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Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Musical inspired by Greek mythology wins at Tony Awards NEW YORK - A musical inspired by Greek mythology and a play about the conflict in Northern Ireland were the big winners Sunday at the Tony Awards, the highest honors in American theater. “Hadestown” was the big favorite of the 73rd annual awards with 14 nominations and in the end it took home eight gongs, including best musical. The show, a modern take on the underworld myth of Orpheus and Euridyce with jazz and folk, arrived on Broadway in April after an unusual 13-year journey. From its 2006 origins in Vermont as a musical show without choreography, it has become a hit album and an off-Broadway show in London and Canada. “If Hadestown stands for anything, it is that change is possible. That in dark times, spring will come again,” producer Mara Isaacs said as she received her Tony. “The Ferryman”, written by Jez Butterworth, was also among the favorites this year with nine nominations and ultimately won four Tonys, including best play. Directed by Sam Mendes, who won as best director of a play, it depicts a day in the life of a rural family in Northern Ireland in 1981 at the height of “The Troubles”. Its large and colorful cast of characters includes a baby and a goose. British actor James Corden, master
of ceremonies at the event broadcast from Radio City Music Hall, opened the awards by extolling the virtues of live theater against streaming. While his humor was apolitical, others spoke out during the three-hour show. Bryan Cranston, who won best leading actor in a play for his role in the “Network”, adapted from the satirical 1976 film about a TV anchor, dedicated his award to “all the real journalists around the world.” “The media is not the enemy of the people. Demagoguery is the enemy of the people,” the “Breaking Bad” star said, taking aim at President Donald Trump who frequently rails against unfavorable media as “the enemy of the people.” While the entertainment world is frequently accused of downplaying the contributions of women and minorities, Broadway tried to redress the balance a bit on Sunday. Actress Ali Stroker became the first wheelchair user to win a Tony for her role in the musical “Oklahoma!” but Rachel Chavkin, director of “Hadestown”, was the only woman directing a musical this year. “There are so many women who are ready, so many artists of color who are ready,” Chavkin said in her acceptance speech. “It’s not a lack of preparation, it’s a lack of imagination on the part of a sector supposed to imagine how the world could be”. (afp)
Mike Coppola / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP
The team from Hadestown, winner of the award for Best Musical for Hadestown, poses in the press room for the 73rd Annual Tony Awards at 3 West Club on June 9, 2019 in New York City.
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Wednesday, June 12, 2019 Dannah Lockett and Dani Lockett attend “The Secret Life of Pets 2” Special Screening hosted by 2 Chainz and Trappy S. Goyard at Regal Cinemas Atlantic Station on June 03, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia.
‘Secret Life of Pets 2’ defeats ‘X-Men’ to top box office
LOS ANGELES - Universal’s new animation “The Secret Life of Pets 2” managed to lead North American box offices this weekend with an estimated take of $47.1 million even while earning less than half what the first “Pets” film did just three years ago. “Pets 2,” produced by Illumination studio, edged out another new release, Fox’s “X-Men: Dark Phoenix,” to top the three-day weekend, according to industry watcher Exhibitor Relations. “Pets” could also brag about an A- rating from audiences, suggesting it has staying power, according to CinemaScore. It features the voices of Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish and Patton Oswalt in another tale of what pets do when their owners are away. “Dark Phoenix” sold $33 million in tickets, the worst performance in the X-Man franchise’s 20-year history and “well below expectations,” according to Variety.
Website BoxOfficeMojo called it “the worst reviewed film in the Xmen franchise ever.” And it cost $200 million to make. Said to be the final installment in the X-Men series, “Dark Phoenix” has the main characters facing the fierce power of superhuman Phoenix after a space mission goes awry. It stars James McAvoy, Sophie Turner, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. In third place was Disney’s liveaction “Aladdin,” at $24.5 million. The Guy Ritchie feel-good film stars Will Smith as the genie and Mena Massoud as the wily title character as he seeks the attention of the lovely Jasmine (Naomi
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Scott). Dropping from last weekend’s top spot to fourth place was “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” taking in $15.5 million. The film has eco-terrorists stealing a device developed by scientist Emma (Vera Farmiga) to control the title monster, while her ex-husband (Kyle Chandler) tries to track it down as Godzilla runs amok against a series of equally monstrous rivals. And in fifth was Paramount’s “Rocketman,” the biopic about singer Elton John, at $14 million. Actor Taron Egerton, who plays John, has drawn strong reviews, including a warm endorsement from the singer himself. (afp)
Handout / ROYAL THAI GOVERNMENT / AFP
This handout picture released and taken by the Royal Thai Government on June 11, 2019 shows Prayut Chan-O-Cha paying respect before a portrait of King Maha Vajiralongkorn during the royal endorsement ceremony appointing him as Thailand’s new prime minister at Government House in Bangkok.
Thai junta chief Prayut made PM in royal decree
Junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha formally became Thailand’s 29th prime minister Tuesday after a royal endorsement, completing a long transformation from soldier to civilian leader and vowing “love, unity and compassion”. But critics may doubt the divisive leader’s pledge after his previous stint in power which was marked by a ban on political gatherings, a clamp down on the media and the muzzling of dissent. The 65-year-old ex-army chief led the 2014 coup, the last of at least a dozen since 1932 by a military woven deeply into the country’s turbulent politics. Thailand’s first parliament since the coup was stacked with 250 hand-picked senators who helped vote Prayut in as prime minister
over the charismatic and embattled leader of the Future Forward party. But he holds a razor-thin majority in the lower house in a country frustrated by the military’s influence on politics, with the hashtag #RIPThailand trending on Twitter after the vote. “I will promote a peaceful environment for a unified society based on love, unity and compassion,” Prayut said after the royal decree was read out at Government House. He also promised to “listen to the voices of the people” and pro-
tect the monarchy. Moments before his remarks he knelt before a portrait of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, clasping his hands together in a wai and bowing several times. Prayut faces a rocky transition trailed by questions of legitimacy. His challenger in the vote was billionaire and auto parts scion Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, who has captured millenial hearts with his slick social media presence and withering anti-junta salvos. The party scooped up 81 seats to become the third largest in Thailand. But analysts say Thanathorn’s magnetic appeal has made him and the party a target. The Future Forward leader and his deputies are facing more
than a dozen legal complaints that they say are politically motivated. Thanathorn was suspended from parliament while one of the cases plays out and could face a ban from politics and jail time if convicted. He was unable to attend the vote for prime minister even though he was the only other candidate. Police are also probing a complaint against party spokeswoman Pannika Wanich for allegedly breaching the country’s royal defamation law. She denies the claim. Observers say Future Forward offered a fresh alternative for voters tired of familiar political camps. For the past 13 years Thailand has been rocked by violent protests and takeovers in a broad split
between supporters of the powerful Shinawatra clan and an archroyalist elite backed by the military. Yingluck Shinawatra’s administration was toppled in the 2014 coup and her brother Thaksin was ousted by the military in 2006. Both siblings live in self-exile but their main political machine Pheu Thai backed Thanathorn as candidate for prime minister. (afp) News can also be heard in “Bali Image” at Global Radio FM 96.5 from 9.30 until 10.00 am. Listen to Global Radio FM at http:// globalfmbali.listen2myradio.com or live video streaming at http:// radioglobalfmbali.com and http:// ustream.tv/channel/global-fm-bali.
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Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Bali News
International
International
Activities
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
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On backflow traffic, identity examination in Gilimanuk tightened
BAF 2019 revives sebunan arts
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DENPASAR — The customary villagebased or sebunan traditional arts will be revived at the Bali Art Festival (BAF) XLI. Sebunan art is given space to strengthen the efforts to preserve the original art traditions living in the community, primarily used as the support for custom, religion, tradition, and other local wisdom. “I think that other than promoting and preserving culture, it also strengthens life in the midst of society through all the existing customary village-based art troupes,” said Governor of Bali Wayan Koster amid the press conference related to the BAF 2019 activities in the Wiswasabha Utama, Bali Governor’s Office on Monday (Jun. 6). According to Koster, the sebunan art troupes show off the strength of the bonds among the fellow members. His community and mutual cooperation are part of social cohesion in the way of life of Balinese people. “In addition to preserving the arts, we also maintain harmony and cohesiveness of Balinese people’s life,” he added. Koster added that BAF XLI featuring the theme
Bayu Pramana (Glorifying Wind Resources) is the first BAF in his leadership period. Starting this year, the themes and contents of the events must be synchronous and harmonious. There are no themes only becoming sweetener, while the content of the event stays monotonous from year to year. On that account, the concept of BAF is fundamentally amended, especially in accordance with the vision known as the Nangun Sat Kerthi Loka Bali. Other than promoting Balinese culture, at the same time the BAF makes Bali known to be unique and the people have civilization. “In the matters of building culture, never count when spending a lot of money. This is a fatal and wrong perspective because what brings in fortune is culture. Without culture, there is no tourist coming,” he explained. Koster proved this by doubling the BAF budget for the districts / city. Previously, the budget was IDR 200 million, while this year increases to IDR 400 million. In the following years, the budget will even continue to increase. Traditional arts having been forgotten, lacking or even threatened with extinction are expected to rise again. Likewise, public awareness is built to explore these traditional arts. (kmb23)
NEGARA - Examinations at the entrance to Bali, especially for migrants entering Bali through Gilimanuk, are tightened. This is meant to anticipate the invasion of immigrants in the backflow of Eid. Regent of Jembrana, I Putu Artha, stated on Monday (Jun. 10) that aside from instructing to repatriate all residents entering Bali without identity cards to their region of origin, all village and hamlet officials are also asked to actively tighten the entry of immigrant residents in their regions. According to Regent Artha, the identity card examination at Gilimanuk is not only for Jembrana’s interests, but also for Bali’s security in general. Since several years, this identity check has been conducted routinely 24 hours for seven days. So, it is not only carried out during the Eid backflow. Quantitatively, the number of personnel is added during the backflow. It is meant to anticipate the explosion of residents entering Bali. “This is routine. Related to this backflow, more officers are in charge and they must work extra,” said Regent Artha. Regent also instructed to take action against residents entering Bali without identity card. Every
The backflow in Gilimanuk
immigrant resident coming without identity must be repatriated to their region of origin. Additionally, the village ranks starting from the hamlet, sub-group and village level are expected to be more active in conducting checks on the new or immigrant residents in their area. “This is the most important thing. Headman and hamlet chief should monitor the area routinely if there are new residents whether to just visit family or will find work. Moreover, they will be living for more than 1 x 24 hours,” explained Regent Artha. Even if they really want to work, the officials must also make sure where they work. He stated that he does not want the number of immigrant residents especially in Jembrana to increase, especially those belonging to jobless residents. Meanwhile, based on information at the identity card checkpoint, the joint officers for identity card examination are added from the usual operation day. Jembrana Civil Registry Office has increased the number of personnel on duty at the identity card checkpoint at Gilimanuk Harbor from around 18 people to 25 people during this backflow. (kmb26)
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Founder : K.Nadha, General Manager :Palgunadi Chief Editor: Gugiek Savindra Editors:Agus Toni, Daniel Fajry, Mawa, Sueca, Denpasar: Dira Arsana, Giriana Saputra, Subrata, Sumatika, Asmara Putra. Bangli: Swasrina, Buleleng: Mudiarta, Gianyar: Manik Astajaya, Karangasem: Eka Parananda, Klungkung: Bagiarta. Jakarta: Nikson, Hardianto, Ade Irawan. NTB: Agus Talino, Izzul Khairi, Raka Akriyani. Surabaya: Bambang Wilianto. Office: Jalan Kepundung 67 A Denpasar 80232. Telephone (0361)225764, Facsimile: 227418, P.O.Box: 3010 Denpasar 80001. Bali Post Jakarta, Advertizing: Jl.Palmerah Barat 21F. Telp 021-5357602, Facsimile: 021-5357605 Jakarta Pusat. NTB: Jalam Bangau No. 15 Cakranegara Telp. (0370) 639543, Facsimile: (0370) 628257. Publisher: PT Bali Post
Aston Denpasar Hotel & Convention Center Goes to School Aston Denpasar Hotel & Convention Center who are reliable in their fields is by making a selection. Selection made by the hotel located on Jalan Gatot Subroto Barat No. 283 was by visiting one of the most favorite tourism schools in town, called SMKN 5 on last May 28th, 2019. The selection process itself was conducted by opening 2 job fair booths in the school’s hall which located on Jalan Ratna No.
17, Denpasar. It organized by t done by the department concerned housekeeping, and front office. “The main purpose is to gain property and brand awareness, to find, and recruit the best trainees from SMKN 5, Denpasar. Furthermore, to support the government program in n reducing the unemployment and alleviate poverty, we also visited vocational training center (BLK) located in No. 23, Denpasar. And proud to
inform you that 21 students were selected to be our future trainees for the period of June – November 2019 which will be placed in the food & beverage product (Kitchen) and food & beverage service (Restaurant) department. The best trainees will get the opportunity to be recruited to become employees of our hotel. “Said Wahyuningsih - Human Resources Manager at Aston Denpasar Hotel & Convention Center.
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Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Technology
International
NASA to open International Space Station to tourists from 2020
Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP
Phil Spencer, Executive President of Gaming at Microsoft, speaks about ‘Project Scarlett’ during the Xbox E3 2019 Briefing at The Microsoft Theater on June 09, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.
Microsoft gives glimpse of new Xbox console
LOS ANGELES - Microsoft on Sunday gave the world a first glimpse of a powerful nextgeneration Xbox gaming console that it aims to release late next year.
Xbox head Phil Spencer pulled back the curtain on “Project Scarlett,” the creation of a successor to the Xbox One that will give game makers “the power they need to bring their creative visions to life.” No pricing plans for the new console were revealed at a gala event ahead of the opening of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) video game industry gathering. The new Xbox was promised to be released in time for the Christmas holiday shopping season in 2020. “For us, the console is vital and central to our experience,” Spencer said during a media event that showcased 60 new games for Xbox. Xbox battles in the console gaming arena with Sony, which is working on a new generation PlayStation. The commitment to consoles by longtime contenders in the market comes with the rise of video games hosted as subscription services streamed Netflix-style from data centers in the internet cloud. Xbox said at the E3 event that it is adding the ability for players to stream games in their libraries for play on mobile devices with Game Pass subscriptions. “We will bring Xbox to the cloud with Project and console streaming,” Spencer said. “Where you play is entirely your choice, you decide.” The new service will be previewed later this year, according to Microsoft. - Heads in the cloud -
The E3 opens with gamers gradually moving away
from traditional console play and Google seeking to capitalize on that trend with a new Stadia service allowing people to play cloud-powered games on any connected device. Adapting to the new trends will be critical for contenders in the massive video game industry, which last year generated more than $135 billion globally, and $43.4 billion in the United States. According to the Entertainment Software Association, which runs E3, more than 164 million adults in the United States play video games, and three out of four US households have at least one video game player. “This right now is the single most creative and energizing time in gaming history,” Spencer said. “In under two decades, the number of players in the world has more than tripled; now more than two billion of us play games.” Games on smartphones have accounted for a lot of that growth. Microsoft also announced the launch of a beta version of an Xbox Game Pass that lets people using computers powered by the latest Windows software access a library of more than 100 video games. Included in the line-up is the entire “Master Chief” collection of the popular “Halo” science fiction shooter franchise on Xbox. The Game Pass for PC will be priced at $9.99 monthly. A new “Ultimate” game pass lets players combine access to console and personal computer titles for $14.99 monthly. “Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is off the charts as a consumer value proposition,” said NPD analyst Mat Piscatella. “And, the sheer number and scale of games coming to Xbox Game Pass on Day One is very impressive.” (afp)
NEW YORK - NASA said Friday it will open up the International Space Station to business ventures including space tourism as it seeks to financially disengage from the orbiting research lab. Price tag? Tens of millions of dollars for a round trip ticket and $35,000 a night. “NASA is opening the International Space Station to commercial opportunities and marketing these opportunities as we’ve never done before,” NASA chief financial officer Jeff DeWit said in an announcement made at the Nasdaq stock exchange in New York. There will be up to two short private astronaut missions per year, said Robyn Gatens, deputy director of the ISS. The missions will be for stays of up to 30 days. As many as a dozen private astronauts could visit the ISS per year, NASA said. These travelers would be ferried to the orbiter exclusively by the two US companies currently developing transport vehicles for NASA: SpaceX, with its Crew Dragon capsule, and Boeing, which is building one called Starliner. These companies would choose the clients -- who will not have to be US citizens -- and bill for the trip to the ISS, which will be the most expensive part of the adventure: around $58 million for a roundtrip ticket. That is the average rate the companies will bill NASA for taking the space adventurers up to the ISS. Neither Dragon nor Starliner are ready. Their transport capsules are supposed to be ready in late 2019 but the timetable depends on the results of a series of tests. So the private missions will have to wait until 2020 at the earliest. The tourists will pay NASA for their use of the station, for food, water and use of the life support system. That will run about $35,000 per night per astronaut, said DeWit. That does not include internet, which will cost $50 per gigabyte. (afp)
Bali News
International
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
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The number of patient visits on the first day of service at Sanglah Hospital after the Eid holidays increased sharply.
IBP/kmb
After Eid holidays
Patients at Sanglah Hospital increases sharply DENPASAR — The number of patient visits on the first day of service at Sanglah Hospital after the Eid holidays increased sharply. As recorded, the outpatient visits on Monday (Jun. 10) at 15:00 reached 2,009 people, 334 people in Wing Amerta, and 165 people in Emergency Room. Head of the Sanglah Hospital Medical Record Department, Ni Luh Dharma Kerti Natih, accompanied by the Head of the Public Relations Dewa Ketut Kresna, said the number
had increased quite sharply. By and large, the number of outpatients is a maximum of 1,200 people, 80 - 90 people in Emergency Room and 150 people in Wing Amertha. This increase in patient visits is alleged to happen due to a long holiday. Admittedly the increase did not make Sanglah Hospital overwhelmed in handling patients, but the time for services became longer. Usually the service in the polyclinic opened until 16:00 and after that the employees went home. But at this time, the service lasted until 16:50 or virtually until 17:00 the
employees were still serving patients. Registration of polyclinic services is closed at 14:00. Moreover, for certain polyclinics, the registration was already closed earlier because there were quite a large number of registered patients, such as in the oncology, urology and eye polyclinic. “Well, actually we are not overwhelming because all the patients can be treated properly. We just need more time to handle them. Just now, the services at polyclinic lasted until 16:50,” she said. (kmb42)
Allegedly due to 10 New Bali destinations
Number of international flights downs
Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP
(L-R) NASA Chief Financial Officer Jeff DeWit, ISS Deputy Director Robyn Gatens and NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations Bill Gerstenmaier speak during a press conference to address the opening of the International Space Station to expanded commercial activities, at the Nasdaq MarketSite, June 7, 2019 in New York City.
DENPASAR — Based on the data from the Central Statistics Agency, the number of domestic flight departures from Ngurah Rai Airport is always lower every month in 2019 compared to each month in previous years. Lastly in April 2019, the number of domestic flights reached 3,327. This figure is lower than the previous year in April 2018 reaching 3,700 flights. Likewise, the figures in March and February 2019 are lower than in March and February 2018. “Probably, this is the impact of the high ticket prices widely at issue. Expensive price of the ticket causes domestic flights to drop relatively from month to month in 2019,” said Adi Nugroho, Head of the Bali Central Statistics Agency (BPS) at the official release on Monday (Jun. 10). But apparently, this decrease did not only happen to domestic flights, but also to international
flights. The data on the number of international flights obtained in April 2019 are also lower than April 2018, reaching 2,980 while in April 2019 amounted to 2,947. This lower number has already begun from February and March. The data indicate that even though the price of airline tickets does not rise as on domestic flights, international flights also experience a decline in departures and arrivals. “If it is associated with foreign tourist visits, we also note that there has been a decline that lasted several months when compared to foreign tourist visits in the previous year,” he added. Adi added the decline can be caused by the declining level of the world’s economy so that tourists from all corners of the world also declined. The decline in tourist visits can also happen due to the decreasing attraction of Bali so that people tend to move to other destinations.
According to him, this decline needs to be scrutinized and reviewed and immediately found out the causes in order to find the ways to restore the level of tourist arrivals. Moreover, if the study found that many tourists showed decreasing interest in Bali, this will be something that had to be addressed well to restore Bali’s tourist attraction and seize foreign tourist market. Adi also revealed the decline in the number of flights and the visit was not in line with the level of national tourist arrivals that did not experience a decline in visits. “Nationally, the tourist visit is relatively better, while Bali seems to be starting to go bad. There are indications if the program of 10 New Bali destinations have been working and produced something so that travelers switched to the destinations. According to him, Bali is facing a different new situation
within the past 2-3 years. “On that account, it is required an indepth study on what are actually different from 2-3 years ago so as to provide less encouraging indicators. We must immediately know what it is and must be able to adjust immediately. Having
been known, we can find ways to restore the level of visits,” he explained. Necessarily the indications having taken place for 3-4 months are recorded as serious conditions so that the study must be conducted immediately. (kmb42)
Ngurah Rai Airport
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Bali News
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
International
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
International
Telek Dance of Jumpai presented every Kajeng Kliwon
Pakistan ex-president Zardari arrested over graft charges
KLUNGKUNG district holds quite a lot of artistic and cultural potential. As the center of Balinese civilization at its time, other than artistic products, there are also many sacred dances. As being at issue lately is the Telek Dance of Jumpai. This sacred dance was directly performed by the Klungkung district government to appear in a colossal manner by involving 2019 dancers during the fourth Semarapura Festival, a few weeks ago. Mystical aura covered up the opening of the fourth Semarapura Festival in the Catus Pata area of Klungkung and Puputan Klungkung Monument at that time. With duration of 28 minutes, the sacred Telek Dance of Jumpai was performed colossally with the four-color concept filling in every corner of the catus pata or central intersection. Field Coordinator of the event, I Dewa Gede Alit, at that time said the Telek Dance of Jumpai is a sacred dance performed only on Kajeng Kliwon in the local village temple. At that time, the main dancers did not use sacred masks, but used duplicate masks. From the description of the synopsis, the sacred dance began with the story of a grandfather from Jumpai village, named Nang Turun. When picking up a chunk of wood, suddenly a shadow appeared in the form of rangda and said tempe kai, tempe kai (Balinese language) which means ‘please imitate me.’ Nang Turun followed the instructions by sculpting the wood he got with a sharp knife. Before finishing it properly, suddenly the
shadow of Rangda disappeared. Ultimately, the result of rangda mask made by Nang Turun has no ears until now. In fact, a great power emerged from the embodiment. When first used to dance, a prolonged outbreak hit Jumpai village. As a result, many residents at each hamlet in Jumpai village fell ill and died. Finally, local residents dumped all the masks into the sea. Strangely, the masks actually reappeared as being carried by supernatural beings and placed in lining position on the seashore. The Jumpai villagers realized that the masks were indeed for the people of Jumpai village. At the end, the masks were put in the chamber shrine. Until now, local residents of Jumpai Kanginan and Jumpai Kawan held rituals every auspicious day, and staged the masks alternately every kajeng kliwon (fifteen days). As a result, the outbreak immediately faded. The Telek Dance at Jumpai village was estimated to develop since around 1935 until now. This dance is usually performed by four dancers
Hector RETAMAL / AFP
This picture taken on June 1, 2019 shows Danielle Liu (L) watching Miona Milakov walk with a book balanced on her head during an etiquette and manners class in central Shanghai.
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This sacred dance was directly performed by the Klungkung district government to appear in a colossal manner by involving 2019 dancers during the fourth Semarapura Festival, a few weeks ago. and the dancers may be male or female. Most importantly they are still children. This dance does not stand alone, but is always coupled with Jauk Dance, Penamprat Mask Dance, Bhatara Gde (Barong), Rarung and Bhatara Lingsir (Rangda). Regent of Klungkung, Nyoman Suwirta, said that all the natural and
cultural potentials of Klungkung must be preserved. In addition, it is also a tourist attraction. So, it can be a source of income to improve people’s welfare. But one of the keys is the need for promotional activities. So, it must be continuously introduced in various cultural agendas.
Meanwhile, Head of the Klungkung Tourism Office, I Nengah Sukasta, stressed the potential of indigenous arts and culture must be explored, preserved and introduced to the community. “This will further strengthen Klungkung as a region with the supreme power of art and culture,” he explained. (gik)
Eid holidays
Daily tourist visit to Uluwatu reaches 9,000 people
MANGUPURA - During the Eid holiday on June 4-6, the average visit to tourist attractions outside the Uluwatu Temple reached
9,000 to 10,000 people per day. Meanwhile for three days, a total of 29,015 tourists visited the Uluwatu area.
IBP/kmb23
The number of visits for three days during the Eid holidays in 2019 has indeed increased by 25 percent compared to 2018.
According to Operation Manager of Tourist Attraction Outside the Uluwatu Temple, Wayan Wijana, the number of visits for three days during the Eid holidays in 2019 has indeed increased by 25 percent compared to 2018. Meanwhile, the visits from January to June 2019 are still stable every day. In other words, the average still has 4,500 to 5,000 people per day. From the beginning to June 9, the daily average is around 8,600 visits. “During the Eid celebration on June 1-9, the number of visits per day averagely reaches 8,600. The number of visits is evenly distributed, both domestic and foreign as well as both children and adults,” he said when confirmed on Monday (Jun. 10). When viewed in previous years, throughout June, the average was
only IDR 6,000 per day. But in June of this year, it starts to rise. He estimated the condition happens because June of this year coincided with Eid al-Fitr. In the future, to increase the number of visits, promotions both at home and overseas will continue to be carried out. For promotions at home, there are several cities in the country that will be targeted like Jakarta, Surabaya, Makassar, Manado and others, even Batam will also be targeted as a promotional destination. Meanwhile for overseas promotion, a total of 12 countries will be addressed like India, the United States, Russia, China, Japan, Korea and several Asian countries. His party will specifically target China because all this time the tourists having the highest level of
visits are those from Chinese followed by several other countries. “For this (promotion to China— Ed), we will try to optimize and restore the existing conditions,” he said. In addition to increasing tourist visits to Uluwatu Temple, the increase is also recorded on Labuan Sait Beach. As the operator of the tourist area, Wijana claimed that tourists visiting Labuan Sait Beach as of June 1- 9 were recorded to reach 13,256 visitors. Meanwhile, for daily average visit reached 1,473 visitors. Responding to the increase in tourist arrivals at the two locations, various efforts are made to improve services to tourists. “Surely, in the future we continue to improve, both in the Uluwatu Temple and Labuan Sait Beach,” he explained. (kmb23)
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Children of Chinese elite walk red line to ‘perfection’
Former Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari was arrested Monday after his bail application was rejected in connection with a highprofile money laundering case that saw millions allegedly siphoned out of the country. Zardari, husband of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, served as president from 2008 until 2013 and has long been the subject of corruption allegations, and he is widely known in Pakistan as “Mr Ten Percent”. Small scuffles erupted between police and supporters of Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) outside his family’s residence in Islamabad as he was taken into custody. A senior PPP official confirmed the arrest. The charges in the latest case centre around allegations Zardari laundered vast sums of money through suspect bank accounts and companies. Last year, Pakistani authorities discovered several accounts in the name of poor people that had been flooded with cash, then suddenly emptied. Pakistan’s Supreme Court established a commission in September to investigate the scourge, finding that at least US$400 million had passed through “thousands of false accounts”. Zardari has repeatedly dismissed allegations he had a hand in the scheme, calling the government an instrument of the powerful military and labelling Prime Minister Imran Khan the army’s “blue-eyed boy”. Never popular and always shrouded in controversy, Zardari -who was once jailed for 11 years for corruption -- stepped down from the president’s office in 2013. But he has continued to serve as co-chairman of the opposition PPP. The arrest comes as the economy continues to spiral and discontent simmers in Pakistan following repeated devalutions of the rupee, soaring inflation, and rising utility prices. Khan, a longtime foe of Zardari, was elected prime minister last year after running a heated campaign vowing to crackdown on corruption. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is also currently behind bars, after being sentenced to seven years in prison late last year on corruption charges. (afp)
SHANGHAI - Danielle Liu stares straight ahead, a book balanced precariously on her head, and carefully walks along a red line on the floor. The 10-year-old’s mother hopes the exercise will help make Danielle “a little lady” and allow her to shine among the offspring of China’s ultra-competitive elite. Danielle is with seven other young children spending their Saturday holed up on the top floor of a five-star hotel in central Shanghai for a class in etiquette and manners. The four boys look dapper in bow ties, suits and shiny black shoes. The four girls are all billowing dresses and angelic smiles. “You have a stability problem,” Guillaume de Bernadac, the selfstyled French doyen of all things etiquette in Shanghai, tells one boy of his attempt to walk and keep the book on his head. If the children, who in this class are aged between nearly seven and 11, enjoy that exercise, they are less keen on having to sit straight and keep their elbows off the table at lunch. “I’m scared,” Zachary repeats as he attempts to eat his pea-and-
mint soup while keeping two pieces of white paper tucked under his armpits. The paper is to ensure they eat with their elbows in, but soon enough, the carpeted floor is littered with A4. The children also have a red ribbon tied behind their shoulders to stop them slouching. Those that do are gently upbraided by de Bernadac or his staff in English or Chinese. - ‘Fierce competition’ Danielle’s mother Cheng Liyan, who also uses the English name Shirley, wants her only child to be “perfect”. “To be lady-like, to be athletic, also academic, I hope she can develop herself in an all-round way,” said Cheng, a teacher, in nearfaultless English. Danielle already takes part in extra-curricular swimming, piano and dancing, which is her favourite. “I always talk to her and ask if she likes it,” said Cheng, but admit-
ted there is “fierce competition” to stand out in Shanghai, China’s most international city and which has a population of about 25 million. Cheng and the other parents pay the 31-year-old de Bernadac 2,688 yuan ($390) for four hours of practical instruction for one child. Against a soundtrack of classical music, the children learn social skills, dining manners and deportment -- hence the books on heads to teach them to walk nicely. Other exercises include how to introduce themselves and greet people, including “air kisses”, and even what topics are appropriate to discuss at the dinner table. De Bernadac, who first came to China as a student, says that demand has surged since he started his company Academie de Bernadac in 2014. Shanghai authorities recently approached him about designing programmes for schools across the city and he also does classes for adults and private firms. (afp)
FAROOQ NAEEM / AFP
Asif Ali Zardari (L) former President and the co-chairperson of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) along with his daughter Aseefa Zardari (2R) leave the Islamabad High Court in Islamabad on June 10, 2019.
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Wednesday, June 12, 2019
BUSINESS After Fed, Europe also helps economy cope with trade war
VILNIUS - The European Central Bank has taken action to support the economy in the 19-country eurozone, joining other major central banks like the U.S. Federal Reserve in responding to fears about global growth. The ECB said Thursday it would extend the earliest date for an interest rate increase from year-end to mid-2020. Its benchmark rates are currently at record lows. The central bank also said it would offer low rates on previously announced two-year loans to banks, provided that the banks exceed lending benchmarks — a step aimed at keeping credit flowing to businesses. The moves from the eurozone’s monetary authority come just two days after Fed Chair Jay Powell signaled a shift in the direction of more stimulus instead of less. Powell said that the Fed is prepared to respond if it decides the Trump administration’s trade conflicts are threatening the U.S. economy. Investors read his remarks as a signal that the Fed will likely cut interest rates later this year. Both the ECB and the Fed have had to halt the withdrawal of massive monetary stimulus they had deployed in the wake of the Great Recession and the global financial crisis. The Fed had started raising rates but put monetary tightening on hold late last year, faced with doubts about where the economy might be headed. In Asia, the central banks of India and Australia cut their main interest rates this week as they too try to respond to a darkening economic outlook. In a news conference on Thursday, ECB President Mario Draghi said the risks still pointed to the “downside,” citing risks from pro-
tectionism, troubles in emerging markets, and uncertainty about how Britain will leave the European Union. Britain’s latest exit deadline is Oct. 31 but it is not clear whether it will leave with a negotiated deal to avoid disruption to trade and supplies of parts and raw materials. Draghi said that the bank is ready to “use all the instruments that are in the toolbox” to support the economy. He said that members of the bank’s governing council had even raised the possibility of re-starting a bond purchase stimulus program that concluded at the end of the year after 2.6 trillion euros ($2.9 trillion) in purchases. Draghi said there was “headroom” to restart the program if it became necessary and that “the policy space is there” for any measures the bank might need to deploy. Like the U.S., the eurozone is seeing economic growth and unemployment has fallen. The eurozone grew 0.4% in the first quarter from the previous three-month period. But economic indicators have been mixed recently. Businesses have become more cautious due to fears that the trade dispute between the U.S. and China might escalate and result in more tariffs, or import taxes, as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to reduce China’s trade surplus with the U.S. Meanwhile, inflation has consistently lagged the ECB’s goal of just under 2%, even despite the massive bond-buying stimulus program.
AP Photo/Michael Probst
The bull and bear in front of the stock market are painted all green in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, June 3, 2019. They were painted on occasion of the upcoming “Green Sauce” week when Frankfurt celebrates its most popular dish. Central bank policies affect company and personal finances throughout the economy. Lowering rates and increasing the availability of credit in theory makes it easier and cheaper for companies, home buyers and consumers to borrow.
Central bank policies can also have a strong influence on asset prices; low rates on savings can make riskier investments such as stocks relatively more attractive. The U.S. Standard & Poor’s broad market index jumped 2% on Powell’s
comments. The ECB’s benchmark rate for lending to banks is zero. On top of that it has imposed a 0.4% negative interest rate on deposits it takes from banks, which pushes them to loan the money. (ap)
including Chile, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. “The UK and South Korea have signed an in principle free trade agreement that will allow businesses to continue trading freely after Brexit,” read a government statement. “Trading on these terms rather than on World Trade Organization terms will deliver significant sav-
ings and help to safeguard British jobs.” The deal means British businesses can continue enjoying preferential terms with South Korea after Britain leaves the European Union at the end of October. Trade between the two countries was £14.6 billion ($18.6 billion, 16.4 billion euros) in 2018, and has risen by 12 percent per year
on average since the EU signed a free trade deal with South Korea in 2011. “This means that whatever happens with Brexit, there will be total continuity in trade between our two countries and the basis for an ambitious future free trade agreement when we leave the EU,” tweeted Fox. Britain is scheduled to leave
the bloc on October 31, when it will lose access to major markets covered by EU trade agreements, although it is seeking to replicate some of these. However, without a Brexit agreement between London and Brussels, the UK will default to “third country” status with the EU, with trade relations run on World Trade Organization rules. (afp)
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Aci Tabuh Rah Pengangon, A Unique Tradition to Invoke Fertility at Kapal Village
Bleganjur gamelan music was played. Hundreds of villagers then threw tipat (rice bag) bantal (pillowlike cake) each other. Although, they seemed to mutually reciprocate, between the two camps (people in the north and south) did not keep any revenge. Their throw was not focused on particular person, but to the air above the opposite camp. Although this looked like a war, they cheered each other due to excitement. It is the atmosphere of the Aci Tabuh Rah Pengangon ritual or often known as the Siat Tipat Bantal at Kapal customary village, Mengwi, Badung district, Thursday (Oct. 5). Hundreds of Kapal customary villagers were involved in the Aci Tabuh Rah Pengangon. In addition to the community, this unique tradition was also attended by the Regional Secretary of Badung district, Wayan Adi Arnawa. The ritual was followed by all Kapal customary villagers. All the villagers were then divided into two camps, namely the northern camp and southern camp. At first, the two camps held a ceremony in the temple and were then resumed with worship at the outermost courtyard of the Desa/Puseh temple of Kapal. Thousands of tipat and bantal were prepared by the temple apparatus. After dividing them, they were thrown each other like a war accompanied with bleganjur gamelan music. Chief of Kapal customary village, Ketut Sudarsana, said that Aci Tabuh Rah Pengangon formerly known as perang tipat (tipat war) is an annual ritual having been carried out for generations at Kapal customary village. This tradition is then preserved, so that it is always carried out by the Kapal customary village. “This activity aims to invoke prosperity for all customary villagers of Kapal,” he said.
Britain agrees Brexit trade deal with S.Korea
Britain said Monday it had concluded a trade deal with South Korea to maintain links after Brexit. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has agreed a preliminary deal with Korean Minister of Trade Yoo Myung-Hee in Seoul, the UK government said in a statement. It is Britain’s first post-Brexit trade deal in Asia and follows similar agreements with nations
Bali News
International
Aci Tabuh Rah Pengangon has the meaning of offerings or an expression of gratitude before God in his manifestation as Lord Shiva. Aci means ‘offering,’ Tabuh means ‘echoing,’ Rah means ‘power’ and Pengangon is another name of Lord Shiva. “Mutual throw of tipat and bantal is aimed to bring together the symbol of pradhana (female) and purusha (male), resulting in fertility,” he explained. Ketut Sudarsana asserted that Aci Tabuh Rah Pengangon is held by customary village because all the villages participated to enjoy the welfare. It is bringing together the tipat as symbol of ocean, pradhana (female) and bantal as symbol of mountain, purusha (male). Uniting the ocean and mountain is believed to be able to create life. “Two differ-
ent things will present a life that can produce a good life,” he said. Tipat and bantal thrown are not to target the opponent’s body but to make them both merge in the air and then fall to the ground. This symbolizes the rendezvous of purusha and pradhana which then produces a seed of life. Remnants of the scattered tipat and bantal are the collected again. Those remaining intact are distributed back to residents for consumption, while the infeasible ones are distributed to residents to be scattered in paddy fields and used as animal feed. It is meant to invoke a good life seed for residents, animals and plants. Sudarsana explained the tradition was started to be implemented in 1339. It marked
the arrival of prime minister of Singasari dynasty in Bali, namely Ki Kebo Waruya. He received a mandate from the Balinese King named Asta Sura Ratna Bumi Banten to renovate the Purusada Temple at Kapal village. When arriving at Kapal, his heart was touched when seeing the condition of local village experiencing famine season. READ Kecak Dance in Tanah Lot: Performing After Enjoying Sunset Seeing such condition, he then invoked to deity abiding at Purusada Temple in order to bestow his graces. After applying for it, he was given instructions to perform the aci or ritual dedicated to Lord Shiva by means of tipat and bantal followed by all the Kapal customary villagers. (kmb)
Jaja Laklak Also Preferred by Tourists
Jaja laklak (cake) is served with grated coconut together with brown sugar topping. When biting carefully, this cake feels soft and delicious. It is made by Balinese people utilizing rice flour. This cake
has circular shape with a diameter of 3 cm and is made with clay mold. It tastes good and is perfect for sitting in the morning, moreover, if coupled with warm Balinese coffee or tea. Laklak is white because it
is not using food coloring, there is also a green one coming from the extract water of suji leaves. Jaja laklak is very easy to carry everywhere, so it’s good for food gift. This cake is usually sold at food stalls at villages in the morning. This traditional cake is also sold in traditional markets and cake shops as well as has been taken advantage as appetizer at hotels. At the same time, it is often adopted as menu of option for citizens at wedding receptions or opening menu for participants of meetings, seminars and other gathering events at hotels or restaurants. In cake shops, jaja laklak has been packed in plastic boxes with grated coconut and brown sugar sauce. But lately, the plastic packaging has begun to be abandoned because it causes a lot of plastic waste which is difficult to decom-
pose. Unlike the cake traders at villagers, they use banana leaves to wrap the cakes. This jaja laklak is usually sold for IDR 5,000 per wrap containing 5 or 4 pieces. The top appearance of this cake is usually added with grated coconut and brown sugar sauce. In addition to local people, this cake is also favored by domestic and foreign tourists. So naturally, it has become a hotel cake commonly served as an appetizer or welcome cake. The ingredients of jaja laklak consist of rice flour, coconut (to be made into coconut milk), suji leaves, salt, brown sugar, granulated sugar and water. Preparation: put rice flour into a container and then pour hot water little by little while stirring until finely blended. Then, pour the coconut milk little by little as well, while continuing
to stir. Then, added suji leaf water to create a distinctive aroma, add salt to taste and then stir until all the ingredients are evenly mixed. Ultimately, prepare the mold and preheat it first. After that, pour the batter of laklak with a spoon in accordance with the mold hole. Cover the mold and then wait for it to get cooked. Next, make brown sugar sauce by dissolving brown sugar and granulated sugar in boiled water. Simultaneously, stir it until boiling and then lifted and filtered. Boil it back until it thickens. Coconut is shredded and mixed with salt according to taste. How to present? First of all, put some pieces of jaja laklak on a plate or banana leaf in such away so as to look nice. Then, sprinkle them with grated coconut and pour the brown sugar sauce on top. Now, it is ready to taste! (kmb)
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RLD
Israeli coral rescue plan needs chisel and deep blue sea
EILAT - A dozen feet deep in the azure waters of the Red Sea, Israeli marine ecologist Assaf Zvuloni firmly grasped a bright red coral fastened to a metal jetty piling. The coral and others close by would most likely perish in planned maintenance works at the site, degrading all the benefits they bring to underwater life. So to save them, Zvuloni and his colleague Assaf Habary have donned scuba gear and armed themselves with chisels and hammers before diving underwater to remove the coral and take them to a new location. “We need to safeguard them,” Habary, of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, said after the dive. It is important to “maintain the ecosystem’s health,” he said. On a recent day, Habary, Gulf of Eilat regional manager for the authority, placed a chisel at the bottom of the red coral and carefully began hitting, causing a loud clacking to reverberate through the silent sea. Coral use the 16-metre (52-foot) pilings supporting an oil jetty off the southern Israeli resort city Eilat as artificial reefs, creating colourful and varied vertical mosaics that support much of the marine life around. The area around the jetty is closed to boats and divers, enabling the coral to thrive undisturbed. But maintenance work planned on the jetty would be fatal to the animals -- a protected species under Israeli law, with the Nature and Parks Authority tasked with their relocation.
MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP
A Marine biology university employee inspects corals growing on tables in the Red Sea as a part of a research in the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences near the southern Israeli city Eilat on May 20, 2019.
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
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RI’s domestic flight tickets priced sixth lowest in world: Minister
-’Important animals’-
After a short while, the red coral came off the piling, and Zvuloni carefully placed it in a small pink plastic crate he held in his free hand alongside a number of others that had been recently removed. The two divers swam up to the surface of the water where Avi, the skipper of the small motorboat that brought them to the site, leaned over to take the crate, placing it in a large blue container on the stern of the swaying vessel. The boat sped off to the nearby Underwater Observatory Marine Park, where the coral will be divided between the reef there and a large aquarium. Zvuloni estimates that they have relocated 1,000 coral over the past year, not only from the jetty and other structures but also from pieces of waste that had been sitting on the seabed and were being cleared away. Not all coral, however, allow themselves to be evacuated. Zvuloni and Habary spent many long and precious underwater minutes trying to remove a yellow, domeshaped stony coral before throwing in the towel. “We’ll have to use a crowbar,” Habary said grimly. Each coral constitutes a vital habitat to animals and plants. “Corals in general are very important animals in being species that engineer the environment,” Zvuloni said. “It’s much more than just the coral itself.” While relocation saves the coral from a certain death, not all survive the move, which could be to the observatory and local educational facilities, or even the Jerusalem zoo’s aquarium. (afp)
International
Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP
German Health Minister Jens Spahn speaks during a press conference on plans to ban sexual reorientation therapies targeting gays in Berlin on June 11, 2019.
Germany plans to ban gay, lesbian ‘conversion therapy’
BERLIN - German Health Minister Jens Spahn said Tuesday he plans to write a law this year to ban so-called conversion therapies that aim to make gays and lesbians heterosexual. “My position is clear: homosexuality is not an illness, which is why it does not need to be treated,” said Spahn, who is gay and married to a man. “I would very much like to have a bill this year that could then be presented to parliament,” he told a Berlin press conference. Medical experts consider psychological or spiritual interventions to change someone’s sexual orientation pseudo-scientific, ineffective and often harmful. The most controversial techniques involve administering electric shocks as subjects view images of homosexual acts, or injections of the male hormone testosterone. In Germany, there are an estimated 1,000 attempts a year to “re-educate” homosexuals -- from family members, “coaches” and therapists, and sometimes involving prayers and even exorcisms,
said Joerg Litwinschuh-Barthel of the anti-discrimination Magnus Hirschfeld Foundation. Early last year the European Parliament adopted a non-binding text that called on EU members to ban the practice, something that so far only Malta and some Spanish regions have done. Spahn has commissioned two reports and a 46-member expert panel which have concluded that a ban is both “medically necessary and legally possible,” his ministry said. Several people who underwent such therapies testified about their suffering to the panel, said the ministry in a statement. One gay patient reported how during standard psychotherapy, the doctor suddenly declared sexual conversion a “therapy goal” and pursued it through “indoctrinating conversations”. When electric shock treatment was also proposed, the patient terminated the treatment. The health ministry said it plans to release a final report in August, to pave the way for a law to be written before the end of the year. (afp)
JAKARTA - Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan drew attention to the fact that Indonesia’s domestic flight tickets are priced the sixth lowest worldwide. “Take a look at Garuda Indonesia’s flight tickets. They are the fourth- or sixth-lowest in the world. Hence, they are among the cheapest ones. However, this is not conducive for the company. That is also the government’s shortcoming,” he stated at an Eid-al-Fitr gettogether at the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) building here on Tuesday. He opined that one of the areas that the government had faltered was to allow the price of aviation turbine (avtur) fuels to rise or also exceed the Mid Oil Platts Singapore (MOPS) reference price.
“That is why I had once highlighted the need for one other competitor. Some people said (the government should subsidize the price of) avtur fuel in regions. If the regions are keen on doing so, then they have to look for partners that are willing to subsidize the price of avtur fuel. Why is it that Singapore can sell avtur 20 percent lower than us,” he pointed out. The other factor behind the hike in the flight ticket price is inefficiency on the part of Garuda Indonesia and Lion Air that dominate the domestic aviation industry, he emphasized. The inefficiency is related to the purchase of aircraft that is not in tune with its requirements and efficiency endeavor, he remarked. “However, Garuda is improving its fleet and so is Lion Air ,” he added. (ant)
Traffic accidents decreased by 65 percent during 2019 Eid Al-Fitr
JAKARTA - In the course of the 12-day Operation Ketupat held during the 2019 Eid Al-Fitr Islamic Festivity, the number of traffic accidents declined by 65 percent than the corresponding time frame in the previous year. “All has run well and smoothly. Along with the fact that the homebound trips (‘mudik’) were safe and fun, we have also been successful in reducing the number of traffic accidents,” Senior Commissioner Asep Adi Saputra, spokesman of the Indonesian Police (Polri), remarked at the Polri Headquarters, here, Monday. Until Sunday (June 9), or three days after Eid, a total of 529 traffic accidents were recorded during the 2019 Operation Ketupat, plummeting 65 percent from 1,491 traffic accidents in the corresponding period during the 2018 Operation Ketupat, he pointed out.
Some 132 lives were lost, 97 suffered serious injuries, while 1,638 others incurred minor wounds. Until now, 312,803 vehicles had returned through the Cikampek toll road gate out of the total 783,357 vehicles heading out for the homebound journeys ahead of Eid Al-Fitr that fell on June 5, 2019. This year’s Operation Ketupat was organized from May 29 to June 10 across Indonesia, with 11 priority regions of Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, Banten, Lampung, South Sumatra, South Sulawesi, Bali, and Papua. During the operation, a total of 160,335 personnel were deployed comprising 93,589 police officers, 13,131 military officers, 18,906 officers of relevant ministries, 11,720 civilian security guards, 6,913 scout members, and 16,076 members of mass organizations. (ant)
Suwarjono / AFP
People transport a car on a makeshift raft across floodwaters inundating a road in Andadowi on June 11, 2019. More than 4,000 people were forced to evacuate due to flooding in Southeast Sulawesi province.
Four bridges destroyed, houses damaged in flooding in Morowali
MOROWALI - Flooding in Morowali District in Central Sulawesi over the past 72 hours has destroyed four bridges and caused extensive damage to over 10 homes.
A total of 1,437 residents of Dampala Village and 800 inhabitants of Leelee Village were affected by the flooding. PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) has deployed heavy equipment on Monday to help clear the
deluge of mud and debris carried by the floodwaters, Slamet Panggabean, senior vice president of PT IMIP, stated here on Tuesday. The company also offered assistance in making rafts for transporting people residing in areas where the natural disaster had destroyed the bridges. “We will certainly offer whatever help we can,” he noted. Panggabean stated that PT IMIP’s operations remain unaffected by the flooding, as most of its employees reside in areas in proximity to the company. (ant)
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International
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
International
Warriors seek one last win in farewell to NBA’s oldest arena
OAKLAND - There’s one last tipoff coming for the Golden State Warriors at the NBA’s oldest arena, with the reigning league champions hoping to pull off one last victory for Oakland fans.
Yeh Leh Pengeragoan Beach
NEGARA - Yeh Leh beach remains undeveloped as a tourist spot in Bali. The fact that not many people visit this beach has made it unique and peaceful. Yeh Leh beach is located in Jembrana, just off the Denpasar-Gilimanuk highway, Yeh Leh is not decorated with soft white sand like your ideal beach. Instead, thousands of boulders litter the shore, either covered in algae or washed clean by the waves. These mysterious rocks have been smoothed over for hundreds of years, leaving few clues about their origin. The beach is actually easily accessible, and you can visit at low tide to see Yeh Leh in all its glory, with the boulders unearthed and many interesting marine animals caught in the rock pools. And if you can, don’t miss its stunning sunset, which lights up every shining rock on the shore.
What to explore at Yeh Leh Beach? Yeh Leh Pengeragoan Beach
very unique. The beach is composed of two parts, western and eastern parts. The western part of the beach is the rock, while the eastern part of the beach is black sand. In the west, this beach has a fairly wide stretch of coral. Interestingly not only rock, there is also a large stone and round. The stones were to gather in one place. As if there is someone who collects the stones. Leh Yeh Pengeragoan Beach is perfect for a place to rest. When the afternoon the beach was very crowded by local residents to enjoy the feel of a quiet afternoon. When the sea receded, rocks, water pooled into people’s attention. There are a couple of fish and marine animals are stuck in the puddle. The fish was a concern citizens and children. Sea waves in Yeh Leh Pengeragoan Beach is very large. No one is playing in the water along the coast. Large sea waves are very dangerous. Usually on every beach in the fishing village of Bali there. But at this beach no citizens to be
fishermen. This was due to a large ocean waves and wind blowing all day ayng. So that no one else dared people become fishermen to catch fish in the sea. Large stones contained in Yeh Leh Pengeragoan Beach comes from the river located in the east. The stones are collected as if someone was arranging. When the afternoon, the sunset was beautiful. Display the most beautiful sunsets there in October to February. Because of the stretcher in the sun is in the south of the equator, so the sun sets will be visible to the south. Reddish sunlight will look perfect when the month. Yeh Leh Pengeragoan Beach also be a place for Melasti ritual by local people. Before the day of Nyepi, the Balinese people will hold a spiritual cleansing ritual to all amenities and facilities available in the temple. This ritual is called Melasti. Yeh Leh Pengeragoan Beach into place to implement the Melasti ritual by villagers in Pengeragoan. (IBP/net)
The Warriors defeated Toronto 106-105 Monday to pull within 3-2 in the best-of-seven NBA Finals, forcing a game six Thursday at Oracle Arena. “Our goal was to get them back on the plane, get them back to Oakland,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson said. “We owe our fans one more game in Oracle.” With Golden State moving to a new $1 billion arena in San Francisco for next season, the playoff matchup marks the final contest at the 53-year-old venue, which the Warriors have called home since 1971. After losing twice at Oracle to the Raptors last week, the Warriors would force a winner-take-all seventh game Sunday in Toronto if they can pull off a final home victory at Oracle. “It has been an incredible experience to play and coach at Oracle and hopefully we can go out in style,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We’re going to miss it here for sure. We’re looking forward to the new arena. It’s going to be amazing. But we’ll always miss Oracle.” The arena, originally built for a National Hockey League expansion team that only lasted from 19671976, has hosted 66 concerts of The Grateful Dead, the band’s most appearances at any venue. The Warriors won two NBA titles while based in Philadelphia before moving to California and
captured another in 1975, but have won three of the past four in their current dynasty run. The only title won by the Warriors at Oracle Arena came in 2017 when Golden State defeated Cleveland in five games. “This building has been very special,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said. “So I think it’s a very special time. “This building has been great to us. It has been great to myself and all the guys that I’ve played with and we definitely want to close it out the right way and hang another banner on our way out.” Warriors swingman Andre Iguodala, the 2015 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, recalled a sevengame first round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2013 when asked about his favorite moments, recalling the loud support from a fan base that had seen only two prior playoff trips since 1994. “First playoff series here was pretty exciting,” he said. “We hadn’t priced out many people yet, so it was good. “We’ve had a great support system with our fans, one of the best fan bases in the whole Bay Area. Being on the Oakland side, they really have been with this team throughout good and bad. So it would be sweet to end it well for them.” - ‘Energy you could feel’ Kerr recalled his playing days
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Just say no to cannabis in Japan.
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Gregory Shamus/Getty Images/AFP
Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors attempts a shot against the Golden State Warriors during Game Five of the 2019 NBA Finals at Scotiabank Arena on June 10, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. as a visitor to the arena and how Warriors fans backed their club in lean times. “A lot of my favorite memories come from being a player here and marveling at the energy in this building, coming from a crowd that did not have a whole lot to cheer
for, frankly,” Kerr said. “The Warriors went through a long dry spell and yet you would come here and there was an atmosphere, an energy you could feel.” That makes leaving Oakland a bit tougher for Warriors guard
Shaun Livingston. “It’s bittersweet,” he said. “At the end, it’s a lot of history here, tradition, very prideful players. “We play for our fans here, all the support they gave us throughout the years. It means a lot to be able to play in front of this city.” (afp)
TOKYO - In what you might call a joint statement, Tokyo 2020 organisers Tuesday noted the need to warn countries with relaxed cannabis laws that weed isn’t allowed in Japan. “There are countries and regions around the world that have relaxed rules recently on the use of cannabis,” noted Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto. “The use of cannabis constitutes a violation of the law in Japan and that needs to be fully communicated,” he added. Muto said the topic was raised by a member of the Tokyo 2020 executive board as something that should be transmitted to the heads
of country teams when they visit Tokyo ahead of the Games. Cannabis rules in Japan are strict, with up to five years’ prison for personal use and seven years for dealing. Cannabis is also listed as a performance-enhancing drug by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The US anti-doping agency USADA notes on its website that marijuana could “decrease anxiety and tension, resulting in better sport performance under pressure”. “Due to the illegal nature of marijuana in most countries, the use or abuse of marijuana does not exhibit the ethics and moral
judgment that upholds the spirit of sport,” the body adds. The issue hit the headlines in Japan when two Japanese snowboarders were punished after traces of marijuana were detected in their hair following a party in December 2015. One of the athletes admitted taking the drug at a party while on tour in Colorado, where cannabis was legalised for recreational purposes in 2012, provided the user is 21 years old. Skateboarding and surfing, two counter-culture pursuits with reputedly high rates of drug use, are among the sports that will be contested at Tokyo 2020. (afp)
Stronger, faster, but not higher: Tokyo Olympics to warn on weed
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223 Polish soccer fans arrested after clashes in Skopje SKOPJE — North Macedonia police say 223 Polish soccer fans were arrested in the capital of Skopje late Friday for public disturbances ahead of a 2020 European Championship qualifier between Poland and North Macedonia. Police said in a statement that a
large group of Polish fans fought among themselves in Skopje’s main park ahead of the game. The fans appeared before an investigative judge in Skopje on Saturday. Poland won Friday’s game 1-0 and remains top of Group G. (ap)
Poland’s fans light flares supporting their team during the Euro 2020 group G qualifying soccer match at National Arena Todor Proeski in Skopje, North Macedonia, Friday, June 7, 2019.
AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski
Pogba’s remedy for racist abuse is play well not walk off AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino
Argentina’s Sole Jaimes gestures at the end of the Women’s World Cup Group D soccer match between Argentina and Japan at the Parc des Princes in Paris, Monday, June 10, 2019. The match ended in a 0-0 draw.
Argentina’s first World Cup point could prove priceless
PARIS — At the final whistle of their Women’s World Cup opener, Argentina’s players dropped to their knees as if they’d won the entire tournament. They didn’t even win the game. But for the first time ever, they didn’t lose, either. Argentina played to a 0-0 draw against Japan to earn its first ever point at the World Cup. Argentina lost its previous six World Cup matches in 2003 and 2007, and missed the 2011 and 2015 tournaments. For a nation that loves the game and worships its globally successful men’s team, the draw against Japan can be as good as a win. Argentina had been outscored 33-2 in six previous World Cup games. “I think we can really inspire people a lot,” said midfielder Estefania Banini. “We can also start a new process.” Argentina wants far more than points at the World Cup. The bigger goal is to touch more hearts
and minds back home. “For women’s football in Argentina it is great that we are starting to flourish,” Argentina coach Carlos Borrello said. “We are starting on our way and just starting to face up to these powerful forces in football.” Borrello said he hopes for a push for equality between the men’s and women’s games — and also across Argentinian society as a whole. “We have started getting support now from the Argentinean football federation for the team. It’s true that results help a lot, and this will definitely help and reinforce all the work,” he said. “It will help us to continue on the great path. We have to also strengthen the grassroots of our game.” Things are changing in Argentina .
Previous concerns about a lack of uniforms and inadequate training conditions have been addressed, two years after players went on strike because stipends went unpaid. A movement for equality pushed the country’s soccer association into giving professional status to the national women’s league. This coincided with the country’s feminist movement taking to the streets with marches against violence and inequality. Both national teams are in action this month — and maybe next month if they go far — with the men over in Brazil at the Copa America. Before their respective departures, the two teams met. Sharing a table were two No. 10’s — Banini and five-time Golden Ball winner Lionel Messi, among the all-time greats of the game. “We were together with Messi
and the whole team, the men’s and the women’s teams,” Borrello said. “We had a meal together before we left and were able to exchange together.” The men’s team has not won the World Cup since 1986 — its second victory — and won the last of its 14 Copa America titles in 1993. Hence the understandable relief at holding 2011 champion Japan, evident as players mobbed goalkeeper Vanina Correa. “For women’s football in Argentina it is great that we are starting to flourish,” Borrello said. “We are starting on our way and just starting to face up to these powerful forces in football.” The 28-year-old Banini, who plays club soccer with Spanish side Levante, hopes this is just the start. “We can become a national team that aspires to so much more,” said Banini. Next up is England on Friday,
while Japan faces Scotland in the other Group D game. Japan took until the 50th minute to test Correa, who stopped forward Kumi Yokoyama’s low shot from about 35 meters out. Minutes later, Japan midfielder Yui Hasegawa botched a good chance, swiping left of the goal from close range after a cross from the right. Correa then palmed away a low cross from the right in the last minute and dealt well with a corner kick deep into injury time. Argentina was extremely organized. Japan, runner-up in 2015, was largely lackluster. “We never look to play defensive football (but) in the first half we were very cautious,” Japan coach Asako Takakura said. “We were not good enough to break down Argentina’s defense today.” Takakura made it clear to her players how disappointed she was. “The areas that have to be changed will be,” she said. (ap)
Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba said the best way to quell racist spectators is to perform well on the pitch not as some suggest walk off if there is racial abuse. The 26-year-old was a pivotal figure as France won the World Cup last year and said in an interview with The Times that nothing wins people around better than success. Pogba is expected to start against Andorra in Euro 2020 qualifying on Tuesday night and played 90 minutes in a loss in Turkey on Saturday when the home fans caused outrage in France by jeering the Marseillaise. Racism reared its head last season with Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling being abused by a group of Chelsea fans. Then Sterling and other black England players were the targets of Montenegro supporters in a Euro 2020 qualifier. One of those players,Tottenham Hotspur defender Danny Rose said he “can’t wait to see the back of football” because of the lack of decisive action to tackle racism. Rose said he was “shocked” at the lightness of UEFA’s punishment in ordering Montenegro to play just one game behind closed doors. Pogba told the newspaper he had once handed his Juventus shirt to a fan who had been making monkey noises at him. “Leave the pitch? You want to play, you want to score for your team,” said Pogba. “And at the end they (racist abusers) will come and ask for a picture.” Pogba also responded to critics who say he has not justified his then world record £89.3 million ($113.5 million) move from Juventus in 2016. “I become another player because of the transfer,” he said. “Because it was the biggest transfer of history at the time, you get judged differently. “You expect more because of the price tag.
A good game becomes a normal game, a top game will be a good game.” - ‘I am still the Paul I used to be’ -
He proved a popular target when United started poorly last season under Jose Mourinho. Critics contrasted Pogba’s outstanding World Cup performances with those for his club. He also came under fire as United’s early good form under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer -who replaced Mourinho when the latter was sacked in December -- tailed off at the end of the campaign. As a result, United finished sixth and missed out on Champions League football. However, Pogba can point to being the only player selected in the Premier League team of the season to come from outside the top two -- champions Manchester City and Liverpool. He believes his appearance -- various styles of haircuts and his body language on the pitch -- plays a role in his being pilloried. “I always play like that and, thank God, I won the World Cup like that,” said Pogba. “Body language, haircut, all these things is just to speak. “Since I was a kid I play like this,” he said. “It’s not a problem when we win. Only when we lose or if I have a bad performance it becomes a problem.” Pogba, who scored 13 goals in 35 Premier League appearances last season, says he has not changed as a person despite his success and becoming one of the highest earning footballers in the world. “I am still the Paul I used to be as a kid,” he said. “I grow, I become taller, but I am the same person who follows his dream. “People will love me like that. People will hate me like that.” (afp)
France’s national football team midfielder Paul Pogba arrives for a training session in Clairefontaine en Yvelines on June 5, 2019 as part of the team’s preparation for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualification matches against Turkey and Andorra.
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Wednesday, June 12, 2019
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223 Polish soccer fans arrested after clashes in Skopje SKOPJE — North Macedonia police say 223 Polish soccer fans were arrested in the capital of Skopje late Friday for public disturbances ahead of a 2020 European Championship qualifier between Poland and North Macedonia. Police said in a statement that a
large group of Polish fans fought among themselves in Skopje’s main park ahead of the game. The fans appeared before an investigative judge in Skopje on Saturday. Poland won Friday’s game 1-0 and remains top of Group G. (ap)
Poland’s fans light flares supporting their team during the Euro 2020 group G qualifying soccer match at National Arena Todor Proeski in Skopje, North Macedonia, Friday, June 7, 2019.
AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski
Pogba’s remedy for racist abuse is play well not walk off AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino
Argentina’s Sole Jaimes gestures at the end of the Women’s World Cup Group D soccer match between Argentina and Japan at the Parc des Princes in Paris, Monday, June 10, 2019. The match ended in a 0-0 draw.
Argentina’s first World Cup point could prove priceless
PARIS — At the final whistle of their Women’s World Cup opener, Argentina’s players dropped to their knees as if they’d won the entire tournament. They didn’t even win the game. But for the first time ever, they didn’t lose, either. Argentina played to a 0-0 draw against Japan to earn its first ever point at the World Cup. Argentina lost its previous six World Cup matches in 2003 and 2007, and missed the 2011 and 2015 tournaments. For a nation that loves the game and worships its globally successful men’s team, the draw against Japan can be as good as a win. Argentina had been outscored 33-2 in six previous World Cup games. “I think we can really inspire people a lot,” said midfielder Estefania Banini. “We can also start a new process.” Argentina wants far more than points at the World Cup. The bigger goal is to touch more hearts
and minds back home. “For women’s football in Argentina it is great that we are starting to flourish,” Argentina coach Carlos Borrello said. “We are starting on our way and just starting to face up to these powerful forces in football.” Borrello said he hopes for a push for equality between the men’s and women’s games — and also across Argentinian society as a whole. “We have started getting support now from the Argentinean football federation for the team. It’s true that results help a lot, and this will definitely help and reinforce all the work,” he said. “It will help us to continue on the great path. We have to also strengthen the grassroots of our game.” Things are changing in Argentina .
Previous concerns about a lack of uniforms and inadequate training conditions have been addressed, two years after players went on strike because stipends went unpaid. A movement for equality pushed the country’s soccer association into giving professional status to the national women’s league. This coincided with the country’s feminist movement taking to the streets with marches against violence and inequality. Both national teams are in action this month — and maybe next month if they go far — with the men over in Brazil at the Copa America. Before their respective departures, the two teams met. Sharing a table were two No. 10’s — Banini and five-time Golden Ball winner Lionel Messi, among the all-time greats of the game. “We were together with Messi
and the whole team, the men’s and the women’s teams,” Borrello said. “We had a meal together before we left and were able to exchange together.” The men’s team has not won the World Cup since 1986 — its second victory — and won the last of its 14 Copa America titles in 1993. Hence the understandable relief at holding 2011 champion Japan, evident as players mobbed goalkeeper Vanina Correa. “For women’s football in Argentina it is great that we are starting to flourish,” Borrello said. “We are starting on our way and just starting to face up to these powerful forces in football.” The 28-year-old Banini, who plays club soccer with Spanish side Levante, hopes this is just the start. “We can become a national team that aspires to so much more,” said Banini. Next up is England on Friday,
while Japan faces Scotland in the other Group D game. Japan took until the 50th minute to test Correa, who stopped forward Kumi Yokoyama’s low shot from about 35 meters out. Minutes later, Japan midfielder Yui Hasegawa botched a good chance, swiping left of the goal from close range after a cross from the right. Correa then palmed away a low cross from the right in the last minute and dealt well with a corner kick deep into injury time. Argentina was extremely organized. Japan, runner-up in 2015, was largely lackluster. “We never look to play defensive football (but) in the first half we were very cautious,” Japan coach Asako Takakura said. “We were not good enough to break down Argentina’s defense today.” Takakura made it clear to her players how disappointed she was. “The areas that have to be changed will be,” she said. (ap)
Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba said the best way to quell racist spectators is to perform well on the pitch not as some suggest walk off if there is racial abuse. The 26-year-old was a pivotal figure as France won the World Cup last year and said in an interview with The Times that nothing wins people around better than success. Pogba is expected to start against Andorra in Euro 2020 qualifying on Tuesday night and played 90 minutes in a loss in Turkey on Saturday when the home fans caused outrage in France by jeering the Marseillaise. Racism reared its head last season with Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling being abused by a group of Chelsea fans. Then Sterling and other black England players were the targets of Montenegro supporters in a Euro 2020 qualifier. One of those players,Tottenham Hotspur defender Danny Rose said he “can’t wait to see the back of football” because of the lack of decisive action to tackle racism. Rose said he was “shocked” at the lightness of UEFA’s punishment in ordering Montenegro to play just one game behind closed doors. Pogba told the newspaper he had once handed his Juventus shirt to a fan who had been making monkey noises at him. “Leave the pitch? You want to play, you want to score for your team,” said Pogba. “And at the end they (racist abusers) will come and ask for a picture.” Pogba also responded to critics who say he has not justified his then world record £89.3 million ($113.5 million) move from Juventus in 2016. “I become another player because of the transfer,” he said. “Because it was the biggest transfer of history at the time, you get judged differently. “You expect more because of the price tag.
A good game becomes a normal game, a top game will be a good game.” - ‘I am still the Paul I used to be’ -
He proved a popular target when United started poorly last season under Jose Mourinho. Critics contrasted Pogba’s outstanding World Cup performances with those for his club. He also came under fire as United’s early good form under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer -who replaced Mourinho when the latter was sacked in December -- tailed off at the end of the campaign. As a result, United finished sixth and missed out on Champions League football. However, Pogba can point to being the only player selected in the Premier League team of the season to come from outside the top two -- champions Manchester City and Liverpool. He believes his appearance -- various styles of haircuts and his body language on the pitch -- plays a role in his being pilloried. “I always play like that and, thank God, I won the World Cup like that,” said Pogba. “Body language, haircut, all these things is just to speak. “Since I was a kid I play like this,” he said. “It’s not a problem when we win. Only when we lose or if I have a bad performance it becomes a problem.” Pogba, who scored 13 goals in 35 Premier League appearances last season, says he has not changed as a person despite his success and becoming one of the highest earning footballers in the world. “I am still the Paul I used to be as a kid,” he said. “I grow, I become taller, but I am the same person who follows his dream. “People will love me like that. People will hate me like that.” (afp)
France’s national football team midfielder Paul Pogba arrives for a training session in Clairefontaine en Yvelines on June 5, 2019 as part of the team’s preparation for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualification matches against Turkey and Andorra.
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Wednesday, June 12, 2019
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Wednesday, June 12, 2019
International
Warriors seek one last win in farewell to NBA’s oldest arena
OAKLAND - There’s one last tipoff coming for the Golden State Warriors at the NBA’s oldest arena, with the reigning league champions hoping to pull off one last victory for Oakland fans.
Yeh Leh Pengeragoan Beach
NEGARA - Yeh Leh beach remains undeveloped as a tourist spot in Bali. The fact that not many people visit this beach has made it unique and peaceful. Yeh Leh beach is located in Jembrana, just off the Denpasar-Gilimanuk highway, Yeh Leh is not decorated with soft white sand like your ideal beach. Instead, thousands of boulders litter the shore, either covered in algae or washed clean by the waves. These mysterious rocks have been smoothed over for hundreds of years, leaving few clues about their origin. The beach is actually easily accessible, and you can visit at low tide to see Yeh Leh in all its glory, with the boulders unearthed and many interesting marine animals caught in the rock pools. And if you can, don’t miss its stunning sunset, which lights up every shining rock on the shore.
What to explore at Yeh Leh Beach? Yeh Leh Pengeragoan Beach
very unique. The beach is composed of two parts, western and eastern parts. The western part of the beach is the rock, while the eastern part of the beach is black sand. In the west, this beach has a fairly wide stretch of coral. Interestingly not only rock, there is also a large stone and round. The stones were to gather in one place. As if there is someone who collects the stones. Leh Yeh Pengeragoan Beach is perfect for a place to rest. When the afternoon the beach was very crowded by local residents to enjoy the feel of a quiet afternoon. When the sea receded, rocks, water pooled into people’s attention. There are a couple of fish and marine animals are stuck in the puddle. The fish was a concern citizens and children. Sea waves in Yeh Leh Pengeragoan Beach is very large. No one is playing in the water along the coast. Large sea waves are very dangerous. Usually on every beach in the fishing village of Bali there. But at this beach no citizens to be
fishermen. This was due to a large ocean waves and wind blowing all day ayng. So that no one else dared people become fishermen to catch fish in the sea. Large stones contained in Yeh Leh Pengeragoan Beach comes from the river located in the east. The stones are collected as if someone was arranging. When the afternoon, the sunset was beautiful. Display the most beautiful sunsets there in October to February. Because of the stretcher in the sun is in the south of the equator, so the sun sets will be visible to the south. Reddish sunlight will look perfect when the month. Yeh Leh Pengeragoan Beach also be a place for Melasti ritual by local people. Before the day of Nyepi, the Balinese people will hold a spiritual cleansing ritual to all amenities and facilities available in the temple. This ritual is called Melasti. Yeh Leh Pengeragoan Beach into place to implement the Melasti ritual by villagers in Pengeragoan. (IBP/net)
The Warriors defeated Toronto 106-105 Monday to pull within 3-2 in the best-of-seven NBA Finals, forcing a game six Thursday at Oracle Arena. “Our goal was to get them back on the plane, get them back to Oakland,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson said. “We owe our fans one more game in Oracle.” With Golden State moving to a new $1 billion arena in San Francisco for next season, the playoff matchup marks the final contest at the 53-year-old venue, which the Warriors have called home since 1971. After losing twice at Oracle to the Raptors last week, the Warriors would force a winner-take-all seventh game Sunday in Toronto if they can pull off a final home victory at Oracle. “It has been an incredible experience to play and coach at Oracle and hopefully we can go out in style,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We’re going to miss it here for sure. We’re looking forward to the new arena. It’s going to be amazing. But we’ll always miss Oracle.” The arena, originally built for a National Hockey League expansion team that only lasted from 19671976, has hosted 66 concerts of The Grateful Dead, the band’s most appearances at any venue. The Warriors won two NBA titles while based in Philadelphia before moving to California and
captured another in 1975, but have won three of the past four in their current dynasty run. The only title won by the Warriors at Oracle Arena came in 2017 when Golden State defeated Cleveland in five games. “This building has been very special,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said. “So I think it’s a very special time. “This building has been great to us. It has been great to myself and all the guys that I’ve played with and we definitely want to close it out the right way and hang another banner on our way out.” Warriors swingman Andre Iguodala, the 2015 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, recalled a sevengame first round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2013 when asked about his favorite moments, recalling the loud support from a fan base that had seen only two prior playoff trips since 1994. “First playoff series here was pretty exciting,” he said. “We hadn’t priced out many people yet, so it was good. “We’ve had a great support system with our fans, one of the best fan bases in the whole Bay Area. Being on the Oakland side, they really have been with this team throughout good and bad. So it would be sweet to end it well for them.” - ‘Energy you could feel’ Kerr recalled his playing days
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Just say no to cannabis in Japan.
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Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors attempts a shot against the Golden State Warriors during Game Five of the 2019 NBA Finals at Scotiabank Arena on June 10, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. as a visitor to the arena and how Warriors fans backed their club in lean times. “A lot of my favorite memories come from being a player here and marveling at the energy in this building, coming from a crowd that did not have a whole lot to cheer
for, frankly,” Kerr said. “The Warriors went through a long dry spell and yet you would come here and there was an atmosphere, an energy you could feel.” That makes leaving Oakland a bit tougher for Warriors guard
Shaun Livingston. “It’s bittersweet,” he said. “At the end, it’s a lot of history here, tradition, very prideful players. “We play for our fans here, all the support they gave us throughout the years. It means a lot to be able to play in front of this city.” (afp)
TOKYO - In what you might call a joint statement, Tokyo 2020 organisers Tuesday noted the need to warn countries with relaxed cannabis laws that weed isn’t allowed in Japan. “There are countries and regions around the world that have relaxed rules recently on the use of cannabis,” noted Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto. “The use of cannabis constitutes a violation of the law in Japan and that needs to be fully communicated,” he added. Muto said the topic was raised by a member of the Tokyo 2020 executive board as something that should be transmitted to the heads
of country teams when they visit Tokyo ahead of the Games. Cannabis rules in Japan are strict, with up to five years’ prison for personal use and seven years for dealing. Cannabis is also listed as a performance-enhancing drug by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The US anti-doping agency USADA notes on its website that marijuana could “decrease anxiety and tension, resulting in better sport performance under pressure”. “Due to the illegal nature of marijuana in most countries, the use or abuse of marijuana does not exhibit the ethics and moral
judgment that upholds the spirit of sport,” the body adds. The issue hit the headlines in Japan when two Japanese snowboarders were punished after traces of marijuana were detected in their hair following a party in December 2015. One of the athletes admitted taking the drug at a party while on tour in Colorado, where cannabis was legalised for recreational purposes in 2012, provided the user is 21 years old. Skateboarding and surfing, two counter-culture pursuits with reputedly high rates of drug use, are among the sports that will be contested at Tokyo 2020. (afp)
Stronger, faster, but not higher: Tokyo Olympics to warn on weed
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Israeli coral rescue plan needs chisel and deep blue sea
EILAT - A dozen feet deep in the azure waters of the Red Sea, Israeli marine ecologist Assaf Zvuloni firmly grasped a bright red coral fastened to a metal jetty piling. The coral and others close by would most likely perish in planned maintenance works at the site, degrading all the benefits they bring to underwater life. So to save them, Zvuloni and his colleague Assaf Habary have donned scuba gear and armed themselves with chisels and hammers before diving underwater to remove the coral and take them to a new location. “We need to safeguard them,” Habary, of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, said after the dive. It is important to “maintain the ecosystem’s health,” he said. On a recent day, Habary, Gulf of Eilat regional manager for the authority, placed a chisel at the bottom of the red coral and carefully began hitting, causing a loud clacking to reverberate through the silent sea. Coral use the 16-metre (52-foot) pilings supporting an oil jetty off the southern Israeli resort city Eilat as artificial reefs, creating colourful and varied vertical mosaics that support much of the marine life around. The area around the jetty is closed to boats and divers, enabling the coral to thrive undisturbed. But maintenance work planned on the jetty would be fatal to the animals -- a protected species under Israeli law, with the Nature and Parks Authority tasked with their relocation.
MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP
A Marine biology university employee inspects corals growing on tables in the Red Sea as a part of a research in the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences near the southern Israeli city Eilat on May 20, 2019.
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
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RI’s domestic flight tickets priced sixth lowest in world: Minister
-’Important animals’-
After a short while, the red coral came off the piling, and Zvuloni carefully placed it in a small pink plastic crate he held in his free hand alongside a number of others that had been recently removed. The two divers swam up to the surface of the water where Avi, the skipper of the small motorboat that brought them to the site, leaned over to take the crate, placing it in a large blue container on the stern of the swaying vessel. The boat sped off to the nearby Underwater Observatory Marine Park, where the coral will be divided between the reef there and a large aquarium. Zvuloni estimates that they have relocated 1,000 coral over the past year, not only from the jetty and other structures but also from pieces of waste that had been sitting on the seabed and were being cleared away. Not all coral, however, allow themselves to be evacuated. Zvuloni and Habary spent many long and precious underwater minutes trying to remove a yellow, domeshaped stony coral before throwing in the towel. “We’ll have to use a crowbar,” Habary said grimly. Each coral constitutes a vital habitat to animals and plants. “Corals in general are very important animals in being species that engineer the environment,” Zvuloni said. “It’s much more than just the coral itself.” While relocation saves the coral from a certain death, not all survive the move, which could be to the observatory and local educational facilities, or even the Jerusalem zoo’s aquarium. (afp)
International
Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP
German Health Minister Jens Spahn speaks during a press conference on plans to ban sexual reorientation therapies targeting gays in Berlin on June 11, 2019.
Germany plans to ban gay, lesbian ‘conversion therapy’
BERLIN - German Health Minister Jens Spahn said Tuesday he plans to write a law this year to ban so-called conversion therapies that aim to make gays and lesbians heterosexual. “My position is clear: homosexuality is not an illness, which is why it does not need to be treated,” said Spahn, who is gay and married to a man. “I would very much like to have a bill this year that could then be presented to parliament,” he told a Berlin press conference. Medical experts consider psychological or spiritual interventions to change someone’s sexual orientation pseudo-scientific, ineffective and often harmful. The most controversial techniques involve administering electric shocks as subjects view images of homosexual acts, or injections of the male hormone testosterone. In Germany, there are an estimated 1,000 attempts a year to “re-educate” homosexuals -- from family members, “coaches” and therapists, and sometimes involving prayers and even exorcisms,
said Joerg Litwinschuh-Barthel of the anti-discrimination Magnus Hirschfeld Foundation. Early last year the European Parliament adopted a non-binding text that called on EU members to ban the practice, something that so far only Malta and some Spanish regions have done. Spahn has commissioned two reports and a 46-member expert panel which have concluded that a ban is both “medically necessary and legally possible,” his ministry said. Several people who underwent such therapies testified about their suffering to the panel, said the ministry in a statement. One gay patient reported how during standard psychotherapy, the doctor suddenly declared sexual conversion a “therapy goal” and pursued it through “indoctrinating conversations”. When electric shock treatment was also proposed, the patient terminated the treatment. The health ministry said it plans to release a final report in August, to pave the way for a law to be written before the end of the year. (afp)
JAKARTA - Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan drew attention to the fact that Indonesia’s domestic flight tickets are priced the sixth lowest worldwide. “Take a look at Garuda Indonesia’s flight tickets. They are the fourth- or sixth-lowest in the world. Hence, they are among the cheapest ones. However, this is not conducive for the company. That is also the government’s shortcoming,” he stated at an Eid-al-Fitr gettogether at the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) building here on Tuesday. He opined that one of the areas that the government had faltered was to allow the price of aviation turbine (avtur) fuels to rise or also exceed the Mid Oil Platts Singapore (MOPS) reference price.
“That is why I had once highlighted the need for one other competitor. Some people said (the government should subsidize the price of) avtur fuel in regions. If the regions are keen on doing so, then they have to look for partners that are willing to subsidize the price of avtur fuel. Why is it that Singapore can sell avtur 20 percent lower than us,” he pointed out. The other factor behind the hike in the flight ticket price is inefficiency on the part of Garuda Indonesia and Lion Air that dominate the domestic aviation industry, he emphasized. The inefficiency is related to the purchase of aircraft that is not in tune with its requirements and efficiency endeavor, he remarked. “However, Garuda is improving its fleet and so is Lion Air ,” he added. (ant)
Traffic accidents decreased by 65 percent during 2019 Eid Al-Fitr
JAKARTA - In the course of the 12-day Operation Ketupat held during the 2019 Eid Al-Fitr Islamic Festivity, the number of traffic accidents declined by 65 percent than the corresponding time frame in the previous year. “All has run well and smoothly. Along with the fact that the homebound trips (‘mudik’) were safe and fun, we have also been successful in reducing the number of traffic accidents,” Senior Commissioner Asep Adi Saputra, spokesman of the Indonesian Police (Polri), remarked at the Polri Headquarters, here, Monday. Until Sunday (June 9), or three days after Eid, a total of 529 traffic accidents were recorded during the 2019 Operation Ketupat, plummeting 65 percent from 1,491 traffic accidents in the corresponding period during the 2018 Operation Ketupat, he pointed out.
Some 132 lives were lost, 97 suffered serious injuries, while 1,638 others incurred minor wounds. Until now, 312,803 vehicles had returned through the Cikampek toll road gate out of the total 783,357 vehicles heading out for the homebound journeys ahead of Eid Al-Fitr that fell on June 5, 2019. This year’s Operation Ketupat was organized from May 29 to June 10 across Indonesia, with 11 priority regions of Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, Banten, Lampung, South Sumatra, South Sulawesi, Bali, and Papua. During the operation, a total of 160,335 personnel were deployed comprising 93,589 police officers, 13,131 military officers, 18,906 officers of relevant ministries, 11,720 civilian security guards, 6,913 scout members, and 16,076 members of mass organizations. (ant)
Suwarjono / AFP
People transport a car on a makeshift raft across floodwaters inundating a road in Andadowi on June 11, 2019. More than 4,000 people were forced to evacuate due to flooding in Southeast Sulawesi province.
Four bridges destroyed, houses damaged in flooding in Morowali
MOROWALI - Flooding in Morowali District in Central Sulawesi over the past 72 hours has destroyed four bridges and caused extensive damage to over 10 homes.
A total of 1,437 residents of Dampala Village and 800 inhabitants of Leelee Village were affected by the flooding. PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) has deployed heavy equipment on Monday to help clear the
deluge of mud and debris carried by the floodwaters, Slamet Panggabean, senior vice president of PT IMIP, stated here on Tuesday. The company also offered assistance in making rafts for transporting people residing in areas where the natural disaster had destroyed the bridges. “We will certainly offer whatever help we can,” he noted. Panggabean stated that PT IMIP’s operations remain unaffected by the flooding, as most of its employees reside in areas in proximity to the company. (ant)
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International
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
BUSINESS After Fed, Europe also helps economy cope with trade war
VILNIUS - The European Central Bank has taken action to support the economy in the 19-country eurozone, joining other major central banks like the U.S. Federal Reserve in responding to fears about global growth. The ECB said Thursday it would extend the earliest date for an interest rate increase from year-end to mid-2020. Its benchmark rates are currently at record lows. The central bank also said it would offer low rates on previously announced two-year loans to banks, provided that the banks exceed lending benchmarks — a step aimed at keeping credit flowing to businesses. The moves from the eurozone’s monetary authority come just two days after Fed Chair Jay Powell signaled a shift in the direction of more stimulus instead of less. Powell said that the Fed is prepared to respond if it decides the Trump administration’s trade conflicts are threatening the U.S. economy. Investors read his remarks as a signal that the Fed will likely cut interest rates later this year. Both the ECB and the Fed have had to halt the withdrawal of massive monetary stimulus they had deployed in the wake of the Great Recession and the global financial crisis. The Fed had started raising rates but put monetary tightening on hold late last year, faced with doubts about where the economy might be headed. In Asia, the central banks of India and Australia cut their main interest rates this week as they too try to respond to a darkening economic outlook. In a news conference on Thursday, ECB President Mario Draghi said the risks still pointed to the “downside,” citing risks from pro-
tectionism, troubles in emerging markets, and uncertainty about how Britain will leave the European Union. Britain’s latest exit deadline is Oct. 31 but it is not clear whether it will leave with a negotiated deal to avoid disruption to trade and supplies of parts and raw materials. Draghi said that the bank is ready to “use all the instruments that are in the toolbox” to support the economy. He said that members of the bank’s governing council had even raised the possibility of re-starting a bond purchase stimulus program that concluded at the end of the year after 2.6 trillion euros ($2.9 trillion) in purchases. Draghi said there was “headroom” to restart the program if it became necessary and that “the policy space is there” for any measures the bank might need to deploy. Like the U.S., the eurozone is seeing economic growth and unemployment has fallen. The eurozone grew 0.4% in the first quarter from the previous three-month period. But economic indicators have been mixed recently. Businesses have become more cautious due to fears that the trade dispute between the U.S. and China might escalate and result in more tariffs, or import taxes, as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to reduce China’s trade surplus with the U.S. Meanwhile, inflation has consistently lagged the ECB’s goal of just under 2%, even despite the massive bond-buying stimulus program.
AP Photo/Michael Probst
The bull and bear in front of the stock market are painted all green in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, June 3, 2019. They were painted on occasion of the upcoming “Green Sauce” week when Frankfurt celebrates its most popular dish. Central bank policies affect company and personal finances throughout the economy. Lowering rates and increasing the availability of credit in theory makes it easier and cheaper for companies, home buyers and consumers to borrow.
Central bank policies can also have a strong influence on asset prices; low rates on savings can make riskier investments such as stocks relatively more attractive. The U.S. Standard & Poor’s broad market index jumped 2% on Powell’s
comments. The ECB’s benchmark rate for lending to banks is zero. On top of that it has imposed a 0.4% negative interest rate on deposits it takes from banks, which pushes them to loan the money. (ap)
including Chile, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. “The UK and South Korea have signed an in principle free trade agreement that will allow businesses to continue trading freely after Brexit,” read a government statement. “Trading on these terms rather than on World Trade Organization terms will deliver significant sav-
ings and help to safeguard British jobs.” The deal means British businesses can continue enjoying preferential terms with South Korea after Britain leaves the European Union at the end of October. Trade between the two countries was £14.6 billion ($18.6 billion, 16.4 billion euros) in 2018, and has risen by 12 percent per year
on average since the EU signed a free trade deal with South Korea in 2011. “This means that whatever happens with Brexit, there will be total continuity in trade between our two countries and the basis for an ambitious future free trade agreement when we leave the EU,” tweeted Fox. Britain is scheduled to leave
the bloc on October 31, when it will lose access to major markets covered by EU trade agreements, although it is seeking to replicate some of these. However, without a Brexit agreement between London and Brussels, the UK will default to “third country” status with the EU, with trade relations run on World Trade Organization rules. (afp)
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
5
Aci Tabuh Rah Pengangon, A Unique Tradition to Invoke Fertility at Kapal Village
Bleganjur gamelan music was played. Hundreds of villagers then threw tipat (rice bag) bantal (pillowlike cake) each other. Although, they seemed to mutually reciprocate, between the two camps (people in the north and south) did not keep any revenge. Their throw was not focused on particular person, but to the air above the opposite camp. Although this looked like a war, they cheered each other due to excitement. It is the atmosphere of the Aci Tabuh Rah Pengangon ritual or often known as the Siat Tipat Bantal at Kapal customary village, Mengwi, Badung district, Thursday (Oct. 5). Hundreds of Kapal customary villagers were involved in the Aci Tabuh Rah Pengangon. In addition to the community, this unique tradition was also attended by the Regional Secretary of Badung district, Wayan Adi Arnawa. The ritual was followed by all Kapal customary villagers. All the villagers were then divided into two camps, namely the northern camp and southern camp. At first, the two camps held a ceremony in the temple and were then resumed with worship at the outermost courtyard of the Desa/Puseh temple of Kapal. Thousands of tipat and bantal were prepared by the temple apparatus. After dividing them, they were thrown each other like a war accompanied with bleganjur gamelan music. Chief of Kapal customary village, Ketut Sudarsana, said that Aci Tabuh Rah Pengangon formerly known as perang tipat (tipat war) is an annual ritual having been carried out for generations at Kapal customary village. This tradition is then preserved, so that it is always carried out by the Kapal customary village. “This activity aims to invoke prosperity for all customary villagers of Kapal,” he said.
Britain agrees Brexit trade deal with S.Korea
Britain said Monday it had concluded a trade deal with South Korea to maintain links after Brexit. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has agreed a preliminary deal with Korean Minister of Trade Yoo Myung-Hee in Seoul, the UK government said in a statement. It is Britain’s first post-Brexit trade deal in Asia and follows similar agreements with nations
Bali News
International
Aci Tabuh Rah Pengangon has the meaning of offerings or an expression of gratitude before God in his manifestation as Lord Shiva. Aci means ‘offering,’ Tabuh means ‘echoing,’ Rah means ‘power’ and Pengangon is another name of Lord Shiva. “Mutual throw of tipat and bantal is aimed to bring together the symbol of pradhana (female) and purusha (male), resulting in fertility,” he explained. Ketut Sudarsana asserted that Aci Tabuh Rah Pengangon is held by customary village because all the villages participated to enjoy the welfare. It is bringing together the tipat as symbol of ocean, pradhana (female) and bantal as symbol of mountain, purusha (male). Uniting the ocean and mountain is believed to be able to create life. “Two differ-
ent things will present a life that can produce a good life,” he said. Tipat and bantal thrown are not to target the opponent’s body but to make them both merge in the air and then fall to the ground. This symbolizes the rendezvous of purusha and pradhana which then produces a seed of life. Remnants of the scattered tipat and bantal are the collected again. Those remaining intact are distributed back to residents for consumption, while the infeasible ones are distributed to residents to be scattered in paddy fields and used as animal feed. It is meant to invoke a good life seed for residents, animals and plants. Sudarsana explained the tradition was started to be implemented in 1339. It marked
the arrival of prime minister of Singasari dynasty in Bali, namely Ki Kebo Waruya. He received a mandate from the Balinese King named Asta Sura Ratna Bumi Banten to renovate the Purusada Temple at Kapal village. When arriving at Kapal, his heart was touched when seeing the condition of local village experiencing famine season. READ Kecak Dance in Tanah Lot: Performing After Enjoying Sunset Seeing such condition, he then invoked to deity abiding at Purusada Temple in order to bestow his graces. After applying for it, he was given instructions to perform the aci or ritual dedicated to Lord Shiva by means of tipat and bantal followed by all the Kapal customary villagers. (kmb)
Jaja Laklak Also Preferred by Tourists
Jaja laklak (cake) is served with grated coconut together with brown sugar topping. When biting carefully, this cake feels soft and delicious. It is made by Balinese people utilizing rice flour. This cake
has circular shape with a diameter of 3 cm and is made with clay mold. It tastes good and is perfect for sitting in the morning, moreover, if coupled with warm Balinese coffee or tea. Laklak is white because it
is not using food coloring, there is also a green one coming from the extract water of suji leaves. Jaja laklak is very easy to carry everywhere, so it’s good for food gift. This cake is usually sold at food stalls at villages in the morning. This traditional cake is also sold in traditional markets and cake shops as well as has been taken advantage as appetizer at hotels. At the same time, it is often adopted as menu of option for citizens at wedding receptions or opening menu for participants of meetings, seminars and other gathering events at hotels or restaurants. In cake shops, jaja laklak has been packed in plastic boxes with grated coconut and brown sugar sauce. But lately, the plastic packaging has begun to be abandoned because it causes a lot of plastic waste which is difficult to decom-
pose. Unlike the cake traders at villagers, they use banana leaves to wrap the cakes. This jaja laklak is usually sold for IDR 5,000 per wrap containing 5 or 4 pieces. The top appearance of this cake is usually added with grated coconut and brown sugar sauce. In addition to local people, this cake is also favored by domestic and foreign tourists. So naturally, it has become a hotel cake commonly served as an appetizer or welcome cake. The ingredients of jaja laklak consist of rice flour, coconut (to be made into coconut milk), suji leaves, salt, brown sugar, granulated sugar and water. Preparation: put rice flour into a container and then pour hot water little by little while stirring until finely blended. Then, pour the coconut milk little by little as well, while continuing
to stir. Then, added suji leaf water to create a distinctive aroma, add salt to taste and then stir until all the ingredients are evenly mixed. Ultimately, prepare the mold and preheat it first. After that, pour the batter of laklak with a spoon in accordance with the mold hole. Cover the mold and then wait for it to get cooked. Next, make brown sugar sauce by dissolving brown sugar and granulated sugar in boiled water. Simultaneously, stir it until boiling and then lifted and filtered. Boil it back until it thickens. Coconut is shredded and mixed with salt according to taste. How to present? First of all, put some pieces of jaja laklak on a plate or banana leaf in such away so as to look nice. Then, sprinkle them with grated coconut and pour the brown sugar sauce on top. Now, it is ready to taste! (kmb)
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Bali News
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
International
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
International
Telek Dance of Jumpai presented every Kajeng Kliwon
Pakistan ex-president Zardari arrested over graft charges
KLUNGKUNG district holds quite a lot of artistic and cultural potential. As the center of Balinese civilization at its time, other than artistic products, there are also many sacred dances. As being at issue lately is the Telek Dance of Jumpai. This sacred dance was directly performed by the Klungkung district government to appear in a colossal manner by involving 2019 dancers during the fourth Semarapura Festival, a few weeks ago. Mystical aura covered up the opening of the fourth Semarapura Festival in the Catus Pata area of Klungkung and Puputan Klungkung Monument at that time. With duration of 28 minutes, the sacred Telek Dance of Jumpai was performed colossally with the four-color concept filling in every corner of the catus pata or central intersection. Field Coordinator of the event, I Dewa Gede Alit, at that time said the Telek Dance of Jumpai is a sacred dance performed only on Kajeng Kliwon in the local village temple. At that time, the main dancers did not use sacred masks, but used duplicate masks. From the description of the synopsis, the sacred dance began with the story of a grandfather from Jumpai village, named Nang Turun. When picking up a chunk of wood, suddenly a shadow appeared in the form of rangda and said tempe kai, tempe kai (Balinese language) which means ‘please imitate me.’ Nang Turun followed the instructions by sculpting the wood he got with a sharp knife. Before finishing it properly, suddenly the
shadow of Rangda disappeared. Ultimately, the result of rangda mask made by Nang Turun has no ears until now. In fact, a great power emerged from the embodiment. When first used to dance, a prolonged outbreak hit Jumpai village. As a result, many residents at each hamlet in Jumpai village fell ill and died. Finally, local residents dumped all the masks into the sea. Strangely, the masks actually reappeared as being carried by supernatural beings and placed in lining position on the seashore. The Jumpai villagers realized that the masks were indeed for the people of Jumpai village. At the end, the masks were put in the chamber shrine. Until now, local residents of Jumpai Kanginan and Jumpai Kawan held rituals every auspicious day, and staged the masks alternately every kajeng kliwon (fifteen days). As a result, the outbreak immediately faded. The Telek Dance at Jumpai village was estimated to develop since around 1935 until now. This dance is usually performed by four dancers
Hector RETAMAL / AFP
This picture taken on June 1, 2019 shows Danielle Liu (L) watching Miona Milakov walk with a book balanced on her head during an etiquette and manners class in central Shanghai.
IBP/gik
This sacred dance was directly performed by the Klungkung district government to appear in a colossal manner by involving 2019 dancers during the fourth Semarapura Festival, a few weeks ago. and the dancers may be male or female. Most importantly they are still children. This dance does not stand alone, but is always coupled with Jauk Dance, Penamprat Mask Dance, Bhatara Gde (Barong), Rarung and Bhatara Lingsir (Rangda). Regent of Klungkung, Nyoman Suwirta, said that all the natural and
cultural potentials of Klungkung must be preserved. In addition, it is also a tourist attraction. So, it can be a source of income to improve people’s welfare. But one of the keys is the need for promotional activities. So, it must be continuously introduced in various cultural agendas.
Meanwhile, Head of the Klungkung Tourism Office, I Nengah Sukasta, stressed the potential of indigenous arts and culture must be explored, preserved and introduced to the community. “This will further strengthen Klungkung as a region with the supreme power of art and culture,” he explained. (gik)
Eid holidays
Daily tourist visit to Uluwatu reaches 9,000 people
MANGUPURA - During the Eid holiday on June 4-6, the average visit to tourist attractions outside the Uluwatu Temple reached
9,000 to 10,000 people per day. Meanwhile for three days, a total of 29,015 tourists visited the Uluwatu area.
IBP/kmb23
The number of visits for three days during the Eid holidays in 2019 has indeed increased by 25 percent compared to 2018.
According to Operation Manager of Tourist Attraction Outside the Uluwatu Temple, Wayan Wijana, the number of visits for three days during the Eid holidays in 2019 has indeed increased by 25 percent compared to 2018. Meanwhile, the visits from January to June 2019 are still stable every day. In other words, the average still has 4,500 to 5,000 people per day. From the beginning to June 9, the daily average is around 8,600 visits. “During the Eid celebration on June 1-9, the number of visits per day averagely reaches 8,600. The number of visits is evenly distributed, both domestic and foreign as well as both children and adults,” he said when confirmed on Monday (Jun. 10). When viewed in previous years, throughout June, the average was
only IDR 6,000 per day. But in June of this year, it starts to rise. He estimated the condition happens because June of this year coincided with Eid al-Fitr. In the future, to increase the number of visits, promotions both at home and overseas will continue to be carried out. For promotions at home, there are several cities in the country that will be targeted like Jakarta, Surabaya, Makassar, Manado and others, even Batam will also be targeted as a promotional destination. Meanwhile for overseas promotion, a total of 12 countries will be addressed like India, the United States, Russia, China, Japan, Korea and several Asian countries. His party will specifically target China because all this time the tourists having the highest level of
visits are those from Chinese followed by several other countries. “For this (promotion to China— Ed), we will try to optimize and restore the existing conditions,” he said. In addition to increasing tourist visits to Uluwatu Temple, the increase is also recorded on Labuan Sait Beach. As the operator of the tourist area, Wijana claimed that tourists visiting Labuan Sait Beach as of June 1- 9 were recorded to reach 13,256 visitors. Meanwhile, for daily average visit reached 1,473 visitors. Responding to the increase in tourist arrivals at the two locations, various efforts are made to improve services to tourists. “Surely, in the future we continue to improve, both in the Uluwatu Temple and Labuan Sait Beach,” he explained. (kmb23)
13
Children of Chinese elite walk red line to ‘perfection’
Former Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari was arrested Monday after his bail application was rejected in connection with a highprofile money laundering case that saw millions allegedly siphoned out of the country. Zardari, husband of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, served as president from 2008 until 2013 and has long been the subject of corruption allegations, and he is widely known in Pakistan as “Mr Ten Percent”. Small scuffles erupted between police and supporters of Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) outside his family’s residence in Islamabad as he was taken into custody. A senior PPP official confirmed the arrest. The charges in the latest case centre around allegations Zardari laundered vast sums of money through suspect bank accounts and companies. Last year, Pakistani authorities discovered several accounts in the name of poor people that had been flooded with cash, then suddenly emptied. Pakistan’s Supreme Court established a commission in September to investigate the scourge, finding that at least US$400 million had passed through “thousands of false accounts”. Zardari has repeatedly dismissed allegations he had a hand in the scheme, calling the government an instrument of the powerful military and labelling Prime Minister Imran Khan the army’s “blue-eyed boy”. Never popular and always shrouded in controversy, Zardari -who was once jailed for 11 years for corruption -- stepped down from the president’s office in 2013. But he has continued to serve as co-chairman of the opposition PPP. The arrest comes as the economy continues to spiral and discontent simmers in Pakistan following repeated devalutions of the rupee, soaring inflation, and rising utility prices. Khan, a longtime foe of Zardari, was elected prime minister last year after running a heated campaign vowing to crackdown on corruption. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is also currently behind bars, after being sentenced to seven years in prison late last year on corruption charges. (afp)
SHANGHAI - Danielle Liu stares straight ahead, a book balanced precariously on her head, and carefully walks along a red line on the floor. The 10-year-old’s mother hopes the exercise will help make Danielle “a little lady” and allow her to shine among the offspring of China’s ultra-competitive elite. Danielle is with seven other young children spending their Saturday holed up on the top floor of a five-star hotel in central Shanghai for a class in etiquette and manners. The four boys look dapper in bow ties, suits and shiny black shoes. The four girls are all billowing dresses and angelic smiles. “You have a stability problem,” Guillaume de Bernadac, the selfstyled French doyen of all things etiquette in Shanghai, tells one boy of his attempt to walk and keep the book on his head. If the children, who in this class are aged between nearly seven and 11, enjoy that exercise, they are less keen on having to sit straight and keep their elbows off the table at lunch. “I’m scared,” Zachary repeats as he attempts to eat his pea-and-
mint soup while keeping two pieces of white paper tucked under his armpits. The paper is to ensure they eat with their elbows in, but soon enough, the carpeted floor is littered with A4. The children also have a red ribbon tied behind their shoulders to stop them slouching. Those that do are gently upbraided by de Bernadac or his staff in English or Chinese. - ‘Fierce competition’ Danielle’s mother Cheng Liyan, who also uses the English name Shirley, wants her only child to be “perfect”. “To be lady-like, to be athletic, also academic, I hope she can develop herself in an all-round way,” said Cheng, a teacher, in nearfaultless English. Danielle already takes part in extra-curricular swimming, piano and dancing, which is her favourite. “I always talk to her and ask if she likes it,” said Cheng, but admit-
ted there is “fierce competition” to stand out in Shanghai, China’s most international city and which has a population of about 25 million. Cheng and the other parents pay the 31-year-old de Bernadac 2,688 yuan ($390) for four hours of practical instruction for one child. Against a soundtrack of classical music, the children learn social skills, dining manners and deportment -- hence the books on heads to teach them to walk nicely. Other exercises include how to introduce themselves and greet people, including “air kisses”, and even what topics are appropriate to discuss at the dinner table. De Bernadac, who first came to China as a student, says that demand has surged since he started his company Academie de Bernadac in 2014. Shanghai authorities recently approached him about designing programmes for schools across the city and he also does classes for adults and private firms. (afp)
FAROOQ NAEEM / AFP
Asif Ali Zardari (L) former President and the co-chairperson of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) along with his daughter Aseefa Zardari (2R) leave the Islamabad High Court in Islamabad on June 10, 2019.
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Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Technology
International
NASA to open International Space Station to tourists from 2020
Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP
Phil Spencer, Executive President of Gaming at Microsoft, speaks about ‘Project Scarlett’ during the Xbox E3 2019 Briefing at The Microsoft Theater on June 09, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.
Microsoft gives glimpse of new Xbox console
LOS ANGELES - Microsoft on Sunday gave the world a first glimpse of a powerful nextgeneration Xbox gaming console that it aims to release late next year.
Xbox head Phil Spencer pulled back the curtain on “Project Scarlett,” the creation of a successor to the Xbox One that will give game makers “the power they need to bring their creative visions to life.” No pricing plans for the new console were revealed at a gala event ahead of the opening of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) video game industry gathering. The new Xbox was promised to be released in time for the Christmas holiday shopping season in 2020. “For us, the console is vital and central to our experience,” Spencer said during a media event that showcased 60 new games for Xbox. Xbox battles in the console gaming arena with Sony, which is working on a new generation PlayStation. The commitment to consoles by longtime contenders in the market comes with the rise of video games hosted as subscription services streamed Netflix-style from data centers in the internet cloud. Xbox said at the E3 event that it is adding the ability for players to stream games in their libraries for play on mobile devices with Game Pass subscriptions. “We will bring Xbox to the cloud with Project and console streaming,” Spencer said. “Where you play is entirely your choice, you decide.” The new service will be previewed later this year, according to Microsoft. - Heads in the cloud -
The E3 opens with gamers gradually moving away
from traditional console play and Google seeking to capitalize on that trend with a new Stadia service allowing people to play cloud-powered games on any connected device. Adapting to the new trends will be critical for contenders in the massive video game industry, which last year generated more than $135 billion globally, and $43.4 billion in the United States. According to the Entertainment Software Association, which runs E3, more than 164 million adults in the United States play video games, and three out of four US households have at least one video game player. “This right now is the single most creative and energizing time in gaming history,” Spencer said. “In under two decades, the number of players in the world has more than tripled; now more than two billion of us play games.” Games on smartphones have accounted for a lot of that growth. Microsoft also announced the launch of a beta version of an Xbox Game Pass that lets people using computers powered by the latest Windows software access a library of more than 100 video games. Included in the line-up is the entire “Master Chief” collection of the popular “Halo” science fiction shooter franchise on Xbox. The Game Pass for PC will be priced at $9.99 monthly. A new “Ultimate” game pass lets players combine access to console and personal computer titles for $14.99 monthly. “Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is off the charts as a consumer value proposition,” said NPD analyst Mat Piscatella. “And, the sheer number and scale of games coming to Xbox Game Pass on Day One is very impressive.” (afp)
NEW YORK - NASA said Friday it will open up the International Space Station to business ventures including space tourism as it seeks to financially disengage from the orbiting research lab. Price tag? Tens of millions of dollars for a round trip ticket and $35,000 a night. “NASA is opening the International Space Station to commercial opportunities and marketing these opportunities as we’ve never done before,” NASA chief financial officer Jeff DeWit said in an announcement made at the Nasdaq stock exchange in New York. There will be up to two short private astronaut missions per year, said Robyn Gatens, deputy director of the ISS. The missions will be for stays of up to 30 days. As many as a dozen private astronauts could visit the ISS per year, NASA said. These travelers would be ferried to the orbiter exclusively by the two US companies currently developing transport vehicles for NASA: SpaceX, with its Crew Dragon capsule, and Boeing, which is building one called Starliner. These companies would choose the clients -- who will not have to be US citizens -- and bill for the trip to the ISS, which will be the most expensive part of the adventure: around $58 million for a roundtrip ticket. That is the average rate the companies will bill NASA for taking the space adventurers up to the ISS. Neither Dragon nor Starliner are ready. Their transport capsules are supposed to be ready in late 2019 but the timetable depends on the results of a series of tests. So the private missions will have to wait until 2020 at the earliest. The tourists will pay NASA for their use of the station, for food, water and use of the life support system. That will run about $35,000 per night per astronaut, said DeWit. That does not include internet, which will cost $50 per gigabyte. (afp)
Bali News
International
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
3
The number of patient visits on the first day of service at Sanglah Hospital after the Eid holidays increased sharply.
IBP/kmb
After Eid holidays
Patients at Sanglah Hospital increases sharply DENPASAR — The number of patient visits on the first day of service at Sanglah Hospital after the Eid holidays increased sharply. As recorded, the outpatient visits on Monday (Jun. 10) at 15:00 reached 2,009 people, 334 people in Wing Amerta, and 165 people in Emergency Room. Head of the Sanglah Hospital Medical Record Department, Ni Luh Dharma Kerti Natih, accompanied by the Head of the Public Relations Dewa Ketut Kresna, said the number
had increased quite sharply. By and large, the number of outpatients is a maximum of 1,200 people, 80 - 90 people in Emergency Room and 150 people in Wing Amertha. This increase in patient visits is alleged to happen due to a long holiday. Admittedly the increase did not make Sanglah Hospital overwhelmed in handling patients, but the time for services became longer. Usually the service in the polyclinic opened until 16:00 and after that the employees went home. But at this time, the service lasted until 16:50 or virtually until 17:00 the
employees were still serving patients. Registration of polyclinic services is closed at 14:00. Moreover, for certain polyclinics, the registration was already closed earlier because there were quite a large number of registered patients, such as in the oncology, urology and eye polyclinic. “Well, actually we are not overwhelming because all the patients can be treated properly. We just need more time to handle them. Just now, the services at polyclinic lasted until 16:50,” she said. (kmb42)
Allegedly due to 10 New Bali destinations
Number of international flights downs
Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP
(L-R) NASA Chief Financial Officer Jeff DeWit, ISS Deputy Director Robyn Gatens and NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations Bill Gerstenmaier speak during a press conference to address the opening of the International Space Station to expanded commercial activities, at the Nasdaq MarketSite, June 7, 2019 in New York City.
DENPASAR — Based on the data from the Central Statistics Agency, the number of domestic flight departures from Ngurah Rai Airport is always lower every month in 2019 compared to each month in previous years. Lastly in April 2019, the number of domestic flights reached 3,327. This figure is lower than the previous year in April 2018 reaching 3,700 flights. Likewise, the figures in March and February 2019 are lower than in March and February 2018. “Probably, this is the impact of the high ticket prices widely at issue. Expensive price of the ticket causes domestic flights to drop relatively from month to month in 2019,” said Adi Nugroho, Head of the Bali Central Statistics Agency (BPS) at the official release on Monday (Jun. 10). But apparently, this decrease did not only happen to domestic flights, but also to international
flights. The data on the number of international flights obtained in April 2019 are also lower than April 2018, reaching 2,980 while in April 2019 amounted to 2,947. This lower number has already begun from February and March. The data indicate that even though the price of airline tickets does not rise as on domestic flights, international flights also experience a decline in departures and arrivals. “If it is associated with foreign tourist visits, we also note that there has been a decline that lasted several months when compared to foreign tourist visits in the previous year,” he added. Adi added the decline can be caused by the declining level of the world’s economy so that tourists from all corners of the world also declined. The decline in tourist visits can also happen due to the decreasing attraction of Bali so that people tend to move to other destinations.
According to him, this decline needs to be scrutinized and reviewed and immediately found out the causes in order to find the ways to restore the level of tourist arrivals. Moreover, if the study found that many tourists showed decreasing interest in Bali, this will be something that had to be addressed well to restore Bali’s tourist attraction and seize foreign tourist market. Adi also revealed the decline in the number of flights and the visit was not in line with the level of national tourist arrivals that did not experience a decline in visits. “Nationally, the tourist visit is relatively better, while Bali seems to be starting to go bad. There are indications if the program of 10 New Bali destinations have been working and produced something so that travelers switched to the destinations. According to him, Bali is facing a different new situation
within the past 2-3 years. “On that account, it is required an indepth study on what are actually different from 2-3 years ago so as to provide less encouraging indicators. We must immediately know what it is and must be able to adjust immediately. Having
been known, we can find ways to restore the level of visits,” he explained. Necessarily the indications having taken place for 3-4 months are recorded as serious conditions so that the study must be conducted immediately. (kmb42)
Ngurah Rai Airport
IBP/kmb
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Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Bali News
International
International
Activities
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
15
On backflow traffic, identity examination in Gilimanuk tightened
BAF 2019 revives sebunan arts
IBP/release
DENPASAR — The customary villagebased or sebunan traditional arts will be revived at the Bali Art Festival (BAF) XLI. Sebunan art is given space to strengthen the efforts to preserve the original art traditions living in the community, primarily used as the support for custom, religion, tradition, and other local wisdom. “I think that other than promoting and preserving culture, it also strengthens life in the midst of society through all the existing customary village-based art troupes,” said Governor of Bali Wayan Koster amid the press conference related to the BAF 2019 activities in the Wiswasabha Utama, Bali Governor’s Office on Monday (Jun. 6). According to Koster, the sebunan art troupes show off the strength of the bonds among the fellow members. His community and mutual cooperation are part of social cohesion in the way of life of Balinese people. “In addition to preserving the arts, we also maintain harmony and cohesiveness of Balinese people’s life,” he added. Koster added that BAF XLI featuring the theme
Bayu Pramana (Glorifying Wind Resources) is the first BAF in his leadership period. Starting this year, the themes and contents of the events must be synchronous and harmonious. There are no themes only becoming sweetener, while the content of the event stays monotonous from year to year. On that account, the concept of BAF is fundamentally amended, especially in accordance with the vision known as the Nangun Sat Kerthi Loka Bali. Other than promoting Balinese culture, at the same time the BAF makes Bali known to be unique and the people have civilization. “In the matters of building culture, never count when spending a lot of money. This is a fatal and wrong perspective because what brings in fortune is culture. Without culture, there is no tourist coming,” he explained. Koster proved this by doubling the BAF budget for the districts / city. Previously, the budget was IDR 200 million, while this year increases to IDR 400 million. In the following years, the budget will even continue to increase. Traditional arts having been forgotten, lacking or even threatened with extinction are expected to rise again. Likewise, public awareness is built to explore these traditional arts. (kmb23)
NEGARA - Examinations at the entrance to Bali, especially for migrants entering Bali through Gilimanuk, are tightened. This is meant to anticipate the invasion of immigrants in the backflow of Eid. Regent of Jembrana, I Putu Artha, stated on Monday (Jun. 10) that aside from instructing to repatriate all residents entering Bali without identity cards to their region of origin, all village and hamlet officials are also asked to actively tighten the entry of immigrant residents in their regions. According to Regent Artha, the identity card examination at Gilimanuk is not only for Jembrana’s interests, but also for Bali’s security in general. Since several years, this identity check has been conducted routinely 24 hours for seven days. So, it is not only carried out during the Eid backflow. Quantitatively, the number of personnel is added during the backflow. It is meant to anticipate the explosion of residents entering Bali. “This is routine. Related to this backflow, more officers are in charge and they must work extra,” said Regent Artha. Regent also instructed to take action against residents entering Bali without identity card. Every
The backflow in Gilimanuk
immigrant resident coming without identity must be repatriated to their region of origin. Additionally, the village ranks starting from the hamlet, sub-group and village level are expected to be more active in conducting checks on the new or immigrant residents in their area. “This is the most important thing. Headman and hamlet chief should monitor the area routinely if there are new residents whether to just visit family or will find work. Moreover, they will be living for more than 1 x 24 hours,” explained Regent Artha. Even if they really want to work, the officials must also make sure where they work. He stated that he does not want the number of immigrant residents especially in Jembrana to increase, especially those belonging to jobless residents. Meanwhile, based on information at the identity card checkpoint, the joint officers for identity card examination are added from the usual operation day. Jembrana Civil Registry Office has increased the number of personnel on duty at the identity card checkpoint at Gilimanuk Harbor from around 18 people to 25 people during this backflow. (kmb26)
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Founder : K.Nadha, General Manager :Palgunadi Chief Editor: Gugiek Savindra Editors:Agus Toni, Daniel Fajry, Mawa, Sueca, Denpasar: Dira Arsana, Giriana Saputra, Subrata, Sumatika, Asmara Putra. Bangli: Swasrina, Buleleng: Mudiarta, Gianyar: Manik Astajaya, Karangasem: Eka Parananda, Klungkung: Bagiarta. Jakarta: Nikson, Hardianto, Ade Irawan. NTB: Agus Talino, Izzul Khairi, Raka Akriyani. Surabaya: Bambang Wilianto. Office: Jalan Kepundung 67 A Denpasar 80232. Telephone (0361)225764, Facsimile: 227418, P.O.Box: 3010 Denpasar 80001. Bali Post Jakarta, Advertizing: Jl.Palmerah Barat 21F. Telp 021-5357602, Facsimile: 021-5357605 Jakarta Pusat. NTB: Jalam Bangau No. 15 Cakranegara Telp. (0370) 639543, Facsimile: (0370) 628257. Publisher: PT Bali Post
Aston Denpasar Hotel & Convention Center Goes to School Aston Denpasar Hotel & Convention Center who are reliable in their fields is by making a selection. Selection made by the hotel located on Jalan Gatot Subroto Barat No. 283 was by visiting one of the most favorite tourism schools in town, called SMKN 5 on last May 28th, 2019. The selection process itself was conducted by opening 2 job fair booths in the school’s hall which located on Jalan Ratna No.
17, Denpasar. It organized by t done by the department concerned housekeeping, and front office. “The main purpose is to gain property and brand awareness, to find, and recruit the best trainees from SMKN 5, Denpasar. Furthermore, to support the government program in n reducing the unemployment and alleviate poverty, we also visited vocational training center (BLK) located in No. 23, Denpasar. And proud to
inform you that 21 students were selected to be our future trainees for the period of June – November 2019 which will be placed in the food & beverage product (Kitchen) and food & beverage service (Restaurant) department. The best trainees will get the opportunity to be recruited to become employees of our hotel. “Said Wahyuningsih - Human Resources Manager at Aston Denpasar Hotel & Convention Center.
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Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Musical inspired by Greek mythology wins at Tony Awards NEW YORK - A musical inspired by Greek mythology and a play about the conflict in Northern Ireland were the big winners Sunday at the Tony Awards, the highest honors in American theater. “Hadestown” was the big favorite of the 73rd annual awards with 14 nominations and in the end it took home eight gongs, including best musical. The show, a modern take on the underworld myth of Orpheus and Euridyce with jazz and folk, arrived on Broadway in April after an unusual 13-year journey. From its 2006 origins in Vermont as a musical show without choreography, it has become a hit album and an off-Broadway show in London and Canada. “If Hadestown stands for anything, it is that change is possible. That in dark times, spring will come again,” producer Mara Isaacs said as she received her Tony. “The Ferryman”, written by Jez Butterworth, was also among the favorites this year with nine nominations and ultimately won four Tonys, including best play. Directed by Sam Mendes, who won as best director of a play, it depicts a day in the life of a rural family in Northern Ireland in 1981 at the height of “The Troubles”. Its large and colorful cast of characters includes a baby and a goose. British actor James Corden, master
of ceremonies at the event broadcast from Radio City Music Hall, opened the awards by extolling the virtues of live theater against streaming. While his humor was apolitical, others spoke out during the three-hour show. Bryan Cranston, who won best leading actor in a play for his role in the “Network”, adapted from the satirical 1976 film about a TV anchor, dedicated his award to “all the real journalists around the world.” “The media is not the enemy of the people. Demagoguery is the enemy of the people,” the “Breaking Bad” star said, taking aim at President Donald Trump who frequently rails against unfavorable media as “the enemy of the people.” While the entertainment world is frequently accused of downplaying the contributions of women and minorities, Broadway tried to redress the balance a bit on Sunday. Actress Ali Stroker became the first wheelchair user to win a Tony for her role in the musical “Oklahoma!” but Rachel Chavkin, director of “Hadestown”, was the only woman directing a musical this year. “There are so many women who are ready, so many artists of color who are ready,” Chavkin said in her acceptance speech. “It’s not a lack of preparation, it’s a lack of imagination on the part of a sector supposed to imagine how the world could be”. (afp)
Mike Coppola / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP
The team from Hadestown, winner of the award for Best Musical for Hadestown, poses in the press room for the 73rd Annual Tony Awards at 3 West Club on June 9, 2019 in New York City.
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Wednesday, June 12, 2019 Dannah Lockett and Dani Lockett attend “The Secret Life of Pets 2” Special Screening hosted by 2 Chainz and Trappy S. Goyard at Regal Cinemas Atlantic Station on June 03, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia.
‘Secret Life of Pets 2’ defeats ‘X-Men’ to top box office
LOS ANGELES - Universal’s new animation “The Secret Life of Pets 2” managed to lead North American box offices this weekend with an estimated take of $47.1 million even while earning less than half what the first “Pets” film did just three years ago. “Pets 2,” produced by Illumination studio, edged out another new release, Fox’s “X-Men: Dark Phoenix,” to top the three-day weekend, according to industry watcher Exhibitor Relations. “Pets” could also brag about an A- rating from audiences, suggesting it has staying power, according to CinemaScore. It features the voices of Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish and Patton Oswalt in another tale of what pets do when their owners are away. “Dark Phoenix” sold $33 million in tickets, the worst performance in the X-Man franchise’s 20-year history and “well below expectations,” according to Variety.
Website BoxOfficeMojo called it “the worst reviewed film in the Xmen franchise ever.” And it cost $200 million to make. Said to be the final installment in the X-Men series, “Dark Phoenix” has the main characters facing the fierce power of superhuman Phoenix after a space mission goes awry. It stars James McAvoy, Sophie Turner, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. In third place was Disney’s liveaction “Aladdin,” at $24.5 million. The Guy Ritchie feel-good film stars Will Smith as the genie and Mena Massoud as the wily title character as he seeks the attention of the lovely Jasmine (Naomi
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Scott). Dropping from last weekend’s top spot to fourth place was “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” taking in $15.5 million. The film has eco-terrorists stealing a device developed by scientist Emma (Vera Farmiga) to control the title monster, while her ex-husband (Kyle Chandler) tries to track it down as Godzilla runs amok against a series of equally monstrous rivals. And in fifth was Paramount’s “Rocketman,” the biopic about singer Elton John, at $14 million. Actor Taron Egerton, who plays John, has drawn strong reviews, including a warm endorsement from the singer himself. (afp)
Handout / ROYAL THAI GOVERNMENT / AFP
This handout picture released and taken by the Royal Thai Government on June 11, 2019 shows Prayut Chan-O-Cha paying respect before a portrait of King Maha Vajiralongkorn during the royal endorsement ceremony appointing him as Thailand’s new prime minister at Government House in Bangkok.
Thai junta chief Prayut made PM in royal decree
Junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha formally became Thailand’s 29th prime minister Tuesday after a royal endorsement, completing a long transformation from soldier to civilian leader and vowing “love, unity and compassion”. But critics may doubt the divisive leader’s pledge after his previous stint in power which was marked by a ban on political gatherings, a clamp down on the media and the muzzling of dissent. The 65-year-old ex-army chief led the 2014 coup, the last of at least a dozen since 1932 by a military woven deeply into the country’s turbulent politics. Thailand’s first parliament since the coup was stacked with 250 hand-picked senators who helped vote Prayut in as prime minister
over the charismatic and embattled leader of the Future Forward party. But he holds a razor-thin majority in the lower house in a country frustrated by the military’s influence on politics, with the hashtag #RIPThailand trending on Twitter after the vote. “I will promote a peaceful environment for a unified society based on love, unity and compassion,” Prayut said after the royal decree was read out at Government House. He also promised to “listen to the voices of the people” and pro-
tect the monarchy. Moments before his remarks he knelt before a portrait of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, clasping his hands together in a wai and bowing several times. Prayut faces a rocky transition trailed by questions of legitimacy. His challenger in the vote was billionaire and auto parts scion Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, who has captured millenial hearts with his slick social media presence and withering anti-junta salvos. The party scooped up 81 seats to become the third largest in Thailand. But analysts say Thanathorn’s magnetic appeal has made him and the party a target. The Future Forward leader and his deputies are facing more
than a dozen legal complaints that they say are politically motivated. Thanathorn was suspended from parliament while one of the cases plays out and could face a ban from politics and jail time if convicted. He was unable to attend the vote for prime minister even though he was the only other candidate. Police are also probing a complaint against party spokeswoman Pannika Wanich for allegedly breaching the country’s royal defamation law. She denies the claim. Observers say Future Forward offered a fresh alternative for voters tired of familiar political camps. For the past 13 years Thailand has been rocked by violent protests and takeovers in a broad split
between supporters of the powerful Shinawatra clan and an archroyalist elite backed by the military. Yingluck Shinawatra’s administration was toppled in the 2014 coup and her brother Thaksin was ousted by the military in 2006. Both siblings live in self-exile but their main political machine Pheu Thai backed Thanathorn as candidate for prime minister. (afp) News can also be heard in “Bali Image” at Global Radio FM 96.5 from 9.30 until 10.00 am. Listen to Global Radio FM at http:// globalfmbali.listen2myradio.com or live video streaming at http:// radioglobalfmbali.com and http:// ustream.tv/channel/global-fm-bali.