is needed to support the program ahead.

The Housing Provision Directorate General has a budget of Rp8.1 trillion in 2017 for the construction of 128,336 units of houses and 14,000 units of infrastructure and facilities and utility.

Until Dec. 4 only 76.09 percent of the budget was used. In 2018, the budget was proposed at Rp9.6 trillion with b51.7 percent of the houses were to be built in western Indonesia and the rest in eastern region. (ant)

10

Destination

Thursday, December 7, 2017

International

Thursday, December 7, 2017

International

Woods seemingly healthy again, but too early to predict future glory

GIANYAR - Gianyar district now has a new tourist attraction named the Gianyar Botanical Garden (KRG). This tourist attraction is located at Pilan hamlet, Kerta, Payangan, or about 45 km northeast of Denpasar. The opening ceremony was officially conducted by Bambang Subiyanto, Deputy Head of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), on Monday (Jul. 17). At that time, the event was also filled in with the signing of inscription by Regent of Gianyar, A.A. Gde Agung Bharata.

Bambang Subiyanto appreciated to the measure of Gianyar regent to build botanical garden as the 32nd botanical garden in Indonesia managed by local government. “It is built for conservation area, reducing degradation rate of rare plant diversity as well as increasing and utilizing potential of the region optimally

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and sustainably,” he said.

Development of this botanical garden is also for in-situ and ex situ conservation for all rare plant species, providing research and education place as well as tropical plant laboratory. “This can also become a nature tourist attraction, develop environmental services and improve socio-economic life of the community around the botanical garden,” he continued.

Regent of Gianyar, Agung Bharata, said the KRG is a customary forest being rescued by the surrounding community, so the condition remains very well maintained, located in the state land area of ??9.7163 hectares managed by Pilan customary village through generations. It has 41 kinds of native vegetation dominated by large trees up to several kinds of orchids, and 36 species of animals such as various kinds of birds, apes

Gianyar Botanical Garden

and deer.

Development of the KRG began with the proposal from headman of Kerta to Gianyar regent in his letter No.33/Pemb/I/2015 dated on January 14, 2015 regarding the Proposal of Forest Management at Pilan Customary Village. Then, it was followed up by a request of review to the Head of Center for Plant Conservation, Botanical Garden – LIPI, and result of the review Number: B-1158 / IPH.3 / KS / IV / 2016 dated on April 18, 2016 states that the forest of Pilan customary village deserves to be KRG. The Regent of Gianyar, Agung Bharata, also appreciated to the goodwill of Pilan customary village to preserve customary forest by handing over customary forest management to KRG. Pilan customary villagers has contributed to donate their land without asking

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Ali Hashemi (IRI) of Iran competes.

REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov/FILE PHOTO

Hashemi takes another gold for Iran

ANAHEIM - Iran struck gold for a second consecutive day at the weightlifting World Championships when Ali Hashemi won the men’s 105 kilogram class on Monday.

Hashemi finished on 404kg ahead of Arturs Plesnieks of Latvia, who lifted 402kg, and Uzbek Ivan Efremov – who had beaten Hashemi in September the last time they met – on 399kg.

Sohrab Moradi won the 94 kilograms on Sunday with two world

records and Iran has a chance of sweeping all three heaviest weight categories when Salimi Kordasiabi and Saeed Alihosseini compete in the super-heavyweights on Tuesday. In the day’s other medal event Anastasiia Hotfrid became Georgia’s first female medallist at the

World Championships when she won the 90 kilograms class.

Hotfrid’s total of 265kg was 10kg too good for silver medallist Maria Valdes of Chile, with Domincan Republic’s Crismery Santana a further 1kg behind.

The 40-year-old Ecuadorian Oliba Nieve, who has six Pan American titles, was third in the snatch and fourth overall. She is 19 years older than Hotfrid. (rtr)

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Tiger Woods celebrates after making his eagle putt on the seventh hole during the final round of the Hero World Challenge golf tournament at Albany.

Curry exits Warriors’ win with ankle injury, X-rays negative

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also been proposed to ask for aid to state budget (APBN) from the ministry of public works and housing in 2018 approximately worth IDR 14 billion in accordance with the development stages in Detailed Engineering Design of the KRG. The Gianyar Botanical Garden is built in cooperation of the Gianyar government, Pilan customary village and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences. Structurally, it is managed by the Gianyar Botanical Garden unit under the Gianyar environment agency, and the operations management is planned to be made in collaboration with Pilan customary village. Approval or recommendation of the cooperation between the government of Gianyar and Pilan customary village on the KRG development and management is in the process of discussion in the Gianyar House of Representatives. (kmb)

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for compensation, where the road widening and opening of new road to KRG has a total area of ??some 15 hectares or approximately worth IDR 34,5 billion.

In the meantime, the Head of the Gianyar Environment Agency, Wayan Kujus Pawitra, said that to realize the KRG, the regional budget (APBD) 2016 approved the budget allocation for the preparation of Detailed Engineering Design (DED) of the KRG at approximately IDR 150 million, then continued to region al budget 2017 for improvement of Kerta road section to the KRG along the 4,314 km with the width of 5.5 meters approximately worth IDR 12.7 billion, construction of KRG gates (IDR 2.9 billion), construction of water connection to KRG (IDR 686 million) and the grant aid of LIPI for thematic garden development (IDR 500 million). KRG has

WHEN Tiger Woods tees up next year he will be at an age at which few have dominated, but that will not stop the PGA Tour hype machine and others from promoting his appearance with an implied suggestion Tiger 2.0 will be as good as the previous version which won 14 major championships between 1997 and 2008.

Amid overwhelmingly positive reviews of Woods’ performance at the Hero World Challenge that might lead some to believe that he is destined to recapture his old greatness, a word of caution might be in order.

Woods certainly looked healthy in the Bahamas, and wielded his driver with the freedom and power of yesteryear, but one tournament does not a successful comeback make.

The ever secretive Woods has revealed few specifics of his back operations or his rehabilitation, but his most recent spinal fusion surgery seems to have been successful, judging by his movement and swing patterns.

He finished equal ninth out of 18 competitors on Sunday, 10 shots behind winner Rickie Fowler, his best result in four years and certainly most respectable for a man who had not played a competitive round for 10 months. Even more positively, his swing seemed more powerful and reminiscent of the old Tiger on Sunday than it did on Thursday, suggesting he was not disguising any pain or function issues.

But his chipping was mediocre, and he did finish only mid-pack, so let’s not expect miracles in 2018 from a man nearly 10 years removed from his most recent major championship victory, and four-plus years from any victory.

“Time waits for no man” said former PGA Tour player Frank Nobilo, who along with most everyone else was impressed with Woods’ performance in the Bahamas, without losing sight of the big picture.

“If you compared facially between last year and this year, the pain on his face, he looked five years younger for a start but I think we do have to be careful with the comparisons from years gone by because he soon will be 42 years of age,” Nobilo said. (rtr)

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NEW ORLEANS - Stephen Curry suffered a right ankle injury in the closing stages of Golden State’s win over New Orleans on Monday and left the arena on crutches, but later X-rays cleared him of any damage.

Stephen Curry suffered an apparent ankle injury during the closing

seconds of the Warriors’ 125-115 victory at New Orleans on Monday night. It happened when Curry lunged for a steal, missed, and tried to stop his momentum. His right foot caught and turned awkwardly on the floor, causing him to immediately fall in pain with just over a minute remaining in the game.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives past New Orleans Pelicans center Omer Asik (3) during the second quarter at the Smoothie King Center.

The two-time Kia Most Valuable Player was subbed out on the next stoppage of play and went immediately to the locker room for treatment. After the game, he exited the locker room using crutches.

Warriors public relations later told reporters that X-rays were negative and Curry is currently diagnosed with a sprained ankle. Curry will undergo an MRI on Tuesday. Curry finished with 31 points and 11 assists as the Warriors (19-6) rallied to a 125-115 victory. (rtr)

8

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Sp rt

Roma players celebrate after the match

Chelsea prepared to face big teams in Champions League knockouts: Conte

REUTERS/Alberto Lingria

Double celebration for Roma as stadium gets green light

ROME - AS Roma had double cause for celebration on Wednesday after qualifying for the last sixteen of the Champions League the night before and getting the green light to build their new stadium. In a statement late on Tuesday Roma said the four local authorities involved in the decision had approved the plans to build the Stadio della Roma.

“I’m delighted because I know what this decision could mean for Rome itself, for our club’s future and for our fans - and we want to give them the home they deserve,” said Roma president James Pallotta.

The 55,000-capacity stadium will be built in the Tor di Valle area in the south of the city and Roma hope to move in for the 2020/21 season.

Roma first unveiled the project for the stadium in March 2014, although the search for a suitable site had begun two years earlier. Like most Italian clubs, AS Roma are currently tenants in their stadium, sharing the Stadio Olimpico with neighbours Lazio.

The public ownership of stadiums in Italy means that clubs are unable to modernise their facilities and make money from mega-stores, restaurants and music events, unlike their English and German counterparts.

Juventus, Atlanta, Sassuolo and Udinese are the only Serie A clubs who are stadium owners.

On the field, Roma’s 1-0 win over Qarabag on Tuesday meant they won their group in the Champions League - a competition in which they have suffered a string of recent humiliations.

Results in the last few years have included a 7-1 home defeat by Bayern Munich, 6-1 thumping at Barcelona and a 3-0 home defeat by Porto last season which cost them a place in the lucrative group stage.

“It’s a magnificent result for us, for our confidence, for the rest of our season and for Roma’s reputation on the international stage,” said midfielder Daniele De Rossi.

“We’ve been on the wrong end of a couple of drubbings in Europe so this goes some way to restoring our reputation. It’s fantastic to finish top of such a difficult group.” Chelsea and Atletico Madrid had been expected to qualify but instead it was Roma who joined the English Premier League side in the last sixteen.

“No one had us down as favourites at the start; in fact, we were pretty much written off. We just got on with the job and believed in ourselves,” said Roma coach Eusebio Di Francesco.

“The lads played with real conviction right from our opening game at home against Atletico (a 0-0 draw). We didn’t play particularly well that day but we showed we could dig in. That was the start of a great group stage for us.” (rtr)

Premier League champions Chelsea are not intimidated by the prospect of facing Europe’s biggest teams in the knockout stages of the Champions League, manager Antonio Conte has said.

Chelsea finished second in Group C behind Italy’s AS Roma after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid and could face Barcelona, Paris St Germain, Besiktas or potential Group E winners Sevilla, in the last 16.

“When you go through to the next round in this competition, you must be prepared to face the best teams. We could play against Barcelona, PSG or Besiktas, but we must be ready,” Conte told reporters after Tuesday’s match.

“This is the best tournament.

That’s why you want to go through and try and be a protagonist in this tournament. At the same time, our opponents won’t be happy to play against us. We’ll see what happens.”

Conte’s side are the only English team to not finish first in their group so far after Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur progressed to the last 16 as group winners. Liverpool could join the trio, and finish ahead of Se-

villa in Group E, if they beat Spartak Moscow later on Wednesday.

Conte said the fact that all five English teams could reach the knockout stages showcases the level of talent in the Premier League but felt some of Chelsea’s domestic rivals had easier group fixtures.

“I think it was not simple, but easy for a lot of these teams to go into the next round. But, in the future, we have to see. Don’t forget, here the season is very tough. You have to play a lot of games,” Conte added.

The Italian believes English teams will find it harder to excel in the latter stages of the Champions League as they play more games than their European rivals.

“When you accumulate games and then you arrive at the final stage, playing in the quarters or the semis, the English teams have a lot of games in their legs,” Conte said.

“For this reason, it could be problematic to win. But... the English teams are very good and have the possibility to win and reach the final of the Champions League.”

The draw for the last 16 will be held on Monday in Nyon. (rtr)

Former winners Evergrande face tricky test in Asian Champions League

KUALA LUMPUR - Two-time champions Guangzhou Evergrande have been handed a potentially bumpy ride to the knockout stages of the 2018 Asian Champions League after the draw for the group phase of next year’s competition was made on Wednesday. Evergrande, title winners in 2013 and 2015, will take on South Korea’s Jeju United, Buriram United of Thailand and an as yet undetermined Japanese representative in group G when the competition kicks off in February.

Guangzhou’s last triumph came

under Luiz Felipe Scolari but they exited the competition this year at the quarter-final stage at the hands of Chinese Super League rivals Shanghai SIPG. However, Scolari still steered Guangzhou to a clubrecord seventh straight domestic league title before resigning and was replaced by Fabio Cannavaro.

The former Italy defender’s first game back at the helm of the club he led at the start of 2015 will be against Thai champions Buriram at Tianhe Stadium on Feb. 14.

Shanghai Shenhua, China’s other automatic qualifier for the group

REUTERS/Sergio Perez

Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs

phase, have been drawn in group H to take on Australian champions Sydney FC as well as former Japanese champions Kashima Antlers and either Suwon Bluewings from South Korea, Vietnam’s Thanh Hoa or Eastern from Hong Kong.

With the champions not gaining automatic qualification, Urawa Red Diamonds, who won the 2017 title in November with a 2-1 aggregate win over Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, will not defend their crown after failing to claim a place through Japan’s domestic competitions.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, who won the title in 2016 but were banned from this year’s competition due to their involvement in a match-fixing scandal, return after winning the Korean league title.

Choi Kang-hee’s team will meet Hong Kong’s Kitchee with two playoff winners in group E. Newly-crowned Japanese champions Kawasaki Frontale have been drawn to face Ulsan Hyundai of South Korea, Australia’s Melbourne Victory and the winner of a playoff that could see China’s Shanghai SIPG join the fray.

In the west of the continent, Al Hilal, who were defeated by Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds last month, were drawn to face Iran’s Esteghlal, Al Rayyan of Qatar and either Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates or Bahrain’s Malkiya in group D. Iran’s Persepolis take on Al Sadd of Qatar, UAE’s Al Wasl and either Nasaf Qarshi from Uzbekistan or Aizwal from India in group C while group A will feature Al Jazira from UAE, Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli, Tractorsazi Tabriz of Iran and either Qatar’s Al Gharafa or Pakhtanor from Uzbekistan. (rtr)

Barca end Sporting’s hopes with 2-0 win

Sporting’s Bas Dost reacts after missing a chance to score

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte reacts as Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone looks on

9

BARCELONA - Barcelona scored twice in the second half to beat Sporting Lisbon 2-0 at home on Tuesday, rounding off their unbeaten group stage campaign with a fourth win, while knocking the Portuguese side out of the competition. With Lionel Messi left on the bench, Paco Alcacer gave Barca the lead in the 59th minute with a glancing header from a corner while former Barca defender Jeremy Mathieu clumsily slid Aleix Vidal’s low cross into his own net in stoppage time.

Barca had already secured their place in the last 16 of the competition as Group D winners before the game, while Sporting needed to win and for Juventus not to beat Olympiakos in order to reach the knockouts for the first time in nine seasons.

Their hopes were quickly dashed when Juan Cuadrado put Juventus ahead in the 15th minute in Athens and Federico Bernardeschi made it 2-0 in the 90th to ensure Sporting dropped into the Europa League whatever happened at the Nou Camp.

Barca coach Ernesto Valverde made eight changes to the team that had drawn 2-2 with Celta Vigo on Saturday, including picking Thomas Vermaelen in place of injured Samuel Umtiti and starting without Messi for the second European game in a row.

Messi came on moments

after Alcacer had broken the deadlock and the Argentine instantly lifted Barca’s tempo.

He went close to doubling their lead three times in quick succession, twice missing the target and forcing a save from visiting goalkeeper Rui Patricio. At the other end Barca’s reserve goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen made an

outstanding save to thwart his Dutch international team mate Bas Dost.

Sporting defender Mathieu left Barca after an inconsistent yet trophy-filled three-year spell at Barca but had the home fans chanting his name ironically after he unwittingly knocked in the second goal to seal the victory. (rtr)

8

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Sp rt

Roma players celebrate after the match

Chelsea prepared to face big teams in Champions League knockouts: Conte

REUTERS/Alberto Lingria

Double celebration for Roma as stadium gets green light

ROME - AS Roma had double cause for celebration on Wednesday after qualifying for the last sixteen of the Champions League the night before and getting the green light to build their new stadium. In a statement late on Tuesday Roma said the four local authorities involved in the decision had approved the plans to build the Stadio della Roma.

“I’m delighted because I know what this decision could mean for Rome itself, for our club’s future and for our fans - and we want to give them the home they deserve,” said Roma president James Pallotta.

The 55,000-capacity stadium will be built in the Tor di Valle area in the south of the city and Roma hope to move in for the 2020/21 season.

Roma first unveiled the project for the stadium in March 2014, although the search for a suitable site had begun two years earlier. Like most Italian clubs, AS Roma are currently tenants in their stadium, sharing the Stadio Olimpico with neighbours Lazio.

The public ownership of stadiums in Italy means that clubs are unable to modernise their facilities and make money from mega-stores, restaurants and music events, unlike their English and German counterparts.

Juventus, Atlanta, Sassuolo and Udinese are the only Serie A clubs who are stadium owners.

On the field, Roma’s 1-0 win over Qarabag on Tuesday meant they won their group in the Champions League - a competition in which they have suffered a string of recent humiliations.

Results in the last few years have included a 7-1 home defeat by Bayern Munich, 6-1 thumping at Barcelona and a 3-0 home defeat by Porto last season which cost them a place in the lucrative group stage.

“It’s a magnificent result for us, for our confidence, for the rest of our season and for Roma’s reputation on the international stage,” said midfielder Daniele De Rossi.

“We’ve been on the wrong end of a couple of drubbings in Europe so this goes some way to restoring our reputation. It’s fantastic to finish top of such a difficult group.” Chelsea and Atletico Madrid had been expected to qualify but instead it was Roma who joined the English Premier League side in the last sixteen.

“No one had us down as favourites at the start; in fact, we were pretty much written off. We just got on with the job and believed in ourselves,” said Roma coach Eusebio Di Francesco.

“The lads played with real conviction right from our opening game at home against Atletico (a 0-0 draw). We didn’t play particularly well that day but we showed we could dig in. That was the start of a great group stage for us.” (rtr)

Premier League champions Chelsea are not intimidated by the prospect of facing Europe’s biggest teams in the knockout stages of the Champions League, manager Antonio Conte has said.

Chelsea finished second in Group C behind Italy’s AS Roma after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid and could face Barcelona, Paris St Germain, Besiktas or potential Group E winners Sevilla, in the last 16.

“When you go through to the next round in this competition, you must be prepared to face the best teams. We could play against Barcelona, PSG or Besiktas, but we must be ready,” Conte told reporters after Tuesday’s match.

“This is the best tournament.

That’s why you want to go through and try and be a protagonist in this tournament. At the same time, our opponents won’t be happy to play against us. We’ll see what happens.”

Conte’s side are the only English team to not finish first in their group so far after Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur progressed to the last 16 as group winners. Liverpool could join the trio, and finish ahead of Se-

villa in Group E, if they beat Spartak Moscow later on Wednesday.

Conte said the fact that all five English teams could reach the knockout stages showcases the level of talent in the Premier League but felt some of Chelsea’s domestic rivals had easier group fixtures.

“I think it was not simple, but easy for a lot of these teams to go into the next round. But, in the future, we have to see. Don’t forget, here the season is very tough. You have to play a lot of games,” Conte added.

The Italian believes English teams will find it harder to excel in the latter stages of the Champions League as they play more games than their European rivals.

“When you accumulate games and then you arrive at the final stage, playing in the quarters or the semis, the English teams have a lot of games in their legs,” Conte said.

“For this reason, it could be problematic to win. But... the English teams are very good and have the possibility to win and reach the final of the Champions League.”

The draw for the last 16 will be held on Monday in Nyon. (rtr)

Former winners Evergrande face tricky test in Asian Champions League

KUALA LUMPUR - Two-time champions Guangzhou Evergrande have been handed a potentially bumpy ride to the knockout stages of the 2018 Asian Champions League after the draw for the group phase of next year’s competition was made on Wednesday. Evergrande, title winners in 2013 and 2015, will take on South Korea’s Jeju United, Buriram United of Thailand and an as yet undetermined Japanese representative in group G when the competition kicks off in February.

Guangzhou’s last triumph came

under Luiz Felipe Scolari but they exited the competition this year at the quarter-final stage at the hands of Chinese Super League rivals Shanghai SIPG. However, Scolari still steered Guangzhou to a clubrecord seventh straight domestic league title before resigning and was replaced by Fabio Cannavaro.

The former Italy defender’s first game back at the helm of the club he led at the start of 2015 will be against Thai champions Buriram at Tianhe Stadium on Feb. 14.

Shanghai Shenhua, China’s other automatic qualifier for the group

REUTERS/Sergio Perez

Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs

phase, have been drawn in group H to take on Australian champions Sydney FC as well as former Japanese champions Kashima Antlers and either Suwon Bluewings from South Korea, Vietnam’s Thanh Hoa or Eastern from Hong Kong.

With the champions not gaining automatic qualification, Urawa Red Diamonds, who won the 2017 title in November with a 2-1 aggregate win over Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, will not defend their crown after failing to claim a place through Japan’s domestic competitions.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, who won the title in 2016 but were banned from this year’s competition due to their involvement in a match-fixing scandal, return after winning the Korean league title.

Choi Kang-hee’s team will meet Hong Kong’s Kitchee with two playoff winners in group E. Newly-crowned Japanese champions Kawasaki Frontale have been drawn to face Ulsan Hyundai of South Korea, Australia’s Melbourne Victory and the winner of a playoff that could see China’s Shanghai SIPG join the fray.

In the west of the continent, Al Hilal, who were defeated by Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds last month, were drawn to face Iran’s Esteghlal, Al Rayyan of Qatar and either Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates or Bahrain’s Malkiya in group D. Iran’s Persepolis take on Al Sadd of Qatar, UAE’s Al Wasl and either Nasaf Qarshi from Uzbekistan or Aizwal from India in group C while group A will feature Al Jazira from UAE, Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli, Tractorsazi Tabriz of Iran and either Qatar’s Al Gharafa or Pakhtanor from Uzbekistan. (rtr)

Barca end Sporting’s hopes with 2-0 win

Sporting’s Bas Dost reacts after missing a chance to score

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte reacts as Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone looks on

9

BARCELONA - Barcelona scored twice in the second half to beat Sporting Lisbon 2-0 at home on Tuesday, rounding off their unbeaten group stage campaign with a fourth win, while knocking the Portuguese side out of the competition. With Lionel Messi left on the bench, Paco Alcacer gave Barca the lead in the 59th minute with a glancing header from a corner while former Barca defender Jeremy Mathieu clumsily slid Aleix Vidal’s low cross into his own net in stoppage time.

Barca had already secured their place in the last 16 of the competition as Group D winners before the game, while Sporting needed to win and for Juventus not to beat Olympiakos in order to reach the knockouts for the first time in nine seasons.

Their hopes were quickly dashed when Juan Cuadrado put Juventus ahead in the 15th minute in Athens and Federico Bernardeschi made it 2-0 in the 90th to ensure Sporting dropped into the Europa League whatever happened at the Nou Camp.

Barca coach Ernesto Valverde made eight changes to the team that had drawn 2-2 with Celta Vigo on Saturday, including picking Thomas Vermaelen in place of injured Samuel Umtiti and starting without Messi for the second European game in a row.

Messi came on moments

after Alcacer had broken the deadlock and the Argentine instantly lifted Barca’s tempo.

He went close to doubling their lead three times in quick succession, twice missing the target and forcing a save from visiting goalkeeper Rui Patricio. At the other end Barca’s reserve goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen made an

outstanding save to thwart his Dutch international team mate Bas Dost.

Sporting defender Mathieu left Barca after an inconsistent yet trophy-filled three-year spell at Barca but had the home fans chanting his name ironically after he unwittingly knocked in the second goal to seal the victory. (rtr)

10

Destination

Thursday, December 7, 2017

International

Thursday, December 7, 2017

International

Woods seemingly healthy again, but too early to predict future glory

GIANYAR - Gianyar district now has a new tourist attraction named the Gianyar Botanical Garden (KRG). This tourist attraction is located at Pilan hamlet, Kerta, Payangan, or about 45 km northeast of Denpasar. The opening ceremony was officially conducted by Bambang Subiyanto, Deputy Head of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), on Monday (Jul. 17). At that time, the event was also filled in with the signing of inscription by Regent of Gianyar, A.A. Gde Agung Bharata.

Bambang Subiyanto appreciated to the measure of Gianyar regent to build botanical garden as the 32nd botanical garden in Indonesia managed by local government. “It is built for conservation area, reducing degradation rate of rare plant diversity as well as increasing and utilizing potential of the region optimally

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and sustainably,” he said.

Development of this botanical garden is also for in-situ and ex situ conservation for all rare plant species, providing research and education place as well as tropical plant laboratory. “This can also become a nature tourist attraction, develop environmental services and improve socio-economic life of the community around the botanical garden,” he continued.

Regent of Gianyar, Agung Bharata, said the KRG is a customary forest being rescued by the surrounding community, so the condition remains very well maintained, located in the state land area of ??9.7163 hectares managed by Pilan customary village through generations. It has 41 kinds of native vegetation dominated by large trees up to several kinds of orchids, and 36 species of animals such as various kinds of birds, apes

Gianyar Botanical Garden

and deer.

Development of the KRG began with the proposal from headman of Kerta to Gianyar regent in his letter No.33/Pemb/I/2015 dated on January 14, 2015 regarding the Proposal of Forest Management at Pilan Customary Village. Then, it was followed up by a request of review to the Head of Center for Plant Conservation, Botanical Garden – LIPI, and result of the review Number: B-1158 / IPH.3 / KS / IV / 2016 dated on April 18, 2016 states that the forest of Pilan customary village deserves to be KRG. The Regent of Gianyar, Agung Bharata, also appreciated to the goodwill of Pilan customary village to preserve customary forest by handing over customary forest management to KRG. Pilan customary villagers has contributed to donate their land without asking

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Ali Hashemi (IRI) of Iran competes.

REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov/FILE PHOTO

Hashemi takes another gold for Iran

ANAHEIM - Iran struck gold for a second consecutive day at the weightlifting World Championships when Ali Hashemi won the men’s 105 kilogram class on Monday.

Hashemi finished on 404kg ahead of Arturs Plesnieks of Latvia, who lifted 402kg, and Uzbek Ivan Efremov – who had beaten Hashemi in September the last time they met – on 399kg.

Sohrab Moradi won the 94 kilograms on Sunday with two world

records and Iran has a chance of sweeping all three heaviest weight categories when Salimi Kordasiabi and Saeed Alihosseini compete in the super-heavyweights on Tuesday. In the day’s other medal event Anastasiia Hotfrid became Georgia’s first female medallist at the

World Championships when she won the 90 kilograms class.

Hotfrid’s total of 265kg was 10kg too good for silver medallist Maria Valdes of Chile, with Domincan Republic’s Crismery Santana a further 1kg behind.

The 40-year-old Ecuadorian Oliba Nieve, who has six Pan American titles, was third in the snatch and fourth overall. She is 19 years older than Hotfrid. (rtr)

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Tiger Woods celebrates after making his eagle putt on the seventh hole during the final round of the Hero World Challenge golf tournament at Albany.

Curry exits Warriors’ win with ankle injury, X-rays negative

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also been proposed to ask for aid to state budget (APBN) from the ministry of public works and housing in 2018 approximately worth IDR 14 billion in accordance with the development stages in Detailed Engineering Design of the KRG. The Gianyar Botanical Garden is built in cooperation of the Gianyar government, Pilan customary village and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences. Structurally, it is managed by the Gianyar Botanical Garden unit under the Gianyar environment agency, and the operations management is planned to be made in collaboration with Pilan customary village. Approval or recommendation of the cooperation between the government of Gianyar and Pilan customary village on the KRG development and management is in the process of discussion in the Gianyar House of Representatives. (kmb)

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for compensation, where the road widening and opening of new road to KRG has a total area of ??some 15 hectares or approximately worth IDR 34,5 billion.

In the meantime, the Head of the Gianyar Environment Agency, Wayan Kujus Pawitra, said that to realize the KRG, the regional budget (APBD) 2016 approved the budget allocation for the preparation of Detailed Engineering Design (DED) of the KRG at approximately IDR 150 million, then continued to region al budget 2017 for improvement of Kerta road section to the KRG along the 4,314 km with the width of 5.5 meters approximately worth IDR 12.7 billion, construction of KRG gates (IDR 2.9 billion), construction of water connection to KRG (IDR 686 million) and the grant aid of LIPI for thematic garden development (IDR 500 million). KRG has

WHEN Tiger Woods tees up next year he will be at an age at which few have dominated, but that will not stop the PGA Tour hype machine and others from promoting his appearance with an implied suggestion Tiger 2.0 will be as good as the previous version which won 14 major championships between 1997 and 2008.

Amid overwhelmingly positive reviews of Woods’ performance at the Hero World Challenge that might lead some to believe that he is destined to recapture his old greatness, a word of caution might be in order.

Woods certainly looked healthy in the Bahamas, and wielded his driver with the freedom and power of yesteryear, but one tournament does not a successful comeback make.

The ever secretive Woods has revealed few specifics of his back operations or his rehabilitation, but his most recent spinal fusion surgery seems to have been successful, judging by his movement and swing patterns.

He finished equal ninth out of 18 competitors on Sunday, 10 shots behind winner Rickie Fowler, his best result in four years and certainly most respectable for a man who had not played a competitive round for 10 months. Even more positively, his swing seemed more powerful and reminiscent of the old Tiger on Sunday than it did on Thursday, suggesting he was not disguising any pain or function issues.

But his chipping was mediocre, and he did finish only mid-pack, so let’s not expect miracles in 2018 from a man nearly 10 years removed from his most recent major championship victory, and four-plus years from any victory.

“Time waits for no man” said former PGA Tour player Frank Nobilo, who along with most everyone else was impressed with Woods’ performance in the Bahamas, without losing sight of the big picture.

“If you compared facially between last year and this year, the pain on his face, he looked five years younger for a start but I think we do have to be careful with the comparisons from years gone by because he soon will be 42 years of age,” Nobilo said. (rtr)

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NEW ORLEANS - Stephen Curry suffered a right ankle injury in the closing stages of Golden State’s win over New Orleans on Monday and left the arena on crutches, but later X-rays cleared him of any damage.

Stephen Curry suffered an apparent ankle injury during the closing

seconds of the Warriors’ 125-115 victory at New Orleans on Monday night. It happened when Curry lunged for a steal, missed, and tried to stop his momentum. His right foot caught and turned awkwardly on the floor, causing him to immediately fall in pain with just over a minute remaining in the game.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives past New Orleans Pelicans center Omer Asik (3) during the second quarter at the Smoothie King Center.

The two-time Kia Most Valuable Player was subbed out on the next stoppage of play and went immediately to the locker room for treatment. After the game, he exited the locker room using crutches.

Warriors public relations later told reporters that X-rays were negative and Curry is currently diagnosed with a sprained ankle. Curry will undergo an MRI on Tuesday. Curry finished with 31 points and 11 assists as the Warriors (19-6) rallied to a 125-115 victory. (rtr)

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Thursday, December 7, 2017

W

International

RLD

Chaotic scenes as former Georgian president Saakashvili detained in Kiev

KIEV - Ukraine detained former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on Tuesday on suspicion of assisting a criminal organisation, sparking clashes between his supporters and police who fired teargas into the crowd.

Masked officers dragged Saakashvili from an apartment in the capital Kiev while his supporters protested on the street and tried to stop the police van from leaving, crowding the vehicle and setting up a barricade with tyres, wood and stones.

It is the latest twist in a prolonged feud between Ukrainian authorities and Saakashvili, who was invited

by President Petro Poroshenko to become a regional governor after protests in 2014 ousted a pro-Russian president but quickly fell out with his one-time ally.

Addressing supporters earlier from the roof of the house, Saakashvili had accused Poroshenko of being a traitor and a thief. He tried to address the crowd again as he was being bundled into a blue minivan.

“What they are doing is lawlessness in the eyes of the whole world,” Saakashvili said. “I urge all Ukrainians to take to the streets and drive out the thieves.”

Saakashvili could be jailed for up to five years if found guilty. Georgian prosecutors said they had not been informed of Tuesday’s developments by their Ukrainian counterparts. The 49-year-old is wanted in Georgia on criminal charges which he says were trumped up for political reasons.

Saakashvili made a dramatic return to Ukraine in September, barging his way across the border from

Poland despite having been stripped of Ukrainian citizenship and facing the threat of possible extradition to Georgia.

He wants to unseat Poroshenko and replace him with a new, younger politician. His supporters have camped in tents outside parliament and launched sporadic protests since his return.

“We have been waiting for it (the arrest) for months, of course, and especially in the recent weeks,” Saakashvili’s wife Sandra Roelofs told Georgian TV Rustavi 2.

“It’s illegal and outrageous.”

Saakashvili was made governor of the Odessa region in 2015 on the strength of the reforms he carried out in Georgia.

But he fell out with Poroshenko, accusing him of corruption, while Poroshenko’s office said Saakashvili was trying to deflect from his own shortcomings as an administrator.

Saakashvili’s supporters see him as a fearless crusader against corruption but critics say there is little substance behind his blustery rhetoric.

Back home in Georgia, where he took power after a peaceful pro-Western uprising, known as the Rose Revolution, in 2003, his time in office was tarnished by what critics said was his monopolising power and exerting pressure on the judiciary.

He was president at the time of a disastrous five-day war with Russia in 2008, a conflict that his critics argued was the result of his own miscalculations. (rtr)

REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

A supporter of Georgian former President Mikheil Saakashvili clashes with National Guard officers in Kiev, Ukraine December 5, 2017.

Transportation...

From page 1

He added however that volcanic eruptions are unpredictable. Even though Mount Agung appears calm the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazards (PVMBG) has not dared to lower the alert level.

“We are not sure how we should

talk to tourists because even though things are safe now, we cannot say what will happen. We have been informing people that the red zone is only in the east within a 7.5 km radius of the mountain and that other areas are perfectly safe to visit. This is what we have been telling everyone” he explained.

Foreigners are very sensitive to safety , so we cannot arbitrarily say

that things are safe, he added. Something needs to be done to revive tourism however. Putra remains confident that the target of 5. 5 million visitors by the end of the year can be reached.

“So far, we have already received 5. 3 million visitors. Indeed there has been a decline but I believe we can reach 5. 5 million by the end of the year, though it may take a lot of work’ he said.

International

Thursday, December 7, 2017

11

Transportation Ministry to impose firm sanction on Lion Air pilot

Tangerang - The Transportation Ministry will impose a firm sanction on a Lion Air pilot found consuming crystal meth, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said. “I am concerned about the case. Of course, we will take firm measures,” he stated at Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Tangerang, west of Jakarta, on Tuesday.

REUTERS/Yves Herman

The Lion Air pilot, identified by his initials as MS, is believed to have consumed crystal meth when

the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) searched his hotel room in the East Nusa Tenggara provincial

capital of Kupang on Monday night (Dec 4).

Lion Air spokesman Ramaditya Handoko noted that the management of the airline company expressed gratitude to BNN and police for their continued efforts to eradicate drug abuses.

“We highly support any effort to eradicate drug abuse involving air crew members,” he remarked.

The management of Lion Air monitors the health of its crew members every morning, in accordance with its standing procedures.

In addition, the airline also routinely conducts medical checkups on its pilots once every six months, he added.

The pilot, who was believed to have abused drugs, is a senior pilot who had been working for the

airline since 2014. According to the airline, he has good medical record and good conduct.

“If he is found guilty of abusing drugs, he will be subjected to a sanction in accordance with the company`s rule. The sanction may include dismissal as an employee,” he revealed. The pilot has been taken to the Kupang city police station for questioning. (ant)

Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May is welcomed by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, December 4, 2017.

Irish border row thwarts May bid to clinch Brexit trade deal

BRUSSELS - Prime Minister Theresa May failed to clinch a deal on Monday to open talks on post-Brexit free trade with the European Union after a tentative deal with Dublin to keep EU rules in Northern Ireland angered her allies in Belfast.

The British leader had sat down to lunch with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker hoping that a last-minute offer to the Irish government of “regulatory alignment” on both sides of a new UK-EU land border would remove a last obstacle to the EU open talks next week on future trade.

Yet as May and Juncker spoke in Brussels and the pound rose on prospects of free trade and perhaps a very “soft Brexit”, Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) issued an uncompromising reiteration of its refusal to accept any “divergence” from rules on the British mainland.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar cancelled a news conference

Yuniartha also said that he hopes that the tourism industry can survive the next few months without having to lay off too many people. Efficiency is one way to weather this storm, he said. “ We are appealing to tourism business owners to keep their employees because the economy depends on it” he explained.

Tourism, added Yuniartha has actually started to improve since

and the pound fell back, losing a cent against the dollar, as May and Juncker emerged to say there was still not “sufficient progress” on divorce terms to move ahead.

May agreed with Juncker that a deal could be reached in a few days before the EU summit on Dec. 14-15, but that promise did little to stem recriminations at home, where Brexit campaigners want Britain to become what one called a “free agent” and set its own rules.

Varadkar shared the view of some officials in Brussels that it was an opportunity missed.

“I’m surprised and disappointed that the U.K. government appears not to be in a position to conclude what was agreed earlier today,” he told a news conference in Dublin.

“I accept that the British prime minister has asked for more time and I know that she faces many challenges and I acknowledge that she is negotiating in good faith but my position and that of the Irish government is unequivocal.” (rtr) the airport shut down for a few days recently. Normally there are about 15,000 tourist arrivals per day while now there are anywhere from 3,000 – 5,000 a day. “ When the airport close there were of course no arrivals, but the next day there were 3,000 arrivals, then 4,000 and now about 5,000. So there is an increase.

This is according to data from the tourism office”, he said. (kmb32)

IBP/rtr

Government acknowledges failure to reach housing target

JAKARTA - The Public Works and Housing Ministry acknowledged realization fall short of target to build one million units of houses per year.

“Yes, we have not reached the target. Realization has reached only 765,120 units including 70 percent houses for low income people (MBR) and 30 percent for non MBR,” Director General of Housing Provision Khalawi Abdul Hamid told reporters here on Tues-

day. Khalawi said the program to build a million houses began in 2015 to reduce the backlog of 7.6 million units, which grow 800,000 units per year.

“In 2015 , realization totaled 699,770 units and in 2016 totaled 805,169 units,” he said. Khalawi said the general problems faced in the procurement of houses are regulation and availability of land, therefore, breakthrough is needed to support the program ahead.

The Housing Provision Directorate General has a budget of Rp8.1 trillion in 2017 for the construction of 128,336 units of houses and 14,000 units of infrastructure and facilities and utility.

Until Dec. 4 only 76.09 percent of the budget was used. In 2018, the budget was proposed at Rp9.6 trillion with b51.7 percent of the houses were to be built in western Indonesia and the rest in eastern region. (ant)

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International

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Bali News

International

BUSINESS

Thursday, December 7, 2017

5

As Cathay Pacific wields jobs axe, ‘Swire prince’ culture survives

SINGAPORE - Loss-making Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd hired McKinsey & Co consultants earlier this year to advise on a transformation plan, drawing on turnarounds at regional rivals such as Qantas Airways Ltd and Japan Airlines Co Ltd. Battered by competition from Chinese and Middle East airlines and hobbled by missteps in fuel hedging, Cathay in January completed a strategic review, and later announced its biggest job cuts in almost two decades.

Following McKinsey’s subsequent input - which has not been previously reported - Greg Hughes, Cathay’s Chief Operations and Service Delivery Officer, said more than 740 initiatives had so far been identified to cut costs, boost productivity and improve customer service - including easier access to higher ‘frequent flyer’ status, more economy-class seats on Boeing 777 airliners, and on-demand dining for business-class fliers.

“We were very keen on learning from them the best way to go about a transformation,” Hughes told Reuters. “They have done thousands of them, and we haven’t.”

Steve Saxon, McKinsey’s aviation expert partner in Shanghai, said the firm’s policy is to decline comment on client work.

Hughes said McKinsey’s involvement ended after its consultants helped structure the three-year transformation programme, which is being carried out by Cathay Pacific staff and aims for HK$4 billion ($512 million) of savings from lowering costs and boosting productivity. “We have always wanted our transformation programme to be something that our people own and can deliver upon,” he said.

“COLONIAL CULTURE” But, as Cathay chases a return to profitability, it looks set to continue a practice that some current and former employees say may be the biggest obstacle to a real change of culture: the airline’s unusual executive rotation system. Under this system, so-called “house staff” at unlisted British conglomerate John Swire & Sons Ltd - which owns a majority stake in Hong Kong-listed Swire Pacific, which, in turn, owns 45 percent of Cathay - rotate positions at group companies every few years.

This could, in theory, see a Coca-Cola refrigeration manager at a Swire-owned plant in China take charge of Cathay’s operations

in France. Supporters of the scheme say it brings a fresh eye and diverse experience to the job, and helps succession planning. “If they go through all these different areas they learn to look at things from different perspectives,” said Achim Czerny, associate professor of aviation management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Critics, though, say it’s a costly, two-tiered relic that leads to shortterm and conservative thinking and can demotivate talented middlemanagers, who feel excluded from the scheme. Some blame it for Cathay being slow to spot the strategic threat from rival airlines.

“It’s a bit of a colonial culture,” said Terence Fan, an assistant professor specialising in transport at Singapore Management University. “There’s certainly a lot of complacency.” Cathay declined to say whether McKinsey had examined its rotation system, but said it planned to keep it in place as part of its transformation programme.

‘SWIRE PRINCES’ Founded as an import-export business in Liverpool in 1816, John Swire & Sons opened its first China office 70 years later. Still familycontrolled, it also owns majority stakes in maintenance group Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Co Ltd (HAECO) and Swire Properties Ltd. As a management service fee, the companies pay John Swire & Sons 2.5 percent of their profit before tax and non-controlling interests.

The arrangement doesn’t give Cathay much incentive to hire top executives from outside as it pays Swire regardless. Air China Ltd and Qatar Airways are major Cathay shareholders, though Swire gives them little say in the airline’s dayto-day operations.

Former Cathay CEO John Slosar is chairman of Swire Pacific, Cathay, HAECO and Swire Proper-

Barong Bangkung Street Show

Gracing Galungan and Kuningan Festivity As a tradition, the Hindu community in Bali celebrates Galungan and Kuningan by delivering oblations accompanied with art activities. It also happens to the celebration of Galungan (Feb. 10) and Kuningan (Feb. 20), where during the feast the barong bangkung or barong bangkal troupe will definitely do ngelawang or street.

As a tradition, the Hindu community in Bali celebrates Galungan and Kuningan by delivering oblations accompanied with art activities. It also happens to the celebration of Galungan (Feb. 10) and Kuningan (Feb. 20), where during the feast the barong bangkung or barong bangkal troupe will definitely do ngelawang or street show.

REUTERS/David Gray

A Cathay Pacific Airways Airbus A330 plane is towed past other planes parked at the Sydney International Airport terminal in Australia, November 30, 2017. ties. Like many senior managers - including Cathay’s current CEO Rupert Hogg - Slosar started out on Swire’s “house staff” programme - once an all-male and predominantly ‘Oxbridge’ preserve, with members dubbed by outsiders as ‘Swire princes’.

There is a separate stream of management trainees, more usually Hong Kong locals with Chinese language skills, who stay at a Swire company throughout their careers but move around within that company. Hogg’s predecessor, Ivan Chu, began as a management trainee at Cathay.

Many airlines have graduate programmes and employees rotating between management posts, but at Cathay managers could be rotated in with no knowledge of the aviation industry. Cathay rarely brings in top outside talent from rival airlines.

“It’s a very traditional, fairly conservative company and its policy has always been to grow its own management talent,” said a person who previously worked with Swire, and didn’t want to be named so as not to jeopardise rela-

tions with the company.

A former Cathay employee, who asked not to be named, said the rotation system at the top was frustrating for middle managers.

“These weren’t glass ceilings, but brutally hard concrete ceilings. If you were in middle-management, there was no way you were going to get into the cadre of top management.”

One current employee said the Swire culture held up decision making as approvals were needed to react to sometimes fastchanging situations, and another said it hampered the airline’s longterm strategy as CEOs commonly moved on after 2-3 years, with a new manager coming in “changing things again”.

However, a second former Cathay middle manager, who didn’t want to be named as he is still in the aviation industry, said Swire’s two-tiered management system worked well. While senior country and regional managers sometimes brought no aviation knowledge, “they were there for their corporate knowledge, for their business acumen.”

“The culture is a fabulous thing,” said a former ‘house staff’ member.

“If there’s one small weakness, you might argue that if you grow up with people, it’s sometimes quite hard to look them in the eye and call them out when they are wrong, and have a really robust conversation.”

Slosar declined an interview request, but told The Wall Street Journal in 2014 that a benefit of the rotation system was that managers were all on the same page with the corporate culture. The downside, he acknowledged, was Swire had to ensure it assimilated new ideas from outside and kept pace with trends.

Singapore Management University’s Fan said that hiring McKinsey showed Cathay was serious about change, but it was a mistake not to consider adjusting the rotation system.

“If you’re thinking about drastic change, I’m not sure whether hiring people who have been steeped in the same culture will be sufficient to bring in the more fundamental changes that might be required,” he said.(rtr)

Barong bangkal or barong bangkung is a large enough and old pig considered a mythical animal having a mystical power. Attires of the barong are made of black and white velvet. However, in general, the attires are not pretentious like that of other types of barong.

In every show, the barong bangkung is also equipped with trinkets of ate leaves and the dancers are wearing checkered trousers and rattles tied on legs, so that when moving they will generate rattling sound. Barong bangkal is carried by two dancers and the performances are held in the streets and around the village.

With the presence of barong

show, villagers will feel they have been protected by deities marked by the arrival of barong bangkal or barong bangkung. The show is accompanied with batel bebarongan gamelan music consisting of drums, tawa-tawa, kelenang, kelenong, cymbals and kempur.

The word ngelawang is derived from the word lawang meaning ‘door,’ a term in the Balinese language that means a gallivanting show from one house to another or from one village to another. This gallivanting show with diverse Balinese artistic traditions is performed by art troupe.

Allegedly this traditional show sources from a Hindu mythology,

namely Shiva Tattva. Once upon a time Lord Shiva and Goddess Uma are making love in improper place and time, so that harmony shakes. As a result, it brings in misery for mankind and other living beings.

After realizing his fault, Lord Shiva sent gods to calm down the situation and reassure the whole universe. When arriving on earth, the gods created and performed a variety of art forms. Through the love of art show the whole universe is back to peaceful condition.

The meaning of purification in the Shiva Tattva mythology is also harmonious with the content of disaster repellent in the legend on the

insolence destruction of Mayadenawa that was then celebrated as the starting point of Galungan, the celebration of victory of dharma (truth) against adharma (untruth). Ngelawang poses a cultural energy having a spiritual aspect, arts and entertainment.

This tradition means to expel evil spirits and protects population from any plagues or diseases caused by evil spirits (bhuta kala).

When performing ngelawang, homeowners will usually offer an oblation with sesari (money).

Ngelawang tradition inherited from generation to generation means to neutralize the universe, reject all kinds of diseases interfering with human life, including psychically driving away those having evil intention.

By and large, this street show is performed five days before Galungan to the celebration of Kuningan. In the 1970s, the nomadic art crystallized into art event that jazzed up the Galungan. In recent years, this art tends to go extinct in line with the changing of times, so that it is difficult to find

this kind of performance.

Values of education Ngelawang does not only pose an attractive art show, but also contains positive values. In addition to preserving local culture, it also serves as a medium of creativity to sharpen educational values, norms, ethics and moral.

They do this art activity in togetherness while making others happy through entertainment. Ngelawang is carried out with joy, so that the interaction among them serves as a form of character education and cultivation of artistic values as well as has the meaning of socialization.

In harmony with the development of times, ngelawang has different purposes. There are people only doing the ngelawang to maintain tradition, just run a hobby and raise funds. Apparently, the latest development is widely practiced by barong troupe, so that the location of the show is chosen specifically such as in tourist areas like Kuta, Ubud, Sanur and others. (kmb)

Sesarin Canang, from Folded Betel Leaf to Banknotes Sesarin canang as an expression of people’s gratitude to God is often found in canang (oblation) offered by people when saying prayers. Nowadays, most people use banknotes placed on the canang sari.

Sesari in the form of banknotes are rampantly used recently. When viewed from the development of times, the money used keeps changing in line with the times. At the same time, sesari also follows the development of times.

Sesari or canang sari is not only offered while going to temple, many other religious activities also use sesari. Like the activity of nunas baos (consulting to medium), sesari is also used.

Ni Madé Gerot, 70, a traditional healer (Balian) at Besakih,

Rendang, Karangasem, when met some time ago, told that pursuant to her experience during ngayah (paying devotional work), the use of banknotes as a sesari has begun since several years ago.

She added that according to explanation of her senior figure, before using banknotes as sesari, there were several types of money used as sesari. Before the use of banknotes, sesari of canang used folded betel leaf completed with lime, tobacco, gambier, and betel nut.

“Formerly, the folded betel leaf was used as sesarin canang, symbolizing a prostration of the community. Although currently using banknotes, the use of folded betel leaf can still be found in several places,” she said.

He told that according to the story of her senior figure, before using banknotes as we find today people used perforated coin. In 1963, the sesari in use included ringgit, rupiah (silver), as well as other coins of several denominations applied at that time.

After that, the use of perforated coin began and lasts until now and the use of banknotes also develops.

“Using rupiah money as sesari is indeed legitimate. However, the most important is the sincerity of people,” she explained.

She hoped and reminded that as devotees both as people doing devotional services and general public, sesari is an offering. Actually, the money used sesari is perforated coin. It is the symbol of Shiva Sunya meaning sincerity. (kmb)

4

Bali News

Thursday, December 7, 2017

International

Mount Agung eruption

SYDNEY - Australia, concerned about rising Chinese influence, will ban foreign political donations as part of a crackdown aimed at preventing external interference in domestic politics, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Tuesday.

SEMARAPURA — Mount Agung eruption does not only cause sand deposits in the area of Karangasem but also on the tributary of Unda River, Klungkung district. It becomes like a ‘blessing in disguise’ for a number of residents living nearby.

The building material is mined and sold. The results are able to meet the needs of their life.

Karangasem area in line with the closure of quarry activities on the slopes of Mount Agung.

“The quality is pretty good. It is the same as that of Karangasem,” said this middle-aged man. Mining for one day with some colleagues, he managed to get two trucks of sand. They have been sold out.

“The miners only consist of local residents,” he added.

The existence of the sand also provides job opportunities for other residents. One of them is Wayan Budiarta. He has the task to shift the sand. The wage can be used to meet the increasingly complex life needs. Moreover, such condition is claimed as ‘blessing.’ “Well, we can get a job,” he said.

Prior to at that location, a number of residents looked for sand in the Unda River by utilizing the makeshift equipment, such as hoes and large inner tubes. The result is not so seductive and the quality is worse. “However, with the current situation, the flood is still going on so that people do not dare to look for,” he said. (kmb45)

AAP/Lukas Coch/via REUTERS

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks to the media during a news conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia December 5, 2017.

IBP/kmb45

It becomes like a ‘blessing in disguise’ for a number of residents living nearby. The building material is mined and sold. The results are able to meet the needs of their life.

China suspends flights from Bali to China due to volcanic ash - report

REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

A passenger waiting for his flight to depart watches a plane take off from the domestic terminal at Ngurah Rai International Airport, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia December 4, 2017.

SHANGHAI - China’s aviation authority has suspended all flights from the Indonesian holiday island of Bali to Chinese cities until the threat of volcanic ash clears, the state-run People’s Daily newspaper reported on Monday.

Clouds of volcanic ash from Bali’s erupting Mount Agung volcano disrupted flights to and from the island’s airport last week, stranding many thousands of tourists.

Flights began resuming when the airport reopened on Wednesday, after the wind changed and blew the ash away from flight paths. Individual airlines make their own decisions on whether to operate.

Australia’s Jetstar resumed flying tourists in to Bali on Monday, while Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd said it planned to do so on Tuesday.

Despite the resumption of some services, China’s aviation authority was stopping any more flights after the return on Monday of the last charter flight, bringing to 15,237 the number of stranded Chinese tourists brought home, the People’s Daily newspaper said on its Twitter page.

“China’s aviation authority has suspended all flights from Bali to Chinese cities until volcanic ash threat clears,” it said.

China Eastern Airlines and China Southern

13

Australia, citing concerns over China, cracks down on foreign political influence

Blessing in disguise for residents at Unda Riverside

As seen on Monday (Dec. 4), the sand deposits were found in the tributary with the width of about five meters. Some residents were seen mining by using traditional equipment. Some others were uploading the sand onto trucks and sifting. Previously, the location was only used to wash trucks.

One of the miners, Nengah Karta, said that sediment occurred shortly after the lava flood a week ago. Considering the quality is good enough for building material, he mines with a number of residents. This measure is also for normalization and avoiding the occurrence of siltation that can trigger the lava flow into the settlement.

“The quarries are only done from yesterday. We just use a regular shovel, without heavy equipment.

This is also to facilitate the flow of water,” he said.

The sand is sold to residents in Klungkung area for IDR 1.1 million per truck and IDR 200,000 per pickup truck. The demand is said to be quite high, especially after the depletion of supply from

Thursday, December 7, 2017

International

Airlines, which stopped flying new tourists into Bali last week, told Reuters that any resumption of flights would depend on the situation.

They declined to comment on the reported directive from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

The CAAC did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

China Southern, which flies to Bali from the cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou, said in an email that “due to volcanic activity in the area, the local airport and associated routes are not airworthy so flights on these two routes have been cancelled in the near term”.

China has overtaken Australia this year as the biggest source of international visitors to Bali, representing about a quarter of the 4.9 million arrivals from January to September, according to industry statistics.

Airlines avoid flying through volcanic ash as it can damage aircraft engines, clogging fuel and cooling systems, hampering pilot visibility and even causing engine failure.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency, said on Twitter that Mount Agung was no longer spewing ash but just white smoke that reached a height of 1,000 metres early on Monday. (rtr)

Turnbull told reporters in Canberra that foreign powers were making “unprecedented and increasingly sophisticated attempts to influence the political process” in Australia and the world. He cited “disturbing reports about Chinese influence”.

Australia and neighbouring New

Zealand are among roughly a third of countries worldwide that allow foreign donations to political parties. Such donations are prohibited in the United States, Britain and several European countries.

Australia’s new laws, modelled in part on the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act, would criminalise

foreign interference and require the registration of lobbyists working for nation states, Turnbull said.

The announcement came as concern grows that Beijing may be extending its influence and as relationships between Australian politicians and Chinese government interests have become in-

creasingly contentious.

Fairfax Media and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported in June on a concerted campaign by China to “infiltrate” Australian politics to promote Chinese interests.

China denies the claims.

In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China had no intention of interfering with Australia’s internal affairs or using political funding to influence them.

“At the same time, we want to again urge Australia to remove their biases and take an objective and positive attitude to assess China and its relations with Australia,” he added.

However, leading opposition Senator Sam Dastyari quit some senior Labor Party positions last week after a tape surfaced of him appearing to endorse China’s contentious expansion in disputed areas of the South China Sea, against his party’s platform.

The tape, which showed him standing next to property developer Huang Xiangmo, a major Chinese political donor, was leaked to the media.

“I take those reports, as do my colleagues, very seriously,” Turnbull said. However, the new laws “are not about any one country”, he said.

“Foreign interference is a global issue ... for example, we’re all familiar with very credible reports that Russia sought to actively undermine the United States’ elec-

tion ... the threat is real,” Turnbull said.

The new laws, should they pass parliament, would ban foreign donations to political parties or any political group that has spent more than A$100,000 ($76,350) campaigning in the past four years - a rule that could also likely affect environmental and other campaign groups.

Australia expressed deep concern last month over a crackdown on pro-democracy groups in Cambodia. Despite that, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said foreign donations to activist group GetUp!, a non-partisan but vocal critic of the centre-right government, would be banned under Australia’s new laws.

GetUp! said in a statement only 0.5 percent of its donations come from overseas. It criticised the proposed laws as an attempt to avoid scrutiny of government policies and for failing to curtail donations from multinational corporations.

The definitions of treason and espionage would also be broadened under the new laws to include possessing or receiving sensitive information, rather than just transmitting it.

Since the controversial sale of the port of Darwin to a Chinese company in 2015, the government has been at pains to demonstrate limits to its ties to China, its biggest export partner, blocking sales of Australia’s biggest cattle station and biggest power grid to Chinese interests. (rtr)

Rebel Honduran police ignore curfew order, election protesters rejoice

TEGUCIGALPA - Hondurans spilled into the streets of the capital on Monday night, banging pots and pans and joining rebel police in defiance of a curfew imposed after a presidential election that was heavily criticized by the Organization of American States.

Some police officers abandoned their posts and joined carnival-like demonstrations that erupted across the city hours after night fell and the curfew was supposed to have begun.

A statement issued in the name of the National Police said the officers were upset with the government over a political crisis that was not their responsibility.

“Our people are sovereign,” said a member of the elite Cobra riot police, reading the statement. “We cannot confront and repress their rights.”

Authorities finished counting votes on Monday after a week of increas-

ingly widespread criticism about the Nov. 26 election, with Organization of American States (OAS) lending credence to opposition claims the government manipulated the results to ensure a win.

“The tight margin, along with the irregularities, errors and systematic problems that have surrounded this election, does not allow the mission to be certain about the results,” said former Bolivian President Jorge Quiroga, heading the OAS election observation mission in the Central American country.

Electoral authorities said President Juan Orlando Hernandez won 42.98 percent of the vote, compared with opposition challenger Salvador Nasralla’s 41.39 percent, based on 99.96 percent of ballot boxes tallied.

However, authorities refrained from declaring a winner, with Nasralla’s center-left opposition Alliance

demanding a wide recount of nearly a third of votes, a request backed by the OAS and European Union election observers.

Lending more support to that view, a leader of rebellious Cobra riot police told reporters the country wanted a vote-by-vote recount to clarify the results, and called on the armed forces to come out in support of the police protest.

The Alliance, which claims that results sheets from ballot boxes were altered, is expected to formally contest the results.

President Hernandez, who has been praised by the United States for his crackdown on street gangs, also refrained from calling himself the winner on Monday, despite claiming victory several times since the election.

“I make a call for peace, for brotherhood, for sanity, for national unity,”

he told reporters.

In a striking sign of support for Hernandez, 49, the U.S. State Department cleared the way for Honduras to receive millions of dollars in U.S. aid

two days after the election, certifying that the government has been fighting corruption and upholding human rights, a document seen by Reuters showed. (rtr)

REUTERS/Jorge Cabrera

Members of the Honduran police take part in a strike to demand higher wages and rest after working extra hours due to protests caused by the delay in vote counting in the general election, at their headquarters in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, December 4, 2017.

14

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Health

International

Bali News

International

Trouble mounts for Sanofi dengue vaccine over safety concerns

THE World Health Organization said on Monday it hopes to review safety data on Sanofi’s dengue vaccine this month, while the Philippines ordered an investigation of its now suspended massive immunization program after the French drugmaker said it could actually worsen the disease in some cases.

The safety fears involve possible increased risk to people who had not previously been exposed to the dengue virus prior to vaccination with Dengvaxia.

Sanofi SA attempted to allay concerns, saying in a statement that “the vast majority of those vaccinated to date live in high endemic settings and, therefore, will have had a prior dengue infection before vaccination.”

Dengvaxia, the first approved Dengue vaccine, had been forecast

by Sanofi to eventually bring in nearly $1 billion in annual sales.

But even recent more modest analysts’ sales forecasts are now looking unattainable given the safety issue and clinical evidence revealing unequal protection against different strains of dengue.

The vaccine so far has been approved in 19 countries and launched in 11, Sanofi said. Most sales have come from the Philippines through its government immunization program involving more than 730,000 children, and Brazil, where the state of Parana has seen a three-fold increase in dengue in the past few years.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne tropical disease that kills about 20,000 people a year and infects hundreds of millions.

The WHO, which issued a report

identifying the vaccine’s safety risk in mid-2016, recommended it only be used in people who had prior dengue infection.

Brazil confirmed it already had recommended restricting use of the vaccine to those previously infected with dengue but had not suspended it entirely.

Brazilian health regulator Anvisa, in an emailed statement to Reuters, said it had not received any reports of vaccine recipients dying or falling more severely ill because of the drug. It does not know how many people have received the vaccine in Brazil since its 2015 approval.

Sanofi, whose shares rose 0.4 percent in Paris on Monday, explained its “new findings” of increased risk at a news conference in Manila. It did not say why action was not taken when the WHO raised the issue last year.

The Philippines Department of Health halted use of Dengvaxia last week after Sanofi reported it could worsen the disease in some people.

“As far as we know, as far as we are made aware, there are no reported deaths that are related to dengue vaccination,” said Ruby Dizon, medical director at Sanofi Pasteur Philippines.

A Philippine health official said the deaths of three children who

received Dengvaxia, reported by a non-government organization, were not related to the vaccine.

Nearly 734,000 children aged 9 and over in the Philippines have received one dose of the vaccine as part of a program that cost 3.5 billion pesos ($69.54 million).

Sanofi said it had not seen any evidence of increased incidence of severe dengue in vaccinated individuals in the real world experience with the vaccine. The drugmaker said the long-term safety evaluation of Dengvaxia showed significantly fewer hospitalizations due to dengue in vaccinated people over 9 years old compared with those who had not been vaccinated.

Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority said last week it was working with Sanofi to strengthen risk warnings on the drug’s packaging.

Sanofi spent 20 years developing the world’s first dengue vaccine at a cost of around 1.5 billion euros ($1.78 billion).

In addition to Brazil, the Philippines and Singapore, Dengvaxia is being sold in Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand, Paraguay, Peru, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala.

Health officials in Mexico, the first country to approve the vaccine in 2015, and in Peru had no immediate comment. Paraguay’s health officials said Dengvaxia is not widely used due to cost but that they have not received reports of problems from doctors who provide the vaccine.

It is approved but not yet

Prescription video games help children with ADHD in trial

LONDON - Playing tailor-made video games can help children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to results from a pivotal clinical trial announced on Monday.

The U.S. company developing the treatment, unlisted Akili, now plans to file for regulatory approval with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the first half of 2018, paving the way for what would be the first such “digital” prescription product.

Akili is an affiliate of Londonlisted PureTech Health .

Cases of ADHD have been rising around the world in recent decades, with children often given drugs to treat the disorder. Akili’s product takes a different approach by using a game to stimulate spe-

cific cognitive neural systems in the brain.

In the randomised, controlled trial of 348 children and adolescents with ADHD, Akili’s product AKL-T01 showed a statistically significant improvement compared

launched in Honduras, Malaysia, Australia, Argentina, Venezuela, Bolivia, Bangladesh and Cambodia.

Sanofi said it plans to discuss with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration moving forward with its U.S. regulatory filing for Dengvaxia with new labeling recommendations.

Dengvaxia is under review by European health regulators. A spokeswoman said in an email that regulators there could not comment

on the status of the application but that any emerging data will be taken into account during the assessment of the vaccine.

Consensus analyst forecasts collated by Thomson Reuters before the latest problems pointed to Dengvaxia sales of about 360 million euros ($426.5 million) by 2022. Some analysts now expect that figure to fall significantly as national vaccination programs are curtailed and usage restrictions put in place. (rtr)

Pratama residents inundated by seawater floods

MANGUPURA — Seawater floods soaked six houses on Jalan Pratama, Benoa village on Sunday night (Dec. 3). The one-meter high seawater flood happened due to the collapse of the revetment following the tidal seawater.

REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco

Concepcion Yusop, a national immunization program manager, shows an anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia inside a vaccine storage room in Sta. Cruz city, Metro Manila, Philippines December 4, 2017.

Division Head of Emergency and Logistics of Badung Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Ni Nyoman Ermy Setiari, with the permission of the Head of BPBD Badung I Nyoman Wijaya, said that a total of nine families were hit by seawater flood. Hearing the incident, the BPBD

team, subdistrict head, hamlet chief and LPM Benoa directly came down to the field.

“Yeah ... six houses of residents living at Terora hamlet, Jalan Pratama Gang Bidadari, are hit by seawater floods due to tidal waters rising to the mainland,” said Ermy as confirmed on Monday (Dec. 4).

According to local residents, the adult knee-high floods occurred from 21:00 Local Time. Not long after, the water soaking people’s homes gradually receded. “Seawater began to recede at 23:11, where the water decreased to 15 cm.

“After we examine the seawater flood, in fact it was caused

by the collapse of existing traditional revetment following the occurrence of tidal seawater,” he said.

He said to have taken emergency measures by deploying heavy equipment (excavator) to make temporary embankment. Furthermore, this natural disaster will be coordinated with Badung Public Works and Housing Agency (PUPR) to create permanent dikes.

“We just got the equipment (excavator—Ed) because the road access to the location is narrow and the work just commenced at 14:00. Currently (Monday—Ed) we are still in the field,” he said. (kmb27)

Two new tropical cyclones insignificantly impact on Bali Sea waters

IBP/kmb

IBP/net

IBP/kmb

The flood happened due to the collapse of the revetment following the tidal seawater.

with an active control in attention performance. The control was also a video game.

Medicating ADHD is big business, with Shire a leading player in the field. Shire is also an investor in Akili. (rtr)

Prescription video games help children with ADHD in trial.

3

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Based on press release of the central BMKG, the 93W tropical cyclone is observed in the Andaman Sea north of Aceh, with a maximum wind speed of 56 km / hour.

DENPASAR — The National Weather Service (BMKG) recently noted the emergence of two prospective new tropical cyclones is ready to replace the Dahlia tropical cyclone that previously hit the waters of Indonesia. The two prospective new tropical cyclones are 93W and 97S. However, both tropical cyclones have no significant impact on Bali’s waters.

“For the time being, there is no movement of prospective cyclone leading to Bali, Dahlia cyclone has been away from Indonesia to Australia,” explained Division Head of Data and Information of BMKG for Region III Denpasar on Monday (Dec. 4).

Based on press release of the central BMKG, the 93W tropical cyclone is observed in the Andaman Sea north of Aceh, with a maximum wind speed of 56 km / hour. This tropical cyclone is moving eastward away from Indonesia. It will lead to moderate-toheavy rainfall in the northern part of Aceh and winds of more than 37 km / hour in Aceh and the northern of Malacca Strait.

In addition, 4-meter-high waves will also occur in the waters of Lhokseumawe, Sabang and the waters

north and west of Aceh. Meanwhile, the waves as high as 4-6 meters occur in the north of the Malacca Strait.

Movement of 97S tropical cyclone was observed in the Indian Ocean precisely located south of East Nusa Tenggara. The wind speed blew at 28 km / hour. Waves with the height of 4 meters in the waters of the Bali Strait, Lombok Strait, south of Alas Strait, south of Sunda Strait, waters of South East Java and Lombok will be affected by this 97S cyclone and heavy rain will hit NTT. BMKG estimated these two prospective new tropical cyclone will move away from the territory of Indonesia and lead to Australian waters.

Nevertheless, the BMKG for Region III Denpasar appealed to the community to be aware of the potential for heavy rain with intensity and high sea waves reaching two meters or more in the waters of South Bali. Meanwhile, fishermen community and marine tourism activities should consider the height of sea waves reaching two meters or more in the waters of Southern Bali and always pay attention to BMKG’s information especially the early warning weather / extreme climate. (win)

2

Bali News

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Heavy rain on mountain top

Cold lava flow in Yeh Sah River, shrine swept away

AMLAPURA - Cold lava flowed into Yeh Sah River in Muncan Village, Selat on Tuesday (Dec.), after heavy rains fell on Mount Agung.

This is the largest cold lava flow yet and it even dragged away a shrine that had been standing in the middle of the river.

Hundreds of people came out to see the cold lava flow, causing traffic jams in the area. The cold lava mixed with mud exuded a strong smell of sulfure. Several large trees were seen flowing down the river and along the riverside has also been eroded.

An officer of the Bali Public Works Agency named

Komang Sukrasena, explained that buffer beams had already been set up below the bridge that rises Yeh Sah River in anticipation of cold lava flows. “This is the largest cold lava flow we have seen since Mount Agung erupted and it swept away the embankment that we had set up”, he said.

A new embankment will be installed so that if there is another cold lava flow, the bridge will remain secure.

If the bridge breaks traffic between Rendang and Selat will surely be disrupted, he added.

“The bridge is still intact but we will add gabions to secure the bridge beams from the brunt of the cold lava flows that carry stone and other materials”, said Sukra. (kmb41)

International

Traffic on Bali Mandara Toll down

JBT to apply new tariff on December 8

DENPASAR - In October 2017, the daily traffic on the Bali Mandara Toll Road decreased by 20 percent. This decrease is seen from the initial target of 53,000 vehicles per day, but in reality only 43,000 vehicles per day. Meanwhile, in November the traffic also decreased by 25 percent from the initial target of 53,000 vehicles per day. The target can only be realized as much as 38,000 vehicles per day.

“Per year, we target 18 million vehicles, but until now, only 17 million vehicles have been reached,” said President Director of PT. Jasamarga Bali Toll (JBT), Akhmad Tito Karim, when giving information related to toll tariff adjustment on Tuesday (Dec. 5) in Denpasar.

Although traffic conditions decreased, starting next Friday (Dec. 8) at 00:00, the tariff of Bali Mandara Toll Road will be adjusted. Indeed, it is carried out every two years and adjusted to the rate of inflation. Before new tariff applies, the management should have proposed tariff adjustment to the government at least three months in advance through the Toll Road Regulatory Agency (BPJT). “This tariff adjustment

is based on the Law No.38/2014 Article 48 on Roads where the evaluation and tariff adjustment is done every two years depending on the rate of inflation,” he said.

Tito disclosed that tariff adjustment is intended to maintain the level of service to toll road users as well as to provide certainty of return on investment of the toll road infrastructure. Related to the evaluation and adjustment of the toll rates, it has been previously carried out by the BPJT based on the previous rates adjusted to the influence of inflation. “Before the toll tariff is adjusted, BPJT has deployed inspection team to assess whether the Bali Mandara Toll Road meets the minimum service standards (SPM). BPJT has requested the data of inflation in Bali to Central Statistics Agency,” he said.

The new tariff is as follows: Class I is only adjusted as much as IDR 500, from IDR 11,000 to IDR 11,500. Class II increased from IDR 16,500 to IDR 17,500; Class III from IDR 22,000 to IDR 23,500; Class IV from IDR 27,500 to IDR 29,000; Class V from IDR 33,000 to IDR 35,000; and Class VI for motorcycles will remains at IDR 4,500. (kmb23)

Affected by bad weather

Perancak fishermen catch less fish

The flooding which happen in Yeh Sah River

IBP/kmb

NEGARA - Traditional fishermen have been unable to go out to sea recently due to bad weather conditions. Fish prices are rising as a result though for fishermen it means no income.

A number of fishermen at Perancak village, have not been out to sea for two months as weather has not been friendly and they are afraid of not catching any fish.

Their Boats sit moored on the coast and according to a group of fishermen who were met with on Tuesday (Dec 5), there have been less fish available for the past few months..“When we do go to sea the waves are dangerous, and we may not catch anything at all because of the swift sea currents that carry the fish elsewhere”, said Wayan Neken, a local fisherman.

Traditional fishermen have to rely on their instincts when they search for fish. “Often when we

go out to sea now, the income from our catches is less than our operating costs” he added.

Due to the lack of fish on the market, prices have given up.

Neken says he now only catches about 15 kg a day, compare to the 25-40 kg of mackerel tuna and pennat fish that he usually catches. Most fishermen are choosing to stay on land, make repairs to their boats and fishing gear or look for odd jobs to provide for their daily needs.

The price of pennant fish during fish season is about IDR 9,000 per kg but now it has soared to IDR 14,000. Nengah Udiani, a fishmonger, explained that the rise is price is due to scarcity.

He can see for himself that many fishermen’s boats are now moored on Perancak Beach and the fishermen are busying themselves with repairing their nets. (kmb26)

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Activities

International

Thursday, December 7, 2017

15

Beachwalk Shopping Center

HOLIDAY STARTS HERE – December 2017

HOLIDAY STARTS HERE! This December Beachwalk Shopping Center is still happening with “FEELIN’ FESTIVE” by highlighting the holiday as well as festive vibes and as usual Beachwalk Shopping Center has bunch of events and promo to enliven the holiday moments in Bali.

This year Beachwalk Shopping Center celebrates their 5th Anniversary with theme “BEACHWALK ANNIVER5THARY-NON STOP

CELEBRATION”. The 5th Years Beachwalk anniversary celebration promises a 5 days (3rd -7th December 2017) of non-stop enticing rewards and promotions for Customers, as well as series of exciting activities held to Beachwalk Shopping Center Anniver5thary. Discover the series of activities such as the frames “Beauty of Bali”, DJ’s On Stage by Sky Garden, Anniversary Fashion Trunk Show from local designer

EVERY MONDAY Movie Monday19:00-21:00 Genius Cafe- Home to the entrepreneur Beach CLub Mertasari Beach (Next to Mercure), Sanur EVERY TUESDAY Ecstatic contact dance: Transformative journey Paradiso Ubud, Jalan Goutama Selatan, Ubud 100k includes dinner EVERY WEDNESDAY DEep Dive Dance Guided improvised movement 19:00-21:00 Paradiso Ubud Jalan Goutama Selatan, Ubud 100k EVERY THURSDAY African Drums with Catur SAng Klang Wijaya 16:00-18:00 Experience the healing power of drumming, all levels welcome

BY DONATION SUNDAY MARKETS 10AM 1PM Sunday Market at Batu Jimbar Jl. Danau Tablingan , Sanur 10AM-4PM The Sands Beach Club and Restaurant Sunday MArket Jl. Danau Tamblingan, No 27, Sanur 9:30AM-1PM Sunday Market @ Warung Sopa Jl. Sugriwas no36, Padang Tegal, Ubud 9AM-2PM Samadi Sunday Market Jalan. Padang Linjong 39, Canggu, 9AM-2PM Wednesday and Sunday Ubud Organik Market Jl. Raya Pengosekan across from Zens Hotel Tebesaya, Ubud 12PM-10PM Sunday Food Festival & Bazaar Byrdhouse Beach Club, Sanur 10AM-6PM, Mercure,last sunday of every month, jl. ,Mertasari, Sanur, fashion food and and kids activities The Coffee Spot, Jalan Peigenet 888X,Seminyak, last Sunday of every month, garage sale clothing, books, and hand-made jewellery

and Beachwalk’s tenants, Shop & Sport, Beachwalk Tells Stories Photo Exhibition – by Photo Leisure Bali, Holiday Starts Here Experience and Embrace the Iconic 5 of Bali Cultural Experience. Beachwalk give special privilege to our CORNER’S CLUB members on the Beachwalk Anniver5thary like: Free Weekdays Lunch Time Parking from 11 AM – 1 PM, vouchers of 5 magnifique Bali’s best destinations, 5 room night vouchers at 5 stars hotel in Bali. Moreover Customers can get bunch of discounts and promotions from our retail stores and restaurants/cafés trough Beachwalk Treasure Hunt program from 3rd – 7th December 2017.

In order to enliven the celebration of Christmas, Beachwalk Shopping Center present “PAINT YOUR SOUL” this will be held on December 10th - 25th 2017. This “PAINT YOUR SOUL” focus on kids’ activities events for instance Paint and drawing for kids by Faber Castell, Face Painting, Children Story Telling, Fashion Illustration, Christmas Choir, Marching Band, Meet the Santa and still many more activities that cannot be missed by Customers. For the New Year Celebration Beachwalk create special events such as Dance Exhibi-

tion, Icon Mobile, Culture Experience and DJ Performance on 28th – 31st December 2017. This event will be held at the Fountain Stage, Beachwalk level 1.

Beachwalk as Bali’s shopping destination presents its annual “BEACHWALK YEAR END SALE” participated more than 100 fashion retail stores and restaurants/cafés by providing a variety of discounts and attractive promotions for Customers.

Various discounts are given by tenants such as Topshop, TopMan, Mango, Zara, H&M, Pull & Bear, Stradivarius, Bershka, Tumi, Cath Kidston, Victoria’s Secret, Gingersnaps, Wakai and many more. For Customers who love shopping can’t miss the opportunity in “BEACHWALK YEAR END SALE”.

YOUR REWARDS, YOUR WAY! Not to be missed is Beachwalk “CORNER’S CLUB” – has just launched this year, a special loyalty card programme for Beachwalk Shopping Center’s loyal customers that lets them collect and redeem points with countless special gifts and fantastic vouchers. All you have to do to become a “CORNER’S CLUB” member is just simply do a single purchase of a minimum IDR 50,000

in a single receipt and redeem it at our Customer Service, level 1. Another advantage of having “CORNER’S CLUB” is, Customers are eligible to have it’s benefits not only in Beachwalk Shopping Center but also at all the Cornerstone malls, those are: fx Sudirman, Jakarta & 23Paskal, Bandung. Beachwalk give special privilege to all “CORNER’S CLUB” member by minimum purchase IDR 500,000 (single receipt) get additional 10 points from 15th – 30th December 2017. In addition to customers who already posses “CORNER’S CLUB” can have the opportunity to win a lucky draw to 1 night stay at The ONE Legian Bali Hotel.

Check out Beachwalk Shopping Center new website with a fresh design and totally brand new concept.

Several new features added to ease the Customer in accessing our website, such as an interactive floor map feature. Please access our website at www.beachwalkbali.com.

Beachwalk Shopping Center always presents the unique experiences for tourists and shoppers. The various monthly programs offer more attractions in Kuta and emphasizing the Beachwalk Shopping Center’s tagline, “Bali Starts Here”.

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

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

16 Pages Number 4 10th year

Price: Rp 3.000,-

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Taylor Swift spends third week atop Billboard 200 chart

Garrison Keillor

IBP/net

‘Prairie Home Companion’ to be renamed after Garrison Keillor’s firing

LOS ANGELES - Taylor Swift held onto her throne atop the weekly U.S. Billboard 200 album chart for a third consecutive week on Monday.

Swift’s “Reputation” record sold another 147,000 album units in the week ending Nov. 30, according to figures from Nielsen Music.

At No. 2 this week is acappella group Pentatonix’s festive album “A Pentatonix Christmas,” while British singer Sam Smith’s latest album “The Thrill of it All” held

NEW YORK - “A Prairie Home Companion,” the U.S. radio variety show that Garrison Keillor presented for decades until his retirement last year, is to be renamed after the raconteur was accused of sexual misconduct.

Chris Thile, the mandolinist who took over as host of the longrunning show last year, addressed the accusations on Saturday from the Town Hall, the New York City theater where it is staged before a live audience.

In opening the first episode since Minnesota Public Radio ended its business relationship with Keillor, Thile called Keillor’s dismissal “heartbreaking news” and linked it to other prominent men in politics, media and entertainment who have been accused of sexual harassment or assault.

“As for this show, I want it to be a place for us to gather around, hear great music, laugh together, reflect and gain respite from our weekly troubles,” Thile said. “And I’m as thrilled as ever to say: “Coming to you live from New York City, welcome to Town Hall.”

A spokesman for the show did not respond to questions on Sunday.

After his firing, Keillor, 75, said in an email to the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he had accidentally touched the bare back of a woman with whom he had worked and that he later sent a note apologizing to her after seeing her recoil.

The woman who accused him of misconduct has not been publicly identified.

Keillor created “A Prairie Home Companion,” a mixture of gentle comedy sketches, music and social commentary, and hosted the program from 1974 to 2016. He created a fictional Minnesota town, Lake Wobegon, which featured in the show.

Besides Town Hall, the show was often staged at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, in Keillor’s home state of Minnesota. (rtr)

steady at No. 3.

The only new entry in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart this week was a collaborative album by rappers Jadakiss and Fabolous, “Friday on Elm Street,” opening at No. 10.

The Billboard 200 chart tallies units from album sales, song sales (10 songs equal one album) and

streaming activity (1,500 streams equal one album).

On the Digital Songs chart, which measures online single sales, Ed Sheeran’s love song “Perfect” climbed to No. 1 from No. 3 with nearly 60,000 copies sold.

The singer released a new version of “Perfect” on Dec. 1, in which he duets with Beyonce. As of Monday, the song is at the top of the U.S. iTunes chart and has been viewed nearly 22 million times on YouTube. (rtr)

Antara Foto/Hafidz Mubarak A/ via REUTERS

A woman collects fish from a fishing boat after it arrived on shore as Mount Agung is seen in the background from Amed, Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia December 5, 2017 in this photo taken by Antara Foto.

Tourism needs to be rescued

Transportation access could be key solution

Taylor Swift

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Thursday, December 7, 2017

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DENPASAR - Residents of Karangasem’s disaster prone areas are not the only ones to feel the effects of the eruption of Mount Agung. Bali’s tourism sector has become sluggish as a result of the volcanic eruption. Many tourists attractions that are usually crowded are now deserted and some have even lost their jobs.

“Well, this situation is not so easy to manage. In September and October when the mountain first started showing signs of volcanic activity, there was already a 15 percent decrease in the number of tourist arrivals through Ngurah Rai Airport”, said a member of Commission II of the Bali House of Representatives, A.A. Ngurah Adhi Ardhana, when contacted on Tuesday (Dec. 5).

Ardhana added that tourist arrivals

are predicted to drop by 60 percent in the period of November – January.

He is also pessimistic about the goal of 5.5 million tourists per year being met for 2017. The government, he said needs to take serious steps to rescue tourism from this disaster as 60 percent of Bali’s GRDP comes from the tourism sector.

“Restoring the trust of tourists in transport access to Bali is key. The government needs to consider this a

tourism emergency if things do not improve in the next month”, said this PDI-P politician from Denpasar.

Currently, continued Ardhana, rescue measures need to include building trust in transport access and maintaining the liquidity of the tourism industry. Promotion needs to be done and services and comfort for visitors also needs to be addressed more aggressively.

Appeals to banks, he said should also be made regarding loosening its policies related to the tourism sector. District and municipals governments as well as banks also need to make concession for outstanding liabilities for now and during the

recovery period, he added.

“IN order to reach the targeted number of tourist visits, capital needs to be invested. Lack of liquidity in the short term is dangerous, he explained. Tourism businesses require a lot of capital due to high costs and high costs, but also yields high profits. This means tourism has high prospects – even higher than oil and gas as long as conditions remain secure and there is no disaster” , he explained.

The government, he added should think about alternate modes of transportation such as high speed trains and tourist ferries in case the airport closes again, he said.

When contacted separately, Head of Bali Tourism Office, A.A. Gede Yuniartha Putra, said that things like promotion and communication with ambassadors have been intensified as a way to maintain tourism in Bali amidst these difficult conditions.

Continued to page 6 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.