Edition Wednesday, May 8, 2019 | International Bali Post

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Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Modern sculpture meets ancient Greece in unique island exhibition DELOS - A stone’s throw from the Greek island of Mykonos lies Delos, an uninhabited islet a world away from its neighbour’s glamorous nightlife.

It is there, on an island best known for its archaeological treasures, that British contemporary artist Antony Gormley is showing 29 of his sculptures.

Gormley is perhaps best known for his gigantic Angel of the North, a 20-metre high steel work that since 1998 has been an unmissable landmark in its home at Gateshead, northern England.

But this new exhibition -- including five works specially created for the event -- sets his contemporary work among the remains of ancient Greece.

“It’s an extraordinary responsibility,” Gormley told AFP at the opening.

“It’s an amazing privilege to occupy a site that hasn’t been occupied by a living artist (for) over

two thousand years -- that’s a bit of a challenge isn’t it?”

The archaeological finds on Delos date back as far as the 3rd millennium BC up to the Hellenic era of classical Greece.

Its UNESCO World Heritage listing describes it as an “exceptionally extensive and rich” site, reflecting its past as a cosmopolitan port.

The exhibition is intended as a dialogue between contemporary civilisation and the past, says Elina Kountouri, who heads up NEON, the non-profit that organised the show along with London’s Whitechapel Gallery.

A mark of the respect accorded to the site is that none of Gormley’s sculptures have been placed inside the ruins of the ancient sanctuaries of the Greek gods Apollo and Artemis.

According to Greek myth, Delos is where the two gods -- brother and sister -- were born. (afp)

LOUISA GOULIAMAKI / AFP

The statue “Another time XV” by British artist Antony Gormley, part of his exhibition “Sight”, overlooks the island of Mykonos at the archeological site of the island of Delos.

Mexican-American singer Lila Downs confronts immigration debate in new album

10 Malaika Scret 11 Snack Shack 12 Warung Lokal 13 Cokro Cafee 14 T.J.Bar 15 J & N Kebab 16 Goanna Bar 17 Batu Jimbar 18 Ramayana Cafee

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

NEW YORK - Long an advocate for rural communities in her native Mexico, singer Lila Downs is now adding inflections of cumbia and electro to her signature brand of folk -- and taking on the hot-button issue of immigration.

The Grammy-winning Mexican-American’s just-released ninth studio album offers a defiant celebration of diversity while challenging US President Donald Trump’s hardline stance on immigration, something Downs calls a “responsibility.”

After performing with the likes of folk legend Joan Baez on the USMexico border to raise funds for migrant refugees, Downs decided to cover the iconic song “Clandestino,” an immigrant anthem originally by indie darling Manu Chao.

“If we don’t fight for children, what will become of us?” the 50year-old says in her cover of the hit, referring to the White House’s immigrant detention policies that saw children separated from their parents.

“Immigration must always be looked at from a human point of view,” she told AFP while in New York to promote “Al Chile,” her album that dropped Friday.

“We must pay tribute to these people, make them songs,” she said, shaking her colorful traditional shawl as the breeze sent her long dark hair into ripples, the

AFP

Reuters journalists Wa Lone (centre L) and Kyaw Soe Oo (centre R) gesture outside Insein prison after being freed in a presidential amnesty in Yangon on May 7, 2019.

Don Emmert / AFP

Mexican-American singer-songwriter Lila Downs Empire State Building towering over the skyline.

- Half and half Downs -- who is embarking on a tour that will take her to San Jose, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and later Spain, Peru and Colombia -- now lives in Mexico’s southern city Oaxaca but grew up between Mexico and the United States.

The daughter of an American filmmaker and biologist whose mother is Mixtec, an indigenous group in southern Mexico, Downs says it’s her job to speak up on behalf of migrants as a performer of mixed descent.

“It’s a responsibility as a Mex-

ican-American to talk about these issues,” she said. “My whole career has been like that, partly because I am half and half and I wanted to unite the two worlds.”

Trump’s discourse, she said, is precisely “the opposite of what I’ve tried to do my entire life.”

But despite its sometimes weighty content, the album that includes a collaboration with US singer Norah Jones -- who sings in English and Spanish -- also celebrates life and is perfect for a party, Downs said.

“It has a lot of heart on some subjects, but it’s mostly for enjoyment” -- something for “the waist down,” she laughed. (afp)

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Myanmar press freedom ‘suffocating’ despite Reuters reporters’ release

Media freedom advocates praised the surprise release of Reuters reporters in Myanmar but stressed the pair should never have been jailed in the first place and called for sweeping reforms of paralysing press laws.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters walked free from Yangon’s Insein prison Tuesday after more than 500 days behind bars as part of a large presidential amnesty following a global campaign calling for their release.

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were sentenced to seven years in prison under the draconian Official Secrets Act last year after probing a massacre of 10 Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state.

The killings occurred in the conflict-wracked region of Myanmar that has been largely offlimits to journalists since an army crackdown forced some 740,000 members of the stateless Rohingya minority to flee to Bangladesh.

But as the world cheered the sud-

den release Tuesday, media watchdogs cautioned against celebrating the move as a new chapter for Myanmar’s tainted press freedom record.

Nicholas Bequelin of Amnesty International called the case against the Reuters reporters “a travesty of justice from start to finish”.

He said there were still “a range of repressive laws used to detain journalists, activists and any perceived critic” in place.

“Until these laws are repealed, journalists and activists remain under a permanent threat of detention and arrest.” The United Nations on Tuesday echoed Amnesty’s fears after welcoming the pair’s release.

“The situation for freedom of expression (in Myanmar) is dire,” the UN human rights office spokes-

woman Ravina Shamdasani said in Geneva.

She added that “no positive progress has been observed” since the rights office issued a set of recommendations last year aimed at improving free speech in Myanmar.

Myanmar is ranked 138 out of 180 countries for press freedom by Reporters Without Borders, and critics say it employs colonial-era legislation to target journalists and activists.

That includes a roster of legislation such as the State Secrets Act and laws on unlawful association and incitement. A telecommunications law passed in 2013 has also been used to target reporters and government critics.

There are currently almost 130 prisoners behind bars in Myanmar

either convicted or awaiting trial for politically motivated reasons, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners in Yangon.

- ‘Face-saving’ release The Reuters saga is not the first time Myanmar has courted unwanted attention for press freedom issues.

On June 2017 three journalists from two independent news outlets -- the Irrawaddy and Democratic Voice of Burma -- were arrested by the military at a checkpoint after reporting from an ethnic armed group-controlled area.

They were charged with unlawful association and held for 10 weeks before the military dropped the case.

Another journalist Swe Win faces an ongoing case of online defamation that has dragged on for almost two years and which requires him to make frequent trips to another city

hours away to attend hearings.

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo’s release does little to change Myanmar’s “suffocating media environment”, said Matthew Bugher of Article 19, a freedom of expression organisation.

“If the government was serious about media freedom, it could start by reforming the repressive colonial-era law that was used to charge the two men, as well as a whole host of other laws that stifle independent journalism and free speech,” he added.

Continued to page 6

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2

Bali News

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

International

To make equity

Revision of RTRWP accommodates infrastructure development

DENPASAR - Having been interrupted by Concurrent Election, the discussion on the revision of Regional Regulation (Perda) No.16/2009 concerning the Bali Provincial Spatial Planning (RTRWP) is continued between the executive and legislative in the Bali House of Representatives on Monday (May 6). For reasons to realize equity, a number of infrastructure development plans appear to be accommodated in the revision starting from roads, airport in Buleleng to train plans.

“Infrastructure concerns spaces such as roads and airport. Besides, there are plans for railways. How to not focus on the southern region, surely it must also be shifted to the areas beyond the Sarbagita,” said Chairperson of the Special Committee for the Revision of the Regional Regulation on the RTRWP, I Ketut Kariyasa Adnyana, when asked for his confirmation after the meeting.

According to Kariyasa, the regions in Bali tend to prosper because of the tourism sector, as in Badung. Even though there has been a distribution of hotel and restaurant tax (PHR) from Badung, other districts cannot be excluded because the PHR alone cannot resolve the overall problem in the recipient district.

“In some regions, there are proposals from districts / municipality to be opened as tourism areas surely with the requirements that do not disturb Bali in general. As an example of upstream areas, Bedugul, Munduk, Kintamani and certain slopes should not be used as tourism areas,” explained this PDI-P

politician from Busungbiu, Buleleng.

But in certain areas, continued Kariyasa, such as Goa Lawah and Nusa Penida in Klungkung can be used as tourism areas.

Then, Buleleng area that may be developed is like Batu Ampar and Air Sanih and other areas. “Now, the tourism sector is the most promising sector for increasing regional income and for alleviating poverty and the progress of districts / cities,” he added.

To immediately realize equity in Bali, Kariyasa said infrastructure development plays an important role. Among them, the construction of shortcuts is a priority scale to realize the balance between southern Bali and northern Bali. Then, with east Bali, Nusa Penida is developed by repairing the harbor.

Meanwhile, the western Bali, in general will be built a ring road and toll road apart from the shortcut to parse traffic jams on the Denpasar-Gilimanuk line.

“There are also some new proposals because of Bali’s achievements with Jokowi’s victory as in Gunaksa will be used for the

Bali Cultural Center,” he said.

Regarding the Tanah Ampo Harbor, Kariyasa said the governor still proposed the cruise ship dock. However, it must be made a breakwater so that cruise ship can lean. After that, passengers are ushered in a lifeboat. Meanwhile, his proposal is to help ferry boats to cross from Bali mainland to Nusa Penida.

In the meantime, Deputy Chairman of the Special Committee for the Revision of the Regional Regulation of RTRWP, I Nengah Tamba, specifically fought for the DenpasarGilimanuk toll road to be accommodated in the RTRWP. According to him, it is the only way to realize the balance of southern Bali and western Bali. If the Denpasar-Gilimanuk toll road is too short, the Bhinneka Tunggal Ika toll road can be built passing through Bali, NTB and NTT. “I have to make it concrete in this Regional Regulation on RTRWP before completing my assignment. One more thing is how the central government can provide incentives for the existence of Balinese customs and culture. It has already been stated in the Regional Regulation on Customary Village,” said the Democratic politician from Jembrana.

Who will work on the toll road, continued Tamba, is only a technical problem. Most importantly there is a legal instrument and

the investors will come by themselves. According to him, the Denpasar-Gilimanuk toll road had been accommodated but on the beach. It was declared impossible. “Simply make at the edge of the forest because we have possibility to make cooperate with the Forestry Agency. So, investment is not too expensive. Besides, initiators do not need to buy land,” he explained. (kmb32)

Future of 2002 Bali Bombings site uncertain as land owner demands IDR90

Foreign tourists visit the memorial for victims of the 2002 Bali bombings during the 15th anniversary of the blasts in the Kuta tourist area near Denpasar, Bali on October 12, 2017. The 2002 blast, blamed on the militant Jemaah Islamiyah network linked to AlQaeda, tore apart a busy nightclub strip on the resort island of Bali killing 202 people, including 88 Australians. Photo: Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP The family that owns the property where Sari Club — one of the sites of the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people — once stood in Kuta is reportedly playing hard ball about a potential sale of the property.

The family has come under intense criticism over their plans to build a five-story building housing a restaurant and offices at the site

and since then, they have been in negotiations with the local government and the Australia-based Bali Peace Park Association (BPPA) — who want to build a memorial to honor the bombing victims — about a potential sale.

Australia’s ABC today reported that the family had agreed with BPPA, the Bali government and Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry, among others, to sell the 700 square meters site for US$3.4 million. However, the land owners are holding out on any deal before they’re also paid IDR90 billion (US$6.3 million) in compensation, which is the value of the five-story building project they had previously planned.

“There was no price agreed from our meeting yesterday, and it needs to be underlined that we won’t sell at land price but we will sell the project plan in accordance with

the issued building permit,” land owner Lina Tania told Detik via text message today.

Tania said if the demand was not obeyed, the family would commence with the construction of the building.

“We will continue to build the project but we delayed it because we appreciate BPPA’s effort to buy [the site]. But if BPPA cannot afford to meet our demands, we’ll go ahead with building it as planned because this is still our land,” Tania said.

“BPPA wanted to buy but the price offered was too cheap and that didn’t respect the land owners.

In every meeting, they always put emotions forward and threatened it will affect the countries’ diplomatic ties. We, as the land owners, do not want that to happen, but we hope what has been decided be

considered and respected. Whatever happens, this is privatelyowned land.”

The meeting’s mediator, local tourism agency head Made Badra, told Detik yesterday that BPPA offered to pay IDR 5 billion in compensation for the site, which has been vacant since the 2002 Bali bombings.

BPPA have long been hoping to build a permanent memorial on the site to honor the bombing victims. They initially hoped the Sari Club site owners would agree to do a land swap, as Bali Governor Wayan Koster had offered a bigger site nearby in exchange for the plot of land.

The ground-breaking ceremony for the five-story building was scheduled for May 1. Plans to develop the building, which would include a restaurant, a small busi-

ness centre and a museum for the bombing victims, has angered Australia.

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison called the plan “deeply distressing” and said he would demand the Indonesian government resolve the issue.

The 2002 Bali bombings claimed the lives of people from at least 21 countries, including 38 Indonesian nationals. Local terror network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) was blamed after its members detonated explosives outside the US consulate and two popular night spots on the Indonesian resort island, including in front of Sari Club, which was later demolished.

Australia suffered the highest number of casualties from the bombings, with at least 88 of its citizens among the 202 people killed.

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Activities

International

Vouk Hotel & Suites

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

15

Offers the beauty of Indian Ocean View for tourists

LOCATED in the Nusa Dua area, Vouk Hotel & Suites offers the Indian Ocean View that guests can enjoy through their room’s balcony.

This five-star hotel has 176 rooms divided into 78 Superior Rooms, 74 Deluxe Rooms and 24 Suite Rooms.

Jesslyn, Public Relations of Vouk Hotel & Suites, stated on Thursday (May 2) that all rooms at Vouk Hotel are equipped with balconies so that guests can see the view outside. The balcony also has a sofa enabling guests to relax while breathing in the fresh air of Bali.

The hotel having been in operation since 2015 is equipped with a number of facilities that can support the activities of in-house guests.

There are a number of restaurants, meeting rooms and ballrooms that can be taken advantage by guests and business people spending holidays or doing business in Bali.

At Vouk, there are 5 restaurants, a gym, a ballroom, a meeting room, a karaoke room, a playroom, a children’s room, a spa and swimming pool. “We have 1 ballroom and 6 meeting rooms that can be used for the implementation of MICE (Meeting, Incentives, Conference, and Exhibition),” she explained.

She revealed that currently Vouk is also serious about working on domestic tourists. Moreover, it is now approaching the holiday season for school students. She expected that through a number of facilities offered it can attract tourists to choose Vouk. “Here at Vouk, our guests are not only foreign tourists but also domestic tourists. At the moment, most of our guests are tourists from China,” she added. (iah)

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Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Technology

International

Could high-flying drones power your home one day?

CALIFORNIA - A growing number of companies believe using tethered kites and drones is a viable way to harness the stronger and more consistent high-altitude winds. Could this tech release wind power’s full potential, or will it always remain a niche solution?

Wind power generated five times more electricity in 2018 than in 2008, according to recent figures from the US Energy Information Administration.

Yet it still only accounts for about 4% of the world’s electricity.

Critics point to the fact that the wind doesn’t always blow - the intermittency problem - making this form of renewable energy unreliable.

But winds at higher altitudes above 500m (1,640ft) - blow stronger and more consistently. An influential 2012 study from California’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory found that high-altitude winds alone could provide 100 times the global energy need.

“Wind turbines have been getting bigger and bigger in a bid to access winds at high altitude,” says Udo Zillmann of trade association Airborne Wind Europe. “But that means huge, expensive towers.”

So hi-tech drones and kites are now becoming accepted, lower-cost supplements, he argues.

“Airborne wind energy is a minimalistic version of a turbine, incorporating only the necessary elements: a blade and a tether measuring a few centimetres in diameter,” he explains.

“These systems require between 1% and 10% of the materials used to construct a turbine and can also be grounded if required, for example to

ease the passage of migrating birds.”

Makani, part of Google’s parent company Alphabet, is one of the companies working in the highaltitude wind space.

Its huge prototype kite is tethered to the ground and guided in loops by flight computers that use GPS and other sensors.

As the kite completes its loops, rotors on the 26m (85ft) wing spin in the wind, powering generators to produce electricity down the tether to the grid.

Makani began testing its current prototype, which is designed to produce up to 600 kilowatts of electricity - enough to power about 300 homes - in 2015.

And in partnership with energy giant Shell, it is about to trial a new offshore system mounted on floating buoys. “We plan to mount Makani’s kite on a small spar buoy moored with a synthetic line and gravity anchor,” says the firm’s chief executive, Fort Felker.

“This is possible because Makani’s kites are 90% lighter than turbines of a similar power rating.

It’s an exciting technical challenge.”

Flying energy-capturing kites or drones offshore makes sense from a regulatory point of view, given that some can travel 600m in each direction.

“You need a huge area to oper-

ate even one device, which is one reason many companies are looking offshore,” says Mr Zillmann.

There are also a number of companies working on ways to use wind power-generating drones over land, though.

Swiss start-up Skypull, for example, has developed an autonomous drone that can fly as high as 600m - about three times the height of a traditional wind turbine.

Its current prototype is a rigid wing, multi-copter “box-wing” drone that can take off and land by itself, with no need for a launcher or ground wind.

The take-off is battery powered, but once in the air the battery is recharged every time the kite loops back down towards the ground.

“Once it has climbed to operating height, the drone transitions to kite mode by turning 90 degrees from the upright position, and generates traction on the tether, which is attached to a winch that is linked to a generator,” explains Skypull chief executive Nicola Mona.

“It’s a system that enables us to fly between 200m and 600m above the ground in any location.”

Early usage is likely to be limited to smaller projects, Mr Mona admits, but he believes the Skypull system could one day be used to meet largescale energy demands. (net)

Makani’s unmanned tethered drone soars high while its propellers generate electricity.

IBP/net

Bali News

International

3

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Bali’s economy grows negatively

Only five business sectors grow positively

IBP/net

No Man’s Sky uses “procedural generation” to create new worlds automatically.

Could a computer ever create better art than a human?

LAST year a portrait of Edmond Belamy sold for $432,000 (£337,000).

A bit steep, you might think, for a picture of someone you’ve never heard of. And you won’t have heard of the artist either, as the picture was created by an algorithm drawing on a data set of 15,000 portraits painted between the 14th and 20th Centuries.

And to be honest, it’s a bit rubbish.

The sale, which astonished auction house Christie’s, raised many important questions. Can a computer, devoid of human emotion, ever be truly creative?

Is this portrait really art? Does any of that matter if people are prepared to pay for it?

And as artificial intelligence evolves and eventually perhaps reaches or surpasses human level intelligence, what will this mean for human artists and the creative industries in general?

Algorithms have already created artworks, poems, and pieces of music, but are they merely mimicking rather than creating?

Cognitive neuroscientist Romy Lorenz says a lot depends on how we define creativity.

If creativity means finding completely new ways to solve problems, then AI has already achieved that, she argues, citing Google’s DeepMind subsidiary.

In 2017, one of DeepMind’s AI programmes beat the world’s number one player of Go, an ancient and highly complex Chinese board game, after apparently mastering creative new moves and innovative strategies within days.

“Google would say that was creativity - new ways of finding solutions that it was not taught,” she says.

But is art more than just creative problem-solving?

Games, particularly those which take place within virtual worlds, have been the perfect setting for AI to solve problems creatively.

But asking an algorithm to create without any human input at all actually yields quite boring results, argues New York-based professor of computer science, Julian Togelius.

He cites Kate Compton’s “10,000 bowls of oatmeal” problem, which suggests that while algorithms can now create infinite worlds, these can be tedious for humans to play in.

An example, he suggests, was the hotly-anticipated release of space exploration game No Man’s Sky, which offered 18 quintillion algorithmically-generated planets to explore.

“In No Man’s Sky there are more places you could visit in a lifetime, with different flora and fauna. But that game has had mixed reviews - it’s a technical masterpiece but it’s not super interesting to play,” he says.

“The question is, can your algorithm generate a world that has meaning to it, and that is particular to the player in terms of place or skill?

“These algorithms are amazing - they can do more and more.

But there will always be things us humans want to put in. It’s the power of the sensibility and intentionality of the human brain - that’s what is hard [to recreate].”

Dr Lorenz points out that true artistic creativity differs from creative problem solving in that it requires a shift in perspective that machines do not appear to have the capacity for. (net)

DENPASAR — Bali’s economy grew 5.94 percent in the first quarter of 2019 (yoy). Meanwhile, in quarter to quarter (qtq) it grew negatively (-1.51 percent) because most of the business sectors in the first quarter of 2019 compared to the previous quarter did not show the best performance like before.

Of the 13 business sectors, only five business sectors showed positive growth.

Division Head of Regional Balance Sheet and Statistical Analysis at Central Statistics Agency (BPS) of Bali Province, Agus Gede Hendrayana, stated that in first quarter of 2019 Bali’s economy had indeed grown negatively compared to the fourth quarter of 2018 because it had not been peak season. “The first quarter indeed tends to be minus except for the first quarter of 2018, the number has increased,” he said Monday (May 6).

Since Bali’s economy is dominated by tourism, its growth is inseparable from tourist visits, both domestic and foreign tourists. Meanwhile, in the first quarter of 2019 Bali tourism only grew 3 percent, different from the previous year showing the growth of a dozen percent.

Another component whose contribution is substantial to the economy of Bali is agriculture.

However in the first quarter, the growth was negative because the growth of rice plants also declined whereas they usually grew quite well in the first quarter.

Air transportation also has a large contribution. International arrivals are good but domestic arrivals are not as good as the first quarter of 2018.

Of the 13 business sectors, only 5 sectors grew positively, where

the highest growth is experienced by financial and insurance services and the processing, information and communication industries. Actually in the previous several quarters, the financial and insurance services business sector recorded a slowing growth and in the first quarter of 2019 (qtq) recorded the highest growth. In the meantime, in yoy three business sectors that experienced growth are processing industry, government administration and construction.

In addition to economic growth, BPS also released a complete unemployment rate in Bali. Head of the BPS Bali, Adi Nugroho, added that open unemployment rate in Bali based on the February 2019 national labor force survey reached 1.19 percent.

“There is only about 1 person unemployment among the 100 workforce,” he said during the official release of statistics on Monday (May 6). The workforce is a population aged 10 years and over who is ready to get a job.

This unemployment rate increased 0.86 percent when compared to February 2018 (yoy).

“Bali’s unemployment rate is less than 1 per 100 workforces but now it has reached 1.19 percent,” he added.

This unemployment rate is dominated by graduates of vocational school (SMK), Diploma I, II, and III, each of which are 2.01 percent and 2.86 percent. Meanwhile, the business sector absorbing the most labor is agriculture with the percentage of 21.64 percent followed by trade of 18.22 percent.

The absorption of labor by the trade business sector has also decreased due to switching to work in the agricultural sector. (kmb42)

IBP/kmb

Another component whose contribution is substantial to the economy of Bali is agriculture. However in the first quarter, the growth was negative because the growth of rice plants also declined whereas they usually grew quite well in the first quarter.

IBP/kmb

By returning to an organic or low cost farming system, farmers are believed to be able to move towards prosperity faster.

Organic farming ideal for tourism region

DENPASAR — Legislation Agency at the Bali House of Representatives proposed a Regional Regulation on Organic Farming System. It is inseparable from realizing Bali as an organic island, namely by changing the mindset of farmers to return to use organic fertilizers such as compost. Other than restoring the glory of farmers, it is also meant to return superior varieties having vanished since farmers switched to conventional farming systems.

“After the system changes applied by farmers using technology because they want to get faster results, our varieties are all gone. In the 1970-1980s, the people had the products even though the production was rather slow but the results were very good and respected by outsiders,” said Chairman of the Legislation Agency at the Bali House of Representatives, I Gusti Putu Budiarta, amid the stipulation of the Regional Regulation Draft on the Organic Farming System, in the Joint Meeting Room of the Bali House of Representatives on Monday (May 6).

According to Budiarta, some countries such as Thailand learned a lot to Bali about farming system in the past. However, after being touched by technology, Balinese farmers instead walked backwards or are unable to prosper. By returning to an organic or low cost farming system, farmers are believed to be able to move towards prosperity faster. Role of the government is

also expected to provide incentives or subsidies for farmers at the beginning of the implementation of the organic farming system.

“Now, we think about changing the system first. Secondly, related to the price of production we will leave to the provincial government of Bali because in this regulation there will also be a regulating institution. It is related to the beginning of the production using this system, as well as post-harvest,” explained this PDIP politician from Denpasar.

Meanwhile, Secretary of Commission III of Bali House of Representatives, I Ketut Kariyasa Adnyana, said that organic farming is the ideal for Bali as a tourism area. However, the challenge is indeed quite difficult because it has to deal with capitalism controlling pesticides.

“Secondly, we will also deal with the habits of people having tended to use pesticides. Of course, there are consequences to the

results obtained in the first years.

There will be a huge cost, so that farmers need to be helped or given compensation for crops,” he said.

Nevertheless, Kariyasa is optimistic that Bali can realize organic agriculture which will later become an added value for tourism.

Chairperson of Commission IV at the Bali House of Representatives, I Nyoman Parta, said the problems faced by farmers are not actually in production level but certainty to get results at the time of harvest. At present, being a farmer in Indonesia is sometimes ‘opposed’ by the state. For example, when the prices of commodity are on the rise, the government rushes to intervene by holding market operation to reduce the prices.

“Without subsidies, farmers will continue this way. We will not be able to put the brakes on land conversion because farmers left behind are only the old ones, while the young are not available,” he affirmed. (kmb32)

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Bali News

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

International

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

International

Arrangement of Suwung Landfill will reduce pollution

Australian PM egged on campaign trail

DENPASAR - The arrangement of Suwung Landfill carried out by the central government through the Ministry of Public Works and Settlement (PUPR) began to be worked on since a few months ago. The landfill area of 32.46 hectares is no longer to dispose of garbage as a whole. However, only 10 hectares of the land can be used to dispose of garbage, while 22 hectares will be used as eco-park.

Head of Denpasar Environment and Sanitation Agency (DLHK), I Ketut Wisada, when met at his office on Monday (May 6) revealed the landfill arrangement will be able to reduce pollution in Denpasar. All this time, one source of pollution is from garbage. Although it is not too big, there is still pollution. Therefore, to minimize pollution, the central government has now carried out arrangement and the area will be planted with trees.

Pollution caused by the waste also contributes to the damage to the greenhouse effect. The ozone layer is thinning and will damage existing air quality. With the arrangement of the Suwung landfill which is a waste collection site will be able to reduce the source of air pollution.

According to Wisada, the project carried out by the PLP Working Unit is planned to be completed in 2021.

In general, this arrangement will be done by planting trees, so that the land will function as a forest. It will not only function as a forest, but also for places to travel.

He said the area to be used for eco-park reaches 22 hectares. The remaining 10 hectares will be utilized for Waste Power Plants (PLTSa). This means the location to dispose of garbage will later be on the land. Of the 10 hectares managed for garbage, around 5 hectares will be used for the engine area. (kmb12)

Adem ALTAN / AFP

President of Turkey and leader of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets party members during his party’s parliamentary group meeting at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on May 7, 2019 in Ankara.

IBP/eka

The arrangement of Suwung Landfill carried out by the central government through the Ministry of Public Works and Settlement (PUPR) began to be worked on since a few months ago.

Fines for overstaying foreigners

BPPD Badung claims to have no impacts

MANGUPURA - The attitude of the Badung Regional Tourism Promotion Board (BPPD) regarding the policy of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights is inversely reversed with the statement of the Head of the Badung Tourism Office. The local BPPD even fully supports the policy of imposing a fine of IDR 1 million on foreign

citizens whose period of stay has exceeded or overstay in Bali, especially in Badung.

Chairperson of BPPD Badung, I Gusti Agung Ngurah Rai Suryawijaya, said the policy contained in Government Regulation Number 28/2019 concerning Types and Tariffs for the Type of Non-Tax State Revenue to foreign citizens

I Gusti Agung Ngurah Rai Suryawijaya

IBP/kmb

is an attempt of the government to discipline foreigners.

“The policy will not affect tourist visits, instead we support law enforcement because those who normally overstay are not tourists, but foreigners who come for other purposes,” said Rai Suryawijaya on Monday (May 6).

He was optimistic the policy of imposing fine sanctions on foreign citizens that overstayed will not have a significant impact on tourist visits to Bali, especially Badung.

Moreover, the number of foreigners exceeding their residence permits is very small.

“The percentage does not reach 1 percent and even zero comma. So, there is no influence on the level of room occupancy. We really hope the policy is really implemented, so there are no people playing,” he affirmed.

According to him, there is little chance that foreigners will exceed their residence permit because when they arrive at their destina-

tion, they are required to fill out an immigration form. On the form has been clearly stated the purpose of their coming, length of stay, and place to stay.

“Based on the data, we can check which foreigners have overstayed, so that it is unlikely to happen and if it happens there will be a reason why such as sickness, getting involved in particular cases and others,” he said.

Rai Suryawijaya also proposed related parties such as police to record any negative behavior of foreigners while on vacation in Bali. “We see which foreigners are mostly involved in criminal acts so that we can recommend revoking visa free facility. Now, there are 168 countries that enjoy visa free to Indonesia,” he said.

Previously, Head of the Badung Tourism Office, I Made Badra, stated that the policy which had been implemented starting in May 2019 is a challenge for Badung district to develop tourism.

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“This rule can affect tourist visits because there are many individual foreigners making a visit even though for a good deterrent effect,” he said.

As with foreigners traveling in groups, according to this bureaucrat from Kuta, foreigners making a visit by using the service of travel agency will be reminded by the company regarding their permission or if residence permit has exceeded the time limit.

“If this happens, it is better for them to go to Singapore than to Indonesia because the individuals are not necessarily all rich. Just imagine if an individual celebrates a vacation, and late for 1 week.

Thus, they will be fined as much as IDR 7 million,” he said.

Moreover, said Made Badra, the cost to Singapore is not too expensive. The money of IDR 7 million can even extend their permit for 30 days. “We think that a fine of one million per day is very expensive,” he concluded. (kmb27)

Erdogan welcomes controversial move to re-run Istanbul vote

SYDNEY - Australia’s election became a little more raucous on Tuesday when a protestor tried -- but failed -- to crack an egg on Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s head.

The attacker’s egg, thrown from close range, appeared to bounce off the politician at a Country Women’s Association event in New South Wales, where Morrison was campaigning ahead of May 18 general elections.

The woman was wrestled away

by Morrison’s close protection security detail and could later be seen leaving the venue holding an egg carton.

New South Wales police said they had taken a “25-year-old woman into custody following an incident involving the Prime Minister in Albury”.

It was not yet clear whether she would be charged.

In the fracas, an older woman was bundled over, and Morrison -- who is trailing in the polls ahead of the May 18 vote -- had to help her up.

Morrison seized on the incident to attack his political detractors.

“My concern about today’s incident in Albury was for the older lady who was knocked off her feet.

I helped her up and gave her a hug,” he tweeted.

“We will stand up to thuggery whether it’s these cowardly activists who have no respect for anyone, or militant unionists standing over small businesses and their employees on work sites.”

Union leader Sally McManus pilloried the prime minister for that comparison.

“How dare you accuse us of this & make the association,” she tweeted.

“You seem to have no respect for the truth or any concern about running down your fellow Australians. We would never support such behaviour.”

Opposition Labor party leader Bill Shorten, tipped to take over the prime minister’s job, called the assault “appalling and disgraceful”.

“The prime minister has my complete sympathy,” he added, telling reporters in Melbourne: “In Australia we have violence-free elections.”

The incident followed a highly publicised assault of far-right politician Fraser Anning, who had an egg smashed on his head during a press conference.

His teen attacker had been protesting comments Anning made blaming the massacre of 51 Muslim worshippers in two Christchurch mosques on immigrants to New Zealand. (afp)

ISTANBUL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday welcomed an order to rerun the recent Istanbul election, a move the opposition has branded an attack on democracy.

His ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost the mayorship of Turkey’s biggest city by a narrow margin and has refused to accept defeat.

“We sincerely believe there was organised corruption and irregularities,” Erdogan told party members in parliament on Tuesday, saying the re-run was the “best step” for the country.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has condemned Monday’s decision by the top election body to re-run the vote as “neither democratic nor legitimate”.

Its candidate, Ekrem Imamoglu, who has been stripped of the mayorship after winning the March 31 election, was meeting coalition partners on Tuesday to discuss their strategy.

The loss of Istanbul, the country’s economic hub, had been a shocking defeat for Erdogan’s ruling party.

The AKP and its predecessors have ruled the city for 25 years, and it was especially sensitive for Erdogan, who grew up in the metropolis and rose to power after himself serving as Istanbul mayor.

Imamoglu, a softly-spoken former district mayor, gave a rousing

speech to thousands of supporters in Istanbul late Monday, vowing they would emerge even stronger after the re-run on June 23.

“Maybe you are upset but never lose your hope,” he said, while thousands more took to the streets of the chic Kadikoy district to protest against the election board.

- ‘Absolute power’“This is the collapse of the declining democracy in Turkey. The coming process is condemned to be even worse,” said 60-year-old shopkeeper Ali Yamac in central Istanbul.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Tuesday that the decision to annul the election was “not transparent and incomprehensible to us”.

The European Union has called for the election body to produce its reasons “without delay”.

“Ensuring a free, fair and transparent election process is essential to any democracy and is at the heart of the European Union’s relations with Turkey,” EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement on Monday.

The loss of the mayorship in Istanbul, and a more resounding defeat in the capital Ankara, was

a rare setback for Erdogan and his party, reflecting widespread concerns over the deteriorating economy.

The AKP still won the most seats nationwide, but has been damaged

by Turkey’s first recession in a decade, as well as record-high inflation and a currency that has lost more than 12 percent of its value against the dollar this year alone.

Erdogan’s critics say he has eroded rights by cracking down on dissent at home but for his supporters he maintains the image of a strong leader who speaks up for Turkey in the international arena.

The defeated mayoral candidate, former prime minister Binali Yildirim, a close Erdogan ally, said he hoped the re-run would “be beneficial for our city”.

The US-based think tank the Soufan Center said the YSK decision marked “serious concerns” for the future of democracy in Turkey.

“Given restrictions on freedom of speech and Turkey’s increasingly less independent judiciary, the recent election meddling is a clear signal to the Turkish people, and the world, that Erdogan is willing to pursue absolute power at any cost.” (afp)

NIC ELLIS / POOL / AFP

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison (L) and opposition leader Bill Shorten shake hands before the first televised leaders debate in Perth on April 29, 2019.

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International

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

BUSINESS Pakistan sacks key member of economic team amid IMF talks

ISLAMABAD - Senior Pakistani officials say the government has removed the head of the country’s central bank, a key member of a team currently in talks with the IMF over an $8 billion bailout package.

The officials said Saturday that Tariq Bajwa, governor of the State

Bank of Pakistan, resigned the previous evening. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media on the record.

Bajwa has confirmed his resignation to Pakistani media.

The officials also said the government plans to remove Jahanzeb

Khan, chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue, a tax collection body.

Both officials were major figures in the government team holding the final round of talks with the IMF in Islamabad. A deal is expected to be signed later this month. (ap)

AP Photo/Teresa Crawford, File

US service companies grew at a slower pace in April

U.S. service companies grew at a slower pace in April, as business activity generally showed a leveling off.

The Institute for Supply Management, an association of purchasing managers, reported Friday that its service index fell to 55.5% last month, down from 56.1% in March. Any reading above 50 signals growth.

Companies surveyed for the index were mostly optimistic about overall business conditions but expressed continuing concern about finding qualified employees, the ISM said.

The service sector, which is where most Americans work, has been expanding for 111 straight months, according to the ISM index.

“The services sector has leveled off a bit,” said Anthony Nieves, chair of the ISM non-manufacturing business survey committee. However, “We still have strong and steady growth,” he said in a telephone interview.

U.S. businesses generally appear to have shrugged off earlier con-

cerns that the economy might slow this year. Nearly a decade into the economy’s recovery from the Great Recession, the economic expansion is set in July to become the longest in U.S. history.

A number of companies surveyed for the index continue to highlight the difficulty of finding workers, a reflection of the 3.6% unemployment rate — a five-decade low. Steady hiring over the nearly decade-long recovery from the Great Recession has caused the pool of people seeking work to decline, helping to push up wages.

According to the ISM survey, business activity rose in April compared with March but new orders declined slightly. The measure of employment fell as more of the companies surveyed said hiring was weaker.

“The labor pool just isn’t there,” Nieves said.

While many businesses say they’re struggling to find workers, each month they seem to add a substantial number. Some have taken a range of steps to fill jobs, including training more entry-level workers,

loosening educational requirements and raising pay sharply.

A new government report Friday showed that U.S. employers added a robust 263,000 jobs in April, fresh evidence that businesses now are less concerned about an economic slowdown and are anticipating strong customer demand. The jobless rate fell to 3.6% from 3.8%, though the drop partly reflected an increase in the number of Americans who stopped looking for work. Average hourly pay rose 3.2% from 12 months earlier. (ap)

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

5

Bindu River Becomes Centers for Water Attraction and Culinary Tourism

Sounds of rushing water accompany visitors’ playing activities. Sometimes they run, suddenly dive and then immediately appear to attack their companion with gunfire each other using water as the weapon. Some others jump merrily from riverside.

The others are freely swimming, without using any style as in the swimming contest. Some take advantage of rubber tires like the tubing game becoming a trend.

It is the atmosphere of daily life in Bindu River at Kesiman village, East Denpasar subdistrict.

Formerly, the river was dirty and unkempt, but it has been transformed into a tourist attraction. So, do not be surprised if Bindu River is now thronged by many visitors.

They are not only urban children playing with water, but also people from outside the region and even foreign tourists enjoying the city atmosphere.

To get to Bindu River, visitors can pass Gang Sardula through Jalan Turi Denpasar. The alley can only be passed by motorcycle, and then parked in front of the temple.

Come down the concrete stairs. The river offers quite cool atmosphere.

Such green open space has many different types of local plants up to a variety of flowers that can create a sense of peace.

Dam of Bindu River formerly being mute has now looked so beautiful. All leaves look fresh and green, sometimes are moving and waving in the wind. Sound of birds and other animals overlap with the joyful sound of dozens of children jumping into the water.

In this Jan. 24, 2019, file photo, Zakiyyah Askia, a plumbing apprentice in a program run by the nonprofit Chicago Women in Trades, welds pipes at a high rise residence under construction in Chicago. On Friday, May 3, the Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, issues its index of non-manufacturing activity for April.

Bali News

International

The atmosphere looks like the old days, where children are very close to nature of the environment. It is really fun.

On top of the southern end, it has been prepared for people wishing to relax. Under the big trees there is a large wooden seating area. This is usually used by parents for chatting. Meanwhile, pupils or students will make use of it to accomplish their school assignments, study in groups or prepare their examination test. Few teenagers in particular take advantage of it for dating.

Across the river, there is a sports arena and a gym. This facility is commonly used by people in the morning as well as in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, the traditional game of pillow fighting is available on the north of the river, precisely in front of the culinary area. “Citizens from ??East Denpasar subdistrict and surrounding areas can take advantage of the sports facilities while enjoying delicious food and water rides in Bindu River,” said hamlet chief of Ujung and Clean River Community, I Gusti Rai Ari Temaja.

A variety of cuisines are avail-

able on the west side of Bindu River utilizing the land of local residents transformed into a green field. There is gazebo to sit back as well as tatami-style seating or lesehan on green grass. Each gazebo is equipped with electric plugs for recharging hand phone or laptop. These culinary services are handled by local residents that are also tasked to maintain cleanliness

of the river area. “Foreign tourists like this place and the culinary delight,” added Gung Nik, his familiar greeting.

According to Gung Nik, the arrangement of sanitation and food stand has been done by the government of Denpasar with Bindu River Foundation. Bindu River is also a place of education for community.

“Hopefully, the increase of facilities will be able to draw more people visit to Bindu River, so indirectly it can improve the economy of the surrounding community,” he said while adding if the arrangement of Bindu River has got various awards. As evidence, many areas come to study to Bindu River, especially about the riverbank arrangement. (kmb)

Purple Taro Soup, a Delicious and Healthy Traditional Menu

When vacationing in Bali, at times you need to taste some traditional local menus.

The Island of Gods community has various types of menus whose preparation is simple, distinctive and healthy. For instance, there is purple taro soup. This cuisine has even existed since ancient times. It was commonly consumed by farmers whose lives are simple but still happy.

Purple taro soup has indeed been crushed by the progress of the times following the rampant emergence of ready-to-eat foods.

Actually, the purple taro is an ingredient richly containing potassium and calcium which maintain metabolic stability and heart health. This menu offers a good taste and contains lots of fiber as well as vitamins A and C. Along with the development of Bali tourism promoting cultural tourism, traditional food existing in the past is discovered and then processed into prominent menus. Such various servings do not only have good taste, but also look attractive and beautiful. Hotel and restaurant chefs having the ability to create and process menus, indeed

continue to explore and develop it.

Taro is a plant cultivated by people of the past. Its tubers were used as a substitute of staple food. Stems and leaves are commonly used for pig fodder mixed with bran and other food scraps. So, do not be surprised, the domestic pig farmers in the past had healthy meat without chemicals.

Let’s be back to the purple taro soup.

This has become a featured menu at several hotels and restaurants in the tourist area of ??Ubud. Taro soup is usually used as the opening menu. Sometimes it is also combined with walking programs around the village as well as yoga package and other traditional nuanced activities. Surely, the servings are adapted to tourists’ appetite with distinctive taste.

Preparation of this menu is not too difficult. First of all, you have to choose a large, young purple taro stem. Peel the stem and slice it ??thinly, so the sap and mucus can easily come out. The sliced ??stems are then soaked in the salt water for about 30 minutes. After that, squeeze them repeat-

edly with the aim to make the stem soft and release the entire sap and mucus.

Meanwhile, the seasoning uses Balinese spices such as turmeric, ginger, galangal, lemongrass and shallot. All of these spices are only pushed to produce a clearer soup.

The seasoning is then stir-fried and added chicken stock. The taro stem is put into a pan and add some salt and pepper. Ultimately, cook for about 30 minutes. Having been cooked, take out and it’s ready to be served. (kmb)

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Wednesday, May 8, 2019

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International

RLD

Chile’s Valparaiso, an open air graffiti and mural art gallery VALPARAISO - Creating colorful pictures of surreal human faces, marine animals or even huge owls, hundreds of graffiti artists have turned the Chilean port of Valparaiso into a gigantic open-air art gallery.

Elias Street is typical of Valparaiso with its narrow sidewalks winding up and down Cerro Alegre hill, itself a tourist attraction.

There are many little streets like this that surround the 42 hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean that are a striking feature of the Valparaiso skyline.

Over the last few years, the walls of houses in Elias Street have been transformed into giant canvases where graffiti artists show off their skills.

It was brought about by “young people’s need to go out and express themselves in the street,” Sammy Espinoza, a graffiti artist and graphics designer, told AFP. Hundreds of stairways, labyrinthine streets between the hills, cobbled alleyways and seemingly abandoned plots have converted Valparaiso, which lies 120 kilometers (75 miles) to the northwest of the capital Santiago, into “the perfect city” for creativity, added Espinoza.

That’s why he and his partner Cynthia Aguilera, a civil engineer, left Santiago a decade ago to move to Valparaiso and dedicate themselves to graffiti.

They go by the name “Un Kolor Distinto” (a different color) and have created huge works of art such as “Solsticio de verano” (summer solstice), a mural spanning all 22 floors of the Centenario building, one of the tallest in the city, with a surreal yellow face mixed with green and purple fruits and veg-

Myanmar...

From page 1

Bugher said the pair’s release was a “face-saving response to persistent international pressure and bad publicity”.

Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, once considered a democracy icon, faced intense scrutiny for not intervening to secure the reporter’s freedom.

Her party swept to power in 2015 elections, the first polls in decades, after spending a combined 15 years under house arrest during the military regime. She is currently in an uneasy powersharing agreement with Myanmar generals, and she has been stripped

etables.

It has now become one of the hottest spots on the tourist trail.

The couple have also painted murals on three more buildings in their distinctive colorful style that often contains written messages.

While spray cans are their primary tools, they also use paint, oil and crayons to create the vivid colors that bring life to an imaginary world.

“This mixing graffiti with mural art -- making street art -- has already started to evolve and arrive at what (Valparaiso) is today, an open air gallery,” said Aguilera.

sini said as he took a tour of the city’s graffiti circuit.

Every month, around a thousand tourists take that tour.

Some 300 graffiti artists, both Chileans and foreigners, have displayed their artwork on Valparaiso’s walls during the last five years, according to 34-year-old Alvaro Ramirez, a graffiti artist and businessman.

“At first, most people looked at it as a scar on the city. ‘How are you going to show the city’s stains to the tourists?’ they asked me,” said Ramirez.

But now, “the people who come to Valparaiso, come for the colored houses, they see it as an artistic destination,” added Ramirez, who started his graffiti in New York aged just seven, before returning

to Chile at 21.

The locals have changed their minds about the graffiti artists they used to view as criminals.

Now they open their doors and allow the artists to decorate the walls of their homes.

Local authorities have also designated spaces for them, yet some artists claim they are still chased by police. (afp)

- ‘Everything mixes well’ –

In 2003, UNESCO declared Valparaiso’s historic center a World Heritage Site, recognizing what was one of the most important South American ports in the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as an improvised architecture that had to adapt to the city’s hills.

Today, it is one of Chile’s most visited tourist sites, alongside the Atacama Desert in the north and Patagonia in the south.

There are almost 1,400 murals and graffiti artworks in the city and for the last five years they’ve found a place on the city’s tourism circuit, alongside views of the bay, colorful homes that hang from its steep hills, and its old funiculars and trams.

“There are those very beautiful wall drawings, everything mixes well, it’s very beautiful,” 31-yearold Italian tourist Alessandro Fersof several honours internationally over her failure to speak up for the Rohingya.

Suu Kyi has also refused to lend her voice in defence of the Reuters pair despite evidence revealed in court that they had been set up in a sting. A government spokesman said Tuesday that the reporters were released for the “long-term interest” of the country.

Reuters lawyer U Khin Maung Zaw thanked President Win Myint Tuesday after his clients were freed and called for more protections for the country’s journalists.

“We really need an effective law that protects the journalists from going to prison when doing their job,” he told AFP.(afp)

Martin BERNETTI / AFP

Youngsters and dogs are seen next to a street mural in Valparaiso, Chile, on April 09, 2019.

Valparaiso is an open-air gallery of graffiti and urban murals.

Singapore outlaws ‘revenge porn’, ‘cyber-flashing’

SINGAPORE - Singapore has outlawed “revenge porn” and “cyber-flashing” -- sending unsolicited images of one’s private parts -- the latest country to clamp down on sexual offences committed online.

“Revenge porn”, when expartners share intimate photos or videos without permission, has become a problem globally because of improvements in technology and the popularity of social media, with many governments legislating against it.

Singapore’s parliament passed a bill Monday that made distributing or threatening to distribute intimate images a crime, punishable by up to five years in jail, in addition to a fine and caning.

“Intimate images could become widely shared and on platforms, and may be impossible to completely remove. They have the potential to cause great harm to the victim,” said K. Shanmugam, law and home affairs minister.

“Cyber-flashing” will be punish-

able by up to a year in prison or a fine. If the recipient is younger than 14, it is punishable by up to two years in jail, a fine or caning.

The changes are part of a major overhaul of Singapore’s penal code. Other new measures include outlawing marital rape, banning child sex dolls, and decriminalising suicide.

Singapore’s nearly 150-yearold penal code was inherited from colonial ruler Britain and was last fully reviewed in 2007. (afp)

International

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

11

Indonesia misses economic growth forecasts in Q1 as exports slip

Indonesia’s economy grew slower than expected in the first quarter, official data showed Monday, as exports contracted for the first time since 2016 owing to softer demand for key commodities.

Southeast Asia’s biggest economy expanded 5.07 percent in January-March, nearly flat from a year earlier and missing market estimates of 5.18 percent.

An uptick in government and household spending buoyed growth, but imports and exports fell from a year ago while gross domestic product declined from the last quarter of 2018, the statistics agency said.

The commodities-driven economy has been faced with widening trade deficits and rocky global demand for export drivers like palm oil and coal.

“Exports are likely to remain weak,” research house Capital Economics said in a report after the figures were published.

“We expect global growth to soften a bit further over the coming quarters and for the prices of Indonesia’s main commodities exports, coal and palm oil, to remain subdued,” it added.

The data come several weeks after Indonesia held polls that saw President Joko Widodo elected to a second term, according to unofficial results. Official figures are due this month.

Widodo leaned heavily on a multibillion-dollar infrastructure push, including Jakarta’s first mass-rapid-transit system, in the campaign.

However, his administration has seen annual growth hover around five percent a year, well short of earlier pledges to hit seven percent despite the huge infrastructure building blitz and stimulus packages. (afp)

GOH CHAI HIN / AFP

This picture taken on May 5, 2019 shows Indonesian workers spreading out fish to dry at the port of Muara Angke in Jakarta. Indonesia’s economy grew slower than expected in the first quarter, official data showed May 6, as exports contracted for the first time since 2016 owing to softer demand for key commodities.

Citilink marks maiden commercial flight to Yogyakarta Airport

KULON PROGO - Citilink Indonesia airline began officially operating commercial flights, with its Airbus 320-200 departing from Jakarta’s Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport on Monday for the newly opened Yogyakarta International Airport in Kulonprogo District, Yogyakarta Special Region.

The Airbus 320-200 aircraft took off at 11:30 a.m. local time and made a landing at the new Yogyakarta Airport at 12:36 p.m. local time. A water salute marked the smooth touchdown to parking, an airport tradition that is generally followed in honor of new airline services and inaugural flights.

Chief Executive Officer of Citilink Indonesia Juliandra Nurtjahjo revealed that the airline will operate one daily flight between Jakarta and Yogyakarta through the new airport.

Nurtjahjo is upbeat that the daily flights will be lucrative, taking into account the number of passengers travelling to and from Yogyakarta.

“The Yogyakarta market holds promise,” he remarked.

Nurtjahjo further expressed belief that the number of passengers will rise steadily in line with the airport operations moving from the Adisutjipto Airport to Yogyakarta International Airport.

Nurtjahjo noted that Citilink had yet to decide on a precise target on the number of passengers. Ramadan falls on the first week of May and is viewed as a lean season for travelers.

Citilink had earlier conducted a test flight from Jakarta’s SoekarnoHatta International Airport to the Yogyakarta International Airport on Thursday, May 3.

The Airbus A320-214 aircraft, bearing flight number QG3361, made a landing at the Yogyakarta International Airport’s runway 11 at 12:03 p.m. local time and then flew back to Jakarta at 1:40 p.m. local time.

Test flight is an operational process conducted to gauge the airline’s worthiness to operate on a new route. Captain Agus Setiono, in the company of Captain Teguh Kristiono and Captain Muhammad Ali Imron, conducted the test flight.

A representative from the Ministry of Transportation’s Directorate of Airworthiness and Aircraft Operations was also part of the test flight.

The Yogyakarta International Airport’s runway, measuring 3,250 meters in length and 45 meters in width and having 15-meter-long paved shoulders on each side, is

fully ready to handle aircraft operations.

The runway is capable of accommodating wide-bodied aircraft, including the Boeing 777-300 and Airbus A380.

The Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting facilities at the new airport fall under category number eight. The passenger terminal is replete with facilities, including 12 check-in counters, two x-ray machines, and a walkthrough metal detector.

Also available are 400 waiting benches, two conveyor belts, and six immigration counters at the departure and arrival halls. (ant)

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Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Destination

International

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

International

Rockets level series against Warriors, Bucks push Celtics to brink

LOS ANGELES - James Harden scored 38 points and the Houston Rockets held off the Golden State Warriors 112-108 Monday to knot their NBA playoff series at two games apiece.

Satria Gatot Kaca statue

BADUNG - One of the first sights to greet visitors arriving at the Ngurah Rai International Airport is the statue of the legendary Satria Gatot Kaca. Built in 1993 at the center of the road intersection at the northeast of Bali International Airport, the statue depicted Gatot Kaca, a courageous and powerful knight, the son of Bima one of the five Pandawa brothers. He is identified as a flying knights who is responsible for air defence and security protection for the Pandawa Kingdom.

This statue depicting a battle between Gatot Kaca on Pandawa side, against Prince Karna whose horse-cart was coachmanned by Salya of Kurawa side in the Berata Yudha war. Gatot Kaca sacrifices himself as a victim of Karna’s deadly weapon, Konta, that can be used only one time, to save Arjuna. The erection of the statue apart from being a landscaping project around the airport, is also believed to lend spiritual protection and safety for all incoming and outgoing, flights.

Gatot Kaca Gatot Kaca is an important character in the Mahabharata. His name comes from his head, which was hairless (utkaca) and shaped like a ghatam. Gatot Kaca was the

son of the Pandava Bhima and the Rakshasi Hidimbi. His maternal parentage made him half-Rakshasa and gave him many magical powers such as the ability to fly, to increase or decrease his size and to become invisible. He was an important fighter from the Pandava side in the Kurukshetra war.

Gatot Kaca was born to Hidimbi and the Pandava Bhima. When traveling the countryside with his brothers and mother as a brahmin, having escaped the lakshagraha, Bhima saved Hidimbi from her wicked brother Hidimba. Soon after Gatot Kaca was born, Bhima had to leave his family, as he still had duties to complete at Hastinapura.

Gatot Kaca grew up under the care of Hidimbi. One day he received a pearl which he later gave to his cousin Abhimanyu. Like his father Gatot Kaca primarily fought with the mace. Lord Krishna gave him a boon that no one in the world would be able to match his sorcery skills (except Krishna himself).

His wife was Ahilawati and his sons were Barbarika and Meghvarna.

In the Mahabharata, Gatot Kaca was summoned by Bhima to fight on the Pandava side in the Kurukshetra battle. Invoking his magical powers, he wrought great havoc in the Kaurava army. In particular, after the death

of Jayadratha on the fourteenth day of battle, when the battle continued on past sunset, his powers were at their most effective.

At this point in the battle, the Kaurava leader Duryodhana appealed to Karna, to kill Gatot Kaca as the whole Kaurava army was coming close to annihilation due to Gatot Kaca’s attacks. Karna possessed a divine weapon called the Vasavi Shakti, granted by the god Indra. Only able to use it once, Karna

had been saving it for his battle with his rival, Arjuna. Unable to refuse Duryodhana, Karna discharged the weapon against Gatot Kaca, killing him. It is said that when Gatot Kaca realized that he was going to die, that he assumed a gigantic size. When the huge body fell, it crushed one akshauhini of the Kaurava army. After his death Krishna was glad Karna no longer had Vasavi Sakthi to use against Arjuna. (IBP/net)

The reigning champion Warriors head home for game five of the best-of-seven Western Conference clash on Wednesday with a lot of work to do in a series in which each game has been decided by six or fewer points.

It was a different story on Monday in the East, as Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 17 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter to propel the Bucks to a 113-101 victory over the Celtics in Boston and a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Milwaukee will try to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference finals when they host game five on Wednesday.

In Houston, reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Harden made sure the Rockets didn’t fall into a similar hole.

Harden scored 13 of his 18 firsthalf points in the second quarter and added another 13 in the third, when the Rockets stretched their lead to as many as 17.

The Warriors responded with an 11-0 scoring run in the third period, and put together a 7-0 run late in the fourth, when they pulled within 108-110 on a Stephen Curry threepointer with 19.3 seconds left.

Down 111-108 with 11.5 seconds remaining, Golden State saw Kevin Durant and Curry miss threepoint attempts.

“Our motto was keep fighting,” said Harden, who also pulled down 10 rebounds. “We know how tough they are. We’ve got to keep fighting on both ends of the floor, stay in attack mode, be aggressive.”

Eric Gordon added 20 points for the Rockets and PJ Tucker added 17

and 10 rebounds.

Durant paced the Warriors with 34 points. Curry added 30 points and Draymond Green posted a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds.

But in another bruising encounter between the two teams, Golden State made just eight of 33 three-point attempts. Curry and Klay Thompson combined to shoot just two-of-10 from threepoint range.

The Rockets, meanwhile, hit 17 of 50 from beyond the arc.

“I think both teams are doing what they’re doing and nothing’s really happened yet,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s 2-2.

Each team has won two home games -- that’s kind of how the playoffs go ... We’ve just got to be a little better.”

- Celtics face elimination The Celtics need to be a lot better to avoid elimination against the Bucks.

“It’s win or go home,” said Celtics coach Brad Stevens. “It takes a lot of mental fortitude. It takes a lot of mental toughness. It reveals a lot. I’m looking forward to that challenge.”

Once again in their series, the third quarter proved pivotal, with the Bucks outscoring the Celtics 33-23 to turn a 49-47 halftime deficit to an 80-72 lead.

The turnaround came with Antetokounmpo on the bench with his fourth foul for the last eight minutes of the quarter.

During that span, the Bucks outscored the Celtics 21-13 and when Antetokounmpo returned in

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the fourth, the Bucks only pressed the action more.

Milwaukee took their biggest lead of the night 91-79 on a driving Eric Bledsoe’s finger-roll finish with 9:05 left to play.

Boston closed within five on Al Horford’s driving layup less than two minutes later, but they would get no closer.

Antetokounmpo, coming off a 32-point game on Friday, connect-

ed on 15 of 22 shots from the field and pulled down 16 rebounds.

Bledsoe and Khris Middleton added 13 points apiece and George Hill added 15 points off the bench.

“It’s amazing,” Antetokounmpo said. “I think the whole group, the whole team played hard. Everybody was ready, everybody stepped up.

“This is what (separates) an

average team from a great team,” he added, “that if you have the opportunity to be up two games, we’re all ready.”

Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 23 points and 10 assists, but made just seven of 22 shots from the field.

Overall, the Celtics made just 37.8 percent of their shots and heard boos from the home field as they left the court. (afp)

Andy Murray given Queen’s wildcard

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James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets rebounds the ball against the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on May 6, 2019 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Andy Murray

IBP/net

LONDON - Andy Murray has been given a wildcard to play at London’s Queen’s Club next month even though he has yet to set a date for a potential return to the court after hip surgery.

The tournament in London, from June 17 to 23, could offer the five-time former winner a chance of some grass-court action ahead of Wimbledon, should he feel fit enough.

The British former world number one, currently ranked 217 in the world, had the hip resurfacing operation in London in January and

says he is now pain-free, although he has only been hitting balls from a stationary position so far.

The Scot has an official deadline of June 18 to apply for a wildcard for this year’s Wimbledon, though tournament chiefs last week suggested there might be some wiggle room for the three-time Grand Slam champion. The 31-year-old could also use his protected ranking to enter Wimbledon “A wildcard is being held in reserve for Murray, who will let tournament director Stephen Farrow know nearer the time of the

event if he is fit enough to take it,” said a statement from Queen’s.

Murray said before the Australian Open that he planned to retire after this year’s Wimbledon, but also revealed that the tournament in Melbourne could prove to be his final event.

Last year’s Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson and world number eight Juan Martin Del Potro are set to play at Queen’s along with defending champion Marin Cilic, Australia’s Nick Kyrgios and three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka. (afp)

8

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Kompany hailed after breathtaking Man City winner

Aymeric Laporte hailed the influence of Vincent Kompany after Manchester City’s inspirational captain struck a stunning winner in the critical Premier League clash with Leicester.

Oli SCARFF / AFP

Manchester City’s Belgian defender Vincent Kompany controls the ball during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Leicester City at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on May 6, 2019.

The long-serving defender once again proved the man for the big occasion as he netted with a ferocious long-range strike 20 minutes from time to settle a tense encounter at the Etihad Stadium on Monday.

The 1-0 win lifted treble-chasing City back to the top of the Premier League, one point ahead of Liverpool, with just one game remaining in a gripping title race.

Kompany’s decisive contribution ranked alongside his vital winner against rivals Manchester United during the 2012 title run-in for importance. Fitness issues may mean the 33-year-old is no longer a regular starter but the influence of the three-time title-winning skipper shows no sign of waning even though he admits his future is uncertain.

“It is amazing, unbelievable,” said fellow central defender Laporte. “I never see one goal like that -- maybe because I wasn’t on the pitch, I don’t know -- but we are so satisfied with this game.

“He is a guy (who is) very important for us, for the club. I think he gives us a lot of things. He is an example for us. “We have to improve and keep working with him because he can give a lot and he is a very good guy on and off the pitch.”

Kompany’s sensational strike came as City piled on the pressure in the second half, knowing anything less than a 13th successive league win would hand the initiative to Liverpool heading into the final fixtures.

They now know victory over Brighton on Sunday will see them become the first back-to-back title winners in a decade, regardless of how Liverpool fare against Wolves.

Laporte said: “We are focused on us. It is the most important.

We have to win every single game and if we win the next game, we are the champions.”

Kompany, whose contract is up in the summer, shed a few tears as he set out on the end-of-season lap of honour ahead of his teammates, but does not want to retire.

“I do not know at this point,” Kompany told Sky Sports when asked about his future after the match.

Asked if he will retire, the Belgian said: “Absolutely not. I am going to play.”

Guardiola’s regard for Kompany’s experience has been clear in recent weeks, with the veteran selected for each of the past three league games, against Manchester United, Burnley and Leicester, with their title hopes on the line.

But the City boss was equally non-committal on Kompany’s future. “At the end of the season we are going to talk to him,” said Guardiola on whether Kompany will be handed a new deal.

“He is an incredible human being. He helped me a lot since I’ve been here. Always we can count on him for his personality.” (afp)

9

Pochettino urges Spurs to make history

Mauricio Pochettino has challenged Tottenham to seize their unexpected chance to make history as they try to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Ajax in the Champions League semi-final second leg on Wednesday.

Pochettino is convinced Tottenham can still reach the club’s maiden Champions League final despite losing the first leg in north London last week.

Many pundits and fans claim Tottenham have blown their opportunity after Donny van de Beek’s strike gave Ajax a priceless lead to defend in Amsterdam.

Tottenham go into their biggest game for decades on a low note after losing 1-0 at Bournemouth on Saturday, a defeat that stopped them wrapping up a place in next season’s Champions League via a top-four finish in the Premier League.

It was a third successive loss in all competitions for Tottenham, who finished with nine men after red cards for Son Heung-min and Juan Foyth.

Fortunately for Tottenham, they are still all but certain to finish at least fourth after Arsenal and Manchester United were both held to draws on Sunday.

Tottenham are three points clear of fifthplaced Arsenal heading into their last league game of the season against Everton on Sunday and a draw will be enough to ensure their return to Europe’s elite club competition.

But before that Tottenham, trying to reach their first European final since the 1984 UEFA Cup, have to focus on the challenge presented by Ajax’s vibrant young side.

Having already eliminated Real Madrid and Juventus this season, Ajax showed their vast potential against Tottenham in the first leg and should have been further ahead after Van de Beek’s opener.

Tottenham improved slightly in the second half, but largely looked toothless without the suspended Son and injured top scorer Harry Kane.

Crucially, Pochettino will have Son back

from his ban for the second leg and the South Korea forward should give his team a far more dynamic look.

- ‘Massive week’ -

Pochettino remained upbeat despite the frustration of losing to Nathan Ake’s lastminute goal at Bournemouth, and the Tottenham manager hopes his confident attitude transfers to his players against Ajax.

“We have ahead two ‘finals’ against Ajax and Everton and it’s in our hands to be in a good position at the end of the season,” Pochettino said.

Although Tottenham will know they have missed a golden opportunity to reach the final if they don’t succeed in the second leg, Pochettino is adamant his players have done more than enough already to make him proud of their efforts this term.

Hamstrung by playing most of their home games at Wembley before finally moving to their new stadium and without a signing for the last two transfer windows due to the cost of that £1 billion arena, Pochettino’s work this season deserves praise.

Pochettino isn’t satisfied with merely competing with the big guns and has already called on Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy to give him the funds required to turn them from contenders to champions.

But, while the Argentine is yet to win a major trophy in his managerial career, he has steered Tottenham to the brink of major success with his deft handling of a tricky situation. “No-one believed we’d be in this position in the last week of the competition,” Pochettino said.

“We are in a position where it depends on us to be in the (Champions League) final or not and then it depends on us to finish in the top four.

“It’s a massive week and that’s why we need to move on, try to recover as soon as possible and be ready again but whatever happens I am going to feel proud.” (afp)

Adrian DENNIS / AFP

Tottenham Hotspur’s Argentinian head coach Mauricio Pochettino gestures on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London, on April 30, 2019.

Miguel MEDINA / AFP

AC Milan’s Italian forward Fabio Borini celebrates after scoring during the Italian Serie A football match AC Milan vs Bologna on May 6, 2019 at the San Siro stadium in Milan.

Milan back in Champions League race after fiery Bologna win

AC Milan revived their Champions League hopes with a 2-1 win over Bologna on Monday as tempers flared with three players sent off and a bust-up between French midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko and coach Gennaro Gattuso on the sidelines.

Gattuso’s side move back into fifth place -- three points behind Atalanta who occupy the final Champions League berth -- with three games left to play this season.

Milan had dropped out of the European places after a draw against Parma and loss to Torino but now move level on points with Roma who are sixth.

Champions Juventus and second-placed Napoli are already assured of Champions League football next season but the battle for the final two berths remains tight with Inter Milan on 63 points, followed by Atalanta (62), AC Milan (59), Roma (59) and Torino (57).

“These are important points, we’re right there now for the Champions League,” said Gattuso whose side are targeting a return to elite European football for the first time since the 2013-2014 season.

Spanish winger Suso opened for Milan on 37 minutes with the game springing to life in the second half with Fabio Borini tapping in the second on 67 minutes.

Bologna’s Mattia Destro pulled one back on 72 minutes, with Milan playing the final quarter of an hour a man down after midfielder Lucas Paquetá was sent off for arguing with the referee.

In a nervy finale Bologna finished the game with nine men with Nicola Sansone and Mitchell Dijks both sent off late.

The absence of the pair could prove costly for Bologna, just five points above the relega-

tion zone, and need points next week against Parma before their final two games against Lazio and Napoli.

- ‘Behaved badly’ -

There was also pitchside drama early when Argentine midfielder Lucas Biglia picked up an injury 25 minutes into the game at the San Siro with the Milan coach asking on-loan Chelsea player Bakayoko to start warming up.

Bakayoko -- on the bench after arriving late for training -- started to warm up without enthusiasm to the fury of Gattuso who instead asked another substitute José Mauri to come on.

Gattuso and Bakayoko were caught on camera exchanging insults with the French player saying twice “Fuck off, man” and the coach replying “I’ll see you later”.

“I don’t want to talk about that here but in the dressing room, with my words, which I cannot use on television,” said Gattuso.

“I waited seven, eight minutes and he still hadn’t put on his shin guards, so I chose José Mauri. I have 27 players, we wear a glorious jersey,” continued the 2006 World Cup winner.

“Anyone can tell me to get lost on the touchline, but we’ll then meet in a room eyeto-eye and see. The priority is Milan. “We have to focus on the victory and not waste time on other things.

“At the end of the season, we will see who has behaved well and who behaved badly.”

Bakayoko joined the club on loan from Chelsea last summer with an option to buy for 35 million euros ($39 million) but has been the subject of racist chanting this season several times notably from Lazio supporters. (afp)

8

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Kompany hailed after breathtaking Man City winner

Aymeric Laporte hailed the influence of Vincent Kompany after Manchester City’s inspirational captain struck a stunning winner in the critical Premier League clash with Leicester.

Oli SCARFF / AFP

Manchester City’s Belgian defender Vincent Kompany controls the ball during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Leicester City at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on May 6, 2019.

The long-serving defender once again proved the man for the big occasion as he netted with a ferocious long-range strike 20 minutes from time to settle a tense encounter at the Etihad Stadium on Monday.

The 1-0 win lifted treble-chasing City back to the top of the Premier League, one point ahead of Liverpool, with just one game remaining in a gripping title race.

Kompany’s decisive contribution ranked alongside his vital winner against rivals Manchester United during the 2012 title run-in for importance. Fitness issues may mean the 33-year-old is no longer a regular starter but the influence of the three-time title-winning skipper shows no sign of waning even though he admits his future is uncertain.

“It is amazing, unbelievable,” said fellow central defender Laporte. “I never see one goal like that -- maybe because I wasn’t on the pitch, I don’t know -- but we are so satisfied with this game.

“He is a guy (who is) very important for us, for the club. I think he gives us a lot of things. He is an example for us. “We have to improve and keep working with him because he can give a lot and he is a very good guy on and off the pitch.”

Kompany’s sensational strike came as City piled on the pressure in the second half, knowing anything less than a 13th successive league win would hand the initiative to Liverpool heading into the final fixtures.

They now know victory over Brighton on Sunday will see them become the first back-to-back title winners in a decade, regardless of how Liverpool fare against Wolves.

Laporte said: “We are focused on us. It is the most important.

We have to win every single game and if we win the next game, we are the champions.”

Kompany, whose contract is up in the summer, shed a few tears as he set out on the end-of-season lap of honour ahead of his teammates, but does not want to retire.

“I do not know at this point,” Kompany told Sky Sports when asked about his future after the match.

Asked if he will retire, the Belgian said: “Absolutely not. I am going to play.”

Guardiola’s regard for Kompany’s experience has been clear in recent weeks, with the veteran selected for each of the past three league games, against Manchester United, Burnley and Leicester, with their title hopes on the line.

But the City boss was equally non-committal on Kompany’s future. “At the end of the season we are going to talk to him,” said Guardiola on whether Kompany will be handed a new deal.

“He is an incredible human being. He helped me a lot since I’ve been here. Always we can count on him for his personality.” (afp)

9

Pochettino urges Spurs to make history

Mauricio Pochettino has challenged Tottenham to seize their unexpected chance to make history as they try to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Ajax in the Champions League semi-final second leg on Wednesday.

Pochettino is convinced Tottenham can still reach the club’s maiden Champions League final despite losing the first leg in north London last week.

Many pundits and fans claim Tottenham have blown their opportunity after Donny van de Beek’s strike gave Ajax a priceless lead to defend in Amsterdam.

Tottenham go into their biggest game for decades on a low note after losing 1-0 at Bournemouth on Saturday, a defeat that stopped them wrapping up a place in next season’s Champions League via a top-four finish in the Premier League.

It was a third successive loss in all competitions for Tottenham, who finished with nine men after red cards for Son Heung-min and Juan Foyth.

Fortunately for Tottenham, they are still all but certain to finish at least fourth after Arsenal and Manchester United were both held to draws on Sunday.

Tottenham are three points clear of fifthplaced Arsenal heading into their last league game of the season against Everton on Sunday and a draw will be enough to ensure their return to Europe’s elite club competition.

But before that Tottenham, trying to reach their first European final since the 1984 UEFA Cup, have to focus on the challenge presented by Ajax’s vibrant young side.

Having already eliminated Real Madrid and Juventus this season, Ajax showed their vast potential against Tottenham in the first leg and should have been further ahead after Van de Beek’s opener.

Tottenham improved slightly in the second half, but largely looked toothless without the suspended Son and injured top scorer Harry Kane.

Crucially, Pochettino will have Son back

from his ban for the second leg and the South Korea forward should give his team a far more dynamic look.

- ‘Massive week’ -

Pochettino remained upbeat despite the frustration of losing to Nathan Ake’s lastminute goal at Bournemouth, and the Tottenham manager hopes his confident attitude transfers to his players against Ajax.

“We have ahead two ‘finals’ against Ajax and Everton and it’s in our hands to be in a good position at the end of the season,” Pochettino said.

Although Tottenham will know they have missed a golden opportunity to reach the final if they don’t succeed in the second leg, Pochettino is adamant his players have done more than enough already to make him proud of their efforts this term.

Hamstrung by playing most of their home games at Wembley before finally moving to their new stadium and without a signing for the last two transfer windows due to the cost of that £1 billion arena, Pochettino’s work this season deserves praise.

Pochettino isn’t satisfied with merely competing with the big guns and has already called on Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy to give him the funds required to turn them from contenders to champions.

But, while the Argentine is yet to win a major trophy in his managerial career, he has steered Tottenham to the brink of major success with his deft handling of a tricky situation. “No-one believed we’d be in this position in the last week of the competition,” Pochettino said.

“We are in a position where it depends on us to be in the (Champions League) final or not and then it depends on us to finish in the top four.

“It’s a massive week and that’s why we need to move on, try to recover as soon as possible and be ready again but whatever happens I am going to feel proud.” (afp)

Adrian DENNIS / AFP

Tottenham Hotspur’s Argentinian head coach Mauricio Pochettino gestures on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London, on April 30, 2019.

Miguel MEDINA / AFP

AC Milan’s Italian forward Fabio Borini celebrates after scoring during the Italian Serie A football match AC Milan vs Bologna on May 6, 2019 at the San Siro stadium in Milan.

Milan back in Champions League race after fiery Bologna win

AC Milan revived their Champions League hopes with a 2-1 win over Bologna on Monday as tempers flared with three players sent off and a bust-up between French midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko and coach Gennaro Gattuso on the sidelines.

Gattuso’s side move back into fifth place -- three points behind Atalanta who occupy the final Champions League berth -- with three games left to play this season.

Milan had dropped out of the European places after a draw against Parma and loss to Torino but now move level on points with Roma who are sixth.

Champions Juventus and second-placed Napoli are already assured of Champions League football next season but the battle for the final two berths remains tight with Inter Milan on 63 points, followed by Atalanta (62), AC Milan (59), Roma (59) and Torino (57).

“These are important points, we’re right there now for the Champions League,” said Gattuso whose side are targeting a return to elite European football for the first time since the 2013-2014 season.

Spanish winger Suso opened for Milan on 37 minutes with the game springing to life in the second half with Fabio Borini tapping in the second on 67 minutes.

Bologna’s Mattia Destro pulled one back on 72 minutes, with Milan playing the final quarter of an hour a man down after midfielder Lucas Paquetá was sent off for arguing with the referee.

In a nervy finale Bologna finished the game with nine men with Nicola Sansone and Mitchell Dijks both sent off late.

The absence of the pair could prove costly for Bologna, just five points above the relega-

tion zone, and need points next week against Parma before their final two games against Lazio and Napoli.

- ‘Behaved badly’ -

There was also pitchside drama early when Argentine midfielder Lucas Biglia picked up an injury 25 minutes into the game at the San Siro with the Milan coach asking on-loan Chelsea player Bakayoko to start warming up.

Bakayoko -- on the bench after arriving late for training -- started to warm up without enthusiasm to the fury of Gattuso who instead asked another substitute José Mauri to come on.

Gattuso and Bakayoko were caught on camera exchanging insults with the French player saying twice “Fuck off, man” and the coach replying “I’ll see you later”.

“I don’t want to talk about that here but in the dressing room, with my words, which I cannot use on television,” said Gattuso.

“I waited seven, eight minutes and he still hadn’t put on his shin guards, so I chose José Mauri. I have 27 players, we wear a glorious jersey,” continued the 2006 World Cup winner.

“Anyone can tell me to get lost on the touchline, but we’ll then meet in a room eyeto-eye and see. The priority is Milan. “We have to focus on the victory and not waste time on other things.

“At the end of the season, we will see who has behaved well and who behaved badly.”

Bakayoko joined the club on loan from Chelsea last summer with an option to buy for 35 million euros ($39 million) but has been the subject of racist chanting this season several times notably from Lazio supporters. (afp)

10

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Destination

International

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

International

Rockets level series against Warriors, Bucks push Celtics to brink

LOS ANGELES - James Harden scored 38 points and the Houston Rockets held off the Golden State Warriors 112-108 Monday to knot their NBA playoff series at two games apiece.

Satria Gatot Kaca statue

BADUNG - One of the first sights to greet visitors arriving at the Ngurah Rai International Airport is the statue of the legendary Satria Gatot Kaca. Built in 1993 at the center of the road intersection at the northeast of Bali International Airport, the statue depicted Gatot Kaca, a courageous and powerful knight, the son of Bima one of the five Pandawa brothers. He is identified as a flying knights who is responsible for air defence and security protection for the Pandawa Kingdom.

This statue depicting a battle between Gatot Kaca on Pandawa side, against Prince Karna whose horse-cart was coachmanned by Salya of Kurawa side in the Berata Yudha war. Gatot Kaca sacrifices himself as a victim of Karna’s deadly weapon, Konta, that can be used only one time, to save Arjuna. The erection of the statue apart from being a landscaping project around the airport, is also believed to lend spiritual protection and safety for all incoming and outgoing, flights.

Gatot Kaca Gatot Kaca is an important character in the Mahabharata. His name comes from his head, which was hairless (utkaca) and shaped like a ghatam. Gatot Kaca was the

son of the Pandava Bhima and the Rakshasi Hidimbi. His maternal parentage made him half-Rakshasa and gave him many magical powers such as the ability to fly, to increase or decrease his size and to become invisible. He was an important fighter from the Pandava side in the Kurukshetra war.

Gatot Kaca was born to Hidimbi and the Pandava Bhima. When traveling the countryside with his brothers and mother as a brahmin, having escaped the lakshagraha, Bhima saved Hidimbi from her wicked brother Hidimba. Soon after Gatot Kaca was born, Bhima had to leave his family, as he still had duties to complete at Hastinapura.

Gatot Kaca grew up under the care of Hidimbi. One day he received a pearl which he later gave to his cousin Abhimanyu. Like his father Gatot Kaca primarily fought with the mace. Lord Krishna gave him a boon that no one in the world would be able to match his sorcery skills (except Krishna himself).

His wife was Ahilawati and his sons were Barbarika and Meghvarna.

In the Mahabharata, Gatot Kaca was summoned by Bhima to fight on the Pandava side in the Kurukshetra battle. Invoking his magical powers, he wrought great havoc in the Kaurava army. In particular, after the death

of Jayadratha on the fourteenth day of battle, when the battle continued on past sunset, his powers were at their most effective.

At this point in the battle, the Kaurava leader Duryodhana appealed to Karna, to kill Gatot Kaca as the whole Kaurava army was coming close to annihilation due to Gatot Kaca’s attacks. Karna possessed a divine weapon called the Vasavi Shakti, granted by the god Indra. Only able to use it once, Karna

had been saving it for his battle with his rival, Arjuna. Unable to refuse Duryodhana, Karna discharged the weapon against Gatot Kaca, killing him. It is said that when Gatot Kaca realized that he was going to die, that he assumed a gigantic size. When the huge body fell, it crushed one akshauhini of the Kaurava army. After his death Krishna was glad Karna no longer had Vasavi Sakthi to use against Arjuna. (IBP/net)

The reigning champion Warriors head home for game five of the best-of-seven Western Conference clash on Wednesday with a lot of work to do in a series in which each game has been decided by six or fewer points.

It was a different story on Monday in the East, as Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 17 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter to propel the Bucks to a 113-101 victory over the Celtics in Boston and a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Milwaukee will try to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference finals when they host game five on Wednesday.

In Houston, reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Harden made sure the Rockets didn’t fall into a similar hole.

Harden scored 13 of his 18 firsthalf points in the second quarter and added another 13 in the third, when the Rockets stretched their lead to as many as 17.

The Warriors responded with an 11-0 scoring run in the third period, and put together a 7-0 run late in the fourth, when they pulled within 108-110 on a Stephen Curry threepointer with 19.3 seconds left.

Down 111-108 with 11.5 seconds remaining, Golden State saw Kevin Durant and Curry miss threepoint attempts.

“Our motto was keep fighting,” said Harden, who also pulled down 10 rebounds. “We know how tough they are. We’ve got to keep fighting on both ends of the floor, stay in attack mode, be aggressive.”

Eric Gordon added 20 points for the Rockets and PJ Tucker added 17

and 10 rebounds.

Durant paced the Warriors with 34 points. Curry added 30 points and Draymond Green posted a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds.

But in another bruising encounter between the two teams, Golden State made just eight of 33 three-point attempts. Curry and Klay Thompson combined to shoot just two-of-10 from threepoint range.

The Rockets, meanwhile, hit 17 of 50 from beyond the arc.

“I think both teams are doing what they’re doing and nothing’s really happened yet,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s 2-2.

Each team has won two home games -- that’s kind of how the playoffs go ... We’ve just got to be a little better.”

- Celtics face elimination The Celtics need to be a lot better to avoid elimination against the Bucks.

“It’s win or go home,” said Celtics coach Brad Stevens. “It takes a lot of mental fortitude. It takes a lot of mental toughness. It reveals a lot. I’m looking forward to that challenge.”

Once again in their series, the third quarter proved pivotal, with the Bucks outscoring the Celtics 33-23 to turn a 49-47 halftime deficit to an 80-72 lead.

The turnaround came with Antetokounmpo on the bench with his fourth foul for the last eight minutes of the quarter.

During that span, the Bucks outscored the Celtics 21-13 and when Antetokounmpo returned in

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the fourth, the Bucks only pressed the action more.

Milwaukee took their biggest lead of the night 91-79 on a driving Eric Bledsoe’s finger-roll finish with 9:05 left to play.

Boston closed within five on Al Horford’s driving layup less than two minutes later, but they would get no closer.

Antetokounmpo, coming off a 32-point game on Friday, connect-

ed on 15 of 22 shots from the field and pulled down 16 rebounds.

Bledsoe and Khris Middleton added 13 points apiece and George Hill added 15 points off the bench.

“It’s amazing,” Antetokounmpo said. “I think the whole group, the whole team played hard. Everybody was ready, everybody stepped up.

“This is what (separates) an

average team from a great team,” he added, “that if you have the opportunity to be up two games, we’re all ready.”

Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 23 points and 10 assists, but made just seven of 22 shots from the field.

Overall, the Celtics made just 37.8 percent of their shots and heard boos from the home field as they left the court. (afp)

Andy Murray given Queen’s wildcard

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James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets rebounds the ball against the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on May 6, 2019 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

Andy Murray

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LONDON - Andy Murray has been given a wildcard to play at London’s Queen’s Club next month even though he has yet to set a date for a potential return to the court after hip surgery.

The tournament in London, from June 17 to 23, could offer the five-time former winner a chance of some grass-court action ahead of Wimbledon, should he feel fit enough.

The British former world number one, currently ranked 217 in the world, had the hip resurfacing operation in London in January and

says he is now pain-free, although he has only been hitting balls from a stationary position so far.

The Scot has an official deadline of June 18 to apply for a wildcard for this year’s Wimbledon, though tournament chiefs last week suggested there might be some wiggle room for the three-time Grand Slam champion. The 31-year-old could also use his protected ranking to enter Wimbledon “A wildcard is being held in reserve for Murray, who will let tournament director Stephen Farrow know nearer the time of the

event if he is fit enough to take it,” said a statement from Queen’s.

Murray said before the Australian Open that he planned to retire after this year’s Wimbledon, but also revealed that the tournament in Melbourne could prove to be his final event.

Last year’s Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson and world number eight Juan Martin Del Potro are set to play at Queen’s along with defending champion Marin Cilic, Australia’s Nick Kyrgios and three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka. (afp)

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Wednesday, May 8, 2019

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International

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Chile’s Valparaiso, an open air graffiti and mural art gallery VALPARAISO - Creating colorful pictures of surreal human faces, marine animals or even huge owls, hundreds of graffiti artists have turned the Chilean port of Valparaiso into a gigantic open-air art gallery.

Elias Street is typical of Valparaiso with its narrow sidewalks winding up and down Cerro Alegre hill, itself a tourist attraction.

There are many little streets like this that surround the 42 hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean that are a striking feature of the Valparaiso skyline.

Over the last few years, the walls of houses in Elias Street have been transformed into giant canvases where graffiti artists show off their skills.

It was brought about by “young people’s need to go out and express themselves in the street,” Sammy Espinoza, a graffiti artist and graphics designer, told AFP. Hundreds of stairways, labyrinthine streets between the hills, cobbled alleyways and seemingly abandoned plots have converted Valparaiso, which lies 120 kilometers (75 miles) to the northwest of the capital Santiago, into “the perfect city” for creativity, added Espinoza.

That’s why he and his partner Cynthia Aguilera, a civil engineer, left Santiago a decade ago to move to Valparaiso and dedicate themselves to graffiti.

They go by the name “Un Kolor Distinto” (a different color) and have created huge works of art such as “Solsticio de verano” (summer solstice), a mural spanning all 22 floors of the Centenario building, one of the tallest in the city, with a surreal yellow face mixed with green and purple fruits and veg-

Myanmar...

From page 1

Bugher said the pair’s release was a “face-saving response to persistent international pressure and bad publicity”.

Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, once considered a democracy icon, faced intense scrutiny for not intervening to secure the reporter’s freedom.

Her party swept to power in 2015 elections, the first polls in decades, after spending a combined 15 years under house arrest during the military regime. She is currently in an uneasy powersharing agreement with Myanmar generals, and she has been stripped

etables.

It has now become one of the hottest spots on the tourist trail.

The couple have also painted murals on three more buildings in their distinctive colorful style that often contains written messages.

While spray cans are their primary tools, they also use paint, oil and crayons to create the vivid colors that bring life to an imaginary world.

“This mixing graffiti with mural art -- making street art -- has already started to evolve and arrive at what (Valparaiso) is today, an open air gallery,” said Aguilera.

sini said as he took a tour of the city’s graffiti circuit.

Every month, around a thousand tourists take that tour.

Some 300 graffiti artists, both Chileans and foreigners, have displayed their artwork on Valparaiso’s walls during the last five years, according to 34-year-old Alvaro Ramirez, a graffiti artist and businessman.

“At first, most people looked at it as a scar on the city. ‘How are you going to show the city’s stains to the tourists?’ they asked me,” said Ramirez.

But now, “the people who come to Valparaiso, come for the colored houses, they see it as an artistic destination,” added Ramirez, who started his graffiti in New York aged just seven, before returning

to Chile at 21.

The locals have changed their minds about the graffiti artists they used to view as criminals.

Now they open their doors and allow the artists to decorate the walls of their homes.

Local authorities have also designated spaces for them, yet some artists claim they are still chased by police. (afp)

- ‘Everything mixes well’ –

In 2003, UNESCO declared Valparaiso’s historic center a World Heritage Site, recognizing what was one of the most important South American ports in the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as an improvised architecture that had to adapt to the city’s hills.

Today, it is one of Chile’s most visited tourist sites, alongside the Atacama Desert in the north and Patagonia in the south.

There are almost 1,400 murals and graffiti artworks in the city and for the last five years they’ve found a place on the city’s tourism circuit, alongside views of the bay, colorful homes that hang from its steep hills, and its old funiculars and trams.

“There are those very beautiful wall drawings, everything mixes well, it’s very beautiful,” 31-yearold Italian tourist Alessandro Fersof several honours internationally over her failure to speak up for the Rohingya.

Suu Kyi has also refused to lend her voice in defence of the Reuters pair despite evidence revealed in court that they had been set up in a sting. A government spokesman said Tuesday that the reporters were released for the “long-term interest” of the country.

Reuters lawyer U Khin Maung Zaw thanked President Win Myint Tuesday after his clients were freed and called for more protections for the country’s journalists.

“We really need an effective law that protects the journalists from going to prison when doing their job,” he told AFP.(afp)

Martin BERNETTI / AFP

Youngsters and dogs are seen next to a street mural in Valparaiso, Chile, on April 09, 2019.

Valparaiso is an open-air gallery of graffiti and urban murals.

Singapore outlaws ‘revenge porn’, ‘cyber-flashing’

SINGAPORE - Singapore has outlawed “revenge porn” and “cyber-flashing” -- sending unsolicited images of one’s private parts -- the latest country to clamp down on sexual offences committed online.

“Revenge porn”, when expartners share intimate photos or videos without permission, has become a problem globally because of improvements in technology and the popularity of social media, with many governments legislating against it.

Singapore’s parliament passed a bill Monday that made distributing or threatening to distribute intimate images a crime, punishable by up to five years in jail, in addition to a fine and caning.

“Intimate images could become widely shared and on platforms, and may be impossible to completely remove. They have the potential to cause great harm to the victim,” said K. Shanmugam, law and home affairs minister.

“Cyber-flashing” will be punish-

able by up to a year in prison or a fine. If the recipient is younger than 14, it is punishable by up to two years in jail, a fine or caning.

The changes are part of a major overhaul of Singapore’s penal code. Other new measures include outlawing marital rape, banning child sex dolls, and decriminalising suicide.

Singapore’s nearly 150-yearold penal code was inherited from colonial ruler Britain and was last fully reviewed in 2007. (afp)

International

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

11

Indonesia misses economic growth forecasts in Q1 as exports slip

Indonesia’s economy grew slower than expected in the first quarter, official data showed Monday, as exports contracted for the first time since 2016 owing to softer demand for key commodities.

Southeast Asia’s biggest economy expanded 5.07 percent in January-March, nearly flat from a year earlier and missing market estimates of 5.18 percent.

An uptick in government and household spending buoyed growth, but imports and exports fell from a year ago while gross domestic product declined from the last quarter of 2018, the statistics agency said.

The commodities-driven economy has been faced with widening trade deficits and rocky global demand for export drivers like palm oil and coal.

“Exports are likely to remain weak,” research house Capital Economics said in a report after the figures were published.

“We expect global growth to soften a bit further over the coming quarters and for the prices of Indonesia’s main commodities exports, coal and palm oil, to remain subdued,” it added.

The data come several weeks after Indonesia held polls that saw President Joko Widodo elected to a second term, according to unofficial results. Official figures are due this month.

Widodo leaned heavily on a multibillion-dollar infrastructure push, including Jakarta’s first mass-rapid-transit system, in the campaign.

However, his administration has seen annual growth hover around five percent a year, well short of earlier pledges to hit seven percent despite the huge infrastructure building blitz and stimulus packages. (afp)

GOH CHAI HIN / AFP

This picture taken on May 5, 2019 shows Indonesian workers spreading out fish to dry at the port of Muara Angke in Jakarta. Indonesia’s economy grew slower than expected in the first quarter, official data showed May 6, as exports contracted for the first time since 2016 owing to softer demand for key commodities.

Citilink marks maiden commercial flight to Yogyakarta Airport

KULON PROGO - Citilink Indonesia airline began officially operating commercial flights, with its Airbus 320-200 departing from Jakarta’s Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport on Monday for the newly opened Yogyakarta International Airport in Kulonprogo District, Yogyakarta Special Region.

The Airbus 320-200 aircraft took off at 11:30 a.m. local time and made a landing at the new Yogyakarta Airport at 12:36 p.m. local time. A water salute marked the smooth touchdown to parking, an airport tradition that is generally followed in honor of new airline services and inaugural flights.

Chief Executive Officer of Citilink Indonesia Juliandra Nurtjahjo revealed that the airline will operate one daily flight between Jakarta and Yogyakarta through the new airport.

Nurtjahjo is upbeat that the daily flights will be lucrative, taking into account the number of passengers travelling to and from Yogyakarta.

“The Yogyakarta market holds promise,” he remarked.

Nurtjahjo further expressed belief that the number of passengers will rise steadily in line with the airport operations moving from the Adisutjipto Airport to Yogyakarta International Airport.

Nurtjahjo noted that Citilink had yet to decide on a precise target on the number of passengers. Ramadan falls on the first week of May and is viewed as a lean season for travelers.

Citilink had earlier conducted a test flight from Jakarta’s SoekarnoHatta International Airport to the Yogyakarta International Airport on Thursday, May 3.

The Airbus A320-214 aircraft, bearing flight number QG3361, made a landing at the Yogyakarta International Airport’s runway 11 at 12:03 p.m. local time and then flew back to Jakarta at 1:40 p.m. local time.

Test flight is an operational process conducted to gauge the airline’s worthiness to operate on a new route. Captain Agus Setiono, in the company of Captain Teguh Kristiono and Captain Muhammad Ali Imron, conducted the test flight.

A representative from the Ministry of Transportation’s Directorate of Airworthiness and Aircraft Operations was also part of the test flight.

The Yogyakarta International Airport’s runway, measuring 3,250 meters in length and 45 meters in width and having 15-meter-long paved shoulders on each side, is

fully ready to handle aircraft operations.

The runway is capable of accommodating wide-bodied aircraft, including the Boeing 777-300 and Airbus A380.

The Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting facilities at the new airport fall under category number eight. The passenger terminal is replete with facilities, including 12 check-in counters, two x-ray machines, and a walkthrough metal detector.

Also available are 400 waiting benches, two conveyor belts, and six immigration counters at the departure and arrival halls. (ant)

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International

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

BUSINESS Pakistan sacks key member of economic team amid IMF talks

ISLAMABAD - Senior Pakistani officials say the government has removed the head of the country’s central bank, a key member of a team currently in talks with the IMF over an $8 billion bailout package.

The officials said Saturday that Tariq Bajwa, governor of the State

Bank of Pakistan, resigned the previous evening. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media on the record.

Bajwa has confirmed his resignation to Pakistani media.

The officials also said the government plans to remove Jahanzeb

Khan, chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue, a tax collection body.

Both officials were major figures in the government team holding the final round of talks with the IMF in Islamabad. A deal is expected to be signed later this month. (ap)

AP Photo/Teresa Crawford, File

US service companies grew at a slower pace in April

U.S. service companies grew at a slower pace in April, as business activity generally showed a leveling off.

The Institute for Supply Management, an association of purchasing managers, reported Friday that its service index fell to 55.5% last month, down from 56.1% in March. Any reading above 50 signals growth.

Companies surveyed for the index were mostly optimistic about overall business conditions but expressed continuing concern about finding qualified employees, the ISM said.

The service sector, which is where most Americans work, has been expanding for 111 straight months, according to the ISM index.

“The services sector has leveled off a bit,” said Anthony Nieves, chair of the ISM non-manufacturing business survey committee. However, “We still have strong and steady growth,” he said in a telephone interview.

U.S. businesses generally appear to have shrugged off earlier con-

cerns that the economy might slow this year. Nearly a decade into the economy’s recovery from the Great Recession, the economic expansion is set in July to become the longest in U.S. history.

A number of companies surveyed for the index continue to highlight the difficulty of finding workers, a reflection of the 3.6% unemployment rate — a five-decade low. Steady hiring over the nearly decade-long recovery from the Great Recession has caused the pool of people seeking work to decline, helping to push up wages.

According to the ISM survey, business activity rose in April compared with March but new orders declined slightly. The measure of employment fell as more of the companies surveyed said hiring was weaker.

“The labor pool just isn’t there,” Nieves said.

While many businesses say they’re struggling to find workers, each month they seem to add a substantial number. Some have taken a range of steps to fill jobs, including training more entry-level workers,

loosening educational requirements and raising pay sharply.

A new government report Friday showed that U.S. employers added a robust 263,000 jobs in April, fresh evidence that businesses now are less concerned about an economic slowdown and are anticipating strong customer demand. The jobless rate fell to 3.6% from 3.8%, though the drop partly reflected an increase in the number of Americans who stopped looking for work. Average hourly pay rose 3.2% from 12 months earlier. (ap)

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

5

Bindu River Becomes Centers for Water Attraction and Culinary Tourism

Sounds of rushing water accompany visitors’ playing activities. Sometimes they run, suddenly dive and then immediately appear to attack their companion with gunfire each other using water as the weapon. Some others jump merrily from riverside.

The others are freely swimming, without using any style as in the swimming contest. Some take advantage of rubber tires like the tubing game becoming a trend.

It is the atmosphere of daily life in Bindu River at Kesiman village, East Denpasar subdistrict.

Formerly, the river was dirty and unkempt, but it has been transformed into a tourist attraction. So, do not be surprised if Bindu River is now thronged by many visitors.

They are not only urban children playing with water, but also people from outside the region and even foreign tourists enjoying the city atmosphere.

To get to Bindu River, visitors can pass Gang Sardula through Jalan Turi Denpasar. The alley can only be passed by motorcycle, and then parked in front of the temple.

Come down the concrete stairs. The river offers quite cool atmosphere.

Such green open space has many different types of local plants up to a variety of flowers that can create a sense of peace.

Dam of Bindu River formerly being mute has now looked so beautiful. All leaves look fresh and green, sometimes are moving and waving in the wind. Sound of birds and other animals overlap with the joyful sound of dozens of children jumping into the water.

In this Jan. 24, 2019, file photo, Zakiyyah Askia, a plumbing apprentice in a program run by the nonprofit Chicago Women in Trades, welds pipes at a high rise residence under construction in Chicago. On Friday, May 3, the Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, issues its index of non-manufacturing activity for April.

Bali News

International

The atmosphere looks like the old days, where children are very close to nature of the environment. It is really fun.

On top of the southern end, it has been prepared for people wishing to relax. Under the big trees there is a large wooden seating area. This is usually used by parents for chatting. Meanwhile, pupils or students will make use of it to accomplish their school assignments, study in groups or prepare their examination test. Few teenagers in particular take advantage of it for dating.

Across the river, there is a sports arena and a gym. This facility is commonly used by people in the morning as well as in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, the traditional game of pillow fighting is available on the north of the river, precisely in front of the culinary area. “Citizens from ??East Denpasar subdistrict and surrounding areas can take advantage of the sports facilities while enjoying delicious food and water rides in Bindu River,” said hamlet chief of Ujung and Clean River Community, I Gusti Rai Ari Temaja.

A variety of cuisines are avail-

able on the west side of Bindu River utilizing the land of local residents transformed into a green field. There is gazebo to sit back as well as tatami-style seating or lesehan on green grass. Each gazebo is equipped with electric plugs for recharging hand phone or laptop. These culinary services are handled by local residents that are also tasked to maintain cleanliness

of the river area. “Foreign tourists like this place and the culinary delight,” added Gung Nik, his familiar greeting.

According to Gung Nik, the arrangement of sanitation and food stand has been done by the government of Denpasar with Bindu River Foundation. Bindu River is also a place of education for community.

“Hopefully, the increase of facilities will be able to draw more people visit to Bindu River, so indirectly it can improve the economy of the surrounding community,” he said while adding if the arrangement of Bindu River has got various awards. As evidence, many areas come to study to Bindu River, especially about the riverbank arrangement. (kmb)

Purple Taro Soup, a Delicious and Healthy Traditional Menu

When vacationing in Bali, at times you need to taste some traditional local menus.

The Island of Gods community has various types of menus whose preparation is simple, distinctive and healthy. For instance, there is purple taro soup. This cuisine has even existed since ancient times. It was commonly consumed by farmers whose lives are simple but still happy.

Purple taro soup has indeed been crushed by the progress of the times following the rampant emergence of ready-to-eat foods.

Actually, the purple taro is an ingredient richly containing potassium and calcium which maintain metabolic stability and heart health. This menu offers a good taste and contains lots of fiber as well as vitamins A and C. Along with the development of Bali tourism promoting cultural tourism, traditional food existing in the past is discovered and then processed into prominent menus. Such various servings do not only have good taste, but also look attractive and beautiful. Hotel and restaurant chefs having the ability to create and process menus, indeed

continue to explore and develop it.

Taro is a plant cultivated by people of the past. Its tubers were used as a substitute of staple food. Stems and leaves are commonly used for pig fodder mixed with bran and other food scraps. So, do not be surprised, the domestic pig farmers in the past had healthy meat without chemicals.

Let’s be back to the purple taro soup.

This has become a featured menu at several hotels and restaurants in the tourist area of ??Ubud. Taro soup is usually used as the opening menu. Sometimes it is also combined with walking programs around the village as well as yoga package and other traditional nuanced activities. Surely, the servings are adapted to tourists’ appetite with distinctive taste.

Preparation of this menu is not too difficult. First of all, you have to choose a large, young purple taro stem. Peel the stem and slice it ??thinly, so the sap and mucus can easily come out. The sliced ??stems are then soaked in the salt water for about 30 minutes. After that, squeeze them repeat-

edly with the aim to make the stem soft and release the entire sap and mucus.

Meanwhile, the seasoning uses Balinese spices such as turmeric, ginger, galangal, lemongrass and shallot. All of these spices are only pushed to produce a clearer soup.

The seasoning is then stir-fried and added chicken stock. The taro stem is put into a pan and add some salt and pepper. Ultimately, cook for about 30 minutes. Having been cooked, take out and it’s ready to be served. (kmb)

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Bali News

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

International

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

International

Arrangement of Suwung Landfill will reduce pollution

Australian PM egged on campaign trail

DENPASAR - The arrangement of Suwung Landfill carried out by the central government through the Ministry of Public Works and Settlement (PUPR) began to be worked on since a few months ago. The landfill area of 32.46 hectares is no longer to dispose of garbage as a whole. However, only 10 hectares of the land can be used to dispose of garbage, while 22 hectares will be used as eco-park.

Head of Denpasar Environment and Sanitation Agency (DLHK), I Ketut Wisada, when met at his office on Monday (May 6) revealed the landfill arrangement will be able to reduce pollution in Denpasar. All this time, one source of pollution is from garbage. Although it is not too big, there is still pollution. Therefore, to minimize pollution, the central government has now carried out arrangement and the area will be planted with trees.

Pollution caused by the waste also contributes to the damage to the greenhouse effect. The ozone layer is thinning and will damage existing air quality. With the arrangement of the Suwung landfill which is a waste collection site will be able to reduce the source of air pollution.

According to Wisada, the project carried out by the PLP Working Unit is planned to be completed in 2021.

In general, this arrangement will be done by planting trees, so that the land will function as a forest. It will not only function as a forest, but also for places to travel.

He said the area to be used for eco-park reaches 22 hectares. The remaining 10 hectares will be utilized for Waste Power Plants (PLTSa). This means the location to dispose of garbage will later be on the land. Of the 10 hectares managed for garbage, around 5 hectares will be used for the engine area. (kmb12)

Adem ALTAN / AFP

President of Turkey and leader of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets party members during his party’s parliamentary group meeting at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on May 7, 2019 in Ankara.

IBP/eka

The arrangement of Suwung Landfill carried out by the central government through the Ministry of Public Works and Settlement (PUPR) began to be worked on since a few months ago.

Fines for overstaying foreigners

BPPD Badung claims to have no impacts

MANGUPURA - The attitude of the Badung Regional Tourism Promotion Board (BPPD) regarding the policy of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights is inversely reversed with the statement of the Head of the Badung Tourism Office. The local BPPD even fully supports the policy of imposing a fine of IDR 1 million on foreign

citizens whose period of stay has exceeded or overstay in Bali, especially in Badung.

Chairperson of BPPD Badung, I Gusti Agung Ngurah Rai Suryawijaya, said the policy contained in Government Regulation Number 28/2019 concerning Types and Tariffs for the Type of Non-Tax State Revenue to foreign citizens

I Gusti Agung Ngurah Rai Suryawijaya

IBP/kmb

is an attempt of the government to discipline foreigners.

“The policy will not affect tourist visits, instead we support law enforcement because those who normally overstay are not tourists, but foreigners who come for other purposes,” said Rai Suryawijaya on Monday (May 6).

He was optimistic the policy of imposing fine sanctions on foreign citizens that overstayed will not have a significant impact on tourist visits to Bali, especially Badung.

Moreover, the number of foreigners exceeding their residence permits is very small.

“The percentage does not reach 1 percent and even zero comma. So, there is no influence on the level of room occupancy. We really hope the policy is really implemented, so there are no people playing,” he affirmed.

According to him, there is little chance that foreigners will exceed their residence permit because when they arrive at their destina-

tion, they are required to fill out an immigration form. On the form has been clearly stated the purpose of their coming, length of stay, and place to stay.

“Based on the data, we can check which foreigners have overstayed, so that it is unlikely to happen and if it happens there will be a reason why such as sickness, getting involved in particular cases and others,” he said.

Rai Suryawijaya also proposed related parties such as police to record any negative behavior of foreigners while on vacation in Bali. “We see which foreigners are mostly involved in criminal acts so that we can recommend revoking visa free facility. Now, there are 168 countries that enjoy visa free to Indonesia,” he said.

Previously, Head of the Badung Tourism Office, I Made Badra, stated that the policy which had been implemented starting in May 2019 is a challenge for Badung district to develop tourism.

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“This rule can affect tourist visits because there are many individual foreigners making a visit even though for a good deterrent effect,” he said.

As with foreigners traveling in groups, according to this bureaucrat from Kuta, foreigners making a visit by using the service of travel agency will be reminded by the company regarding their permission or if residence permit has exceeded the time limit.

“If this happens, it is better for them to go to Singapore than to Indonesia because the individuals are not necessarily all rich. Just imagine if an individual celebrates a vacation, and late for 1 week.

Thus, they will be fined as much as IDR 7 million,” he said.

Moreover, said Made Badra, the cost to Singapore is not too expensive. The money of IDR 7 million can even extend their permit for 30 days. “We think that a fine of one million per day is very expensive,” he concluded. (kmb27)

Erdogan welcomes controversial move to re-run Istanbul vote

SYDNEY - Australia’s election became a little more raucous on Tuesday when a protestor tried -- but failed -- to crack an egg on Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s head.

The attacker’s egg, thrown from close range, appeared to bounce off the politician at a Country Women’s Association event in New South Wales, where Morrison was campaigning ahead of May 18 general elections.

The woman was wrestled away

by Morrison’s close protection security detail and could later be seen leaving the venue holding an egg carton.

New South Wales police said they had taken a “25-year-old woman into custody following an incident involving the Prime Minister in Albury”.

It was not yet clear whether she would be charged.

In the fracas, an older woman was bundled over, and Morrison -- who is trailing in the polls ahead of the May 18 vote -- had to help her up.

Morrison seized on the incident to attack his political detractors.

“My concern about today’s incident in Albury was for the older lady who was knocked off her feet.

I helped her up and gave her a hug,” he tweeted.

“We will stand up to thuggery whether it’s these cowardly activists who have no respect for anyone, or militant unionists standing over small businesses and their employees on work sites.”

Union leader Sally McManus pilloried the prime minister for that comparison.

“How dare you accuse us of this & make the association,” she tweeted.

“You seem to have no respect for the truth or any concern about running down your fellow Australians. We would never support such behaviour.”

Opposition Labor party leader Bill Shorten, tipped to take over the prime minister’s job, called the assault “appalling and disgraceful”.

“The prime minister has my complete sympathy,” he added, telling reporters in Melbourne: “In Australia we have violence-free elections.”

The incident followed a highly publicised assault of far-right politician Fraser Anning, who had an egg smashed on his head during a press conference.

His teen attacker had been protesting comments Anning made blaming the massacre of 51 Muslim worshippers in two Christchurch mosques on immigrants to New Zealand. (afp)

ISTANBUL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday welcomed an order to rerun the recent Istanbul election, a move the opposition has branded an attack on democracy.

His ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lost the mayorship of Turkey’s biggest city by a narrow margin and has refused to accept defeat.

“We sincerely believe there was organised corruption and irregularities,” Erdogan told party members in parliament on Tuesday, saying the re-run was the “best step” for the country.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has condemned Monday’s decision by the top election body to re-run the vote as “neither democratic nor legitimate”.

Its candidate, Ekrem Imamoglu, who has been stripped of the mayorship after winning the March 31 election, was meeting coalition partners on Tuesday to discuss their strategy.

The loss of Istanbul, the country’s economic hub, had been a shocking defeat for Erdogan’s ruling party.

The AKP and its predecessors have ruled the city for 25 years, and it was especially sensitive for Erdogan, who grew up in the metropolis and rose to power after himself serving as Istanbul mayor.

Imamoglu, a softly-spoken former district mayor, gave a rousing

speech to thousands of supporters in Istanbul late Monday, vowing they would emerge even stronger after the re-run on June 23.

“Maybe you are upset but never lose your hope,” he said, while thousands more took to the streets of the chic Kadikoy district to protest against the election board.

- ‘Absolute power’“This is the collapse of the declining democracy in Turkey. The coming process is condemned to be even worse,” said 60-year-old shopkeeper Ali Yamac in central Istanbul.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Tuesday that the decision to annul the election was “not transparent and incomprehensible to us”.

The European Union has called for the election body to produce its reasons “without delay”.

“Ensuring a free, fair and transparent election process is essential to any democracy and is at the heart of the European Union’s relations with Turkey,” EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement on Monday.

The loss of the mayorship in Istanbul, and a more resounding defeat in the capital Ankara, was

a rare setback for Erdogan and his party, reflecting widespread concerns over the deteriorating economy.

The AKP still won the most seats nationwide, but has been damaged

by Turkey’s first recession in a decade, as well as record-high inflation and a currency that has lost more than 12 percent of its value against the dollar this year alone.

Erdogan’s critics say he has eroded rights by cracking down on dissent at home but for his supporters he maintains the image of a strong leader who speaks up for Turkey in the international arena.

The defeated mayoral candidate, former prime minister Binali Yildirim, a close Erdogan ally, said he hoped the re-run would “be beneficial for our city”.

The US-based think tank the Soufan Center said the YSK decision marked “serious concerns” for the future of democracy in Turkey.

“Given restrictions on freedom of speech and Turkey’s increasingly less independent judiciary, the recent election meddling is a clear signal to the Turkish people, and the world, that Erdogan is willing to pursue absolute power at any cost.” (afp)

NIC ELLIS / POOL / AFP

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison (L) and opposition leader Bill Shorten shake hands before the first televised leaders debate in Perth on April 29, 2019.

14

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Technology

International

Could high-flying drones power your home one day?

CALIFORNIA - A growing number of companies believe using tethered kites and drones is a viable way to harness the stronger and more consistent high-altitude winds. Could this tech release wind power’s full potential, or will it always remain a niche solution?

Wind power generated five times more electricity in 2018 than in 2008, according to recent figures from the US Energy Information Administration.

Yet it still only accounts for about 4% of the world’s electricity.

Critics point to the fact that the wind doesn’t always blow - the intermittency problem - making this form of renewable energy unreliable.

But winds at higher altitudes above 500m (1,640ft) - blow stronger and more consistently. An influential 2012 study from California’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory found that high-altitude winds alone could provide 100 times the global energy need.

“Wind turbines have been getting bigger and bigger in a bid to access winds at high altitude,” says Udo Zillmann of trade association Airborne Wind Europe. “But that means huge, expensive towers.”

So hi-tech drones and kites are now becoming accepted, lower-cost supplements, he argues.

“Airborne wind energy is a minimalistic version of a turbine, incorporating only the necessary elements: a blade and a tether measuring a few centimetres in diameter,” he explains.

“These systems require between 1% and 10% of the materials used to construct a turbine and can also be grounded if required, for example to

ease the passage of migrating birds.”

Makani, part of Google’s parent company Alphabet, is one of the companies working in the highaltitude wind space.

Its huge prototype kite is tethered to the ground and guided in loops by flight computers that use GPS and other sensors.

As the kite completes its loops, rotors on the 26m (85ft) wing spin in the wind, powering generators to produce electricity down the tether to the grid.

Makani began testing its current prototype, which is designed to produce up to 600 kilowatts of electricity - enough to power about 300 homes - in 2015.

And in partnership with energy giant Shell, it is about to trial a new offshore system mounted on floating buoys. “We plan to mount Makani’s kite on a small spar buoy moored with a synthetic line and gravity anchor,” says the firm’s chief executive, Fort Felker.

“This is possible because Makani’s kites are 90% lighter than turbines of a similar power rating.

It’s an exciting technical challenge.”

Flying energy-capturing kites or drones offshore makes sense from a regulatory point of view, given that some can travel 600m in each direction.

“You need a huge area to oper-

ate even one device, which is one reason many companies are looking offshore,” says Mr Zillmann.

There are also a number of companies working on ways to use wind power-generating drones over land, though.

Swiss start-up Skypull, for example, has developed an autonomous drone that can fly as high as 600m - about three times the height of a traditional wind turbine.

Its current prototype is a rigid wing, multi-copter “box-wing” drone that can take off and land by itself, with no need for a launcher or ground wind.

The take-off is battery powered, but once in the air the battery is recharged every time the kite loops back down towards the ground.

“Once it has climbed to operating height, the drone transitions to kite mode by turning 90 degrees from the upright position, and generates traction on the tether, which is attached to a winch that is linked to a generator,” explains Skypull chief executive Nicola Mona.

“It’s a system that enables us to fly between 200m and 600m above the ground in any location.”

Early usage is likely to be limited to smaller projects, Mr Mona admits, but he believes the Skypull system could one day be used to meet largescale energy demands. (net)

Makani’s unmanned tethered drone soars high while its propellers generate electricity.

IBP/net

Bali News

International

3

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Bali’s economy grows negatively

Only five business sectors grow positively

IBP/net

No Man’s Sky uses “procedural generation” to create new worlds automatically.

Could a computer ever create better art than a human?

LAST year a portrait of Edmond Belamy sold for $432,000 (£337,000).

A bit steep, you might think, for a picture of someone you’ve never heard of. And you won’t have heard of the artist either, as the picture was created by an algorithm drawing on a data set of 15,000 portraits painted between the 14th and 20th Centuries.

And to be honest, it’s a bit rubbish.

The sale, which astonished auction house Christie’s, raised many important questions. Can a computer, devoid of human emotion, ever be truly creative?

Is this portrait really art? Does any of that matter if people are prepared to pay for it?

And as artificial intelligence evolves and eventually perhaps reaches or surpasses human level intelligence, what will this mean for human artists and the creative industries in general?

Algorithms have already created artworks, poems, and pieces of music, but are they merely mimicking rather than creating?

Cognitive neuroscientist Romy Lorenz says a lot depends on how we define creativity.

If creativity means finding completely new ways to solve problems, then AI has already achieved that, she argues, citing Google’s DeepMind subsidiary.

In 2017, one of DeepMind’s AI programmes beat the world’s number one player of Go, an ancient and highly complex Chinese board game, after apparently mastering creative new moves and innovative strategies within days.

“Google would say that was creativity - new ways of finding solutions that it was not taught,” she says.

But is art more than just creative problem-solving?

Games, particularly those which take place within virtual worlds, have been the perfect setting for AI to solve problems creatively.

But asking an algorithm to create without any human input at all actually yields quite boring results, argues New York-based professor of computer science, Julian Togelius.

He cites Kate Compton’s “10,000 bowls of oatmeal” problem, which suggests that while algorithms can now create infinite worlds, these can be tedious for humans to play in.

An example, he suggests, was the hotly-anticipated release of space exploration game No Man’s Sky, which offered 18 quintillion algorithmically-generated planets to explore.

“In No Man’s Sky there are more places you could visit in a lifetime, with different flora and fauna. But that game has had mixed reviews - it’s a technical masterpiece but it’s not super interesting to play,” he says.

“The question is, can your algorithm generate a world that has meaning to it, and that is particular to the player in terms of place or skill?

“These algorithms are amazing - they can do more and more.

But there will always be things us humans want to put in. It’s the power of the sensibility and intentionality of the human brain - that’s what is hard [to recreate].”

Dr Lorenz points out that true artistic creativity differs from creative problem solving in that it requires a shift in perspective that machines do not appear to have the capacity for. (net)

DENPASAR — Bali’s economy grew 5.94 percent in the first quarter of 2019 (yoy). Meanwhile, in quarter to quarter (qtq) it grew negatively (-1.51 percent) because most of the business sectors in the first quarter of 2019 compared to the previous quarter did not show the best performance like before.

Of the 13 business sectors, only five business sectors showed positive growth.

Division Head of Regional Balance Sheet and Statistical Analysis at Central Statistics Agency (BPS) of Bali Province, Agus Gede Hendrayana, stated that in first quarter of 2019 Bali’s economy had indeed grown negatively compared to the fourth quarter of 2018 because it had not been peak season. “The first quarter indeed tends to be minus except for the first quarter of 2018, the number has increased,” he said Monday (May 6).

Since Bali’s economy is dominated by tourism, its growth is inseparable from tourist visits, both domestic and foreign tourists. Meanwhile, in the first quarter of 2019 Bali tourism only grew 3 percent, different from the previous year showing the growth of a dozen percent.

Another component whose contribution is substantial to the economy of Bali is agriculture.

However in the first quarter, the growth was negative because the growth of rice plants also declined whereas they usually grew quite well in the first quarter.

Air transportation also has a large contribution. International arrivals are good but domestic arrivals are not as good as the first quarter of 2018.

Of the 13 business sectors, only 5 sectors grew positively, where

the highest growth is experienced by financial and insurance services and the processing, information and communication industries. Actually in the previous several quarters, the financial and insurance services business sector recorded a slowing growth and in the first quarter of 2019 (qtq) recorded the highest growth. In the meantime, in yoy three business sectors that experienced growth are processing industry, government administration and construction.

In addition to economic growth, BPS also released a complete unemployment rate in Bali. Head of the BPS Bali, Adi Nugroho, added that open unemployment rate in Bali based on the February 2019 national labor force survey reached 1.19 percent.

“There is only about 1 person unemployment among the 100 workforce,” he said during the official release of statistics on Monday (May 6). The workforce is a population aged 10 years and over who is ready to get a job.

This unemployment rate increased 0.86 percent when compared to February 2018 (yoy).

“Bali’s unemployment rate is less than 1 per 100 workforces but now it has reached 1.19 percent,” he added.

This unemployment rate is dominated by graduates of vocational school (SMK), Diploma I, II, and III, each of which are 2.01 percent and 2.86 percent. Meanwhile, the business sector absorbing the most labor is agriculture with the percentage of 21.64 percent followed by trade of 18.22 percent.

The absorption of labor by the trade business sector has also decreased due to switching to work in the agricultural sector. (kmb42)

IBP/kmb

Another component whose contribution is substantial to the economy of Bali is agriculture. However in the first quarter, the growth was negative because the growth of rice plants also declined whereas they usually grew quite well in the first quarter.

IBP/kmb

By returning to an organic or low cost farming system, farmers are believed to be able to move towards prosperity faster.

Organic farming ideal for tourism region

DENPASAR — Legislation Agency at the Bali House of Representatives proposed a Regional Regulation on Organic Farming System. It is inseparable from realizing Bali as an organic island, namely by changing the mindset of farmers to return to use organic fertilizers such as compost. Other than restoring the glory of farmers, it is also meant to return superior varieties having vanished since farmers switched to conventional farming systems.

“After the system changes applied by farmers using technology because they want to get faster results, our varieties are all gone. In the 1970-1980s, the people had the products even though the production was rather slow but the results were very good and respected by outsiders,” said Chairman of the Legislation Agency at the Bali House of Representatives, I Gusti Putu Budiarta, amid the stipulation of the Regional Regulation Draft on the Organic Farming System, in the Joint Meeting Room of the Bali House of Representatives on Monday (May 6).

According to Budiarta, some countries such as Thailand learned a lot to Bali about farming system in the past. However, after being touched by technology, Balinese farmers instead walked backwards or are unable to prosper. By returning to an organic or low cost farming system, farmers are believed to be able to move towards prosperity faster. Role of the government is

also expected to provide incentives or subsidies for farmers at the beginning of the implementation of the organic farming system.

“Now, we think about changing the system first. Secondly, related to the price of production we will leave to the provincial government of Bali because in this regulation there will also be a regulating institution. It is related to the beginning of the production using this system, as well as post-harvest,” explained this PDIP politician from Denpasar.

Meanwhile, Secretary of Commission III of Bali House of Representatives, I Ketut Kariyasa Adnyana, said that organic farming is the ideal for Bali as a tourism area. However, the challenge is indeed quite difficult because it has to deal with capitalism controlling pesticides.

“Secondly, we will also deal with the habits of people having tended to use pesticides. Of course, there are consequences to the

results obtained in the first years.

There will be a huge cost, so that farmers need to be helped or given compensation for crops,” he said.

Nevertheless, Kariyasa is optimistic that Bali can realize organic agriculture which will later become an added value for tourism.

Chairperson of Commission IV at the Bali House of Representatives, I Nyoman Parta, said the problems faced by farmers are not actually in production level but certainty to get results at the time of harvest. At present, being a farmer in Indonesia is sometimes ‘opposed’ by the state. For example, when the prices of commodity are on the rise, the government rushes to intervene by holding market operation to reduce the prices.

“Without subsidies, farmers will continue this way. We will not be able to put the brakes on land conversion because farmers left behind are only the old ones, while the young are not available,” he affirmed. (kmb32)

2

Bali News

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

International

To make equity

Revision of RTRWP accommodates infrastructure development

DENPASAR - Having been interrupted by Concurrent Election, the discussion on the revision of Regional Regulation (Perda) No.16/2009 concerning the Bali Provincial Spatial Planning (RTRWP) is continued between the executive and legislative in the Bali House of Representatives on Monday (May 6). For reasons to realize equity, a number of infrastructure development plans appear to be accommodated in the revision starting from roads, airport in Buleleng to train plans.

“Infrastructure concerns spaces such as roads and airport. Besides, there are plans for railways. How to not focus on the southern region, surely it must also be shifted to the areas beyond the Sarbagita,” said Chairperson of the Special Committee for the Revision of the Regional Regulation on the RTRWP, I Ketut Kariyasa Adnyana, when asked for his confirmation after the meeting.

According to Kariyasa, the regions in Bali tend to prosper because of the tourism sector, as in Badung. Even though there has been a distribution of hotel and restaurant tax (PHR) from Badung, other districts cannot be excluded because the PHR alone cannot resolve the overall problem in the recipient district.

“In some regions, there are proposals from districts / municipality to be opened as tourism areas surely with the requirements that do not disturb Bali in general. As an example of upstream areas, Bedugul, Munduk, Kintamani and certain slopes should not be used as tourism areas,” explained this PDI-P

politician from Busungbiu, Buleleng.

But in certain areas, continued Kariyasa, such as Goa Lawah and Nusa Penida in Klungkung can be used as tourism areas.

Then, Buleleng area that may be developed is like Batu Ampar and Air Sanih and other areas. “Now, the tourism sector is the most promising sector for increasing regional income and for alleviating poverty and the progress of districts / cities,” he added.

To immediately realize equity in Bali, Kariyasa said infrastructure development plays an important role. Among them, the construction of shortcuts is a priority scale to realize the balance between southern Bali and northern Bali. Then, with east Bali, Nusa Penida is developed by repairing the harbor.

Meanwhile, the western Bali, in general will be built a ring road and toll road apart from the shortcut to parse traffic jams on the Denpasar-Gilimanuk line.

“There are also some new proposals because of Bali’s achievements with Jokowi’s victory as in Gunaksa will be used for the

Bali Cultural Center,” he said.

Regarding the Tanah Ampo Harbor, Kariyasa said the governor still proposed the cruise ship dock. However, it must be made a breakwater so that cruise ship can lean. After that, passengers are ushered in a lifeboat. Meanwhile, his proposal is to help ferry boats to cross from Bali mainland to Nusa Penida.

In the meantime, Deputy Chairman of the Special Committee for the Revision of the Regional Regulation of RTRWP, I Nengah Tamba, specifically fought for the DenpasarGilimanuk toll road to be accommodated in the RTRWP. According to him, it is the only way to realize the balance of southern Bali and western Bali. If the Denpasar-Gilimanuk toll road is too short, the Bhinneka Tunggal Ika toll road can be built passing through Bali, NTB and NTT. “I have to make it concrete in this Regional Regulation on RTRWP before completing my assignment. One more thing is how the central government can provide incentives for the existence of Balinese customs and culture. It has already been stated in the Regional Regulation on Customary Village,” said the Democratic politician from Jembrana.

Who will work on the toll road, continued Tamba, is only a technical problem. Most importantly there is a legal instrument and

the investors will come by themselves. According to him, the Denpasar-Gilimanuk toll road had been accommodated but on the beach. It was declared impossible. “Simply make at the edge of the forest because we have possibility to make cooperate with the Forestry Agency. So, investment is not too expensive. Besides, initiators do not need to buy land,” he explained. (kmb32)

Future of 2002 Bali Bombings site uncertain as land owner demands IDR90

Foreign tourists visit the memorial for victims of the 2002 Bali bombings during the 15th anniversary of the blasts in the Kuta tourist area near Denpasar, Bali on October 12, 2017. The 2002 blast, blamed on the militant Jemaah Islamiyah network linked to AlQaeda, tore apart a busy nightclub strip on the resort island of Bali killing 202 people, including 88 Australians. Photo: Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP The family that owns the property where Sari Club — one of the sites of the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people — once stood in Kuta is reportedly playing hard ball about a potential sale of the property.

The family has come under intense criticism over their plans to build a five-story building housing a restaurant and offices at the site

and since then, they have been in negotiations with the local government and the Australia-based Bali Peace Park Association (BPPA) — who want to build a memorial to honor the bombing victims — about a potential sale.

Australia’s ABC today reported that the family had agreed with BPPA, the Bali government and Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry, among others, to sell the 700 square meters site for US$3.4 million. However, the land owners are holding out on any deal before they’re also paid IDR90 billion (US$6.3 million) in compensation, which is the value of the five-story building project they had previously planned.

“There was no price agreed from our meeting yesterday, and it needs to be underlined that we won’t sell at land price but we will sell the project plan in accordance with

the issued building permit,” land owner Lina Tania told Detik via text message today.

Tania said if the demand was not obeyed, the family would commence with the construction of the building.

“We will continue to build the project but we delayed it because we appreciate BPPA’s effort to buy [the site]. But if BPPA cannot afford to meet our demands, we’ll go ahead with building it as planned because this is still our land,” Tania said.

“BPPA wanted to buy but the price offered was too cheap and that didn’t respect the land owners.

In every meeting, they always put emotions forward and threatened it will affect the countries’ diplomatic ties. We, as the land owners, do not want that to happen, but we hope what has been decided be

considered and respected. Whatever happens, this is privatelyowned land.”

The meeting’s mediator, local tourism agency head Made Badra, told Detik yesterday that BPPA offered to pay IDR 5 billion in compensation for the site, which has been vacant since the 2002 Bali bombings.

BPPA have long been hoping to build a permanent memorial on the site to honor the bombing victims. They initially hoped the Sari Club site owners would agree to do a land swap, as Bali Governor Wayan Koster had offered a bigger site nearby in exchange for the plot of land.

The ground-breaking ceremony for the five-story building was scheduled for May 1. Plans to develop the building, which would include a restaurant, a small busi-

ness centre and a museum for the bombing victims, has angered Australia.

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison called the plan “deeply distressing” and said he would demand the Indonesian government resolve the issue.

The 2002 Bali bombings claimed the lives of people from at least 21 countries, including 38 Indonesian nationals. Local terror network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) was blamed after its members detonated explosives outside the US consulate and two popular night spots on the Indonesian resort island, including in front of Sari Club, which was later demolished.

Australia suffered the highest number of casualties from the bombings, with at least 88 of its citizens among the 202 people killed.

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Bangli: Swasrina, Buleleng: Mudiarta, Gianyar: Manik Astajaya, Karangasem: Eka Parananda, Klungkung: Bagiarta. Jakarta: Nikson, Hardianto, Ade Irawan. NTB: Agus Talino, Izzul Khairi, Raka Akriyani. Surabaya: Bambang Wilianto.  Office: Jalan Kepundung 67 A Denpasar 80232. Telephone (0361)225764, Facsimile: 227418, P.O.Box: 3010 Denpasar 80001. Bali Post Jakarta, Advertizing: Jl.Palmerah Barat 21F. Telp 021-5357602, Facsimile: 021-5357605 Jakarta Pusat. NTB: Jalam Bangau No. 15 Cakranegara Telp. (0370) 639543, Facsimile: (0370) 628257. Publisher: PT Bali Post

Activities

International

Vouk Hotel & Suites

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

15

Offers the beauty of Indian Ocean View for tourists

LOCATED in the Nusa Dua area, Vouk Hotel & Suites offers the Indian Ocean View that guests can enjoy through their room’s balcony.

This five-star hotel has 176 rooms divided into 78 Superior Rooms, 74 Deluxe Rooms and 24 Suite Rooms.

Jesslyn, Public Relations of Vouk Hotel & Suites, stated on Thursday (May 2) that all rooms at Vouk Hotel are equipped with balconies so that guests can see the view outside. The balcony also has a sofa enabling guests to relax while breathing in the fresh air of Bali.

The hotel having been in operation since 2015 is equipped with a number of facilities that can support the activities of in-house guests.

There are a number of restaurants, meeting rooms and ballrooms that can be taken advantage by guests and business people spending holidays or doing business in Bali.

At Vouk, there are 5 restaurants, a gym, a ballroom, a meeting room, a karaoke room, a playroom, a children’s room, a spa and swimming pool. “We have 1 ballroom and 6 meeting rooms that can be used for the implementation of MICE (Meeting, Incentives, Conference, and Exhibition),” she explained.

She revealed that currently Vouk is also serious about working on domestic tourists. Moreover, it is now approaching the holiday season for school students. She expected that through a number of facilities offered it can attract tourists to choose Vouk. “Here at Vouk, our guests are not only foreign tourists but also domestic tourists. At the moment, most of our guests are tourists from China,” she added. (iah)

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

16 Pages Number 91 11th year

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

Price: Rp 3.000,-

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Modern sculpture meets ancient Greece in unique island exhibition DELOS - A stone’s throw from the Greek island of Mykonos lies Delos, an uninhabited islet a world away from its neighbour’s glamorous nightlife.

It is there, on an island best known for its archaeological treasures, that British contemporary artist Antony Gormley is showing 29 of his sculptures.

Gormley is perhaps best known for his gigantic Angel of the North, a 20-metre high steel work that since 1998 has been an unmissable landmark in its home at Gateshead, northern England.

But this new exhibition -- including five works specially created for the event -- sets his contemporary work among the remains of ancient Greece.

“It’s an extraordinary responsibility,” Gormley told AFP at the opening.

“It’s an amazing privilege to occupy a site that hasn’t been occupied by a living artist (for) over

two thousand years -- that’s a bit of a challenge isn’t it?”

The archaeological finds on Delos date back as far as the 3rd millennium BC up to the Hellenic era of classical Greece.

Its UNESCO World Heritage listing describes it as an “exceptionally extensive and rich” site, reflecting its past as a cosmopolitan port.

The exhibition is intended as a dialogue between contemporary civilisation and the past, says Elina Kountouri, who heads up NEON, the non-profit that organised the show along with London’s Whitechapel Gallery.

A mark of the respect accorded to the site is that none of Gormley’s sculptures have been placed inside the ruins of the ancient sanctuaries of the Greek gods Apollo and Artemis.

According to Greek myth, Delos is where the two gods -- brother and sister -- were born. (afp)

LOUISA GOULIAMAKI / AFP

The statue “Another time XV” by British artist Antony Gormley, part of his exhibition “Sight”, overlooks the island of Mykonos at the archeological site of the island of Delos.

Mexican-American singer Lila Downs confronts immigration debate in new album

10 Malaika Scret 11 Snack Shack 12 Warung Lokal 13 Cokro Cafee 14 T.J.Bar 15 J & N Kebab 16 Goanna Bar 17 Batu Jimbar 18 Ramayana Cafee

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

NEW YORK - Long an advocate for rural communities in her native Mexico, singer Lila Downs is now adding inflections of cumbia and electro to her signature brand of folk -- and taking on the hot-button issue of immigration.

The Grammy-winning Mexican-American’s just-released ninth studio album offers a defiant celebration of diversity while challenging US President Donald Trump’s hardline stance on immigration, something Downs calls a “responsibility.”

After performing with the likes of folk legend Joan Baez on the USMexico border to raise funds for migrant refugees, Downs decided to cover the iconic song “Clandestino,” an immigrant anthem originally by indie darling Manu Chao.

“If we don’t fight for children, what will become of us?” the 50year-old says in her cover of the hit, referring to the White House’s immigrant detention policies that saw children separated from their parents.

“Immigration must always be looked at from a human point of view,” she told AFP while in New York to promote “Al Chile,” her album that dropped Friday.

“We must pay tribute to these people, make them songs,” she said, shaking her colorful traditional shawl as the breeze sent her long dark hair into ripples, the

AFP

Reuters journalists Wa Lone (centre L) and Kyaw Soe Oo (centre R) gesture outside Insein prison after being freed in a presidential amnesty in Yangon on May 7, 2019.

Don Emmert / AFP

Mexican-American singer-songwriter Lila Downs Empire State Building towering over the skyline.

- Half and half Downs -- who is embarking on a tour that will take her to San Jose, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and later Spain, Peru and Colombia -- now lives in Mexico’s southern city Oaxaca but grew up between Mexico and the United States.

The daughter of an American filmmaker and biologist whose mother is Mixtec, an indigenous group in southern Mexico, Downs says it’s her job to speak up on behalf of migrants as a performer of mixed descent.

“It’s a responsibility as a Mex-

ican-American to talk about these issues,” she said. “My whole career has been like that, partly because I am half and half and I wanted to unite the two worlds.”

Trump’s discourse, she said, is precisely “the opposite of what I’ve tried to do my entire life.”

But despite its sometimes weighty content, the album that includes a collaboration with US singer Norah Jones -- who sings in English and Spanish -- also celebrates life and is perfect for a party, Downs said.

“It has a lot of heart on some subjects, but it’s mostly for enjoyment” -- something for “the waist down,” she laughed. (afp)

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Myanmar press freedom ‘suffocating’ despite Reuters reporters’ release

Media freedom advocates praised the surprise release of Reuters reporters in Myanmar but stressed the pair should never have been jailed in the first place and called for sweeping reforms of paralysing press laws.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters walked free from Yangon’s Insein prison Tuesday after more than 500 days behind bars as part of a large presidential amnesty following a global campaign calling for their release.

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were sentenced to seven years in prison under the draconian Official Secrets Act last year after probing a massacre of 10 Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state.

The killings occurred in the conflict-wracked region of Myanmar that has been largely offlimits to journalists since an army crackdown forced some 740,000 members of the stateless Rohingya minority to flee to Bangladesh.

But as the world cheered the sud-

den release Tuesday, media watchdogs cautioned against celebrating the move as a new chapter for Myanmar’s tainted press freedom record.

Nicholas Bequelin of Amnesty International called the case against the Reuters reporters “a travesty of justice from start to finish”.

He said there were still “a range of repressive laws used to detain journalists, activists and any perceived critic” in place.

“Until these laws are repealed, journalists and activists remain under a permanent threat of detention and arrest.” The United Nations on Tuesday echoed Amnesty’s fears after welcoming the pair’s release.

“The situation for freedom of expression (in Myanmar) is dire,” the UN human rights office spokes-

woman Ravina Shamdasani said in Geneva.

She added that “no positive progress has been observed” since the rights office issued a set of recommendations last year aimed at improving free speech in Myanmar.

Myanmar is ranked 138 out of 180 countries for press freedom by Reporters Without Borders, and critics say it employs colonial-era legislation to target journalists and activists.

That includes a roster of legislation such as the State Secrets Act and laws on unlawful association and incitement. A telecommunications law passed in 2013 has also been used to target reporters and government critics.

There are currently almost 130 prisoners behind bars in Myanmar

either convicted or awaiting trial for politically motivated reasons, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners in Yangon.

- ‘Face-saving’ release The Reuters saga is not the first time Myanmar has courted unwanted attention for press freedom issues.

On June 2017 three journalists from two independent news outlets -- the Irrawaddy and Democratic Voice of Burma -- were arrested by the military at a checkpoint after reporting from an ethnic armed group-controlled area.

They were charged with unlawful association and held for 10 weeks before the military dropped the case.

Another journalist Swe Win faces an ongoing case of online defamation that has dragged on for almost two years and which requires him to make frequent trips to another city

hours away to attend hearings.

Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo’s release does little to change Myanmar’s “suffocating media environment”, said Matthew Bugher of Article 19, a freedom of expression organisation.

“If the government was serious about media freedom, it could start by reforming the repressive colonial-era law that was used to charge the two men, as well as a whole host of other laws that stifle independent journalism and free speech,” he added.

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