Edisi 08 Januari 2015 | International Bali Post

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Entertainment

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Faris and Janney host the People’s Choice Awards

Cameron Diaz marries Benji Madden

IBP/Net

LOS ANGELES — Anna Faris sums up her feelings about the People’s Choice Awards in a single word. “Terror,” says the actress, who will co-host the 41st annual awards, airing live Wednesday from the Nokia Theatre, with her “Mom” co-star Allison Janney.

“We don’t know what we’re doing,” Janney added as she sat with Faris for a brief interview recently on the set of their CBS sitcom.

“We’ve never hosted a show before. I think they’re crazy for having picked us. And we’re going to prove it,” Janney continued with a laugh as Faris giggled beside her.

Previous experience with the People’s Choice Awards, which polls the public for its popular-culture picks, doesn’t bode well for the two actresses.

Each has been nominated once, last year. And each lost.

And yet “Faris and Janney,” as Janney calls them, has emerged as a successful, if unlikely, team.

Before the 2013 debut of “Mom,” now in its second season, the 38-year-old Faris starred in six big-screen blockbusters — all comedies. The diminutive blonde’s calling card is the 2008 box-office hit “The House Bunny,” in which she starred as an over-the-hill Playboy model who gets the boot from the mansion and finds success as a sorority house mother.

Janney, 55, has a resume that includes Tony nominations, key dramatic film roles in such projects as the Oscar-winning “American Beauty” and six Emmy wins — four for the seven seasons she played White House Press Secretary C.J. Cregg on “The West Wing” and two more Emmys last year for her guest role as a long-suffering gay man’s wife on “Masters of Sex” and for her work with Faris on “Mom.” Forget comparisons to other popular comedy teams.

“I like to think that, as opposed to one of us being the straight person, one of us being the funny person, that we’re both the insane people — just at different moments,” Faris said. (ap)

LOS ANGELES — Cameron Diaz is a newlywed. A spokesman for the actress confirms Diaz married musician Benji Madden on Monday night. Publicist Brad Cafarelli says the couple wed in an intimate ceremony at their Los Angeles home.

It’s the first marriage for the 42-year-old actress and the 35year-old rocker. Madden’s twin brother and Good Charlotte band mate, Joel Madden, is married to Nicole Richie.

Just weeks after it was confirmed that Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden were engaged, the Annie star and Good Charlotte rocker have tied the knot.

“We couldn’t be happier to begin our new journey together surrounded by our closest family and friends,” said the couple in a statement.

The wedding party included bridesmaids Drew Barrymore; Nicole Richie (Madden’s sister-inlaw); Cameron’s sister, Chimene; and the actress’s assistant, Jessica Lutz, according to Us Weekly.

Sparrow Madden, the nephew of the groom and son of Richie and Benji’s brother, Joel Madden, was the ring bearer. Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, and Samantha Ronson were among the guests.

News that the couple was planning to tie the knot leaked early Monday. According to People, the newlyweds tried to keep their plans

under wraps by telling neighbors they were having a pre-Golden Globes party.

Trucks from the Velvet Garden florists, Classic Party Rentals, and Beverage Warehouse were all spotted arriving at their private gated home today and a white tent was constructed in the backyard.

Yifat Oren, who planned weddings for Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, and Cameron’s BFF Drew Barrymore, was spotted at the actress’s house ahead of the hush-hush nuptials. (ap)

Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File

In this Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014 file photo, co-hosts Anna Faris, left, and Allison Janney pose together following the nominations for the People’s Choice Awards 2015, in Beverly Hills, Calif.

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Thursday, January 8, 2015

Sri Lanka’s Tamils say they’ll back president’s challenger

Page 6

In or out? Controversial goal gives Roma 1-0 win at Udinese Page 8

Snow falls in Middle East as strong winter storm strikes

Page 13

In 2015

Bali’s economy predicted to grow 6.5 percent

DENPASAR - Strong growth in consumption and improvement in investment climate in line with the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community and improvement of exports are believed to have a positive impact on the economy of Bali in 2015. Bank Indonesia predicts that Bali’s economy will grow in the range from 6.0 to 6.5 percent (yoy).

“Estimation on the strengthening consumption in line with Bank Indonesia’s survey results indicates the improvement in expectation of earnings and economic growth in 2015,” said Chief Representative of Bank Indonesia for Bali Region, Dewi Setyowati, in Denpasar.

She explained the strengthening consumption was also shored up by provincial, county and municipal budget in 2015. The increase in exports was supported by the improvement in the US economy which was the main export (including furniture and apparel) destination.

“In terms of investment, the increase is supported by infrastructural investment such as the construction of shortcuts at strategic points of goods distribution in Bali, plans to build toll road to Singaraja and Gilimanuk as well as irrigation improvement,” she said.

Additionally, she also explained the inflation projection was much higher than the inflation target in 2015 in the regional mid-term development plan (RPJMD) spreading in the range of 4.4 to 4.74 percent. One of the causes of the inflation was a factor of food group due to limited supply distribution. “Throughout the year 2014, Bali’s economy does not face a significant impact on the global economic downturn and the impact of rising fuel prices,” she said.

Rector of the Undiknas University, Prof. Gede Sri Darma, DBA, also predicted if the economic growth next year would be as high as 6 percent, although many government policies in 2014 had an impact on the economic growth correction.

“My prediction is that Bali’s economy will grow above 6 percent with an inflation rate of not more than 4 percent. I have confidence that poli-

cies in 2014 are just temporary shock, but in fact will improve the overall economy,” he said. She admitted the government policy to raise the price of fuel did not have an impact on the BI rate predicted to increase to 8 percent.

However, this policy could be muted if bankers had a high commitment to establish loan interest of not more than 2 percent of the saving interest determined by Bank Indonesia at 9.75 percent. Not only that, the government

was also required to adjust the minimum wage in each province, so that slowly but surely would improve the economic growth.

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.

ANTARA FOTO/Fikri Yusuf

Tourists flocked at Kuta Beach during the year-end holiday of 2014. Strong growth in consumption and improvement in investment climate in line with the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community and improvement of exports are believed to have a positive impact on the economy of Bali in 2015.

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International

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Bali News

Chef Christophe is a French national who has fulfilled the role of Executive Chef at InterContinental Bali Resort since 2013, and has been with the IHG since 1994. His career has taken him to numerous locations around the globe, from the Michelin star-rated restaurants of France and Germany to Bermuda, Canada, Egypt, The Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam, Spain and the United States. Chef Christophe is proud to lead multi-cultural teams and share his passion for good, healthy food, cooked with integrity. At InterContinental Bali

aimed at motorcycle gangs. When found to breaking any laws, they will not be forgiven. Such are the prevention efforts undertaken by Denpasar Police,” said the Chief of Denpasar Police Criminal Investigation Unit, Nengah Sadiarta, Tuesday (Jan 6).

Regarding the case of Komang Edi Wijaya, 16, who was robbed and stabbed by a motorcycle gang on Jalan Tukad Balian in front of Victory Futsal, South Denpasar, Saturday (Dec 13), Sadiarta revealed that it was still being investigated. So far, the investigation had not led to the perpetrator due to the shortage of witnesses. “Information from the

Resort he is kept busy coordinating the menus at the resort’s five distinct and different dining venues. He inspires junior members of his kitchen team and delights discerning travellers with his flavoursome cuisine.

InterContinental Bali Resort’s General Manager, Mr. Michel Chertouh, strongly believes in investing in the health of the hotel’s employees and their families. He maintains, “To ensure that we have a successful hotel, it is important that we educate our staff to eat healthily.” (r)

IBP/Courtesy of InterContinental

As part of its ongoing commitment to promote a healthy work environment and provide programmes that encourage wellness and healthy lifestyles for its employees and their families, InterContinental Bali Resort recently created a giant veggie burger for its staff.

Profile

Balinese Temple Ceremony Making expression and creation freely

Putu Suwarsa:

IBP/Suasrina

Lake Batur

Denpasar Police to tease out motorcycle gang members DENPASAR - Instructions by Bali Police Chief, Benny Mokalu requiring all Bali Police to form special task forces in each county in order to hunt down motorcycle gangs, was immediately followed up by Chief of Denpasar Police.

The Denpasar Police Criminal Investigation Unit has already identified motorcycle gangs in Denpasar. If they commit any crimes, they could be immediately arrested. In addition, raids have also been intensified and if any violations are revealed, they are dealt with firmly.

“Pursuant to leadership command, each subdistrict police station must intensify its raids

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JIMBARAN - As part of its ongoing commitment to promote a healthy work environment and provide programmes that encourage wellness and healthy lifestyles for its employees and their families, InterContinental Bali Resort recently created a giant veggie burger for its staff. Measuring one metre across and weighing in at around 100 kg, the ingredients for the healthy falafel burger comprised a homebaked, 17 kg, whole-wheat hamburger bun; 25 kg of chickpeas; 15 kg of tomatoes; 15 kg of cucumber; and 10 kg of lettuce, together with olive oil, yogurt, and 5kg of cilantro for the cilantro & yogurt sauce.

The burger was prepared and cooked by Executive Chef, Christophe Depuichaffray, and his team to highlight InterContinental Bali Resort’s healthy eating campaign.

BANGLI – Due to lack of clarity from the central government regarding plans to dredge Lake Batur in 2015, the Head of Bangli Livestock and Fisheries Agency, Made Alit Parwata has called fish cage owners on the lake to go ahead and drop their hatchlings into the lake without worrying about being disrupted by the dredging. bottom of the lake to rise and mix with the lake water as many fish farmers fear. “In my opinion, they will likely use a siphoning system. Using special equipment, the clumps of mud will be sucked up from the bottom of the lake” he explained. However, this is only a prediction. He admitted that he and the Livestock and Fisheries Agency have never been invited to coordinate with the Bali or Bangli Environment Agency regarding the dredging techniques to be used for Lake Batur.

As for the concerns of the fish cage owners about the dredging of Lake Batur, Alit Parwata has also asked the Environment Agency to make theirs plans public. “Hopefully, the Environment Agency will explain to the public about the technique and schedule of the dredging plans,” he said. (ina)

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Healthy eating for employees

Lake Batur dredging schedule unclear

According to Alit Parwata, the dredging plans remain limited to discourse within the central government and there is yet to be any clear schedule for the normalization of Lake Batur. “I’d like to appeal to fish farmers to release their hatchlings. Because the dredging schedule remains unclear, do not hesitate to go on with your usual activities” said Alit Parwata.

The livestock and Fisheries Agency went on to clarify that fish cage owners need not be concerned about the dredging process at all because the lake dredging would be conducted with special equipment -unlike river dredging which involves scrapping the bottom of the river By using a pipe or other such technique, Alit Parwata believes that the lake dredging process would not cause sulfur from the

Activities

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South Denpasar Police state that the victim has not reported the incident. Nevertheless, we continue to intensify the investigation of the case,” he said.

Meanwhile, a teenage observer, Oka Negara, revealed some of the factors that lead teenagers to join motorcycle gang: “there are two factors, namely internal and external factors. In terms of internal factors, there is the character of teenagers, they want to know, to try, to join a gang and test their steel against they consider ideal.

Obviously this age (teenager—Ed) they want to establish their own identity,” added Oka. External factors include the

influence of their environment, especially their peers, their home life and mass media. All of these environments transform them but it is a double-edged sword resulting in good or bad actions.

He asserted that this is also the case when associating with a motorcycle gang. Those with a rebellious character want to show off their identity and go up against the establishment. When fueled by lack of attention from parents or adults and an unsuitable environment of friendships, they could eventually be lead to negative or criminal things.”

“Biologically, hormonal changes occur in adolescence that can kindle

turmoil and unstable things to happen,” said academician in andrology and sexology at the Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University.

According to him, short-term solutions such as establishing a task force meant to oversee the bad behavior of motorcycle gangs, might be good. But this is only a shortterm solution. A better solutions is to by provide comfortable and positive education starting in the family, as well as conducive character education at schools. “These are more permanent because the input is responsible for character building. Moreover, if adults can show good examples that are worth imitating,” said Oka. (kmb36)

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In the past, he only worked on and visualized the ideas of others. But now, he is free to make his own expression and creation. His name is Putu Suwarsa. For 23 years, the man born on December 20, 1969 has been accustomed to working in the tourism sector, particularly in the Food & Beverage Department. He is able to process Balinese traditional dishes into superior food and raise it into favorite food. At the moment, he is also entrusted as Executive Chef and consultant chef at the Coco Group. The group of company manages the properties like the Natya Hotel Kuta, Coco Café & Grill Nusa Dua, Coco Café & Grill Seminyak and Natya Hotel Tanah Lot. “Previously, I was a sous-chef who just ran the program in accordance with the existing system. It is different from what I do today,” he said friendlily. Armed with a wealth of experience, he continued, nowadays he could handle from the concept planning, programming, preparing to waiting for the results of the execution. “If the result and comment are good, it can get satisfaction,” said this former athlete and coach. Another challenge, said Suwarsa, was to improve the quality and competency of the staff in the Food & Beverage Department.

Sharing knowledge with junior staff is an obligation of the senior. In addition to improving the quality of the staff, it would also have an impact on the quality of products and services extended.

“Personally, I am teaching the staff by implementing the Train-the-Trainer method. So, I only teach a trainer intensively and then the trainer will share the knowledge to the other trainees,” he explained. Suwarsa added that specifically for the product, he would continue the creation of new menu based on his own ideas. For example, he would upgrade the menu every 6 months and enhance the existing menus.

“My owner has some restaurants and I do hope that every restaurant has a good product on demand. So, my challenge is to carry out this obligation one by one,” he concluded. (ocha)

IBP/Ocha

Every Temple and Shrine has a special date for it annual Ceremony, or “ Odalan “, every 210 days according to Balinese calendar, including the smaller ancestral shrine which each family possesses. Because of this practically every few days a ceremony of festival of some kind takes place in some Village in Bali. There are also times when the entire island celebrated the same Holiday, such as at Galungan, Kuningan, Nyepi day, Saraswati day, Tumpek Landep day, Pagerwesi day, Tumpek Wayang day etc.

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

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

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

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

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Thursday, January 8, 2015

Health

International

Sun may determine lifespan at birth

PARIS - Could the Sun be your lucky -- or unlucky -- star? In an unusual study published Wednesday, Norwegian scientists said people born during periods of solar calm may live longer, as much as five years on average, than those who enter the world when the Sun is feisty.

The team overlaid demographic data of Norwegians born between 1676 and 1878 with observations of the Sun. The lifespan of those born in periods of solar maximum -- interludes marked by powerful flares and geomagnetic storms -- was “5.2 years shorter” on average than those born during a solar minimum, they found.

“Solar activity at birth decreased the probability of survival to adulthood,” thus truncating average lifespan, according to the paper published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. There was a stronger effect on

girls than boys, it said.

The Sun has cycles that last 11 years, give or take, from one period of greatest activity or solar maximum, to the next.

Solar maxima are marked by an increase in sunspots, solar flares and coronal mass ejections that can disrupt radio communications and electrical power on Earth, damage satellites and disturb navigational equipment.

Solar activity is also linked to levels of ultraviolet radiation-- an environmental stressor known to affect survival and reproductive performance, possibly by causing cell and DNA damage, according to the study authors.

Fertility reduced

The team, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, based their study on demographic data from church records of some 8,600 individuals from two different mid-Norwegian populations, one poor and one wealthy.

This was matched to maps of historical solar cycles.

On top of lifespan, being born in a solar maximum period also “significantly reduced” fertility for women born into the poor category, but not for wealthier women or for men, said the authors.

“We show for the first time that not only infant survival and thus

lifespan but also fertility is statistically associated with solar activity at birth,” they wrote.

It was not clear whether the same would necessarily hold true for people born in the modern era.

One explanation could be ultraviolet-induced degradation of the B vitamin folate, a shortage of which before birth has been linked to higher rates of illness and death, the team theorised.

“Our findings suggest that maternal exposure to solar activity during gestation can affect the fitness of female children,” the authors wrote.

“The effect of socio-economic status on the relationship between solar activity and fertility suggests that high-status pregnant women were better able to avoid the adverse effects of high solar activity” -- possibly by staying out

Fertility drugs are used with IVF to stimulate ovaries to produce eggs. High doses can cause swollen ovaries and mild abdominal bloating. Severe cases may involve persistent pain, substantial weight gain, vomiting and dangerous blood clots.

The data includes women using their own eggs and those donating eggs.

Deaths included 18 within 12 weeks of starting fertility drugs — suggesting the drugs might have played a role. The other 40 deaths occurred later, suggesting pregnancy-related complications might have been involved; 18 of these women were carrying twins, triplets or more. The reports don’t list exact causes of death.

Rates for over-stimulated ovaries didn’t change during the study but rates for other medicine side-effects and hospitalizations declined. Stable rates were seen for other problems, including infections, bleeding and anesthesia complications.

Complications were most rare in donors, who typically are healthy young women, and none died.

Dr. Richard Paulson, vice president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, said many complications and deaths could have been from underlying conditions causing infertility, rather than the treatments.

Doctors in recent years have limited the number of embryos

Thursday, January 8, 2015

of the Sun or because a healthier diet curbed the harm.

The team did not have data about how early or late into a solar maximum event the children were born -- a limitation of the study.

And they could not fully distinguish between pre- or post-natal exposure to ultraviolet light.

Further investigation is needed, they said, to test whether the results were repeated in people of different skin colours, and those living at different latitudes.

“This study is the first to emphasise the importance of UVR (ultraviolet radiation) in early life,” the authors said.

“UVR is a global stressor with potential ecological impacts and the future levels of UVR are expected to increase due to climate change and variation in atmospheric ozone.” (afp)

BANGLI - Tourist visits to Bangli County is targeted to reach 700,000 people. It was conveyed by the Head of Bangli Culture and Tourism Agency, I Wayan Adnyana, Tuesday (Jan 6). The target of this year was almost the same as previous year.

Adnyana explained that some tourist objects in Bangli had a high attraction to be visited, despite the increase in admission fee as much as 200 percent having been in effect since early January. He admitted to be deeply optimistic with the success to achieve the target. “We are optimistic this figure can be achieved,” he said.

His optimism was based on tourist visit where more travelers liked nature tourism. It was surely appropriate with the potential of Bangli mostly consisted of nature tourism. Armed with the existing potential, visitors would keep coming to Bangli, regardless of the increase in admission fee. “We would like to maximize this nature tourism to achieve that target,” he explained.

So far, the attraction offered by Bangli only consisted of Kintamani, Penglipuran traditional village and Kehen Temple. Among the tourist attractions, Kintamani drew the most visitors and they were dominantly travelers who loved nature originating

from Spain, Germany, the Netherlands and China.

Optimism of Adnyana was in contrast to what was revealed by the Chief of Kedisan Pier Crossing, Kintamani-Trunyan, I Nengah Dester, recently. He admitted the number of travelers who visited Kintamani and made crossing to Trunyan decreased by 20 percent.

This often happened every year.

When asked about what caused the declining visit, Dester said, other than caused by less comfortable traffic condition in the area of Penelokan, it was also caused by the increase in crossing transport rate kindled by the increase in admission fee. The admission fee for foreign traveler was increased as much as IDR 20,000 and domestic traveler at IDR 7,500.

What Dester delivered in relation to the increase in admission fee as one of the causes of the declining number of visitors was rebuffed by Adnyana.

According to him, the increase in admission fee as the cause of the decline in the tourist visit could not be assessed within a few days.

IBP/Sosiawan

Tourists visited Penglipuran Village on Bangli Regency, recently. Tourist visits to Bangli County is targeted to reach 700,000 people.

“The increase of admission fee was just implemented. I think it will have no impact on the number of visitors,” he said. The influence on the number of visit due to increase in admission fee could be seen over the coming months. He

predicted the declining number of tourist visit to Trunyan was caused by unfavorable condition of nature.

“Last year the weather was not so good, it also made visitors reluctant to visit Trunyan,” he added.

Adnyana admitted to remain op-

timistic. His party did not just raise admission fee, but also improved the quality of services and tourism facilities. “We poise the increase in admission fee with improvement in services and facilities,” he affirmed. (sos)

Bad weather, salt farmers change profession

AP Photo/Richard Drew, File

In this Oct. 11, 2013, file photo, Embryologist Rick Slifkin demonstrates fertilization techniques on a nonviable embryo at Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York, in New York. transferred, to reduce chances for unsafe multiple births. Paulson, director of the University of Southern California’s fertility program, said the move could

lead to a decline in some complications including those related to over-stimulated ovaries.

Dr. Jamie Grifo, director of New York University’s fertility

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Tourist visit to Bangli targeted at 700,000 people

Fertility treatment poses rare risks to moms CHICAGO — Complications are uncommon for women undergoing test-tube fertility procedures: A new 12-year U.S. study shows the most frequent involve drugs used to stimulate ovaries, but it suggests problems are rarely fatal.

Over-stimulated ovaries occurred in 154 out of every 10,000 pregnancy attempts; rates of other complications were less than 10 per 10,000 attempts. There were 58 deaths reported during the 2000-11 study. The study lacks information on their causes, and with more than 1 million pregnancy attempts involved, the results are reassuring, said Dr. Jennifer Kawwass, an Emory University assistant professor and the lead author.

The study is the first large-scale effort to quantify risks for U.S. patients undergoing these treatments, Kawwass said. Results were published in Tuesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association.

The researchers examined federally mandated reports from U.S. fertility clinics. The fancy term for treatments involved is assisted reproductive technology, the shorthand is IVF. It refers to in vitro fertilization — mixing eggs and sperm in a lab dish. Any resulting embryo or embryos are then transferred to the uterus. A type of IVF involving injecting a single sperm into an egg was included in the study.

Bali News

International

center, noted that about 2 percent of U.S. babies are born from IVF, and said the study confirms that risks facing women undergoing the procedure are small. (ap)

AMLAPURA - Bad weather condition occurred in early 2015 caused salt farmers at Amed hamlet, Purwakerti village, Abang subdistrict, confused. A number of farmers are forced to change their profession because their salt-making activities can no longer be carried out due to persistent rain.

As previous years, salt farmers could just start their production after the rainy season ends, namely around July and August.

One of the farmers at Amed hamlet, Ni Made Sari, claimed to work as laborer that looked for grass to meet daily needs. According to her, the salt-making having been done traditionally for dozen years highly depended on the sun. Due to the shortage of sunlight and frequent rain, Made Sari could not make salt again.

Constraint of sunlight caused salt farmers at Amed hamlet to stop their work by force until rainy season ended. “Now, farmers are unable to make salt so that they are forced to break until the weather is getting fine. Usually summer starts in August,” said Made Sari.

Working as a laborer of grass seeker, Made Sari just got a wage of IDR 20,000. In addition to seeking grass, she also had to carry the grass for fodder. Meanwhile, her husband helped her family economy by fishing. However, fishermen at Amed could not go far in the sea considering the weather was unfavorable.

“Maximally, we just can sail around seashores as the weather condition is still bad,” he said.

On the other hand, the current condition of salt farmers is very low indeed. Limited number of production plus a long process of making salt causes their income to be still far from feasible. Made Sari admitted that each kilogram of salt was sold for IDR 3,000. When the weather was nice she could produce 20 kilograms of salt processed during four days. “Our income as salt farmer is meager, only IDR 3,000 for each kilogram. Even, we should wait for 4 days,” she said.

Her party admitted that when travelers made a visit to her salt production base, her income could get better. She claimed to sell her salt for IDR 50,000 per kilogram.

“If there is direct purchase here, we usually sell for IDR 50,000 each kilogram. Sometimes there is a purchase of 10 to 20 kilograms, but we certainly divide it with our group,” he added.

Salt farmer group of Amed has been well known overseas. Some few of the production yielded by local farmer group was exported.

Country of destination for her salt included France and Japan for used for flavoring food or meeting spa needs.

Although having great potential in the eyes of world community, so far the role of government to develop the salt potential has not been visible at all. “This salt farmer group never got any assistance from government,” he concluded. (kmb44)

IBP/Budana

Bad weather condition occurred in early 2015 caused salt farmers at Amed hamlet, Purwakerti village, Abang subdistrict, confused. A number of farmers are forced to change their profession because their salt-making activities can no longer be carried out due to persistent rain.

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Thursday, January 8, 2015

Bali News

Hectares of land at Munduk Asem disappear, eroded by waves

NEGARA - The land at Munduk Asem, Cupel village, is increasingly being eroded by waves.

Over the last 10 years, more than two hectares of land have disappeared into the sea. Settlements of one village have disappeared and residents have been forced to seek housing with the help of the Ministry of People’s Housing. Though the onslaught of seawater has been blocked by revetment, the seawater is now hitting uninhabited land owned by other people.

“Formerly, a Muslim prayer house located just 500 meters away from shoreline was destroyed. Now, a whole village has disappeared, including 1,000 square meters of my land that has changed into sea,” said Fatuloh, 55, a fishermen from Munduk Asem, on Tuesday (Jan 6).

After the land was washed away, Fatuloh admitted to have received

an allotment of 100 square meters of land at a fishermen housing project, but he preferred to move to another place. According to him, more than two hectares of land including a cemetery disappeared before the concrete revetment was built. Nearly eight years after the embankment was built, it has already turned porous and has even

broken down at some points, due to being constantly hit by waves. According to him this was the first time such an embankment had been built here as so they used concrete Fatuloh explained that even though he got accustomed to going to sea, having done so since childhood, he worries when high tides occur on Cupel Beach. “When

there are big waves, we prefer to stay on land. Here (at Cupel) the waves are already hazardous in themselves, not to mention all the coral,” he explained. Land that is not protected is the most prone to abrasion. Other than the land and cliff owned by residents used for parking boats, on the west side of the revetment, lies a damaged house and former prayer house.

“The owner of the house has already moved into an assistance provided house just a few inches away he said. Fatuloh does not however, regret being a fisherman

Thursday, January 8, 2015

International

International

even though his and other peoples land vanished a few years ago.

Similar hope was also disclosed

by Untung, 35, another fisherman who lives behind the former revetment. Among all the residents, only his house remains standing and was protected by revetment.

He hopes the revetment will be extended because the existing revetment had started to turn porous.

Moreover, his house was located at the very end to the revetment.

Fierce waves at Cupel very quickly erode the land of local residents. (kmb26)

Suicide bomber kills at least 33 at Yemen police enrollment

SANAA, Yemen — A suicide bomber driving a minibus killed at least 33 people Wednesday as cadets gathered to enroll at a police academy in the heart of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, authorities said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Yemen’s local al-Qaida branch, targeted in frequent U.S. drone strikes in the country, has carried out similar attacks in the past.

At the scene of the blast, the dead and wounded lay on a sidewalk against a wall. Water sprayed by firefighters to extinguish the blaze mixed with their pooled blood. A charred taxi cab smoked near what remained of the minibus, meters (yards) from a gate for the police academy, located in a residential area.

The bomber struck as lines of cadets waited outside of the academy, preparing to enroll, witnesses said.

“We were all gathering and ... (the bomber) exploded right next to all of the police college classmates,” eyewitness Jamil al-Khaleedi told The Associated Press. “It went off among all of them, and they flew through the air.”

The head of police in Sanaa, Abdul-Razak al-Moayed, said the bomber killed at least 33 people.

Another security official said at least three civilians died in the blast.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn’t authorized to brief journalists. There has been a hike in violence in Yemen recently after Shiite rebel militias took control of the capital and other cities.

The rebels, known as Houthis, are challenging the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, demanding a greater share of power. The critics of the Shiite rebels view them as a proxy for Shiite Iran, charges the rebels deny.

Tribal leaders and Yemeni officials warn the rising power of the Shiite Houthis and the backlash over drone strikes has caused alQaida to surge in strength and find new recruits. The Houthis’ push into largely Sunni regions of central Yemen has pitted the rebels against Sunnis, to the benefit of Sunni al-Qaida. Washington considers al-Qaida in Yemen, linked to several failed attacks in the U.S., the most dangerous branch of the terror network.(ap)

Allegedly due to fatigue, Netherlander dies when cycling

BANGLI - Alleged to have been overexausted while cycling from Ubud to Bangli, a Netherlander was found unconscious in a slumped position on Jalan Raya Susut, Temen hamlet, Penglumbaran village on Tuesday (Jan 6). According to one witness, the 58-year-old foreign traveler named Hendrikus Bernandus Jacobus Maria was immediately rushed to Susut Public Health Center. Unfortunately, on the way to the Public Health Center, the traveler who was cycling hand in hand with

his wife Anna Hendrika Elisabeth, 62, breathed his last.

According to witness Komang Mustika, the incident occurred around 12:00 a.m. At that time, he saw Hendrikus Bernandus cycling hand in hand with Anna Hendrika Elisabeth heading north.

Just north of Oka agrotourism, Mustika saw Hendrikus fall off the bike he was riding. “ I saw him falling down in a prone position,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Anna Hendrika Elis-

abeth cycling in front of Hendrikus did not know what had happened to her husband. Finally, residents at the location called to Anna to turn around.

Mustika said that at the time of the incident he immediatly asked for help from the Susut Public Health Center (PHC).

Hendrikus was then rushed to the PHC by ambulance. “At the time, he was still breathing, as if snoring,” he said. Unfortunately, upon arrival at the Susut Public

Health Center, Hendrikus’ life could no longer be saved. He died with a wound on forehead and bleeding nose.

Meanwhile, Chief of Bangli Police Traffic Affairs, Nyoman Sukadana, at Susut PHC on Tuesday afternoon said that based on the testimony of Anna Hendrika Elisabeth, they were both cycling from Tampaksiring, Gianyar to Bangli. According to Sukadana, the incident that afflicted Hendrikus was purely due to an OC, and was

not due to trying to avoide potholes or being hit by a vehicle.

This officer from Tabanan suspected that Hendrikus died from exhaustion. “Possibly he suffered from heart disease,” he explained. Since Hendrikus was a Netherlander, police then immediately contacted the Dutch consulate. “We’ve contacted the Dutch consulate and made arrangements to evacuate him to Sanglah Hospital,” he explained. (ina)

AP Photo/Hussein Malla

A Lebanese army soldier holds an umbrella as he walks at a main road covered by the snow, in Al-Marj village, in the Bekaa valley, east Lebanon, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015.

Snow falls in Middle East as strong winter storm strikes

ANJAR, Lebanon — Snow fell Wednesday across the Middle East as a powerful winter storm swept through the region, forcing Syrians who have fled their country’s civil war to huddle for warmth in refugee camps. The storm dumped rain and hail on Lebanon’s coast and heavy snows in the mountains and central Bekaa Valley, where gas stations, banks, schools and most shops closed.

IBP/Gus Olo

The abrasion which happen in Cupel Village, Jembrana

13

AP Photo/Hani Mohammed

Yemeni police investigators stand by wreckage at the scene of a car bombing outside a police academy in Sanaa, Yemen, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015.

While the storm disrupted life for everyone, it proved particularly trying for the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who live in tents and makeshift shelters in the Bekaa.

Near the town of Anjar, men used brooms and sticks to try to clear the heavy snow from the tops of refugee tents, fearing the weight might cause the shelters to collapse.

Inside the tents, adults could be seen huddling around the wood burning stoves to try to keep warm.

Elsewhere, Palestinian au-

thorities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip declared a state of emergency over the storm. An 8-month-old Palestinian infant in the Tulkarem refugee camp killed in a fire caused by a heating stove, Palestinian civil defense ministry spokesman Loae Bani Odeh said.

Snow accumulated in the Golan Heights and northern Israel. Schools across Jerusalem closed ahead of a forecast warning of 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snowfall.

In Syria, snow blanketed Qas-

sioun Mountain, which overlooks Damascus. The snowfall also brought traffic to a near standstill in the capital, Damascus, and prompted the Education Ministry to shutter school and universities for two days.

Heavy fogs also blanketed parts of Pakistan on Wednesday morning. Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority said officials temporarily closed Islamabad’s Benazir Bhutto International Airport due to the weather, diverting incoming flights to Lahore.(ap)

12

International

Thursday, January 8, 2015

BUSINESS Spanish economy shows signs of getting back on track

MADRID - Fewer Spaniards stood in jobless queues in 2014, consumer spending rose and banks boosted lending -- all signs pointing to Spain’s economy getting back on track after six years of a gruelling financial crisis.

The number of people registered as unemployed in 2014 dipped by 253,627 to 4.45 million, the labour ministry said this week.

It was the second consecutive yearly drop since a decade-long property bubble burst in 2008, throwing millions of people out of work.

While the unemployment rate -which is calculated differently -- was 23.67 percent in the third quarter, one of the highest rates in the industrialised world, the dip in the jobless numbers last year gives a ray of hope to job seekers, many of whom have seen their unemployment benefits run out.

“Today there is greater confidence in Spain in the ability to find work in the coming months,” said Labour Minister Fatima Banez of the ruling conservative government which faces regional and legislative elections this year.

One in two Spaniards, 51 percent, believe their personal economic situation will improve or at least remain stable in 2015, according to a survey

by DYM Market research published last week by online newspaper El Confidencial.

Those who fear that the new year will be one of economic difficulty fell

to 36 percent from 51 percent during the same time a year earlier.

The growing optimism has also spurred a shopping spree.

Sales over the Christmas season, which in Spain ended on Tuesday on the Feast of the Epiphany when gifts are traditionally opened, are expected to post their biggest rise in seven years.

In November retail sales posted a 1.9 percent increase over the same year-ago period.

New car sales -- a key measure of demand -- jumped 18 percent in 2014 to 855,308 vehicles, the best annual performance since 2010, helped in part by a government subsidy scheme, according to carmakers association Anfac.

Government borrowing costs are down and banks, which were saddled with bad debt after the property crash in 2008, also appear more willing to lend, the Bank of Spain said in its latest bulletin on the state of the economy.

A tax reform which came into effect in January may also give the economy a boost. It will reduce the tax bill of the lowest-income groups on average by 320 euros ($385) per household per year, according to the government.

Spain emerged timidly from recession in mid-2013 and in the second quarter of 2014 posted its strongest quarterly growth since 2007, expanding by 0.6 percent.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s government estimates the economy will have expanded by 1.3 percent in 2014 and will grow by 2.0 percent in 2015, a faster growth rate than is expected in France, Germany and Italy.

And foreign investors are stepping back into Spain.

They poured 47 billion euros (more than $55 billion) into the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy last year, up from 20 billion euros in 2013, according to an estimate by daily business newspaper Expansion.

US billionaire Warren Buffett, nicknamed the “Sage of Omaha” for his successful track record in investments, opened an office in Madrid to seize opportunities in the real estate market where prices have stabilised.

Mexican telecoms magnate Carlos Slim, the world’s second-richest man, reached a deal in November to become the main shareholder in Spanish builder FCC, edging out a competing bid for the firm by another US billionaire, George Soros. (ap)

REUTERS/Susana Vera

A worker adjusts a mannequin standing next to a Spanish flag outside a souvenir shop in central Madrid, January 5, 2015. The number of registered jobless in Spain fell by 1.4 percent in December from a month earlier, or by 64,405 people, leaving 4.45 million people out of work, data from the Labour Ministry showed on Monday.

Vietnam devalues dong to boost growth

HANOI - Vietnam’s central bank on Wednesday said it would devalue the dong currency in a bid to contain inflation and bolster economic growth.

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) will devalue the reference rate by one percent to 21,458 Vietnamese dong per dollar to “control inflation and... push up economic growth”, it said in a statement.

The move -- the second devaluation in eight months -- is “in accordance with the developments of the domestic and international financial markets, creating a solid stability for the forex market”, the SBV said.

Economist Vu Dinh Anh from

the state-run Economic Finance Institute told AFP the dong had been under mounting pressure on foreign exchange markets late last year.

“The SBV had to proceed with the adjustment to avoid disadvantages against other currencies,” he said.

In communist Vietnam, the dollar, along with gold, is considered a safe haven against economic uncertainty.

Vietnam’s economy grew 5.98 percent in 2014 -- the highest for three years -- while inflation slowed to 4.09 percent, official figures showed.

The government is targeting economic growth of 6.2 percent this year. (afp)

Strong dollar means cheap gas, imports for US, pain abroad

WASHINGTON — As the global economy has weakened, a forcefully stronger U.S. dollar has emerged. The fallout from the greenback’s appreciation is reverberating around the world. A more valuable dollar translates into cheaper oil and the imports lining U.S. store shelves. That represents both a boon for American consumers and a hardship for major oil producers such as Russia, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.

Major companies such as Nike, Costco and ConAgra Foods warn that the stronger dollar is cutting into their overseas revenue — a trend that could pressure some of the biggest brand names in the stock market.

The combination of falling oil prices and a rising dollar has even led some economists to suggest that average U.S. consumer inflation could approach zero early this year. If it does, the Federal Reserve might have to alter its calculations about when to raise a key interest rate for the first time since the financial crisis erupted in 2008.

The dollar’s rise has been fueled by a dim outlook for the global economy. Europe is muddling through a slowdown, and accordingly, the dollar has appreciated roughly 12 percent against the euro in the past year.

Japan is mired in a recession, while Brazil just crawled out of one.

The Japanese yen has shed about 16 percent of its value against the dollar in the past 12 months, the Brazilian real about 13 percent. In Russia, the ruble’s collapse has left homeowners struggling to repay their dollar-denominated mortgages.

All of that spills over into other markets. Investors seeking to escape the turmoil crowded into U.S. Treasurys on Tuesday, causing the yield on the 10-year note to dip below 2 percent.

Crude oil prices fell more than 4 percent to under $48 a barrel.

And the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index declined nearly 1 percent amid fears about the global economy. (afp)

International

Gya Kanna Gallery offers antique collection

SANUR - Evidently, the tourist area of Sanur being famous for the beauty of the rising sun becomes the center of antique collection.

Gallery and art shops scattered on the coastal resort offer a wide range of unique items. Gya Kanna Gallery is one of them.

The goods collected do not only include the antiques and unique items, but also have the strength.

It happens because they are made based on inspiration, materials and auspicious day, and even they are given a ceremony. “I collect these antiques since my childhood because I have a hobby and very much like the ancient and auspicious goods,” said Ida Bagus Sutadi, the gallery owner.

Apart from collecting various types of bracelets and necklaces, this man having made a visit to various countries through the antiques also collected a variety of furniture such as beds, wardrobes, sofas, paintings and various home trinkets. “Originally, I wanted to collect all the items, but since the collection consists of many items, so I then try to share them with others,” he said.

The idea to collect the antiques, added Sutadi, was also encouraged by the concern with the goods of

Indonesia and Bali in particular having been collected overseas.

More foreigners utilized the precious stuff. “Properly, all the unique items should be in Indonesia, so that they are close to their maker,” said the man who liked traveling.

His collected items were hundreds of years old. Even, some items were 150 years old. They were collected from various regions in the archipelago, while some others from several countries in Europe. Two homes located in Sanur and Ubud area were filled with a collection of those antique stuffs. “Since I consider it excessive, then I decided to sell some of them. Frankly speaking, I do not intend to sell them previously,” he said seriously.

Among those items, added Sutadi, many belonged to personal items and originally antique. There were glasses, plates and private mirror.

The collection of the antique items was obtained from Java such as Banyuwangi, Situbondo and Yogyakarta normally found in palaces in Singaraja and their price was expensive. He also had the painting of Le Mayeur obtained overseas. “I do not only sell antique goods, but also have the capability of designing a house,” he added. (BTN)

Bali News

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Tek Tok Dance:

5

IBP/File Photo

A message of truth that people must be loved by God

GIANYAR - Atmosphere of the night burst when the sound of unique music heaved. Tek tok, tek tok were the repetitive voices uttered by male and female dancers. The tek tok voices sometimes gave dynamic, strong and stomping nuance. At other time, it gave cheerful and soft melody. It is a brief description on the Tek Tok dance performance at the Nyuh Kuning Bali Culture Center (BCC) Ubud, Gianyar, recently.

Gya Kanna Gallery

IBP/BTN File Photo

A total of 150 dancers were moving dynamically while uttering tek tok. Their movement resembled to a capella Cak Dance but sometimes also resembled to Seudati classical dance. Such art composition was very beautiful as well arranged by formations and beautiful movements. Moreover, it was showed harmoniously by the dancers wrapped in festive outfit.

The dancers represented the sequel of Mahabharata which combined Balinese and modern dance movements. Inspiration of the Tek Tok Dance was taken from the Mahabharata epic, where Draupadi was at a gambling stake. Scenes of the gambling were modernly and playfully presented by children dancers who acted as the eyes of the dice.

The dice was played by two small children moving swiftly and kindled humorous laughter. Finally, cheating in the dice game resulted in

a victory in the Kauravas. As consequence of the victory, Draupadi who is the wife of the Pandavas was also at stake and receiving indecent treatment. Eventually this triggered a war among the two cousins.

The war between the Pandavas against the Kauravas is a representation of virtue war against evil as an eternal battle in life. And the Tek Tok Dance symbolizes the eternal war. Tek Tok is like the sound of time seeming different from each other, but they are also complementary.

I Gusti Gede Jelantik as the originator of the idea revealed the grief story of Draupadi in the Tek Tok Dance gave a moral message to humanity in general and Hindus in particular that where a woman embodying the values of patience, sacrifice, compassion, devotion and sacred sincerity was not respected, then disasters and

calamities would befall the kingdom or state. “This storyline also gives the message that truth, virtue, devotion and genuine compassion will always have the protection from God,” he said.

Tek Tok Dance was filmed by I Made Sidia from Bona, Gianyar.

The film making was supported

by Paripurna Bona Dance Studio and Pande Krisna. Previously, Sidia having been working on many dances, fragmentary shows and contemporary dances, was also involved in the Best Drama Award for International Puppet Week Festival (China, June 2014), Colossal Bali Agung Dance Drama (since 2010), Moksha (2004), The Theft of Sita (Adelaide Festival 2000 followed by a world tour to the USA, Europe and Australia), The Culture Performance (Angkor Wat, Angkor 2005) and others. (kmb)

6

Thursday, January 8, 2015

W

RLD

AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena, File

FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2013 file photo, a Sri Lankan ethnic Tamil woman cries holding a portrait of her missing son during a protest demanding answers about the thousands who went missing near the worst war’s end in 2009 between soldiers and ethnic Tamil rebels fighting for a homeland, in Jaffna, Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s Tamils say they’ll back president’s challenger

COLOMBO — The retired postal worker knows who he’s voting against in Thursday’s presidential election. Like most ethnic Tamils on this island nation, he cannot even imagine voting for the current president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, a man who solidified his power base by crushing a brutal Tamil insurgency and then largely ignored Tamil demands to heal the wounds of the decades-long civil war.

So 67-year-old Santhiyapillai Pathmarajan plans to cast his ballot for the president’s former friend and health minister, Maithripala Sirisena, who defected from the ruling party just a few weeks ago and has created a formidable political opposition. But he’s not happy about it.

“We will see what a new leader will do,” said Pathmarajan, who lives in Jaffna, in the northern Tamil heartland. “But both (candidates) are evil.”

For Sri Lanka’s Tamil community, the election is about the chance to defeat Rajapaksa. The main Tamil political party is not offering a presidential candidate and has come out in support of the opposition. But it’s hard to find a Tamil voter pleased with either of the two main candidates.

Francis Pillai Roylans, a secu-

rity guard in Jaffna can’t decide if he’ll vote for Sirisena or simply ruin his ballot paper in silent protest.

“We need a change of government,” he said. “Mahinda is seen by the world as a war criminal. If we back him, the world community will not be with us.” But even Sirisena “hasn’t said what solution he has for us,” he said.

While Rajapaksa’s wealth and power give him an advantage, the outcome of Thursday’s election is hard to predict as reliable polling data is scarce.

Tamil political leaders have thrown half-hearted support behind Sirisena mainly because they detest Rajapaksa so much. They are also hopeful that a change in leadership would help Tamils to rebuild their lives after the war, and perhaps even lead to a power-

sharing agreement that would give Tamils more autonomy, even though Sirisena has said he opposes the idea.

“We need a leader who will have the courage and conviction to give all the people of this country their right to live as equal citizens,” Rajavarothayam Sampanthan, leader of the Tamil National Alliance told Sri Lanka’s Sunday Times newspaper a few days ago.

Both Sirisena and Rajapaksa are ethnic Sinhalese, who make up about three-quarters of the island’s 21 million people. Neither man has done much to reach out to Tamils, who account for about 9 percent of the population. Their policy statements ignore central Tamil political demands, from locating missing persons to ending the military occupation of private land in Tamil areas. (ap)

International

13 students among 16 killed in India bus accident PENUKONDA, India — A passenger bus veered off a road in southeastern India and fell into a gorge on Wednesday, killing at least 16 people, most of them college and middle school students, police said. More than 50 other people were injured in the accident, which took place near the town of Penukonda in Andhra Pradesh state, said Police Inspector G.R. Yadav.

The state-run public transport bus was carrying 68 people when the driver lost control of the vehicle, which then plunged into the gorge, he said.

Police and rescue workers climbed into the 12-meter (40-foot) -deep gorge and used ropes to pull out the mangled bus. At least 13 college and middle school students were among those killed in the accident, said Police Superintendent S.V. Rajasekhar Babu.

Their bags and books lay scattered at the accident site.

Bodies of the dead have been handed over to their families after autopsies were conducted, he said. Police said the road was under repair and part of it was dug up, which may have forced the driver to move to the edge. The driver died in the accident.

Penukonda is a small town located about 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) south of New Delhi. India has the world’s deadliest roads, with more than 110,000 people killed annually. Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles. (ap)

France done with high tax on the rich, wants reforms LAS VEGAS — France’s economy minister says his country’s tax regime is becoming internationally competitive, notably now that it has dropped a 75-percent tax on high earners.

Socialist Emmanuel Macron said France, whose high taxes and regulations have stifled innovation and economic growth, is now “a haven for entrepreneurs.” He spoke Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

He said France has reformed capital gains taxes, and acknowledged that a 75-percent tax on income earned above 1 million euros ($1.22 million) had sent a bad signal to investors. He said the tax, dropped last month, “is over now, and finished.”

France’s government also launched a plan to cut payroll taxes by up to 40 billion euros ($49 billion) by 2017, hoping to boost hiring. (ap)

Bali’s...

From page 1 “The risk of a policy in 2014 is just like all possible solutions that have terrible outcome. If the policy is not implemented in 2014, our economy would tumble. Now, the most important thing is the facilitation of the poor with assistance so that the economy can still grow,” he suggested.

He also advised the government to dare to defend firmly against grassroots development policy but still taking into account the ongoing global economy because the government was required to make the welfare for 95 percent of the people.

“Meanwhile, the remaining 5 percent is managed by the concept of assistance because no country in the world is capable of giving the welfare as much as 100 percent to its people. Basic dualism will always remain to exist where some people claim to have not been prosperous,” he concluded. (kmb27)

International

Thursday, January 8, 2015

11

INDONESIA AirAsia jet tail found underwater, black box may be close

JAKARTA/PANGKALAN BUN - The tail of a crashed AirAsia jet has been found on the sea bed about 30 km (20 miles) from the plane’s last known location, Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said on Wednesday, a breakthrough that investigators hope will lead to the crucial black box recorders.

Flight QZ8501 vanished from radar screens over the northern Java Sea on Dec. 28, less than halfway into a two-hour flight from Indonesia’s second-biggest city of Surabaya to Singapore. There were no survivors among the 162 people on board.

“We’ve found the tail that has been our main target,” Fransiskus Bambang Soelistyo, head of the search and rescue agency, told a news conference in Jakarta.

The tail was identified by divers after it was spotted by an underwater machine using a sonar scan, Soelistyo said. He displayed underwater photographs showing partial lettering on the sunken object compared with a picture of an intact Airbus A320-200 in AirAsia livery.

“I can confirm that what we found was the tail part from the pictures,” he said, adding that the team “now is still desperately trying to locate the black box”.

Forty bodies and debris from the plane have been plucked from the surface of the waters off Borneo, but strong winds and high waves have been hampering divers’ ef-

forts to reach larger pieces of suspected wreckage detected by sonar on the sea floor.

Locating the tail has been a priority because the cockpit voice and flight data recorders that can provide vital clues on why the plane crashed are located in the rear section of the Airbus.

“I am led to believe the tail section has been found,” AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes tweeted minutes after the announcement.

“If (it is the) right part of tail section, then the black box should be there ... We need to find all parts soon so we can find all our guests to ease the pain of our families. That still is our priority.”

In Pangkalan Bun, the southern Borneo port closest to the crash site, search and rescue agency coordinator Supriyadi told reporters the bad weather that has dogged the operation for 10 days had abated and divers were in the water.

But, as ships with acoustic “pinger locators” designed to pick up signals from the black box converged on the scene of the find, he cautioned the tail section of the

aircraft might not be fully intact.

“The location of the tail is relatively far from the point of last contact, about 30 km (20 miles),” he said.

“The black box is located be-

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) grilled a member of a group of hajj pilgrims led by former Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali,who has been named a corruption suspect by the anti graft agency.

Richard Lessang was among 35 members of the group allegedly illegally using the facility from the ministry for hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia during the hajj season in 2012.

“He (Richard) is investigated related to the case of the suspect

Suryadharma Ali,” KPK spokesman Priharsa Nugraha said on Wednesday.

KPK also investigated an official of the religious affairs ministry M Noer Alya Fitra.

KPK charged Suryadarma Ali, who was also former general chairman of the Islamic United Development Party (PPP) with abuse of power and misuse of the ministry’s budget worth Rp1 trillion in 2012-2013.

Suryadharma Ali brought his family members, relatives, some officials of the ministry and legisla-

tors from PPP on the hajj pilgrimage using the facility that should be given to people who have been on the waiting list for years.

Among the members of the group were former deputy chairman of Commission IX of the Parliament Irgan Chairul Mahfiz and former member of the Commission X Reni Marlinawati; Suryadharma’s wife , Wardhatul Asriah and his son in law Rendhika Deniardy Harsono.

Suryadharma is facing a maximum punishment of 20 years’ imprisonment if found guilty. (ant)

AP Photo/Dita Alangkara

Chief of National Search And Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) F. Henry Bambang Soelistyo, lower right, shows an underwater photo of a part of the wreckage of AirAsia Flight 8501 found by divers in Java Sea, during a press conference in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015. hind the door, to the right of the tail. There is a possibility that the tail and the back of the plane are broken up.”

Soelistyo said a total of 12 objects had now been found, but he

did not confirm whether all were parts of the aircraft. The wreckage is thought to also include parts of the fuselage, where many of the bodies of victims may still be trapped. (rtr)

KPK questions witness over Surabaya set to become Suryadharma corruption case nation’s creative

industrial center

SURABAYA - Possessing huge potential and supported by qualified human resources, the East Java provincial city of Surabaya is ready to become the nation’s creative industrial center, stated Mayor Tri Rismaharini.

“Surabaya has great potential and qualified human resources, and my dream of making the city the nation’s creative industrial center will soon come true,” the mayor affirmed on Wednesday.

She noted that the potential of Surabaya’s creative industry is huge

as it is supported by several reputed universities and vocational schools for this sector.

“With the magnitude of support, I believe the city will become the home base of the creative industry and will attract more young people to study about this sector,” the mayor remarked.

Rismaharini expressed optimism that the creative industry in Surabaya will increase by 100 percent as a result of industrial development in the city. (ant)

10

Destination

Thursday, January 8, 2015

International

Watching sunset at Tanah Lot TABANAN - One of Bali’s most recognized tourist destinations is Tanah Lot temple. Standing firmly on a rocky foundation just off the beachfront on the Tabanan coastline, Tanah Lot is captured vividly on postcards and travel brochures. The statement was said

by Operational Manager DTW Tanah Lot, Toya Adnyana He added that the temple is accessible on foot at low tide and is a destination that

still manages to project some of the island’s most appealing views, especially at sunset.

Tanah Lot belongs to a group of temples that are significant to the Balinese Hindu religion. It is where followers of the faith come to pray for the success of their crops and generally anything else that is associated with agriculture. Most Balinese have idiosyncratic superstitions

and farmers in rural areas are constantly seeking blessings that they believe will safeguard their fragile livelihoods.

Alternatively, urban dwelling Hindu’s often set out to visit Tanah Lot in family groups to meditate and seek spiritual guidance. One of the most famous events in Tanah Lot Bali is the beautiful sunset where the sun slows down goes to the earth stomach and look just

beside of the temple. As a tourism destination in Bali, Tanah Lot provides the facilities to enjoy the beautiful sunset while seat on the chair.

You can enjoy the beautiful romantic moment on the sunset time at Tanah Lot while having a tropical coconut drink which is available to be served on your request. It is the favorite place to visit in Bali where many tourists

from local and international has visited it. According to research about tourists’ perception and factors that affecting tourists to Tanah Lot, sunset is dominant factor which affecting tourists to visit Tanah Lot. Sunset become dominant factor beside historical value about the Tanah Lot temple.

So, sunset and historical value are very interesting for tourists to visit Tanah Lot. (kmb)

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Ducati expects to fight for MotoGP wins in 2015 even though its new bike will hit the track several months after rivals’ machines.

While Honda and Yamaha’s 2015 machines first ran during this year’s summer tests, the new-spec Ducati will not appear until the Sepang text in February.

But the firm’s motorsport chief Paolo Ciabatti believes this approach is more likely to get Ducati back to the front in 2015. “The new bike is a little bit late,” he said. “We admitted that it’s going to be seen only at Sepang, but we preferred to maybe start a little bit late instead of rushing the debut of a new bike and then having to fix several things.

“It looks like we are putting things in the right direction, and we are very confident of being able to challenge for race wins next year. “It’s a risk we decided to take to do the right things at the right time. “The bike is completely new, including the engine, so it’s a lot of work to do.”

Ducati has not won in MotoGP since Casey Stoner’s victory in the 2010 Australian Grand Prix, but it closed the gap to the frontrunners

in ‘14 - helped by performance breaks earned through switching to Open class specification. Ciabatti confirmed that the next generation GP15 will only go to works team riders Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone, with satellite squads Pramac and new addition Avintia making do with the GP14 and GP14.2 used in 2014.

He believes that plan will suit the customer teams and that Ducati can get enough mileage on the new bike with its own line-up. “I think the GP14 is proving to be a decently competitive bike,” he said.

“We saw Hector Barbera with a GP14 winning the Open class twice. I think it’s a sufficiently competitive bike for the target that the [Avintia] team has, which is to be best in the Open class. “On Pramac’s side, Yonny [Hernandez] will have a GP14.2 and Danilo [Petrucci] will start with a GP14.

“Our focus on the GP15 will be done with the two Andreas and we still have the possibility to go testing with them because the concessions we have will still apply next year. We are comfortable with that.”(net)

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REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/Files

Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark hits a return to Naomi Broady of Britain during their women’s singles tennis match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, in London, in this June 25, 2014 file photo.

Wozniacki, Williams advance to Auckland quarters

Top seed Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams advanced to the Auckland Classic quarterfinals and kept alive the hopes of an anticipated final between the pair in dramatically contrasting circumstances on Wednesday. Denmark’s Wozniacki had to battle back from a 5-2 deficit in the second set before overcoming American teenager Taylor Townsend, who produced a superb all court game that was mixed with blistering groundstrokes and soft hands around the net.

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Ducati feels late MotoGP bike can still win in 2015

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Andrea Dovizioso

IBP/net

The world number eight raced through the first set 6-1 before the 2012 junior Australian Open champion finally got some rhythm to win four successive games in the second set and take a 5-2 lead. Nerves, however, got the better of Townsend as Wozniacki scrambled back to 5-4 before she saved three set points to level at 5-5.

The former world number one then raced through the tie-break to win 6-1 7-6 (7-4) and set up a tricky quarter-final clash with Germany’s

Julia Goerges.

Third seeded Williams, who spent less than an hour on court on Tuesday, took a little longer to overcome Japan’s Kurumi Nara 6-4 6-1 on Wednesday and set up possibly the pick of the quarter-finals where she will face Russia’s Elena Vesnina.

The Russian world number 64 has a 2-1 career record over Williams, including a sensational 6-1 6-3 victory over the American in the first round at Wimbledon in 2012.

“When I played her at Wimble-

don it was very special,” Vesnina told reporters. “I won that match in two sets and I was so happy because I didn’t expect it.

“She’s a super great player, but on grass she’s the best of the best and to beat her there was amazing and I’m always saying this is the biggest win of my career. “I’ll go on the court and I’ll try to show my best tennis, I’ll try to play aggressively, move her around. “Whenever you go on court you want to win the match no matter who you’re playing.” (rtr)

mined. He showed no sign of having been involved in an accident,” the statement said. Hernik raced for the KTM team. His body was found 300m from the course. The 9,000km-long Dakar

Rally runs through Argentina, Chile and Bolivia with the finish in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, on Jan. 17.

Hernik is the fifth competitor to die during racing since the

rally came to South America in 2009. It started out as a gruelling and sometimes fatal race from Paris across the Sahara to the Senegalese capital Dakar. (rtr)

Polish rider dies during Dakar rally

BUENOS AIRES - Polish motorcycle rider Michal Hernik died on Tuesday while racing in the Dakar Rally in Argentina, organisers said in a statement. The 39-year-old’s body was found at

the 206km mark of the third stage between San Juan and Chilecito in the northwest of the country, the said.

“The circumstances of his death have not yet been deter-

8

International

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Sp rt

In or out? Controversial goal gives Roma 1-0 win at Udinese

ROME — A controversial goal helped Roma to a 1-0 win at Udinese on Tuesday, highlighting the need for goal-line technology and moving the Giallorossi within one point of Serie A leader Juventus. Juventus was held to a 1-1 draw at home by Inter Milan, with Mauro Icardi scoring the equalizer following Carlos Tevez’s opener for the hosts.

Earlier, a header from Roma defender Davide Astori in the 17th minute hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced down near the goal line. The goal-line official ruled that the ball did not entirely cross the line but after protests from Roma the referee overruled him, sparking outrage from Udinese.

“If the referee decides on his own then let’s remove the goal-line official, because there’s a structural error here,” Udinese coach Andrea Stramaccioni said. Replays were inconclusive. “The goal-line official told me it wasn’t a goal but it’s the referee who decides and I think he saw it correctly,” Astori said.

Roma coach Rudi Garcia is a proponent of introducing goal-line technology. “With the technology there wouldn’t have been any controversy,” Garcia said. “It was a goal but if there had been confirmation it would have been better, especially for the referees.”

The win put Roma nine points ahead of third-place Lazio ahead of Sunday’s Rome derby. Napoli moved level with Lazio following a 4-1 at Cesena, its third consecutive victory including the win over Juventus in the Italian Super Cup. Gonzalo Higuain scored twice for the visitors, while Jose Callejon and Marek Hamsik also found the net.

Lazio beat Sampdoria 3-0 Monday.

Elsewhere, Sassuolo beat AC Milan 2-1 at the San Siro, leaving the Rossoneri in sev-

enth place, 15 points behind Juventus.

Andrea Poli gave Milan the lead nine minutes in but Sassuolo took control with goals from Nicola Sansone and Italy forward Simone Zaza. Palermo routed 1 0 - m a n C a gliari 5-0 to ruin the debut of Gianfranco Zola as the Sardinian club’s coach, with Paulo Dybala netting twice to take his total to nine goals this season.

In other matches, Parma beat nine-man Fiorentina 1-0 after Mario Gomez failed to equalize with a penalty kick; Genoa and Atalanta drew 2-2; and EmpoliHellas Verona and Chievo Verona-Torino each ended 0-0.

At

the Stadio Friuli, Roma’s 38year-old captain Francesco Totti set up the goal with a free kick that Astori met in the center of the area.

Udinese protested for a penalty when Urby Emanuelson made contact with Panagiotis Kone inside the area in the 85th but the referee ruled to play on, resulting in more protests from the hosts and a management member on Udin e s e ’s b e n c h being sent off.

H o w e v e r, t h e match will be remembered for the controversy surrounding the goal.

Goal-line technology was used at last year’s World Cup but hasn’t yet been approved for Serie A. Full instant replay has not been approved yet by FIFA but Italian

football federation president Carlo Tavecchio has offered to use it in Serie A next season as an experiment.

“In sports with inferior numbers to football they have the technology. In tennis, for example, there is Hawk-Eye, but we don’t have it and we don’t understand why. It’s absurd,” Milan vice president Adriano Galliani said.

“I hope something is done for next season.”

REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

AS Roma’s Maicon (L) challenges Udinese’s Gabriel Silva during their Italian Serie A soccer match at the Friuli stadium in Udine, January 6, 2015.

International

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Palestinian team aiming for knockout stage at Asian Cup While it didn’t generate anything remotely like the attention of Germany’s 7-1 thrashing of Brazil at the World Cup, the Palestinian team’s 1-0 victory over the Philippines in the AFC Challenge Cup final may have been one of the most significant international football results of 2014.

The teams, both outside the top 100, met at the Maldives in May, with the winner guaranteed a spot at the Asian Cup. And so it was a momentous win for the fledgling Palestinian team. And that set the newcomers on course for a big debut against defending champion Japan at Newcastle, Australia, next Monday.

While the Palestinians are outsiders against continental heavyweight Japan, subsequent group games against Iraq and Jordan will likely be more important in determining whether the Cup rookies can surprise a continent by making the last eight.

“Japan is the best team in the group,” coach Ahmad Al Hassan said after arriving in Australia. “The chances of the other three teams, however, are equal and we will be trying our best to get the best results for Palestine.”

Following victory in the AFC Challenge

Cup, the Palestinians performed strongly at the Asian Games; a largely under-23 tournament that features more countries than any other Asian competition. The Palestinians had never won a game at previous Asian Games, but in South Korea they topped a group containing Tajikistan, Singapore and Oman. Finishing first was rewarded with a second-round match against Japan, resulting in a 4-0 defeat.

The senior squad was in good form leading into the trip Down Under, with wins over Taiwan, India, Pakistan and India in friendlies, a 0-0 draw with China and a 1-0 loss to Uzbekistan.

There have been issues. Not only will the team be without the injured Swedish-based midfielder Imad Zatara in Australia, but Jamal Mahmoud quit as coach in September after three successful years in charge for reasons that are still not completely clear. Al Hamad, who had spent the previous two years as technical director for the national federation was appointed as the replacement.

On top of the changes and challenges of working with limited facilities, the team must constantly deal with the political and security difficulties at home. (ap)

AP Photo/Rajshekhar Rao, File

FILE - In this Sept. 19, 2014 file photo, Palestinian football players warm-up during a training session at the Asian Games athletes’ village in Incheon, South Korea, Friday, Sept. 19, 2014.

Lukaku earns Everton late draw Former FIFA ref Hackett slams Premier League officials with West Ham in FA Cup LONDON — Everton striker Romelu Lukaku scored in injury time to earn his side a 1-1 draw at home to West Ham in the FA Cup third round on Tuesday.

West Ham, which is seventh in the Premier League after an

impressive campaign so far, made the breakthrough at Goodison Park when defender James Collins rose to meet a corner with a powerful near-post header in the 56th minute.

Everton looked destined for a

fifth consecutive defeat until Lukaku latched onto Bryan Oviedo’s cross from the left and smashed the ball home in a crowded area.

The night’s other cup match will also go to a replay after Scunthorpe drew 2-2 with Chesterfield.(ap)

Early-risers Stuttgart bid to reignite season

IBP/net

Dutchman Stevens

BERLIN - Players at relegation-threatened VfB Stuttgart have been ordered on to the training field before sunrise this week as coach Huub Stevens looks to kick-start their battle against relegation. With just over three weeks to go until the Bundesliga season restarts, Dutchman Stevens, who took over at the former German champions in November, told his players to set their alarm clocks to wake them up before dawn.

They have to be ready to start work at 6.30am, a very unusual time for professional footballers

to be training. “It is good not only for the body but also for the mind,” Stevens told reporters. “Waking up early is good for you.”

Stevens, a tough disciplinarian, also started the club’s preparations for the second part of the season earlier than any other Bundesliga team, with Stuttgart looking to get out of any relegation trouble early in the year.

The five-time Bundesliga champions also appointed former Werder Bremen coach Robin Dutt as the new sports director this week,

replacing sacked Fredi Bobic. “We need every day, every training,” Stevens said. “We want to get out from down there and we can do it but that means hard work.”

Stuttgart, who last won the title in 2007, are in 15th place, after spending much of the first half of the season in the direct relegation spots, level on points with Werder Bremen who are 16th and in the relegation playoff spot. The season resumes on Jan. 30 with Stuttgart back in action the following day against fourth-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach.(rtr)

9

AP Photo/Jon Super

Everton’s Romelu Lukaku, right, challenges West Ham United’s James Collins during their English FA Cup third round soccer match at Goodison Park Stadium, Liverpool, England, Tuesday Jan. 6, 2015.

LONDON - The standards of some Premier League referees were “bordering on appalling” during matches over the busy holiday period, according to former FIFA referee Keith Hackett, who has named five referees he claims should be dropped.

The organisation that controls the referees, Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has rejected Hackett’s claims, saying standards had risen since he stepped down as head in 2010.

Hackett, who refereed the 1981 FA Cup final as well as matches in the European Championship and Olympic Games in 1988, said on his blog “You Are The Ref” he counted “over 20 major errors” during the Christmas period. He cited the “stupid” red card shown to Swansea City’s Wayne Routledge at Queens Park Rangers by Anthony Taylor on New Year’s Day and which has since been overturned, as being of particular concern.

“The latest big game decision error was the stupid dismissal of Wayne Routledge, who himself was on the receiving end of a reckless challenge,” he said. “It is unbelievable that a so-called top referee should make such a mistake.

“I see standards falling. Over the Christmas period, it reached standards that were bordering on appalling.” He continued: “There was a pretty poor

performance from Andre Marriner in the Manchester City v Everton game (on Dec. 6). First of all, the failure to spot a challenge that resulted in Sergio Aguero having to go off, then a non-penalty decision.

“I was with a group of FIFA referees from Nigeria who watched with amazement. Do you think I took joy in that?” Marriner is one of the five referees identified by Hackett who should no longer officiate Premier League matches after the end of this season.

As well as Marriner he named Mike Jones, Lee Mason, Chris Foy and Lee Probert, who refereed last season’s FA Cup final, adding that his successor as the head of PGMOL, Mike Riley, should be replaced. “You can’t live on your reputation,” Hackett said of the referees. “At the moment, these guys are performing well below the level.” However, PGMOL countered that the accuracy of decision-making by referees in the Premier League was currently at an all-time high.

Their figures say accuracy on major decisions was up to 95 percent from 94.1 percent, accuracy on decisions in the penalty box stood at 98 percent, and offsides were now 99 percent accurate, compared to 92 percent when Hackett left PGMOL.

8

International

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Sp rt

In or out? Controversial goal gives Roma 1-0 win at Udinese

ROME — A controversial goal helped Roma to a 1-0 win at Udinese on Tuesday, highlighting the need for goal-line technology and moving the Giallorossi within one point of Serie A leader Juventus. Juventus was held to a 1-1 draw at home by Inter Milan, with Mauro Icardi scoring the equalizer following Carlos Tevez’s opener for the hosts.

Earlier, a header from Roma defender Davide Astori in the 17th minute hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced down near the goal line. The goal-line official ruled that the ball did not entirely cross the line but after protests from Roma the referee overruled him, sparking outrage from Udinese.

“If the referee decides on his own then let’s remove the goal-line official, because there’s a structural error here,” Udinese coach Andrea Stramaccioni said. Replays were inconclusive. “The goal-line official told me it wasn’t a goal but it’s the referee who decides and I think he saw it correctly,” Astori said.

Roma coach Rudi Garcia is a proponent of introducing goal-line technology. “With the technology there wouldn’t have been any controversy,” Garcia said. “It was a goal but if there had been confirmation it would have been better, especially for the referees.”

The win put Roma nine points ahead of third-place Lazio ahead of Sunday’s Rome derby. Napoli moved level with Lazio following a 4-1 at Cesena, its third consecutive victory including the win over Juventus in the Italian Super Cup. Gonzalo Higuain scored twice for the visitors, while Jose Callejon and Marek Hamsik also found the net.

Lazio beat Sampdoria 3-0 Monday.

Elsewhere, Sassuolo beat AC Milan 2-1 at the San Siro, leaving the Rossoneri in sev-

enth place, 15 points behind Juventus.

Andrea Poli gave Milan the lead nine minutes in but Sassuolo took control with goals from Nicola Sansone and Italy forward Simone Zaza. Palermo routed 1 0 - m a n C a gliari 5-0 to ruin the debut of Gianfranco Zola as the Sardinian club’s coach, with Paulo Dybala netting twice to take his total to nine goals this season.

In other matches, Parma beat nine-man Fiorentina 1-0 after Mario Gomez failed to equalize with a penalty kick; Genoa and Atalanta drew 2-2; and EmpoliHellas Verona and Chievo Verona-Torino each ended 0-0.

At

the Stadio Friuli, Roma’s 38year-old captain Francesco Totti set up the goal with a free kick that Astori met in the center of the area.

Udinese protested for a penalty when Urby Emanuelson made contact with Panagiotis Kone inside the area in the 85th but the referee ruled to play on, resulting in more protests from the hosts and a management member on Udin e s e ’s b e n c h being sent off.

H o w e v e r, t h e match will be remembered for the controversy surrounding the goal.

Goal-line technology was used at last year’s World Cup but hasn’t yet been approved for Serie A. Full instant replay has not been approved yet by FIFA but Italian

football federation president Carlo Tavecchio has offered to use it in Serie A next season as an experiment.

“In sports with inferior numbers to football they have the technology. In tennis, for example, there is Hawk-Eye, but we don’t have it and we don’t understand why. It’s absurd,” Milan vice president Adriano Galliani said.

“I hope something is done for next season.”

REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

AS Roma’s Maicon (L) challenges Udinese’s Gabriel Silva during their Italian Serie A soccer match at the Friuli stadium in Udine, January 6, 2015.

International

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Palestinian team aiming for knockout stage at Asian Cup While it didn’t generate anything remotely like the attention of Germany’s 7-1 thrashing of Brazil at the World Cup, the Palestinian team’s 1-0 victory over the Philippines in the AFC Challenge Cup final may have been one of the most significant international football results of 2014.

The teams, both outside the top 100, met at the Maldives in May, with the winner guaranteed a spot at the Asian Cup. And so it was a momentous win for the fledgling Palestinian team. And that set the newcomers on course for a big debut against defending champion Japan at Newcastle, Australia, next Monday.

While the Palestinians are outsiders against continental heavyweight Japan, subsequent group games against Iraq and Jordan will likely be more important in determining whether the Cup rookies can surprise a continent by making the last eight.

“Japan is the best team in the group,” coach Ahmad Al Hassan said after arriving in Australia. “The chances of the other three teams, however, are equal and we will be trying our best to get the best results for Palestine.”

Following victory in the AFC Challenge

Cup, the Palestinians performed strongly at the Asian Games; a largely under-23 tournament that features more countries than any other Asian competition. The Palestinians had never won a game at previous Asian Games, but in South Korea they topped a group containing Tajikistan, Singapore and Oman. Finishing first was rewarded with a second-round match against Japan, resulting in a 4-0 defeat.

The senior squad was in good form leading into the trip Down Under, with wins over Taiwan, India, Pakistan and India in friendlies, a 0-0 draw with China and a 1-0 loss to Uzbekistan.

There have been issues. Not only will the team be without the injured Swedish-based midfielder Imad Zatara in Australia, but Jamal Mahmoud quit as coach in September after three successful years in charge for reasons that are still not completely clear. Al Hamad, who had spent the previous two years as technical director for the national federation was appointed as the replacement.

On top of the changes and challenges of working with limited facilities, the team must constantly deal with the political and security difficulties at home. (ap)

AP Photo/Rajshekhar Rao, File

FILE - In this Sept. 19, 2014 file photo, Palestinian football players warm-up during a training session at the Asian Games athletes’ village in Incheon, South Korea, Friday, Sept. 19, 2014.

Lukaku earns Everton late draw Former FIFA ref Hackett slams Premier League officials with West Ham in FA Cup LONDON — Everton striker Romelu Lukaku scored in injury time to earn his side a 1-1 draw at home to West Ham in the FA Cup third round on Tuesday.

West Ham, which is seventh in the Premier League after an

impressive campaign so far, made the breakthrough at Goodison Park when defender James Collins rose to meet a corner with a powerful near-post header in the 56th minute.

Everton looked destined for a

fifth consecutive defeat until Lukaku latched onto Bryan Oviedo’s cross from the left and smashed the ball home in a crowded area.

The night’s other cup match will also go to a replay after Scunthorpe drew 2-2 with Chesterfield.(ap)

Early-risers Stuttgart bid to reignite season

IBP/net

Dutchman Stevens

BERLIN - Players at relegation-threatened VfB Stuttgart have been ordered on to the training field before sunrise this week as coach Huub Stevens looks to kick-start their battle against relegation. With just over three weeks to go until the Bundesliga season restarts, Dutchman Stevens, who took over at the former German champions in November, told his players to set their alarm clocks to wake them up before dawn.

They have to be ready to start work at 6.30am, a very unusual time for professional footballers

to be training. “It is good not only for the body but also for the mind,” Stevens told reporters. “Waking up early is good for you.”

Stevens, a tough disciplinarian, also started the club’s preparations for the second part of the season earlier than any other Bundesliga team, with Stuttgart looking to get out of any relegation trouble early in the year.

The five-time Bundesliga champions also appointed former Werder Bremen coach Robin Dutt as the new sports director this week,

replacing sacked Fredi Bobic. “We need every day, every training,” Stevens said. “We want to get out from down there and we can do it but that means hard work.”

Stuttgart, who last won the title in 2007, are in 15th place, after spending much of the first half of the season in the direct relegation spots, level on points with Werder Bremen who are 16th and in the relegation playoff spot. The season resumes on Jan. 30 with Stuttgart back in action the following day against fourth-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach.(rtr)

9

AP Photo/Jon Super

Everton’s Romelu Lukaku, right, challenges West Ham United’s James Collins during their English FA Cup third round soccer match at Goodison Park Stadium, Liverpool, England, Tuesday Jan. 6, 2015.

LONDON - The standards of some Premier League referees were “bordering on appalling” during matches over the busy holiday period, according to former FIFA referee Keith Hackett, who has named five referees he claims should be dropped.

The organisation that controls the referees, Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has rejected Hackett’s claims, saying standards had risen since he stepped down as head in 2010.

Hackett, who refereed the 1981 FA Cup final as well as matches in the European Championship and Olympic Games in 1988, said on his blog “You Are The Ref” he counted “over 20 major errors” during the Christmas period. He cited the “stupid” red card shown to Swansea City’s Wayne Routledge at Queens Park Rangers by Anthony Taylor on New Year’s Day and which has since been overturned, as being of particular concern.

“The latest big game decision error was the stupid dismissal of Wayne Routledge, who himself was on the receiving end of a reckless challenge,” he said. “It is unbelievable that a so-called top referee should make such a mistake.

“I see standards falling. Over the Christmas period, it reached standards that were bordering on appalling.” He continued: “There was a pretty poor

performance from Andre Marriner in the Manchester City v Everton game (on Dec. 6). First of all, the failure to spot a challenge that resulted in Sergio Aguero having to go off, then a non-penalty decision.

“I was with a group of FIFA referees from Nigeria who watched with amazement. Do you think I took joy in that?” Marriner is one of the five referees identified by Hackett who should no longer officiate Premier League matches after the end of this season.

As well as Marriner he named Mike Jones, Lee Mason, Chris Foy and Lee Probert, who refereed last season’s FA Cup final, adding that his successor as the head of PGMOL, Mike Riley, should be replaced. “You can’t live on your reputation,” Hackett said of the referees. “At the moment, these guys are performing well below the level.” However, PGMOL countered that the accuracy of decision-making by referees in the Premier League was currently at an all-time high.

Their figures say accuracy on major decisions was up to 95 percent from 94.1 percent, accuracy on decisions in the penalty box stood at 98 percent, and offsides were now 99 percent accurate, compared to 92 percent when Hackett left PGMOL.

10

Destination

Thursday, January 8, 2015

International

Watching sunset at Tanah Lot TABANAN - One of Bali’s most recognized tourist destinations is Tanah Lot temple. Standing firmly on a rocky foundation just off the beachfront on the Tabanan coastline, Tanah Lot is captured vividly on postcards and travel brochures. The statement was said

by Operational Manager DTW Tanah Lot, Toya Adnyana He added that the temple is accessible on foot at low tide and is a destination that

still manages to project some of the island’s most appealing views, especially at sunset.

Tanah Lot belongs to a group of temples that are significant to the Balinese Hindu religion. It is where followers of the faith come to pray for the success of their crops and generally anything else that is associated with agriculture. Most Balinese have idiosyncratic superstitions

and farmers in rural areas are constantly seeking blessings that they believe will safeguard their fragile livelihoods.

Alternatively, urban dwelling Hindu’s often set out to visit Tanah Lot in family groups to meditate and seek spiritual guidance. One of the most famous events in Tanah Lot Bali is the beautiful sunset where the sun slows down goes to the earth stomach and look just

beside of the temple. As a tourism destination in Bali, Tanah Lot provides the facilities to enjoy the beautiful sunset while seat on the chair.

You can enjoy the beautiful romantic moment on the sunset time at Tanah Lot while having a tropical coconut drink which is available to be served on your request. It is the favorite place to visit in Bali where many tourists

from local and international has visited it. According to research about tourists’ perception and factors that affecting tourists to Tanah Lot, sunset is dominant factor which affecting tourists to visit Tanah Lot. Sunset become dominant factor beside historical value about the Tanah Lot temple.

So, sunset and historical value are very interesting for tourists to visit Tanah Lot. (kmb)

Sports

International

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Ducati expects to fight for MotoGP wins in 2015 even though its new bike will hit the track several months after rivals’ machines.

While Honda and Yamaha’s 2015 machines first ran during this year’s summer tests, the new-spec Ducati will not appear until the Sepang text in February.

But the firm’s motorsport chief Paolo Ciabatti believes this approach is more likely to get Ducati back to the front in 2015. “The new bike is a little bit late,” he said. “We admitted that it’s going to be seen only at Sepang, but we preferred to maybe start a little bit late instead of rushing the debut of a new bike and then having to fix several things.

“It looks like we are putting things in the right direction, and we are very confident of being able to challenge for race wins next year. “It’s a risk we decided to take to do the right things at the right time. “The bike is completely new, including the engine, so it’s a lot of work to do.”

Ducati has not won in MotoGP since Casey Stoner’s victory in the 2010 Australian Grand Prix, but it closed the gap to the frontrunners

in ‘14 - helped by performance breaks earned through switching to Open class specification. Ciabatti confirmed that the next generation GP15 will only go to works team riders Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone, with satellite squads Pramac and new addition Avintia making do with the GP14 and GP14.2 used in 2014.

He believes that plan will suit the customer teams and that Ducati can get enough mileage on the new bike with its own line-up. “I think the GP14 is proving to be a decently competitive bike,” he said.

“We saw Hector Barbera with a GP14 winning the Open class twice. I think it’s a sufficiently competitive bike for the target that the [Avintia] team has, which is to be best in the Open class. “On Pramac’s side, Yonny [Hernandez] will have a GP14.2 and Danilo [Petrucci] will start with a GP14.

“Our focus on the GP15 will be done with the two Andreas and we still have the possibility to go testing with them because the concessions we have will still apply next year. We are comfortable with that.”(net)

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REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/Files

Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark hits a return to Naomi Broady of Britain during their women’s singles tennis match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, in London, in this June 25, 2014 file photo.

Wozniacki, Williams advance to Auckland quarters

Top seed Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams advanced to the Auckland Classic quarterfinals and kept alive the hopes of an anticipated final between the pair in dramatically contrasting circumstances on Wednesday. Denmark’s Wozniacki had to battle back from a 5-2 deficit in the second set before overcoming American teenager Taylor Townsend, who produced a superb all court game that was mixed with blistering groundstrokes and soft hands around the net.

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7

Ducati feels late MotoGP bike can still win in 2015

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Andrea Dovizioso

IBP/net

The world number eight raced through the first set 6-1 before the 2012 junior Australian Open champion finally got some rhythm to win four successive games in the second set and take a 5-2 lead. Nerves, however, got the better of Townsend as Wozniacki scrambled back to 5-4 before she saved three set points to level at 5-5.

The former world number one then raced through the tie-break to win 6-1 7-6 (7-4) and set up a tricky quarter-final clash with Germany’s

Julia Goerges.

Third seeded Williams, who spent less than an hour on court on Tuesday, took a little longer to overcome Japan’s Kurumi Nara 6-4 6-1 on Wednesday and set up possibly the pick of the quarter-finals where she will face Russia’s Elena Vesnina.

The Russian world number 64 has a 2-1 career record over Williams, including a sensational 6-1 6-3 victory over the American in the first round at Wimbledon in 2012.

“When I played her at Wimble-

don it was very special,” Vesnina told reporters. “I won that match in two sets and I was so happy because I didn’t expect it.

“She’s a super great player, but on grass she’s the best of the best and to beat her there was amazing and I’m always saying this is the biggest win of my career. “I’ll go on the court and I’ll try to show my best tennis, I’ll try to play aggressively, move her around. “Whenever you go on court you want to win the match no matter who you’re playing.” (rtr)

mined. He showed no sign of having been involved in an accident,” the statement said. Hernik raced for the KTM team. His body was found 300m from the course. The 9,000km-long Dakar

Rally runs through Argentina, Chile and Bolivia with the finish in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, on Jan. 17.

Hernik is the fifth competitor to die during racing since the

rally came to South America in 2009. It started out as a gruelling and sometimes fatal race from Paris across the Sahara to the Senegalese capital Dakar. (rtr)

Polish rider dies during Dakar rally

BUENOS AIRES - Polish motorcycle rider Michal Hernik died on Tuesday while racing in the Dakar Rally in Argentina, organisers said in a statement. The 39-year-old’s body was found at

the 206km mark of the third stage between San Juan and Chilecito in the northwest of the country, the said.

“The circumstances of his death have not yet been deter-

6

Thursday, January 8, 2015

W

RLD

AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena, File

FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2013 file photo, a Sri Lankan ethnic Tamil woman cries holding a portrait of her missing son during a protest demanding answers about the thousands who went missing near the worst war’s end in 2009 between soldiers and ethnic Tamil rebels fighting for a homeland, in Jaffna, Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s Tamils say they’ll back president’s challenger

COLOMBO — The retired postal worker knows who he’s voting against in Thursday’s presidential election. Like most ethnic Tamils on this island nation, he cannot even imagine voting for the current president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, a man who solidified his power base by crushing a brutal Tamil insurgency and then largely ignored Tamil demands to heal the wounds of the decades-long civil war.

So 67-year-old Santhiyapillai Pathmarajan plans to cast his ballot for the president’s former friend and health minister, Maithripala Sirisena, who defected from the ruling party just a few weeks ago and has created a formidable political opposition. But he’s not happy about it.

“We will see what a new leader will do,” said Pathmarajan, who lives in Jaffna, in the northern Tamil heartland. “But both (candidates) are evil.”

For Sri Lanka’s Tamil community, the election is about the chance to defeat Rajapaksa. The main Tamil political party is not offering a presidential candidate and has come out in support of the opposition. But it’s hard to find a Tamil voter pleased with either of the two main candidates.

Francis Pillai Roylans, a secu-

rity guard in Jaffna can’t decide if he’ll vote for Sirisena or simply ruin his ballot paper in silent protest.

“We need a change of government,” he said. “Mahinda is seen by the world as a war criminal. If we back him, the world community will not be with us.” But even Sirisena “hasn’t said what solution he has for us,” he said.

While Rajapaksa’s wealth and power give him an advantage, the outcome of Thursday’s election is hard to predict as reliable polling data is scarce.

Tamil political leaders have thrown half-hearted support behind Sirisena mainly because they detest Rajapaksa so much. They are also hopeful that a change in leadership would help Tamils to rebuild their lives after the war, and perhaps even lead to a power-

sharing agreement that would give Tamils more autonomy, even though Sirisena has said he opposes the idea.

“We need a leader who will have the courage and conviction to give all the people of this country their right to live as equal citizens,” Rajavarothayam Sampanthan, leader of the Tamil National Alliance told Sri Lanka’s Sunday Times newspaper a few days ago.

Both Sirisena and Rajapaksa are ethnic Sinhalese, who make up about three-quarters of the island’s 21 million people. Neither man has done much to reach out to Tamils, who account for about 9 percent of the population. Their policy statements ignore central Tamil political demands, from locating missing persons to ending the military occupation of private land in Tamil areas. (ap)

International

13 students among 16 killed in India bus accident PENUKONDA, India — A passenger bus veered off a road in southeastern India and fell into a gorge on Wednesday, killing at least 16 people, most of them college and middle school students, police said. More than 50 other people were injured in the accident, which took place near the town of Penukonda in Andhra Pradesh state, said Police Inspector G.R. Yadav.

The state-run public transport bus was carrying 68 people when the driver lost control of the vehicle, which then plunged into the gorge, he said.

Police and rescue workers climbed into the 12-meter (40-foot) -deep gorge and used ropes to pull out the mangled bus. At least 13 college and middle school students were among those killed in the accident, said Police Superintendent S.V. Rajasekhar Babu.

Their bags and books lay scattered at the accident site.

Bodies of the dead have been handed over to their families after autopsies were conducted, he said. Police said the road was under repair and part of it was dug up, which may have forced the driver to move to the edge. The driver died in the accident.

Penukonda is a small town located about 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) south of New Delhi. India has the world’s deadliest roads, with more than 110,000 people killed annually. Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and aging vehicles. (ap)

France done with high tax on the rich, wants reforms LAS VEGAS — France’s economy minister says his country’s tax regime is becoming internationally competitive, notably now that it has dropped a 75-percent tax on high earners.

Socialist Emmanuel Macron said France, whose high taxes and regulations have stifled innovation and economic growth, is now “a haven for entrepreneurs.” He spoke Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

He said France has reformed capital gains taxes, and acknowledged that a 75-percent tax on income earned above 1 million euros ($1.22 million) had sent a bad signal to investors. He said the tax, dropped last month, “is over now, and finished.”

France’s government also launched a plan to cut payroll taxes by up to 40 billion euros ($49 billion) by 2017, hoping to boost hiring. (ap)

Bali’s...

From page 1 “The risk of a policy in 2014 is just like all possible solutions that have terrible outcome. If the policy is not implemented in 2014, our economy would tumble. Now, the most important thing is the facilitation of the poor with assistance so that the economy can still grow,” he suggested.

He also advised the government to dare to defend firmly against grassroots development policy but still taking into account the ongoing global economy because the government was required to make the welfare for 95 percent of the people.

“Meanwhile, the remaining 5 percent is managed by the concept of assistance because no country in the world is capable of giving the welfare as much as 100 percent to its people. Basic dualism will always remain to exist where some people claim to have not been prosperous,” he concluded. (kmb27)

International

Thursday, January 8, 2015

11

INDONESIA AirAsia jet tail found underwater, black box may be close

JAKARTA/PANGKALAN BUN - The tail of a crashed AirAsia jet has been found on the sea bed about 30 km (20 miles) from the plane’s last known location, Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said on Wednesday, a breakthrough that investigators hope will lead to the crucial black box recorders.

Flight QZ8501 vanished from radar screens over the northern Java Sea on Dec. 28, less than halfway into a two-hour flight from Indonesia’s second-biggest city of Surabaya to Singapore. There were no survivors among the 162 people on board.

“We’ve found the tail that has been our main target,” Fransiskus Bambang Soelistyo, head of the search and rescue agency, told a news conference in Jakarta.

The tail was identified by divers after it was spotted by an underwater machine using a sonar scan, Soelistyo said. He displayed underwater photographs showing partial lettering on the sunken object compared with a picture of an intact Airbus A320-200 in AirAsia livery.

“I can confirm that what we found was the tail part from the pictures,” he said, adding that the team “now is still desperately trying to locate the black box”.

Forty bodies and debris from the plane have been plucked from the surface of the waters off Borneo, but strong winds and high waves have been hampering divers’ ef-

forts to reach larger pieces of suspected wreckage detected by sonar on the sea floor.

Locating the tail has been a priority because the cockpit voice and flight data recorders that can provide vital clues on why the plane crashed are located in the rear section of the Airbus.

“I am led to believe the tail section has been found,” AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes tweeted minutes after the announcement.

“If (it is the) right part of tail section, then the black box should be there ... We need to find all parts soon so we can find all our guests to ease the pain of our families. That still is our priority.”

In Pangkalan Bun, the southern Borneo port closest to the crash site, search and rescue agency coordinator Supriyadi told reporters the bad weather that has dogged the operation for 10 days had abated and divers were in the water.

But, as ships with acoustic “pinger locators” designed to pick up signals from the black box converged on the scene of the find, he cautioned the tail section of the

aircraft might not be fully intact.

“The location of the tail is relatively far from the point of last contact, about 30 km (20 miles),” he said.

“The black box is located be-

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) grilled a member of a group of hajj pilgrims led by former Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali,who has been named a corruption suspect by the anti graft agency.

Richard Lessang was among 35 members of the group allegedly illegally using the facility from the ministry for hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia during the hajj season in 2012.

“He (Richard) is investigated related to the case of the suspect

Suryadharma Ali,” KPK spokesman Priharsa Nugraha said on Wednesday.

KPK also investigated an official of the religious affairs ministry M Noer Alya Fitra.

KPK charged Suryadarma Ali, who was also former general chairman of the Islamic United Development Party (PPP) with abuse of power and misuse of the ministry’s budget worth Rp1 trillion in 2012-2013.

Suryadharma Ali brought his family members, relatives, some officials of the ministry and legisla-

tors from PPP on the hajj pilgrimage using the facility that should be given to people who have been on the waiting list for years.

Among the members of the group were former deputy chairman of Commission IX of the Parliament Irgan Chairul Mahfiz and former member of the Commission X Reni Marlinawati; Suryadharma’s wife , Wardhatul Asriah and his son in law Rendhika Deniardy Harsono.

Suryadharma is facing a maximum punishment of 20 years’ imprisonment if found guilty. (ant)

AP Photo/Dita Alangkara

Chief of National Search And Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) F. Henry Bambang Soelistyo, lower right, shows an underwater photo of a part of the wreckage of AirAsia Flight 8501 found by divers in Java Sea, during a press conference in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015. hind the door, to the right of the tail. There is a possibility that the tail and the back of the plane are broken up.”

Soelistyo said a total of 12 objects had now been found, but he

did not confirm whether all were parts of the aircraft. The wreckage is thought to also include parts of the fuselage, where many of the bodies of victims may still be trapped. (rtr)

KPK questions witness over Surabaya set to become Suryadharma corruption case nation’s creative

industrial center

SURABAYA - Possessing huge potential and supported by qualified human resources, the East Java provincial city of Surabaya is ready to become the nation’s creative industrial center, stated Mayor Tri Rismaharini.

“Surabaya has great potential and qualified human resources, and my dream of making the city the nation’s creative industrial center will soon come true,” the mayor affirmed on Wednesday.

She noted that the potential of Surabaya’s creative industry is huge

as it is supported by several reputed universities and vocational schools for this sector.

“With the magnitude of support, I believe the city will become the home base of the creative industry and will attract more young people to study about this sector,” the mayor remarked.

Rismaharini expressed optimism that the creative industry in Surabaya will increase by 100 percent as a result of industrial development in the city. (ant)

12

International

Thursday, January 8, 2015

BUSINESS Spanish economy shows signs of getting back on track

MADRID - Fewer Spaniards stood in jobless queues in 2014, consumer spending rose and banks boosted lending -- all signs pointing to Spain’s economy getting back on track after six years of a gruelling financial crisis.

The number of people registered as unemployed in 2014 dipped by 253,627 to 4.45 million, the labour ministry said this week.

It was the second consecutive yearly drop since a decade-long property bubble burst in 2008, throwing millions of people out of work.

While the unemployment rate -which is calculated differently -- was 23.67 percent in the third quarter, one of the highest rates in the industrialised world, the dip in the jobless numbers last year gives a ray of hope to job seekers, many of whom have seen their unemployment benefits run out.

“Today there is greater confidence in Spain in the ability to find work in the coming months,” said Labour Minister Fatima Banez of the ruling conservative government which faces regional and legislative elections this year.

One in two Spaniards, 51 percent, believe their personal economic situation will improve or at least remain stable in 2015, according to a survey

by DYM Market research published last week by online newspaper El Confidencial.

Those who fear that the new year will be one of economic difficulty fell

to 36 percent from 51 percent during the same time a year earlier.

The growing optimism has also spurred a shopping spree.

Sales over the Christmas season, which in Spain ended on Tuesday on the Feast of the Epiphany when gifts are traditionally opened, are expected to post their biggest rise in seven years.

In November retail sales posted a 1.9 percent increase over the same year-ago period.

New car sales -- a key measure of demand -- jumped 18 percent in 2014 to 855,308 vehicles, the best annual performance since 2010, helped in part by a government subsidy scheme, according to carmakers association Anfac.

Government borrowing costs are down and banks, which were saddled with bad debt after the property crash in 2008, also appear more willing to lend, the Bank of Spain said in its latest bulletin on the state of the economy.

A tax reform which came into effect in January may also give the economy a boost. It will reduce the tax bill of the lowest-income groups on average by 320 euros ($385) per household per year, according to the government.

Spain emerged timidly from recession in mid-2013 and in the second quarter of 2014 posted its strongest quarterly growth since 2007, expanding by 0.6 percent.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s government estimates the economy will have expanded by 1.3 percent in 2014 and will grow by 2.0 percent in 2015, a faster growth rate than is expected in France, Germany and Italy.

And foreign investors are stepping back into Spain.

They poured 47 billion euros (more than $55 billion) into the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy last year, up from 20 billion euros in 2013, according to an estimate by daily business newspaper Expansion.

US billionaire Warren Buffett, nicknamed the “Sage of Omaha” for his successful track record in investments, opened an office in Madrid to seize opportunities in the real estate market where prices have stabilised.

Mexican telecoms magnate Carlos Slim, the world’s second-richest man, reached a deal in November to become the main shareholder in Spanish builder FCC, edging out a competing bid for the firm by another US billionaire, George Soros. (ap)

REUTERS/Susana Vera

A worker adjusts a mannequin standing next to a Spanish flag outside a souvenir shop in central Madrid, January 5, 2015. The number of registered jobless in Spain fell by 1.4 percent in December from a month earlier, or by 64,405 people, leaving 4.45 million people out of work, data from the Labour Ministry showed on Monday.

Vietnam devalues dong to boost growth

HANOI - Vietnam’s central bank on Wednesday said it would devalue the dong currency in a bid to contain inflation and bolster economic growth.

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) will devalue the reference rate by one percent to 21,458 Vietnamese dong per dollar to “control inflation and... push up economic growth”, it said in a statement.

The move -- the second devaluation in eight months -- is “in accordance with the developments of the domestic and international financial markets, creating a solid stability for the forex market”, the SBV said.

Economist Vu Dinh Anh from

the state-run Economic Finance Institute told AFP the dong had been under mounting pressure on foreign exchange markets late last year.

“The SBV had to proceed with the adjustment to avoid disadvantages against other currencies,” he said.

In communist Vietnam, the dollar, along with gold, is considered a safe haven against economic uncertainty.

Vietnam’s economy grew 5.98 percent in 2014 -- the highest for three years -- while inflation slowed to 4.09 percent, official figures showed.

The government is targeting economic growth of 6.2 percent this year. (afp)

Strong dollar means cheap gas, imports for US, pain abroad

WASHINGTON — As the global economy has weakened, a forcefully stronger U.S. dollar has emerged. The fallout from the greenback’s appreciation is reverberating around the world. A more valuable dollar translates into cheaper oil and the imports lining U.S. store shelves. That represents both a boon for American consumers and a hardship for major oil producers such as Russia, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.

Major companies such as Nike, Costco and ConAgra Foods warn that the stronger dollar is cutting into their overseas revenue — a trend that could pressure some of the biggest brand names in the stock market.

The combination of falling oil prices and a rising dollar has even led some economists to suggest that average U.S. consumer inflation could approach zero early this year. If it does, the Federal Reserve might have to alter its calculations about when to raise a key interest rate for the first time since the financial crisis erupted in 2008.

The dollar’s rise has been fueled by a dim outlook for the global economy. Europe is muddling through a slowdown, and accordingly, the dollar has appreciated roughly 12 percent against the euro in the past year.

Japan is mired in a recession, while Brazil just crawled out of one.

The Japanese yen has shed about 16 percent of its value against the dollar in the past 12 months, the Brazilian real about 13 percent. In Russia, the ruble’s collapse has left homeowners struggling to repay their dollar-denominated mortgages.

All of that spills over into other markets. Investors seeking to escape the turmoil crowded into U.S. Treasurys on Tuesday, causing the yield on the 10-year note to dip below 2 percent.

Crude oil prices fell more than 4 percent to under $48 a barrel.

And the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index declined nearly 1 percent amid fears about the global economy. (afp)

International

Gya Kanna Gallery offers antique collection

SANUR - Evidently, the tourist area of Sanur being famous for the beauty of the rising sun becomes the center of antique collection.

Gallery and art shops scattered on the coastal resort offer a wide range of unique items. Gya Kanna Gallery is one of them.

The goods collected do not only include the antiques and unique items, but also have the strength.

It happens because they are made based on inspiration, materials and auspicious day, and even they are given a ceremony. “I collect these antiques since my childhood because I have a hobby and very much like the ancient and auspicious goods,” said Ida Bagus Sutadi, the gallery owner.

Apart from collecting various types of bracelets and necklaces, this man having made a visit to various countries through the antiques also collected a variety of furniture such as beds, wardrobes, sofas, paintings and various home trinkets. “Originally, I wanted to collect all the items, but since the collection consists of many items, so I then try to share them with others,” he said.

The idea to collect the antiques, added Sutadi, was also encouraged by the concern with the goods of

Indonesia and Bali in particular having been collected overseas.

More foreigners utilized the precious stuff. “Properly, all the unique items should be in Indonesia, so that they are close to their maker,” said the man who liked traveling.

His collected items were hundreds of years old. Even, some items were 150 years old. They were collected from various regions in the archipelago, while some others from several countries in Europe. Two homes located in Sanur and Ubud area were filled with a collection of those antique stuffs. “Since I consider it excessive, then I decided to sell some of them. Frankly speaking, I do not intend to sell them previously,” he said seriously.

Among those items, added Sutadi, many belonged to personal items and originally antique. There were glasses, plates and private mirror.

The collection of the antique items was obtained from Java such as Banyuwangi, Situbondo and Yogyakarta normally found in palaces in Singaraja and their price was expensive. He also had the painting of Le Mayeur obtained overseas. “I do not only sell antique goods, but also have the capability of designing a house,” he added. (BTN)

Bali News

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Tek Tok Dance:

5

IBP/File Photo

A message of truth that people must be loved by God

GIANYAR - Atmosphere of the night burst when the sound of unique music heaved. Tek tok, tek tok were the repetitive voices uttered by male and female dancers. The tek tok voices sometimes gave dynamic, strong and stomping nuance. At other time, it gave cheerful and soft melody. It is a brief description on the Tek Tok dance performance at the Nyuh Kuning Bali Culture Center (BCC) Ubud, Gianyar, recently.

Gya Kanna Gallery

IBP/BTN File Photo

A total of 150 dancers were moving dynamically while uttering tek tok. Their movement resembled to a capella Cak Dance but sometimes also resembled to Seudati classical dance. Such art composition was very beautiful as well arranged by formations and beautiful movements. Moreover, it was showed harmoniously by the dancers wrapped in festive outfit.

The dancers represented the sequel of Mahabharata which combined Balinese and modern dance movements. Inspiration of the Tek Tok Dance was taken from the Mahabharata epic, where Draupadi was at a gambling stake. Scenes of the gambling were modernly and playfully presented by children dancers who acted as the eyes of the dice.

The dice was played by two small children moving swiftly and kindled humorous laughter. Finally, cheating in the dice game resulted in

a victory in the Kauravas. As consequence of the victory, Draupadi who is the wife of the Pandavas was also at stake and receiving indecent treatment. Eventually this triggered a war among the two cousins.

The war between the Pandavas against the Kauravas is a representation of virtue war against evil as an eternal battle in life. And the Tek Tok Dance symbolizes the eternal war. Tek Tok is like the sound of time seeming different from each other, but they are also complementary.

I Gusti Gede Jelantik as the originator of the idea revealed the grief story of Draupadi in the Tek Tok Dance gave a moral message to humanity in general and Hindus in particular that where a woman embodying the values of patience, sacrifice, compassion, devotion and sacred sincerity was not respected, then disasters and

calamities would befall the kingdom or state. “This storyline also gives the message that truth, virtue, devotion and genuine compassion will always have the protection from God,” he said.

Tek Tok Dance was filmed by I Made Sidia from Bona, Gianyar.

The film making was supported

by Paripurna Bona Dance Studio and Pande Krisna. Previously, Sidia having been working on many dances, fragmentary shows and contemporary dances, was also involved in the Best Drama Award for International Puppet Week Festival (China, June 2014), Colossal Bali Agung Dance Drama (since 2010), Moksha (2004), The Theft of Sita (Adelaide Festival 2000 followed by a world tour to the USA, Europe and Australia), The Culture Performance (Angkor Wat, Angkor 2005) and others. (kmb)

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Thursday, January 8, 2015

Bali News

Hectares of land at Munduk Asem disappear, eroded by waves

NEGARA - The land at Munduk Asem, Cupel village, is increasingly being eroded by waves.

Over the last 10 years, more than two hectares of land have disappeared into the sea. Settlements of one village have disappeared and residents have been forced to seek housing with the help of the Ministry of People’s Housing. Though the onslaught of seawater has been blocked by revetment, the seawater is now hitting uninhabited land owned by other people.

“Formerly, a Muslim prayer house located just 500 meters away from shoreline was destroyed. Now, a whole village has disappeared, including 1,000 square meters of my land that has changed into sea,” said Fatuloh, 55, a fishermen from Munduk Asem, on Tuesday (Jan 6).

After the land was washed away, Fatuloh admitted to have received

an allotment of 100 square meters of land at a fishermen housing project, but he preferred to move to another place. According to him, more than two hectares of land including a cemetery disappeared before the concrete revetment was built. Nearly eight years after the embankment was built, it has already turned porous and has even

broken down at some points, due to being constantly hit by waves. According to him this was the first time such an embankment had been built here as so they used concrete Fatuloh explained that even though he got accustomed to going to sea, having done so since childhood, he worries when high tides occur on Cupel Beach. “When

there are big waves, we prefer to stay on land. Here (at Cupel) the waves are already hazardous in themselves, not to mention all the coral,” he explained. Land that is not protected is the most prone to abrasion. Other than the land and cliff owned by residents used for parking boats, on the west side of the revetment, lies a damaged house and former prayer house.

“The owner of the house has already moved into an assistance provided house just a few inches away he said. Fatuloh does not however, regret being a fisherman

Thursday, January 8, 2015

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International

even though his and other peoples land vanished a few years ago.

Similar hope was also disclosed

by Untung, 35, another fisherman who lives behind the former revetment. Among all the residents, only his house remains standing and was protected by revetment.

He hopes the revetment will be extended because the existing revetment had started to turn porous.

Moreover, his house was located at the very end to the revetment.

Fierce waves at Cupel very quickly erode the land of local residents. (kmb26)

Suicide bomber kills at least 33 at Yemen police enrollment

SANAA, Yemen — A suicide bomber driving a minibus killed at least 33 people Wednesday as cadets gathered to enroll at a police academy in the heart of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, authorities said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Yemen’s local al-Qaida branch, targeted in frequent U.S. drone strikes in the country, has carried out similar attacks in the past.

At the scene of the blast, the dead and wounded lay on a sidewalk against a wall. Water sprayed by firefighters to extinguish the blaze mixed with their pooled blood. A charred taxi cab smoked near what remained of the minibus, meters (yards) from a gate for the police academy, located in a residential area.

The bomber struck as lines of cadets waited outside of the academy, preparing to enroll, witnesses said.

“We were all gathering and ... (the bomber) exploded right next to all of the police college classmates,” eyewitness Jamil al-Khaleedi told The Associated Press. “It went off among all of them, and they flew through the air.”

The head of police in Sanaa, Abdul-Razak al-Moayed, said the bomber killed at least 33 people.

Another security official said at least three civilians died in the blast.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn’t authorized to brief journalists. There has been a hike in violence in Yemen recently after Shiite rebel militias took control of the capital and other cities.

The rebels, known as Houthis, are challenging the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, demanding a greater share of power. The critics of the Shiite rebels view them as a proxy for Shiite Iran, charges the rebels deny.

Tribal leaders and Yemeni officials warn the rising power of the Shiite Houthis and the backlash over drone strikes has caused alQaida to surge in strength and find new recruits. The Houthis’ push into largely Sunni regions of central Yemen has pitted the rebels against Sunnis, to the benefit of Sunni al-Qaida. Washington considers al-Qaida in Yemen, linked to several failed attacks in the U.S., the most dangerous branch of the terror network.(ap)

Allegedly due to fatigue, Netherlander dies when cycling

BANGLI - Alleged to have been overexausted while cycling from Ubud to Bangli, a Netherlander was found unconscious in a slumped position on Jalan Raya Susut, Temen hamlet, Penglumbaran village on Tuesday (Jan 6). According to one witness, the 58-year-old foreign traveler named Hendrikus Bernandus Jacobus Maria was immediately rushed to Susut Public Health Center. Unfortunately, on the way to the Public Health Center, the traveler who was cycling hand in hand with

his wife Anna Hendrika Elisabeth, 62, breathed his last.

According to witness Komang Mustika, the incident occurred around 12:00 a.m. At that time, he saw Hendrikus Bernandus cycling hand in hand with Anna Hendrika Elisabeth heading north.

Just north of Oka agrotourism, Mustika saw Hendrikus fall off the bike he was riding. “ I saw him falling down in a prone position,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Anna Hendrika Elis-

abeth cycling in front of Hendrikus did not know what had happened to her husband. Finally, residents at the location called to Anna to turn around.

Mustika said that at the time of the incident he immediatly asked for help from the Susut Public Health Center (PHC).

Hendrikus was then rushed to the PHC by ambulance. “At the time, he was still breathing, as if snoring,” he said. Unfortunately, upon arrival at the Susut Public

Health Center, Hendrikus’ life could no longer be saved. He died with a wound on forehead and bleeding nose.

Meanwhile, Chief of Bangli Police Traffic Affairs, Nyoman Sukadana, at Susut PHC on Tuesday afternoon said that based on the testimony of Anna Hendrika Elisabeth, they were both cycling from Tampaksiring, Gianyar to Bangli. According to Sukadana, the incident that afflicted Hendrikus was purely due to an OC, and was

not due to trying to avoide potholes or being hit by a vehicle.

This officer from Tabanan suspected that Hendrikus died from exhaustion. “Possibly he suffered from heart disease,” he explained. Since Hendrikus was a Netherlander, police then immediately contacted the Dutch consulate. “We’ve contacted the Dutch consulate and made arrangements to evacuate him to Sanglah Hospital,” he explained. (ina)

AP Photo/Hussein Malla

A Lebanese army soldier holds an umbrella as he walks at a main road covered by the snow, in Al-Marj village, in the Bekaa valley, east Lebanon, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015.

Snow falls in Middle East as strong winter storm strikes

ANJAR, Lebanon — Snow fell Wednesday across the Middle East as a powerful winter storm swept through the region, forcing Syrians who have fled their country’s civil war to huddle for warmth in refugee camps. The storm dumped rain and hail on Lebanon’s coast and heavy snows in the mountains and central Bekaa Valley, where gas stations, banks, schools and most shops closed.

IBP/Gus Olo

The abrasion which happen in Cupel Village, Jembrana

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AP Photo/Hani Mohammed

Yemeni police investigators stand by wreckage at the scene of a car bombing outside a police academy in Sanaa, Yemen, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015.

While the storm disrupted life for everyone, it proved particularly trying for the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who live in tents and makeshift shelters in the Bekaa.

Near the town of Anjar, men used brooms and sticks to try to clear the heavy snow from the tops of refugee tents, fearing the weight might cause the shelters to collapse.

Inside the tents, adults could be seen huddling around the wood burning stoves to try to keep warm.

Elsewhere, Palestinian au-

thorities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip declared a state of emergency over the storm. An 8-month-old Palestinian infant in the Tulkarem refugee camp killed in a fire caused by a heating stove, Palestinian civil defense ministry spokesman Loae Bani Odeh said.

Snow accumulated in the Golan Heights and northern Israel. Schools across Jerusalem closed ahead of a forecast warning of 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snowfall.

In Syria, snow blanketed Qas-

sioun Mountain, which overlooks Damascus. The snowfall also brought traffic to a near standstill in the capital, Damascus, and prompted the Education Ministry to shutter school and universities for two days.

Heavy fogs also blanketed parts of Pakistan on Wednesday morning. Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority said officials temporarily closed Islamabad’s Benazir Bhutto International Airport due to the weather, diverting incoming flights to Lahore.(ap)

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Thursday, January 8, 2015

Health

International

Sun may determine lifespan at birth

PARIS - Could the Sun be your lucky -- or unlucky -- star? In an unusual study published Wednesday, Norwegian scientists said people born during periods of solar calm may live longer, as much as five years on average, than those who enter the world when the Sun is feisty.

The team overlaid demographic data of Norwegians born between 1676 and 1878 with observations of the Sun. The lifespan of those born in periods of solar maximum -- interludes marked by powerful flares and geomagnetic storms -- was “5.2 years shorter” on average than those born during a solar minimum, they found.

“Solar activity at birth decreased the probability of survival to adulthood,” thus truncating average lifespan, according to the paper published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. There was a stronger effect on

girls than boys, it said.

The Sun has cycles that last 11 years, give or take, from one period of greatest activity or solar maximum, to the next.

Solar maxima are marked by an increase in sunspots, solar flares and coronal mass ejections that can disrupt radio communications and electrical power on Earth, damage satellites and disturb navigational equipment.

Solar activity is also linked to levels of ultraviolet radiation-- an environmental stressor known to affect survival and reproductive performance, possibly by causing cell and DNA damage, according to the study authors.

Fertility reduced

The team, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, based their study on demographic data from church records of some 8,600 individuals from two different mid-Norwegian populations, one poor and one wealthy.

This was matched to maps of historical solar cycles.

On top of lifespan, being born in a solar maximum period also “significantly reduced” fertility for women born into the poor category, but not for wealthier women or for men, said the authors.

“We show for the first time that not only infant survival and thus

lifespan but also fertility is statistically associated with solar activity at birth,” they wrote.

It was not clear whether the same would necessarily hold true for people born in the modern era.

One explanation could be ultraviolet-induced degradation of the B vitamin folate, a shortage of which before birth has been linked to higher rates of illness and death, the team theorised.

“Our findings suggest that maternal exposure to solar activity during gestation can affect the fitness of female children,” the authors wrote.

“The effect of socio-economic status on the relationship between solar activity and fertility suggests that high-status pregnant women were better able to avoid the adverse effects of high solar activity” -- possibly by staying out

Fertility drugs are used with IVF to stimulate ovaries to produce eggs. High doses can cause swollen ovaries and mild abdominal bloating. Severe cases may involve persistent pain, substantial weight gain, vomiting and dangerous blood clots.

The data includes women using their own eggs and those donating eggs.

Deaths included 18 within 12 weeks of starting fertility drugs — suggesting the drugs might have played a role. The other 40 deaths occurred later, suggesting pregnancy-related complications might have been involved; 18 of these women were carrying twins, triplets or more. The reports don’t list exact causes of death.

Rates for over-stimulated ovaries didn’t change during the study but rates for other medicine side-effects and hospitalizations declined. Stable rates were seen for other problems, including infections, bleeding and anesthesia complications.

Complications were most rare in donors, who typically are healthy young women, and none died.

Dr. Richard Paulson, vice president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, said many complications and deaths could have been from underlying conditions causing infertility, rather than the treatments.

Doctors in recent years have limited the number of embryos

Thursday, January 8, 2015

of the Sun or because a healthier diet curbed the harm.

The team did not have data about how early or late into a solar maximum event the children were born -- a limitation of the study.

And they could not fully distinguish between pre- or post-natal exposure to ultraviolet light.

Further investigation is needed, they said, to test whether the results were repeated in people of different skin colours, and those living at different latitudes.

“This study is the first to emphasise the importance of UVR (ultraviolet radiation) in early life,” the authors said.

“UVR is a global stressor with potential ecological impacts and the future levels of UVR are expected to increase due to climate change and variation in atmospheric ozone.” (afp)

BANGLI - Tourist visits to Bangli County is targeted to reach 700,000 people. It was conveyed by the Head of Bangli Culture and Tourism Agency, I Wayan Adnyana, Tuesday (Jan 6). The target of this year was almost the same as previous year.

Adnyana explained that some tourist objects in Bangli had a high attraction to be visited, despite the increase in admission fee as much as 200 percent having been in effect since early January. He admitted to be deeply optimistic with the success to achieve the target. “We are optimistic this figure can be achieved,” he said.

His optimism was based on tourist visit where more travelers liked nature tourism. It was surely appropriate with the potential of Bangli mostly consisted of nature tourism. Armed with the existing potential, visitors would keep coming to Bangli, regardless of the increase in admission fee. “We would like to maximize this nature tourism to achieve that target,” he explained.

So far, the attraction offered by Bangli only consisted of Kintamani, Penglipuran traditional village and Kehen Temple. Among the tourist attractions, Kintamani drew the most visitors and they were dominantly travelers who loved nature originating

from Spain, Germany, the Netherlands and China.

Optimism of Adnyana was in contrast to what was revealed by the Chief of Kedisan Pier Crossing, Kintamani-Trunyan, I Nengah Dester, recently. He admitted the number of travelers who visited Kintamani and made crossing to Trunyan decreased by 20 percent.

This often happened every year.

When asked about what caused the declining visit, Dester said, other than caused by less comfortable traffic condition in the area of Penelokan, it was also caused by the increase in crossing transport rate kindled by the increase in admission fee. The admission fee for foreign traveler was increased as much as IDR 20,000 and domestic traveler at IDR 7,500.

What Dester delivered in relation to the increase in admission fee as one of the causes of the declining number of visitors was rebuffed by Adnyana.

According to him, the increase in admission fee as the cause of the decline in the tourist visit could not be assessed within a few days.

IBP/Sosiawan

Tourists visited Penglipuran Village on Bangli Regency, recently. Tourist visits to Bangli County is targeted to reach 700,000 people.

“The increase of admission fee was just implemented. I think it will have no impact on the number of visitors,” he said. The influence on the number of visit due to increase in admission fee could be seen over the coming months. He

predicted the declining number of tourist visit to Trunyan was caused by unfavorable condition of nature.

“Last year the weather was not so good, it also made visitors reluctant to visit Trunyan,” he added.

Adnyana admitted to remain op-

timistic. His party did not just raise admission fee, but also improved the quality of services and tourism facilities. “We poise the increase in admission fee with improvement in services and facilities,” he affirmed. (sos)

Bad weather, salt farmers change profession

AP Photo/Richard Drew, File

In this Oct. 11, 2013, file photo, Embryologist Rick Slifkin demonstrates fertilization techniques on a nonviable embryo at Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York, in New York. transferred, to reduce chances for unsafe multiple births. Paulson, director of the University of Southern California’s fertility program, said the move could

lead to a decline in some complications including those related to over-stimulated ovaries.

Dr. Jamie Grifo, director of New York University’s fertility

3

Tourist visit to Bangli targeted at 700,000 people

Fertility treatment poses rare risks to moms CHICAGO — Complications are uncommon for women undergoing test-tube fertility procedures: A new 12-year U.S. study shows the most frequent involve drugs used to stimulate ovaries, but it suggests problems are rarely fatal.

Over-stimulated ovaries occurred in 154 out of every 10,000 pregnancy attempts; rates of other complications were less than 10 per 10,000 attempts. There were 58 deaths reported during the 2000-11 study. The study lacks information on their causes, and with more than 1 million pregnancy attempts involved, the results are reassuring, said Dr. Jennifer Kawwass, an Emory University assistant professor and the lead author.

The study is the first large-scale effort to quantify risks for U.S. patients undergoing these treatments, Kawwass said. Results were published in Tuesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association.

The researchers examined federally mandated reports from U.S. fertility clinics. The fancy term for treatments involved is assisted reproductive technology, the shorthand is IVF. It refers to in vitro fertilization — mixing eggs and sperm in a lab dish. Any resulting embryo or embryos are then transferred to the uterus. A type of IVF involving injecting a single sperm into an egg was included in the study.

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center, noted that about 2 percent of U.S. babies are born from IVF, and said the study confirms that risks facing women undergoing the procedure are small. (ap)

AMLAPURA - Bad weather condition occurred in early 2015 caused salt farmers at Amed hamlet, Purwakerti village, Abang subdistrict, confused. A number of farmers are forced to change their profession because their salt-making activities can no longer be carried out due to persistent rain.

As previous years, salt farmers could just start their production after the rainy season ends, namely around July and August.

One of the farmers at Amed hamlet, Ni Made Sari, claimed to work as laborer that looked for grass to meet daily needs. According to her, the salt-making having been done traditionally for dozen years highly depended on the sun. Due to the shortage of sunlight and frequent rain, Made Sari could not make salt again.

Constraint of sunlight caused salt farmers at Amed hamlet to stop their work by force until rainy season ended. “Now, farmers are unable to make salt so that they are forced to break until the weather is getting fine. Usually summer starts in August,” said Made Sari.

Working as a laborer of grass seeker, Made Sari just got a wage of IDR 20,000. In addition to seeking grass, she also had to carry the grass for fodder. Meanwhile, her husband helped her family economy by fishing. However, fishermen at Amed could not go far in the sea considering the weather was unfavorable.

“Maximally, we just can sail around seashores as the weather condition is still bad,” he said.

On the other hand, the current condition of salt farmers is very low indeed. Limited number of production plus a long process of making salt causes their income to be still far from feasible. Made Sari admitted that each kilogram of salt was sold for IDR 3,000. When the weather was nice she could produce 20 kilograms of salt processed during four days. “Our income as salt farmer is meager, only IDR 3,000 for each kilogram. Even, we should wait for 4 days,” she said.

Her party admitted that when travelers made a visit to her salt production base, her income could get better. She claimed to sell her salt for IDR 50,000 per kilogram.

“If there is direct purchase here, we usually sell for IDR 50,000 each kilogram. Sometimes there is a purchase of 10 to 20 kilograms, but we certainly divide it with our group,” he added.

Salt farmer group of Amed has been well known overseas. Some few of the production yielded by local farmer group was exported.

Country of destination for her salt included France and Japan for used for flavoring food or meeting spa needs.

Although having great potential in the eyes of world community, so far the role of government to develop the salt potential has not been visible at all. “This salt farmer group never got any assistance from government,” he concluded. (kmb44)

IBP/Budana

Bad weather condition occurred in early 2015 caused salt farmers at Amed hamlet, Purwakerti village, Abang subdistrict, confused. A number of farmers are forced to change their profession because their salt-making activities can no longer be carried out due to persistent rain.

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International

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Bali News

Chef Christophe is a French national who has fulfilled the role of Executive Chef at InterContinental Bali Resort since 2013, and has been with the IHG since 1994. His career has taken him to numerous locations around the globe, from the Michelin star-rated restaurants of France and Germany to Bermuda, Canada, Egypt, The Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam, Spain and the United States. Chef Christophe is proud to lead multi-cultural teams and share his passion for good, healthy food, cooked with integrity. At InterContinental Bali

aimed at motorcycle gangs. When found to breaking any laws, they will not be forgiven. Such are the prevention efforts undertaken by Denpasar Police,” said the Chief of Denpasar Police Criminal Investigation Unit, Nengah Sadiarta, Tuesday (Jan 6).

Regarding the case of Komang Edi Wijaya, 16, who was robbed and stabbed by a motorcycle gang on Jalan Tukad Balian in front of Victory Futsal, South Denpasar, Saturday (Dec 13), Sadiarta revealed that it was still being investigated. So far, the investigation had not led to the perpetrator due to the shortage of witnesses. “Information from the

Resort he is kept busy coordinating the menus at the resort’s five distinct and different dining venues. He inspires junior members of his kitchen team and delights discerning travellers with his flavoursome cuisine.

InterContinental Bali Resort’s General Manager, Mr. Michel Chertouh, strongly believes in investing in the health of the hotel’s employees and their families. He maintains, “To ensure that we have a successful hotel, it is important that we educate our staff to eat healthily.” (r)

IBP/Courtesy of InterContinental

As part of its ongoing commitment to promote a healthy work environment and provide programmes that encourage wellness and healthy lifestyles for its employees and their families, InterContinental Bali Resort recently created a giant veggie burger for its staff.

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Balinese Temple Ceremony Making expression and creation freely

Putu Suwarsa:

IBP/Suasrina

Lake Batur

Denpasar Police to tease out motorcycle gang members DENPASAR - Instructions by Bali Police Chief, Benny Mokalu requiring all Bali Police to form special task forces in each county in order to hunt down motorcycle gangs, was immediately followed up by Chief of Denpasar Police.

The Denpasar Police Criminal Investigation Unit has already identified motorcycle gangs in Denpasar. If they commit any crimes, they could be immediately arrested. In addition, raids have also been intensified and if any violations are revealed, they are dealt with firmly.

“Pursuant to leadership command, each subdistrict police station must intensify its raids

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JIMBARAN - As part of its ongoing commitment to promote a healthy work environment and provide programmes that encourage wellness and healthy lifestyles for its employees and their families, InterContinental Bali Resort recently created a giant veggie burger for its staff. Measuring one metre across and weighing in at around 100 kg, the ingredients for the healthy falafel burger comprised a homebaked, 17 kg, whole-wheat hamburger bun; 25 kg of chickpeas; 15 kg of tomatoes; 15 kg of cucumber; and 10 kg of lettuce, together with olive oil, yogurt, and 5kg of cilantro for the cilantro & yogurt sauce.

The burger was prepared and cooked by Executive Chef, Christophe Depuichaffray, and his team to highlight InterContinental Bali Resort’s healthy eating campaign.

BANGLI – Due to lack of clarity from the central government regarding plans to dredge Lake Batur in 2015, the Head of Bangli Livestock and Fisheries Agency, Made Alit Parwata has called fish cage owners on the lake to go ahead and drop their hatchlings into the lake without worrying about being disrupted by the dredging. bottom of the lake to rise and mix with the lake water as many fish farmers fear. “In my opinion, they will likely use a siphoning system. Using special equipment, the clumps of mud will be sucked up from the bottom of the lake” he explained. However, this is only a prediction. He admitted that he and the Livestock and Fisheries Agency have never been invited to coordinate with the Bali or Bangli Environment Agency regarding the dredging techniques to be used for Lake Batur.

As for the concerns of the fish cage owners about the dredging of Lake Batur, Alit Parwata has also asked the Environment Agency to make theirs plans public. “Hopefully, the Environment Agency will explain to the public about the technique and schedule of the dredging plans,” he said. (ina)

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Healthy eating for employees

Lake Batur dredging schedule unclear

According to Alit Parwata, the dredging plans remain limited to discourse within the central government and there is yet to be any clear schedule for the normalization of Lake Batur. “I’d like to appeal to fish farmers to release their hatchlings. Because the dredging schedule remains unclear, do not hesitate to go on with your usual activities” said Alit Parwata.

The livestock and Fisheries Agency went on to clarify that fish cage owners need not be concerned about the dredging process at all because the lake dredging would be conducted with special equipment -unlike river dredging which involves scrapping the bottom of the river By using a pipe or other such technique, Alit Parwata believes that the lake dredging process would not cause sulfur from the

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South Denpasar Police state that the victim has not reported the incident. Nevertheless, we continue to intensify the investigation of the case,” he said.

Meanwhile, a teenage observer, Oka Negara, revealed some of the factors that lead teenagers to join motorcycle gang: “there are two factors, namely internal and external factors. In terms of internal factors, there is the character of teenagers, they want to know, to try, to join a gang and test their steel against they consider ideal.

Obviously this age (teenager—Ed) they want to establish their own identity,” added Oka. External factors include the

influence of their environment, especially their peers, their home life and mass media. All of these environments transform them but it is a double-edged sword resulting in good or bad actions.

He asserted that this is also the case when associating with a motorcycle gang. Those with a rebellious character want to show off their identity and go up against the establishment. When fueled by lack of attention from parents or adults and an unsuitable environment of friendships, they could eventually be lead to negative or criminal things.”

“Biologically, hormonal changes occur in adolescence that can kindle

turmoil and unstable things to happen,” said academician in andrology and sexology at the Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University.

According to him, short-term solutions such as establishing a task force meant to oversee the bad behavior of motorcycle gangs, might be good. But this is only a shortterm solution. A better solutions is to by provide comfortable and positive education starting in the family, as well as conducive character education at schools. “These are more permanent because the input is responsible for character building. Moreover, if adults can show good examples that are worth imitating,” said Oka. (kmb36)

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In the past, he only worked on and visualized the ideas of others. But now, he is free to make his own expression and creation. His name is Putu Suwarsa. For 23 years, the man born on December 20, 1969 has been accustomed to working in the tourism sector, particularly in the Food & Beverage Department. He is able to process Balinese traditional dishes into superior food and raise it into favorite food. At the moment, he is also entrusted as Executive Chef and consultant chef at the Coco Group. The group of company manages the properties like the Natya Hotel Kuta, Coco Café & Grill Nusa Dua, Coco Café & Grill Seminyak and Natya Hotel Tanah Lot. “Previously, I was a sous-chef who just ran the program in accordance with the existing system. It is different from what I do today,” he said friendlily. Armed with a wealth of experience, he continued, nowadays he could handle from the concept planning, programming, preparing to waiting for the results of the execution. “If the result and comment are good, it can get satisfaction,” said this former athlete and coach. Another challenge, said Suwarsa, was to improve the quality and competency of the staff in the Food & Beverage Department.

Sharing knowledge with junior staff is an obligation of the senior. In addition to improving the quality of the staff, it would also have an impact on the quality of products and services extended.

“Personally, I am teaching the staff by implementing the Train-the-Trainer method. So, I only teach a trainer intensively and then the trainer will share the knowledge to the other trainees,” he explained. Suwarsa added that specifically for the product, he would continue the creation of new menu based on his own ideas. For example, he would upgrade the menu every 6 months and enhance the existing menus.

“My owner has some restaurants and I do hope that every restaurant has a good product on demand. So, my challenge is to carry out this obligation one by one,” he concluded. (ocha)

IBP/Ocha

Every Temple and Shrine has a special date for it annual Ceremony, or “ Odalan “, every 210 days according to Balinese calendar, including the smaller ancestral shrine which each family possesses. Because of this practically every few days a ceremony of festival of some kind takes place in some Village in Bali. There are also times when the entire island celebrated the same Holiday, such as at Galungan, Kuningan, Nyepi day, Saraswati day, Tumpek Landep day, Pagerwesi day, Tumpek Wayang day etc.

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

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

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

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

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Entertainment

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Faris and Janney host the People’s Choice Awards

Cameron Diaz marries Benji Madden

IBP/Net

LOS ANGELES — Anna Faris sums up her feelings about the People’s Choice Awards in a single word. “Terror,” says the actress, who will co-host the 41st annual awards, airing live Wednesday from the Nokia Theatre, with her “Mom” co-star Allison Janney.

“We don’t know what we’re doing,” Janney added as she sat with Faris for a brief interview recently on the set of their CBS sitcom.

“We’ve never hosted a show before. I think they’re crazy for having picked us. And we’re going to prove it,” Janney continued with a laugh as Faris giggled beside her.

Previous experience with the People’s Choice Awards, which polls the public for its popular-culture picks, doesn’t bode well for the two actresses.

Each has been nominated once, last year. And each lost.

And yet “Faris and Janney,” as Janney calls them, has emerged as a successful, if unlikely, team.

Before the 2013 debut of “Mom,” now in its second season, the 38-year-old Faris starred in six big-screen blockbusters — all comedies. The diminutive blonde’s calling card is the 2008 box-office hit “The House Bunny,” in which she starred as an over-the-hill Playboy model who gets the boot from the mansion and finds success as a sorority house mother.

Janney, 55, has a resume that includes Tony nominations, key dramatic film roles in such projects as the Oscar-winning “American Beauty” and six Emmy wins — four for the seven seasons she played White House Press Secretary C.J. Cregg on “The West Wing” and two more Emmys last year for her guest role as a long-suffering gay man’s wife on “Masters of Sex” and for her work with Faris on “Mom.” Forget comparisons to other popular comedy teams.

“I like to think that, as opposed to one of us being the straight person, one of us being the funny person, that we’re both the insane people — just at different moments,” Faris said. (ap)

LOS ANGELES — Cameron Diaz is a newlywed. A spokesman for the actress confirms Diaz married musician Benji Madden on Monday night. Publicist Brad Cafarelli says the couple wed in an intimate ceremony at their Los Angeles home.

It’s the first marriage for the 42-year-old actress and the 35year-old rocker. Madden’s twin brother and Good Charlotte band mate, Joel Madden, is married to Nicole Richie.

Just weeks after it was confirmed that Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden were engaged, the Annie star and Good Charlotte rocker have tied the knot.

“We couldn’t be happier to begin our new journey together surrounded by our closest family and friends,” said the couple in a statement.

The wedding party included bridesmaids Drew Barrymore; Nicole Richie (Madden’s sister-inlaw); Cameron’s sister, Chimene; and the actress’s assistant, Jessica Lutz, according to Us Weekly.

Sparrow Madden, the nephew of the groom and son of Richie and Benji’s brother, Joel Madden, was the ring bearer. Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, and Samantha Ronson were among the guests.

News that the couple was planning to tie the knot leaked early Monday. According to People, the newlyweds tried to keep their plans

under wraps by telling neighbors they were having a pre-Golden Globes party.

Trucks from the Velvet Garden florists, Classic Party Rentals, and Beverage Warehouse were all spotted arriving at their private gated home today and a white tent was constructed in the backyard.

Yifat Oren, who planned weddings for Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, and Cameron’s BFF Drew Barrymore, was spotted at the actress’s house ahead of the hush-hush nuptials. (ap)

Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File

In this Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014 file photo, co-hosts Anna Faris, left, and Allison Janney pose together following the nominations for the People’s Choice Awards 2015, in Beverly Hills, Calif.

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Thursday, January 8, 2015

Sri Lanka’s Tamils say they’ll back president’s challenger

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In or out? Controversial goal gives Roma 1-0 win at Udinese Page 8

Snow falls in Middle East as strong winter storm strikes

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In 2015

Bali’s economy predicted to grow 6.5 percent

DENPASAR - Strong growth in consumption and improvement in investment climate in line with the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community and improvement of exports are believed to have a positive impact on the economy of Bali in 2015. Bank Indonesia predicts that Bali’s economy will grow in the range from 6.0 to 6.5 percent (yoy).

“Estimation on the strengthening consumption in line with Bank Indonesia’s survey results indicates the improvement in expectation of earnings and economic growth in 2015,” said Chief Representative of Bank Indonesia for Bali Region, Dewi Setyowati, in Denpasar.

She explained the strengthening consumption was also shored up by provincial, county and municipal budget in 2015. The increase in exports was supported by the improvement in the US economy which was the main export (including furniture and apparel) destination.

“In terms of investment, the increase is supported by infrastructural investment such as the construction of shortcuts at strategic points of goods distribution in Bali, plans to build toll road to Singaraja and Gilimanuk as well as irrigation improvement,” she said.

Additionally, she also explained the inflation projection was much higher than the inflation target in 2015 in the regional mid-term development plan (RPJMD) spreading in the range of 4.4 to 4.74 percent. One of the causes of the inflation was a factor of food group due to limited supply distribution. “Throughout the year 2014, Bali’s economy does not face a significant impact on the global economic downturn and the impact of rising fuel prices,” she said.

Rector of the Undiknas University, Prof. Gede Sri Darma, DBA, also predicted if the economic growth next year would be as high as 6 percent, although many government policies in 2014 had an impact on the economic growth correction.

“My prediction is that Bali’s economy will grow above 6 percent with an inflation rate of not more than 4 percent. I have confidence that poli-

cies in 2014 are just temporary shock, but in fact will improve the overall economy,” he said. She admitted the government policy to raise the price of fuel did not have an impact on the BI rate predicted to increase to 8 percent.

However, this policy could be muted if bankers had a high commitment to establish loan interest of not more than 2 percent of the saving interest determined by Bank Indonesia at 9.75 percent. Not only that, the government

was also required to adjust the minimum wage in each province, so that slowly but surely would improve the economic growth.

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.

ANTARA FOTO/Fikri Yusuf

Tourists flocked at Kuta Beach during the year-end holiday of 2014. Strong growth in consumption and improvement in investment climate in line with the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community and improvement of exports are believed to have a positive impact on the economy of Bali in 2015.