Edisi 16 Mei 2011 | International Bali Post

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Local elections to test Berlusconi’s grip on power

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Monday, May 16, 2011

PAGE 6

‘X-Men’ vet Janssen peers through director’s lens PAGE 12 IBP/Eka Adhiyasa

Tourists shopping at Art Market in Bali Island. The tourism industry is the driving force of Bali‘s economy which is able to provide job opportunities for locals as well as for those from other regions in Indonesia, a statistics official said.

Not published We, the International Bali Post would like to apologize in advance because we will not be published on Tuesday, May 17, 2011.

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Tourism serves as backbone of Bali’s economy Antara

DENPASAR - The tourism industry is the driving force of Bali‘s economy which is able to provide job opportunities for locals as well as for those from other regions in Indonesia, a statistics official said.

“This condition causes Bali to become the target of job seekers from various regions in In-

donesia where they speculate their fate on the island,” said Head of the Central Bureau of

Statistics (BPS) of Bali, Gede Suarsa in Denpasar, on Sunday.

He said this was reflected in the increasing population of Bali which was quite significant. The results of the 2010 population census showed a population growth rate of 2.14 percent in Bali in the last ten years.

In the 2000 census the population of Bali was only 3.15 million

people. It rose to 3.89 million in the year 2010. Population growth is high due to the migration of residents from some parts of Indonesia.

“They are job seekers who tried their fortune in Bali, because they see many opportunities from the tourism sector,” said Gede Suarsa.

Continued on page 6

M-60 planes’ airworthiness being checked Antara

DENPASAR - The Directorate of Aircraft AirWorthiness and Operations has been re-checking the airworthiness of three MA-60 planes at Bali Ngurah Rai airport in the past three days following the recent crash of one of the planes in Papua.

“We have been doing the rechecking since Thursday, examining 12 technical items such as air communication instruments, engine, flight documents and components that are routinely replaced,” Teguh Jalu, the checking coordinator of the directorate, said here on Saturday.

He said the directorate also planned to test the capability of the pilots of Merpati Airlines MA 60.

“Perhaps in the next few days a team will test the pilots. Team members will join the flight to test a pilot`s capability,” he said.

Based on the results of the recheck on the planes made in China no damage or technical problems had been found on the three planes.

“No damage or technical problems were found, that could endanger passengers,” Teguh said. Due to the rechecking a Merpati flight using MA 60 bound for Mataram-Labuan Bajo had been delayed for two hours.

IBP/Net

Merpati Airlines

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International

Monday, May 16, 2011

Bali News

Rat attack spreads out, farmers set faked cobra Tabanan (Bali Post)—

Rat attack keeps on spreading out in Tabanan. Not only at Sudimara Village, has the attack begun to expand to Gubug Village nearby. Recorded, about 20 hectares of rice field have been damaged by those rats. Of the amount, some2 hectares of land were in severely damaged condition.

IBP/File

a farmer is placing a fake cobra in his rice field.

Chief of Subak Gubug, Made Lingga, justified the attack.

He explained the rat attack had appeared since the past 20 days. The rats ate the rice straw that should have started to bear fruits. “They attacked the rice stalks, so many are damaged,” he said on Saturday (May 14). The damage occurred randomly or unevenly. By and large, they tended to harm in the middle of the rice field plot.

Just like the Sudimara Village, it was the third rat attack.

Local farmers were unable to do much, either, because all efforts to eradicate the rats had been carried out, starting from cremation ritual (Ngaben) until mass hunting. However, the rat attack did not subside and even it turned more severe.

Now, to reduce the rat attack, local farmers implemented a unique traditional way. They put a hump of coconut midrib in the middle of paddy field. This method was believed to reduce the rat attack. Hump of the coconut midrib ex-

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actly resembled the cobra’s head. “Hopefully, the rats would fear and go after seeing this faked cobra’s head,” said Lingga.

Based on observation at location, a number of rice fields in this area had been set by such cobra’s head. It was carried out by sticking the hump of coconut midrib between the rice plants. Apart from mice, said Lingga, the paddy plants in the area were also attacked by tungro disease and green leafhoppers. This condition made farmers uneasy and fear of crop failure.

Head of Tabanan Food Crops and Horticulture, Gede Made Sukawijaya, came down in person to monitor the paddy plants attacked by rats. He explained the attacked paddy plants were found uneven. Nevertheless, his party called on farmers to reduce the population of rat. Among them, they were appealed to perform ritual as implemented in 2009, while another measure was by starting to change the cropping pattern.

“Ideally, having cultivated rice, farmers should plant non-rice crops, so the rats attack will not continue,” he said accompanied by the Division Head of Tabanan Food Crop Production Made Suweta.

Farmers were also expected to perform a sustainable control pursuant to environmental conditions. In other words, before the planting season, it should be preceded with rat mass hunting.

According to him, the outbreak of rat attack was triggered by many factors. In addition to cropping pattern, the environmental sanitation and weather conditions had also an impact on the rats.

Incessant rain, he added, could trigger the breeding of rats. Moreover, many farmers were growing rice. (udi)

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Bali News

International

Monday, May 16, 2011

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Bali to host UNESCO meeting

To confirm Balinese traditional dances Jakarta (Bali Post)—

Bali will host the Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, an annual session in the field of international culture held by the United Nations on November 22-29, 2011.

Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Wardiyatmo, after receiving the delegates of UNESCO Mme Oda Lehmann and Mr. David Martel Pintado in Jakarta, Friday (May 13) said the two officials of UNESCO had conducted an assessment and paid a visit to Bali to verify the cultural elements proposed by the government of Indonesia to get the protection from the UNESCO. According to Wardiyatmo, Indonesia had registered some cultural elements to the UNESCO, among others, The Cultural Landscape of Bali Province (Taman Ayun Temple, Pakerisan River watershed sites and Jatiluwih Rice terraces) and Saman Dance of Aceh that had been stipulated by the UNESCO in the category of the Urgent Safeguarding List that would be confirmed in the meeting of UNESCO in Bali in next November.

Additionally, there were three

intangible cultural heritages of Indonesia needing to register urgently to UNESCO for conservation purposes so they would not become extinct. One of which was a Balinese traditional dance proposed as nominee in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, consisting of Rejang Dance, Sanghyang Pedar, ceremonial Baris Dance, Sidhayana Mask, Gambuh Drama, Human Puppet, Legong Keraton, Joged Bumbung, and Barong Ket Kuntisraya. “The nine dances represent the nine regencies in Bali,” he said.

Wardiyatmo said that Indonesia would first host the session of the committee. It was a rare opportunity after decided in the meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee on the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Nairobi, Kenya, November 2010.

The session itself, said Wardiyatmo, would be attended by more than 500 delegates where each delegate would be led by Ambassador and High State Officials of the decision makers of culture representing over 134 countries, representatives of international organizations, cultural experts, representatives of leading Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) and some others. (son)

Tornado hits Tumbak Bayuh

Many trees topple, one resident injured Mangupura (Bali Post)—

Rainfalls accompanied by strong winds suspected as tornado ravaged a number of village corners of Tumbak Bayuh, Mengwi, on Friday (May 13). The incident caused some damages to buildings and injured a victim from local village.

From the information gathered, the incident took place around 4:00 p.m. Heavy rains accompanied by strong winds occurred in the area.

Suddenly, the wind was blowing faster and then rotating violently at some points. The violent rotating winds were suspected to be a tornado raging about five minutes.

Village Head of Tumbak Bayuh, Si Made Sukrayana, accompanied

by Chief of Gunung Pande Hamlet Joni Astika said the incident toppled a number of trees and disconnected the power cord. Not only that, a large coop owned by Ketut Yahya, a resident of Gunung Pande Hamlet, collapsed as swept by the rotating winds.

Meanwhile, Nyoman Mudiksa, one of the workers cleaning up the

coop at that time, became a victim and should be rushed to Badung Hospital. He suffered from injuries including on the head and back as impinged by debris of the coop holding approximately 2,500 chickens. “The victim was immediately rushed to Kapal Hospital (Badung Hospital— Ed),” said Sukrayana.

Once the weather condition was getting better, the residents began to clean up the debris of buildings. In addition, the residents were also made busy cleaning up the streets as covered by branches of toppling trees.

When confirmed separately, the Head of Badung Public Protection (Kesbangpolinmas), Ni Putu Suryawati, said that after getting medical treatment, the resident treated in Badung Hospital was allowed to go home. In the meantime, the damaged buildings caused by the violent tornado consisted of the coop, piasan pavilion, food stall, shop, and cow shed owned by residents. Her party was unable to confirm the total losses caused by the incident. “Tomorrow, we’ll check it again,” she said. (kmb25)

IBP/File

Tourists enjoy their time in Goa Lawah which is located in Klungkung Regency.

Goa Lawah remains favored Semarapura (Bali Post)—

As one of the leading tourist attractions in Klungkung Regency, Goa Lawah remains to be favored by local, domestic and foreign tourists. As monitoring on Friday (May 13), a number of tourists alternately came to ticket counter inside the Goa Lawah Temple. Aside from paying admission ticket, they should also put on sarong and shawl before entering the temple area.

Some of those visitors came in group such as the schoolchildren, college students and family entourage. “There are always tourists visiting the Goa Lawah Temple,” said one of the operation staff of Goa Lawah tourist object, Putu Juliadi.

According to Juliadi, the tourists paying a visit had a variety of pur-

poses. Some just wanted to know the existence of thousands of bats hanging in the cave around the temple, while others wanted to observe the architectural style of the temples and cave. Some of them were tourists from Australia, Japan, China and others.

“But, the most enjoying, in the

sense they did not merely look around are from Australia or Europe. Meanwhile, Chinese tourists usually just wanted to know,” said Juliadi. At least, the Goa Lawah Temple object was visited by 100 tourists every day. However, during the busiest visits, it even reached 200 visitors. (kmb20)

Trashes on coastal tourist objects

Hotel indifferent, tourism officers less maximal Singaraja (Bali Post)—

The number of trashes accumulating on the beach becoming a tourist attraction seems to have not been addressed seriously by Buleleng Regency. Hotels and restaurants located on the shoreline look indifferent and the clean-up service attendants deployed by the Buleleng Regency were not working optimally.

Head of Buleleng Sanitation and Landscaping Services (DKP), Ida Bagus Ketut Swarjana, admitted on Friday (May 13) if the waste management in coastal areas was still not maximal. For coastal tourist destinations, the clean-up service attendants were employed by the Department of Culture and Tourism. But, those in charge at coastal areas such as Lovina Beach were admitted to have not handled the trashes maximally.

Swarjana said that coastal areas often became the location of accumulating trashes washed away by river

water during the rainy season. Additionally, the tourism activities were also producers of waste polluting the coastal area. “As in the last rainy season, flash floods brought in trashes to the coast,” he said.

According to Swarjana, at some coastal tourist objects like Lovina, Department of Culture and Tourism had deployed some clean-up service attendants to collect trashes every day.

Later on, the trashes were transported

by DKP officers to landfills. He acknowledged that a number of hotels and restaurants seemed to pay no attention to sanitation of coastal area nearby and left the entire responsibilities to the officers.

But, at a number of other beaches, like the tourism area of Batuampar, Pemuteran Village, Gerokgak Subdistrict, the operator of hotels and restaurants worked closely with local villagers to maintain the beach sanitation. “As the commissioned offic-

ers are overwhelmed, we do expect the support of local community including the operator of hotels and restaurants to keep the environment and participate in managing the waste,” he explained.

On the other hand, Swarjana said that to increase the participation of community, employers and government, his party engaged all components to perform clean up service at respective subdistrict territory every month in the second week. Such movement was considered effective in dealing with trashes that would not only be the responsibility of government but also of all societal components. “This movement also provides an understanding for the public and employers that thrashes handling does not necessarily mean to dispose them to landfill but how to manage the trashes into useful materials such as organic fertilizer and recycled products,” he explained. (kmb)

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News

Monday, May 16, 2011

International

IMF chief charged with sex attack in New York hotel Reuters NEW YORK/PARIS - IMF chief and possible French presidential contender Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested and charged on Sunday with sexual assault, including an attempted rape, on a hotel maid in New York City. Strauss-Kahn, 62, a key player in the response to the 2007-09 financial meltdown and in Europe’s debt crisis, was removed from an Air France plane minutes before it was to leave for Paris from John F Kennedy International Airport on Saturday.

A lawyer representing Strauss-Kahn, Benjamin Brafman, told Reuters in an email that the chief of the International Monetary Fund, the world’s main overseer of the global economic system, “will plead not guilty”. The news rocked France, where latest opinion polls ranked Socialist StraussKahn, the front-runner for the presidential election next April and May. Marine Le Pen, head of the far-right National Front, said her rival’s hopes were crushed.

The IMF declined to comment and IMF board officials told Reuters they had not been informed officially of the incident.

Renaud Muselier, a member of conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy’s UMP party, said: “It’s a disaster for our country and France’s image because he is the head of the IMF and it completely changes the

cards for the presidential election.”

New York police spokesman Paul Browne said Strauss-Kahn was arrested at 2:15 a.m.

(0615 GMT) on Sunday on charges of criminal sexual act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment. “We must wait until things settle and see if it’s true or a provocation, one of Strauss-Kahn’s French-based lawyers, Leon Lef Forster, told Reuters, adding: “We must be especially careful not to get into a media circus and we must wait until things are clear.”

A 32-year-old maid filed a sexual assault complaint after fleeing the $3,000-a-night hotel suite at the Sofitel in Times Square where the alleged incident occurred around 1 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Saturday, Browne said. Strauss-Kahn appeared to have fled the AP Photo/Seth Wenig hotel after the incident, the police spokes- A van pulls into a police station where it is believed Dominique Strauss-Kahn is being man said. held in New York, Sunday, May 15, 2011.

Israeli soldiers run past burning tires under a mural of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat during clashes with Palestinian stone throwers following a protest to mark the upcoming 63rd anniversary of ‘Nakba’, Arabic for ‘Catastrophe’, Saturday, May 14, 2011.

AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed

Witness: Israel fires tank shells near Gaza march Associated Press Writer

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – A witness says Israeli troops have fired two tank shells and several rounds from machine guns as Palestinian marchers approached Gaza’s border with Israel. Medics say three people were wounded by gunfire. A witness says the tank shells landed in an empty field several hundred yards (meters) from the marchers.

Sunday’s march is part of commemorations of the Palestinians’ uprooting during the war over Israel’s creation in 1948. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven out, and the dispute

over the fate of the refugees and their descendants remains a key issue in the Mideast conflict.

Marches are being held across the West Bank and Gaza. A Hamas leader affirmed the group’s hardline principles in a speech to thousands of Muslim worshippers Sunday, as they commemorated the uprooting of Palestinians during the 1948 war over Israel’s creation.

Palestinians mark the occasion this year “with great hope of bringing to an end the Zionist project in Palestine,” Ismail Haniyeh, the prime minister of the Hamas government in Gaza, told about 10,000 people at a Gaza City mosque.

New president takes power in struggling Haiti Associated Press Writer

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – A pop star known for his bad boy antics on stage, Michel “Sweet Micky” Martelly, became this earthquake-devastated country’s new president Saturday and urged Haitians to set aside their divisions and raise the country from rubble.

The 50-year-old was all business as he was inaugurated on the lawn of the collapsed National Palace before a crowd of thousands. He told his compatriots to respect laws, pay their taxes, and pitch in to ensure that a more independent Haiti moves forward after a massive earthquake last year flattened the capital and outer areas, killing more than 300,000 people and leaving hundreds of thousands more living in tents.

Martelly spoke as if he wanted to distinguish himself from outgoing President Rene Preval, who was seen as aloof and meek.

“Hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, we’re going to change Haiti,” Martelly told the roaring crowd in a mix of Creole and French.

“We want to re-establish order and discipline in the country.”

As if to dramatize the challenges facing this desperately poor country, a power outage interrupted the inauguration cer-

emony. The inauguration marked the first time in Haitian history that a president had transferred power to a member of the opposition.

An emphatic and self-confident Martelly laid out his top priorities for rebuilding the country, a plan that focused on education, tax collection, security and foreign investment. To “change the face of Haiti,” he said everybody had to do their part.

Martelly told his audience not to throw rocks in protest or build homes on precarious ravines. When he told his audience to pay taxes to improve

services, the message seemed aimed at the business class sitting in the shade of the stands. Louis Gary Lissade, an attorney and former justice minister, said the new president wanted “no more monkey business.”

“He told the business class to be straight,” Lissade said. “He talked about this civic duty: You must pay taxes.” Martelly reiterated a pledge to rebuild the crumbling capital of Port-au-Prince, revive an economically depressed countryside and bolster security.

AFP PHOTO/HECTOR RETAMAL

Newly-installed Haitian President Michel Martelly and his wife Sophia participate in a Mass during his swearing in ceremony on May 14, 2011 in Port-au-Prince.

International

Activities

Monday, May 16, 2011

5

American Idol winner Lee Dewyze performs at Ayana IBP

JIMBARAN – American Idol winner Lee DeWyze performed for 400 people at a private event at Ayana Resort and Spa Bali last night.

The performance, part of a Fox International Channels Gala Dinner, was held on the cliffedge lawn of the 77-hectare resort, against a stunning backdrop of coconut palms and the Indian Ocean. Afterwards, the audience and DeWyze caught the inclinator down the cliffface to the iconic Rock Bar, which just the night before had hosted Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for sunset cocktails.

DeWyze said he hoped his next visit to Bali would be to perform at the Rock Bar. “I’m not just saying this, but this resort and Bali itself, is the coolest place I’ve ever been. Ayana is definitely the nicest place I’ve ever stayed,” said the singer-songwriter, whose rough-hewn voice and laid-back Midwestern charm won over millions of viewers as a contestant and eventual winner of the ninth season of American Idol.

“Of all the places I’ve been on this tour, this is my favorite and I plan to come back very soon.

I’d love to perform at the Rock Bar.”

Strumming a guitar on a small stage and supported only by a pianist, he performed nine songs at Ayana, including two covers (‘Use Somebody’

by Kings of Leon and ‘Rocket Man’ by Elton John) and seven original tracks from his new album, Live It Up. His Bali performance was part of a six-city promotional tour for his first major label-debut album, following Hong Kong, Manila and Taipei, with Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur up next.

On how winning American Idol had changed his life, DeWyze said, “It’s allowed me to do what I’ve always wanted to do, but which I wasn’t able to do before. Whether it’s helping out with charities, traveling around the world, or just doing what I love the most, making my own music, I now have that opportunity.”

The Fox dinner was part of the 2011 AsiaPacific Pay-TV Operators Summit held at Ayana, whose accolades include being one of only three hotels in Indonesia on the 2011 Conde Nast Gold List, and being voted #1 Spa Resort in the World at the 2010 Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Awards and Asia’s Leading Luxury Villa at the 2010 World Travel Awards.

Temple Ceremony Calendar Event forApril 27 through May 23, 2011 27 Apr Pagerwesi Day Laban Sindu Jiwa Temple Kedewatan Ubud Kehen Temple Bangli Wirabuana Temple Magelang Jawa Tengah Padang Sakti Tangtu Temple Denpasar Timur Jogan Agung Temple Ketewel Sukawati Gadung Pengiasan Temple Dauh Puri Denpasar Pasek Gelgel Temple Buruan Kaja Tabanan Pasek Gobleg Temple Kerambitan tabanan Pasek Gelgel Meliling Temple Tabanan Masceti Selasih Temple Sanding Tampak Siring Paek Gaduh Temple Buduk Dadia Pasek Gelgel Temple Kelabang Moding Merajan Pasek Gelgel Sekalan Marga - Tabanan

8 May Redite Umanis Ukir Sangah Gede Dukuh Segening Temple Tegal Tugu Gianyar

2 May Tilem Jiyestha Bhujangga Waisnawa Gumrih Temple Jembrana

17 May Anggar Kasih Kulantir Penataran Tangkas Temple Sukawati Dalem Lagan Temple Bebalang Bangli Puseh Lembeng Temple Ketewel Sukawati Pasek Gelgel Penulisan Temple Kerambitan Tabanan Gaduh Temple Sading Dalem Gandamayu Temple Klungkung Pura Sanghyang Tegal Temple Banjar Taro Kaja Tegalalang

7 May Tumpek Landep Day Pasek Gelgel Temple Pedungan South of Denpasar Agung Pasek Temple Tangun Titi kaler Tabanan Agung Pasek Silamadeg Temple Selamadeg Tabanan Pasek Tangkas Temple Kediri Tabanan Kerta Temple Banyuning Barat Buleleng Dalem Tenggaling Sengguan Tenggaling Sengguan Singapadu Kawitan Arya Wang Bang Pinatih Pinatih Peguyangan Singaraja Bhujangga Weisnawa Temple Tegalcangkring Jembrana Taman Desa Bubunan Temple Seririt Buleleng Penataran Pande Dalem Batur Jati Banjar Pandean Mengwi Dalem Pingit Temple Br, Taro Kaje Tegalalang Dadia Pasek Gelgel Gobleg Selat Village Sukasada Buleleng Batur Arya Warih Kepaon Cengolo Sudimara Tabanan Ida ratu Pande Temple Besakih - Karangasem Mr. Pasek Toh Jiwa Temple Toh Jiwa Tangungtiti Penataran Pande Kusamba Temple Klungkung Penataran Agung Pinatih Tulikup Temple Banjar Menak Desa Tulikup Gianyar

11 May Buda Wage Ukir Pasar Agung Temple Besakih - Karangasem Pasek Bendesa Pasar Badung Temple Legian Kuta Gede Gunung Agung Dukuh Temple Munggu Badung Hyang Agung Ibuwanasari Temple Tegal Puseh Village Temple Temple Bebalang Village Bangli Dalem Perancak Temple Badung Pasek Bendesa Hyang Selat Temple Kerobokan Badung Kekeran Langit Temple Sading Mengwi

18 May Buda Umanis Kulantir Pasek Tangkas kaler Temple Tabanan Gaduh Benoh Temple Ubung Denpasar 22 May Redite Keliwon Tolu Dalem Alas Harum Temple Kaba-kaba Kediri Tabanan 23 May Soma Umanis Tolu Puseh/Balai Agung Ubung Temple Kupang Penebel Tabanan Kawitan Sakula Gotra Temple Kepuh Kaba-kaba Kediri Tabanan Bhujangga Rsi-Tambak Bayuh Temple Bayuh Paibon Tangkas Kori Agung Temple Ceningan KanginNusa Penida Batu Madeg Temple Besakih - Karangasem Penataran Agung Penatih Temple Banjar Saba Penatih

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

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

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

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

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

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

6

News

Monday, May 16, 2011

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi gestures as he gives a speech during a convention of The People of Freedom Party (Popolo della Liberta) in Naples on May 13, 2011.

AFP PHOTO / ROBERTO SALOMONE

Local elections to test Berlusconi’s grip on power Reuters

ROME – Italians voted on Sunday in local elections that will show whether a sex scandal, three corruption trials and a stagnating economy have seriously damaged Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi two years before the end of his term.

Some 13 million Italians, nearly a quarter of the population, are eligible to vote in 1,310 towns and provinces, although turnout is expected to be relatively low because of disillusionment with the stormy political climate.

The most important contests are in the four big cities of Turin, Naples, Bologna and Milan — Italy’s business capital and Berlusconi’s home town, where his center-right coalition runs the risk of losing for the first time in nearly 20 years.

The local vote, which runs through Monday, follows opinion polls putting Berlusconi’s popularity at about 30 percent, the lowest since he swept to power

for the third time in 2008.

But more than once in the past the 74-year old premier has defied predictions that his grip on power was weakening.

“The problem is that when people are inside the polling station, they change their mind and always end up voting for Berlusconi, and that is because the center left does not have a leader as strong as him in terms of charisma,” said Milan resident Giorgio Cecchi.

Since March, Berlusconi has faced four concurrent trials for corruption, tax fraud and, most sensationally, having sex with an underage prostitute and then using his office to cover it up.

Berlusconi denies all charges

and says Milan magistrates are politically biased leftists bent on destroying him. He is also battling accusations that he has failed to tackle Italy’s low growth, and strains have intensified in his alliance with the pro-devolution, anti-immigrant Northern League.

Data on Friday showed Italy’s economy grew just 0.1 percent in the first quarter, far below Germany’s 1.5 percent growth but also lagging the 0.8 percent expansion of debt-stricken Greece.

The League, vital for Berlusconi’s survival after he split from long-time ally Gianfranco Fini, has repeatedly distanced itself from him, notably opposing Italy’s involvement in the NATO bombing of Libya.

Security, emotions high for queen’s Irish visit Associated Press Writer

DUBLIN – This week’s groundbreaking visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland is raising passions and security fears in a nation that has traditionally cast a cold eye on its former master.

It is a trip filled with the symbolism of reconciliation as the queen stresses the need to bury a history of often bloody confrontation.

Encouraged by the largely successful peace process in Northern Ireland, which has made her sensitive visit feasible, the queen will become the first British monarch to set foot in the Republic of Ireland.

When a British sovereign last came, a full century ago, all of Ireland was still part of the United Kingdom.

“She’s doing it for the consolidation of the peace process,” said University of Cambridge historian John Morrill, a specialist in Anglo-Irish relations. “It shows the transformation of relations. It is a demonstration to those who still need to be persuaded that things really have changed.”

The four-day trip to Dublin, Kildare, Tipperary and Cork comes as a Catholic-Protestant government in the neighboring British territory of Northern Ireland has just been re-elected, marking another peace mile-

stone.

The Irish Republican Army violence of decades past — counting among its victims the queen’s cousin, Lord Louis Mountbatten, killed when the IRA blew up his yacht in 1979 — has given way to the group’s 2005 renunciation of violence.

Only small splinter groups still plot bloodshed across the border.

Irish commentator Fintan O’Toole said the queen should have come to the Republic of Ireland at least a decade ago, when Belfast peacemaking was still in the balance, and her intervention might have boosted the momentum toward peace.

“Her trip isn’t actually going to change attitudes. It’s putting a seal on changes that have already happened,” he said.

“There’s been excessive caution about it,” he said of the royal visit, first suggested by Ireland’s president in 1996.

“The authorities are afraid somebody’s going to shoot her.

But waiting for a time when nobody in Ireland would want to shoot the queen — that’s never going to happen.”

One of the queen’s first actions Tuesday will be to lay a wreath at a Dublin memorial honoring Ireland’s rebel dead, a surprisingly direct gesture toward Britain’s opponents in the bloody 1919-21 guerrilla war of independence.

Tourism...

From page 1

Over 50 injured in Egypt sectarian unrest Agence France Presse

CAIRO – Clashes between Muslims and Christians in the centre of Cairo have left 51 people wounded, the health ministry said Sunday, as Coptic Christians pursued a sit-in protest against the violence.

“Most of the wounded suffer from fractures and bruises,” said health ministry official Ayman Ragab, quoted by the MENA news agency.

The clashes broke out Saturday after an altercation between a young Muslim and Coptic Chris-

tians who have been staging a sitin outside the state television building in Cairo since May 7, after sectarian unrest last week that left 15 dead, police said.

The Muslim returned to the protest site with a group of friends and fired on the Christians with a hunting rifle, the sources said.

Clashes then erupted with rocks being thrown and a number of young Muslims arrived later and threw Molotov cocktails at the Christian protesters’ vehicles, police said.

Last week’s clashes broke out after Muslims surrounded a church

in Cairo demanding the handover of a woman they said Christians had detained after she converted to Islam and left her Christian husband to marry a Muslim. The Muslims also set fire to a second church.

The unrest threatened to drive Egypt’s often tense religious tensions to the brink, prompting the military to arrest more than 200 people it said will swiftly be tried.

Copts account for up to 10 percent of the country’s 80 million people.

They complain of discrimination, and have been the target of repeated sectarian attacks.

These conditions affect the labor force which until February 2011 were recorded 2,295,574 million people, which were an increase of 178,602 people compared to the same month the previous year which were recorded only at 2,116,972 people.

While the total working population in Bali in February 2001, stood at 2,229,970 people or an increase of 188,633 people compared to the same month the previous year which was 2,041,337 people.

Thus the open unemployment in Bali reached 2.85 per-

cent which declined by 3.57 percent within a year.

Almost all sectors in Bali had experience in the increase in the number of workers, except for two sectors namely agriculture and industry.

Workers in the agricultural sector decreased by 30,899 persons or 4.58 per cent and industrial sector by 13,410 people or 4.40 percent.

Gede Suarsa said there were four leading sectors as the main absorbers of labor in Bali, which consisted of agriculture, trade, social services and industrial sectors.

International

Indonesia Today

Two alleged terrorists killed in Solo Antara

JAKARTA - Two suspected terrorists were killed following a firefight with police anti-terror unit Densus 88 personnel in Solo, Central Java, early on Saturday.

“A firefight happened during the arrest of the two alleged terrorists wanted so far over bombings in Klaten (Central Java) on Jalan Pelajar Pejuang, Cemani, Solo at 01.15 hours on Saturday,” National Police head of public information Senior Commissioner Boy Rafli Amar said.

The two who were killed were Sigit Qurdowi and Hendro,” he said.

“From them the police confiscated two FN handguns, one Baretta firearm, an active hand grenade and 100 FN bullets,” he said.

The two were riding on a motorbike from a house in Cemani, Solo, in the direction of Densus 88 surveillance and enforcement teams. “Suddenly they turned around and were followed by the team. When the team tried to stop them Sigit Qurdowi fired the Densus members who then fired back at them,” he said.

He said Sigit’s shot hit a food hawker named Nur Iman some meters from the scene while he was trying to get close to the scene.

“This made Nur Iman dead. The two terrorists were also killed to death on the scene,” he said.

The two terrorists were involved in the church and Kliwon market bombings in December 2010 and were also involved in the terrorism in Cirebon recently and connected with four other terrorist suspects caught in Solo.

On Thursday (May 12) the police arrested four people allegedly involved in terrorism in Solo.

They are Edi T alias Edi Jablay, Ari Budi alias Abas alias Irwan, Harid Buiarto alias Nobita and Aripin Haryono.

The police confiscated 183 nine millimeter caliber bullets and 381 5.56 4TJ caliber bullets from a raid in Haryanto‘s house on Jalan Perkutut Banmati, Sukoharjo.

“They are caught following development of the case of suspects involved in the Cirebon bombing as suppliers of firearms and ammunition including grenades. Right now they are still being intensively interrogated by Densus,” he said.

Walhi: Half of RI’s oil palm plantations foreign-owned Antara

JAKARTA - The Environmental Forum of Indonesia (WALHI) says fifty-percent of the country’s oil palm plantations are owned by foreign parties.

“Fifty percent of oil palm plantations in Indonesia are controlled by Malaysia, Singapore, the US and Belgium,” WALHI’s food and water campaign manager M Islah said in a written statement issued here on Friday.

He said Indonesia has the largest oil palm plantations in the world but he thought it had no sovereignty in the sector.

He said the crisis in food sovereignty adds to various policies issued before such as conversion of land for industrial and mining development causing three million hectares of agricultural land to turn into other functions.

“Even right now in Java island average agricultural land ownership has been only 0.25 hectare per family,” he said.

WALHI also spotlights three other policies namely Law Number 41 of 2009 on sustainable agricultural land protection and Government Regulation Number 18 of 2010 on plant cultivation system which it has considered providing room for big industries to take over agricultural land.

The organization has also criticized the government’s to invite investors from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to enter

Papua under the food estate scheme.

Agriculture Minister Suswono earlier called for NGO activists stop conducting black campaign that hurts ASEAN palm oil industry especially Indonesia’s.

“A number of demands for Indonesia to improve its system of plantation development and palm oil processing to avoid environmental concerns have already been met. But if black campaigning still continues I think there constraints to enter the European Union markets will remain that will affect the continuation of the country’s palm oil industry,” he said after attending the ASEAN Economic Community Council and European Union Commissioner for Trade meeting here on May 6.

He said the ASEAN CPO product has actually been the best prepared to enter into a free trade because of its competitiveness and because the tropical region’s product has exclusive characteristics not found in European countries.

Indonesia’s Crude Palm Oil production until now are still facing barriers to enter some European markets, which are related to environment concerns especially forest destruction in view of climate change.

According to data of the Federation of Indonesia Palm Oil Producers (GAPKI) Indonesia in 2011 is expected to produce up to 22 to 22.5 million tons of CPO with exports projected to reach 16.5 to 19 million tons.

Monday, May 16, 2011

7

President, rights commission discuss military-civilian land disputes Antara

JAKARTA - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono met with the leadership of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to discuss alleged cases of human right violations over land disputes between the military and civilians. “(They discussed) agrarian disputes such as over plantations, mining and forestry lands including the ones controlled by TNI (military) for combat training,” Komnas HAM chairman Ifdhal Kasim said here on Friday after leading a Komnas HAM delegation ata meeting with the President.

Idfhal said the President had a strong commitment to the settlement of existing cases. At the meeting the President also touched on technical things and a mechanism for settling the cases so that they would not cause casualties.

“It was agreed just now whether the effort would be put into the establishment of a committee or a task force to speed up the settlement of the agrarian disputes,” he said.

Ifdhal also mentioned the need for training all parties including the TNI on how to handle land disputes. “So that it will not have implications like the one recently in Kebumen,” he said.

On April 16, 2011 villagers of Setrojenar in the subdistict of Bulupesantren, Kebumen, Central Java, clashed with TNI members in connection with a dispute over land used by TNI as a combat training ground.

In the clash dozens of people were hurt while sevaral others were named suspects by the police for alleged destruction of public facilities belonging to the TNI’s reseach and development service in the region.

The Central Java military commander, Major General Langgeng Sulistiyono, said the Urutsewu area in Kebumen would remain to a military training ground although local residents had claimed ownership over the land.

“There has been no order so far from the leadership to stop military exercises there. If the leadership says the exercise program remains, I will continue to carry it out,” he said in Magelang on Wednesday last week.

US, RI discuss future of peatland, mangroves Antara

DENPASAR - The workshop was sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) with the Ministry of Forestry (FORDA), SEKALA, the U.S. Forest Service, and CIFOR (Center for International Forestry Research), and advanced the objectives of the U.S.Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership.

The Partnership is working to promote prosperity, sustain the environment, strengthen democracy, enhance understanding, and ensure security for Americans and Indonesians.

Almost 100 leading international scientists, managers, and policy makers representing 16 nations met and shared their respective “lessons learned” to implement climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies in the wetlands of Indonesia.

CIFOR Principal Scientist Daniel Murdiyarso explained that, “There is a lack of awareness of the full implications of peatland and mangrove loss for humankind. There is an urgent need for governments to acknowledge their importance and develop policies to ensure their protection.”

Indonesia has more tropical

peatland and mangrove forests than any other nation on earth. These wetlands have undergone extensive landuse and land-cover change in the past 15 years, which increases the vulnerability of wetlands and communities to climate change and is of significant global concern.

Indonesia is losing wetlands at a rate of more than 100,000 hectares per year. “Indonesia’s wetlands play a very significant role as a safeguard on local socio-economic conditions as well as on the global environment because of its large area,” said Dr. Kirsfianti Ginoga, Ministry of Forestry’s Research and Development Director for Climate Change.

The United States and Indonesia are committed to raising awareness of the importance of tropical wetlands in the global, national, and local adaptation agendas.

Mitigation procedures that help ecosystem’s resistance and resilience to Climate Change (e.g. Reduced Emissions from Degradation and Deforestation REDD+) are the recommended adaptation strategies.

These strategies are designed to influence the development agenda and enhance the benefits for communities that are most vulnerable to climate change.

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International

Monday, May 16, 2011

Bali Today Former Minister criticizes failure to disband NII Antara

IBP/Net

Asian tourists shopping at Art Market. The arrivals of South Korean tourists in the first quarter of 2011 declined slightly 1.39 percent to 28,002 people from those in the same period a year earlier which stood at 28,356 people.

Arrivals of South Korean tourists declining Antara

DENPASAR - The arrivals of South Korean tourists in the first quarter of 2011 declined slightly 1.39 percent to 28,002 people from those in the same period a year earlier which stood at 28,356 people.

“They mostly arrived through Bali`s Ngurah Rai Airport, with a plane that flew them directly from South Korea. Only two of them arrived through a sea port on a boat cruise,” said head of Bali`s Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) Ir Gede Suarsa here on

Sunday.

He said that even though the number of South Korean tourist arrivals was declining, yet this country still maintained its position as the seventh biggest tourist exporter to Bali.

South Korea is the seventh

biggest tourist exporter after Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia and Taiwan In 2010, the number of tourists visiting Bali totaled 124,729.

It dropped slightly compared with that in the previous year which stood at 124,889.

DENPASAR - Former Research and Technology Minister Muhammad A.S. Hikam has criticized the government and law enforcers for failing to disband the Indonesian Islamic State (NII) movement.

“The government and law enforcers still have no courage to disband radical organizations and to arrest the masterminds of the NII movement,” Hikam said here on Saturday.

Speaking at a discussion on The Interpretation of the Youth of the Nation in Terms of Diversity, he said what the government and law enforcers had done so far was still limited to discussion and discourses on arrest.

“In the framework of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) as one of the national pillars, the government and law enforcers should have been courageous to act decisively if there was a threat to the country,” said the former technology and research minister.

He said that if there was a threat to the NKRI such as from NII movement, the government and law enforces should not be afraid

to disband such a radical organization.

Hikam added that if such a radical organization was left without the firmest possible act from the government and law enforcers, NKRI in the future was feared to disintegrate.

“For the members of that radical organization to reach their goal, they lace their teaching with religious values by targeting the followers of the majority religion namely Islam,” he said.

With such a strategy, Hikam said all public elements should be united to fight against the radical movement who wanted to create a nation in the Unitary State of Indonesian Republic.

“Therefore the religious figures and scholars should be able to provide insight the teachings of present day study because NKIR upholds pluralism,” he said.

Meanwhile, the National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas) has asked the National Police to deal with NII movement firmly without compromise.

Lemhanas Governor Budi Susilo Soepandji said in Jakarta recently that the law-enforcing agencies had been asked not to hesitate in acting against the NII movement.

Five companies get 93 percent of telecom revenue Antara

KUTA - Ninety-three percent of revenue in the telecommunications sector goes to five companies with the biggest recipient being Telkomsel, Communication and Informatics Minister Tifatul Sembiring said here on Saturday.

Based on data he had received, the five companies are Telkomsel, PT XL Axiata, Indosat, Telkom and Bakrie.

He said Telkomsel was the biggest recipient of the revenue based on the number of its customers that had reached 100 million people.

“The number is almost 40 percent of the number of cellphone users in the country numbering 178 million,” he said.

Regarding use of Internet service in the country the minister said right now the number of users is recorded at 45 million.

Telkomsel president director Sarwoto Atmosuroto said his company recorded 100 million customers when the company was 16 years old.

“The achievement has made the company the seventh biggest telecommunications company in the world,” he said.

He said the growth of the company’s service product users was at an average of 40 percent a year.

He predicted the number would continue to rise as telecommunications service has now become an important need of the people.

International

Monday, May 16, 2011

Balinese Culture Bulan Pejeng: Prehistoric bronze drum “Bulan Pejeng” in fact is a large bronze drum (nekara) of prehistoric from Bronze Age that were developed around 2000 years ago or in the beginning of century. This cultural heritage is one of the sacred article, kept in Penataran Sasih Temple in Pejeng Village, Gianyar and is located in the main street of Tampaksiring-Kintamani so no difficulty to visit it. According to popular folktale in society, “Bulan Pejeng” is the “moon” which fell down in Pejeng Village long time ago, making the village was always bright on day and night so the thieves could not do their jobs.

Therefore, the “moon” was urinated so did not shine anymore until these days. The name of Penataran Sasih Temple means “the place of the moon” Temple (moon=sasih) and might relate to the story of the “moon” fell from the sky previously. Another story told of this Pejeng nekara as the ear-plug of Kebo Iwa, a powerful legendary figure who was able to carve Goa Gajah, steep bank temple of Gunung Kawi, etc.

The Pejeng nekara has been introduced internationally by G.E. Rumphius, an expert in Biology through his book Amboinsche Rariteitkamer, published in 1705.

Although he never been to Bali, but he had succeeded for using the information from Hendrik Leydekereker’s. In fact, this nekara is a giant nekara with large size in every detail as in height of 186.5 m

and a diameter of 1.60 m for its hit zone. Around the archeological experts, this nekara is also called as nekara with head, because it has four pairs of mask decoration with bulged-out eyes, long-coned nose, and the ears wearing earrings made from coins. The decoration of the mask is not only functioned as esthetic-decorative, but more for magical symbolism for the ancestors’ symbol of magic power which bring prosperity and protect the family or the society from any danger. Another decoration which has the magical symbolism is the decoration of octagonal star on the hit zone, border design, feather, and so on.

“Bulan Pejeng” is a masterpiece work of technology and metallurgy that reached its peak on Bronze Age. This cultural heritage is a significant mixture between modern and complicated metal technology and art creativity which full magical symbolism values as can be seen from its shape and patterns. All of it is the proof of a local Balinese wisdom in its spectacular work about 2000 years ago, far before India reached Bali. The dynamism of Balinese wisdom at that time also was proved by finding five stone moulds in Manuaba Village, Gianyar for making smaller nekara from Pejeng nekara. This fact has proved enough that Balinese people had succeeded in developing local metal industry. Clay mould for making arrow head also has been found in West Java. In addition, Ba-

linese people had produced a stone nekara which is kept in a temple in Carangsari Village (Badung), is now another success of Balinese wisdom. The other bronze nekara in Pacung, Ularan (Buleleng), Ban (Karangasem), Manikliyu (Bangli), Peguyangan (Badung) is a proof that local metal industry in Bali reached its top.

According to the results of archeological research can be known that at Bronze Age, megalithic tradition was also developed around the world. The archeological experts have a notion that Bali was inhabited by megalithic society who lived by farming, stayed in organized village, and ruled by a wellrespected figure. The society had mastered the technology and metallurgy art and the life which was more advance required the capability and mastery in specific parts in the society. In the next progression, social-functional groups emerged and developed such as leader group, carpentry and blacksmith group who have special ability, spiritual group who organize and perform any ritual, and the society who has no special ability who work for other groups. At that time, in the society was grown the belief to the ancestors or the leaders who live at the top of a mountain or a hill and they had magical power that could protect the people from any danger.

This belief really influenced daily life and to this very day still appears in the life of Indonesian. (BTN)

Cooked Vegetables with Grated Coconut (Urap) Ingredients * 8 oz fresh green beans * 8 oz bean sprouts * 4 carrots * 1 can bamboo shoots * ½ small cabbage * 1 cup fresh grated coconut * 1 small onion, finely chopped * ½ tsp. chilli sauce (sambal ulek) * 1 tsp. salt * 2 Tbs. lime juice * ½ tsp. dried shrimp paste (terasi) Directions Wash bean sprouts, pinching of any brown tail. Pour boiling water over bean sprouts, then rinse under cold water tap. Drain well.

String beans and cut diagonally or bite-size lengths and cook in lightly salted water until just tender. Beans should still be crisp to bite.

Scrub carrot and cut into thin strips, cook until tender.

Drain well.

Slice cabbage, discard the center stem. Blanch in boiling salted water for a minute or two, until tender but not limp.

Drain and refresh with cold water.

Cut bamboo shoots into strips the same size as the beans.

Place fresh grated coconut into a bowl, add onion, chili sauce, salt, lime juice and the shrimp paste which has been grilled for a few minutes, or heated in a dry frying pan. Mix thoroughly together.

Sprinkle this grated coconut mixture over vegetables, reserving some to garnish the dish when served.

Put vegetables in a steamer and steam for 5-8 minutes.

Put the steamed vegetables to a serving dish/platter and sprinkle with reserved grated coconut mixture. Use as an accompaniment to a meal, or as a salad by itself. (http:// asiarecipe.com)

Biu Batu:

Fruit Delicacy in Coconut Milk To Balinese people, biu batu or seedy banana is no more bizarre fruit. Actually, it is a versatile plant where ranging from its corm, false stem, leaf, blossom and fruit are often used. Though sweet, its ripe fruit is less delicious because of many seeds. However, it may be enjoyed by making it into a drink mixed with palm sugar and tamarind paste.

Meanwhile, its young fruit is used for the mixture of tum (steamed chopped meat with complete spices) and lawar (chopped meat mixed with boiled vegetables served with complete spices). Here, the young seedy banana is enjoyed as vegetable in coconut milk.

Ingredients: 6 pcs young seedy banana and 2 cup of coconut milk Spices: 4 cloves shallot, 2 cloves garlic, 2 small chilies, 1 red large chili, 1 slice turmeric, 1 slice kencur, ½ tsp coriander, 1tbsp cooking oil and ½ tsp salt, while MSG is optional.

Others: 1 pc salam leaf, 1 tbsp of sliced large chili Method: · Slice thinly the seedy banana, cleanse and drain.

Then, boil until cooked and take out. Again, cleanse to remove its sap and drain. Ultimately, press as good as possible so it nearly contain no water. · Grind all spices and stir-fry on the frying pan until fragrant. Put the coconut milk, ingredient, sliced large chili and salam leaf. Stir for a while and let them boil. Take out and it is now ready to serve. (BTN/punia) C.045 ibp

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Monday, May 16, 2011

Destinations

International

Trunyan THE village of Trunyan is squeezed tightly between the lake and the outer crater rim of Batur, an almighty volcano in Kintamani.

This is a Bali Aga village, inhabited by descendants of the original Balinese, the people who predate the arrival of the Hindu Majapahit kingdom in the 16th century.

It is famous for the Pura Pancering Jagat temple, but unfortunately visitors are not allowed inside. There are also a couple of traditional Bali Aga-style dwellings, and a large banyan tree, which is said to be more than 1,100 years old. At Kuban sub-village close to Trunyan is a mysterious cemetery that is separated by the lake and accessible only by boat - there is no path along the steep walls of the crater rim.

The village of Trunyan itself is situated at the edge of Batur Lake.

This location is inaccessible except by boat, and it takes around half an hour across the calm waters. Getting

to Lake Batur takes around two hours drive to the northeast of Denpasar along the main road to Buleleng and through Bangli Regency.

Unlike the Balinese people, the people of Trunyan do not cremate or bury their dead, but just lay them out in bamboo cages to decompose, although strangely there is no stench. A macabre collection of skulls and bones lies on the stone platform and the surrounding areas.

The dead bodies don’t produce bad smells because of the perfumed scents from a huge Taru Menyan tree growing nearby. Taru means ‘tree’ and Menyan means ‘nice smell’. The name of Terunyan was also derived from these two words.

The women from Trunyan are prohibited from going to the cemetery when a dead body is carried there. This follows the deeply rooted belief that if a woman comes to the cemetery while a corpse is being carried there, there will be a disaster in the village, for example

a landslide or a volcanic eruption.

Such events have been frequent in the village’s history, but whether women had anything to do with it is a matter of opinion...

International Bali Post Classifieds Contact us

You can visit both the village of Trunyan and the Kuban cemetery by chartered boat from Kedisan.

Sadly, nowadays the boat trips are now blatant tourist traps, as touts

and guides strongly urge you to donate your cash to the temple project or leave a donation for the dead.

These touts ruin an otherwise fascinating experience.

... gets maximum benefits with minimum charge Denpasar : +62 361 22-5764 Jakarta : +62 21 535-6271

Jl. Kepundung 67 A, e-mail: info_ibp@balipost.co.id Jl. Palmerah Barat 21 F

Monday, May 16, 2011

BUSINESS Japan officials deny asking for Tepco loan waiver Reuters

TOKYO - Japanese officials denied on Sunday the government will ask banks to forgive loans to Tokyo Electric Power Co to help it cope with massive compensation claims arising from the crisis at a stricken nuclear power plant.

The denial came two days after the top government spokesman said banks should be asked to cooperate in easing Tokyo Electric’s financial burden, sending their shares tumbling as the market took the comments as a sign the banks may be asked to forgive loans or make other concessions.

“I feel he (Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano) said too much,” National Strategy Minister Koichiro Gemba said in a television broadcast on Sunday.

“I don’t think that the chief cabinet secretary was making a direct

request to banks,” Goshi Hosono, a special adviser to Prime Minister Naoto Kan and a ruling Democratic Party lawmaker, said in another broadcast.

“The first thing is for Tokyo Electric and its bankers to sit down for discussions.”

The government agreed on Friday to set up a fund using taxpayers’ money to help Tokyo Electric compensate victims of the crisis at Fukushima Daiichi, its nuclear plant that leaked radiation following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

The government was not working

on the assumption Tokyo Electric, also known as Tepco, would continue to exist in its current form when it devised the scheme, Gemba said.

“We have to make sure that this (scheme) would not obstruct free discussions on how power companies should operate, such as those on separating power generation and supply,” he said.

Tepco’s main creditor bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp, and other lenders provided Tokyo Electric with 1.9 trillion yen ($23 billion) in emergency loans in the immediate aftermath of the disasters.

”Back office” fraud seen rising after recession peak Reuters

ORLANDO - “Back office” fraud is draining corporate treasuries of billions of dollars a year, and the risk is growing as companies and employees struggle in the wake of the recession, finance managers and experts say.

Fraud schemes in company finance departments include the creation of fake vendors, billings for nonexistent goods, checks written to dummy companies and kickbacks from vendors.

“Most companies are weak in the area of back office and vendor fraud and that poses a significant threat to them,” Michele Edwards, a fraud expert, told Reuters this week on the sidelines of a corporate finance professionals’ conference.

Typically, it takes 18 months to detect a fraud, Edwards said.

In an informal poll of 622 finance managers during the May 812 Orlando conference, 72 percent reported seeing an increase in cases of back office fraud, Tom Bohn, president of the Institute of Financial Operations, said on Friday.

The institute, which groups several associations of corporate finance professionals from across the world, was launched this week during the Orlando conference.

Bohn and Edwards said some of the rise in reported losses might be a result of companies’ increased focus on, and detection of, back office fraud over the past two years.

That focus came in response to U.S. federal regulators taking a harder line against companies that were not doing enough to prevent fraud that caused shareholder losses.

But Edwards and Bohn said the recent recession had increased the risk of fraud.

Company budget cutbacks had resulted in some employees becoming solely responsible for what previously had been two or more separate duties, and there had been a reduction in internal checks and balances and office controls.

The squeeze from the recession on employees’ personal finances and family life also was a factor, Edwards said.

“They didn’t get a raise. They didn’t get a 401k (retirement plan)

match. Those are all additional pressures that have been on a lot of people over the past couple of years that may have caused them — where they might not have in a normal environment — to do something unfortunate like fraud,” Edwards said.

She said the end of the recession won’t solve the problem.

“You’ve got those expectations from the shareholders and the CEO that, hey, we’re coming out of the recession. It’s back to business. It’s back to growth mode. That pressure isn’t really going away,” Edwards said.

Companies are beginning to employ safeguards such as software, analytical tools and fraud prevention specialists to detect problems early. They are also starting to search out and shut down opportunities for fraud, and to build a corporate culture that discouraged it.

“If you focus on the culture, you can reduce the risk from day one,” said Bohn. “The more dollars you can save leaving the corporation, the better your bottom line is going to be.”

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Once again, Saab nears the end of the road Agence France-Presse

STOCKHOLM - Saab’s survival is once again in doubt after a cash-injection deal with a Chinese automaker collapsed; a year after the brand was brought back from the brink when purchased by Dutch firm Spyker.

Saab’s plant is the southwestern town of Trollheattan has stood still for many weeks, just like its in pre-Spyker days at the start of 2010, and industry sources put its debt to suppliers at some 100 million euros ($142 million).

It was those suppliers which highlighted Saab’s pressing liquidity crisis in March, when they began to stop deliveries to the carmaker due to unpaid bills.

Any of them “could go to court today and get Saab declared bankrupt but they wouldn’t gain anything. They live in the hope that perhaps a miracle will happen,” said Lars Holmqvist, the head of the Brussels-based European Association of Automotive Suppliers.

As for Saab “I don’t think they have enough money to pay the salaries for a very long time.

We are talking of a very desperate situation,” he told AFP. “I can’t tell you if it’s going to be five days, ten days, but it’s not going to be many months,” he said.

Saab’s future appeared secure and its financial crisis solved at last when Spyker announced on May 3 that China’s Hawtai would pour 150 million euros into the carmaker in exchange for a 30 percent stake in Spyker.

But the deal collapsed Thursday because Hawtai Motor Group had been unable to obtain the necessary approvals for it go through, Spyker said.

The new road bump spurred questions about Spyker head Victor Muller.

“Saab’s overenthusiastic owner won’t succeed in giving a new life to the carmaker,” leading Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter (DN) wrote under a large “Muller can’t save Saab” headline.

Known for his ability to convince and charm, Muller’s credentials are less impressive: his Unwired Concepts business went bust in 2011, and Spyker, which until recently made exclusive sports cars, never turned a

profit.

He has also been fined by Dutch authorities for financial irregularities and flawed reporting, the Wall Street Journal said.

“He’s certainly not a credible businessman,” Holmqvist charged. “He takes decisions before he gets the financing clear.”

“There are people that are really upset about him first of all because they have been misled into believing that Saab would be able to pay,” he said. “Today, if you deliver something to Saab, you have no guarantee whatsoever that you’ll be repaid.”

When Spyker bought Saab from US auto giant General Motors in February 2010 for 400 million dollars, it was seen as a last-minute rescue for the ailing brand, which hadn’t turned a profit in 20 years under GM. “Give us a chance! And if this time it doesn’t work, we’ll close up shop,” a high-ranking Saab executive told AFP early in 2010.

Last year, the company’s sales did not reach expectations, selling a little over 30,000 cars when aiming for 50,000. Spyker hoped to sell 80,000 in 2011, but admitted last month it would not be possible.

On Thursday, Sweden said once again it would not offer state help to save the brand, even though its iconic status makes it a symbol of the glory days of Swedish industry.

Despite the failure of the deal with Hawtai, Saab said discussions were ongoing with the company and other Chinese carmakers.

There is also hope the Vladimir Antonov, a controversial former Spyker shareholder, will get approved by the European Investment Bank (EIB) to enter into Spyker’s capital and inject cash into Saab.

But the main question remains the long-term viability of a small, 3,800-employee strong, automaker in a European market with excess capacity.

“In the long run, emergency injections of fresh cash aren’t enough,” pointed out Jacques Wallner, who covers the auto industry for DN. “Saab is a small and weakened constructor that needs a solid larger partner to share its development costs,” he said.

“If there is still a future for Saab Automobile.”

12

Monday, May 16, 2011

Entertainment

International

‘X-Men’ vet Janssen peers through director’s lens Associated Press Writer

CANNES, France – Getting downsized out of screen roles is inevitable for most actors — and particularly actresses — as they get into their 40s and beyond. With her writing-directing debut, Famke Janssen is taking the do-it-yourself route to ensuring she still has a film career.

Janssen’s mother-son comic drama “Bringing Up Bobby,” starring Milla Jovovich, is playing in the huge movie market that accompanies the Cannes Film Festival, where the filmmaker hopes to find distributors to put it into theaters in the United States and elsewhere. The 46-year-old Janssen aims for a career balance of acting and directing.

“I’m hoping that I can juggle both for a little bit, at least,” Janssen said in an interview. “The older you get as a woman, the less parts you’ll have just by nature. And then I really don’t want to go down the whole plastic surgery route and become obsessed with the way I look, which is very much a part of being an actress, sadly.

Janssen, who played telepath Jean Grey in the “X-Men” franchise and a James Bond villain who crushes victims with her legs in “GoldenEye,” took a couple of years off from big-screen acting to raise money to get her own film off the ground.

“Bringing Up Bobby” stars Jovovich as Ukrainian con artist Olive, a brash, bois-

terous woman raising her young son in Oklahoma through a variety of schemes and grifts. Bobby (Spencer List) adores his mom, but Olive is forced to decide if he might have a better future in the custody of a grieving couple (Bill Pullman and Marcia Cross) who take an interest in the boy.

Janssen wrote the screenplay based on a story idea she and her boyfriend, Cole Frates, came up with. A native of the Netherlands who moved to New York City to work as a model in her late teens, Janssen said she was inspired by her own experiences as an immigrant observing America, particularly in heartland states such as Oklahoma, where Frates grew up.

“I just wanted to play around with the idea of what is it like to look from the outside into a country? What’s the perception?” Janssen said.

“Then very much the idea of living the American dream, which I feel like I’m the perfect example of. America’s a land of immigrants and people who come there with big dreams, and that’s my journey. It’s Olive’s journey.”

Japanese singer Yui eyes bigger foreign fan base

Associated Press Writer

HONG KONG – Popular Japanese singer-songwriter Yui is eyeing a larger foreign fan base as she goes on her first foreign publicity tour in Hong Kong.

The 24-year-old pop sensation, whose full name is Yui Yoshioka, arrived in the southern Chinese financial hub on Saturday to drum up support for her first full-fledged overseas concert in Hong Kong on

June 26.

Yui, who was a street performer early in her career, sang in the Tsim Sha Tsui tourist district on Saturday and was scheduled to perform at a suburban mall later Sunday.

Yui told reporters that she was encouraged by her fan support in Hong Kong. Sony Music executives presented her with a guitarshaped trophy at a news conference in honor of her strong sales in the city, which include two platinum albums and 750,000 song downloads.

“I have always received many messages from Hong Kong fans.

I’ve always wanted to visit. So I was very happy to receive the invitation from the Hong Kong promoter,” she said through a translator.

Yui said she is working on a line of memorabilia for sale at the June concert, the proceeds of which will go toward victims of Japan’s recent earthquake and tsunami.

Yui debuted in 2004 and shot to fame after her appearance in the 2006 Japanese movie “Taiyo no Uta,” which means “Song of the Sun.” She also performed “Goodbye Days,” the hit song from the film’s soundtrack.

Her four album releases are “From Me to You,” “Can’t Buy My Love,” “I Loved Yesterday” and “Holidays in the Sun.”

AP Photo/Joel Ryan

In this photo taken Friday, May 13, 2011, actress Famke Janssen poses for a portrait as she promotes the film Bringing Up Bobby at the 64th international film festival in Cannes, southern France.

Depp back on high seas for ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ latest Agence France Presse

CANNES, France – Johnny Depp swung back into his iconic Captain Jack Sparrow role Saturday at the Cannes premiere of “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” the fourth episode in the lucrative franchise. Three years after “At World’s End”, Sparrow embarks on a quest to find the Fountain of Youth while also trying to square his feelings for a mysterious woman from his past, Penelope Cruz’s Angelica, essentially his female double.

Speaking to journalists after the screening, Depp thanked the cartoons he watched with his children for helping develop Sparrow’s character and echoed producer Jerry Bruckheimer in saying that the franchise had no end in sight. “I have such great respect for the parameters of cartoons and the characters, they can get away with a lot more than we can in live action films,” Depp said.

“So I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to find that blend until you actually become Bugs Bunny in human form?’, and so I have my kids to thank for that.”

“With Captain Jack I feel like there’s much more to be had, much more fun to be had,” Depp said. “As long as the stories, the scripts are great and you have directors like Rob Marshall we’ll be in good shape.”

Depp described Sparrow as “a weird combination of an 18th-century rock and roll star, i.e. Keith Richards, and a very romantic skunk.” Spanish Oscar winner Cruz, who worked with Depp on “Blow”, said her English had progressed greatly since the 2001 cocaine smuggler biopic and that the toughest thing playing opposite Sparrow had been “keeping a straight face.”

Despite the film not being in competition at Cannes, the entire jury headed by Robert De Niro attended the evening’s gala performance, as did US star Jane Fonda, wearing a diamond and sapphire necklace.

Crowds thronged the street outside the Palais des Festivals despite drizzling rain, many brandishing “We love you Johnny” signs. One woman carried a sign saying she had hitchhiked from Britain in the hope of getting a ticket. The film is shot in 3-D, the perfect format for the obligatory cutlass swinging and sword stabbing from which pirates make a living, and sees rival English, Spanish and pirate ships racing to track down the magical elixir.

AP Photo/Joel Ryan

Actors Johnny Depp, left, and Penelope Cruz arrive for the screening of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, at the 64th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, Saturday, May 14, 2011.

Science

International

Monday, May 16, 2011

13

Early drug therapy curbs HIV transmission: study Agence France Presse

In this photo taken May 10, 2011, flowers bloom on a tree in Akron, N.Y. Allergy specialists around the country all say this season is or has been a bad one.

AP Photo/David Duprey

The nose knows: Allergy season here with vengeance Associated Press Writer

There may be a whiff of truth to claims by allergy sufferers who sniffle that this season is, well, a bigger headache than years past. And now, more bad news: It’s also lasting longer, prolonging the misery of the millions of people for whom spring is a punishment, not a pleasure.

Heavy snow and rain in some parts of the country have nourished a profusion of tree pollen, while a sudden shift to warm, sunny weather has made its release more robust. The deluges and, in some places, flooding have pumped up the volume on mold. Add in the wind, and the suffering skyrockets.

Warnings about the difficult season have come from allergy specialists from New York to Atlanta, Chicago to California. “This past week has been one of the worst ever,” rasped Lynne Ritchie, 70, as she bought allergy medicine this week at a Manhattan drugstore.

Dr. Stanley Schwartz hears that from patients all the time — every year, in fact, he noted with a wry smile.

“Literally, every year is the worst year,” said Schwartz, chief of allergy and rheumatology for Kaleida Health and the University at Buffalo. “Now it may actually be, but when it’s there and you’re feeling it, you don’t remember what last year was like.”

What is certain is that allergy seasons in general have been getting longer and more challenging, said Angel Waldron, spokeswoman for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation.

“We do know that climate change and warmer temperatures are allow-

ing trees to pollinate longer than usual,” she said. “Although people feel things are worse than ever before, it’s actually because of the longer season. It’s a longer time to endure.”

Pollen counts and allergy attacks vary widely from region to region, locality to locality and day to day, and no one entity tracks the full complexity of their ups and downs across the country. But everything is ripe this year for a historic season. It’s been an exceptionally rainy spring in much of the country, with several states east of the Mississippi River setting records for the wettest April since 1895. That means luxuriously blooming trees and a similar effect on mold.

“The mold will grow under the fallen leaves from last season,” Schwartz said. “So if it’s very wet, it isn’t just the blooming plants but it’s also the mold, and many people are allergic to multiple airborne allergens.”

WASHINGTON – People with HIV who take antiretroviral drugs before their health declines have a 96 percent lower risk of transmitting the virus to a partner, according to a breakthrough global study.

The large study that covered mainly heterosexual couples in Africa, India and the Americas was hailed by AIDS experts as a “game-changer” that will transform how the disease is managed, 30 years after it first surfaced.

Until now, antiretroviral therapy was known to improve the health of people infected with human immunodeficiency virus, but this is the first study to show a solid impact on preventing transmission to an HIV-negative partner.

“This is excellent news,” said Myron Cohen, lead investigator on the study and director of the Institute of Global Health and Infectious Diseases at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“This is the first randomized

clinical trial to definitively indicate that an HIV-infected individual can reduce sexual transmission of HIV to an uninfected partner by beginning antiretroviral therapy sooner.”

The trial began in 2005 and included 1,763 couples — 97 percent of whom were heterosexual — and was carried out at 13 sites in countries including Brazil, Thailand, Zimbabwe, India and South Africa. The HIV-infected partners included 890 men and 873 women.

The randomization phase was halted early once researchers realized that the drug regimen was having such a significant blocking effect on the risk of spreading the infection, which afflicts 33 million people worldwide.

Some couples were placed into a delayed group, in which the infected partner began taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) only when a type of T-cell known as CD4 dipped below 250 cells per millimeter cubed, or if he or she developed an AIDS-related illness.

AFP/File/Romeo Gacad

An Indonesian HIV patient is seen here being given antiretroviral drugs, in 2009. People with HIV who take antiretroviral drugs before their health declines have a 96 percent lower risk of transmitting the virus to their partners, according to a breakthrough global study.

Neanderthal survived longer than thought: study Agence France Presse

AFP/File/Patrick Bernard

A Neanderthal ancestor’s reconstruction. Neanderthal remains dating back 31,000 years — over 6,000 years after man’s prehistoric cousin was presumed to have disappeared — have been unearthed in Russia near the Artic Circle, according to a study in the journal Science.

WASHINGTON – Neanderthal remains dating back 31,000 years — over 6,000 years after man’s prehistoric cousin was presumed to have disappeared — have been unearthed in Russia near the Artic Circle, according to a study in the journal Science.

“This site challenges the hypothesis that there was a complete replacement of the Neanderthal societies in all of Europe as early as around 37,000 calendar years,” the authors wrote about their research released Thursday, and slated for the journal’s May 13, 2011 issue.

The French, Russian and Norwegian researchers discovered more than 300 stone tools and the remains of several mammals, including mammoths, black bears and woolly rhinos that appear to have been butchered.

The remains were unearthed during several excavations at the Byzovaya site in the foothills of the Urals on the right bank of the Pechora River.

In addition to radiocarbon dating, the researchers used a technique known as optically stimulated luminescence, which allows them to tell when sediment has been exposed to light for the last time.

While Neanderthal Man occupied Eurasia at lower latitudes, Byzovaya could have been their last Nordic refuge before their extinction, according to the study’s authors. Until now, Neanderthal remains have all come from areas at least 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) south of Byzovaya.

The objects discovered at Byzovaya, which appears to have been occupied just once in 3,000 years, belong to the Mousterian tool tradition used by Neanderthal Man, according to the authors. This culture developed during the Middle Paleolithic era in Eurasia 300,000 to 37,000 years ago and is distinguished by a wide range of stone tools.

14

Sport

Monday, May 16, 2011

International

Barca eye Euro glory as Ronaldo targets goal award Agence France Presse

MADRID – High-flying Barcelona, with a third La Liga title already wrapped up, will rest key stars ahead of the Champions League final when they welcome Deportivo La Coruna to Camp Nou on Sunday.

Barcelona became the first team since 1993 to win three successive Spanish titles when they drew 1-1 at Levante on Wednesday. They now have the luxury of two ‘dead’ league games to prepare for the European showpiece against Manchester United at Wembley on May 28.

“Now is the time to party and that’s what winning a title deserves and we have time to get ready for the final in London,” said Guardiola.

“These players are unique and an enormously strong bunch and you have to remember the schedule they have had to put up with over the last two and half years. I hope people have enjoyed watching us play - that would really be the best reward.”

Depor will provide the traditional

guard of honour at Camp Nou on Sunday, but will hope to upset the celebrating home fans with a win to aid their survival bid. La Coruna, Champions League semi-finalists in 2004, are three points above the relegation zone and fighting to extend their 20-year stay in the top flight.

Real Madrid tried to forget about Barcelona’s latest title win by parading their Kings Cup trophy and have nothing to play for but pride when they travel to Villarreal. Real have had second place wrapped up for months but Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo insists the team want to finish the campaign with two more victories.

“The coach has asked us to finish the league by winning our games and we will try to do that,” said

Ronaldo. Ronaldo has scored an incredible seven goals in his last two league outings to take his season’s tally to 36 and is on course to win the Pichichi crown for the league’s top-scorer.

Ronaldo lies five goals ahead of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and could break the all-time record of 38 set

by Athletico Bilbao’s Telmo Zarra in 1951 and matched by Real’s iconic Mexican striker Hugo Sanchez in 1990. Villarreal have fourth place secure and trail third-placed Valencia by five points with six points to play for.

Valencia can secure third place with a draw at home to derby rivals Levante due to their superior head to head record over Villarreal.

AP Photo/Manu Fernandez

FC Barcelona’s players celebrate after winning the Spanish league soccer title at the Camp Nou stadium Barcelona, Spain, Friday, May 13, 2011.

Shakhtar fetes birthday with Rihanna Agence France Presse

DONETSK, Ukraine – Ukraine’s leading football side Shakhtar Donetsk celebrated its 75th birthday in a spectacular party at its new stadium with US star Rihanna and Ukrainian-born actress Milla Jovovich.

The team, which reached the Champions League quarter finals this year, had its 51,000-capacity stadium filled to capacity in a major showpiece late Saturday for the city which will host matches in the Euro 2012 championships.

The orange and black colours of Shakhtar (Miner) are the pride of

Donetsk, the main city of eastern Ukraine, a gritty industrial region which rejoiced when Shakhtar won the UEFA Cup in 2009.

“I am proud to be here with you to celebrate the birthday of such a great team,” Jovovich, who was born in Kiev under the Soviet Union before moving to the West with her parents, told the crowd in Russian.

US R and B star Rihanna meanwhile delighted the crowd at the brand new Donbass Arena with her latest hits in a show that also included spectacular 3-D projections, fireworks and dance.

Some of the spectators were less

impressed with the appearance of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, a native of the region and a Shakhtar fan whose government is implementing unpopular social reforms. “The example of Shakhtar’s victories is important for Ukraine,” he said to whistles from some in the crowd. The team played its first match on May 12, 1936 when the Soviet Union was ruled by Stalin.

Then, the club was called Stakhanovets after local miner Alexei Stakhanov who, it is claimed, smashed production records with superhuman efforts that gave birth to the word

Ukrainian-born actress Milla Jovovich holds on May 14, 2011 an FC Shakhtar jersey bearing her name during a press conference in Donetsk to mark the football club’s 75th anniversary.

AFP PHOTO / Alexander Khudoteply

“stakhanovite”.

After World War II the team was devastated, with only three players from the pre-war squad surviv-

ing fighting and Nazi occupation.

But the club rebuilt and was renamed Shakhtar Stalino (the then name for Donetsk) in 1946.

Fourth-time, still lucky for escape-artist Magath Agence France Presse

BERLIN – Coach Felix Magath admitted feeling an empty sense of relief after avoiding German league relegation for the fourth time in his career thanks to VfL Wolfsburg’s 3-1 win at Hoffenheim.

Having conceded a goal just after half-time, his side were heading for a defeat which would have meant a drop to the second division before they roared back to floor Hoffenheim when the German league season finished on Saturday.

Wolves were rescued when Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic netted twice before Brazil striker Grafite scored a third to seal victory. The result means the 2009 champions avoid relegation by just two points and finish 15th — just above the relegation places.

Magath maintains his proud record of having never been relegated despite four close shaves, having also won the Bundesliga title just two years ago with Wolfsburg and twice while coach of Bayern Munich. The 57-year-old also avoided relegation with Hamburg, in 1995-96, Eintracht Frankfurt, in 1999-2000 and VfB Stuttgart, in 2000-01.

“It’s been dramatic,” admitted Magath, who only took over as Wolfsburg coach in March after exEngland coach Steve McClaren was sacked with his side sliding down the table. “I just now feel very relieved and empty. “The tension was incredibly high.

“We fell behind early in the second half and because of the other results, it meant were were effectively relegated, so this is a tremendous relief.”

Sport

International

Monday, May 16, 2011

Gatto edges Contador to win 8th Giro stage Agence France Press

TROPEA, Italy – Oscar Gatto won Saturday’s Tour of Italy eighth stage here, the Italian rider beating Spain’s controversial three-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador.

Gatto got first run on his rivals in the final dash for the finish, sprinting clear with less than a mile to go to come in ahead of Contador with a five-second gap back to the peloton led by Italian Alessandro Petacchi.

This was the 26-year-old Farnese Vini rider’s first ever stage win in the Giro.

He said: “To beat Contador to win this stage is obviously quite something, when I looked back at the finish I saw a Saxobank jersey but I never thought it was him. “The next time I checked he was even closer, I couldn’t believe my eyes.”

On the eve of Sunday’s stage up Mount Etna, the giant volcano

which erupted briefly this week, the overall lead was retained by Rabobank’s Dutch rider Pieter Weening.

“Etna’s going to be tough but it won’t be the first time I’ve undergone a tough examination. Anyway, whatever happens it’s been a great adventure wearing the leader’s pink jersey and I’ll give my maximum to hold on to it,” said Weening.

Contador, who climbed from ninth to fifth, 13sec behind Weening, commented: “I was feeling good, and when I saw there was a chance to get in front I went for it and I only missed out by a little bit in getting up to the leader (Gatto).”

The Spaniard, who won the Giro in 2008, is still awaiting a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which could overturn a Spanish cycling federation decision to clear him of any wrongdoing following a positive test for clenbuterol at last year’s Tour de France.

Ward dominates Abraham to reach WBA Super 6 final Agence France Presse

LOS ANGELES – Andre Ward’s speed and power proved too much for Arthur Abraham as Ward earned a unanimous 12-round decision over the German to retain his World Boxing Association super middleweight title.

Ward on Saturday also secured his place in the final of the Super Six tournament designed to unify the division’s belts. He now awaits the winner of the other semi-final between Carl Froch and Glen Johnson on June 4 in Atlantic City.

“We’re going to the finals, baby,” Ward said. Ward, a 2004 Olympic gold medallist, improved to 24-0 with 13 knockouts. He displayed his trademark tactical style, methodically wearing down Abraham.

“I wish the ref had let me fight on the inside because that’s what I had planned for,” Ward said. “But we made adjustments and got the win... I’m going to stay humble. I’m going to keep working hard. I want to be a champion for a long time and take the least amount of punishment possible.”

Abraham had started aggressively, rattling Ward with a right hand in the third round. But Abraham had no response when Ward stepped up the pressure in the fourth. “Arthur is strong and he’s a hard hitter, (but) we showed that we can win in a way other than our original game plan,” said Ward.

Judge Stanley Christodoulou gave Ward every round, scoring it 120108. German judge Ingo Barrabas saw it 118-110 for Ward and American judge James Jen Kin made it 118-111 for Ward.

“I fought hard, I gave it my all,” said Abraham, who said he thought the fight was closer than it was scored. “He didn’t hit me cleanly.”

Armenian-born Abraham, a former International Boxing Federation middleweight champion who had an unblemished record until the Super Six tournament, has now lost three in a row, falling to 32-3.

AFP/Mark Ralston

Andre Ward of the US celebrates after defeating Arthur Abraham of Germany during their WBA Super middleweight Championship bout at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, California. Ward won on points after the fight went the full 12 rounds.

15

Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates winning his ATP Rome Open tennis tournament semifinal match against Britain’s Andy Murray (not seen) in Rome’s Foro Italico on May 14, 2011.

Djokovic won 6-1, 3-6, 7-6.

AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE

Djokovic sets up Nadal final after Murray epic in Rome Agence France Presse

ROME – Novak Djokovic maintained his unbeaten start to 2011 with an epic three-hour 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7/2) victory over fourth seed Andy Murray in the Rome Masters semi-finals. The world number two on Saturday took his run to 36 straight wins this year and will face world number one Rafael Nadal, who beat Richard Gasquet 7-5, 6-1, in Sunday’s final in a repeat of last week’s Madrid Masters title match which Djokovic won.

Djokovic, struggling with a leg problem, demonstrated just why he has proved so hard to beat with a neversay-die attitude even when Murray was just two points from victory, serving at 5-4 in the decider. But the Serb admitted he faces a race against time to be fit to play Nadal.

“I’ll do what I can, I have a team of people who will do their utmost to get me ready, there’s not much time but we’ll see how I play,” he said. “The important thing will be whether I’m fit or not, that will play an important role so we’ll see how fit I am (on Sunday).” Murray, who turns 24 on Sunday, said: “I played my best tennis against the best player in the world at the moment.”

“It’s always very physical against Novak because he moves well. I had chances to win and probably should have done.” Just as he had done in the quarter-final against Florian Mayer, Murray started slowly and the only game he won was when he broke Djokovic in a marathon third game.

However a change of shirt, from white to blue, brought with it a change of fortunes. In the first set Djokovic had been finding the corners and running Murray ragged around the back court before dropping slices just over the net and out of his reach. But in the second Murray found a way to stay in points for longer, to make Djokovic

play more shots and errors started to creep into the Serb’s game.

The sixth game was crucial where both players showed signs of nerves but it was Djokovic who cracked, hitting a forehand long on break point. In the decider Djokovic drew first blood, breaking in the fourth game but that proved only the prelude to five breaks in six games that saw Murray turn the match on its head and lead 5-4 with his serve to come. Three times Murray was two points from victory but he couldn’t take the extra step and a double fault made it 5-5 and a sixth break in seven.

Finally both held serve and it went to a tie-break where a Murray error handed Djokovic a mini-break and then when the Serb passed the Scot at the net, he took a 5-1 lead. There was

no way back for Murray and Djokovic sealed victory when his opponent failed to return a drop shot. Nadal took an 8-0 record against Gasquet into their match and the world number one survived some nervous moments in the first set before completing a comprehensive win with a lop-sided second.

It took the Spanish 24-year-old’s record at this tournament to 31 wins and just one loss — in 2008 against Juan-Carlos Ferrero — as he aims for a sixth title in seven years. Having suffered from a fever earlier in the week, Nadal showed no ill effects against Gadquet.

But having lost three times to Djokovic in Masters finals this year, including last week on the clay in Madrid, he insists he won’t be favourite on Sunday.

C.05338-rmk

16

Monday, May 16, 2011

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

Sport

Stoner storms to victory in French Grand Prix Reuters

LE MANS - Casey Stoner took his second win in 2011 in the French Grand Prix, but the action all took place in his wake as Marco Simoncelli was penalised for an incident that ended Dani Pedrosa’s race, and Valentino Rossi took his first podium with Ducati in third behind Andrea Dovizioso.

AFP PHOTO / JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER

Australian rider Casey Stoner and Italian Andrea Dovizioso (L to R) ride during the qualifying session of moto GP at Le Mans’ circuit, western France on May 14, 2011, on the eve of the French motorcycling Grand Prix. Stoner clocked the pole position in 1’33.153, and Dovizioso is third.

Marquez claims first Moto2 victory REIGNING 125cc champion Marc Marquez put the troubled start to his Moto2 career behind him with a very strong ride to victory at Le Mans.

Incidents in the first three rounds meant Marquez had not even scored prior to the French event, and in the early laps today he was at the tail of a lead train also featuring polesitter and points leader Stefan Bradl, Thomas Luthi, Yuki Takahashi, Julian Simon, Aleix Espargaro, Simone Corsi and Bradley Smith.

Marquez worked his way forward until at half-distance he was in the thick of things as Luthi stormed past Bradl to lead at the first corner, and Bradl then fell to fourth behind Takahashi and Marquez while trying to fight back.

With six laps to go, Marquez edged ahead of Luthi to lead at the first corner, but the Interwetten rider was able to hang on alongside and get back ahead into the next lefthander.

Next time around though, Marquez pulled off the move more

emphatically, and then started pulling away as the trio behind battled.

His final winning margin was 1.9 seconds over Takahashi, with Bradl getting a podium position in the end, just ahead of Simon and Luthi.

Espargaro faded to a lonely

sixth, while Corsi beat Dominique Aegerter, Smith and Alex de Angelis to seventh. Andrea Iannone, who started the weekend as Bradl’s closest championship rival, crashed out in a solo incident on the first lap.

REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

Suter’s Moto2 rider Marc Marquez of Spain celebrates on the podium after his victory at the French MotoGP motorcycling Grand Prix at the Le Mans circuit in central France May 15, 2011.

Stoner did not have an ideal start and was third into the first corner behind his fast-starting Honda teammates Pedrosa and Dovizioso. But it only took two and a half laps for Stoner - who had been quickest in every session this weekend - to calmly make his way back to the front.

Pedrosa stayed with him for a while before falling back into the clutches of Simoncelli (Gresini Honda), who had moved clear of an early battle with Dovizioso and Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo.

By lap 17 Simoncelli was right with Pedrosa and pushing for second. He made it through once, lost the place again, but then swept around the outside of Pedrosa to reclaim second. As he did so, contact was made, sending Pedrosa into a crash and causing Simoncelli to skitter over the gravel.

While Pedrosa walked away nursing apparent pain in his collarbone the subject of recent surgery - race direction chose to give Simoncelli a ride-through penalty for the tangle.

That meant the spectacular battle between Lorenzo, Dovizioso and Rossi became a fight for second.

Lorenzo lost touch when he ran very wide and briefly left the track with three laps to go, leaving Italian compatriots Dovizioso and Rossi to fight it out. Rossi’s final chance came into the last corner with a lap to go, but he slipped wide enough for Dovizioso to edge back ahead and then resist the Ducati to complete a Honda one-two.

As Lorenzo followed them home, Simoncelli stormed back past Nicky Hayden (Ducati) and Ben Spies (Yamaha) to get fifth.

Hiroshi Aoyama was a lonely eighth on the other Gresini Honda, while Aspar Ducati’s Hector Barbera emerged on top of a huge dice with Karel Abraham (Cardion Ducati), Toni Elias (LCR Honda) and Alvaro Bautista (Suzuki) for ninth.

Both Tech 3 Yamahas and both Pramac Ducatis had accidents, though Colin Edwards was able to rejoin and finish 13th.