Edisi 12 Juni 2013 | International Bali Post

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

16 Pages Number 116 5th Year Price: Rp 3.000,-

WEATHER FORECAST 23 - 32 DPS

e-mail: info_ibp@balipost.co.id online: http://www.internationalbalipost.com. http://epaper.internationalbalipost.com.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013 Northern Irish police seize arms cache ahead of G8

The new faces of Italy: Balotelli and El Shaarawy

Turkish riot police clash with protesters in Taksim Square

Page 6

Page 8

Page 13

Completed 98 percent

Toll road ascertained to be in operation before APEC Summit

The toll road on Benoa which will be used during the 2013 APEC Summit.

IBP/File

Denpasar (Bali Post)—

Construction of the toll road or the overwater road connecting Nusa Dua-Benoa-Ngurah Rai seems to have been sped up in order to meet the APEC Summit next October. As evidence, the project worth IDR 2.4 trillion can be done more quickly than the original target. This first toll road in Bali is ascertained to be completed within 14 months, 4 months faster than the initial target of 18 months.

“This toll road project has showed a 98-percent progress. Actually the physical work has been completed and it remains to make finalization and installation of traffic signs.

Thus, we can make sure the toll road can have been operated before the APEC Summit next October,” said

Commissioner of PT Jasa Marga, Ibnu Purna Muchtar, amidst the site inspection of the board of commissioners and directors of PT Jasa Marga with media crews on the toll road, Monday (Jun 10).

He hoped the toll road over the sea would become a new icon for

Bali and tourist attraction. Even, he mentioned the length of the toll road over the waters (JDP) was similar to the Union Bridge in Canada.

Such Bali’s first toll road built over the sea spread along approximately 12.7 kilometers, virtually the same as the Union Bridge in Canada along 12.9 kilometers.

Not only that, Ibnu also mentioned the length of toll road over the waters was almost the same as the Penang Bridge in Malaysia spreading along 13.5 kilometers.

One thing making a pride was the design and construction of the road was entirely made by best native experts to Indonesia. The toll road along12.7 kilometer was completed

within 14 months, faster than the initial plan of 18 months.

When traced back, the toll road construction was intended to address the severe congestion around the Dewa Ruci roundabout. Departing from a survey, he said, the number of four-wheeled and more vehicles passing through the Jalan Bypass Ngurah Rai every day reached more than 40,000, excluding the motorcycles of much more than 56,000 every day. “We hope the presence of this toll road can break up the congestion in Southern Bali,” he said.

Successful development of the toll road proved that Indonesia had the capability and adequate

technology for the construction of road and bridge over the sea. Aside from the design and construction, the investment of toll road costing around IDR 2.4 trillion also fully used the company’s internal fund and domestic financing sources with the composition of 30 percent of company’s fund and 70 percent of loans from domestic banking syndicate.

“Unlike Suramadu Bridge, it was financed by foreign loans of the state budget (APBN), while the Bali toll is purely financed by the company and corporate loans in the country without any burden to the state budget,” said Ibnu.

Continued on page 6

2

International

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Bali News Bali House urges protection to local fruits to be intensely socialized Denpasar (Bali Post)—

As an effort to protect and preserve the existence of local fruits, the Bali government has owned a regional bylaw on the Protection of Local Fruits. However, the existence of this regional bylaw is expected to be completely socialized and implemented so as not to be redundant.

Following up the presence of such regional bylaw, Commission II of Bali House was re-organizing a coordination meeting with the Bali Agriculture Agency, Plantation Agency and Livestock Office, Monday (Jun 10). The coordination meeting was intended to follow up the sustainability and evaluate whether the Regional Bylaw on Local Fruit Protection had been already running or not considering the current onslaught of imported fruits had been getting more intensive into Bali and still sold freely in Bali.

Chairman of Commission II of the Bali House, Tutik Kusumawardani, said that central government and local government chiefly Bali government was unable to stem or stop the influx of imported fruits into Bali. “We cannot stem the influx of imported fruits into Bali. On that account, Bali itself must be able to cultivate superior fruits that can be sold in the market and attract tourists,” she said.

Further, this politician from Buleleng said that Bali local fruits actually had a quality that was not inferior to imported fruits. However, due to lack of marketing strategies and branding, local fruits of Bali were unable to compete against imported fruits in the market. She added there should be a joint movement to promote local fruits in a structured and continuous manner.

The government should more aggressively educate the public to use local fruits in every formal and non-formal activity like religious ceremony. “We expect the government to aggressively educate people to love local fruits and socialize the regional bylaw on the Local Fruit Protection approved some time ago.

Hopefully, the bylaw can be really effective, so that it will not be redundant,” he said.

Besides, there should be an ongoing effort in order the local fruit production could be consistent with superior quality in accordance with the market demand. With the establishment of the Agricultural Extension Coordination Agency, Tutik hoped that farmers could also receive education on agriculture especially related to the method of producing quality fruit and knowledge base on salable fruits in the community. “Later on, the Agricultural Extension Coordination Agency will make coordination with the Institute for Agricultural Technology (BPTP) Bali related to the commodities that will be cultivated in accordance with the potential of the region,” added the Democrat.

With the establishment of the Agricultural Extension Coordination Agency, she said there would be no reason for farmers not to get any information on the agriculture. She also urged the government to conduct safety testing for the consumption of imported fruits where the incoming fruits should be tested in laboratory and researched how long the fruit would be safe for consumption. According to her, the imported fruits coming into public market in Bali had been at least more than 10 days after being harvested. Therefore, she said the imported fruits consumed in the society had been more than 15 days after being harvested in their country of origin. “We want to know whether the fruits are safe to consume and containing preservatives,” concluded Tutik. (kmb29)

IBP/File

The local fruits which are used in offerings by the Hindus in Bali

French hasish smuggler sentenced five years in jail Denpasar, Bali Post

Vincent Roger Petrone (44) from France that smuggled illegal drug hasish by swallowing it have been given five years jail in a trial at Denpasar District Court lead by Paruian Saragih last Monday (10/6) . Besides jail, public prosecutor I Gusti Gede Putu Atmaja and Putu Astawa asked accused to be fined IDR 1 billion to subside six months jail.

Accused who was with his translator surrenders to whatever punishment he gets.

Vincent who worked as a constructor was captured by the customs workers. He has been stated to have violated Section 113 paragraph 1 and Section 111 paragraph 1 Law No. 35 Year 2009. He got captured on Tuesday 29th January 2013 around 7.30 pm local time after arriving by Malaysia Airline

from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Accused was seen nervous and in a hurry which then customs workers Fuad Al and Singgih Agil checked him through x ray especially what he brought with him. Nothing was found from his belongings which then his body was checked. A weird substance was found in his stomach and so he was brought to BIMC to be xrayed. A circle item was seen and after checked, in the customs office, Tuban, Vincent was asked to take the item out. One was managed taken out then in the next day another three were found totaling four items. A narcotic test was given to the items and it was positively containing so known as hasish or marijuana with total weight 69 grams gross or 59.7 net gram. Based on the forensic lab check, the drug was its strongest type as stated by public prosecutor. (kmb32)

Founder : K.Nadha, General Manager :Palgunadi Chief Editor: Diah Dewi Juniarti Editors: Gugiek Savindra,Alit Susrini, Alit Sumertha, Daniel Fajry, Mawa, Sri Hartini, Suana, Sueca, Sugiartha, Yudi Winanto Denpasar: Dira Arsana, Giriana Saputra, Subrata, Sumatika, Asmara Putra. Bangli: Pujawan, Buleleng: Adnyana, Gianyar: Agung Dharmada, Karangasem: Budana, Klungkung: Bali Putra Ariawan. Jakarta: Nikson, Hardianto, Ade Irawan. NTB: Agus Talino, Izzul Khairi, Raka Akriyani. Surabaya: Bambang Wilianto. Development: Alit Purnata, Mas Ruscitadewi. Office: Jalan Kepundung 67 A Denpasar 80232. Telephone (0361)225764, Facsimile: 227418, P.O.Box: 3010 Denpasar 80001. Bali Post Jakarta, Advertizing: Jl.Palmerah Barat 21F. Telp 021-5357602, Facsimile: 021-5357605 Jakarta Pusat. NTB: Jalam Bangau No. 15 Cakranegara Telp. (0370) 639543, Facsimile: (0370) 628257. Publisher: PT Bali Post

Bali News

International

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

3

Minister of Trade promises to use local transport in APEC Summit Denpasar (Bali Post)—

Ministry of Trade said that his party would take advantage of local transport services to serve the delegates of the APEC Summit to be held on the Island of the Gods. The entrepreneurs of land transportation coalesced into the Land Transportation Organization (Organda) considered the market growth of Meeting, Incentives, Convention and Exhibition (MICE) had no significant impact on their business. It happened because the pie of MICE activity only benefited large employers from outside the region or non-native entrepreneurs to Bali.

“We’re going to note it (complaint of the Organda—Ed).

Taking advantage of the local services will advance the local entrepreneurship,” said Minister of Trade, Gita Wirjawan, while asking for his ranks to follow up the endeavor.

In his visit to the K. Nadha Bali Press Building recently, Gita Wirjawan said that Bali was being prepared to host the international event, aside from the APEC Summit to be held later this year. “In addition to the APEC, there will be another agenda to be attended by hundreds of countries held in Bali. We are attempting in order the activity can be organized here,” he said.

Secretary of the Organda Bali, Yus Suhartana, previously complained if he did not enjoy the impact of MICE activities because all the vehicles used to support the events were brought in from outside the region. Meanwhile, local businesses in the region could only get the insertion or droplets of the activity.

“Quality of vehicles and services has always been the reason for the event organizer (EO) to bring in vehicles from outside the region.

In terms of quality, the operational vehicles in Bali are not less good compared to vehicles brought in from outside,” he said.

According to him, the vehicles operated in Bali were brought in

from the same factory, so that there was no reason for MICE businesspeople from outside not to involve the local transport entrepreneurs in any MICE activity in Bali. “We the businessmen purchased the vehicles from the same place anyway. So, there is no reason to use the vehicles from outside. Moreover, the vehicles brought in to Bali do not give contribution to the government because they pay their taxes outside the region,” he said.

To that end, he questioned the implementation of local wisdom in supporting the tourism in Bali because the utilization of local wisdom in supporting the sector was not optimal. (kmb27)

IBP/File

Minister of Trade Gita Wirjawan

Furniture warehouse buried by avalanche Singaraja (Bali Post)—

IBP/File

The furniture warehouse which is buried by avalanche in Singaraja

Heavy rain caused an avalanche at Mayong village, Seririt subdistrict, Sunday night (Jun 9). In the incident, a wood furniture warehouse at the village was heavily damaged due to buried by the avalanche.

Fortunately, at the time of incident the furniture workers were off, so that there were no casualties. Nevertheless, hundreds of pieces of wooden furniture being ready to be sold were heavily damaged as buried by the landslide materials. Even, hundreds of chickens owned by residents around the warehouse were also buried by the land. Permanent warehouse of wooden furniture was located right on the roadside of Seririt-Pupuan Tabanan. The warehouse was owned by Putu Orbawan and contracted to Nengah Pastra from Kekeran, Busungbiu subdistrict.

On the land above the building occurred a rice field owned by Gusti Putu Medal planted with paddy. When heavy rain, the cliff avalanched along six meters. By all means, the avalanche buried the warehouse beneath it and the contents. Even, the semi-permanent building beside the warehouse almost got buried. Luckily, the expanse of cliff above it could be restrained, so that it did not kindle an avalanche.

However, the owner of semi-permanent house beside the warehouse said he was afraid and preferred to flee to his relative’s home at the village center.

The resident seeing the avalanche, Ketut Sartika, told the avalanche occurred around 1:30 p.m. At that time, heavy rain was flushing Mayong village and surrounding areas. He and his wife were in the house. Meanwhile, the warehouse was in closed condition. At that time, it was heard the sound of thunder and the concussion.

He left the house and was surprised to see the warehouse next to his house was buried by the avalanche. Kartika, his wife and son did not think too long and rushed to go out of the house and then fled to relatives’ house at the village center. He worried if the cliff above the house would collapse and be ascertained to hoard his house.

After the incident, the official of Mayong village and police officers had visited the scene. However, since the owner was not at the location, the officers just collected the data regarding the incident. Meanwhile, no one had reported the incident to ask for help from the Buleleng Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD). (kmb)

4

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Bali News

International

Fire engulfed three shops in one night Gianyar (Bali Post)A silent situation is seen on the south of Gianyar Heroes Cemetery but then shocked by fire that engulfed three shops next to each other. The incident happened on Monday (10/6) and predicted to have caused loss up to hundred millions Rupiah. The incident was thought due to short circuit. As seen on location, the fire took over on the far right of the shop row nearby the cemetery. Three fire brigades manage to turn off the fire yet owners couldn’t say a thing about it.

The incident was first seen by a person driving his motorcycle. The fire started at an electricity shop owned by Made Suantara and then went to drinks stall owned by Gusti Priadnyana and then ceremony essentials owned by Made Pasek. Police have secured location and investigated the incident. No items could be saved as all have burnt.

Police can’t investigate further as no victims have officially reported the incident. Meanwhile, it is suspected the fire came from a drink fridge inside the electricity shop. (kmb16)

IBP/File

The chili which is sold in one of the traditional market in Tabanan

Bad weather, chili supply gets disturbed Tabanan (Bali Post)— Bad weather engulfing Bali recently began to impact on the supply of basic goods. Within the past few days, the supply of red chili to Tabanan has begun to get disturbed. This condition was directly followed by skyrocketing prices. Allegedly, due to bad weather many farmers failed to harvest their chili. As a result, it diminished the supply to traders.

As monitoring of Bali Post at Kediri Market on Monday (Jun 10), almost all traders complained about the difficulty to get chili supplies and the soaring prices. Under normal condition, traders could usually

get chili supply in large quantities.

Since the weather worsened, the traders could only get supply on the average of 10 kg. Meanwhile, the price increased from IDR 15,000 to IDR 30,000 per kg. “The sup-

ply of large chili has begun to get disturbed for three days and the price is also rising sharply,” said Ni Nyoman Sukriyati, one of the chili traders, last Monday.

This woman explained the decrease in large chili supply was triggered by harvest failure faced by many farmers. Incidentally, this commodity was mostly supplied by producers from Kintamani area, Bangli. Due to persistent rain, the harvest of chili slumped, including the harvest failure. “It is said, a lot of farmers are facing

harvest failure. Thus, the market supply of chili gets disturbed,” she explained. Usually, said Sukriyati, the large chili supply was abundant. The price was also relatively affordable. Due to rising prices, the sales plummeted as well. Since the prices soared, traders could only sell maximally 3 kg per day.

Even, they were frequently unable to sell.

Aside from large chili, the price of vegetable also gradually increased. Among them, the price of tomatoes rose from IDR 3,000

to IDR 5,000 per kg. Small chili rose to IDR 15,000 per kg from the previous price at IDR 15,000 per kg. “Other than chili, vegetable commodity also shows rising price.

Probably, it happens due to weather condition,” said Ni Ketut Tampiani, another trader. She gave examples that the price of cabbage reached IDR 4,000 per kg and bean reached IDR 6,000 per kg. Traders expected the chili supply would soon be back to normal. Thus, the price would not too burdensome to community. (kmb30)

Naval post at Pengambengan destroyed by abrasion Negara (Bali Post)— The post of the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) at Ketapang Lampu hamlet, Pengambengan village, was devastated by the increasingly ferocious abrasion. The post located close to local settlement is no longer in use, but local people still living around the area are now affected.

At least, three families whose house is located about an inch from the sea water. Even, the house wall of one of the residents, Suparno, 80, is exposed to the splashing of the waves every night.

Residents also deplored because the government seemed to close its eyes because only five families got the replacement land. The house of Suparno having been living alone in the area of 200 square meters for decades has been hit by ferocious waves within the past few months.

“I live alone here.

Every end of the month, great waves definitely crash my house wall and the sea water comes into my house. As a result, I’m unable to sleep,” he said when met on Monday (Jun 10). Suparno admitted to be resigned with such

condition. He had no idea that the land formerly projected far to the beach had run out and ever left a few space.

Edi Suyitno, 30, another resident, said his party hoped there was a concern from provincial and county government to protect the settlement with a revetment because many people inhabit the area.

“Why was the revetment made at the area where there was no house like at Tembles and Penyaringan,” he asked. Edi also questioned why some people that did not have a land certificate got a substitute land up

to 200 square meters. Meanwhile, Suparno who had a land certificate did not obtain any substitute land despite having submitted it repeatedly.

Since Suparno lived alone, the surrounding people including himself helped clean up and make a simple breakwater. Hundreds of bags containing sand and rock were placed in a row at the edge of the house to prevent the onslaught of waves. “Now, at the end of the house had collapsed, at this rate it can possibly persist within next one to two months,”

he added.

Meanwhile, the existing post of the Indonesian Navy projecting to the sea had been destroyed recently. Fortunately, the post had been moved to the area of Pengambengan Fishery Port. Based on observation made last Monday, half of the naval post building had been damaged. It only left two rooms and signage of the post on the front wall. Actually, around the post had been protected with revetment using some culverts, but the incoming high sea water destroyed the post. (kmb26)

International

Bali News

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

5

Motorcycle robbery revealed, two supsects shot Denpasar (Bali Post)-

Unit II Jatanras Troops of Bali Police General Criminal Research Sub Directorate III lead by Head of Unit PC Pande managed to reveal a motorcycle robbery case. Two of the three robbers, Samawi and Atnawi from Madura managed to be captured last Friday (7/6). Due to going to escape when the case was being developed in Gianyar, the two had its feet shot. Last Monday (10/6) the Police admitted that the case has been investigated the past month as there have been information that accused were the robbers. First accused Samawi was captured nearby the Ngurah Rai Statue in Tuban at 10 am local time. After that the two other accused were revealed named Atnawi and initial SY. Around 2 pm local time, Atnawi was found around Uluwatu, Kelan, Tuban.

Sadly SY managed to escape and up until now still being chased.

From the two around four motorcycles a Byson, Jupiter MX, and two Honda Beat were confiscated. They were all in Situbondo, East Java. A Daihatsu Terios black coloured was also confiscated as it is owned by Atnawi. The car has been used for the crime act as well.

To reveal everything they have done, the two accused were brought around Denpasar and Badung as they acted there. They also managed to rob at Gianyar. When around Gianyar, the two tried to escape. Three warning shots were ignored and so police shot each of their foot. Head of the Sub Directorate, GAPC Harry Haryadi, then confirmed and admitted that they have acted at 25 crime scenes which are 10 in Denpasar, 8 in Gianyar and Badung 7 places. (kmb21)

Garuda Wisnu Kencana Statue Garuda Wisnu Kencana StatueDesigned and built by Nyoman Nuarta, one of Indonesia’s foremost modern sculptor, the Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue or GWK and its pedestal building will be standing 150 meters tall with its wings span 64 meters across. Made from more than 4000 tons of copper and brass, the statue is picturing Lord Wisnu, as the source of wisdom, riding on the back of the mythical bird Garuda as the manifestation of conscience toward Amerta, the perennial goodness.

The statue and its pedestal will be surrounded by more than 240 hectares cultural park which was once an abandoned and unproductive limestone quarry. The cultural park will provide attractions for both local and foreign visitors with supporting facilities such as Lotus Pond, Festival Park, Amphitheater, Street Theater, Exhibition Hall, as well as Jendela Bali The Panoramic Resto and souvenir shop. At present time, the statue of Wisnu, the statue of Garuda, and the hands of Wisnu have been placed temporarily in three different plazas within the park.GWK Cultural Park is intended to educate, especially the young generations about the importance of preserving and cultivating world’s cultural heritage.

The Statue of Wisnu

As the anchor point of GWK, the 20 meter tall copper statue of the Lord Wisnu has been placed temporarily on the highest hill of Ungasan where visitors can enjoy sunset or sunrise over the magnificent view of Kuta, Benoa and Sanur. The statue of Wisnu is an illustration of the Almighty God in maintaining and caring all life and its being. The god Wisnu is the owner of Amerta in the form of water as the source of fertility , giving wealth and life to the universe.

The Statue of Garuda

Right behind the Plaza Wisnu is the Plaza Garuda where the 18 meters tall statue of Garuda placed temporarily. At the present time, Plaza Garuda becomes the focal point of a massive alley of carved limestone pillars which covers more than 4000 sqm open space area namely Lotus Pond. The colossal limestone pillars and monumental Garuda statue make Lotus Pond a very exotic space. With its room capacity that can accommodate up to 7000 people, Lotus Pond has gained good reputation as the perfect place to hold big and international events.

The Statue of Wisnu’s Hands

The statue of Wisnu’s hands was added to GWK Cultural Park in 2007. It’s one step closer to finishing the complete Garuda Wisnu Kencana statue. This piece was placed temporarily on Tirta Agung area.

IBP/File

The entrance sign of Karangasem Regency

Karangasem fails to win Adipura Kencana Weakness due to having no biogas installation Amlapura (Bali Post)—

Amlapura town failed to win the title of Adipura Kencana this year. Dropped assessment has eliminated the hope to win the Adipura Kencana trophy because Karangasem has not owned a waste processing installation into biogas.

Despite failing to win the Adipura Kencana trophy, Spokesperson of the Karangasem government, Nyoman Wage, said on Monday (Jun 10) in Karangasem that Karangasem constantly got the Adipura trophy this year as well as the Adiwiyata trophy for SDN 1 Selumbung elementary school, Manggis. Wage said the Regent of Karangasem, I Wayan Geredeg, accompanied by the Head of Karangasem Sanitation and Landscaping Agency and the Head of Karangasem Environment Agency went to Jakarta to receive both trophies in the Jakarta State

Palace, Monday night.

Conferment of the Adipura trophy was made simultaneously to recipients from the towns across Indonesia every year in relation to the Environment Day. Meanwhile, the Head of Karangasem Sanitation and Landscaping Agency, Made Suama, said via telephone from Jakarta that Amlapura town some time ago had been strictly verified. The advantages of Amlapura town lay in the matter of shade, street sanitation, waste landfills and waste management to schools.

Suama recognized the weakness

of Amlapura town was not having a waste management system that could give benefits such as the waste processing into biogas. Such weakness was one of the causes making the Amlapura small town unable to achieve the Adipura Kencana trophy.

The Head of Karangasem Environment Agency, Nyoman Diana, said the assessment criteria of town sanitation and shade this year was much more stringent than the previous year. One of the criteria assessed was the requirement to have a liquid and solid waste treatment system either in hospital or residential areas. (013)

6

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

W

International

RLD

Nicaragua rushes on for canal deal with Chinese Associated Press Writer

REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton

A Police Service of Northern Ireland officer guards the road to the Lough Erne Golf Resort where the G8 summit will be held next week, in County Fermanagh June 10, 2013.

Northern Irish police seize arms cache ahead of G8 Reuters

BELFAST - Northern Ireland police seized explosives and munitions during a sweep of Irish militant nationalists on Monday, a week before world leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama travel to the province for the Group of Eight summit.

Police have made a number of arrests of suspected dissidents in recent weeks ahead of the summit, which will take place at a hotel that one militant group said was the target of a car bomb plot in March that was foiled by police.

“Detectives of the serious crime branch conducting a search in the Beechwood area in relation to dissident republican activity have recovered a quantity of munitions and explosives,” a police spokeswoman said.

Londonderry is 100 km (60 miles)

north of the G8 summit venue.

Security experts say the militants are unlikely to get past the security barrier to attack the G8 hotel itself but could attempt some kind of attack in Northern Ireland during the two-day summit.

Prominent Irish nationalist Colin Duffy is among a number of suspected dissidents arrested in recent weeks. He was later released. There have been a number of hoax bomb alerts, including two near the site of the G8 meeting.

A 1998 peace deal largely ended more than three decades of violence in the British-controlled province between mainly Catholic Irish nationalists seeking union with Ireland and predominantly Protestant unionists who want to remain part of the United Kingdom.

However militant nationalists, who include former operatives who split from the IRA after it declared a ceasefire, still stage sporadic gun and bomb attacks and have targeted security forces in particular.

Bombs kill 14 in central Damascus: Syrian TV Reuters

BEIRUT - Two bombs killed 14 people in central Damascus on Tuesday, state media said, in an attack which appeared to target a police station.

Syrian television said the bombs exploded close to the police post in the central Marjeh Square, while the British-based Syrian Observatory for

Human Rights said one bomb was detonated by a suicide attacker inside the police station.

The Observatory, which monitors violence across Syria through a network of medical and security sources, put the death toll at 15 and said most of the casualties were police.

State media had earlier said the bombs had been left outside shops in Marjeh Square, located in the heart

of the Syrian capital, which has been rocked several times by bombings during the two-year-old uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.

A bomb attack in the same square six weeks ago killed 13 people. Since then, Assad’s forces have retaken rebel-held areas to the east of the capital and also driven rebels from their stronghold in the town of Qusair, close to the Lebanese border.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua — Nicaragua is plowing ahead with a plan to dig a Chinese-funded rival to the Panama Canal across the midriff of the country, fast-tracking a proposal through the ruling party-controlled congress despite a lack of details about the $40 billion project.

A China-based consortium says it will finance the project and turn over control of the infrastructure to Nicaragua in exchange for a majority of the earnings, which it would share with the Nicaraguan government.

Proponents have said the project could capture 4.5 percent of world maritime freight traffic and double the per-capita gross domestic product of Nicaragua, one of the poorest countries in Latin America. The canal has won the enthusiastic backing of President Daniel Ortega, whose Sandinista Front controls the national legislature with 63 out of 92 lawmakers.

Many outside observers and Ortega opponents point out that nearly every key detail of the project remains a mystery, from the sources of its funding to Nicaragua’s share of the profits to the route it would take between the Caribbean and the Pacific. Many have been asking whether Central America needs two canals, even in an age of growing world trade.

The Nicaraguan congress’ infrastructure committee voted unanimously Monday night in favor of the project, with four opposition lawmakers on the 12-member body abstaining. Committee president Jenny Martinez said the bill was immediately sent to the National Assembly, which is expected to approve it Thursday.

Feasibility studies have indicated six potential routes across Nicaragua, many connecting with Lake Nicaragua in the western half of the country, but the legislation approved Monday does not specify which one would actually be dug.

“Since there is no defined path, we can’t measure the degree of seriousness of this project,” said opposition lawmaker Javier Vallejos. “This is like putting the cart before the horse.”

Toll road...

From page 1 Meanwhile, Business Development Director of PT Jasa Marga, Abdul Hadi, said a cross-departmental team would make feasibility test to the operation of the road so that later on the toll road could be formally operated. “By and large, the feasibility test takes two months, but it can be accelerated to 1 month. Thus, the toll road can be operated faster,” he said.

Abdul Hadi admitted though the implementation of the toll road was classified to be rapid, it did not necessarily mean if the work was without hindrance or constraint. “The biggest challenge we faced in the execution of this toll road was against the bad weather and tidal sea water. Even, due to bad weather the workers had to be evacuated,” he said while expecting the model of the overwater toll road with construction design made by domestic company would become a trend in the future and an example of toll road construction in the other regions.

Such toll road used 38,000 piles brought in from various regions such as Java and Jakarta.

The toll road was expected to break up congestion and shorten the distance from Benoa to Nusa Dua. Previously, the normal travel time from Denpasar to Nusa Dua took 1 to 1.5 hours, but then would only take 15 minutes to Nusa Dua. Although the working process was much faster than the time given, Hadi ensured the quality of the project would be qualified. “Faster execution does not affect the quality. We were increasing the number of workers and they worked for 24 hours a day. Besides, the safety aspect of user is our priority and the construction is earthquake-resistant,” affirmed Hadi.

Regarding the name of the overwater toll road, Hadi explained it would be inaugurated by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. “The matter of name will be approved by the president,” he concluded. (kmb29)

Sports

International

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

7

Satisfied but shaken, Spurs bring NBA Finals home Associated Press Writer SAN ANTONIO — Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili sat in mostly stunned silence, all that playoff experience not preparing them for how they felt after two games. The San Antonio Spurs had taken home-court advantage away from the Miami Heat, but then the reigning champions took them apart.

Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) dunks the ball against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half of Game 2 in the NBA Finals basketball game, Sunday June 9, 2013, in Miami.

So as they prepared to bring the NBA Finals back home for the first time in seven years, the veterans struggled with how they were supposed to sum up their situation.

Winning one in South Florida was an accomplishment, but nothing that provided them any momentum after the Heat’s 103-84 victory Sunday in Game 2.

“Not after tonight. I think they regained that,” Duncan said. “Obviously we were glad to win a game here in Game 1. Our goal was to get two. But they got the one tonight.

We get to go back home. We got a game here. We have three at home, so we’re excited about that. But if we play like we did tonight, that’s not going to matter.”

The teams took Monday off, with the series resuming Tuesday.

The Spurs will also host Game

4 on Thursday and Game 5 on Sunday.

The finals were once as much a part of June as the heat in this city deep in the heart of Texas. San Antonio won four titles in a nine-year span starting in 1999, but hasn’t hosted a game in the NBA’s championship round since the Spurs took a 2-0 lead over LeBron James and Cleveland in 2007.

Here comes James again, needing to win one here — which hasn’t been easy for Miami — and not concerned that the finals’ 2-3-2 format now gives the advantage to the Spurs. “It doesn’t matter,” he said.

“Two best teams in the NBA at this point. Both teams have won and can win on each other’s floor. So it’s not a biggie.”

The Heat are just 3-22 in San Antonio, though they did win this

year even while James, Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers sat out the late-season meeting.

James had no cause for concern after Game 2, which validated his belief that he can depend on his teammates until he gets rolling, as he did late in the third quarter and well into the fourth.

But a little doubt seemed to creep into the Spurs’ Big Three, unusual for a group that has been there, done that.

Duncan, Parker and Ginobili have teamed for 99 postseason victories together, second-most in NBA history, a trio that is well aware of how quickly things can change in the playoffs.

They changed really quickly in this series, about the time it took James to turn Tiago Splitter’s dunk attempt into a forever finals highlight with a blocked shot.

“Of course if you look at the result, being 1-1, it’s not bad. But you don’t want to play like this in an NBA Finals,” Ginobili said. “You don’t want to give them that much confidence, and you feeling bad about yourself.”

AP Photo/Christian Petersen, Pool

IOC opens Federer haul seems light-years away, says Nadal TV rights bidding in Asia Associated Press Writer LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The IOC has opened the bidding process for broadcast rights in Asia for the 2014 and 2016 Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee says it will consider bids for the rights in 24 countries, ranging from Afghanistan to Vietnam.

The deal will cover the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, as well as next year’s Summer Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China.

The IOC says it will also consider “supplemental bids” for the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and the 2020 Summer Games.

The IOC is looking for organizations “who can guarantee full exploitation of the rights either on a multi-territory or country-bycountry basis.” The deadline for submission of bids is July 5.

MADRID - Rafa Nadal believes he still has a very long way to go before he can match or overtake the record haul of 17 grand slam singles titles amassed by his great rival Roger Federer.

Spaniard Nadal won his eighth French Open crown on Sunday and having just turned 27, has 12 grand slam singles titles in total, including two Wimbledon crowns and triumphs at the U.S. Open and Australian Open.

S w i s s Federer, who will be 32 in August, won his last grand slam singles title at Wimbledon in 2012 but is still ranked third in the world and has every chance of adding at least one more before he calls time on his career.

“It (matching Federer) is something that right now seems light-years away, something that I am not even thinking about,” Nadal said in an interview with Spanish sports daily Marca

published on Tuesday.

Nadal’s French Open success was his seventh title since returning from a seven-month layoff in February due to a knee injury.

He reached the final in the other two events he played, Monte Carlo and Vina del Mar, and will now take a brief rest as he prepares for the grass courts of Wimbledon starting in two weeks.

Asked what had helped him win his 12 grand slam titles, Nadal told Marca: “The normal.

Nothing special. “Luckily, I have always had a team with me which has helped me in the good and the bad times,” he added.

“Luckily, I have

had family and friends around me who have helped me. “Travelling around Spain and the world and feeling loved is a personal satisfaction and gives you a lot of energy to be able to succeed.

Spain’s Rafael Nadal bites the trophy after winning against compatriot David Ferrer in three sets 6-3, 6-2, 6-3, in the final of the French Open tennis tournament, at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday June 9, 2013.

AP Photo/Christophe Ena

Reuters

8

International In nte terrn nat a ional

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Sp rt

The new faces of Italy: Balotelli and El Shaarawy Associated Press Writer

ROME — Mario Balotelli and Stephan El Shaarawy, both sons of immigrants, are the new faces of Italy. And at the Confederations Cup in Brazil, the AC Milan forwards will be leading the attack.

With a combined age of 42, the 22year-old Balotelli and the 20-year-old El Shaarawy also form the youngest forward tandem of any elite national team.

While they haven’t played together much with Italy yet, the pairing worked well at Milan in the second half of the Italian season after Balotelli transferred from Manchester City in January.

El Shaarawy tied for third in Serie A with 16 goals and Balotelli scored 12 in only 13 appearances.

Perhaps even more important than the numbers, though, is the image of two players born to foreigners representing a country that has long been ill at ease with its growing immigrant classes.

Balotelli was born in Sicily to Ghanaian immigrants before being adopted by an Italian family. El Shaarawy, who was born in the Ligurian town of Savona to an Italian mother and Egyptian father, is nicknamed “Il Faraone” — The Pharaoh.

Balotelli is constantly the target of racist chants during Serie A matches, and sometimes during national team games, too.

In May, a Serie A match was sus-

pended for the first time — albeit for only a couple minutes in the second half — due to racist chants directed at Balotelli.

“They say that football is combatting racism but it doesn’t seem so to me looking at the rules,” Balotelli said. “Not enough is being done. All they’ve done is given the referee the power to suspend a match in cases of certain chants. But the fact is that his feeling might not be the same as mine.

Shouldn’t I decide if an insult is taken as racist or not?

“Racism is a real problem here and it needs to be combatted with more determination,” Balotelli added. “I don’t know if we’ll ever win the battle but we’ve all got to try to together.”

Balotelli couldn’t play for Italy Under-15s and Under-17s because he could not apply for Italian citizenship until he was 18 according to a law that Integration Minister Cecile Kyenge, Italy’s first black Cabinet minister, is attempting to change.

Since he did start playing for Italy, Balotelli has been devastating. His two-goal performance in the 2-1 win over Germany in last year’s European Championship semifinals was a display of his raw power.

nu tii ve El The di mi nut Shaarawy, meanwhile, shot to prominence minence in the first half of the Serie A season after Zlatann Ibrahimovic left Milan for Paris aris Saint-Germain.

With 14 goals, oals, he was the league’s top scorer at the season’s midpoint, oint, and he has also drawn praise for his willingness to run back and help out onn the defensive end as well..

However, r, El Shaarawy struggled inn the second half of the season, with local mediaa surmising that he was tired.

“It’s not true that he’s tired,” Italy coach Cesare Prandelli ndelli said.

“Our data says ays exactly the oppositee — that he’s one of the players in the best form. Evidently dently at the end of the season he had a mental drop off. So many any people said he was tired that in the end he convinced himself that he was tired, too.” Either way, Italy’s attack is at Balotelli’s and El Shaarawy’s feet.

Real Madrid buy Brazilian youngster Casemiro Reuters

MADRID - Brazilian midfielder Casemiro has signed a four-year contract with Real Madrid with the Spanish club saying on Monday it had exercised an option to buy the youngster who had been on loan from Sao Paulo.

The 21-year-old played on loan for Real’s B team Castilla in the second division for the second half of last season but also debuted with the senior squad under Jose Mourinho. Local media reported the deal was worth 6

million euros ($7.92 million).

Real also said on their website (www.realmadrid. com) that their France striker Karim Bezema had undergone minor surgery to remove a cyst from his right knee on Monday.

Benzema underwent the procedure at the Centre Orthopedique Santy in Lyon, France, and was attended by Real’s medical services, the club said.

Local media reported the 25-year-old was expected to be fit for the start of pre-season training at Real on July 15.

FILE- In this June 28, 2012 file photo, Italy’s Mario Balotelli celebrates scoring his side’s second goal during the Euro 2012 soccer championship semifinal match between Germany and Italy in Warsaw, Poland.

AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File

International Internatio

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

9

AP Photo/Alastair Grant

Chelsea’s new coach Jose Mourinho speaks to the media during a press conference at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium in London, Monday June 10, 2013.

Mourinho has been reappointed coach to the team for the second time.

Current Chelsea players must get chance-Mourinho Reuters

LONDON - Jose Mourinho’s first task on his return as Chelsea manager is to get to know the players he has inherited and give them all a fair chance to succeed under him, the Portuguese said on Monday.

Since his Stamford Bridge comeback was rubber-stamped last week, there has been a barrage of media speculation on the future of John Terry, Fernando Torres, David Luiz and Juan Mata among others.

“I have to start working with the players, even those I’ve already worked with,” Mourinho told reporters after going back to the London club he first managed from 2004 to 2007. “Time changes people, changes players, changes qualities.

“Even that group of five or six boys from my time here before, I need to meet them again. The others? I think I know them because I watch them on TV 20 times every season, minimum, but I don’t know them.

“That’s the first part of this job.

It’s not to arrive and say, ‘Mr Abramovich and members of the board, I need some more money with a lot of zeros, I need to change half the team, move this one and buy that one’,” added Mourinho.

“No, I need to work with the players and not commit injustice. I need to give them a chance, be fair with them. After that we’ll have time to make decisions.”

Captain Terry was relegated to fourth-choice centre half last season and while Mourinho offered no guarantees of regular starts, he did say the 32-year-old would remain club skipper.

“John is the club captain,” he said.

“I am more than happy with that, so are the fans, so I think he has to be the club captain.”

Mourinho refused to criticise his predecessor, Chelsea’s former interim manager Rafa Ben-

itez, over his handling of Terry or other decisions.

“One of my good qualities - I also have some bad ones - is that I don’t speak about a club when I leave it and when I arrive at one I don’t like to comment on what happened before me,” said the former Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Porto manager.

“For me, not one word about Benitez’s decisions either on John or another player. What I can say is about the future and the future is to meet John in the first week of July and try to get the best out of him.

“I know what he can give. Let’s try to make him a very important player that he couldn’t be last season.”

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

Terry, Frank Lampard, Petr Cech, Ashley Cole, Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel all played under Mourinho in his first stint at Stamford Bridge but the Portuguese said none of them would be granted special treatment.

“It’s important to tell you, not them because they know, there’s no privileges for them,” said the manager. “They know my nature, they don’t have an advantage in relation to the others.

“We have ambitions to add a couple of new players to improve the squad, increase the competitiveness, but my biggest job at the moment is the all-round improvement of the squad.

“Chelsea have done very well to get some young boys in with great potential, with great ability, with great futures, and I look forward to trying to improve them,” added Mourinho.

“I’m more than happy to follow this philosophy the club has. My area is the football area but more and more you have to be deeply connected with the other areas of a club and I think the club and I have the same kind of vision.”

AP Photo/Koji Sasahara

In this June 4, 2013 photo, Australia’s players celebrate after the team’s goal against Japan during their Asian zone Group B qualifying soccer match for the 2014 World Cup at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, near Tokyo.

Australia downs Jordan 4-0 in WCup qualifying Associated Press Writer

MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia’s chances of qualifying for a third consecutive World Cup look considerably brighter after a comprehensive 4-0 home win over Jordan in Asian qualifying on Tuesday.

Midfielder Robbie Kruse scored one goal and set up two others as Australia earned the vital win and second spot in Group B, four points behind already-qualified Japan and one ahead

of Oman.

Attacking midfielder Mark Bresciano scored in the first half and talismanic forward Tim Cahill found the net after the break — both off Kruse passes — while captain Lucas Neill claimed his first-ever international goal shortly before fulltime.

Australia must beat Iraq next Tuesday to be assured of advancing directly to the 2014 World Cup, while a draw will leave it at the mercy of the Oman-Jordan match the same day.

Benfica sign Serbia international Markovic Reuters

LISBON - Benfica have signed 19-year-old Serbia forward Lazar Markovic from Partizan Belgrade on a five-year contract, the Portuguese club said on Monday.

The Lisbon club said in a statement on its website (www.slbenfica.pt) it had reached a deal with the coveted winger, who had also been linked in the media with English Premier League club Chelsea.

“Serbian winger Markovic signed with Benfica for five seasons,” the club said. The statement included an interview with the young Serb and a photo of him smiling and wearing a Benfica shirt.

The Portuguese club gave no financial details about the deal.

“Benfica play very attacking football that fits

nicely with my characteristics,” said Markovic, who is known for his excellent technical ability and pace.

“I come from a winning team and this style of play, always looking for goals and victories, fits me.”

He said he wanted to win titles with the Lisbon club, who, despite many impressive displays, endured a hugely disappointing end of season where they lost the championship, domestic cup final and Europa League final in just a few weeks.

“I know we will play in the Champions League so I am very motivated,” Markovic said, adding he had already asked for tips from compatriot Nemanja Matic, who was Benfica’s player of the season.

“He told me that Benfica is a very organised club with a lot of fans and tradition.”

10

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Destination

International

Taman Ayun Temple TAMAN Ayun Temple is a Royal Temple of Mengwi Empire and it is located in Mengwi Village, Mengwi sub district, Badung regency and about 18 Km north side of Denpasar town. It is strategically located beside of major roadway between Denpasar to Singaraja. It is set on the land which is surrounded by the big fish pond and look like a drift on the water. It owns the beautiful temple building with multistoried roof and Balinese Architecture. The wide beautiful landscape garden in front courtyard to welcome all visitors who come and visit this temple.

It is a beautiful place to visit on your vacation in Bali.

Bali Temples, Places of interest in Bali, Taman Ayun TemplePursuant to Papyrus Chronicle of the Mengwi (Lontar Babad Mengwi), the temple which is now referred

by Taman Ayun Temple that it had been newly sanctified in the year 1634 M and it is named with Taman Ahyun Temple. The word of Ahyun is coming from from the root word Hyun meaning a temple is founded in the park (pool with the beautiful garden) which can fulfill the desire. The word Ahyun is then changed into Ayun word.

Taman Ayun Temple is one of Hindu Temples in Bali become tourist destination which has been visited by many tourists from local and foreign. This temple is usually visited by tourist once having a set tour to Tanah Lot Temple due to this temple is the same route of the Tanah Lot Temple Tour.

Temple Position and Function

The function unction of Taman Ay u n Te m ple is a place to pray the god in their manifestation. Itt is accord-ing to the he content of Babad ad Mengwi and the existence of temple builduilding structure, ture, especiallyy the temple that hat is located in third area (Jeroan). roan).

According ng to Astadewata, ata, the special God is worshipedd in Taman Ayunn Temple is the he God in manifestation estation as a Wisnu snu God which hiss palace located in top of Mangu mount. In papyrus of Usana Bali mentioning entioning that one of Dewa Catur Lokapalas kapalas carry throughh its it worship is Meru Pucak Pangelengan that is a temple building with 9 multistoried roofs. Pitara God is a holy soul deity of ancestor who is

also referred as the other names of Hyang Pitara or Dewa Hyang. Pitara God is obliged to be worshiped by clan heir (Prati Sentana) in the form of temple ceremony

which the same meaning as by the ceremony to the god. The worshiping existence to Pitara God in Taman Ayun Temple can be searched and proved by pursuant to the existence of temple building which lay in by consecution in east which is

called Paibon that is representing Special Temple. Taman Ayun Temple in capacities or its status as special altar for the King family of Mengwi Palace or as a Merajan Agung from Mengwi King Families specially for the founder of Mengwi Empire that is I Gusti Agung Putu.

International

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

11

Safety Commission investigates a plane crash Antara

Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara - A team from the National Transportation Safety Commission (KNKT) is investigating the Merpati Nusantara Airlines (MNA) plane accident that occurred here on Monday.

“The team arrived here in the afternoon and is now in the field to inspect the location of the crash,” PT Angkasa Pura I`s El Tari airport duty manager, Gabriel Lusi Keraf, said here on Tuesday.

“The team consists of 13 members including from the ministry of transportation and Merpati as well as airport authorities. They are now still in the field,” Keraf said.

Merpati`s M60 plane carrying 46 passengers made a hard landing at the airport at 9.52am local time on Monday. None of the passengers died in the incident but 20 of them had been wounded, five of them seriously including the pilot who is now still being treated at a local hospital. The plane flew from Ngada in Bajawa, central Flores to Kupang before it had an accident.

Flood hits two sub-districts on Madura island Antara

Pamekasan, E Java - A flood triggered by heavy rains affected two sub-districts on Madura Island, East Java, on Tuesday, with a water level of up to 1.5 meters.

Flood water began to inundate Pamekasan Kota and Pademawu sub-districts at 06.00 a.m. local time after Kalisemajid river overflowed, local resident Achmad Baihaqi said.

“The water level is more than one meters and in several areas it reaches up to 1.5 meters,” he said. No fatalities or injuries were reported.

By 00.30 p.m. on Tuesday the flood had shown no signs of receding and in several areas the water level tended to increase.

Rains continued to fall in Pamekasan Kota sub-district on Tuesday afternoon.

“We have sent a joint team of officers to count the number of flood victims,” Pamekasan sub-district head Hidayat said.

Tuesday`s flood is the third to hit the subdistricts so far this year.

According to the Pamekasan District Natural Disaster Mitigation Board (BPBD), about 1,500 families fell victim to the previous flood.

“I think the number of affected families this time will not be much different from that of the previous flood and even can be larger because the current flood is bigger than the previous one,” he said. The flood also inundated a number of school buildings and offices.

Women of various nations admire Indonesia`s culture Antara

London - Women of various nations grouped in International Women Contact (IWC)-The Hague, admired the philosophy of Javanese culture presented in the Netherlands on Monday.

Secretary of the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague Waskito told Antara here on Tuesday that the philosophy of Javanese culture was introduced in the Indonesian Country Morning, themed “A Journey to Indonesia: A Glimpse into the Traditions of Java” at the Indonesian embassy`s Nusantara Building.

Waskito said the event was attended by 175 guests from the International Women Contact members, wives of foreign ambassadors in the Nether-

lands, and the wives of the Netherlands government officials.

Also present as the guest of honor was the wife of The Hague mayor, Henriette van Aartsen.

Before the start of the event, the participants took a moment of silence in remembrance of the death of the People`s Representative Assembly (MPR) Chairman Taufik Kiemas.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Ambassador to the Netherlands Retno L.P. Marsudi in her opening address explained the Indonesian cultural diversity and the philosophy of Javanese culture.

Retno also explained Indonesia`s success in combining cultural diversity with the modernity of the country`s positive achievement in the fields of democracy, economy, and the progress in the global forum.

AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati

Micheal, 3 week-old Sumatra elephant, stands next to his mother Mayang in a breeding program at Bali’s Safari and Marine Park in Giayar, Bali, Indonesia Tuesday, June 11, 2013. An environmental group says 129 critically endangered elephants have died on Indonesia’s Sumatra island in less than a decade, many from poisoning or shooting, highlighting the country’s weak enforcement of laws against poaching.

12

International

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

BUSINESS German court says won’t be swayed by ECB bond-buying success Reuters

AP Photo/Koji Sasahara

A man looks up by the day’s chart of Tokyo’s Nikkei 225, the regional heavyweight, that soared 636.67 points, or 4.94 percent, to 13,514.20 in front of a securities firm in Tokyo Monday, June 10, 2013.

KARLSRUHE, Germany - The head of Germany’s Constitutional Court said on Tuesday that the success of the European Central Bank’s bond-buying program in restoring calm to the euro zone would have no impact on its ruling of whether the scheme is constitutional or not.

In a two-day hearing, the court is looking into complaints by over 35,000 Germans that the ECB scheme, dubbed Outright Monetary Transactions (OMT), is really a vehicle to fund euro zone members through the back door, in violation of German law.

ECB President Mario Draghi, who unveiled the program last year as fears of a catastrophic euro breakup flared, has called it “probably the most successful monetary policy measure undertaken in recent time”.

But Jens Weidmann, head of the Bundesbank and a member of the ECB’s governing council, is testifying against OMT at the hearing in the southern city of Karlsruhe, setting up a rare public clash with his German colleague Joerg Asmussen, a member of the ECB board.

At the outset of the hearing on Tuesday morning, court President Andreas Vosskuhle said the success of the bond program would play “no role” in the assessment of its constitutionality.

The court cannot revoke the ECB bond-buying scheme but, in considering whether it violates the German parliament’s sovereign right to control the budget, it could challenge certain aspects of the program, such as its “unlimited” nature.

This would hamper the effectiveness of the OMT, which has worked largely by giving investors the confidence to buy bonds issued by troubled countries such as Spain and Italy, assured the ECB would intervene on the secondary market if any government were at serious risk of defaulting on its debt.

Japanese disappointment weighs on global markets Apple’s Good Looks Associated Press Writer

LONDON — Disappointment at the failure of the Bank of Japan to unveil further measures to boost the country’s economy weighed on markets Tuesday.

There had been expectations that the central bank, which started a big monetary stimulus earlier this year in an attempt to get the world’s number 3 economy out of a two-decade stagnation, would announce new measures to ease the volatility in the Japanese bond market. Instead the bank’s policy board merely upgraded its economic assessment.

The disappointment was enough to send Japan’s Nikkei stock index down 1.5 percent to close at 13,317.62. However, the retreat was modest in light of the previous day’s 4.9 percent advance following an upward revision of firstquarter economic data. In tandem with the fall in equities, the yen made big gains — the dollar was down 1.8 percent to 97.05 yen.

The Nikkei’s retreat, which was also affected by the appreciation of the yen, weighed on other markets in Asia as well as trading in Europe. In recent weeks, markets around the world have often taken their cue from developments in Tokyo.

“The failure to adapt additional stimulus measures to help ease volatility in debt markets has caused European markets fall into the red,” said Brenda Kelly, senior market strategist at IG. In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was down 1.3 percent to 6,319 while Germany’s DAX fell 1.6 percent to 8,175. The CAC-40 in France as 1.5 percent lower at 3,808.

Wall Street was poised for a retreat at the open too — Dow futures were down 0.4 percent while the broader S&P 500 futures fell 0.5 percent.

Trading so far this week, outside of Japan, has been fairly lackluster with investors uncertain which way the markets are going. This uncertainty follows a fairly volatile period that’s seen many of the world’s major stock indexes come off multiyear or even record highs.

As well as focusing on whether Japan’s monetary experiment will work, investors have been keenly monitoring developments in the U.S. and whether the economic picture has improved enough for the Federal Reserve to

reduce the amount of financial assets it buys in the markets — so-called tapering. Speculation that it will has eased somewhat after last week’s slightly better-than-expected U.S. jobs report for May. Many financial assets, including stock markets and emerging market currencies, have been propped up somewhat by the Fed’s money-creation measures over the past few years and any talk that it will change policy has been met with some concern by some investors even though it would indicate that the U.S. economy has improved following the financial crisis.

Again, following last week’s bumper data week, there’s little scheduled economic news Tuesday for traders to get their teeth into so markets may well drift for the rest of the session.

“The major equity markets remain hesitant and investors are still focusing on what the Federal Reserve might do in ‘tapering’ its monthly bond purchases,” said Neil MacKinnon, global macro strategist at VTB Capital.

Get It Only So Far Apple just showed off a hot new paint job for the iPhone. But the company’s most important product still needs more horsepower under the hood.

Apple’s annual conference for software developers kicked off on Monday, and the company delivered an overdue overhaul of iOS, the operating system that powers its mobile devices.

That isn’t a moment too soon. With software that hasn’t changed much over the past few years, the iPhone has begun to feel boring. And lately, it is losing market share to rival devices running Google’s Android mobile operating system.

In a nutshell, thanks to these upgrades, the iPhone will be pretty again. That is a quality that consumers have come to expect from Apple products, and which helps the company charge premium prices. An example: Now the home screen icons will float on top of the background, creating a three-dimensional effect when looking at the device from an angle.

European Pressphoto Agency More important are plenty of nifty functional improvements, too. It will be much easier to jump between different apps that are open. The calendar is easier to navigate, as is the device’s built-in photo repository.

All in all, the upgraded operating system looks fresh and sophisticated. And it is a testament to Tim Cook’s management capabilities since the new look is the direct result of an executive shake-up he effected last fall. He put the man behind Apple’s great hardware designs, Jonathan Ive, in charge of the look and feel of its software, too.

International

W

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

RLD

Turkish riot police fire water cannon and teargas during a protest at Taksim Square in Istanbul June 11, 2013.

Vietnam PM takes a hit in first-ever confidence vote Reuters

REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

Turkish riot police clash with protesters in Taksim Square Reuters ISTANBUL - Turkish riot police fired water cannon and teargas at hundreds of protesters in Istanbul’s Taksim Square on Tuesday, Reuters witnesses said, entering the square for the first time since demonstrations against plans to develop a park there turned violent.

We don’t want to harm you. Please withdraw.”

“If you don’t throw rocks or bottles we will not intervene. Let’s quit fighting,” a police officer called out as clashes continued.

The police move came after Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan agreed to meet protest leaders, whose peaceful demonstrations two weeks ago spiraled into protests against his government in which three people have been killed and about 5,000 hurt.

Police removed protesters’ banners from a building overlooking the square and the local governor said police had no intention of breaking up the protest in adjoining Gezi Park.

“Our aim is to remove the signs and pictures on Ataturk statue and the Ataturk Cultural Centre. We have no other aim,” Istanbul Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu wrote on Twitter. “Gezi Park and Taksim will not be touched.”

“RIFF-RAFF” Erdogan has repeatedly dismissed the protesters as “capulcular”, or riff-raff. But Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said on Monday leaders of the Gezi Park Platform group had asked to meet him in an effort to end the unrest. A meeting was expected on Wednesday.

The protests have shaken the predominantly Muslim country’s image as a stable democracy in a turbulent region and as a vibrant emerging market for investors.

The violent police action has drawn criticism from the West and Erdogan has increasingly accused foreign forces of trying to aggravate the troubles.

Police hung a single Turkish flag and a picture of modern Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk from the building.

Crowd control vehicles fired water cannon against groups of protesters who threw stones, fireworks and petrol bombs at the police. Nearby, hundreds more protesters, wearing face masks to protect against the effects of teargas, gathered on steps leading from the square to the park. “Every place is Taksim, every place resistance,” the protesters chanted.

Police appealed to the demonstrators not to attack, calling from loudspeakers, “Dear Gezi friends.

We are unhappy with this situation. We don’t want to intervene.

13

HANOI - Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung was dealt a rare public blow on Tuesday, winning the full support of less than half of members of a parliament dominated by his ruling Communist Party in the country’s first-ever confidence vote. The former central bank governor got votes of “high confidence” from 210 members of the 498-seat national assembly, with 160 passing votes of “low confidence” in a rare show of public scrutiny of Vietnam’s leaders.

The confidence vote follows a call from the president last year for greater accountability amid simmering public anger over mismanagement and corruption.

Although Dung passed the test, analysts said the lukewarm response from members of a party that traditionally rallies behind its leaders demonstrated discontent with the government’s handling of entrenched graft and a once thriving economy stagnating under the weight of bad debt. Dung, 63, received 122 votes of “confidence” in the ballot in which assembly members chose one of three ratings. Forty-seven officials faced votes and seven lawmakers did not cast ballots.

According to parliamentary law,

any top officials receiving low confidence votes from two-thirds of the house must resign or face a second vote on their leadership. Worse off than Dung was Soviet-educated central bank governor Nguyen Van Binh, who had 209 votes of low confidence and the full approval of just 88 assembly members.

“Their not-so-good result reflects the people’s dissatisfaction with their management of the economy and banking system,” said Nguyen Quang A, a well-known activist and economist, who suggested the confidence vote was designed to appease the public while not threatening the status quo.

Dung in February approved an economic masterplan aimed at reforming cash-hemorrhaging stateowned enterprise and tackling banks’ high levels of toxic loans - factors blamed for squeezing credit growth and consumer spending, alarming foreign investors and causing more than 100,000 businesses to close.

Tuesday’s confidence vote comes at a turbulent time for Vietnam’s only party, which was rattled in January when former members and academics drafted and publicized their own constitution to coincide with a campaign to gauge public opinion on a charter widely criticized as undemocratic.

REUTERS/Edgar Su

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung listens to a translation on his headset before his keynote address at the 12th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Asia Security Summit: The Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore May 31, 2013.

US secrets leaker has options to stay in Hong Kong Associated Press Writer HONG KONG — The American defense contractor who says he leaked information on classified U.S. surveillance programs could benefit from a quirk in Hong Kong law that would ensure a lengthy battle to deport him.

Edward Snowden’s whereabouts were not immediately known on Tuesday, although he was believed

to be staying somewhere in the Chinese autonomous region that has a well-established, Western-style legal system inherited from its status as a former British colony.

The journalist who brought his revelations to the public, Glenn Greenwald of The Guardian, said he had been in touch with Snowden, but declined to say whether he was still in Hong Kong and said he didn’t know what his future plans were.

“He hasn’t communicated a plan to me. I don’t know if he has a plan,” Greenwald told The Associated Press.

Greenwald’s reports last week, which exposed widespread U.S. government programs to collect telephone and Internet records, were based on information from Snowden.

Snowden checked out of Hong Kong’s Mira Hotel on Monday and has not been seen in public in the territory.

No charges have been brought and no warrant has been issued for the arrest of Snowden, a 29-year-old employee of government contractor Booz Allen Hamilton who has been accused by U.S. Senate intelligence chairwoman Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California of committing an “act of treason” that should be prosecuted.

Snowden arrived in Hong Kong on May 20 and as a U.S. citizen is

legally permitted to remain for 90 days. He can also apply for asylum through the United Nations or attempt to fly to another country which, unlike Hong Kong, does not have an extradition agreement with the United States.

Even if an extradition request is brought by the U.S., Snowden could contest it on grounds of political persecution in a process that could drag on for years.

14

Health

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

International

Feds now back morningafter pills for all girls Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK — After setting off a storm of criticism from abortion rights groups, upset that a Democratic president had sided with social conservatives, the Obama administration said it will comply with a judge’s order to allow girls of any age to buy emergency contraception without prescriptions.

But in doing so at least one opponent of easy access to the contraception thinks the president is buckling to political pressure, rather than making the health of girls a priority.

The Justice Department on Monday notified U.S. District Judge Edward Korman it will submit a plan for compliance. If he approves it, the department will drop its appeal of his April ruling.

According to the department’s letter to the judge, the Food and Drug Administration has told the maker of the pills to submit a new drug application with proposed labeling that would permit it to be sold “without a prescription and without age or pointof-sale prescriptions.” The FDA said that once it receives the application it “intends to approve it promptly.”

Advocates for girls’ and women’s rights said Monday the federal government’s decision to comply with the judge’s ruling could be a move forward for “reproductive justice” if the FDA acts quickly and puts emer-

gency contraception over the counter without restriction.

“It’s about time that the administration stopped opposing women having access to safe and effective birth control,” Annie Tummino, lead plaintiff in a lawsuit over unrestricted access to the morning-after pill and coordinator of the National Women’s Liberation, said in an emailed statement.

She said women and girls should have “the absolute right to control our bodies without having to ask a doctor or a pharmacist for permission.”

NARAL Pro-Choice America president Ilyse Hogue welcomed the decision by the Obama administration.

“By making emergency contraception available to women of all ages, the FDA is taking an important step to reduce unintended pregnancies and put women in control of their futures,” Hogue said in a statement.

But an opponent of the contraception plan, at the anti-abortion Family Research Council, criticized the government for not sticking with its decision to appeal.

“We’re very concerned and disappointed at the same time because what we see here is the government caving to political pressure instead of putting first the health and safety of girls (and) parental rights,” said Anna Higgins, director of the council’s Center for Human Dignity.

AP Photo/Murnaghan Family, File

FILE - In this May 30, 2013 file photo provided by the Murnaghan family, Sarah Murnaghan, center, celebrates the 100th day of her stay in Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with her father, Fran, left, and mother, Janet.

Transplant vote seeks medical and legal balance Associated Press WRiter

PITTSBURGH — Faced with a federal judge’s order in the heart-wrenching cases of two terminally ill children who are seeking lung transplants, a national review board sought a balance that will keep such decisions in the hands of doctors, not lawyers or judges.

Graphic originally moved June 6 and resending for related story; shows use of emergency contraception pill by ageView Photo

The executive committee of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network held an emergency teleconference Monday evening and resisted making rule changes for children under 12 seeking lung transplants, but created a special appeal and review system to hear such cases.

Dr. Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at New York University’s Langone Medical Center, said the vote showed that the medical profession doesn’t believe that they should be pressured into making hasty changes to the entire national transplant system based on a single case.

The meeting was prompted by the cases of 10-year-old Sarah Murnaghan of Newtown Square, Pa., and 11year-old Javier Acosta of New York City, two terminally ill children who are awaiting transplants at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Last week, federal Judge Michael Baylson ruled that they should be eligible for adult lungs after U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius declined to intervene in such cases.

Both children have end-stage cystic fibrosis, and Javier’s brother died two years ago while on the waiting list.

Their families have challenged existing transplant policy that made children under 12 wait for pediatric

lungs to become available or be offered lungs donated by adults after adolescents and adults on the waiting list had been considered. They say pediatric lungs are rarely donated.

Caplan said the network is trying to acknowledge the concerns Baylson raised but also issue a warning. “I think what they’re trying to tell the judge is ‘We have a system. It’s working. Let us decide, not you,” Caplan said.

He said the judge’s ruling “did hit a moral nerve” because the network recognizes the need to examine the claim that the 12-year-old distinction for lung transplants is arbitrary, but OPTN also tried to “preserve the integrity of the system by not changing the rule” based on court intervention.

The Murnaghans’ said in a statement that they consider the creation of the appeals process “a tremendous win for Sarah” and all other children waiting for lungs, but they added that the biggest issue is finding enough donors to help people who need transplants. “We hope Sarah’s story moves people to become organ donors,” they added.

The Murnaghans’ attorney, Steve Harvey, said the vote creates “a little appeals process” and that Sarah’s case may go back before the new OPTN review board. But he added that they plan

to ask Sebelius to keep Sarah eligible for adult lungs, as the judge instructed, until such a review is over.

The family has said that Sarah may only have a few weeks to live and that no suitable lungs have been found so far for her, even with the emergency exemption.

OPTN committee member Alexandra Glazier said during the call that while she can’t comment on specific transplant cases, lawsuits are “not an appropriate approach” to managing organ donation. Glazier said that while an order by any judge might be well-intentioned, it would “inevitably fail” to take into account the many complex medical and ethical issues that go into crafting broad national rules. Glazier is with the New England Organ Bank. Glazier also said that letting the courts decide such issues would set a terrible precedent.

“If some candidates perceive judicial intervention as a way to gain more favorable access to transplant, the result is likely to be significant chaos and inherent unfairness because access to the courts is not equal,” Glazier said, adding that “public trust and procedural fairness demands that organ allocation policies be made in an open public process and not by urgently convened committees.”

Activities

International

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

15

Rimba Jimbarana Bali to Open September 2013 Sister Hotel of Ayana Resort and Spa The award-winning AYANA Resort and Spa Bali is preparing for the next phase of its evolution with the upcoming opening of sister hotel RIMBA Jimbaran Bali, offering another unique guest experience within the world-class cliff-top property. rimba-enterance.jpg Under the same management of Capella Hotel Group, RIMBA Jimbaran Bali will open in September 2013 with 297 rooms and suites to expand on AYANA’s 368 rooms and villas. The 8 hectare resort is located within AYANA’s 77-hectare grounds overlooking Jimbaran Bay, just 12 kilometers from Bali’s airport, making it the perfect sanctuary for a relaxing break and a base from which to explore Bali and nearby attractions.

Capella Hotel Group chairman Horst Schulze said the imminent opening of RIMBA underscores the owner’s continued investment in the property and commitment to the highest standards of quality and service. “I have opened hundreds of hotels around the world, I’ve worked for the biggest names in the industry over a career of more than 50 years, so I’ve seen a lot of hotels, visited a lot of hotels, and I know how to spot a good hotel,” said Mr Schulze. “This is not just a good hotel, this is truly a world-class hotel and right at the very top when we talk about the best resorts in the world.

“This resort has continued to evolve and get

even better every year. The owner is truly committed to understanding guests’ needs and catering for their expressed and unexpressed wishes, and he continues to invest to ensure AYANA remains world-class. The next stage in this evolution is the opening of this new hotel, RIMBA, which has its own story and unique experiences to offer guests,” Mr Schulze added.

rimba-top-view.jpg RIMBA’s name, which is Indonesian for ‘forest’, reflects its setting and sustainable design. A central feature of the innovative design is the one hectare of multi-tiered swimming pools and expansive tree plantations, tropical flowers and organic fruit and vegetable gardens. The landscaping by St Legere is cleverly contoured to create different levels and slopes, so it is like entering a national park with an undulating tree-lined entrance and scenic trails. The resort’s elevated hill-side location affords both sunrise and sunset views, looking out over the Uluwatu Hills to the south-east, and to the Indian Ocean fronting AYANA’s 1.3 kilometer coastline to the south-west.

Calendar Event for May 1 through June 19, 2013 1 May Buda Kliwon Pahang Pura Luhur Puncak Padang Dawa Desa Bangli Baturiti Pura Silayukti Padang Bai Karangasem Pura Aer Jeruk Sukawati Pura Dangin Pasar Batuan Sukawati Pura Penataran - Batuyang Batubulan Pura Desa Lembeng Ketewel Sukawati Pura Pasek Bendesa Dukuh Kediri Tabanan Pura Kawitan Dalem Sukawati Gianyar Pura Kresek Banyuning Buleleng Pura Puseh Bebandem Karangasem Pura Sad Khayangan Batu Medahu Desa Swana Nusa Penida Pura Buda Kliwon Penatih Denpasar Pura Penataran Dukuh Nagasari Bebandem Karangasem Pura pasek Bendesa Tagtag Peguyangan Pure Pulesari - Bantas Kelod Desa Sibang Gede Abiansemal Pura Batur Sari Ubud Pura Penataran Agung Sukawati Pura Panti - Kucupin Ketewel Ketewel 6 May Kajeng Kliwon Uwudan Pura Pasek Gelgel Kekeran Dlod Yeh Mengwi Merajan Pasek Subadra Kramas Gianyar 9 May Tilem Sasih Jiyestha Pura Bujangga Waisnawa Gumbrih Jembrana Pura Dalem Desa celuk 11May Tumpek Klurut Pura Pasek Gelgel Banjar Tengah Buleleng Pura Dalem Pemuteran Desa Jelantik Tojan Klungkung Pura Pedarman bujangga Waisnawa Besakih Pura Taman Sari Desa Gunung Sari Penebel tabanan Pura Dalem Tarukan - Bebalang Bangli Pura Benua Kangin Besakih Pura Merajan Kangin (Ida Betara Empu Baradah) Besakih

12 May R edite Umanis Merakih Pura Parangan Tengah Ceningan Kangin Lembongan Nusa Penida Pura Desa Ubud 15 May Buda Wage Merakih Pura Bendesa Mas Kepisah Pedungan Pura Natih Banjar Kalah Batubulan Pura Desa lan Puseh Silakarang Singapadu Pura Dalem Petitenget Kerobokan Kuta Pura Dalem Pulasari Samplangan Gianyar Pura Kubayan - Kepisah Pedungan Denpasar Selatan Pura Pasek Gelgel - Tanah Pegat Tabanan Pura Paibon lan Pura Bengkel Sumerta Denpasar Pura Pasek Lumintang Denpasar Pura Panti Penyarikan Medahan Sanding Tampak Siring Pura Pasar Agung Banjar Dauh Peken Kaba Kaba Pura Dadia Buda Cemeng Pulasari Batuan Sukawati 21 May Anggar Kasih Tambir Pura Dalem Puri Batuan Sukawati Pura Dalem kediri Silakarang Singapadu Pura Dalem Sukawati Pura Dalem Lembeng Ketewel Sukawati Pura Paibon Pasek Tangkas Peliatan Ubud Pura Puseh Ngukuhin Kramas Gianyar Pura Pamerajan Agung Ki Telabah Tuakilang Tabanan Pura Karang Buncing Blahbatuh Pura Dalem Bubunan Seririt Buleleng Pura Desa Badung Kota Denpasar Pura Luhur Pedenganan Bedha Bongan Tabanan Pura Pucak Payogan - Lungsiakan Kedewatan Ubud Gianyar Pura Tanah Kilap “Griya Anyar” Suwung Kauh Denpasar Selatan

Pura Selukat Keramas Blahbatuh Gianyar Pura Dalem Tampuagan Peninjoan Tembuku Bangli Pura Waturenggong Desa Taro Pura Dalem Bentuyung Desa Ubud Pura Puseh Ubud Pura Dalem Puri Peliatan Ubud Pura Batur Hyang Bulan Muntig Karangasem 22 May Buda Umanis Tambir Pura Sari Banjar Titih Kapal Pura Gulamanikan Bendesa Manik Mas Serongga Gianyar 24 May Purnama Sasih Sadha Pura Amrta Sari Rempoa Jakarta Selatan Pura Maospahit Banjar Grenceng Denpasar 5 Jun Buda Kliwon Matal Pura Puseh lan Desa Sukawati Pura Pasek Gelgel Bebetin Sawan Buleleng Pura Maspahit Sesetan Denpasar Selatan Pura Pasek Bendesa Manik Mas Dukuh Kendran Tegallalang Pura Panti Pasek Gaduh Sesetan Pura Pedharaman Arya Kanuruhan Besakih 15 Jun Pura Puseh lan Desa Kota Gianyar Pura Luhur Dalem Segening Kediri Tabanan Pura Sang Hyang Tegal (TARO) Tegallalang 19 Jun Buda Cemeng Menail Pura Dalem Tarukan Cemenggaon Sukawati Pura Penataran Dalem Ketut Pejeng Kaja Gianyar Pura Puseh Manakaji Peninjoan Bangli Pura Kawitan Gusti Celuk Baler Pura Sada Pemebetan Kapal Mengwi Pemerajan Agung Ubud Pura Taman Limut Pengosekan Mas Ubud

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.

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

Entertainment

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Kanye West says new album is ‘all about giving’ Associated Press Writer NEW YORK — Kanye West says his new album is all about giving. The multiplatinum rapper held a listening for “Yeezus” late Monday in New York City, where Beyonce was one of the few hundred attendees.

West said that his sixth effort will showcase his growth over the last two years and that “he had to learn about giving ... this whole process is all about giving.” “I feel

AP Photo/Evan Agostini

In this Monday, May 7, 2012 photo, Kanye West arrives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute gala benefit, celebrating Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada, in New York.

like I know who I am,” said West, who turned 36 on Saturday.

“Yeezus” is out June 18. It has a dark, moody vibe that expands beyond his last two solo efforts, 2010’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” and 2008’s “808s & Heartbreak.” It’s also a departure from his first three albums, which featured a plethora of radio hits.

West held the listening in the loading dock of Milk Studios in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. The room was dark as lights burst onto the walls to display colorful visuals that assisted the 10 songs the rapper played.

Busta Rhymes and Q-Tip also attended the listening.

West’s new album features Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and rapper Chief Keef. West and girlfriend Kim Kardashian are expecting their first child.

Review: The laden ‘Man of Steel’ doesn’t soar Associated Press Writer

It has been a black eye to Hollywood that throughout this, the unending and increasingly repetitive age of the superhero blockbuster, the comics’ most iconic son has eluded its grasp like a bird or, if you will, a plane.

New hopes of box-office riches and franchise serials rests on Zac Snyder’s 3-D “Man of Steel,” the latest attempt to put Superman back into flight. But Snyder’s joyless film, laden as if composed of the stuff of its hero’s metallic nickname, has nothing soaring about it.

Flying men in capes is grave business in Snyder’s solemn Superman. “Man of Steel,” an origin tale of the DC Comics hero, goes more than two hours before the slightest joke or smirk.

This is not your Superman of red tights, phone booth changes, or fortresses of solitude, but one of Christ imagery, Krypton politics and spaceships. Who would want to have fun at the movies, anyway, when you could instead be taught a lesson about identity from a guy who can shoot laser beams out of his eyes?

“Man of Steel” opens with the pains of childbirth, as Lara Lor-Van (Ayelet Zurer) and husband Jor-El (Russell Crowe) see the birth of Kal-El, the first naturally born child in years on Krypton. The planet — a giant bronze ball of pewter, as far as I can tell — is in apocalyptic tumult (the disaster film has gone intergalactic), and General Zod (Michael Shannon) attempts to take over power, fighting in bulky costumes with Jor-El. His coup is thwarted (though not before killing Jor-El, who continues on in the film in an Obi-Won-like presence), and he and his followers are locked away, frozen until Krypton’s implosion frees them. Baby Kal-El has been rocketed away with Krypton’s precious Codex, an energy-radiating skull.

Kal-El rockets to Earth, setting up

not a Midwest reprieve to the lengthy Krypton fallout, but a flash-forward to more explosions. Our next glimpse of Kal-El is as a young adult Clark Kent (the beefy Brit Henry Cavill) aboard a fishing vessel on stormy seas, where he — shirtless and aflame — saves the crew of a burning oil rig.

At this point, your Codex may be spinning. Working from a script by “Blade” scribe David S. Goyer and a story by Goyer and “Dark Knight” director Christopher Nolan, Snyder has clearly sought to avoid some of the expected plot lines and rhythms of the familiar Superman tale. There’s a constant urge to push the story to greater scale — a desperate propulsion that will surely excite some fans but tire others.

The film hops back and forth from Clark’s grown-up life and his Smallville, Kansas, upbringing with Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha Kent (Diane Lane). Costner, back among the corn stalks, makes the strongest impression of the cast as a severe father urging Kent to hide his gifts.

This film publicity image released

by Warner Bros.

Pictures shows Henry Cavill as Superman in “Man of Steel.”

AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures, Clay Enos