Edisi 08 Juli 2011 | International Bali Post

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Friday, July 8, 2011

Australia lifts ban on cattle exports to Indonesia Associated Press Writer

SYDNEY — Australia will resume exporting live cattle to Indonesia within weeks after a ban on the $350 million per year trade was lifted, with the federal government saying new rules for exporters will help ensure the animals are treated humanely.

Star trio facing life after Harry Potter PAGE 12

IBP/Net

Australia will resume exporting live cattle to Indonesia within weeks after a ban on the $350 million per year trade was lifted, with the federal government saying new rules for exporters will help ensure the animals are treated humanely.

WEATHER FORECAST TEMPERATURE OC

DENPASAR

21 - 30

Agence France-Presse

JAKARTA

24 - 32

BANDUNG

19 - 30

YOGYAKARTA

19 - 32

SURABAYA

19 - 31

JAKARTA - Indonesia fears the trial of an alleged mastermind of the Bali bombings would increase terrorist risks and suggested it was not keen on prosecuting Umar Patek, a report said Wednesday.

Patek, one of the most wanted Islamic extremists in Southeast Asia, was arrested in March in Abbottabad in Pakistan — the same town where Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed just weeks later.

In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, the head of Indonesia’s anti-terrorism agency Ansyaad Mbai said Patek would become a new figurehead for violent jihadis if returned to

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Continued on page 6

Indonesia fears backlash from Bali bomb trial

CITY

SUNNY

The government banned exports to Indonesia last month after an outcry over a video that aired in Australia showing animals crying out and writhing as they were slaughtered. The footage also showed cattle being beaten and taking minutes to bleed to death as their throats were repeatedly slashed.

“The Australian community made it clear it would not support a trade in which these things occurred,” Federal Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig told reporters on Wednesday. “I want to make it clear the decision to suspend the trade was not an easy decision to make, but it was the right decision.”

Under the new system, slaughterhouses will have to prove they meet animal welfare guidelines. Ludwig said tracking and transparency in the cattle supply chain will also be improved.

the country of his birth.

“Umar Patek was chased by many countries. There was a (million dollar) prize on his head but now that he’s arrested it’s as if Indonesia must face the problem alone,” Ansyaad told the newspaper.

“This man is very dangerous.

His presence here would increase the terror threat, not only to Indonesia but to several countries with a presence here.

“He’ll be like fresh air for remnants of the terrorism network. (The terrorists) are dangerous, they still exist and they’ve been waiting for a figurehead such as Umar Patek.”

Continued on page 6

IBP/Net

Indonesia fears the trial of an alleged mastermind of the Bali bombings would increase terrorist risks and suggested it was not keen on prosecuting Umar Patek, a report said Wednesday.

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International

Friday, July 8, 2011

Bali News

Gedebong Goyang presents Balinese style jokes VISITORS of Bali Arts Festival (BAF) 2011 must be very happy as entertained by fresh enough jokes presented by comedy group comprising some foreign women being the wife of Balinese residents and have been officially citizens of Indonesia. The four personnel consisting of Rucina Ballinger (American), Suzan Kohlik (Swiss), Antonela De Santis (Italian) and Azek Ryan (Australian) coalesced into the Kita Art community could make very intriguing performance on Monday (Jul 4) in Wantilan Hall of Bali Art Center, Denpasar.

Their performance was always inviting laughter of visitors thronging the area of Wantilan Hall. With a typical Balinese style, the action of the four foreign women who had been speaking Balinese fluently was always making the audience laugh. Their presentation was filled with intriguing humor and inviting laughter to spectators watching the troupe of Balinese-style comedian.

Met after the performance, Rucina Ballinger and Suzan said to be very happy as they could be entertaining others by making others laugh.

Through a comedy group named Gedebong Goyang, Rucina claimed that she wanted to entertain people with humor and jokes delivered.

“Gedebong Goyang would like to make people laugh because laughter can get rid of stress,” said Rucina, the mother of two children and wife of Gung Putra. Rucina admitted to be very pleased to make presentation in BAF and hoped it could entertain and

make people laugh.

“By making jokes and humor, Gedebong Goyang wants to make people laugh,” added the mother of one child, Suzan Kohli who is the wife of I Wayan Astika.

Furthermore, Rucina and Suzan said the group was named gedebong goyang because the comedians admitted that their body was similar to gedebong or banana trunk. This group was established in 2002 when many Balinese people were sad. “In 2002, many Balinese people were sad, so we made this comedy group, “said Rucina accompanied by Suzan. The group was established with I Ketut Widi Putra serving as art director in the Kita Art Community, Celuk, Gianyar. At least, this group had made performance for 15 times such as in Kuta Karnival, Ubud Festival, Sanur Festival, Warini School and first appearance in the 33rd BAF 2011. The group had a break for 3 years. All humors presented by comedians averagely ag-

Bali Now, 166,200 People in Poverty Denpasar (Bali Post) –

Bali’s rate of poverty is not the most if seen from the whole Indonesia where Bali has been after Jakarta with the least poverty residents. Yet Bali Central Statistic Board (BPS) claimed the number of residents in poverty at Bali period March 2011 reached 166,200 people, smaller than last March 2010 reaching 174,900 people. Head of the Board, Gede Suarsa, thinks the Bali policy in decreasing poverty has been right and has been going well so far. “Since 2007 it has been decreasing, from 229 thousand to the total now,” he mentioned last Mon-

day (4/7) in Denpasar.

According to him the BPS survey results mostly come from cities where disadvantaged people reached 93 thousand people while in villages around 73 thousand people. This was due in villages the residents were stabile while in cities there are many non residents. The indicator causer was dominated by rice in the food sector and houses in the non food sector, also secondly cigarettes.

“This proves that Indonesian people in poverty are strong in smoking where in this data only filter and kretek kind are noted, not yet the white cigarettes,” he stated. (par)

IBP/File

(L to R) Suzan Kohlik (Switzerland atau Swiss), Azek Ryan (Australia), Rucina Balinger (USA) and Antonela De Santis (Italy) performed in the 33rd Bali Art Festival. ing 30 to 50 years were in Balinese language. Rucina and Suzan hoped that Gedebong Goyang could always entertain and afford to pay the band accompanying their performance.

According to Art Director of Kita Art Community, I Ketut Widi Putra, accompanied by BR Indra

Udayana, the presence of Gedebong Goyang was a group of the art lovers. The appearance they presented featured the three concepts in Tri Hita Karana philosophy.

“Our mission through the art is to maintain world peace in collaboration with the Gandi Ashram,” said Widhi Putra. Meanwhile,

founder of Ashram Gandhi Puri, BR Indra Udayana told that presentation of the art was intended to create world peace and preserve the integrity of Homeland. “Hopefully, performance of Gedebong Goyang could unite the difference and create world peace,” said Indra Udayana.

Upsurge of rubbish on holidays must be anticipated Mangupura (Bali Post)—

Upsurge of rubbish on Galungan and Kuningan holidays, particularly in Kuta and the surrounding area, should be well anticipated by relevant agencies. Badung Sanitation and Landscaping Services (DKP) have been asked to improve its performance on holidays so rubbish will not diminish the aesthetics of tourism area.

A legislator of Badung House from Legian, I Wayan Puspa, said on Monday (Jul 4) that every moment before Galungan and Kuningan devotees prepared their

religious life so solemnly and steadily. Even, the activities had become an incredible tourist attraction.

However, during the celebration and after, it was followed by scattered rubbish.

He said that specifically for sanitation at tourism area such as Kuta and surrounding areas, officers of DKP Badung were expected to make a good working shift, increase supervision and deploy a rapid response team during the holidays. It was intended to handle the rubbish upsurge after the celebration and there would be no more scattered

rubbish which resulted in the decline in the aesthetic of tourism area.

Rubbish upsurge on holidays, he added, needed to be balanced with the right and appropriate handling system and pattern. According to Puspa, the system might include the increasing public awareness of waste management, mainly household waste. “Rubbish emerging after the implementation of ceremonies should be put neatly. As soon as the ceremony is over, it should be put into baskets, plastic bag or the like that are easily accessible by rubbish collectors,” he said. (kmb25)

z Founder : K.Nadha, z General Manager :Palgunadi Chief Editor: Diah Dewi Juniarti z Editors: Gugiek Savindra,Alit Susrini, Alit Sumertha, Daniel Fajry, Mawa, Sri Hartini, Suana, Sueca, Sugiartha, Wirya, Yudi Winanto zDenpasar: Dira Arsana, Giriana Saputra, Subagiadnya, Subrata, Suentra, Sumatika, Asmara Putra. Bangli: Pujawan, Buleleng: Adnyana, Gianyar: Agung Dharmada, Karangasem: Budana, Klungkung: Bali Putra Ariawan. Jakarta: Nikson, Hardianto, Ade Irawan. NTB: Agus Talino, Syamsudin Karim, Izzul Khairi, Raka Akriyani. Surabaya: Bambang Wilianto. z Development: Alit Purnata, Mas Ruscitadewi. z 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: 0215357605 Jakarta Pusat. NTB: Jalam Bangau No. 15 Cakranegara Telp. (0370) 639543, Facsimile: (0370) 628257. Publisher: PT Bali Post

Bali News

International

3

Friday, July 8, 2011

Galungan in Jembrana

Jagatnatha and Jati Temple thronged by devotees Negara (Bali Post)—

Coinciding with Galungan festivity falling on Wednesday (Jul 6), a number of dang kahyangan temples in Jembrana were thronged by myriad devotees. They had been discernible to come from the morning.

As seen in Jagatnatha and Jati Temple, Pengambengan, hundreds of devotees both young and old crowded the queue in the temple courtyard. In the Jagatnatha Temple, for instance, the parking lot was even not sufficient so that cars were placed in front of the office of Jembrana Regent and Jembrana House. This condition was taken advantage by street vendors. Some

vendors of food and kid toys lined up around the Pecangakan Park located adjacent to Jagatnatha Temple. Devotees who were exhausted after saying prayers took advantage of the time to have a break around the park and purchased food and beverages.

Similar sight could also be encountered in Jati Temple at Pengambengan. From the entrance,

the many devotees looked so crowded. Even, they should be in line for prayers. Since it was too crowded, many devotees took the wrong way when they were going out to invoke holy water to local temple priest. Long queue was unavoidable when invoking holy water. Nevertheless, Galungan celebration in Jembrana could be running flourishingly and safely. (olo)

Word of mouth promotion:

Bustling, tourist visits to Batu Ampar Singaraja (Bali Post)—

Though only relying on word of mouth promotion, Batu Ampar tourist destination located in Gerokgak Subdistrict has been well known among foreign and domestic tourists. It is indicated by foreign tourist visits to the object in the western end of Buleleng that is never quiet. Of course, it is a progress and tourism perpetrators in North Bali can remain to survive. This tourist destination is located integrally with the area of West Bali National Park (TNBB).

Batu Ampar presents a beautiful underwater panorama with coral reef staying beautiful.

Even, tourists who have visited and tried diving and snorkeling in coral reef spread called Batu Ampar was not inferior to marine parks in other regions. Such condition can be successfully achieved by utmost participation of community, chiefly tourism stakeholders, in maintaining and preserving the coral reef from ignorant hands.

Management of Batu Ampar tourist destination has always carried out in collaboration with a group of local fishermen. One of the fishermen groups is the Banyu Mandi from Batu Ampar Hamlet, Pejarakan Village, has been profoundly involved in managing the marine tourism since 1999.

Chairman of Banyu Mandi

Fishermen, Wayan Suditra, said that since opened the Batu Ampar region had two locations for diving and snorkeling. First location could be reached from mainland by traveling for 45 minutes. From first location, it would take visitors about 20 minutes to arrive at the second location. “Both areas equally have a panoramic coral reef and thousands of species of ornamental fish. On average, the depth of diving and snorkeling is 30 meters,” he said.

According to Suditra, since he joined to manage the tourist attraction about 30 fishermen were involved to drive fishing boats.

They were ready to deliver foreign and domestic tourists who would take marine excursion. A single unit of boat with a capacity of 16 passengers would be charged at IDR 330,000. Every tourist riding the boat and would like to have diving and snorkeling activity would be charged with insurance premium. “We just deliver them, while their tour guide and rental of clothing and equipment had been prepared here,” he explained.

When asked about the number of daily visit, Suditra claimed to have no accurate data. However, in terms of entrance ticket, it could be known that daily tourist visits averagely amounted to 20100 tourists. The amount of tourist visits was achieved by word of mouth promotion only. Addi-

tionally, two hotels located around the object and local government also made promotion for Batu Ampar. As consequence, the tourist destination could draw significant domestic and foreign tourists. “We are here only carrying out word of mouth promotion. Other promotion is executed by the two hotels and government, so the object is able to bring in guests. Having paid a visit, guests were satisfied to enjoy snorkeling or sightseeing in the marine park,” he added.

Meanwhile, a local tour guide, Ketut Sutama, said that based on his experience in escorting tourists who took diving and snorkeling activities, most of them were satisfied with amazing marine panorama offered by Batu Ampar. Their satisfaction was caused by the existing well preserved coral reef. Besides, no accommodation facilities were allowed to be built around the area, so the condition would make tourists comfortable and not distracted by activities such as hawkers or provider of other services. Similarly, the absence of accommodation was also intended to avoid environmental pollution and increase the ‘pristine’ image of the tourist attraction. “Related to food and equipment rental, they have been provided at location away from Batu Ampar area and guests can book them before departing,” he said. (kmb)

IBP/File

The Hindus packed Dangkhayangan Jati Temple in Pengambengan, Jembrana, during Galungan Day.

Commodification of Balinese art should be controlled Denpasar (Bali Post)—

Development of Bali tourism has led to commodification of Balinese arts. Originally, the art purely functioned as a form of offering to God and ancestors by Balinese people have now also begun to shift because the function of art is also used as a commodity for economic gain.

It is indicated by a number of performing arts now packaged specifically for the purpose of tourism. To minimize the negative impact of the phenomenon, commodification of Balinese art must be strictly controlled. A Jegog traditional music artist, Ketut Suwentra, revealed the matter not long ago.

According to the artist from Jembrana, the most obvious commodification was seen in Balinese performing arts. The commodification had occurred since the beginning of the arrival of tourists in Bali.

Even, commodification of art shows in tourism industry had also extended to performing arts considered sacred. For example, Kecak Dance currently known as compulsory attraction for tourists was actually cut off from the Sanghyang sacred dance. Unfortunately, the dance posing a fusion of vocal music and fragmentary with the story source from Ramayana epic was mistakenly interpreted as a monkey dance.

“The interwoven and layered a cappella cak .... cak .... cak .... accompanied with natural movements of ‘oral’ gamelan players is often enchanting tourists. Most likely, movements of the monkey had made it called a monkey dance,” he said while adding that the demands of tourism had made the performing arts packaged briefly.

Suwentra added that presence of art business trend as the impact of tourism development was a challenge for development of Balinese

art. This condition, he said, made the tradition of ngayah or devotional work becoming the buffer Balinese art began to shift. “Simply have a look at the example of business of the art in tourism industry. Mutual tug, confrontation and negotiation process are now being intensively taking place in the contemporary Balinese society, including in the field of arts,” he said.

Existence of Balinese arts so far, he said, was propped up by the ngayah tradition because Balinese art closely associated with Hinduism practiced by the majority of Balinese community. Other than supported by religious motivation, existence of Balinese arts also received strong support from social organizations such as hamlet where the hamlet hall became a significant arena of arts. Here, the values of art were conserved, developed, discussed and appreciated. “But, how long can it last? As part of a global civilization, Balinese people will live through changes both internally and externally. As consequence, a shift in values occurs with implication on behavioral changes and mindset of the people,” he said.

“Of course, it has become a dilemma how Balinese artists respond and compromise between ngayah tradition and materialistic tradition oriented in money-market economy becoming an onslaught to nearly every nook and cranny of their lives today,” he said.

To that end, Suwentra assessed the importance of public awareness and concern of government with the existence of Balinese performing arts as a crystallization of culture whose position should be empowered in the midst of necessity of globalization. It was affirmed the importance to minimize the negative impact of practice of commodification. (kmb13)

4

News

Friday, July 8, 2011

International

Phone-hacking scandal widens as shares slump Agence France Presse

London - The impact of the News of the World phone-hacking scandal widened on Thursday as shares in parent company News Corp. slumped amid revelations the relatives of dead soldiers may have been targeted.

Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator at the heart of the scandal, had the personal details of the families of British servicemen who died fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Daily Telegraph has reported.

The Rupert Murdoch-owned News International group said it would be “absolutely appalled” if claims that its Sunday tabloid intercepted messages meant for the relatives of dead soldiers were true. The revelations impacted the Australian market with News.

Corp. shares dropping 55 cents, or 3.20 percent, to Aus$16.62 (US$17.75) by 1130 (0130 GMT).

The Ministry of Defence was seeking clarification from detectives, who earlier contacted the servicemen’s families to warn them that they may have been hacking victims, reported The Telegraph. “It would be inappropriate for us to comment whilst this investigation

is ongoing,” a defence spokesman said on Wednesday.

Murdoch on Wednesday condemned as “deplorable and unacceptable” claims that the tabloid hacked the phones of relatives of murdered children and victims of the London bombings. In his first statement on the affair, the Australian-born tycoon said his company would “fully and proactively cooperate with the police”.

Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday backed calls for a public inquiry into the allegations, but said police should first complete their probe of the “absolutely disgusting” claims. Ahead of an emerPalestinians wave flags and hold banners during a rally in Gaza City in support of the international Freedom Flotilla hoping to breach Israel’s sea blockade on the Gaza Strip, on July 6, 2011.

AFP PHOTO/MAHMUD HAMS

Israel-Turkey flotilla talks break down: source Agence France Presse

Israel and Turkey failed to reach agreement after more than a year of UN-sponsored talks on the assault by Israeli troops of a Gazabound ship killing nine Turks, a Turkish source said Thursday.

Neither Israel nor Turkey signed a UN report on the Israeli raid on Turkish ship Mavi Marmara in May last year, which was to be handed to UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon later Thursday, the source told AFP requesting anonymity.

The Mavi Marmara was leading a flotilla to the Palestinian territory, subject of an Israeli-imposed blockade, when an intervention by Israeli security forces ended in bloodshed.

Following the May 31 raid Turkey

withdrew its ambassador in Tel Aviv, vowing that bilateral relations “would never be the same.”

Israel refused to sign the report after a commission of inquiry concluded that its forces had acted in an “excessive” manner by swooping on the Mavi Marmara a long way from the Gaza Strip and without giving a final warning to the vessel.

“Non-violent options should have been used in the first instance,” the Turkish source quoted the report as saying. The dead and wounded resulting from the raid were “unacceptable,” the report added.

Turkey’s refusal to sign off on the report stemmed from the fact that it did not say Israel’s blockade of Gaza was illegal, the source told AFP.

gency debate in the House of Commons, Cameron said: “We do need to have an inquiry, possibly inquiries, into what has happened.

“Let us be clear — we are no longer talking here about politicians and celebrities, we are talking about murder victims, potentially terrorist victims having their phones hacked into. “It is absolutely disgusting what has taken place.” But Cameron rejected calls by Labour leader Ed Miliband for an immediate public inquiry “because you must not jeopardise the police investigation”.

Cameron also refused to back Miliband’s call for the resignation of Rebekah Brooks, the chief executive of News International who was editor of the News of the World when the hacking allegedly took place in 2002.

And he insisted the row should not affect the government’s decision, due within days, on whether Murdoch’s News Corp. should be able to proceed with its controversial bid to take full control of satellite broadcaster BSkyB.

AFP PHOTO/ADRIAN DENNIS

(FILES) A picture taken on January 26, 2007 of Glenn Mulcaire (L) arriving at the Old Bailey court in central London. The phone-hacking crisis consuming Britain’s biggest-selling Sunday newspaper deepened on July 7, 2011 after The Telegraph reported that relatives of dead soldiers may have been targeted.

Indian PM faces calls to sack minister over graft Associated Press Writer

India’s prime minister Manmohan Singh faced growing calls Thursday to sack a minister named in a police investigation into the latest alleged corruption scam to hit his administration. Singh has grappled with a string of government-linked graft scandals over the last year, including claims that the allocation of second-generation (2G) mobile phone licences cost the

treasury $40 billion in lost revenue.

Dayanidhi Maran, telecoms minister from 2004-07, was on Wednesday accused in a police court report of manipulating the 2G sale in favour of companies to which he was linked. Singh’s upright image has been tarnished by accusations of widespread corruption within his government despite his repeated claims of having a “zero tolerance” policy toward graft.

The allegations against Maran

AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.

Activists of regional Telugu Desam Party hold a placard depicting, from left, Indian Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, lawmaker Jaipal Reddy and Andhra Pradesh state Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy at a protest against recent price hike of petroleum products in Hyderabad, India, Saturday, July 2, 2011.

brought another day of critical front-pages for Singh, with many newspapers predicting Maran would be sacked or forced to resign ahead of an upcoming cabinet reshuffle. Maran, who is currently textiles minister, has denied charges that he forced the founder of the Aircel telecom group, C. Sivasankaran, to sell his stake in the group to another company which was close to the Maran family.

Sivasankaran “had been knocking at various doors but was left with no choice but to sell his shares to a Malaysian firm,” a police lawyer told the Supreme Court on Wednesday. The police report lodged with the court said Sivasankaran had been prevented from gaining a telecom licence, but the Maxis Group, the Malaysian firm, was granted licences within six months of taking over Aircel’s business.

Opposition parties united to demand action over the graft allegations. “The resignation of Maran has to happen. Certainly his position has become untenable,” said Nirmala Sitaraman, spokeswoman for the main opposition BJP party. Maran, from the DMK regional party that is a key ally of the Congress-led government, was replaced as telecoms minister by A. Raja, who is also from the DMK party.

Activities

International

Friday, July 8, 2011

5

Grand Swiss-Belhotel Medan Awarded the Certificate of Excellence IBP

JAKARTA - Known for the rich diversity of its communities, each with their own unique cuisines and languages, Medan is the capital of North Sumatra Province and 3th largest city in Indonesia.

Just minutes from Polonia International Airport, the 5-star Grand Swiss-Belhotel Medan is located in the heart of the city, close to the main business and commercial centres. With uncompromising commitment to providing guests with high international standards in style, comfort and convenience, Grand Swiss-Belhotel Medan is proud to have been awarded the Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor in May 2011.

General Manager, Mr. David O’ Hanlon said, “We are delighted to be ranked the number one hotel in Medan for business travellers. It reinforces our belief that striving

for excellence in every service and in every facility provided to our guests, has its rewards. We shall continue to work hard to provide the best possible benefits to our guests.”

Mr. O’ Hanlon has more than 20 years of hotel experience in the UK, the U.A.E. and Asia.

Situated on Cambridge City Square and occupying one full tower of the Cambridge Mall and Condominium, the impressive 27storey Grand Swiss-Belhotel Medan is the city’s newest international 5star hotel. Its 242 guestrooms and suites are superbly appointed with all modern facilities for discerning business and leisure travellers.

Grand Swiss-Belhotel Medan excels in providing the best in culinary experiences. The stylish and romantic Edge Restaurant, the first rooftop restaurant in Medan with both indoor and outdoor dining, offers a western fusion ala’carte menu. Featuring an open kitchen

concept the contemporary style Swiss Café serves Asian and Western favourites, while daily live music and regular appearances by famous international groups has made the View Music Lounge and Bar an iconic social and entertainment spot in Medan. ‘The View’ has been the official venue for several national jazz events.

The hotel’s superb meeting and banqueting facilities have been appointed as the venue for several big international events, including the Palm Oil Exhibition and the Lunch Gathering of Miss Universe 2009.

Other first-class facilities of the hotel include the well-equipped ‘My Life Gym’ and a Spa. The hotel’s pool is the first glass wall swimming pool in Medan.

Managed by Swiss-Belhotel International, a world leader in the management of international hotels, resorts and serviced residences, Grand Swiss-Belhotel Medan as-

pires to become the “The Destination in the City”. Swiss-Belhotel International’s philosophy of ‘Passion and Professionalism’ is firmly

incorporated into every aspect of the hotel from its services and facilities through to interior design and furnishing.

Temple Ceremony Calendar Event for May 25 through July 8, 2011 25 May Buda Pon Tolu Catur Temple Buwana Sanding Tampaksiring 26 May Wraspati Wage Tolu Peninjoan Temple Besakih - Karangasem 1 Jun Buda Keliwon Gumbreg Pasek Gelgel Kukuh Marga Tabanan Pasek Gelgel Dukuh Selemadeg Tabanan Puseh Guwang Village Sukawati Merajan Pasek Ketewel Ketewel Merajan Pangeran Tangkas Kuro Agung Jeroan Sading Dalem Setra Batu Nunggul Swana Nusa Penida 8 Jun Buda Paing Wariga Merajan Pasek Gaduh Kayubihi Bangli 11 Jun Tumpek Uduh/Pengatag Puseh / Village Temple Batuan Sukawati Pasek Bendesa Kekeran Mengwi Manik Mas Besakih - Karangasem 15 Jun Buda Wage Warigadean Kepisah Sumerta Denpasar Pasek Gelgel Gerih Abiansemal Badung Puncaksari Penarukan Peninjoan Bangli Bangun Sakti Besakih - Karangasem Antegsari Kaba-Kaba Kediri Tabanan Pesimpangan Batur Pande Kaba-Kaba Kediri Tabanan 17 Jun Sukra Umanis Warigadean Odalan Ida Ratu di Penataran Agung Besakih - Karangasem Odalan Ida Ratu Puraus Merajan Salonding Besakih 19 Jun Redite Pon Julungwangi Panti Pasek Gelgel Gobleg Banjar - Singaraja 21 Jun Anggar Kasih Julungwangi Tirtaharum Tegalwangi Bangli Pasek Tohjiwa Wanasari Tabanan Pasek Tangguntiti Jakatebel Tabanan Pasek Bendesa Sangsit Sangsit Buleleng Dalem Waturenggong Taro Tegalalang

Ibu (Pura Kaja) Wanasari Selemadeg Tabanan Pasek Gelgel Tulikup - Gianyar Manik Bingin Sidemen - Karangasem 22 Jun Buda Umanis Julungwangi Penetaran Gana Bebalang Bangli Dalem Gede Banjar Pande Bangli Puncaksari Sangeh Abiansemal - Badung Dadia Agung Pasek Sanak Sapta Resi Gianyar Merajan Pasek Tohjiwa Tohjiwa Jakatebel Merajan Pasek Prateka Batusesa Mr. Jeroan Dauh Cemenggon Puseh Penegil Darma Kubutambahan Singaraja 30 Jun Wraspati Wage Sungsang Kawitan Tangkas Kori Agung Desa Tangkas Klungkung Siang Kangin Tampuagan Tembuku Bangli Odalan Ida Ratu Mas Penataran Agung Besakih Merajan Pasek Gelgel Petemon Odalan Ida Bhatara Bang Tulus Dewa Besakih - Karangasem 6 Jul Buda Keliwon Dunggulan Wakika Temple Kupang, NTT Agung Girinatha Temple Sumbawa Besar NTB Dukuh Sakti Temple Dukuh Kediri-Tabanan Atambuananta Temple Kutamba NTT Webananta Temple Kupang, NTT Giripati Mulawarman Temple Pontianak Mustika Dharma Temple Cijantung I Jakarta Timur Mustika Dharma Kompleks Kopassus Cijantung Jakarta Timur 7 Jul Wraspati Umanis Dunggulan Watukaru Temple Tabanan Lempuyang Luhur Temple Karangasem Kentel Gumi Temple Klungkung Pasek Gaduh Temple Umadesa Kediri Tabanan Pasek Kubayan Temple Wangaya Gede Penebel Tabanan Merajan Pasek Temple Tohjiwa Tiyingan - Klungkung Merajan Pasek Gaduh Temple Umadesa 8 Jul Sukra Paing Dunggulan Ulun Suwi Temple Jimbaran - Badung Luhur Temple Cemenggon, Sukawati - Gianyar Pasek Ubung Temple Ubung - Denpasar

Balinese Temple Ceremony EVERY Temple and Shrine has a special date for it annual Ceremony, or “ Odalan “, every 210 days according to Balinese calendar, including the smaller ancestral shrine which each family possesses. Because of this practically every few days a ceremony of festival of some kind takes place in some Village in Bali.

There are also times when the entire island celebrated the same Holiday, such as at Galungan, Kuningan, Nyepi day, Saraswati day, Tumpek Landep day, Pagerwesi day, Tumpek Wayang day etc.

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

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

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

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

6

Friday, July 8, 2011

News Indonesia...

From page 1 Born in 1970, Patek was the alleged field coordinator for the massive explosions that flattened night clubs on the holiday island of Bali in 2002, killing more than 200 people, almost 90 of them Australians.

It placed mainly Muslim Indonesia on the front lines of the global battle against Islamic militancy.

A suspected member of the AlQaeda-linked Southeast Asian terror network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), he was also blamed for a series of deadly bombings targeting Christians and Westerners in Indonesia dating back to 1999.

Ansyaad told the Herald Indonesia would face difficulties bringing him to justice, saying AFP PHOTO/STR

Egyptian protesters throw stones at a police station in the Egyptian canal city of Suez on July 6, 2011 as hundreds of people torched police cars and tried to storm government buildings, after a court confirmed the bail of police accused of murdering protesters.

Australia...

Riots erupt in Egyptian city over police trials

“The exporter is required to trace the animals from the domestic supply chain into the feedlot, from the feedlot into the abattoir,” he said. “The abattoir will be independently audited.”

In Jakarta, Indonesian officials greeted the revocation as a good news.

“It’s good if they lifted the ban,” deputy minister of agriculture Bayu Krisnamurti told The Associated Press. “In principle, we are always open to imports to cover our shortages at home.”

The ban was a reminder of the need for awareness of how cattle should be treated, said Thomas Sembiring, chairman of Indonesia’s Beef Importers Association.

Malcolm Jackman, managing director of Elders Ltd. which supplies 60 percent of the Australian cattle exported to Indonesia and owner of an Indonesia slaughterhouse, said he aimed to send the first shipment to Indonesia on Aug. 1.

“I think you’ll see that some of the larger exporters such as ourselves will be up and running fairly quickly,” Jackman told Australian Broadcasting Corp. television late Wednesday.

“But I suspect it’s going to take a couple of months to get the industry up to full speed,” he added.

The animal welfare agencies that video taped and analyzed the scenes of cruelty broadcast on Australian television, Animals Australia and the RSPCA, said there was no guarantee that Indonesian slaughterhouses would use the Australian-standard technique of stunning — a process of rendering cattle temporarily unconscious with a device that causes a brain hemor-

Associated Press Writer

CAIRO — Hundreds of Egyptian protesters lobbed rocks at the security headquarters and set fire to police cars for a second day Wednesday in a flashpoint city as growing impatience over delays in trying former regime officials and police accused of killing protesters threatened to plunge the nation back into crisis.

In a bid to defuse rising anger, the Interior Ministry announced that hundreds of high-ranking police officers will be sacked for their role in the harsh crackdown on anti-government protests earlier this year that left nearly 850 people dead. Interior Minister Mansour el-Essawi said in a statement that it will be the largest shake up in the history of his ministry.

Justice for those who killed demonstrators has become a rallying point for the protest movement, nearly five months after Hosni Mubarak was ousted in an uprising after a nearly three-decade rule marred by complaints of widespread corruption and police abuse.

Many Egyptians believe that Mubarak and some of his rule’s muchhated faces have been removed but the pillars of his regime are still in place, including the pivotal judiciary.

The two days of rioting in Suez — a city at the southern tip of the strategic Suez Canal that saw some of the most dramatic confrontations between police and protesters — was prompted by anger over a court order on Mon-

day to release seven police officers charged with killing demonstrators.

Prosecutor-General Mahmoud Abdel-Meguid had promised to appeal the court order and return the police officers to jail in a bid to appease the protesters. But another court upheld the decision on Wednesday, prompting protesters to pour back into the streets.

Young men smashed the building’s windows with stones and burned a number of police vehicles. Then they attacked the city’s main court complex.

“The courts are corrupt. They are complicit in denying us justice,” said Ahmed el-Ganadi, whose son had been killed in the earlier protests.

“We will no longer wait for a court decision to get our retribution.”

Protesters also are angry over Tuesday’s decision to acquit three former government ministers over corruption allegations.

Many lawyers said the ruling was legally sound but cast doubt on the objectivity of the prosecutor-general, who was himself appointed

under Mubarak’s regime, saying he was rushing flimsy cases to court without a thorough investigation.

The rising frustration also was likely to fuel massive protests planned for Friday to demand justice for those killed as well as measures to purge former regime officials from political and economic life. The Muslim Brotherhood, which is Egypt’s most organized political movement, said Wednesday that it will join the pro-democracy demonstrators set to return to Cairo’s Tahrir Square for the so-called “Friday of Accountability.”

It marks the first time in several months that the Muslim Brotherhood will join secular and youth groups in protests. Their relations have been strained over the best way forward for Egypt, in its transition to a democracy. The rivals have also found themselves in rare agreement in their opposition to a proposed election law that critics say opens the door wide to former ruling party members to compete in parliament elections.

that the bombings occurred before Indonesia enacted its counter-terrorism laws.

Australia has previously said it would be “in the closest liaison” with Pakistan and Indonesia over “what happens next in this particular case”.

But Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, who is due to visit Jakarta this week, suggested that Patek was Indonesia’s responsibility.

“Given Patek is an Indonesian citizen and that some of the most serious crimes he is believed to have committed took place in Indonesia, the Australian government considers any action should in the first instance be taken by Indonesian authorities,” his spokeswoman said.

From page 1 rhage — before they are killed.

“They could still suffer the pain and distress of throat cutting while fully conscious, and that’s not only unacceptable to the RSPCA, it’s going to be unacceptable to the Australian community,” RSPCA Australia chief executive Heather Neil said in a statement.

The minor Greens party says they will continue with plans to introduce legislation to the Australian parliament that would permanently ban all live animal exports.

Australia is the world’s largest exporter of livestock. Exports of live Australian cattle account for up to 40 percent of the beef eaten in Indonesia.

The government’s decision to halt exports was met with outrage by the Australian cattle industry, which blamed the ban for a sharp drop in income. Last month, Australia’s best-known Outback cattle ranch, the iconic Bullo River Station in the Northern Territory, was put on the market after its owner said the ban destroyed her livelihood.

Lang Coppin, who owns a cattle station in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, said the lifting of the ban came just in time. About half of the 4,000 cattle Coppin exports each year go to Indonesia, and his business has been struggling since the exports were halted.

“All of a sudden they were just going to shut us all down, and I think they thought, ‘Bloody hell, I guess we better do something about this,’” Coppin told The Associated Press. “(The ban) was just a very bad political decision and the ramifications, I think, between the two countries have been very damaging.”

International

Indonesia Today

Friday, July 8, 2011

7

Government revises 2011 growth assumption upwards Antara

JAKARTA - The Indonesian government has raised the economic growth assumption for the revised 2011 State Budget from 6.4 percent to 6.5 percent in view of the improved performance of exports and investment.

“The growth is projected at 6.5 percent which is higher that the assumption in the 2011 budget because improving world economic growth and trade volume would boost exports and investment in the country,” deputy minister of finance Anny Ratnawati said at a meeting with House Commission XI here on Wednesday.

She said the government would also change several macro-assump-

tions such as inflation from 5.3 percent to 6.0 percent, rupiah exchange rate against the US dollar from Rp9,250 to Rp8,800 and the rate for three-month SPN (treasury securities) from 6.5 percent to 5.6 percent.

She said the ICP (Indonesia crude price) would also be revised from US$80 per barrel to US$95 while oil lifting from 970,000 to 945,000 barrels a day.

She said the change in assumptions was made due to increasing prices of international commodities that would raise the rate of inflation in the world including Indonesia.

“The rupiah exchange rate also tends to rise in the first semester due to positive balance of payment performance,” she said.

Anny said by the end of 2011 it is predicted public consumption would grow five percent, investment 9.5 percent, exports 14.1 percent and imports 17.3 percent.

She said several sectors recorded growth which was higher than earlier predicted for the national budget such as processing industries as

a result of increasing exports.

She said the transportation and telecommunications sectors also grew driven by increasing use of cellphones and internet services and the number of air passengers.

“The processing industries grew 4.9 percent which is higher that the early assumption of 4.5 percent and so did transportation and telecommunications sectors which grew 13.3 percent compared to earlier assumption of 12.9 percent,” she said.

She said the increasing price of oil in 2011 would also boost the mining sector while forecast that the weather has come to normal as well as various other policies for improving ag-

ricultural productivity are expected to increase growth in the sector.

“So the 2011 gross domestic growth projection will be the highest since the crisis in 1997/1998,” she said. Bank Indonesian governor Darmin Nasution meanwhile said the economic growth in 2011 could still be driven higher to 6.6 percent because the climate conditions are not too extreme while economic atmosphere is improving.

“Our economic growth does change much. We saw economic growth could still reach 6.6 percent so that it is still too conservative if it is set at only 6.5 percent. It can reach 6.6 percent if we would push it,” he said.

Pertamina suspends plan to raise LPG price RI and South Korea agree to enhance marine cooperation Antara

JAKARTA - State oil and gas company Pertamina has suspended a plan to raise the price of non-subsidized liquefied petroleum gas in 50-kg cylinders, citing the absence of government approval.

The government had asked Pertamina to review the plan, Pertamina spokesman M Harun said here on Thursday.

“Given the request, Pertamina has decided to postpone a 10 percent rise in the price of LPG in 50kg cylinders which was originally scheduled for early July,” he said.

Director General of Oil and Gas at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry Evita Legowo said

the government had not approved the plan for fear it would encourage consumers of LPG in 50-kg cylinders to turn to subsidized LPG in 3-kg canisters.

“The government must consider all aspects. So it is not that easy,” said Evita who is also a member of the company`s board of commissioners.

Harun said Pertamina intended to raise the price of LPG in 50-kg cylinders because it wanted to share the losses from the sales of LPG in 50-kg cylinders with industries as users.

“As such, Pertamina, together with industries can contribute to the national economic growth,” he said.

LPG in 50-kg cylinders is cur-

rently priced at Rp7,355 a kg, lower than the market price of more than Rp9,000 a kg.

Pertamina earlier proposed two options to cover the losses from the sales of LPG in 50-kg cylinders. The first option was that the government raised the price of LPG in 50-kg cylinders by 10 percent at the end of June and that of LPG in 12-kg cylinders in September 2011.

If the government did not approve the first option, Pertamina would ask the government to subsidize LPG in 12-kg and 50-kg cylinders.

Pertamina is expected to suffer Rp3.6 trillion in losses this year if the prices of non-subsidized LPG are not raised.

Democrat Party chairman reports Nazaruddin to police Antara

JAKARTA - Democrat Party Chairman Anas Urbaningrum has formally reported the party‘s former treasurer, M Nazaruddin, to the police for defamation and slander.

“We have filed our report on Nazaruddin`s defamatory and slandering acts, and the police have given our report the registration number 412 while their receipt bears the number 244,” Patra M Zen, one of Anas`s lawyers said at the National Police Headquarters here on Tuesday.

Nazaruddin had defamed and slandered Anas in a short text message he had sent from overseas where had been since leaving In-

donesia for Singapore not long ago.

“Our complaint is based on articles in the Law on Electronic Information and Transactions, and the Criminal Code,” Patra said.

About the evidence of Nazaruddin‘s alleged wrongdoing, Patra said he had asked National Police‘s Criminal Investigation Department investigators to trace the short text message Nazaruddin had sent by a BlackBerry Messenger (BBM). In the message Anas Urbaningrum was said to have received kickbacks over the Sea Games XXVI Athletes Village project.

Nazaruddin whom the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has named a suspect in bribery connected with the Sea Games

Athletes Village project at Jakabaring, Palembang, had left for Singapore one day before the anti-graft body officially requested an overseas travel ban on him last May 25.

Meanwhile, the National Police Headquarters had issued an international “red notice” on Nazaruddin whereby Interpol was expected to help trace and arrest him wherever in the world he happened to be.

“We sent the red notice to Interpol this morning,” Ito Sumardi, the head of the National Police`s Criminal Investigation Department, said on Tuesday.

The police had done so at the request of KPK, Ito said.

Antara

JAKARTA - Indonesia and South Korea have agreed to intensify cooperation in the maritime and fisheries sectors.

Secretary General of the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry Gellwynn Jusuf signed the cooperation agreement with President of the Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) Hak So Kim here on Tuesday, the ministry said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

The cooperation agreement referred to the declaration signed by the two countries in December 2006 as strategic partnership to support friendship and cooperation of the 21st century, Maritime and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad said after witnessing the signing of the cooperation agreement.

“The signing of the agreement today was intended to upgrade the

agreement signed in 2006 to confirm the important role and contribution of technical knowledge and experience in the maritime and fisheries sector,” he said.

“By signing the agreement, both the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry and the Korea Maritime Institute will actively explore the possibility of cooperation in conducting maritime and fisheries research, developing marine technology capacity and marine resource-based alternative energy, managing marine and coastal ecosystem in a sustainable and integrated way, conserving fishery resources and forming a marine policy studies center,” he said.

Also present at the signing ceremony were Chief of the Land, Transportation and Maritime Commission of the South Korean House of Representatives Kwang Keun Chang and a 30-member Korean delegation.

First Lady Inaugurates Renovated Lawang Sewu Building Antara

SEMARANG - First Lady Ani Yudhoyono arrived here Tuesday morning to inaugurate the newly renovated Lawang Sewu building, an historical landmark in Semerang.

She and her entourage consisting of among others Herawati Boediono, Women‘s Empowerment and Child Protection Linda Agum Gumelar, and Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu, landed at Ahmad Yani International Airport after flying for one hour from Jakarta.

Upon arrival in Semarang, the first lady and her entourage immediately proceeded to Lawang Sewu for the inauguration ceremony.

Apart from inaugurating the old building, AniYudhoyono is also scheduled to visit a handicraft exhibition organized coinciding with the Lawang Sewu inauguration ceremony.

Lawang Sewu (which means “Thousand Doors”) was built during the Dutch colonial era.

It will become a main tourist attraction for the Central Java Visit Year 2013.

8

International

Friday, July 8, 2011

Bali Today International cocoa conference to be held in Bali Antara

NUSA DUA - The 5th Indonesian International Cocoa Conference (IICC) and Dinner 2011 will be held in Nusa Dua, Bali, on July 7 and 8, 2011.

Organizing committee chairman Antonius Pasaribu said here on Wednesday that the conference would discuss the latest cocoa industrial condition.

“The conference is scheduled to be opened by Agriculture Minister Suswono on July 7 and closed

by Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu on July 8, 2011,” Antonius Pasaribu said.

He said this year‘s conference, Organized by the Indonesian Cocoa Association (Askindo), has gained a very positive response from stakeholders worldwide.

“They will actively participate in the international cocoa confer-

ence as speakers and moderators,” Antonius said.

He added that in the conference, themed “Working Together for a Better Cocoa Future”, the participants would discuss a number of interesting issues such as the current condition of the cocoa industry, cocoa sustainability, certification, and cocoa future prospects.

“Issues related to the business of the commodity will also be discussed at the 5th Indonesian International Cocoa Conference at Westin Hotel in Nusa Dua,” Antonius said, adding that a number of world cocoa organizations would also attend the event.

He said the conference would be attended by representatives from the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), Cocoa Merchants Association of America (CMAA), Ghana Cocoa Board (GCB), Cocoa Association of Asia (CAA), Federation of Cocoa Commerce (FCC), and the Malaysia Cocoa Board (MCB).

The photo shows cocoa plantation. The 5th Indonesian International Cocoa Conference (IICC) and Dinner 2011 will be held in Nusa Dua, Bali, on July 7 and 8, 2011.

IBP/Net

Obama to draw more tourists to overburdened Bali US President Barack Obama is this year expected to be one of millions of visitors to Indonesia’s resort island of Bali, raising hopes of a tourism windfall by reassuring potential travellers.

But despite its image of azure seas and tropical tranquillity, recent visitors could be forgiven for thinking Bali’s biggest problem is not too few tourists, but too many.

Polluted beaches, traffic jams and over-development beg the question: does Bali need more tourists?

Yes, say officials who are planning a second airport and opening more direct flights from Hong Kong to cash in on China’s expanding middle class, as more and more holiday accommodation is developed.

“Having all these world leaders here for the East Asia Summit will be a great promotion for Bali,” Bali Tourism Board chairman Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya told AFP, referring to the gathering of 20 Asia-Pacific leaders in November.

Tourism industry chiefs say Obama’s visit — which the White House has yet to confirm — will help relieve US anxieties about security on Bali, which was hit by deadly terror bombings in 2002 and 2005 targeting Western tourists.

In response to the attacks, which killed more than 200 people, the

AFP PHOTO / SONNY TUMBELAKA

This picture taken on June 23, 2011 shows a general view of the Kuta beach area in Denpasar on the Indonesian island of Bali.

United States, Australia and other countries slapped travel warnings on Indonesia and tourist numbers to Bali have only recently risen back above 2002 levels.

“Having world leaders meet here will show that Bali is safe,” Indonesian Travel Association chairman Aloysius Purwa said. “And that has an impact because some countries still have a travel warning, like Australia and America.

“If Obama comes to Bali, it will

change Americans’ perceptions.”

Preparations are already under way to make sure the “island of the gods” looks at its best for the summit, which is also expected to be attended by Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Last year the coral-fringed, mainly Hindu island in the east of the Muslim-majority archipelago received 2.5 million foreign tourist visitors, 25 per cent more than two years earlier.

US arrivals were boosted by the

movie “Eat, Pray, Love” starring Julia Roberts. Partially set in Bali, it played on the island’s reputation as an idyllic, even spiritual respite from the modern world.

But it is catching up, and fast.

Bali’s image is facing new challenges largely of its own making, in the form of water shortages, crime, pollution and outbreaks of rabies and legionnaires’ disease.

The traffic is so bad the government is warning that in just five years Bali could be gridlocked. Vehicle sales are growing by 12.3 per cent a year while road construction grows by only 2.5 per cent.

Even without tourists, the island has too many people: four million now call Bali home, while officials say it can realistically hold only 1.5 million.

When Time magazine recently ran an article titled “Holidays in Hell: Bali’s Ongoing Woes”, Governor Made Mangku Pastika was forced to concede it was right.

“What are we supposed to do if the facts are undeniably like that?” he told reporters.

“We’re judged by other people, not by ourselves, and clearly there has been a failure on the part of the Bali provincial government in maintaining the image of tourism and providing comfortable facilities.”

Bali Hotels Association chairman Jean-Charles Le Coz, who has worked on the island for more than 13 years, said the tourism industry was driven only by “growing the number of arrivals” and not by quality.

“If you get more people but you don’t have enough roads and the airport is too small to handle them, they will leave with bad memories and we will start getting people who don’t spend much money on the island,” he said.

To slow development, Governor Pastika has imposed a moratorium on new hotels in parts of the south where most of the island’s 50,000 rooms are concentrated. Half of Bali’s rooms go unoccupied.

Le Coz said the ban had been ineffective as developers had long-term licences and were still building.

Officials are now looking to open up the north by building a second airport there, as well as a highway linking the area to the south, a 90-km trip that now takes more than three hours.

But despite Bali’s challenges, most believe the island will remain Indonesia’s premier tourist destination for a long time to come.

“As long as all sectors work together, it’s not too late for Bali, contrary to what many people think,” Le Coz said. (Agence France-Presse)

International

Friday, July 8, 2011

Balinese Culture UDANG PANTUNG KUNING Friday, July 8, 2011 Activity

Time Place Activity Time Place Activity Time Place Activity Time Place Activity Time Place Activity Time Place Activity Time Place Activity Time Place

: Classical dance “Ketungan” from Banjar Cempaka Selemadeg Timur Tabanan regency : 11.00 – 13.00 : Angsoka Stage : Performance of East Java, West Nusa Tenggara and Bali : 11.00 – 13.00 : Ayodya Stage : Performance of Cultural and Tourism office North Sulawesi Manado : 11.00 – 13.00 : Ayodya Stage : Performance of Universitas Khairun Ternate : 11.00 – 13.00 : Ratna Kanda Stage : Prembon masked dance featuring Sekaa Prembon Banjar Sedang Denpasar city : 11.00 – 13.00 : Wantilan : Men Arja dance drama by Sanggar Bianglala Tabanan regency : 20.00 – 22.00 : Ayodya Stage : Innovative masked dance by Bapak Catra : 20.00 – 22.00 : Ksirarnawa Building : Drama Gong exhibition featuring representative : 19.30 – 21.00 : Ayodya Stage

Balinese Art Troupe Off To France Antara

DENPASAR - A 30-strong Balinese arts troupe left Bali for France on Wednesday for a twoweek mission.

While in France, they would take part in a cultural parade and workshops in eight cities in the country from July 8 to 22, said Dewa Rai Budiasa, chief of the Yasa Putra Sedana Payangan foundation of which the Balinese artists are members.

“This is the second time for Bali to serve as an arts envoy since 1987. This is also the second time for Yasa Putra Sedana Payangan foundation to represent Bali abroad,” he said.

Hopefully, the Balinese artists’ participation in the events would give a new atmosphere to the tourism industry in Indonesia, Bali in particular.

France is one of the top ten sources of tourist arrivals in Bali.

From France, the Balinese arts troupe will continue their journey to Belgium.

(Lobster in Yellow Sauce) OVERVIEW: A real gourmet treat from Bali, this could also be made with huge prawns. In Bali, coconut chunks are roasted directly on charcoal, then the charred skin scrapped off and the flesh grated for making the coconut milk.

INGREDIENTS: 4 sml lobsters, weighing about 500 gr each or 1 kg large prawns 5 cups water 2 lemongrass, bruised 2 fragrant lime leaves 4 cups coconut milk few drops white vinegar fried shallots to garnish SPICE PASTE: 5 red chilies, seeded and chopped 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 7 shallots, peeled and chopped 5 cm fresh turmeric, peeled and chopped 5 cm ginger, peeled and chopped 4 candlenuts 1 ½ tsp coriander ½ tsp dried shrimp paste toasted 1 sml tomato, peeled and seeded 2 tbsp oil 1 ½ tbsp tamarind pulp 1 salam leaf 1 lemon grass, bruised PREPARATION: Prepare spice paste by grinding or blending all ingredients except oil, tamarind, salam leaf and lemongrass. Heat oil, add spice paste and all other ingredients. Cook over moderate heat for about 5 minutes, then cool.

Wash lobsters and leave whole. Bring water to the boil, add lobsters and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove lobsters, plunge in iced water for 1 minutes, then drain and remove meat. Return shells to the pot of water, keeping lobster meat aside.

Add spice paste, lemongrass, lime leaves and vinegar to the water with the shells and simmer until 4 cups of stock remain. Add coconut milk and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain stock and return to pan. Add lobster and simmer for 1 minute. Serve garnished with fried shallots and accompanied by white rice.

C.045 ibp

Helpful hints: if using prawns instead of lobster, peel the raw prawns and put prawns shells 4 cups of water. Simmer for 5 minutes, then combine this stock with coconut milk, prawns and all other ingredients, simmering until cooked. (www.baliguide.com/balifood)

9

10

Destinations Tampak Siring Temple

International

Friday, July 8, 2011

IBP

Tirta Empul Temple or Tampak Siring Temple is a holy spring water temple located in Tampak Siring Village, Gianyar regency and it is about 39 km eastwards from Denpasar town. It is set in the dale and encircled by the hill. In the west side of this temple, there is an Indonesian President palace which has been found by the first president. The name of Tirta Empul is loaded in a inscription which is kept at Sakenan Temple, Manukaya village, Sub district of Tampak Siring, about 3 km from Tirta Empul Temple. In this inscription, the Tirta Empul is named by the Tirta Ri Air Hampul and then the name has changed into Tirta Hampul and finally become the Tirta Empul. Tirta Ri air hampul is meaning the water emerge or the holy pool (Petirthan) which is the water emerge from the land.

The wellspring emerges from the land is believed that it is the infinite

creation. According to the history, that, that this water source is arranged and sanctified by king Indrajayasinghawarmadewa in the year 882 Saka (960 M). He has given the name with Tirta ri air hampul. The data is loaded in the inscription that is located at Sakenan Temple. Besides of the above epigraphy data, in Tirta Empul Temple is also found the archaeology omission like Colossus Yoni, Arca Lion, Tepasana and Tirta Empul Pool. According to papyrus of Usana Bali narrated that Tirta Empul is created by Bhatara Indra (Sun Deity) when bearing arms against the king where his palace is located in Bedahulu Countryside. He is known as a very miraculous king, which he can lose or show suddenly, therefore he is named by Mayadenawa. Because of its miracle, he becomes the arrogance and expressing himself as a god. The Mayadenawa King owns the assistant (Patih) which is called Kalawong. They prohibit the people to do the Yadnya (praying to the god)

so that is often happened the natural disaster, disease epidemic, agriculture fail and finally miserable life society. Finally Betara Indra (one of Hindu God) gives battle against the kings that happened in Tampak Siring and then the Mayadenawa is gone to the wall and disappear. King Mayadenawa has also created poisonous pools which can the team of Bathara Indra die and faint after drinking this water. Then Bathara Indra stick the weapon of Umbulumbul and finally the water is emerging so that called by Tirta Empul and then it is passed to the dead and faint soldier that made them back to live. Therefore at the moment this pool water is sanctified by the Hindu society in Bali and they believe that this water source can heal various of diseases, hence every day this place is a lot of visited by Hindu people to do the ritual and sanctify them self . This place has been opened for public and as a famous tourist destination in Bali.

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11

BUSINESS Visa sees lower revenue growth after debit crackdown Reuters

NEW YORK - Visa Inc, the world’s largest card processing network, said revenue growth will slow next year as a result of a U.S. regulatory crackdown on debit card processing fees.

The San Francisco based-company said on Wednesday it now expects annual net revenue growth “in the high single-digit to low double-digits range” for the next fiscal year ending September 30, 2012.

Visa still expects annual net revenue growth of 11 percent to 15 percent for fiscal 2011.

The Federal Reserve finalized last week rules slashing the “swipe” fees merchants pay banks and networks such as Visa and MasterCard Inc every time a customer buys something with a debit card.

“The impact is manageable,” Chief Executive Joseph Saunders told analysts during a conference call on Wednesday.

He added that the rules “affect, but far from eliminate,” a portion of the U.S. debit revenues that make up about 20 percent of Visa’s global net revenue.

Banks pay card networks such as Visa and MasterCard for processing debit transactions and investors had worried that a cut in the fees that banks earn from retailers would translate into a cut in the fees they were willing to pay the networks.

Visa said in a conference call with analysts on Wednesday that its new guidance “contemplates” some pricing concessions to banks, but executives would not be more specific.

Saunders said during the call he expects the 2012 fiscal year to “bear the weight” of the debit fee crackdown, and that revenue growth would “regain momentum” in fiscal 2013.

The company also expects lower profits next year. It sees earnings per share growth “in the middle to high teens” in fiscal 2012, compared with the “greater than 20 percent” earnings-per-

share growth it expects for the current year.

Last week, the Fed softened its initial restrictions, which were required by the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law. But the final rules are still expected to cost the banking industry some $9.4 billion out of an estimated $23 billion in annual debit card processing fee revenue, according to the website, CardHub.com.

The softened rule was a victory for banks such as Bank of America Corp and JPMorgan Chase & Co, as well as for Visa and MasterCard. The industry lobbied fiercely to weaken or delay the strict cap initially proposed by the Fed in December.

Visa also said on Wednesday it completed a $1 billion share repurchase program it authorized in April. Its shares closed down slightly at $88.20 on Wednesday.

Singapore Temasek investments edge up to record Associated Press Writer

SINGAPORE — Singaporean state investment company Temasek Holdings said its investments inched higher to a fresh record high in its last financial year as Asian companies reaped solid profits.

Temasek said in an annual report Thursday that the value of its investments rose 3.8 percent to 193 billion Singapore dollars ($157 billion) in the fiscal year ended March 31. The portfolio rose 42 percent in the previous fiscal year.

Temasek’s net profit for the last fiscal year jumped to SG$13 billion from SG$5 billion amid improved earnings from the com-

panies it has stakes in.

Temasek has benefited from a shift to Asian assets as the region enjoys stronger economic growth than the U.S. or Europe. Investment in companies in Asia account for 77 percent of the fund’s current portfolio, including 32 percent in Singapore.

“We remain optimistic on the long term growth of Asia,” Dilhan Pillay, head of portfolio management, said at a news conference.

“Many countries in Asia will benefit from demographic and urbanization trends.”

During the fiscal year, Temasek invested SG$13 billion, including SG$4 billion in share issues and recapitalizations in companies such as China Construction Bank Corp.,

Bank of China Ltd. and Standard Chartered Plc. Temasek raised about $3.6 billion this week through selling part of its stakes in China Construction Bank and Bank of China.

Temasek said the market value of its investments has grown 17 percent annually since the fund began in 1974.

Singapore’s Finance Ministry is Temasek’s only shareholder.

The company, which is smaller than the city-state’s other sovereign wealth fund, the Government of Singapore Investment Corp., owns large stakes in many of the country’s biggest companies, including Singapore Telecommunications, DBS and Singapore Airlines.

ECB to raise rates, play hardball on Greece Reuters

FRANKFURT - The European Central Bank is almost certain to raise interest rates later on Thursday and will show no let-up in its insistence that governments solve Greece’s debt crisis without triggering a default credit rating.

Financial markets see a quarter-point rise in the ECB’s benchmark rate to 1.50 percent as a virtual certainty after the bank’s recent reiterations that it is in a mode of “strong vigilance” — code traditionally used to signal a hike.

Euro zone inflation remained at 2.7 percent in June, softer than expected but well above the ECB’s target of just under 2 percent. The bank will not want to alarm markets by reversing its policy course because of Greece’s troubles.

“It would be a very significant surprise if they don’t hike tomorrow,” said Nomura economist Jens Sondergaard.

“Basically, it would worry markets that, from the ECB point of view, the fundamental economic outlook has changed substantially over the last couple of weeks.”

Markets will listen carefully for clues about the rate outlook for the remainder of the year, with analysts eager for the ECB’s view on whether signs of a slowdown in the euro zone economy represent a ‘soft patch’ or a more marked deterioration.

Recent euro zone data has generally disappointed. The latest industrial orders rose less than expected, while growth in the bloc’s dominant service sector has also slowed sharply.

Most analysts now see only one additional hike this year, as opposed to two that some had previously factored in.

If ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet says policy remains “accommodative” and the bank will monitor inflationary pressures “closely” or “very closely,” expectations will be cemented for another hike this year — likely in October or December.

“There is a small chance that the language could soften a bit, as the ECB tends to be more worried about inflation when growth is clearly above potential, which is not the case right now,” JP Morgan economist Greg Fuzesi wrote in a research note.

“Even if this happens, we would expect the language to firm up again once growth re-accelerates later in the summer.”

Beyond monetary policy, much of the ECB’s news conference will focus on its stance on Greece and the euro zone periphery.

The downgrading of recently bailed-out Portugal’s credit rating to junk rattled financial markets on Wednesday and cast new doubt on European efforts to rescue distressed euro zone states without debt restructuring.

The ECB is proving a major stumbling block in agreeing a second rescue plan for Greece as it has threatened to refuse to accept restructured Greek bonds as collateral in its lending operations in the event of a default or a “restricted default.”

Refusing to accept Greek bonds as collateral would deprive Greek banks of the funds on which they rely, crippling the Greek economy and risking contagion to other euro zone economies.

By threatening to use this ‘nuclear option’, the ECB hopes to press the governments into avoiding a downgrade to default status, and the contagion it fears would follow.

“Is that a credible threat that the ECB is pushing at the moment? To us, it’s probably not,” said Sondergaard at Nomura. “But (Trichet) will stick with his line as long as he can and take it one month at a time.”

JP Morgan’s Fuzesi agreed: “We think the ECB would have to support Greek banks, despite its threats,” he wrote.

While an increase in the main ECB rate looks certain, policymakers also have the less straightforward task of deciding what to do with the bank’s marginal rates.

When the ECB cut its key refinancing rate, which it uses to lend funds in money market operations, to a record-low 1.00 percent in May 2009, it kept its overnight deposit rate at 0.25 percent.

That narrowed the corridor between the refi rate and the deposit rate, which commercial banks get when they park money at the ECB overnight and which acts as a floor for short-term market rates, to 75 basis points from the usual 100 bps.

12

Entertainment

Friday, July 8, 2011

International

Bronchitis-hit Taylor Swift cancels three more shows Reuters

LOS ANGELES - Country-pop singer Taylor Swift on Wednesday canceled three more of her U.S. concerts due to bronchitis but said she hoped to be better for a July 14 date in Montreal.

IBP/ist

Scary movie “Dream House” loses ratings appeal LOS ANGELES - “Dream House,” a thriller starring real-life newlyweds Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz, has lost a bid to have its “R” rating softened. The appeals board of the Motion Picture Assn. of America said Wednesday that the movie merited the rating — which requires U.S. viewers under 17 to be accompanied by an adult — because of “some violence.”

The film’s producer still believes it will ultimately receive a PG-13 rating. “They gave us a list of several things in the movie that they thought should be cut,” Greg Mielcarz, Morgan Creek’s executive VP of marketing, told TheWrap. “We’re going to ... work with them together to ensure that we receive a PG-13.”

The Universal Pictures release revolves around a family who discover that their new home was the murder scene of a mother and her children. It was directed by Jim Sheridan, and is set for release on September 30.

In order to have a rating changed, two-thirds of the members of the appeals board have to agree that the rating is “clearly erroneous.” The MPAA says that the board reviews between 800 and 900 films each year and that fewer than a dozen ratings are appealed each year.

Rachel Weisz

Singer Taylor Swift arrives at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards show in Las Vegas

Swift, 21, said she was advised by doctors not to perform at all this week. She postponed dates in Charlotte and Atlanta on July 8, 9 and 10 for October and November, after pulling out of a show in Louisville on July 2.

It’s the first time that the popular “Speak Now” singer has had to postpone or cancel a show because of illness.

“It breaks my heart to miss out on this weekend’s shows with my

friends in Charlotte and Atlanta,” Swift said in a statement.

“I would never cancel if I thought I was physically able to perform these shows. I am so sorry to the fans, but I look forward to seeing you when we come back through your towns, which we will do,” she added.

Swift, one of the best-selling artists in the United States, is scheduled to play 98 shows in 17 countries on her current tour in support of her 2010 album “Speak Now”.

Star trio facing life after Harry Potter Associated Press Writer

The stars of the Harry Potter films each face the tricky task of forging a new career as the phenomenally successful series which has shaped their lives from an early age comes to an end. Daniel Radcliffe has gone into musical comedy, Emma Watson into modelling and Rupert Grint into low-budget films, each seeking to make their name outside the eight films based on J. K. Rowling’s novels about the boy wizard.

For 10 years, the British trio have grown up on screen, from pre-teenagers into young adults, in one of the most lucrative film series of all time. But when the final curtain falls on Thursday in London with the world premiere of the eighth movie, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2”, the magical world of wizardry and witchcraft they have inhabited for a decade will be history.

“Because this is such a widely seen thing I think I will always be known as the guy from Harry Potter,” said Grint, who played Potter’s loyal friend Ron Weasley. “That will always be next to my name, I think. That’s kind of the challenge, to move away from that,” the 22year-old told reporters on Wednesday.

Grint said he was happy to say goodbye “in a way”. “Though it’s taken quite a while to get to that point,” he said, admitting that when filming first ended “I had so much freedom at once, I didn’t know what to do. I still don’t.” Now, he said, he had mentally “closed the door” on his Potter career.

Grint has appeared in a handful of movies outside the Potter series, including “Comrade”, a low-budget Norwegian anti-war film due out next year. “I will always miss it but it’s nice to move on and explore different things,” he said.”There’s nothing specific I want to do, just something different really.”

He said 10 years playing the same character was a long time and he “couldn’t imagine” reprising the role. Radcliffe, 21, who played the eponymous hero, has already appeared naked in the play Equus in London and New York. He is currently appearing in the lead role in the musical “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” on Broadway.

AP Photo/Joel Ryan

Britsh actors, from left, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson pose at St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in central London, ahead of the world premiere of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the last film in the series, Wednesday, July 6, 2011.

International

Science

Friday, July 8, 2011

13

Tempest-fromhell seen on Saturn Imagine being caught in a thunderstorm as wide as the Earth with discharges of lightning 10,000 times more powerful than normal, flashing 10 times per second at its peak. Now imagine that this storm is still unfolding, eight months later. One of the most violent weather events in the Solar System began to erupt on Saturn last December and is still enthralling astronomers, the British journal Nature reported on Wednesday.

Two studies draw on observations by professional and amateur astronomers using a broad range of gear, from relatively small ground-based telescopes to NASA’s magnificent scoutcraft, Cassini. Saturn, like Jupiter, is no stranger to convective storms.

It too is a “gas giant,” or planet comprising layers of thick, roiling gases rather than a rock, like Earth,

Mars, Venus and Mercury. The difference, though, is that jovian megastorms tend to erupt unexpectedly, but the lord of the rings gives birth to a monster almost periodically.

It occurs on average once every Saturnian year — nearly 29.5 Earth years — and appears to be linked to the summer solstice, when the planet’s orbit brings it a bit closer to the Sun and its

atmosphere warms a little. The event is known as the “Great White Spot” (a counterpart to the swirling “Great Red Spot” on Jupiter) because of the mass of brilliant white storm clouds that erupt in the upper atmosphere.

The show is so big that it can be visible by telescopes from distant Earth. Five have been observed in the last 130 years. The last occurred in 1990.

But the current Great White Spot is proving to be a dazzling spectacle, revealed by an unprecedented array of observational power at hand.

SKorea’s LG touts Optimus 3D smartphone for gaming Associated Press Writer

SEOUL, South Korea — LG Electronics is touting 3-D smartphones as an alternative to dedicated handheld game devices. The company launched its LG Optimus 3-D phone Thursday in South Korea after beginning a global release last month covering more than 60 markets including Spain and Britain. No special glasses are required to view 3-D content on the phone.

Park Jong-seok, CEO of LG’s mobile communications business, said that 3-D smartphones such as the Optimus can hold their own against dedicated handheld gaming platforms. “The era of dedicated handheld gaming is over,” he said in a release.

Success with the 3-D phone would be welcome for the South Korean company, which has been struggling to overcome weakness in mobile phones. LG’s mobile communications business has suffered four straight quarterly operating losses. LG Electronics Co. is the world’s third-largest mobile phone manufacturer behind No. 1 Nokia Corp. of Finland and South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. LG unveiled the new device, its first 3-D smartphone, earlier this year at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Spain and began rolling it out in global markets last month.

LG said the phone comes pre-installed with three full versions of games from Gameloft including “Asphalt 6: Adrenaline.”

Massage may ease chronic back pain short-term Reuters

AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon

Park Jong-seok, CEO of LG’s mobile communications business, second from right, and So Jin-woo, co-CEO and president of SK Telecom, second from left, introduce LG Electronics’ Optimus 3D phones during a press conference in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, July 7, 2011.

NEWYORK - Massage therapy may help people who suffer from chronic back pain, although the effects tend to disappear over the longer term, according to a U.S. study.

After 10 weeks, patients who got weekly massage sessions used fewer painkillers and spent less time in bed than those who didn’t get any special care, although the positive impact had disappeared after a year, the report in the Annals of Internal Medicine said.

“If we look at patients who seemed to have some substantial improvement, that was about two-thirds in the massage group compared to about one-third among patients getting usual care,” said Richard Deyo of the Oregon Health and Science University, who led the study.

For the study, 401 people were randomly assigned to usual care or one of two kinds of massage therapy, either structural

massage or relaxation massage, also known as Swedish massage. After 10 weeks the massage group had improved considerably compared to the other patients.

For instance, about 30 percent of those getting massages had used analgesics in the past week, compared to 40 percent of those getting usual care. Twice as many in the usual care group, or 7 percent, had stayed in bed at least one day in the previous month.

However, some of the apparent benefits of massage had vanished after half a year, and all the gains were gone after a full year.

Deyo said that the results of the latest study compare to what is seen with other kinds of treatment, although the cost-effectiveness is still unclear.

He warned that patients in the study knew which kind of treatment they got, with some perhaps disappointed that they didn’t get massages — which may have affected the results. In any case, lifestyle changes are often the best treatment.

14

Sport

Friday, July 8, 2011

International

2 North Koreans fail drug test Associated Press Writer

FRANKFURT, Germany — FIFA says two North Korea players have failed drug tests at the Women’s World Cup. Defenders Song Jong Sun and Jong Pok Sim tested positive after North Korea’s first two group games and were suspended for Wednesday’s match against Colombia that ended in a 0-0 draw. Both teams were eliminated.

FIFA’s medical director Jiri Dvorak didn’t identify the substance involved. After the match against Colombia, the 19 remaining players on North Korea’s squad were tested.

The two defenders were listed in the staring lineup against Colombia, but were taken off the list and provisionally suspended when the results of the drug tests came in shortly before kickoff.

North Korea finished the tournament without scoring a goal. It lost 2-0 against United States and 1-0 to Sweden before drawing with Colombia.

AFP PHOTO / RODRIGO BUENDIA

(L to R) Argentine defender Nicolas Burdisso, Argentine defender Javier Zanetti and Colombian defender Mario Yepes jump for the ball, during a 2011 Copa America Group A first round football match held at the Cementerio de Elefantes stadium in Santa Fe, 476 Km north of Buenos Aires, on July 6, 2011.

Argentina booed off after 0-0 draw with Colombia Reuters

SANTA FE - Colombia held hosts Argentina to a 0-0 draw in a Copa America match riddled with missed chances that they should have won to retain their two-point lead in Group A on Wednesday.

Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero made four saves from the Colombia attack when they had only him to beat, earning the man of the match award as coach Sergio Batista’s team were booed off by their own fans at first division Colon’s stadium in Santa Fe. “We don’t like (to be booed) but we have to respect the people, who want to see their team win,” Batista told the post-match news conference.

The home side also failed to put away chances while Batista’s tactics did not help the heavily marked Lionel Messi, who exerted little influence and even blasted a free kick over the top.

The hosts could be pushed into third place in the group if Bolivia, who held the hosts 1-1 in the group opener last week in La Plata, beat Costa Rica in Jujuy on Thursday. Colombia beat the Costa Ricans 1-0 last Saturday. “Now we must keep our calm because we know we’re playing for everything in the next match,” Batista said.

The first chance fell to Argentina when full back Pablo Zabaleta came in from the right in the eighth minute and beat goalkeeper Luis Martinez with a low shot that was cleared off the line, denying the hosts a settling

early lead. Ten minutes later, midfielder Esteban Cambiasso crossed from the left and the ball looked on its way in to the top far corner before Martinez tipped it away.

STINGING BREAKS

Colombia, launching stinging counter-attacks whenever Argentina lost the ball, should have gone ahead in the 20th minute but were guilty instead of their first glaring miss. Winger Dayro Moreno crossed low from the left wing to the unmarked Adrian Ramos but the midfielder contrived to hit the ball over the bar with Romero beaten.

Six minutes later, Ramos leapt onto a poor back pass by Gabriel Milito but was tackled from behind by fellow central defender Nicolas Burdisso.

Brazilian referee Salvio Fagundes played the advantage as the loose ball ran out left to the unmarked Moreno but he shot into the side netting.

“You have to remember that like us, they are trying to settle into (the game) their coach wants,” Colombia captain Mario Yepes said of the missed chances for both sides. “We’re happy with how we played but were always wary because Argentina have players

who can sting you at any moment.”

Messi had one of his few potentially telling moments of the match just past the half hour with a superbly weighted through ball to Ezequiel Lavezzi but the winger delayed his shot just enough for Martinez to block. Colombia, living up to their billing as dark horses, brought two diving saves from Romero in the final three minutes of the half, first from a swerving shot from outside the box by striker Radamel Falcao and then from Moreno.

Argentina captain Javier Mascherano had a shot saved early in the second half and minutes later Colombia left back Pablo Armero shot just wide of the far post.

Colombia should have taken the lead in the 67th minute when Argentina were a defender short with Burdisso off getting treatment for a nose bleed and Falcao beat the offside trap with only Romero to beat only for the goalkeeper to parry his shot.

Argentina’s forwards were often guilty of getting caught offside while the Colombians ran into space well and Romero again saved the hosts’ blushes when he dived to save a late effort from substitute Teo Gutierrez.

Man Utd’s O’Shea set for Sunderland move Agence France Presse London - Manchester United defender John O’Shea is set to join teammate Wes Brown at Premier League rivals Sunderland, press reports said on Thursday. The 30-year-old Ireland international travelled to Wearside early in the day for a medical and to finalise details of the deal following hot on the footsteps of Brown.

A successful completion of both deals would take Sunderland manager Steve Bruce’s summer signings to date to eight.

The former Old Trafford favourite targeted the pair, as well as midfielder Darron Gibson, several weeks ago when the Black Cats had a joint bid of more than £12million accepted for the three.

Gibson was quick to indicate his willingness to consider a move to the Stadium of Light, but that deal has proved to be the most problematic.

However, first 31-year-old Brown and now O’Shea have moved closer to accepting Sunderland’s offer to add experience and knowhow to a defence which was badly affected by injuries last season.

Both men are able to play in more than one position and have enjoyed success during long stays at Old Trafford, and that winning mentality is something Bruce is keen to bring to his squad.

He has already secured a permanent deal for winger Ahmed Elmohamady, the only one of his loan signings so far to agree a permanent switch, while the club snapped up Connor Wickham, Craig Gardner, Ji Dong-Won and free signings Keiren Westwood and Sebastian Larsson in a flurry of transfer activity ahead of yesterday’s return for pre-season training.

Sport

International

Friday, July 8, 2011

15

Union: ‘Adequate basis’ to question NBA financials Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK — The NBA players’ association will keep doubting the league’s financial losses, because it made inaccurate projections before. Doesn’t matter, the league says, because those projections have nothing to do with the final numbers it turns over to the union and insists can’t be disputed.

Wednesday, Day 6 of the lockout, featured sparring by union and league officials over financial information, a day after a report questioned whether the NBA indeed lost money two seasons ago.

Though the NBA says it lost $340 million in 2009-10, a New York Times blog post Tuesday titled “Calling Foul on NBA’s Claims of Financial Distress” called the league “fundamentally a healthy and profitable business” with an estimated operating income of $183 million that season.

Union spokesman Dan Wasserman said the NBA projected a decline in revenues that season but they actually rose, so the final losses should have been much less than the league said.

“In 2009-10, the NBA repeatedly offered projections that league revenues would decline as much as 5 percent, or $180 million, while also projecting losses of $370 million. Revenues were actually up in ’09-10 and the revenue projections were off by as much as $200 million. Yet, the loss figures were only adjusted by $30 million. So yes, we feel there is more than adequate basis for questioning their projections and financials,” Wasserman said.

Because of the projected losses, the league forecast a steep drop in the salary cap for the 2010-11 season, saying it could fall as low as $50.4 million. Instead, it was set at $58 million after the higher-thanexpected revenues following a seven-game finals between the Lakers and Celtics allowed the league to finish slightly up.

But that didn’t save the league from the overall losses it says are documented in the data it has handed over to the union. “For Dan Wasserman to suggest that the league’s future revenue projection, made before the start of the 2009-10 season during the worst economy in 80 years (which, by the way, turned out to be off by only 3 and a half percent) somehow relates to the veracity of our year-end audited financials is absurd,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said. “Mr. Wasserman’s questioning of the league’s audited financials based on this missed projection is a complete non-sequitur.”

AFP PHOTO / PASCAL PAVANI

Stage winner, Britain’s Mark Cavendish (C) celebrates on the finish line as he wins ahead of second-placed, Belgium’s Philippe Gilbert (R) and fourth-placed, France’s Tony Gallopin (L), the 164.5 km and fifth stage of the 2011 Tour de France cycling race run between Carhaix and Cap Frehel, western France, on July 6, 2011.

Cavendish goes for 17th stage win on Tour de France Reuters

LISIEUX, France - With a victory finally under his belt in this year’s race, Mark Cavendish has eased the pressure that was weighing on his shoulders and will bid for a 17th Tour de France stage win on day six later on Thursday.

The Briton, who silenced his critics with an impressive sprint win on the fifth stage at Cap Frehel on Wednesday, will be the man to beat at the end of a 226.5-km effort from Dinan to Lisieux — the longest stage this year.

“Everybody was expecting him to win when we came here. We will race all the more relaxed,” his team

mate Matt Goss said. Last year, Cavendish missed out several times on a stage win before bursting into tears when he finally claimed his first of the 2010 edition. He went on to win four others.

Thursday’s stage though features a short climb close to the finish that could hit the sprinter’s hopes.

Should he fail to sustain the pace,

his HTC-Highroad team have another option in Goss, who should not suffer on the ascent and is also a good sprinter.

“If Cavendish is not there for the sprint, we still have Matt Goss,” said HTCHighroad sports director Allan Peiper.

The big guns will try to stay safe in the peloton after a handful of them were involved in crashes on Wednesday.

Sochi 2014 win inspired Pyeongchang- Sochi Games chief Reuters

AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

NBA commissioner David Stern speaks to reporters after a meeting with the players’ union, Thursday, June 30, 2011 in New York.

DURBAN, South Africa - South Korea’s Pyeongchang was awarded the 2018 Winter Olympics thanks to the initiatives shown by Sochi after the Russian city’s unexpected 2014 Games victory four years ago, Sochi’s Games chief said on Thursday.

Pyeongchang will become only the third Asian city to host the Winter Olympics, and the first outside Japan, after crushing Germany’s Munich and France’s Annecy at an International Olympic Committee vote on Wednesday. “We really appreciate the IOC made a brave decision in Guatemala (when Sochi won),” Dmitry

Chernyshenko told a small group of reporters.

“They gave the Games, which I call a baby, to an unknown territory where all infrastructure had to be built from scratch. We are delivering now and that has inspired new territories to bid,” he said. Sochi was a surprise winner at the IOC session in 2007, beating Salzburg and Pyeongchang to land the first Winter Games ever to be hosted in Russia, a traditional winter sports powerhouse.

“It is a great sign that new continents deserve to be opened up,” he said. The IOC has since also awarded the 2016 summer Olympics to Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, the first South Ameri-

can city to host the Olympics before choosing the South Korean city for 2018.

“Rio and Pyeongchang are really opening up new horizons, new destinations and new markets,” Chernyshenko said. Sochi’s own preparations are on track, he said, with its sponsorship budget expected to add another $200 million by the end of the year.

The Russian city has already amassed $1.1 billion in domestic sponsorship, the largest figure for any summer or winter Games. “We are breaking every record,” he said. “Our goal is to try not to use public funds for the Games. So far we are achieving that.”

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

16

Sport

Friday, July 8, 2011

Vettel taking nothing for granted SEBASTIAN Vettel may be odds-on favourite for victory in the British Grand Prix this weekend to further increase his runaway lead in the world championship, but he insists he is taking nothing for granted about his dominance continuing.

The German driver is 77 points clear of nearest challengers Mark Webber and Jenson Button in the title chase, and rival teams concede that the high-speed turns at Silverstone are likely to be perfect stomping ground for Red Bull Racing’s car.

But speaking ahead of the weekend, Vettel said his mindset was one of simply focusing on doing the best job possible rather than getting too carried away that it should be another straightforward weekend.

“I don’t arrive like that,” he said, when asked if it was an easy feeling this year arriving at races convinced he could take pole and the win.

“Obviously, when we arrive we are confident and we believe in ourselves. And we believe that we can have a good weekend. But I can’t take it for granted to arrive and say pole, race. It never comes easy.

“In terms of mindset I try to have the same approach as last year. I think last year we had a good start but many things going wrong at some time, mistakes here and there. Also I did mistakes.

“All in all it didn’t help us to put ourselves in a strong position for the championship. We were really relying on every

single race at the end. This year we had a very good start and it can help us in the end, that’s for sure. But it’s still a long, long way. “Just because we won it last year you could argue that, okay, we know how to do it. But it doesn’t mean we can forget about all the little steps you need to take to win.”

Although only once in F1 history has a driver lost a title with an advantage of Vettel’s magnitude (Niki Lauda in 1976), he is adamant that the championship is far from won yet.

“You never know,” he said. “If you look at championships in the past, it went according to plan and others when it didn’t. It reminds me how quickly things can change. It takes two or three bad races and it could be a different story again.

“We’ve seen last year, with the points system.

On the one hand you might have a big gap, a big number, but it’s a bit fake because you are tempted by the big number. But then you get 25 points for a win, but zero if you don’t finish.”

Vettel also believes that he feels his attitude to racing this year is no different to 12 months ago - even though the results are very different at this stage of the campaign.

McLaren says Valencia form was just a blip McLaren expects to return to form at the British Grand Prix this weekend, having labelled its downturn in Valencia as a ‘blip’. Managing Director Jonathan Neale said lessons had already been learned from the European Grand Prix, where McLaren found itself behind both Red Bull and Ferrari in the pecking order - with Lewis Hamilton finishing fourth and Jenson Button sixth.

“We underperformed at Valencia, we didn’t really get the car dialled in properly,” Neale explained during a Vodafone phone-in on Wednesday. “I don’t think we delivered to our full potential there, and therefore I’m certainly regarding it as a

blip.

“We understand the reasons why, and we’ve done something about it. “Canada and Valencia have broadly similar aerodynamic characteristics, but coming into Silverstone there’d be no reason for any-

AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti

McLaren’s racing team driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain drives his car during the third practice session classification before the European Formula One Grand Prix at the Valencia racetrack, in Valencia, Spain, on Saturday, June 25, 2011.

body to make a read on our performance on those circuits relative to Silverstone.

“We’ve learned from the lessons of the past and we can fit that next time we come to a similar style of circuit.

Others nip at the heels of you so we paid a price for that, but I’m not in any way disheartened or dissuaded from our ability to be competitive in Silverstone.”

Neale also believes McLaren is catching Red Bull, even if it seemed to take a backward step in Valencia. “I think if anybody plots the underlying race and qualifying pace, you will see we are catching Red Bull. “They still have had an advantage, certainly in qualifying, but they have been on record in the media as recognising that we have had a faster race car than them on a few races in the recent past, and we will continue to keep that pressure up.”

While Neale conceded the change of rules on exhaust blown diffusers had forced McLaren to change direction, he also insisted it opened the championship up – and revealed the team would still be bringing upgrades to Silverstone. “We’ve got a range of upgrades for the car, the aerodynamic package will be improved but I guess the technical landscape will be pretty much dominated by what happens to everybody’s car with the changes to the technical regulations on engine loads.

Sebastian Vettel