Edition Thursday, December 21, 2017 | International Bali Post

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16 Pages Number 14 10th year

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Thursday, December 21, 2017

France pulls Marquis de Sade erotic novel from auction PARIS - The auction of one of the world’s earliest and most sordid erotic novels -- the Marquis de Sade’s “120 Days of Sodom” -- has been halted after the French state declared it a national treasure and said it could not be sold to a foreign buyer.

De Sade’s 1785 work, written in tiny script on 33 pieces of scroll while he was imprisoned in the Bastille, was due to be auctioned on Wednesday as one of the prize items in a vast collection of notes, letters and musical scores being sold off.

But De Sade’s 12-metre long manuscript, along with four works by one of the founders of surrealism, Andre Breton, were this week declared national treasures by France’s Ministry of Culture, keeping them out of contention.

The two lots, from a trove of documents and artefacts assembled by a now-defunct French company, had drawn interest from U.S. and European private buyers, Paris-based auctioneers Aguttes said.

The French state will now have 30 months to raise the funds for the purchase from citizens or the help of

private fortunes, or the items will be put back on sale.

De Sade’s daring novel -- left behind in his cell when he moved out in 1789, during the French Revolution, and only later discovered and published -- had been expected to fetch between 4 million and 6 million euros ($7.09 million).

It recounts the story of four aristocrats who resolve to experience every sexual perversion.

The works by Breton on surrealism, which helped define the 20th century artistic movement, had been forecast to sell for up to 5.5 million euros for the lot.

The auction is the first in a series of attempts to liquidate a 130,000strong collection of artworks and literary treasures pulled together by Aristophil, a group set up in 1990 that raised funds from some 18,000 investors in exchange for a share in the pieces.

The company went bankrupt in 2015, causing losses for its backers, while founder Gerard Lheritier was detained and put under investigation for fraud, a charge he denies. (rtr)

More than 8 million Yemenis “a step away from famine” - U.N. GENEVA - Warring sides must let more aid get through to 8.4 million people who are “a step away from famine” in Yemen, a senior U.N. official said on Monday. A Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen’s civil war blockaded ports last month after a missile was fired towards Riyadh.

REUTERS/Adrees Latif/File Photo

Singer Lady Gaga performs during the halftime show at Super Bowl LI between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons in Houston, Texas, U.S., February 5, 2017.

Lady Gaga heads for Las Vegas concert residency

Jamie McGoldrick, the humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said the blockade has since been eased, but the situation remained dire. “The continuing blockade of ports is limiting supplies of fuel, food and medicines; dramatically increasing the number of vulnerable people who need help,” McGoldrick said in a statement.

“The lives of millions of people, including 8.4 million Yemenis who are a step away from famine, hinge on our ability to continue our operations and to provide health, safe water,

food, shelter and nutrition support,” he added. That marked an increase from past U.N. estimates of around 8 million people on the brink of famine.

The coalition accuses Iran of sending weapons to its Houthi allies, including missile parts, through Yemen’s main Hodeidah port, were most food supplies enter. Saudi state television said on Monday a U.N delegation of experts has arrived in Riyadh to meet the coalition and the Yemeni government the coalition supports

LOS ANGELES - Pop star Lady Gaga is swapping touring for a two-year stint in Las Vegas, joining the likes of music divas Celine Dion, Britney Spears and Shania Twain who have recently taken up concert residencies in the entertainment mecca.

REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

An employee displays the Marquis de Sade’s original rolled manuscript called Le Rouleau de la Bastille of “Les 120 jours de Sodome ou l’ecole du libertinage” (The 120 Days of Sodom, or the School of Libertinage, 1785) before its auction at the Hotel Drouot auction house in Paris, France, November 23, 2017.

Gaga, 31, said on Tuesday she will start a two-year engagement at the 5,300-seat Park Theater at the Park MGM resort on the Las Vegas strip in December 2018.

“It’s the land of Elvis, Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra, the Rat Pack, Elton John, Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli. It has been a life-long dream of mine to play Las Vegas,” the singer said in a statement.

“I am humbled to be a part of a historical lineup of performers, and to have the honor of creating a new show unlike anything Vegas has ever seen before,” she added.

Gaga made her name almost 10 years ago with catchy pop songs, arresting dance routines and outrageous stunts like setting her piano on fire and wearing a raw meat dress.

In February, she kicked off her the halftime show at the annual Super Bowl by singing “God Bless America,” from the top of Houston’s NRG Stadium.

But in September, the “Bad Romance” singer postponed until early 2018 the European leg of her “Joanne” world tour, citing severe pain. She was hospitalized in 2013 for a hip injury and more

recently has said she suffers from the musculoskeletal disorder fibromyalgia.

Las Vegas residencies have become a popular draw for top music stars because they allow performers to remain in one place and draw large crowd without the rigors of touring.

Exact dates and ticket prices for Lady Gaga’s residency will be announced at a later date.

The Park Theater is part of the transformation of the Monte Carlo hotel on the Las Vegas Strip into a redesigned Park MGM resort. (rtr)

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Thursday, December 21, 2017

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A Houthi militant carries belongings as he walks by a Houthi-run detention center hit by air strikes in Sanaa, Yemen December 13, 2017.

“to prevent the transfer of weapons and rockets to Houthis”.

Iran has denied supplying the Houthis with weapons, saying the U.S. and Saudi allegations are “baseless and unfounded”. The United Nations says food shortages caused by the warring parties blocking supplies has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The Saudis intervened in neighbouring Yemen in 2015 after the Houthis advanced on the southern port city of Aden and forced Presi-

dent Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government into exile.

The conflict has killed more than 10,000 people, displaced more than 2 million and triggered a cholera epidemic that has infected about 1 million people. The U.S. government on Friday called on the Saudi-led military coalition to facilitate the free flow of humanitarian aid to all of Yemen’s ports and through Sana’a airport.

A senior State Department official told reporters in Geneva on Monday that the United States had provided nearly $638 million in humanitarian assistance to Yemen in the U.S. fiscal year 2017 that ended on Sept 30. “We have called on both sides to stop the fighting

and seek a political solution to the problem,” the official said.

He said the United States had made its position clear to its allies to end the blockade and called on the Houthis to allow access for humanitarian supplies as “there are shocking shortage of food, fuel and medicines that are causing great suffering”.(rtr) News can also be heard in “Bali Image” at Global Radio FM 96.5 from 9.30 until 10.00 am. Listen to Global Radio FM at http:// globalfmbali.listen2myradio.com or live video streaming at http:// radioglobalfmbali.com and http:// ustream.tv/channel/global-fm-bali.

2

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Bali News

International

International

Fight against narcotics in 2018

Drug dealers attempt to regenerate their market and syndicate

LARGE number of users is a major factor in the high circulation of drugs in Bali. Other than adults, the dealers of these illicit goods are also predicted to target minors with the intention of regenerating their market and syndicate.

To anticipate this issue, some laws have been issued such as the Law No.35/2009, Government Regulation No.40/2013, Regulation of the Minister of Home Affairs No. 21/2013, Regional Law of Bali No.7/2017 and Circular of Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform No.50/2017. In essence, the regulation governs the formation of volunteers, urine tests for civil servants and prospective civil servants as well as dissemination of drug hazards in each agency.

Thus, in 2018, the formation of volunteers in each agency and customary village will be strengthened so the demand of narcotics can be suppressed. This was revealed during a special interview of Bali Post and BaliTV with the Head of Bali National Narcotic Agency (BNNP) of Bali, I Putu Gede Suastawa, Head of National Narcotics Agency (BNNK) of Badung, Ni Ketut Masmini, and Chairman of STIMI Handayani Denpasar, Ida Bagus Gede Udiyana, on Tuesday (Dec. 19).

Suastawa conveyed that some activities were conducted throughout 2017, including the prevention and community empowerment. The measures achieved include the issuance of Bali Provincial Regulation No.7/2017 as forerunner acceleration of the prevention and people’s empowerment in drug eradication. It includes the countermeasures and eradication in the form of making pararem (appendix to customary village law).where all the local governments in Bali and community components must move in the “Like in Badung, Denpasar Municipality, Gianyar and Klungkung, there has been pararem. Later on, we resume it to Negara, Bangli, Tabanan, Buleleng and Karangasem.

Then, a total of 1,700 volunteers were inaugurated and last Monday 400 people in Badung. Gradually until mid-2018, we will inaugurate all these volunteers in Bali, especially pecalang (customary village security guard) and sekaa taruna (customary village youth club) as the strengthening for the volunteers, “he said.

Implementation of integrated curriculum will be reestablished in 2018. Chief of customary village and headman are expected to provide incentives to pecalang, other than BNNP itself that will provide support to pecalang who actively provides information, prevention efforts, especially information on drug issues. The award can be in the form of financial aid to actively synergize with the BNN. “In the field of eradication, it can be said to have reached 180 percent, over achievement. A total of 35 suspects have been arrested until the end of this year from 34 cases revealed by the BNNP Bali whereas the quota is only 25 cases. Thus, the level of rehabilitation also increased to 687 people,” said this one-star general from Gulingan village, Mengwi, Badung.

Meanwhile, he hoped there will be a decline in drug abuse in 2018. His side had made an effort to prevent as much as possible so that there is strengthening of society, pecalang and anti-drug community component. The distribution still happens because drug production never stops. Moreover, currently there is a new mode of inserting drugs into the snack of school children. By eating such snacks or cakes with drugs, children will get addicted to eating the snacks.

“They target the children to be customers. Therefore, the

snack sold at school should be supervised, who supplies the food, brings the food and orders food need to be closely watched. At least, BPOM should be brought in every month,” he pleaded.

Suastawa hoped that all components of society, especially the government agencies, must carry out periodical urine tests every six months, establish volunteers in their respective agency and disseminate the hazards of drugs in their respective agency. In addition, the prevention and eradication of drugs cannot be limited to rhetoric or on paper alone but there must be concrete action in order to save the community and the next generation of the nation.

“Tackling this problem cannot be done alone, but must collaborate and work together because the law regulates in such a way. We must do prevention, eradication of the drug abuse and its trafficking together,” he said.

In the meantime, Masmini stated the drug problem is just like an iceberg phenomenon that is only seen the smaller part. However, beneath the surface is very large. “Our efforts range from prevention, community empowerment, effective law enforcement to rehabilitation. I do hope to suppress the abuse and distribution of drugs in Badung,” she said.

All the people in Badung, she continued, understand about the hazards of drugs and the way to avoid the negative impact. Nowadays, drug dealers do market and syndicate regeneration. It has been found that underage children are utilized by drug syndicates. They use children because it is hard to be touched by the law, especially the Criminal Code.

“Many children are found to be drug addicts. Therefore, we always try to educate the public about the hazards of drugs

Kombes Pol, I Putu Gede Gunastawa

and it must be avoided. One of the ways is by playing a movie about the hazard of drugs in every public place or crowd. In several cases, minors are arrested for being taken advantage by drug dealers to deliver such illicit goods,” he said.

All this time, BNNK Badung is supported by Badung government and BNNP Bali. In addition, her agency also works together with police, both Denpasar Police and Badung Police in order to be able to uncover some drug cases.

In the meantime, Dr. Ida Bagus Gede Udiyana, an academician, revealed that he agreed to combat against drugs.

To optimize the results, the role of society especially social institutions, customary villages, educational institutions and public figures in Bali should be increased.

“Why? It is meant to avoid misperception if the handling of drugs can only be done by the designated official institutions. One of the efforts to prevent drug cases at customary village is by making an awig-awig or customary village law about drugs. It is very effective because the community is very obedient to the awig-awig,” he said.

Prevention of drugs can also be done through education sector from junior high, high school to college. Besides, the role of society mainly related to political arena there should be a stricter recruitment to their cadres. “Do not let them become a bad example in the community because politicians are also community figure,” said Udiyana.

Regarding the place of rehabilitation, he suggested to look for a special place such as a remote island. “It is meant to give a deterrent effect. In China, for instance, if the drugs are valued at more than IDR 1 billion, the culprits are directly sentenced to death, but when worth less than IDR 1 billion they are sentenced to forced labor, “he said. (rah)

IBP/Wawan

 Founder : K.Nadha,  General Manager :Palgunadi Chief Editor: Gugiek Savindra  Editors:Agus Toni, Daniel Fajry, Mawa, Sueca, Sugiartha, Yudi Winanto Denpasar: Dira Arsana, Giriana Saputra, Subrata, Sumatika, Asmara Putra. Bangli: Suasrina, Buleleng: Dewa kusuma, Gianyar: Manik Astajaya, Karangasem: Budana, Klungkung: Dewa Farendra. Jakarta: Nikson, Hardianto, Ade Irawan. NTB: Agus Talino, Izzul Khairi, Raka Akriyani. Surabaya: Bambang Wilianto.  Office: Jalan Kepundung 67 A Denpasar 80232. Telephone (0361)225764, Facsimile: 227418, P.O.Box: 3010 Denpasar 80001. Bali Post Jakarta, Advertizing: Jl.Palmerah Barat 21F. Telp 021-5357602, Facsimile: 021-5357605 Jakarta Pusat. NTB: Jalam Bangau No. 15 Cakranegara Telp. (0370) 639543, Facsimile: (0370) 628257. Publisher: PT Bali Post

Activities

Thursday, December 21, 2017

15

Celebrate the Festive Season in Style at Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran Bali

Enjoy an extensive array of seasonal celebrations and dining experiences this Christmas and New Year This festive season, gather your loved ones and celebrate in style at Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran Bali!

Throughout December, Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran Bali will be counting down to Christmas with a series of special seasonal events for the whole family, including festive dining experiences.

At the Samasta Lifestyle Village, Mövenpick Café will be getting into the Christmas spirit with a collection of seasonal goodies, including personalised Christmas hampers, sweet treats such as Christmas cakes and cookies, and even preordered roast turkeys.

Christmas officially starts at Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran Bali on 15th December, with the lighting of the hotel’s Christmas tree. Taking place at the Katha Lounge, this festive occasion is free to enter for all guests, with complimentary eggnog, Christmas cocktails and fun activities for kids. The event will be sereneded by the children’s choir from Yayasan Dria Riba orphanage in Jimbaran, and Santa Claus will also be making a special guest apperance!

Over the three days of Christmas, an exciting array of festive dining experiences will be held, providing many magical opportunities for families and couples to come together and enjoy the festivities.

On 24th December, Anarasa Restaurant will host two delectable Christmas Eve buffets. Available for brunch (12pm to 4pm) and dinner (6.30pm to 11pm), these fantastic feasts will feature festive dishes including roast turkey with all the

trimmings, grilled seafood and other international delicacies, accompanied by an accoustic band. Special prize draws will also be held, giving diners the chance to win free nights at the hotel or dining experiences.

Then on Christmas Day, 25th December, a “Family Christmas Brunch” will be hosted at Anarasa Restaurant from 12pm until 4pm. Bring joy and merriment to your loved ones with a full selection of festive treats, plus a sushi and sashimi bar, seafood platters and a Peruvian-Japanese corner. Lucky draws will also be held.

And of course, Santa will be taking time out of his busy schedule on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to meet children all around the resort and create magical memories to treasure forever.

Christmas cheer then returns to the Anarasa Restaurant on 26th December with a special “Best of Boxing Day in Bali” barbecue buffet. Running from 6.30pm to 11pm, this evening dinner will include a mouth-watering selection of grilled meats and seafood, including lobster, crab, lamb chops and pork ribs.

Alternatively, guests can spend Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or Boxing Day (24-26 December) “Under the Stars” with a sumptuous four- or six-course evening dinner at Above Eleven, the rooftop restaurant and bar specialising in Peruvian-Japanese cuisine. Running from 5pm until 1am, these indulgent gold-themed feasts will be accompanied chilled out tunes from the house DJ.

The seasonal celebrations then continue on 31st December 2017 as Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran Bali welcomes the New Year in style!

The “Eclectic Balinese Party” at Anarasa Restaurant features a lavish gala dinner with an international menu and traditional Balinese dance performances. Following pre-dinner cocktails, an exquisite celebtatory dinner prepared by Executive Chef Ian Lovie and his culinary team will serve up an extensive selection of international delicacies that celebrate Mövenpick’s Swiss and European heritage, the resort’s Indonesian roots and other global delights. A special live band will also be performing popular hits and eclectic tunes to accompany you into the New Year.

Alternatively, Above Eleven will be hosting a “Bring Back the 80s” New Year’s Eve party! Put on your best retro disco clothes and celebrate the first sunset of 2018 on the rooftop, with special prices on drinks and complimentary tapas and canapés! From 10pm until 2am, this glittering year-end party includes a spectacular six-course set dinner followed by a rooftop coundown disco, including guest DJs, as we say goodbye to 2017 an look forward to a happy and prosperous 2018.

Finally on 1 January 2018, families and friends can gather together and greet the New Year with a special “Hawker’s BBQ Brunch” or “Street Barbecue Dinner”.

Other special children’s events and activites will take place all through the festive season, including a gingerbread man decorating class, a Christmas Eve party at the Meera Kid’s Club, marshmallow and chocolate blanket making, sushi making, and much more!

And parents wanting to enjoy a special seasonal pampering session can take advantage of the “SPARTY Radiant” package at Arkipela Spa & Wellness. This serene 120-minute package includes a body treatment, facial and massage to leave you feeling refreshed and radiant in time for the Christmas and New Year’s parties.

This festive season, make sure you enjoy unfortgettable moments with your loved ones in the exquisite surroundings of Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran Bali.

For more information and to book any of these fantastic festive events and experiences, please contact resort.bali. rest-resv@movenpick.com and (+62) 361 472 5777 or visit www.movenpick.com/jimbaran-bali.

14

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Health

International

U.S. approves first gene therapy for inherited disease

MARYLAND - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved Spark Therapeutics Inc’s treatment for a rare form of blindness, marking the first time the agency has approved a gene therapy for an inherited disease.

The approval is expected to raise new questions about how the United States pays for major medical breakthroughs. The company said it would announce a price for the treatment early next year. Analysts expect it to cost around $1 million.

The drug, Luxturna, treats inherited retinal disease caused by defects in a gene known as RPE65, which tells cells to produce an enzyme critical for normal vision. The condition affects between 1,000 and 2,000 people in the United States.

Luxturna works by delivering 150 billion viral vector particles containing a correct copy of the RPE65 gene to retinal cells, restoring their ability to make the needed enzyme. It is designed to be given just once, though it is unclear how long the benefit will ultimately last.

Clinical trials of Luxturna showed that 93 percent of participants experienced some improvement in their functional vision as measured by their ability to navigate obstacles in poor light after a year.

Analysts on average expect the drug to generate annual sales of $478 million, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Gene therapy in general aims to treat disease by manipulating genes at a cellular level. The field is gaining momentum following several high-profile

failures in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and the FDA appears eager to smooth the way for further approvals in the field.

“We’re at a turning point when it comes to this novel form of therapy, and at the FDA we’re focused on establishing the right policy framework to capitalize on this scientific opening.” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement.

Still, the pitfalls remain legion. Highly anticipated early-stage data for Spark’s gene therapy for hemophilia A disappointed analysts and investors when presented at a recent medical conference, though hopes remain high for its hemophilia B therapy, being developed with Pfizer Inc. Next year the agency plans to issue guidance documents that will provide instructions for companies developing gene therapies for specific diseases, including “more efficient parameters” than currently exist.

Those parameters could include new, accelerated measures, Gottlieb said. The FDA’s accelerated approval program allows for earlier approval of drugs that treat serious conditions based on a marker that is expected to lead to a clinical benefit.

Inherited retinal diseases are a group of rare conditions caused by mutations in one or more than 220 different genes, including the RPE65 gene.

Luxturna was tested in patients with one such condition, Leber congenital aumaurosis, but can be used in any person with a condition mediated by the RPE65 mutation.

Spark said Luxturna is expected to be available in some treatment centers late in the first quarter of 2018. (rtr)

IBP/net

A view shows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Bali News

International

3

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Number of tourist visiting Denpasar increasing

IBP/net

Google online searches provided the best, or among the best, responses 72 percent of the time, compared with 50 percent of the time for Google Assistant and 32 percent of the time for Siri, the study found.

Got sex questions? Google before you ask Siri

WELLINGTON - If you need to know how to have sex, use contraception or avoid sexually transmitted infections, you may want to do a Google search before you ask Siri for help, a new suggests.

When researchers posed similar sexual health questions to smartphone digital assistants like Siri and to Google’s online search engine, the web-based results were often more likely to provide accurate information.

“If people want to get internetbased sex advice or other health advice online, they should first probably do a laptop Google search according to our results, and then try Google Assistant – but not rule out other digital assistants such as Alexa and Bixby,” said lead study author Nick Wilson, a researcher at the University of Otago in Wellington, New Zealand.

“But if you want amusing wrong results - Siri is probably best,” Wilson said by email.

Two in five teens and adults go online looking for answers about sex, Wilson and colleagues note in The BMJ. To see how well computers and smartphones may respond to these queries, researchers typed some common sexual health questions into Google’s online search engine and also spoke out loud to two smartphone tools, Siri and Google Assistant.

For each question, researchers checked answers for relevance and reliability. They gave higher marks to questions answered with links to credible public health sources like the UK National Health Service, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Planned Parenthood, or hospitals and universities.

Answers that sent people to less reliable sources of information like Wikipedia or product advertisements got lower marks.

Google online searches pro-

vided the best, or among the best, responses 72 percent of the time, compared with 50 percent of the time for Google Assistant and 32 percent of the time for Siri, the study found.

When researchers asked “how to have sex,” for example, Google searchers and Google Assistant sent people to instructional videos on how to use condoms or a YouTube video using a wooden penis that has over six million views, the study found.

But Google wasn’t perfect. In response to one question, Google offered a video clip entitled: “The 5 stupidest ways people die having sex.”

Siri didn’t find any videos of people having sex on the internet, the study found.

Even when researchers asked for pictures of people having sex, Siri offered some strange responses like pictures with aliens, what looked like men wrestling, and photos of people kissing.

When people asked for information about sexually transmitted infections, though, Siri came out on top. Siri offered nearby places to buy condoms or obtain emergency contraception.

The study wasn’t a controlled experiment designed to prove whether or how different online searches or digital assistants might be able to give people the best advice about sexual health.

Another limitation is that the performance of these tools can vary by device and change with software updates.

Still, the findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that online and digital technology can have some limitations when it comes to giving people accurate information about their health, said Dr. Karandeep Singh, a researcher at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor who wasn’t involved in the study. (rtr)

DENPASAR — The drop in tourist visits to Denpasar following the eruption of Mount Agung has started to bounce back in the last week or so.

Head of the Denpasar Tourism Office, Dezire Mulyani, when asked for her confirmation on Monday (Dec. 18) said that three days ago there started to be more visitors. This is probably due to the fairly intensive promotion conducted by the tourism office and relevant agencies. Hotel occupancy rates have significantly increased especially in the tourism area of Sanur.

Mulyani said that she is confident that the number of tourists will return to normal for for Christmas and New Year. Although the alert level of Mount Agung remains in warning, both domestic and foreign tourists have started to book hotel rooms in Denpasar to celebrate Christmas and New Year.

“We are grateful to see this increase. In the previous weeks occupancy rates had dropped to 10-15 percent. Thank God, continued promotion is starting to pay off”, she said.

Similar opinion was expressed by the Head of Regional Tourism Promotion Board (PPDB) of Denpasar, Ida Bagus Gede Sidartha Putra. Gus De as he is familiarly addressed said the increase in tourist visits to Bali started about 6 days ago. According to Gus De, the travel warnings for Bali that several countries –including Australia had previously announced have been lifted. (kmb12)

IBP/kmb35

This couple equally has physical disability in the legs, but can live independently by selling.

Life of a couple with disability

Selling vivaciously though constrained by physical limitation

GIANYAR — Bajuri, 45, and Ni Komang Ayu Manik is one of the couples that can live their life happily even though they both have physical limitations. This couple equally has physical disability in the legs, but can live independently by selling.

Dezire Mulyani

IBP/kmb

This couple’s store also has strategic location, just west side or left side of the road from the intersection of Sakah Baby Statue, precisely on Jalan Raya Banjar Abianseka, Mas village, Ubud. At a glance, this 2R Shop managed by this couple looks just like any other stores. However, if people have time to stop by to buy gasoline, tea and coffee, they will be surprised. It happens because Komang Ayu Manik uses a wheelchair, while her husband, Bajuri is sitting on the floor with a leg in defect condition. Nevertheless, they still serve visitors like normal people do.

When met at their store on Tuesday (Dec. 19) Ayu Manik revealed that she has a long enough journey to live with Bajuri. It started from the same fate of experiencing physical disability to be reconciled in the event of national disabled in Yogyakarta in 2000.

“I have been sick since the age of 8 months,” she said.

This woman from Banda hamlet, Saba, Blahbatuh, was born on October 14, 1975. She admitted to experience slowing down growth until she was declared to suffer polio at the age of 8 years. She had time to attend elementary school to third grade, but after she could not walk, she had to take school leave for a year.

During her one-year leave, Ayu Manik felt very inferior. She also preferred to confine herself in the room.

At that time, she got motivation from Puspadi Bali, the former name of Yakkum Bali. “I was motivated so that I wanted to go back to school,” she explained.

In short, Ayu Manik had the opportunity to represent Bali in the event of disability motivation in Yogyakarta in 2000. At that time, she met hundreds of people with disabilities from throughout Indonesia. Ayu Manik no longer felt inferior and even she got motivated to do

the best. In the same meeting, Ayu Manik was in tune with Bajuri, a man from Kediri, East Java.

Finally, they married in 2007. Ayu Manik had domiciled in Kediri, East Java, for several years.

Happiness was increasingly felt when she knew to have been pregnant for her first child. Although using wheelchair, the process of her pregnancy found no obstacles. However, due to limited access to hospital or maternity homes, the first child should be born in a shaman. “Fortunately, our baby was born normally assisted by midwife shaman,” she said. Ultimately, their 10-year old son was named Gede Bayu Raditya.

This couple moved to Bali, precisely Mas village, Ubud, around 2011. At that time, her 4-year-old son was about to attend kindergarten. “I work around Mas village. When looking for school for our child, we found the Taman Rare kindergarten is the closest,” she explained.

Meanwhile, the business premise located north of Alon Gallery was originally a mini market. Maybe due to less fortunate, the mini market is empty of buyers.

“Initially, this shop was managed by a foundation.

Having operated for three months, it was then closed due to lack of buyers. Another merchant then tried to contract it. Similar case was experienced and might be closed after operating for three months. Finally, per February 2016 I was told to keep the shop,” she explained.

In fact, when operated by Ayu Manik, the business worked smoothly. Finally, she was offered working capital worth IDR 10 million to manage the store by herself. She was given the freedom to pay each month and could even delay the payment if she had no enough money. “It has been running for 4 months.

Every month, I try to pay IDR 500,000,” he explained.

Today, the 2R Store is open every day from 7:00 to 21:00. In addition to daily needs, Ayu Manik also sells credit. Most importantly, her life is no longer inferior and troublesome to others. “As long as we can, we will try,” he said. (kmb35)

4

Bali News

Thursday, December 21, 2017

International

Thursday, December 21, 2017

International

Foreign tourists start traveling to Bali

S.Korea says any delay in military drills depends on N.Korea’s behaviour

They are mostly Australian

DENPASAR — Bali tourism starts to revive. After several months of uncertainty following the eruption of Mount Agung, Bali gradually recovers with the arrival of foreign tourists. The increase in foreign tourist arrivals has begun to happen since December 16.

Based on data of Bali Tourism Promotion Board (BPPD), the arrival of foreign tourists to Bali until December 16, 2017 reached 11,986 people. Of this number, over 26 percent or 2,617 are Australian tourists. The arrival on December 18 amounted to 10,605 people. This number rose dramatically when compared to December 15 where the number of arrivals only reached 5,976 people.

Chairman of Bali Tourism Promotion Board (BPPD), Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati, said that based on the country of origin, the tourists visiting Bali are mostly Australians with a percentage of 26 percent, European (20 percent), Indian (13 percent), Malaysian (5 percent), North American (5 percent) and other countries (31 percent).

He said there has indeed an increase in foreign tourists coming to Bali. Character of the Australian tourists ranked first in terms of foreign tourists visit to Bali as of December 16 is very different.

“Bali has been considered to be their second home. When wishing to visit Bali, they do not plan their vacation far in advance, different from large groups such as MICE or family trip,” he said.

Australian tourists can go to Bali just for weekend and then return home to work. (kmb42)

Houthi War Media/Handout via REUTERS

A ballistic missile is seen after it was fired toward the Saudi capital of Riyadh from an undisclosed location in Yemen, in this handout photo released December 19, 2017 by the Houthi movement’s War Media.

IBP/kmb

Bali tourism starts to revive. After several months of uncertainty following the eruption of Mount Agung, Bali gradually recovers with the arrival of foreign tourists.

Rice stock of refugee starts to run low

SINGARAJA — Rice supply for refugees of Mount Agung eruption in Buleleng has running out again. Currently, the stock of rice available is approximately seven tons. Meanwhile, the number of refugee reaches more than 10,000 people spreading across Tejakula, Kubutambahan, Sawan, Buleleng, Sukasada and Gerokgak

subdistrict.

On this condition, the taskforce of Mount Agung refugees along with the Buleleng Social Agency keeps trying to increase the supply of rice for the refugees. The effort made is no other than applying to the Government Rice Reserve (CBP). This petition is filed gradually from the district, province to

IBP/kmb38

Rice supply for refugees of Mount Agung eruption in Buleleng has running out again.

the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Head of Mount Agung Refugee Mitigation Taskforce in Buleleng, Made Arya Sukerta, confirmed in his office on Tuesday (Dec. 19) that the current stock of rice continues to decrease. The rice stock from CBP and donation from donators as well as volunteers has been distributed to refugee camps in accordance with the established mechanism. Since receiving refugees, the need for rice is high due to the large number of refugee to be served. On this condition, he still prepared the rice needs for refugees so as not to less than the existing needs.

“Pursuant to the last report we received, there are only seven tons of rice. As prediction, this is only enough for the next few days. We have submitted additional request to government rice reserve, in this case the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Hopefully, we can get additional

supply, so there is no emptiness of rice stock for refugees,” he said.

Cooperative donates 1.5 tons of rice Amid the depletion of rice stock for refugees, the Buleleng Social Agency received donation of rice from hundreds of cooperative boards in Buleleng last Tuesday.

The assistance consisting of 1.5 tons of rice, instant noodle, detergent and women’s need were handed over by the Head of the Buleleng Cooperative and SME Agency, Made Budi Astawa. The handover was also attended by administrators of the Buleleng Regional Cooperative Council (Dekopinda), and representatives of the cooperative management. The aid was handed over at Logistic Post in Les village, Tejakula subdistrict.

This assistance was received symbolically by the staff at the logistics post representing the Head

13

of Buleleng Social Agency, Gede Komang. In addition to delivering the assistance, the entourage of the Buleleng Cooperative and the SMEs also had a closer look at the conditions in refugee camps.

He said the assistance was gathered after hundreds of cooperative administrators in his region set aside donations in order to help ease the burden needs of refugees of the Mount Agung eruption impact. From the fundraising, it was then agreed to 1.5 tons of rice, instant noodles, woman’s needs and detergent.

“Currently, there are totally 328 cooperatives. The management can set aside some funds for us to be collected for helping refugees.

Quantitatively, such value may mean nothing, but we believe this assistance will be beneficial, especially the assistance of rice is very much needed to increase the thinning stock,” he said. (kmb38)

Saudi Arabia intercepts Houthi missile fired toward Riyadh; no reported casualties

RIYADH - Saudi air defences shot down a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi group towards Riyadh on Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition said, in an attack that could escalate a proxy war between the kingdom and Iran.

There were no reports of casualties or damage. In contrast, a U.N. human rights spokesman said coalition air strikes had killed at least 136 non-combatants in war-torn Yemen since Dec. 6.

The Iran-aligned Houthi movement said it had aimed the missile at the Saudi royal court at alYamama palace, where a meeting of Saudi leaders was under way.

It described the attack as a new chapter in the conflict.

The Saudi-led coalition said the missile, the latest of several fired towards Riyadh, had been directed at residential areas and there had been no damage.

Quoting a statement from the coalition, Saudi state news agency SPA said Iranian-made missiles were a threat to regional and international security. It accused the Houthis of using humanitarian entry points into Yemen to smuggle in missiles from Saudi Arabia’s regional arch-foe Iran.

“Coalition forces confirm intercepting an Iranian-Houthi missile targeting (the) south of Riyadh.

There are no reported casualties at this time,” the government-run Center for International Communication wrote on its Twitter account.

Saudi palaces, military and oil facilities are within range of such missiles, the Houthis said in a statement carried by the group’s Al-Masirah television.

The U.S. State Department condemned the missile attack and called on Iran to stop arming the Houthis.

At the United Nations, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said the Houthi missile strike “bears all the hallmarks of previous attacks using Iranian-provided weapons.”

Haley said she was exploring, with some U.N. Security Council colleagues, several options for pressuring Iran to “adjust their behavior.” Haley is likely to struggle, however, to convince some members, like veto powers Russia and China, that U.N. action is needed.

THOUSANDS OF AIR STRIKES IN YEMEN

Saudi Arabia and Iran are locked in struggle for influence in the Middle East. The conflict in Saudi Arabia’s backyard Yemen has killed more than 10,000 people and displaced over 2 million.

The Houthis for their part have fired several missiles at the kingdom, but have not caused any serious damage.

The attack came as the Houthis marked 1,000 days since the Saudiled coalition began military operations in Yemen in March 2015 after the Iran-aligned group drove Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi into exile.

“The enemies had their own mirage calculations ... but over 1,000 days, there has been this great steadfastness,” said Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, a Houthi leader, in a speech on the group’s Al-Masirah TV. The United Arab Emirates, a close ally of Saudi Arabia and part of its coalition, said the latest Houthi attack underscored the need to keep the military campaign in Yemen going. (rtr)

SEOUL - Any delay in joint military drills with the United States would depend on North Korea’s behaviour during the 2018 Winter Olympics, officials in Seoul said on Wednesday, while a halt to group tours from China suggested Beijing is still wary.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is seeking to soothe relations with China and the North before the Winter Olympics in South Korea in February and suggested on Tuesday he was prepared to postpone the drills with the United States.

Pyongyang sees the joint exercises as preparation for war, while Beijing is still angry about the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system, commonly known as THAAD,

by South Korea.

China believes the system’s powerful radar can see far into its territory, but Seoul argues it needs it to guard against the threat posed by North Korea’s missile and nuclear programmes.

Seoul has proposed the potential delay in drills to Washington, which was also discussed during a summit last week between Moon and Chinese President Xi Jinping, an official from the presidential Blue House in Seoul said on Wednesday.

China has in the past proposed a “freeze for freeze” arrangement under which North Korea would stop its nuclear and missile tests in exchange for a halt to the exercises.

However, Washington has rejected the idea and Pyongyang has shown little interest in negotiations.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in Ottawa on Tuesday he was unaware of any plans to “alter longstanding and scheduled and regular military exercises”.

North Korea has stepped up its missile and nuclear tests to an un-

precedented rate this year, and any new provocation from the North would “inevitably have an impact” on the exercises, the Blue House official said.

“It is a display of the president’s strong message that North Korea must not conduct any provocation (during the Olympics),” the official told reporters.

TOUGHER SANCTIONS North Korea has been hit with increased international sanctions over its missile and nuclear tests this year.

Japan’s Asahi newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing an unidentified person connected to South Korean intelligence, that North Korea was conducting biological weapons experiments to test the possibility of loading anthrax-laden warheads on its intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The Asahi report said the U.S. government was aware of the tests, which were meant to ascertain whether the anthrax bacteria could survive the high temperatures that occur during warheads re-entry from space.

Reuters was unable to verify the report independently.

The United States has given China a draft resolution for tougher U.N. sanctions on North Korea and is hoping for a quick vote on it by the U.N. Security Council, a Western diplomat said on Tuesday, however Beijing has yet to sign on.

Details of the draft given to China last week were not immediately available, but the United States is keen to step up global sanctions to pressure North Korea to give up a weapons programme aimed at developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States. (rtr)

REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

South Korean and U.S. Marines take part in a winter military drill in Pyeongchang, South Korea, December 19, 2017.

12

International

Thursday, December 21, 2017

BUSINESS Trump security plan boosts case for steel, aluminum curbs -official

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump’s new security strategy bolsters the case for trade actions to protect U.S. economic interests on national security grounds, including possible import tariffs on steel and aluminum, a senior Trump administration official said on Tuesday.

The strategy document released on Monday did not specifically mention the Commerce Department’s “Section 232” investigations into whether rising steel and aluminum imports represent a threat to national security.

With recommendations due in January, the probes could lead to broad tariffs or import quotas under a Cold War-era trade law.

The official said the document made clear that Trump considered economic strength to be an integral part of national security and “formalizes” the link between the two.

The 232 probes on steel and aluminum “are being discussed in the context of national security. The strategy highlights the importance of industrial strength, and that is also an element of the 232 analysis,” the official said.

The official said other trade-related actions that fit with the strategy document included a “Section 301” investigation into China’s intellectual property practices that also could lead to further China-focused trade enforcement cases similar to the anti-dumping and anti-subsidy probe into Chinese-made aluminum sheet products recently initiated by the U.S. government.

“I think there will be enforcement actions by the U.S. that are related to the non-market challenge from China,” the official said. “The strategy

recognizes that China is a rival and that puts into context that we need to take steps to protect American interests and American workers.” The strategy document lumped together China and Russia as competitors seeking to challenge U.S. power and erode the country’s security and prosperity.

Despite meetings between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping that showcased a warm personal relationship between them, trade relations between Washington and Beijing have cooled following economic dialogue talks in July that failed to produce any steps to reduce the U.S. trade deficit with China. The U.S. Treasury’s top economic diplomat, Undersecretary for International Affairs David Malpass, told the Financial Times last month there were no plans to resume the dialogue talks with Beijing.

The United States also recently joined the European Union in opposing China’s demands that the World Trade Organization recognize it as a “market economy” - a move that would severely weaken Western trade defenses against a flood of cheap Chinese goods.

In a thinly veiled warning to China, the Trump security document said: “The United States will engage industrialized democracies and other like-minded states to defend against economic aggression, in all its forms, that threatens our common prosperity and security.”

Reacting to the document, China said Washington should accept its development and urged more cooperation, adding that confrontation would bring mutual losses. The Kremlin dismissed the document as “imperialist.”(rtr)

REUTERS/Stringer

Workers work beside steel wires at a factory in Beijing, China November 22, 2017. Picture taken November 22, 2017.

Bali News

International

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Men Brayut Symbol of the strength of Balinese Women

5

The story of Men Brayut tells of the extraordinary strength of character of a Balinese woman by this name.

This story has become part of Balinese folklore and is often told as a bedtime story. It is a symbolic tale of how strong Balinese women are in carrying out the tasks of their daily lives. Having a strong work ethic, patience, honesty, care, and a sense of camaraderie and ability to remain steadfast in facing problems are qualities that are highlighted in this ancient tale.

REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis

A worker holds a stainless steel sink under at the production line of the Pyramis Metallourgia manufacturing facility in Thessaloniki, Greece, November 2, 2017. Picture taken November 2, 2017.

Greek lawmakers approve 2018 budget, govt says last under bailout

ATHENS - Greek lawmakers on Tuesday approved by majority the country’s 2018 budget, which the government said would be the last under bailout terms which have held the country in a stranglehold of austerity for eight years. “We leave behind a period that no one wants to remember,” Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told lawmakers at the end of a two-day debate in which his governing coalition were lambasted by opposition lawmakers for a tax blitz on the populace.

“For the first time, we know with certainty that this is the last bailout budget,” he added. Greece has relied on financial handouts from European Union creditors and the International Monetary fund since 2010. Its third bailout expires in August 2018, by which time it will be expected to finance itself from the markets.

Its economy lost about a third of output over a seven-year period but is gradually returning to growth.

The budget forecasts an expansion in output of 2.5 percent in 2018, compared to a projected 1.6 percent this year. It is expected to generate a primary surplus, which excludes debt servicing, of 3.82 percent of gross domestic output, higher than that set by lenders.

Greece’s fiscal goals have been approved by European Union lenders and the International Monetary Fund. Under its latest bailout review, the government has agreed to cut spending further, reduce pensions, complete an evaluation of public sector staff skills and qualifications and sell coal-fired power stations. It will tighten the rules for unions to call a strike.

“Greece is the only European country under a bailout and has the lowest growth in the eurozone ... people wish that this budget will be the last one of your government,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis, leader of the opposition New Democracy party.

As part of measures to offset the impact of austerity, the finance

ministry said on Tuesday that value added tax would not be increased on five islands which have received thousands of asylum seekers since Europe’s migrant crisis erupted in 2015.

Tsipras won power in 2015 on promises to end austerity but later signed up to a new 86 billion-euro bailout that ends in August. His term ends in 2019 and his Syriza party is trailing in opinion polls.

A poll by the University of Macedonia for Skai TV aired on Dec. 18 showed New Democracy’s popularity at 30 percent, 12 points ahead of Syriza. Another, conducted by Kapa Research for left-leaning newspaper Ethnos, showed New Democracy leading by 4.8 points.(rtr)

Several villages in Bali, have shrines and temple reliefs devoted to Men Brayut, where people come to pray. Pura Dalem in Belang Samu Village, Kusamba and Goa Gajah are two examples of sites where, on specific days people come to pay honour to Men Brayut. Many people believe that by doing so they will be blessed with children.

Men Brayut was a housewife who came from a poor family and who had 18 children. To fulfill the needs of her big family, she had to work very hard and even had to do ‘men’s work’. She was able to keep peace and harmony within her big family and with others in her community, so she is considered a very good example to follow.

According to Dr. Drs. I Wayan Wastawa, MA, a lecturer at The

Denpasar Hindu Dharma Institute (IHDN), Men Brayut not only had a strong work ethic but was also spiritually diligent, praying every day. She was also very generous, sharing whatever she had and was always grateful. “Men Brayut is a symbol of the strength of Balinese women in protecting the harmony of their family”, he added.

By giving equal love to all her children, they all become successful people. Many people are puzzled by this and ask: “how is it possible

for a women with so many children and with so little money accomplish this?”. Many people therefore want to learn from Men Brayut. “After all, once she accomplished all her tasks, she entered the next phase of life known as Wanaprasta in which she practiced yoga semadi”, explained Wastawa.

Men Brayut is a symbol of prosperity and a symbol of the motherland as described by how her children always stayed closed to her and even grasped her hair or

legs to survive. She was able to apply the principle of equality to her family by giving the same heritage to each of her child. “Men Brayut is a symbol of a great leader who acts with equally towards the people”, said Dr. Wastawa.

He also explained that these days, Balinese women should follow the example of Men Brayut’s work ethic. Balinese woman should not be too strict about only doing specialized woman’s work. According to Dr. Wastawa, there are

many things that women can do: “there are many jobs that can be done by woman such as farming, construction, being security officers and high ranking managers.

These jobs can be done by both men and women”, he stated. Balinese woman have a strong spirit for studying so job opportunities are wide open to them. “Nowadays, there is saying that ‘woman should not just rely on their husbands.

Women can also feed the family’ Dr. Wastawa concluded. (kmb)

Mumbul bathing pool

Offer fresh water merged with spiritual tourism Tourist destinations in Buleleng district do not only offer both natural and cultural beauty, but also a lot of spiritual tourism. One of them is Mumbul bathing pool located at Munduk hamlet, Anturan, Buleleng district. Water in this large pool is very fresh and quite suitable for those that would like to have relaxation.

Finding this pool is not so difficult. It is situated around the Singaraja-Gilimanuk road section, precisely behind the campus of Mapindo Singaraja. It can be reached by motorcycles, and cars.

Parking lot prepared is also very wide. In the meantime, the bathing pool managed by Anturan customary village in cooperation with the Anturan administrative village is also equipped with public facilities such as toilet and tents. Besides, it is also equipped with a tavern

or cafe shop like in other tourist attractions.

Although the pool is not too spacious, visitors are guaranteed not to be disappointed because the water temperature is fresh enough to give a sensation of its own.

Chief of Anturan customary village, Ketut Mangku, said the pool has existed from time immemorial.

At its surrounding, there are 11 springs located separately on the area of 800 square meters, starting from the innermost courtyard of Ayu Taman Temple, middle courtyard of the temple to springs of the swimming pool. “The arrangement of the bathing place was started last March,” he said, not long ago.

This also offers a place of malukat or purificatory rite. Before trying, all the pilgrims are required to perform a special ritual because it

is in a sanctified area, namely in the middle courtyard of the Ayu Taman Temple.

The coolest water sensation is under the banyan tree located in the innermost courtyard of Ayu Taman Temple, but this place cannot be entered carelessly. It is intended for holy activities such as invoking holy water for ngaben (cremation) ceremony or temple festival activities. “Before doing purificatory rite, at the outermost courtyard of the Ayu Taman Temple, the pilgrims must say prayers first,” said Mangku.

Mangku added that having purificatory rite at this spring is believed to be able to cure various diseases such as skin disease, allergies as well as others. “Soaking for 15 minutes will give sensation of having soaked our body in ice water,” he added. (kmb)

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Thursday, December 21, 2017

W

International

RLD

After U.S. veto, U.N. General Assembly to meet on Jerusalem status

UNITED NATIONS - The 193-member United Nations General Assembly will hold a rare emergency special session on Thursday at the request of Arab and Muslim states on U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, sparking a warning from Washington that it will “take names.”

Palestinian U.N. envoy Riyad Mansour said the General Assembly would vote on a draft resolution calling for Trump’s declaration to be withdrawn, which was vetoed by the United States in the 15-member U.N. Security Council on Monday.

The remaining 14 Security Council members voted in favor of the Egyptian-drafted resolution, which did not specifically mention the United States or Trump but which expressed “deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem.”

Mansour said on Monday he hoped there would be “overwhelming support” in the General Assembly for the resolution. Such a vote is non-binding, but carries political weight.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley, in a letter to dozens of U.N. states on Tuesday seen by Reuters, warned that the United States would remember those who voted for the resolution criticizing the U.S. decision.

“The president will be watching this vote carefully and has requested I report back on those countries who voted against us. We will take note of each and every vote on this issue,” Haley wrote.

She echoed that call in a Twitter post: The U.S. will

be taking names.”

Under a 1950 resolution, an emergency special session can be called for the General Assembly to consider a matter “with a view to making appropriate recommendations to members for collective measures” if the Security Council fails to act.

Only 10 such sessions have been convened, and the last time the General Assembly met in such a session was in 2009 on occupied East Jerusalem and Palestinian territories. Thursday’s meeting will be a resumption of that session.

Trump abruptly reversed decades of U.S. policy this month when he recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, generating outrage from Palestinians and the Arab world and concern among Washington’s Western allies.

Trump also plans to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. The draft U.N. resolution calls on all countries to refrain from establishing diplomatic missions in Jerusalem.

Haley said on Monday that the resolution was vetoed in the Security Council in defense of U.S. sovereignty and the U.S. role in the Middle East peace process. She criticized it as an insult to Washington and an embarrassment to council members.

Israel considers Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital and wants all embassies based there. Palestinians want the capital of an independent Palestinian state to be in the city’s eastern sector, which Israel captured in a 1967 war and annexed in a move never recognized internationally. (rtr)

REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

A Palestinian demonstrator hurls stones towards Israeli troops during clashes at a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, near the West Bank city of Ramallah December 19, 2017.

International

Thursday, December 21, 2017

11

West Sumatra serious to overcome cigarette hazards

Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro (C) speaks during a meeting with pro-government governors and mayors, next to Venezuela’s National Constitutional Assembly Delcy Rodriguez (L) and Venezuela’s Vice President Tareck El Aissami, at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela December 19, 2017.

Venezuela’s Maduro says ‘terrorists’ stole weapons from military unit

CARACAS - Venezuelan leftist President Nicolas Maduro said on Tuesday that “terrorists” had broken into a National Guard unit over the weekend and stolen weapons, the latest sign of volatility in the oil-rich country convulsed by a profound economic crisis.

Oscar Perez, a rogue Venezuelan police pilot wanted for lobbing grenades and shooting at government buildings in June, claimed responsibility for the attack, which he called “Operation Genesis.”

A video posted on Perez’s YouTube account shows armed, masked men taking control of military barracks under cover of night. They smash photos of Maduro and his predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez, handcuff around a dozen soldiers and berate them for supporting “dictatorship” in Venezuela.

“You yourselves are dying of hunger. Why have you not done anything, given you have weapons?

Why do you keep protecting these drug-trafficking dictators?” the assailants shout at gagged soldiers crouching on the floor of what appears to be a bathroom.

“Soon we’ll win the war ... so that Venezuela can be free,” says Perez, under the cover of a black balaclava.

His Twitter account later posted a purported summary by authorities of the attack. The summary says some 49 armed men stole around 26 Kalashnikov AK-103’s and over 3,000 munitions for the rifles, as well as pistols, in Miranda state near Caracas during the early hours of Monday.

Reuters was not able to independently confirm details of the attack.

The Information Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

An action film star who portrays

himself as a James Bond cum-Rambo figure on social media, Perez has added surreal twists to Venezuela’s long-running political drama.

He rose to fame in June after hijacking a police helicopter flying over Caracas’ center. He fired shots at and lobbed grenades on the Interior Ministry and the Supreme Court to fight what he said was a tyrannical government. He went into hiding after the attack, only to pop up two weeks later at an opposition vigil for anti-government protesters killed during demonstrations that rocked the country earlier this year.

Perez’s latest offensive highlights instability in Venezuela, an OPEC member state heaving under malnutrition, disease and the world’s steepest inflation rate. The opposition has long appealed to the military, historically a powerbroker in Venezuela, for help.

Maduro on Tuesday denounced the attackers, whom he did not name, as “terrorists” sent by his ideological enemy the United States.

“Wherever they appear, I’ve told the armed forces: Fire at the terrorist groups!” he said during a speech on state television, as he blamed opposition groups in Miami for orchestrating the raid.

“Do these people think they can attack a unit of the armed forces to steal some guns and threaten democracy and that that’s going to be tolerated? Zero tolerance!”

Maduro said.

The military has played a key role in government since Chavez - himself a former military officer - took office in 1999 promising to bring greater equality to Venezuela, home to the world’s largest oil reserves. (rtr)

JAKARTA - The West Sumatra Provincial Government is serious about protecting its people from the dangers of cigarettes by implementing non-smoking areas in accordance with the local regulation.

In accordance with the Local Regulation No.8/2012 on Non-smoking Areas in government agencies, the local government is determined to protect the people from cigarette hazards in order to prevent them from being addicted to nicotine.

West Sumatra Deputy Governor Nasrul Abit stated in Padang that the local regulation has actually been in place since 2012, but it has not been adhered to effectively and now the rules will be seriously enforced. According to him, to ensure that the rules are adhered to, the Civil Service Police Unit is assigned to monitor the implementation of the rules periodically, and violators will be directly processed in accordance with the rules.

Nasrul said the implementation of the Regulation of the Non-Smoking Area is to provide comfort to all government employees, especially non-smokers, by creating a healthy environment.

While for employees who smoke, he asked the Head of the Organization of the Regional Device (OPD) to prepare a special room for smoking. This is to ensure the effectiveness of work, because it is feared if they smoke out of the office, the work will be neglected. In the meantime, governor`s circulars on smoking bans have been distributed to local government offices, places of worship, workplaces, children`s playgrounds, public transportation means, teaching and learning facilities, and health-care facilities.

Nasrul said the maximum penalty for violators is a five-month jail term and a fine of Rp50 thousand to Rp50 million. Hence, the heads of the regional apparatus organizations and civil state apparatus are reminded to reduce smoking habit in the local government office environment. They cannot be forced to stop smoking at all, but they are urged that if they smoke five packs a day, for instance, they can reduce them to about three packs a day, and sooner or later, they will be able to stop smoking at all.

People start smoking due to varying reasons, and once they get into the habit, it can be difficult to stop, as smoking is both physically and mentally addictive.

Hence, protecting the people

from the dangers of cigarettes should continue to be strengthened without any intervention from the interests of the tobacco industry.

In fact, Jakarta Citizen Forum (FAKTA) Chairman, Azas Tigor Nainggolan, stated recently that the Indonesian government`s efforts to protect people from the dangers of cigarettes are still not strong, because of the intervention by the interests of the tobacco industry.

“With more vigorous campaigning by tobacco control group, the tobacco industry will also become more intense, especially since it has a lot of money,” Nainggolan remarked in a discussion in Jakarta last Wednesday. He noted that with resources owned, the tobacco industry can do anything, including “buying” policies and rules. Thus, it is not surprising that policies and regulations on tobacco control in Indonesia are still very weak.

“The rules have already been in place, but the implementation and rules derivative are still not strong,” he noted. He cited an example of a previous survey conducted by FAKTA some time before the development of non-smoking areas in government offices. Of the 150 government offices surveyed, it turned out that 90 percent violated the regulation at non-smoking areas.

In the meantime, a psychiatrist at the Soeharto Heerdjan Mental Hospital in Jakarta, Dr Adhi Wibowo Nurhidayat, has stated that nicotine addiction is highly dangerous and is ranked third among narcotics, psychotropics, and addictive substances, after heroin and cocaine addiction.

During a discussion forum in Jakarta on Wednesday, Nurhidayat remarked that addiction to nicotine, the substance contained in cigarettes, ranks after heroin and cocaine, but this is yet to be widely known to the public, and hence, it is not considered harmful. Narcotics, psychotropics, and addictive substances are classified into two large groups, namely those prohibited for general use and those still legally allowed for consumption, such as alcohol and cigarettes.

Psychiatrists who have dealt with several cases related to addictive substances are of the opinion that low doses of nicotine offer a calming effect. “It is the effect of addictive substances. They then eventually become addictive due to that calm feeling,” he pointed out. (ant)

REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

Protesters hold signs during a rally to condemn U.S. President Donald Trumps’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, at Monas, the national monument, in Jakarta, Indonesia, December 17, 2017.

Indonesia labels calls for U.S. boycott over Jerusalem move “misguided”

JAKARTA - Indonesia’s vice president said on Tuesday that calls for a boycott of U.S. goods over President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel were misguided - not least because of the country’s reliance on U.S. technology. There have been a series of protests in the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country since Trump’s controversial move this month to reverse decades of U.S. policy.

At a rally of about 80,000 people on Sunday, the Indonesian Ulema Council, a body of Muslim clerics, called for a boycott of U.S. and Israeli products if Trump did not revoke his action.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla told reporters that Indonesia was trying to put pressure on Washington through the United Nations and it was not even practical to stop using American products. “Do not be emotional... do we dare to boycott iPhones, stop using Google. Can (you) live without them?” he asked. “(You) cannot live without them now. If you go out of the house now, you put (an iPhone) in your pocket,” he said.

Kalla said that even if people stopped watching U.S. movies, other American goods such as specialised petroleum equipment were vital in oil-producing Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s biggest economy.

There have been a series of protests in Indonesia over the issue of Jerusalem, including some where hardliners burned U.S. and Israeli flags. The status of Jerusalem, a city holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians, is one of the biggest barriers to a lasting IsraeliPalestinian peace. Asked about how to proceed after Washington vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for the U.S. declaration on Jerusalem to be withdrawn, Kalla said that dialogue was the only solution.

“There had been three wars, and Palestine’s territory has become smaller, so there must be a dialogue, peace,” he said. Indonesia enjoys a trade surplus with the United States and is one of 16 countries that the Trump administration has said could be investigated for possible trade abuses.

Tutum Rahanta, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Retailers Association, said it was up to consumers whether to buy American products. “If it is advice or a call to boycott, it depends on the consumers whether to use the products or not.” (rtr)

10

Destination

Thursday, December 21, 2017

International

Thursday, December 21, 2017

International

Kyrgios to stay coach-less in new season

MELBOURNE - Nick Kyrgios has sacrificed his love of basketball for more time in the gym to get fit for the Australian Open but sees no immediate need for the extra discipline of a fulltime coach.

Seven rafting companies choose Melinggih Village as starting point

GIANYAR - The majority of our country is virtually composed of water. So, it is not surprising that from time immemorial our people have known river rafting. For example, in Kalimantan, the Dayak has long sailed the Mahakam River and Kapuas River by wooden boat and so do the Papuan living around the streams of Mamberamo River and those in the other parts of this archipelago. History of the whitewater rafting in Indonesia began in the early 1970s known as the rapid sporting pioneered by fellow nature lovers.

After that, this sport became one of the adventure sports most beloved by nature lovers.

Commercially, the rafting tour was first introduced by Sobex Expedition that later on opened whitewater rafting adventure in the Ayung

River Bali, a favorite river for whitewater rafting activities. “Until these days, the Ayung River is used by seven rafting companies including the Ayung Rafting, Gangga Rafting, Graha Ubud Adventure, Ubud Rafting, Tukad Rafting, Sobek Rafting, Payung Rafting and Bali Adventure.

All the companies take the starting point on the east side of the Ayung River at Melinggih village, Payangan,” said the headman of Melinggih, I Nyoman Surata.

“The presence of whitewater tourism especially rafting in the Ayung River will certainly bring in positive impact on the society at Melinggih.

This business needs many human resources both filling in the position as professionals and odd jobs, such as guides, porters of inflatable boats mostly recruiting the workers from

Payangan,” added Surata.

In the meantime, Dr. Ketut Subhadra, Director of PT Graha Adventure operating the Graha Rafting said that the presence of rafting business in the Ayung River actually contributes greatly to the government and local people here as their companies take advantage of local labor, maintain the river environment and contribute financially to local community, especially the customary village.

Good cooperation is always maintained with the local community, administrative village and customary village considering the continuity of the rafting business is inseparable from their role. Moreover, as the main medium of this activity, the river is very much sacred by Balinese community,” added Subhadra.

PT.Bali Paradise Citra Dewata Saat Ini 14 Kapal MSC,memerlukan Kandidat Posisi:Bellboy, Kicthen Utility,Asst.Cook&Cook all postion/Butcher,Pastry,Bakery utk kebrangkatan awal2018 D1,pengalaman1,5th dibidangnya CV:Jl.P.Ayu XIII No.3 T.238513 / E:info@baliparadisecrews.com

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“This good cooperation will certainly add to the image of Melinggih village as the center for rafting starting point in Gianyar and will ultimately contribute to local community here,” said Sang Ayu Putu Sriani, Commissioner PT Graha Adventure. “We are very grateful as Melinggih village is used as the

center of starting point for whitewater rafting. In the future, this village will develop, not only as the center for starting point of the rafting activities, but also for other tourism supporting business so as to increase the employment opportunities and people’s welfare,” concluded Surata. (kmb)

Nick Kyrgios

LONDON - Formula One will remain on free-to-air television in Germany, one of its major markets, after agreeing a contract extension with broadcaster RTL until at least 2020.

Formula One said in a statement on

Tuesday that the new three-year agreement included coverage of all free practice sessions, qualifying and the race.

The German Grand Prix, a home race for reigning world champions Mercedes as well as Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, is back

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prime shape for Melbourne Park in January.

That has extended to less time playing his beloved basketball, which he blamed for causing a knee injury in the leadup to the 2017 tournament where he crashed out in the second round.

“I was playing a lot (of basketball) through the off-season but I know it’s not great on my body,” said Kyrgios.

“Especially training for tennis and playing that, it’s not the smartest. But you know, I’ll live.”

Kyrgios will warm up for the year’s first grand slam at the Brisbane International before heading to Melbourne to play in Tie Break Tens with Novak Djokovic, an exhibition of 10-point tiebreak matches.

“I feel like I’ve taken care of my body a bit more than last year,” said Kyrgios.

“Last year I wasn’t doing anything, I was kind of playing too much basketball.

“I had so many niggles going into the Australian Open. I feel like I’ve done everything I can. I’ve still got a lot of time to kind of find my feet.” (rtr)

F1 stays free-to-air in Germany with new RTL deal

B.BP.001.11.17.0000581

It is for Job Vacancy, Property, Selling or Buying

IBP/net

The 22-year-old Australian worked with Frenchman Sebastian Grosjean on a part-time basis this year but has yet to find a candidate with his “best interests” at heart, he told reporters in Brisbane on Wednesday.

“I haven’t got a coach and I think I’m just going to go about my thing the same way that I did this year,” he said.

“I’ve pretty much done it all alone the last three years to get to a career high of 13.

“To bring someone on, it’s tough to know whether they’re just doing it for the sake of getting a bit of cash or rather have best interests at heart.

“I’m not looking for someone who has a big name or anything, it’s more trying to find someone who has my best interests and I can confide in.

“So far I haven’t really met anyone that meets those requirements. I don’t think I’m ready for a full-time coach just yet either.”

The mercurial talent’s world ranking has slipped to 21 after a season blighted by problems with his hip but said he was doing everything in his power to be in

The car of Ferrari’s Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen (R) is seen after a crash as Ferrari’s German driver Sebastian Vettel (C) leads during the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix in Singapore on September 17, 2017. Formula One will remain on free-to-air television in Germany.

on the calendar at Hockenheim in 2018 after being absent in 2017.

“The extension of the agreement...will guarantee that our fans in Germany will continue to watch Grands Prix on free TV,” said Formula One’s media rights director

Ian Holmes.

“The agreement is part of our strategy that aims to increase and strengthen television coverage on a worldwide basis, whilst tailoring it to the characteristics of each TV market.” (rtr)

8

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Sp rt

City march on but Guardiola rules out four trophies

West Ham boss Moyes questions Lanzini ban

West Ham United manager David Moyes has questioned the Football Association’s decision to hand midfielder Manuel Lanzini a two-game ban for simulation, saying there is a lack of consistency regarding incidents that warrant a suspension. Lanzini was banned for “successful deception of a match official” during last Saturday’s 3-0 Premier League win at Stoke City, with an independent regulatory panel agreeing that the Argentine had dived to win the penalty that led to the opening goal.

The FA rejected West Ham’s appeal of the ban on Tuesday, making Lanzini the second player to be retrospectively banned for simulation after Everton’s Oumar Niasse.

“I’m disappointed because I don’t see much consistency,” Moyes told reporters after West Ham’s 1-0 League Cup defeat by Arsenal.

“There’s another incident which was turned down. I wonder how they could get to that conclusion where everyone was unanimous on the decision.

“It sounds as if, I’m not sure even in this room that everybody would be unanimous and that was what was said it had to be.”

Lanzini, 24, missed the away defeat to Arsenal in the League Cup quarter-finals and is also ruled out of West Ham’s home league game against Newcastle United.

Moyes lauded his team’s performance at the Emirates but felt experienced midfielders must be recruited in the January transfer window after 18-year-olds Domingos Quina and Declan Rice were fielded for a much-changed West Ham side on Tuesday. “I think we have been making progress and winning games and we’ve been well organised and hard to play against. We showed that again tonight,” Moyes added.

“But what we’re seeing as we go along is the next step is adding quality. Tonight we were short on midfield players and generally we’re short in that area and we could do with adding a little more craft. “It’s an area we’re short at the moment. But January is never the easiest month to deal with... “ (rtr)

Romario to run for CBF chief to clean up Brazilian soccer RIO DE JANEIRO - Former Brazil soccer striker and 1994 World Cup champion Romario said on Tuesday he plans to run for president of the scandal-plagued Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) on an anti-corruption platform. Romario, 51, now a senator who has led congressional investigations

into corruption in Brazilian soccer, announced his intentions four days after CBF President Marco Polo del Nero was suspended for 90 days by soccer world body FIFA. Del Nero is being investigated in Brazil for alleged unethical conduct. He and his two predecessors, Ricardo Teixeira and José Maria

Marin, have been charged in the United States in the biggest corruption scandal in soccer’s history.

“No one has fought so vigorously against that gang than me, and so I am a legitimate candidate,” Romario said on Instagram. “I have the qualifications for the job. My credentials are my whole contribu-

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud has been ruled out of Friday’s Premier League match against fierce rivals Liverpool with a hamstring injury, manager Arsene Wenger has said.

Giroud, who has scored seven goals this season, was substituted in the second half of Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over West Ham United in the League Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday and will undergo scans

on Thursday to assess the damage.

“It doesn’t look very good for him,” Wenger told reporters after the victory. “I think he’s out of Friday night...

“We have to wait. Nowadays you do the scan 48 hours after the injury. That will happen on Thursday, then we’ll have a precise kind of grade on what his hamstring is.

“When you listen to him, the pain is quite big, but the grade is

Guardiola’s withering look said it all. “Forget about it. That is not going to happen,” he told Sky Sports in a manner that brooked no argument. That was all very well but the dazzling way his team are playing continues to make the fanciful seem possible.

The Premier League, which they lead by 11 points, already looks wrapped up, while City are now in the last four of a competition they are looking to win for the third time in five seasons at Wembley in February.

If they keep playing the brand of football that has looked the most scintillating in Europe then triumphs in the Champions League and FA Cup do not seem outlandish possibilities either.

City’s hierarchy certainly believe it is possible with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak having in the close season broached the possibility of winning the quadruple.

IBP/net

He did not employ a manager who once won six trophies in a season at Barcelona without sky-high, sky blue expectations.

GRAND EXPERIMENT

Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud holds his leg before being substituted off

Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers

West Ham United manager David Moyes

zilian soccer. Romario helped Brazil win a record fourth World Cup title in 1994 in the United States.

His popularity won him a seat as a congressman and then senator for his home state of Rio de Janeiro. He has said he plans to run for governor of Rio to reform the financially bankrupt state. (rtr)

not always linked with the intensity of the pain.”

Midfielder Francis Coquelin was also substituted in the final stages of Tuesday’s match with a knock but Wenger expects the 26-year-old to be fit to face their fellow top four contenders.

Arsenal are fifth in the league, a point and a place behind Liverpool, and host the Merseyside club at the Emirates. (rtr)

Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine

Pep’s latest grand experiment is going so sweetly that City have not lost a domestic game since last season’s FA Cup semi-final with Arsenal and their only loss anywhere this term was at Shakhtar Donetsk in a dead Champions League rubber for them. On Tuesday’s evidence, what must delight Guardiola as much as the breathtaking stuff being played by his A listers is that he appears to be blooding a new generation imbued with toughness as well as real quality who can slot in seamlessly if needed.

Phil Foden, 17, one of the bright young hopes in the English game, 18-year-old Spaniard Brahim Diaz, and local defender Tosin Adarabioyo, 20, all played an admirable part in City’s win.

Guardiola’s side prevailed after Bernardo Silva had put City ahead before Jamie Vardy equalised with what looked a harshly-awarded penalty in the seventh minute of added time. After extra time, City keeper Claudio Bravo saved the key Riyad Mahrez penalty to earn the shootout victory.

“A lot of young players played. I am so happy for all the players. They showed me very good things,” said Guardiola. When later he was further pressed by reporters about winning four trophies, the Spaniard added: “That’s unreal.... In football you drop points, you lose. I am not thinking about titles.” (rtr)

tion to soccer, on and off the field.”

He blamed former FIFA President Joao Havelange, who died last year, for installing a “system” of graft in Brazilian soccer and beyond.

Romario called for the prosecution of Marin, Teixeira and del Nero at the end of a congressional inquiry he led last year into corruption in Bra-

Arsenal’s Giroud to miss Liverpool clash with hamstring injury

Manchester City’s Claudio Bravo celebrates winning the penalty shootout

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been doing his best to keep a lid on the hoopla surrounding his rampant charges but even he could not have expected to hear the first mention of the word “quadruple” before Christmas. After his second-string side battled into the League Cup semi-finals on Tuesday with a 4-3 shootout win at Leicester City following a 1-1 draw after extra time, the Spaniard was asked if his team could win four trophies this season.

9

Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers

8

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Sp rt

City march on but Guardiola rules out four trophies

West Ham boss Moyes questions Lanzini ban

West Ham United manager David Moyes has questioned the Football Association’s decision to hand midfielder Manuel Lanzini a two-game ban for simulation, saying there is a lack of consistency regarding incidents that warrant a suspension. Lanzini was banned for “successful deception of a match official” during last Saturday’s 3-0 Premier League win at Stoke City, with an independent regulatory panel agreeing that the Argentine had dived to win the penalty that led to the opening goal.

The FA rejected West Ham’s appeal of the ban on Tuesday, making Lanzini the second player to be retrospectively banned for simulation after Everton’s Oumar Niasse.

“I’m disappointed because I don’t see much consistency,” Moyes told reporters after West Ham’s 1-0 League Cup defeat by Arsenal.

“There’s another incident which was turned down. I wonder how they could get to that conclusion where everyone was unanimous on the decision.

“It sounds as if, I’m not sure even in this room that everybody would be unanimous and that was what was said it had to be.”

Lanzini, 24, missed the away defeat to Arsenal in the League Cup quarter-finals and is also ruled out of West Ham’s home league game against Newcastle United.

Moyes lauded his team’s performance at the Emirates but felt experienced midfielders must be recruited in the January transfer window after 18-year-olds Domingos Quina and Declan Rice were fielded for a much-changed West Ham side on Tuesday. “I think we have been making progress and winning games and we’ve been well organised and hard to play against. We showed that again tonight,” Moyes added.

“But what we’re seeing as we go along is the next step is adding quality. Tonight we were short on midfield players and generally we’re short in that area and we could do with adding a little more craft. “It’s an area we’re short at the moment. But January is never the easiest month to deal with... “ (rtr)

Romario to run for CBF chief to clean up Brazilian soccer RIO DE JANEIRO - Former Brazil soccer striker and 1994 World Cup champion Romario said on Tuesday he plans to run for president of the scandal-plagued Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) on an anti-corruption platform. Romario, 51, now a senator who has led congressional investigations

into corruption in Brazilian soccer, announced his intentions four days after CBF President Marco Polo del Nero was suspended for 90 days by soccer world body FIFA. Del Nero is being investigated in Brazil for alleged unethical conduct. He and his two predecessors, Ricardo Teixeira and José Maria

Marin, have been charged in the United States in the biggest corruption scandal in soccer’s history.

“No one has fought so vigorously against that gang than me, and so I am a legitimate candidate,” Romario said on Instagram. “I have the qualifications for the job. My credentials are my whole contribu-

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud has been ruled out of Friday’s Premier League match against fierce rivals Liverpool with a hamstring injury, manager Arsene Wenger has said.

Giroud, who has scored seven goals this season, was substituted in the second half of Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over West Ham United in the League Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday and will undergo scans

on Thursday to assess the damage.

“It doesn’t look very good for him,” Wenger told reporters after the victory. “I think he’s out of Friday night...

“We have to wait. Nowadays you do the scan 48 hours after the injury. That will happen on Thursday, then we’ll have a precise kind of grade on what his hamstring is.

“When you listen to him, the pain is quite big, but the grade is

Guardiola’s withering look said it all. “Forget about it. That is not going to happen,” he told Sky Sports in a manner that brooked no argument. That was all very well but the dazzling way his team are playing continues to make the fanciful seem possible.

The Premier League, which they lead by 11 points, already looks wrapped up, while City are now in the last four of a competition they are looking to win for the third time in five seasons at Wembley in February.

If they keep playing the brand of football that has looked the most scintillating in Europe then triumphs in the Champions League and FA Cup do not seem outlandish possibilities either.

City’s hierarchy certainly believe it is possible with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak having in the close season broached the possibility of winning the quadruple.

IBP/net

He did not employ a manager who once won six trophies in a season at Barcelona without sky-high, sky blue expectations.

GRAND EXPERIMENT

Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud holds his leg before being substituted off

Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers

West Ham United manager David Moyes

zilian soccer. Romario helped Brazil win a record fourth World Cup title in 1994 in the United States.

His popularity won him a seat as a congressman and then senator for his home state of Rio de Janeiro. He has said he plans to run for governor of Rio to reform the financially bankrupt state. (rtr)

not always linked with the intensity of the pain.”

Midfielder Francis Coquelin was also substituted in the final stages of Tuesday’s match with a knock but Wenger expects the 26-year-old to be fit to face their fellow top four contenders.

Arsenal are fifth in the league, a point and a place behind Liverpool, and host the Merseyside club at the Emirates. (rtr)

Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine

Pep’s latest grand experiment is going so sweetly that City have not lost a domestic game since last season’s FA Cup semi-final with Arsenal and their only loss anywhere this term was at Shakhtar Donetsk in a dead Champions League rubber for them. On Tuesday’s evidence, what must delight Guardiola as much as the breathtaking stuff being played by his A listers is that he appears to be blooding a new generation imbued with toughness as well as real quality who can slot in seamlessly if needed.

Phil Foden, 17, one of the bright young hopes in the English game, 18-year-old Spaniard Brahim Diaz, and local defender Tosin Adarabioyo, 20, all played an admirable part in City’s win.

Guardiola’s side prevailed after Bernardo Silva had put City ahead before Jamie Vardy equalised with what looked a harshly-awarded penalty in the seventh minute of added time. After extra time, City keeper Claudio Bravo saved the key Riyad Mahrez penalty to earn the shootout victory.

“A lot of young players played. I am so happy for all the players. They showed me very good things,” said Guardiola. When later he was further pressed by reporters about winning four trophies, the Spaniard added: “That’s unreal.... In football you drop points, you lose. I am not thinking about titles.” (rtr)

tion to soccer, on and off the field.”

He blamed former FIFA President Joao Havelange, who died last year, for installing a “system” of graft in Brazilian soccer and beyond.

Romario called for the prosecution of Marin, Teixeira and del Nero at the end of a congressional inquiry he led last year into corruption in Bra-

Arsenal’s Giroud to miss Liverpool clash with hamstring injury

Manchester City’s Claudio Bravo celebrates winning the penalty shootout

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been doing his best to keep a lid on the hoopla surrounding his rampant charges but even he could not have expected to hear the first mention of the word “quadruple” before Christmas. After his second-string side battled into the League Cup semi-finals on Tuesday with a 4-3 shootout win at Leicester City following a 1-1 draw after extra time, the Spaniard was asked if his team could win four trophies this season.

9

Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers

10

Destination

Thursday, December 21, 2017

International

Thursday, December 21, 2017

International

Kyrgios to stay coach-less in new season

MELBOURNE - Nick Kyrgios has sacrificed his love of basketball for more time in the gym to get fit for the Australian Open but sees no immediate need for the extra discipline of a fulltime coach.

Seven rafting companies choose Melinggih Village as starting point

GIANYAR - The majority of our country is virtually composed of water. So, it is not surprising that from time immemorial our people have known river rafting. For example, in Kalimantan, the Dayak has long sailed the Mahakam River and Kapuas River by wooden boat and so do the Papuan living around the streams of Mamberamo River and those in the other parts of this archipelago. History of the whitewater rafting in Indonesia began in the early 1970s known as the rapid sporting pioneered by fellow nature lovers.

After that, this sport became one of the adventure sports most beloved by nature lovers.

Commercially, the rafting tour was first introduced by Sobex Expedition that later on opened whitewater rafting adventure in the Ayung

River Bali, a favorite river for whitewater rafting activities. “Until these days, the Ayung River is used by seven rafting companies including the Ayung Rafting, Gangga Rafting, Graha Ubud Adventure, Ubud Rafting, Tukad Rafting, Sobek Rafting, Payung Rafting and Bali Adventure.

All the companies take the starting point on the east side of the Ayung River at Melinggih village, Payangan,” said the headman of Melinggih, I Nyoman Surata.

“The presence of whitewater tourism especially rafting in the Ayung River will certainly bring in positive impact on the society at Melinggih.

This business needs many human resources both filling in the position as professionals and odd jobs, such as guides, porters of inflatable boats mostly recruiting the workers from

Payangan,” added Surata.

In the meantime, Dr. Ketut Subhadra, Director of PT Graha Adventure operating the Graha Rafting said that the presence of rafting business in the Ayung River actually contributes greatly to the government and local people here as their companies take advantage of local labor, maintain the river environment and contribute financially to local community, especially the customary village.

Good cooperation is always maintained with the local community, administrative village and customary village considering the continuity of the rafting business is inseparable from their role. Moreover, as the main medium of this activity, the river is very much sacred by Balinese community,” added Subhadra.

PT.Bali Paradise Citra Dewata Saat Ini 14 Kapal MSC,memerlukan Kandidat Posisi:Bellboy, Kicthen Utility,Asst.Cook&Cook all postion/Butcher,Pastry,Bakery utk kebrangkatan awal2018 D1,pengalaman1,5th dibidangnya CV:Jl.P.Ayu XIII No.3 T.238513 / E:info@baliparadisecrews.com

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B.BP.001.11.17.0001464

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“This good cooperation will certainly add to the image of Melinggih village as the center for rafting starting point in Gianyar and will ultimately contribute to local community here,” said Sang Ayu Putu Sriani, Commissioner PT Graha Adventure. “We are very grateful as Melinggih village is used as the

center of starting point for whitewater rafting. In the future, this village will develop, not only as the center for starting point of the rafting activities, but also for other tourism supporting business so as to increase the employment opportunities and people’s welfare,” concluded Surata. (kmb)

Nick Kyrgios

LONDON - Formula One will remain on free-to-air television in Germany, one of its major markets, after agreeing a contract extension with broadcaster RTL until at least 2020.

Formula One said in a statement on

Tuesday that the new three-year agreement included coverage of all free practice sessions, qualifying and the race.

The German Grand Prix, a home race for reigning world champions Mercedes as well as Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, is back

B.BP.001.11.17.0000810

B.BP.004.11.17.0000615

Place Your Add Here

Please contact Gugiek : 08123840500

prime shape for Melbourne Park in January.

That has extended to less time playing his beloved basketball, which he blamed for causing a knee injury in the leadup to the 2017 tournament where he crashed out in the second round.

“I was playing a lot (of basketball) through the off-season but I know it’s not great on my body,” said Kyrgios.

“Especially training for tennis and playing that, it’s not the smartest. But you know, I’ll live.”

Kyrgios will warm up for the year’s first grand slam at the Brisbane International before heading to Melbourne to play in Tie Break Tens with Novak Djokovic, an exhibition of 10-point tiebreak matches.

“I feel like I’ve taken care of my body a bit more than last year,” said Kyrgios.

“Last year I wasn’t doing anything, I was kind of playing too much basketball.

“I had so many niggles going into the Australian Open. I feel like I’ve done everything I can. I’ve still got a lot of time to kind of find my feet.” (rtr)

F1 stays free-to-air in Germany with new RTL deal

B.BP.001.11.17.0000581

It is for Job Vacancy, Property, Selling or Buying

IBP/net

The 22-year-old Australian worked with Frenchman Sebastian Grosjean on a part-time basis this year but has yet to find a candidate with his “best interests” at heart, he told reporters in Brisbane on Wednesday.

“I haven’t got a coach and I think I’m just going to go about my thing the same way that I did this year,” he said.

“I’ve pretty much done it all alone the last three years to get to a career high of 13.

“To bring someone on, it’s tough to know whether they’re just doing it for the sake of getting a bit of cash or rather have best interests at heart.

“I’m not looking for someone who has a big name or anything, it’s more trying to find someone who has my best interests and I can confide in.

“So far I haven’t really met anyone that meets those requirements. I don’t think I’m ready for a full-time coach just yet either.”

The mercurial talent’s world ranking has slipped to 21 after a season blighted by problems with his hip but said he was doing everything in his power to be in

The car of Ferrari’s Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen (R) is seen after a crash as Ferrari’s German driver Sebastian Vettel (C) leads during the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix in Singapore on September 17, 2017. Formula One will remain on free-to-air television in Germany.

on the calendar at Hockenheim in 2018 after being absent in 2017.

“The extension of the agreement...will guarantee that our fans in Germany will continue to watch Grands Prix on free TV,” said Formula One’s media rights director

Ian Holmes.

“The agreement is part of our strategy that aims to increase and strengthen television coverage on a worldwide basis, whilst tailoring it to the characteristics of each TV market.” (rtr)

6

Thursday, December 21, 2017

W

International

RLD

After U.S. veto, U.N. General Assembly to meet on Jerusalem status

UNITED NATIONS - The 193-member United Nations General Assembly will hold a rare emergency special session on Thursday at the request of Arab and Muslim states on U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, sparking a warning from Washington that it will “take names.”

Palestinian U.N. envoy Riyad Mansour said the General Assembly would vote on a draft resolution calling for Trump’s declaration to be withdrawn, which was vetoed by the United States in the 15-member U.N. Security Council on Monday.

The remaining 14 Security Council members voted in favor of the Egyptian-drafted resolution, which did not specifically mention the United States or Trump but which expressed “deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem.”

Mansour said on Monday he hoped there would be “overwhelming support” in the General Assembly for the resolution. Such a vote is non-binding, but carries political weight.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley, in a letter to dozens of U.N. states on Tuesday seen by Reuters, warned that the United States would remember those who voted for the resolution criticizing the U.S. decision.

“The president will be watching this vote carefully and has requested I report back on those countries who voted against us. We will take note of each and every vote on this issue,” Haley wrote.

She echoed that call in a Twitter post: The U.S. will

be taking names.”

Under a 1950 resolution, an emergency special session can be called for the General Assembly to consider a matter “with a view to making appropriate recommendations to members for collective measures” if the Security Council fails to act.

Only 10 such sessions have been convened, and the last time the General Assembly met in such a session was in 2009 on occupied East Jerusalem and Palestinian territories. Thursday’s meeting will be a resumption of that session.

Trump abruptly reversed decades of U.S. policy this month when he recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, generating outrage from Palestinians and the Arab world and concern among Washington’s Western allies.

Trump also plans to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. The draft U.N. resolution calls on all countries to refrain from establishing diplomatic missions in Jerusalem.

Haley said on Monday that the resolution was vetoed in the Security Council in defense of U.S. sovereignty and the U.S. role in the Middle East peace process. She criticized it as an insult to Washington and an embarrassment to council members.

Israel considers Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital and wants all embassies based there. Palestinians want the capital of an independent Palestinian state to be in the city’s eastern sector, which Israel captured in a 1967 war and annexed in a move never recognized internationally. (rtr)

REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

A Palestinian demonstrator hurls stones towards Israeli troops during clashes at a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, near the West Bank city of Ramallah December 19, 2017.

International

Thursday, December 21, 2017

11

West Sumatra serious to overcome cigarette hazards

Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro (C) speaks during a meeting with pro-government governors and mayors, next to Venezuela’s National Constitutional Assembly Delcy Rodriguez (L) and Venezuela’s Vice President Tareck El Aissami, at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela December 19, 2017.

Venezuela’s Maduro says ‘terrorists’ stole weapons from military unit

CARACAS - Venezuelan leftist President Nicolas Maduro said on Tuesday that “terrorists” had broken into a National Guard unit over the weekend and stolen weapons, the latest sign of volatility in the oil-rich country convulsed by a profound economic crisis.

Oscar Perez, a rogue Venezuelan police pilot wanted for lobbing grenades and shooting at government buildings in June, claimed responsibility for the attack, which he called “Operation Genesis.”

A video posted on Perez’s YouTube account shows armed, masked men taking control of military barracks under cover of night. They smash photos of Maduro and his predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez, handcuff around a dozen soldiers and berate them for supporting “dictatorship” in Venezuela.

“You yourselves are dying of hunger. Why have you not done anything, given you have weapons?

Why do you keep protecting these drug-trafficking dictators?” the assailants shout at gagged soldiers crouching on the floor of what appears to be a bathroom.

“Soon we’ll win the war ... so that Venezuela can be free,” says Perez, under the cover of a black balaclava.

His Twitter account later posted a purported summary by authorities of the attack. The summary says some 49 armed men stole around 26 Kalashnikov AK-103’s and over 3,000 munitions for the rifles, as well as pistols, in Miranda state near Caracas during the early hours of Monday.

Reuters was not able to independently confirm details of the attack.

The Information Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

An action film star who portrays

himself as a James Bond cum-Rambo figure on social media, Perez has added surreal twists to Venezuela’s long-running political drama.

He rose to fame in June after hijacking a police helicopter flying over Caracas’ center. He fired shots at and lobbed grenades on the Interior Ministry and the Supreme Court to fight what he said was a tyrannical government. He went into hiding after the attack, only to pop up two weeks later at an opposition vigil for anti-government protesters killed during demonstrations that rocked the country earlier this year.

Perez’s latest offensive highlights instability in Venezuela, an OPEC member state heaving under malnutrition, disease and the world’s steepest inflation rate. The opposition has long appealed to the military, historically a powerbroker in Venezuela, for help.

Maduro on Tuesday denounced the attackers, whom he did not name, as “terrorists” sent by his ideological enemy the United States.

“Wherever they appear, I’ve told the armed forces: Fire at the terrorist groups!” he said during a speech on state television, as he blamed opposition groups in Miami for orchestrating the raid.

“Do these people think they can attack a unit of the armed forces to steal some guns and threaten democracy and that that’s going to be tolerated? Zero tolerance!”

Maduro said.

The military has played a key role in government since Chavez - himself a former military officer - took office in 1999 promising to bring greater equality to Venezuela, home to the world’s largest oil reserves. (rtr)

JAKARTA - The West Sumatra Provincial Government is serious about protecting its people from the dangers of cigarettes by implementing non-smoking areas in accordance with the local regulation.

In accordance with the Local Regulation No.8/2012 on Non-smoking Areas in government agencies, the local government is determined to protect the people from cigarette hazards in order to prevent them from being addicted to nicotine.

West Sumatra Deputy Governor Nasrul Abit stated in Padang that the local regulation has actually been in place since 2012, but it has not been adhered to effectively and now the rules will be seriously enforced. According to him, to ensure that the rules are adhered to, the Civil Service Police Unit is assigned to monitor the implementation of the rules periodically, and violators will be directly processed in accordance with the rules.

Nasrul said the implementation of the Regulation of the Non-Smoking Area is to provide comfort to all government employees, especially non-smokers, by creating a healthy environment.

While for employees who smoke, he asked the Head of the Organization of the Regional Device (OPD) to prepare a special room for smoking. This is to ensure the effectiveness of work, because it is feared if they smoke out of the office, the work will be neglected. In the meantime, governor`s circulars on smoking bans have been distributed to local government offices, places of worship, workplaces, children`s playgrounds, public transportation means, teaching and learning facilities, and health-care facilities.

Nasrul said the maximum penalty for violators is a five-month jail term and a fine of Rp50 thousand to Rp50 million. Hence, the heads of the regional apparatus organizations and civil state apparatus are reminded to reduce smoking habit in the local government office environment. They cannot be forced to stop smoking at all, but they are urged that if they smoke five packs a day, for instance, they can reduce them to about three packs a day, and sooner or later, they will be able to stop smoking at all.

People start smoking due to varying reasons, and once they get into the habit, it can be difficult to stop, as smoking is both physically and mentally addictive.

Hence, protecting the people

from the dangers of cigarettes should continue to be strengthened without any intervention from the interests of the tobacco industry.

In fact, Jakarta Citizen Forum (FAKTA) Chairman, Azas Tigor Nainggolan, stated recently that the Indonesian government`s efforts to protect people from the dangers of cigarettes are still not strong, because of the intervention by the interests of the tobacco industry.

“With more vigorous campaigning by tobacco control group, the tobacco industry will also become more intense, especially since it has a lot of money,” Nainggolan remarked in a discussion in Jakarta last Wednesday. He noted that with resources owned, the tobacco industry can do anything, including “buying” policies and rules. Thus, it is not surprising that policies and regulations on tobacco control in Indonesia are still very weak.

“The rules have already been in place, but the implementation and rules derivative are still not strong,” he noted. He cited an example of a previous survey conducted by FAKTA some time before the development of non-smoking areas in government offices. Of the 150 government offices surveyed, it turned out that 90 percent violated the regulation at non-smoking areas.

In the meantime, a psychiatrist at the Soeharto Heerdjan Mental Hospital in Jakarta, Dr Adhi Wibowo Nurhidayat, has stated that nicotine addiction is highly dangerous and is ranked third among narcotics, psychotropics, and addictive substances, after heroin and cocaine addiction.

During a discussion forum in Jakarta on Wednesday, Nurhidayat remarked that addiction to nicotine, the substance contained in cigarettes, ranks after heroin and cocaine, but this is yet to be widely known to the public, and hence, it is not considered harmful. Narcotics, psychotropics, and addictive substances are classified into two large groups, namely those prohibited for general use and those still legally allowed for consumption, such as alcohol and cigarettes.

Psychiatrists who have dealt with several cases related to addictive substances are of the opinion that low doses of nicotine offer a calming effect. “It is the effect of addictive substances. They then eventually become addictive due to that calm feeling,” he pointed out. (ant)

REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

Protesters hold signs during a rally to condemn U.S. President Donald Trumps’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, at Monas, the national monument, in Jakarta, Indonesia, December 17, 2017.

Indonesia labels calls for U.S. boycott over Jerusalem move “misguided”

JAKARTA - Indonesia’s vice president said on Tuesday that calls for a boycott of U.S. goods over President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel were misguided - not least because of the country’s reliance on U.S. technology. There have been a series of protests in the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country since Trump’s controversial move this month to reverse decades of U.S. policy.

At a rally of about 80,000 people on Sunday, the Indonesian Ulema Council, a body of Muslim clerics, called for a boycott of U.S. and Israeli products if Trump did not revoke his action.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla told reporters that Indonesia was trying to put pressure on Washington through the United Nations and it was not even practical to stop using American products. “Do not be emotional... do we dare to boycott iPhones, stop using Google. Can (you) live without them?” he asked. “(You) cannot live without them now. If you go out of the house now, you put (an iPhone) in your pocket,” he said.

Kalla said that even if people stopped watching U.S. movies, other American goods such as specialised petroleum equipment were vital in oil-producing Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s biggest economy.

There have been a series of protests in Indonesia over the issue of Jerusalem, including some where hardliners burned U.S. and Israeli flags. The status of Jerusalem, a city holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians, is one of the biggest barriers to a lasting IsraeliPalestinian peace. Asked about how to proceed after Washington vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for the U.S. declaration on Jerusalem to be withdrawn, Kalla said that dialogue was the only solution.

“There had been three wars, and Palestine’s territory has become smaller, so there must be a dialogue, peace,” he said. Indonesia enjoys a trade surplus with the United States and is one of 16 countries that the Trump administration has said could be investigated for possible trade abuses.

Tutum Rahanta, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Retailers Association, said it was up to consumers whether to buy American products. “If it is advice or a call to boycott, it depends on the consumers whether to use the products or not.” (rtr)

12

International

Thursday, December 21, 2017

BUSINESS Trump security plan boosts case for steel, aluminum curbs -official

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump’s new security strategy bolsters the case for trade actions to protect U.S. economic interests on national security grounds, including possible import tariffs on steel and aluminum, a senior Trump administration official said on Tuesday.

The strategy document released on Monday did not specifically mention the Commerce Department’s “Section 232” investigations into whether rising steel and aluminum imports represent a threat to national security.

With recommendations due in January, the probes could lead to broad tariffs or import quotas under a Cold War-era trade law.

The official said the document made clear that Trump considered economic strength to be an integral part of national security and “formalizes” the link between the two.

The 232 probes on steel and aluminum “are being discussed in the context of national security. The strategy highlights the importance of industrial strength, and that is also an element of the 232 analysis,” the official said.

The official said other trade-related actions that fit with the strategy document included a “Section 301” investigation into China’s intellectual property practices that also could lead to further China-focused trade enforcement cases similar to the anti-dumping and anti-subsidy probe into Chinese-made aluminum sheet products recently initiated by the U.S. government.

“I think there will be enforcement actions by the U.S. that are related to the non-market challenge from China,” the official said. “The strategy

recognizes that China is a rival and that puts into context that we need to take steps to protect American interests and American workers.” The strategy document lumped together China and Russia as competitors seeking to challenge U.S. power and erode the country’s security and prosperity.

Despite meetings between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping that showcased a warm personal relationship between them, trade relations between Washington and Beijing have cooled following economic dialogue talks in July that failed to produce any steps to reduce the U.S. trade deficit with China. The U.S. Treasury’s top economic diplomat, Undersecretary for International Affairs David Malpass, told the Financial Times last month there were no plans to resume the dialogue talks with Beijing.

The United States also recently joined the European Union in opposing China’s demands that the World Trade Organization recognize it as a “market economy” - a move that would severely weaken Western trade defenses against a flood of cheap Chinese goods.

In a thinly veiled warning to China, the Trump security document said: “The United States will engage industrialized democracies and other like-minded states to defend against economic aggression, in all its forms, that threatens our common prosperity and security.”

Reacting to the document, China said Washington should accept its development and urged more cooperation, adding that confrontation would bring mutual losses. The Kremlin dismissed the document as “imperialist.”(rtr)

REUTERS/Stringer

Workers work beside steel wires at a factory in Beijing, China November 22, 2017. Picture taken November 22, 2017.

Bali News

International

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Men Brayut Symbol of the strength of Balinese Women

5

The story of Men Brayut tells of the extraordinary strength of character of a Balinese woman by this name.

This story has become part of Balinese folklore and is often told as a bedtime story. It is a symbolic tale of how strong Balinese women are in carrying out the tasks of their daily lives. Having a strong work ethic, patience, honesty, care, and a sense of camaraderie and ability to remain steadfast in facing problems are qualities that are highlighted in this ancient tale.

REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis

A worker holds a stainless steel sink under at the production line of the Pyramis Metallourgia manufacturing facility in Thessaloniki, Greece, November 2, 2017. Picture taken November 2, 2017.

Greek lawmakers approve 2018 budget, govt says last under bailout

ATHENS - Greek lawmakers on Tuesday approved by majority the country’s 2018 budget, which the government said would be the last under bailout terms which have held the country in a stranglehold of austerity for eight years. “We leave behind a period that no one wants to remember,” Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told lawmakers at the end of a two-day debate in which his governing coalition were lambasted by opposition lawmakers for a tax blitz on the populace.

“For the first time, we know with certainty that this is the last bailout budget,” he added. Greece has relied on financial handouts from European Union creditors and the International Monetary fund since 2010. Its third bailout expires in August 2018, by which time it will be expected to finance itself from the markets.

Its economy lost about a third of output over a seven-year period but is gradually returning to growth.

The budget forecasts an expansion in output of 2.5 percent in 2018, compared to a projected 1.6 percent this year. It is expected to generate a primary surplus, which excludes debt servicing, of 3.82 percent of gross domestic output, higher than that set by lenders.

Greece’s fiscal goals have been approved by European Union lenders and the International Monetary Fund. Under its latest bailout review, the government has agreed to cut spending further, reduce pensions, complete an evaluation of public sector staff skills and qualifications and sell coal-fired power stations. It will tighten the rules for unions to call a strike.

“Greece is the only European country under a bailout and has the lowest growth in the eurozone ... people wish that this budget will be the last one of your government,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis, leader of the opposition New Democracy party.

As part of measures to offset the impact of austerity, the finance

ministry said on Tuesday that value added tax would not be increased on five islands which have received thousands of asylum seekers since Europe’s migrant crisis erupted in 2015.

Tsipras won power in 2015 on promises to end austerity but later signed up to a new 86 billion-euro bailout that ends in August. His term ends in 2019 and his Syriza party is trailing in opinion polls.

A poll by the University of Macedonia for Skai TV aired on Dec. 18 showed New Democracy’s popularity at 30 percent, 12 points ahead of Syriza. Another, conducted by Kapa Research for left-leaning newspaper Ethnos, showed New Democracy leading by 4.8 points.(rtr)

Several villages in Bali, have shrines and temple reliefs devoted to Men Brayut, where people come to pray. Pura Dalem in Belang Samu Village, Kusamba and Goa Gajah are two examples of sites where, on specific days people come to pay honour to Men Brayut. Many people believe that by doing so they will be blessed with children.

Men Brayut was a housewife who came from a poor family and who had 18 children. To fulfill the needs of her big family, she had to work very hard and even had to do ‘men’s work’. She was able to keep peace and harmony within her big family and with others in her community, so she is considered a very good example to follow.

According to Dr. Drs. I Wayan Wastawa, MA, a lecturer at The

Denpasar Hindu Dharma Institute (IHDN), Men Brayut not only had a strong work ethic but was also spiritually diligent, praying every day. She was also very generous, sharing whatever she had and was always grateful. “Men Brayut is a symbol of the strength of Balinese women in protecting the harmony of their family”, he added.

By giving equal love to all her children, they all become successful people. Many people are puzzled by this and ask: “how is it possible

for a women with so many children and with so little money accomplish this?”. Many people therefore want to learn from Men Brayut. “After all, once she accomplished all her tasks, she entered the next phase of life known as Wanaprasta in which she practiced yoga semadi”, explained Wastawa.

Men Brayut is a symbol of prosperity and a symbol of the motherland as described by how her children always stayed closed to her and even grasped her hair or

legs to survive. She was able to apply the principle of equality to her family by giving the same heritage to each of her child. “Men Brayut is a symbol of a great leader who acts with equally towards the people”, said Dr. Wastawa.

He also explained that these days, Balinese women should follow the example of Men Brayut’s work ethic. Balinese woman should not be too strict about only doing specialized woman’s work. According to Dr. Wastawa, there are

many things that women can do: “there are many jobs that can be done by woman such as farming, construction, being security officers and high ranking managers.

These jobs can be done by both men and women”, he stated. Balinese woman have a strong spirit for studying so job opportunities are wide open to them. “Nowadays, there is saying that ‘woman should not just rely on their husbands.

Women can also feed the family’ Dr. Wastawa concluded. (kmb)

Mumbul bathing pool

Offer fresh water merged with spiritual tourism Tourist destinations in Buleleng district do not only offer both natural and cultural beauty, but also a lot of spiritual tourism. One of them is Mumbul bathing pool located at Munduk hamlet, Anturan, Buleleng district. Water in this large pool is very fresh and quite suitable for those that would like to have relaxation.

Finding this pool is not so difficult. It is situated around the Singaraja-Gilimanuk road section, precisely behind the campus of Mapindo Singaraja. It can be reached by motorcycles, and cars.

Parking lot prepared is also very wide. In the meantime, the bathing pool managed by Anturan customary village in cooperation with the Anturan administrative village is also equipped with public facilities such as toilet and tents. Besides, it is also equipped with a tavern

or cafe shop like in other tourist attractions.

Although the pool is not too spacious, visitors are guaranteed not to be disappointed because the water temperature is fresh enough to give a sensation of its own.

Chief of Anturan customary village, Ketut Mangku, said the pool has existed from time immemorial.

At its surrounding, there are 11 springs located separately on the area of 800 square meters, starting from the innermost courtyard of Ayu Taman Temple, middle courtyard of the temple to springs of the swimming pool. “The arrangement of the bathing place was started last March,” he said, not long ago.

This also offers a place of malukat or purificatory rite. Before trying, all the pilgrims are required to perform a special ritual because it

is in a sanctified area, namely in the middle courtyard of the Ayu Taman Temple.

The coolest water sensation is under the banyan tree located in the innermost courtyard of Ayu Taman Temple, but this place cannot be entered carelessly. It is intended for holy activities such as invoking holy water for ngaben (cremation) ceremony or temple festival activities. “Before doing purificatory rite, at the outermost courtyard of the Ayu Taman Temple, the pilgrims must say prayers first,” said Mangku.

Mangku added that having purificatory rite at this spring is believed to be able to cure various diseases such as skin disease, allergies as well as others. “Soaking for 15 minutes will give sensation of having soaked our body in ice water,” he added. (kmb)

4

Bali News

Thursday, December 21, 2017

International

Thursday, December 21, 2017

International

Foreign tourists start traveling to Bali

S.Korea says any delay in military drills depends on N.Korea’s behaviour

They are mostly Australian

DENPASAR — Bali tourism starts to revive. After several months of uncertainty following the eruption of Mount Agung, Bali gradually recovers with the arrival of foreign tourists. The increase in foreign tourist arrivals has begun to happen since December 16.

Based on data of Bali Tourism Promotion Board (BPPD), the arrival of foreign tourists to Bali until December 16, 2017 reached 11,986 people. Of this number, over 26 percent or 2,617 are Australian tourists. The arrival on December 18 amounted to 10,605 people. This number rose dramatically when compared to December 15 where the number of arrivals only reached 5,976 people.

Chairman of Bali Tourism Promotion Board (BPPD), Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati, said that based on the country of origin, the tourists visiting Bali are mostly Australians with a percentage of 26 percent, European (20 percent), Indian (13 percent), Malaysian (5 percent), North American (5 percent) and other countries (31 percent).

He said there has indeed an increase in foreign tourists coming to Bali. Character of the Australian tourists ranked first in terms of foreign tourists visit to Bali as of December 16 is very different.

“Bali has been considered to be their second home. When wishing to visit Bali, they do not plan their vacation far in advance, different from large groups such as MICE or family trip,” he said.

Australian tourists can go to Bali just for weekend and then return home to work. (kmb42)

Houthi War Media/Handout via REUTERS

A ballistic missile is seen after it was fired toward the Saudi capital of Riyadh from an undisclosed location in Yemen, in this handout photo released December 19, 2017 by the Houthi movement’s War Media.

IBP/kmb

Bali tourism starts to revive. After several months of uncertainty following the eruption of Mount Agung, Bali gradually recovers with the arrival of foreign tourists.

Rice stock of refugee starts to run low

SINGARAJA — Rice supply for refugees of Mount Agung eruption in Buleleng has running out again. Currently, the stock of rice available is approximately seven tons. Meanwhile, the number of refugee reaches more than 10,000 people spreading across Tejakula, Kubutambahan, Sawan, Buleleng, Sukasada and Gerokgak

subdistrict.

On this condition, the taskforce of Mount Agung refugees along with the Buleleng Social Agency keeps trying to increase the supply of rice for the refugees. The effort made is no other than applying to the Government Rice Reserve (CBP). This petition is filed gradually from the district, province to

IBP/kmb38

Rice supply for refugees of Mount Agung eruption in Buleleng has running out again.

the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Head of Mount Agung Refugee Mitigation Taskforce in Buleleng, Made Arya Sukerta, confirmed in his office on Tuesday (Dec. 19) that the current stock of rice continues to decrease. The rice stock from CBP and donation from donators as well as volunteers has been distributed to refugee camps in accordance with the established mechanism. Since receiving refugees, the need for rice is high due to the large number of refugee to be served. On this condition, he still prepared the rice needs for refugees so as not to less than the existing needs.

“Pursuant to the last report we received, there are only seven tons of rice. As prediction, this is only enough for the next few days. We have submitted additional request to government rice reserve, in this case the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Hopefully, we can get additional

supply, so there is no emptiness of rice stock for refugees,” he said.

Cooperative donates 1.5 tons of rice Amid the depletion of rice stock for refugees, the Buleleng Social Agency received donation of rice from hundreds of cooperative boards in Buleleng last Tuesday.

The assistance consisting of 1.5 tons of rice, instant noodle, detergent and women’s need were handed over by the Head of the Buleleng Cooperative and SME Agency, Made Budi Astawa. The handover was also attended by administrators of the Buleleng Regional Cooperative Council (Dekopinda), and representatives of the cooperative management. The aid was handed over at Logistic Post in Les village, Tejakula subdistrict.

This assistance was received symbolically by the staff at the logistics post representing the Head

13

of Buleleng Social Agency, Gede Komang. In addition to delivering the assistance, the entourage of the Buleleng Cooperative and the SMEs also had a closer look at the conditions in refugee camps.

He said the assistance was gathered after hundreds of cooperative administrators in his region set aside donations in order to help ease the burden needs of refugees of the Mount Agung eruption impact. From the fundraising, it was then agreed to 1.5 tons of rice, instant noodles, woman’s needs and detergent.

“Currently, there are totally 328 cooperatives. The management can set aside some funds for us to be collected for helping refugees.

Quantitatively, such value may mean nothing, but we believe this assistance will be beneficial, especially the assistance of rice is very much needed to increase the thinning stock,” he said. (kmb38)

Saudi Arabia intercepts Houthi missile fired toward Riyadh; no reported casualties

RIYADH - Saudi air defences shot down a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi group towards Riyadh on Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition said, in an attack that could escalate a proxy war between the kingdom and Iran.

There were no reports of casualties or damage. In contrast, a U.N. human rights spokesman said coalition air strikes had killed at least 136 non-combatants in war-torn Yemen since Dec. 6.

The Iran-aligned Houthi movement said it had aimed the missile at the Saudi royal court at alYamama palace, where a meeting of Saudi leaders was under way.

It described the attack as a new chapter in the conflict.

The Saudi-led coalition said the missile, the latest of several fired towards Riyadh, had been directed at residential areas and there had been no damage.

Quoting a statement from the coalition, Saudi state news agency SPA said Iranian-made missiles were a threat to regional and international security. It accused the Houthis of using humanitarian entry points into Yemen to smuggle in missiles from Saudi Arabia’s regional arch-foe Iran.

“Coalition forces confirm intercepting an Iranian-Houthi missile targeting (the) south of Riyadh.

There are no reported casualties at this time,” the government-run Center for International Communication wrote on its Twitter account.

Saudi palaces, military and oil facilities are within range of such missiles, the Houthis said in a statement carried by the group’s Al-Masirah television.

The U.S. State Department condemned the missile attack and called on Iran to stop arming the Houthis.

At the United Nations, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said the Houthi missile strike “bears all the hallmarks of previous attacks using Iranian-provided weapons.”

Haley said she was exploring, with some U.N. Security Council colleagues, several options for pressuring Iran to “adjust their behavior.” Haley is likely to struggle, however, to convince some members, like veto powers Russia and China, that U.N. action is needed.

THOUSANDS OF AIR STRIKES IN YEMEN

Saudi Arabia and Iran are locked in struggle for influence in the Middle East. The conflict in Saudi Arabia’s backyard Yemen has killed more than 10,000 people and displaced over 2 million.

The Houthis for their part have fired several missiles at the kingdom, but have not caused any serious damage.

The attack came as the Houthis marked 1,000 days since the Saudiled coalition began military operations in Yemen in March 2015 after the Iran-aligned group drove Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi into exile.

“The enemies had their own mirage calculations ... but over 1,000 days, there has been this great steadfastness,” said Abdel-Malek al-Houthi, a Houthi leader, in a speech on the group’s Al-Masirah TV. The United Arab Emirates, a close ally of Saudi Arabia and part of its coalition, said the latest Houthi attack underscored the need to keep the military campaign in Yemen going. (rtr)

SEOUL - Any delay in joint military drills with the United States would depend on North Korea’s behaviour during the 2018 Winter Olympics, officials in Seoul said on Wednesday, while a halt to group tours from China suggested Beijing is still wary.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is seeking to soothe relations with China and the North before the Winter Olympics in South Korea in February and suggested on Tuesday he was prepared to postpone the drills with the United States.

Pyongyang sees the joint exercises as preparation for war, while Beijing is still angry about the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system, commonly known as THAAD,

by South Korea.

China believes the system’s powerful radar can see far into its territory, but Seoul argues it needs it to guard against the threat posed by North Korea’s missile and nuclear programmes.

Seoul has proposed the potential delay in drills to Washington, which was also discussed during a summit last week between Moon and Chinese President Xi Jinping, an official from the presidential Blue House in Seoul said on Wednesday.

China has in the past proposed a “freeze for freeze” arrangement under which North Korea would stop its nuclear and missile tests in exchange for a halt to the exercises.

However, Washington has rejected the idea and Pyongyang has shown little interest in negotiations.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in Ottawa on Tuesday he was unaware of any plans to “alter longstanding and scheduled and regular military exercises”.

North Korea has stepped up its missile and nuclear tests to an un-

precedented rate this year, and any new provocation from the North would “inevitably have an impact” on the exercises, the Blue House official said.

“It is a display of the president’s strong message that North Korea must not conduct any provocation (during the Olympics),” the official told reporters.

TOUGHER SANCTIONS North Korea has been hit with increased international sanctions over its missile and nuclear tests this year.

Japan’s Asahi newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing an unidentified person connected to South Korean intelligence, that North Korea was conducting biological weapons experiments to test the possibility of loading anthrax-laden warheads on its intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The Asahi report said the U.S. government was aware of the tests, which were meant to ascertain whether the anthrax bacteria could survive the high temperatures that occur during warheads re-entry from space.

Reuters was unable to verify the report independently.

The United States has given China a draft resolution for tougher U.N. sanctions on North Korea and is hoping for a quick vote on it by the U.N. Security Council, a Western diplomat said on Tuesday, however Beijing has yet to sign on.

Details of the draft given to China last week were not immediately available, but the United States is keen to step up global sanctions to pressure North Korea to give up a weapons programme aimed at developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States. (rtr)

REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

South Korean and U.S. Marines take part in a winter military drill in Pyeongchang, South Korea, December 19, 2017.

14

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Health

International

U.S. approves first gene therapy for inherited disease

MARYLAND - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved Spark Therapeutics Inc’s treatment for a rare form of blindness, marking the first time the agency has approved a gene therapy for an inherited disease.

The approval is expected to raise new questions about how the United States pays for major medical breakthroughs. The company said it would announce a price for the treatment early next year. Analysts expect it to cost around $1 million.

The drug, Luxturna, treats inherited retinal disease caused by defects in a gene known as RPE65, which tells cells to produce an enzyme critical for normal vision. The condition affects between 1,000 and 2,000 people in the United States.

Luxturna works by delivering 150 billion viral vector particles containing a correct copy of the RPE65 gene to retinal cells, restoring their ability to make the needed enzyme. It is designed to be given just once, though it is unclear how long the benefit will ultimately last.

Clinical trials of Luxturna showed that 93 percent of participants experienced some improvement in their functional vision as measured by their ability to navigate obstacles in poor light after a year.

Analysts on average expect the drug to generate annual sales of $478 million, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Gene therapy in general aims to treat disease by manipulating genes at a cellular level. The field is gaining momentum following several high-profile

failures in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and the FDA appears eager to smooth the way for further approvals in the field.

“We’re at a turning point when it comes to this novel form of therapy, and at the FDA we’re focused on establishing the right policy framework to capitalize on this scientific opening.” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement.

Still, the pitfalls remain legion. Highly anticipated early-stage data for Spark’s gene therapy for hemophilia A disappointed analysts and investors when presented at a recent medical conference, though hopes remain high for its hemophilia B therapy, being developed with Pfizer Inc. Next year the agency plans to issue guidance documents that will provide instructions for companies developing gene therapies for specific diseases, including “more efficient parameters” than currently exist.

Those parameters could include new, accelerated measures, Gottlieb said. The FDA’s accelerated approval program allows for earlier approval of drugs that treat serious conditions based on a marker that is expected to lead to a clinical benefit.

Inherited retinal diseases are a group of rare conditions caused by mutations in one or more than 220 different genes, including the RPE65 gene.

Luxturna was tested in patients with one such condition, Leber congenital aumaurosis, but can be used in any person with a condition mediated by the RPE65 mutation.

Spark said Luxturna is expected to be available in some treatment centers late in the first quarter of 2018. (rtr)

IBP/net

A view shows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Bali News

International

3

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Number of tourist visiting Denpasar increasing

IBP/net

Google online searches provided the best, or among the best, responses 72 percent of the time, compared with 50 percent of the time for Google Assistant and 32 percent of the time for Siri, the study found.

Got sex questions? Google before you ask Siri

WELLINGTON - If you need to know how to have sex, use contraception or avoid sexually transmitted infections, you may want to do a Google search before you ask Siri for help, a new suggests.

When researchers posed similar sexual health questions to smartphone digital assistants like Siri and to Google’s online search engine, the web-based results were often more likely to provide accurate information.

“If people want to get internetbased sex advice or other health advice online, they should first probably do a laptop Google search according to our results, and then try Google Assistant – but not rule out other digital assistants such as Alexa and Bixby,” said lead study author Nick Wilson, a researcher at the University of Otago in Wellington, New Zealand.

“But if you want amusing wrong results - Siri is probably best,” Wilson said by email.

Two in five teens and adults go online looking for answers about sex, Wilson and colleagues note in The BMJ. To see how well computers and smartphones may respond to these queries, researchers typed some common sexual health questions into Google’s online search engine and also spoke out loud to two smartphone tools, Siri and Google Assistant.

For each question, researchers checked answers for relevance and reliability. They gave higher marks to questions answered with links to credible public health sources like the UK National Health Service, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Planned Parenthood, or hospitals and universities.

Answers that sent people to less reliable sources of information like Wikipedia or product advertisements got lower marks.

Google online searches pro-

vided the best, or among the best, responses 72 percent of the time, compared with 50 percent of the time for Google Assistant and 32 percent of the time for Siri, the study found.

When researchers asked “how to have sex,” for example, Google searchers and Google Assistant sent people to instructional videos on how to use condoms or a YouTube video using a wooden penis that has over six million views, the study found.

But Google wasn’t perfect. In response to one question, Google offered a video clip entitled: “The 5 stupidest ways people die having sex.”

Siri didn’t find any videos of people having sex on the internet, the study found.

Even when researchers asked for pictures of people having sex, Siri offered some strange responses like pictures with aliens, what looked like men wrestling, and photos of people kissing.

When people asked for information about sexually transmitted infections, though, Siri came out on top. Siri offered nearby places to buy condoms or obtain emergency contraception.

The study wasn’t a controlled experiment designed to prove whether or how different online searches or digital assistants might be able to give people the best advice about sexual health.

Another limitation is that the performance of these tools can vary by device and change with software updates.

Still, the findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that online and digital technology can have some limitations when it comes to giving people accurate information about their health, said Dr. Karandeep Singh, a researcher at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor who wasn’t involved in the study. (rtr)

DENPASAR — The drop in tourist visits to Denpasar following the eruption of Mount Agung has started to bounce back in the last week or so.

Head of the Denpasar Tourism Office, Dezire Mulyani, when asked for her confirmation on Monday (Dec. 18) said that three days ago there started to be more visitors. This is probably due to the fairly intensive promotion conducted by the tourism office and relevant agencies. Hotel occupancy rates have significantly increased especially in the tourism area of Sanur.

Mulyani said that she is confident that the number of tourists will return to normal for for Christmas and New Year. Although the alert level of Mount Agung remains in warning, both domestic and foreign tourists have started to book hotel rooms in Denpasar to celebrate Christmas and New Year.

“We are grateful to see this increase. In the previous weeks occupancy rates had dropped to 10-15 percent. Thank God, continued promotion is starting to pay off”, she said.

Similar opinion was expressed by the Head of Regional Tourism Promotion Board (PPDB) of Denpasar, Ida Bagus Gede Sidartha Putra. Gus De as he is familiarly addressed said the increase in tourist visits to Bali started about 6 days ago. According to Gus De, the travel warnings for Bali that several countries –including Australia had previously announced have been lifted. (kmb12)

IBP/kmb35

This couple equally has physical disability in the legs, but can live independently by selling.

Life of a couple with disability

Selling vivaciously though constrained by physical limitation

GIANYAR — Bajuri, 45, and Ni Komang Ayu Manik is one of the couples that can live their life happily even though they both have physical limitations. This couple equally has physical disability in the legs, but can live independently by selling.

Dezire Mulyani

IBP/kmb

This couple’s store also has strategic location, just west side or left side of the road from the intersection of Sakah Baby Statue, precisely on Jalan Raya Banjar Abianseka, Mas village, Ubud. At a glance, this 2R Shop managed by this couple looks just like any other stores. However, if people have time to stop by to buy gasoline, tea and coffee, they will be surprised. It happens because Komang Ayu Manik uses a wheelchair, while her husband, Bajuri is sitting on the floor with a leg in defect condition. Nevertheless, they still serve visitors like normal people do.

When met at their store on Tuesday (Dec. 19) Ayu Manik revealed that she has a long enough journey to live with Bajuri. It started from the same fate of experiencing physical disability to be reconciled in the event of national disabled in Yogyakarta in 2000.

“I have been sick since the age of 8 months,” she said.

This woman from Banda hamlet, Saba, Blahbatuh, was born on October 14, 1975. She admitted to experience slowing down growth until she was declared to suffer polio at the age of 8 years. She had time to attend elementary school to third grade, but after she could not walk, she had to take school leave for a year.

During her one-year leave, Ayu Manik felt very inferior. She also preferred to confine herself in the room.

At that time, she got motivation from Puspadi Bali, the former name of Yakkum Bali. “I was motivated so that I wanted to go back to school,” she explained.

In short, Ayu Manik had the opportunity to represent Bali in the event of disability motivation in Yogyakarta in 2000. At that time, she met hundreds of people with disabilities from throughout Indonesia. Ayu Manik no longer felt inferior and even she got motivated to do

the best. In the same meeting, Ayu Manik was in tune with Bajuri, a man from Kediri, East Java.

Finally, they married in 2007. Ayu Manik had domiciled in Kediri, East Java, for several years.

Happiness was increasingly felt when she knew to have been pregnant for her first child. Although using wheelchair, the process of her pregnancy found no obstacles. However, due to limited access to hospital or maternity homes, the first child should be born in a shaman. “Fortunately, our baby was born normally assisted by midwife shaman,” she said. Ultimately, their 10-year old son was named Gede Bayu Raditya.

This couple moved to Bali, precisely Mas village, Ubud, around 2011. At that time, her 4-year-old son was about to attend kindergarten. “I work around Mas village. When looking for school for our child, we found the Taman Rare kindergarten is the closest,” she explained.

Meanwhile, the business premise located north of Alon Gallery was originally a mini market. Maybe due to less fortunate, the mini market is empty of buyers.

“Initially, this shop was managed by a foundation.

Having operated for three months, it was then closed due to lack of buyers. Another merchant then tried to contract it. Similar case was experienced and might be closed after operating for three months. Finally, per February 2016 I was told to keep the shop,” she explained.

In fact, when operated by Ayu Manik, the business worked smoothly. Finally, she was offered working capital worth IDR 10 million to manage the store by herself. She was given the freedom to pay each month and could even delay the payment if she had no enough money. “It has been running for 4 months.

Every month, I try to pay IDR 500,000,” he explained.

Today, the 2R Store is open every day from 7:00 to 21:00. In addition to daily needs, Ayu Manik also sells credit. Most importantly, her life is no longer inferior and troublesome to others. “As long as we can, we will try,” he said. (kmb35)

2

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Bali News

International

International

Fight against narcotics in 2018

Drug dealers attempt to regenerate their market and syndicate

LARGE number of users is a major factor in the high circulation of drugs in Bali. Other than adults, the dealers of these illicit goods are also predicted to target minors with the intention of regenerating their market and syndicate.

To anticipate this issue, some laws have been issued such as the Law No.35/2009, Government Regulation No.40/2013, Regulation of the Minister of Home Affairs No. 21/2013, Regional Law of Bali No.7/2017 and Circular of Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform No.50/2017. In essence, the regulation governs the formation of volunteers, urine tests for civil servants and prospective civil servants as well as dissemination of drug hazards in each agency.

Thus, in 2018, the formation of volunteers in each agency and customary village will be strengthened so the demand of narcotics can be suppressed. This was revealed during a special interview of Bali Post and BaliTV with the Head of Bali National Narcotic Agency (BNNP) of Bali, I Putu Gede Suastawa, Head of National Narcotics Agency (BNNK) of Badung, Ni Ketut Masmini, and Chairman of STIMI Handayani Denpasar, Ida Bagus Gede Udiyana, on Tuesday (Dec. 19).

Suastawa conveyed that some activities were conducted throughout 2017, including the prevention and community empowerment. The measures achieved include the issuance of Bali Provincial Regulation No.7/2017 as forerunner acceleration of the prevention and people’s empowerment in drug eradication. It includes the countermeasures and eradication in the form of making pararem (appendix to customary village law).where all the local governments in Bali and community components must move in the “Like in Badung, Denpasar Municipality, Gianyar and Klungkung, there has been pararem. Later on, we resume it to Negara, Bangli, Tabanan, Buleleng and Karangasem.

Then, a total of 1,700 volunteers were inaugurated and last Monday 400 people in Badung. Gradually until mid-2018, we will inaugurate all these volunteers in Bali, especially pecalang (customary village security guard) and sekaa taruna (customary village youth club) as the strengthening for the volunteers, “he said.

Implementation of integrated curriculum will be reestablished in 2018. Chief of customary village and headman are expected to provide incentives to pecalang, other than BNNP itself that will provide support to pecalang who actively provides information, prevention efforts, especially information on drug issues. The award can be in the form of financial aid to actively synergize with the BNN. “In the field of eradication, it can be said to have reached 180 percent, over achievement. A total of 35 suspects have been arrested until the end of this year from 34 cases revealed by the BNNP Bali whereas the quota is only 25 cases. Thus, the level of rehabilitation also increased to 687 people,” said this one-star general from Gulingan village, Mengwi, Badung.

Meanwhile, he hoped there will be a decline in drug abuse in 2018. His side had made an effort to prevent as much as possible so that there is strengthening of society, pecalang and anti-drug community component. The distribution still happens because drug production never stops. Moreover, currently there is a new mode of inserting drugs into the snack of school children. By eating such snacks or cakes with drugs, children will get addicted to eating the snacks.

“They target the children to be customers. Therefore, the

snack sold at school should be supervised, who supplies the food, brings the food and orders food need to be closely watched. At least, BPOM should be brought in every month,” he pleaded.

Suastawa hoped that all components of society, especially the government agencies, must carry out periodical urine tests every six months, establish volunteers in their respective agency and disseminate the hazards of drugs in their respective agency. In addition, the prevention and eradication of drugs cannot be limited to rhetoric or on paper alone but there must be concrete action in order to save the community and the next generation of the nation.

“Tackling this problem cannot be done alone, but must collaborate and work together because the law regulates in such a way. We must do prevention, eradication of the drug abuse and its trafficking together,” he said.

In the meantime, Masmini stated the drug problem is just like an iceberg phenomenon that is only seen the smaller part. However, beneath the surface is very large. “Our efforts range from prevention, community empowerment, effective law enforcement to rehabilitation. I do hope to suppress the abuse and distribution of drugs in Badung,” she said.

All the people in Badung, she continued, understand about the hazards of drugs and the way to avoid the negative impact. Nowadays, drug dealers do market and syndicate regeneration. It has been found that underage children are utilized by drug syndicates. They use children because it is hard to be touched by the law, especially the Criminal Code.

“Many children are found to be drug addicts. Therefore, we always try to educate the public about the hazards of drugs

Kombes Pol, I Putu Gede Gunastawa

and it must be avoided. One of the ways is by playing a movie about the hazard of drugs in every public place or crowd. In several cases, minors are arrested for being taken advantage by drug dealers to deliver such illicit goods,” he said.

All this time, BNNK Badung is supported by Badung government and BNNP Bali. In addition, her agency also works together with police, both Denpasar Police and Badung Police in order to be able to uncover some drug cases.

In the meantime, Dr. Ida Bagus Gede Udiyana, an academician, revealed that he agreed to combat against drugs.

To optimize the results, the role of society especially social institutions, customary villages, educational institutions and public figures in Bali should be increased.

“Why? It is meant to avoid misperception if the handling of drugs can only be done by the designated official institutions. One of the efforts to prevent drug cases at customary village is by making an awig-awig or customary village law about drugs. It is very effective because the community is very obedient to the awig-awig,” he said.

Prevention of drugs can also be done through education sector from junior high, high school to college. Besides, the role of society mainly related to political arena there should be a stricter recruitment to their cadres. “Do not let them become a bad example in the community because politicians are also community figure,” said Udiyana.

Regarding the place of rehabilitation, he suggested to look for a special place such as a remote island. “It is meant to give a deterrent effect. In China, for instance, if the drugs are valued at more than IDR 1 billion, the culprits are directly sentenced to death, but when worth less than IDR 1 billion they are sentenced to forced labor, “he said. (rah)

IBP/Wawan

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Activities

Thursday, December 21, 2017

15

Celebrate the Festive Season in Style at Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran Bali

Enjoy an extensive array of seasonal celebrations and dining experiences this Christmas and New Year This festive season, gather your loved ones and celebrate in style at Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran Bali!

Throughout December, Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran Bali will be counting down to Christmas with a series of special seasonal events for the whole family, including festive dining experiences.

At the Samasta Lifestyle Village, Mövenpick Café will be getting into the Christmas spirit with a collection of seasonal goodies, including personalised Christmas hampers, sweet treats such as Christmas cakes and cookies, and even preordered roast turkeys.

Christmas officially starts at Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran Bali on 15th December, with the lighting of the hotel’s Christmas tree. Taking place at the Katha Lounge, this festive occasion is free to enter for all guests, with complimentary eggnog, Christmas cocktails and fun activities for kids. The event will be sereneded by the children’s choir from Yayasan Dria Riba orphanage in Jimbaran, and Santa Claus will also be making a special guest apperance!

Over the three days of Christmas, an exciting array of festive dining experiences will be held, providing many magical opportunities for families and couples to come together and enjoy the festivities.

On 24th December, Anarasa Restaurant will host two delectable Christmas Eve buffets. Available for brunch (12pm to 4pm) and dinner (6.30pm to 11pm), these fantastic feasts will feature festive dishes including roast turkey with all the

trimmings, grilled seafood and other international delicacies, accompanied by an accoustic band. Special prize draws will also be held, giving diners the chance to win free nights at the hotel or dining experiences.

Then on Christmas Day, 25th December, a “Family Christmas Brunch” will be hosted at Anarasa Restaurant from 12pm until 4pm. Bring joy and merriment to your loved ones with a full selection of festive treats, plus a sushi and sashimi bar, seafood platters and a Peruvian-Japanese corner. Lucky draws will also be held.

And of course, Santa will be taking time out of his busy schedule on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to meet children all around the resort and create magical memories to treasure forever.

Christmas cheer then returns to the Anarasa Restaurant on 26th December with a special “Best of Boxing Day in Bali” barbecue buffet. Running from 6.30pm to 11pm, this evening dinner will include a mouth-watering selection of grilled meats and seafood, including lobster, crab, lamb chops and pork ribs.

Alternatively, guests can spend Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or Boxing Day (24-26 December) “Under the Stars” with a sumptuous four- or six-course evening dinner at Above Eleven, the rooftop restaurant and bar specialising in Peruvian-Japanese cuisine. Running from 5pm until 1am, these indulgent gold-themed feasts will be accompanied chilled out tunes from the house DJ.

The seasonal celebrations then continue on 31st December 2017 as Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran Bali welcomes the New Year in style!

The “Eclectic Balinese Party” at Anarasa Restaurant features a lavish gala dinner with an international menu and traditional Balinese dance performances. Following pre-dinner cocktails, an exquisite celebtatory dinner prepared by Executive Chef Ian Lovie and his culinary team will serve up an extensive selection of international delicacies that celebrate Mövenpick’s Swiss and European heritage, the resort’s Indonesian roots and other global delights. A special live band will also be performing popular hits and eclectic tunes to accompany you into the New Year.

Alternatively, Above Eleven will be hosting a “Bring Back the 80s” New Year’s Eve party! Put on your best retro disco clothes and celebrate the first sunset of 2018 on the rooftop, with special prices on drinks and complimentary tapas and canapés! From 10pm until 2am, this glittering year-end party includes a spectacular six-course set dinner followed by a rooftop coundown disco, including guest DJs, as we say goodbye to 2017 an look forward to a happy and prosperous 2018.

Finally on 1 January 2018, families and friends can gather together and greet the New Year with a special “Hawker’s BBQ Brunch” or “Street Barbecue Dinner”.

Other special children’s events and activites will take place all through the festive season, including a gingerbread man decorating class, a Christmas Eve party at the Meera Kid’s Club, marshmallow and chocolate blanket making, sushi making, and much more!

And parents wanting to enjoy a special seasonal pampering session can take advantage of the “SPARTY Radiant” package at Arkipela Spa & Wellness. This serene 120-minute package includes a body treatment, facial and massage to leave you feeling refreshed and radiant in time for the Christmas and New Year’s parties.

This festive season, make sure you enjoy unfortgettable moments with your loved ones in the exquisite surroundings of Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran Bali.

For more information and to book any of these fantastic festive events and experiences, please contact resort.bali. rest-resv@movenpick.com and (+62) 361 472 5777 or visit www.movenpick.com/jimbaran-bali.

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

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

16 Pages Number 14 10th year

Price: Rp 3.000,-

Thursday, December 21, 2017

France pulls Marquis de Sade erotic novel from auction PARIS - The auction of one of the world’s earliest and most sordid erotic novels -- the Marquis de Sade’s “120 Days of Sodom” -- has been halted after the French state declared it a national treasure and said it could not be sold to a foreign buyer.

De Sade’s 1785 work, written in tiny script on 33 pieces of scroll while he was imprisoned in the Bastille, was due to be auctioned on Wednesday as one of the prize items in a vast collection of notes, letters and musical scores being sold off.

But De Sade’s 12-metre long manuscript, along with four works by one of the founders of surrealism, Andre Breton, were this week declared national treasures by France’s Ministry of Culture, keeping them out of contention.

The two lots, from a trove of documents and artefacts assembled by a now-defunct French company, had drawn interest from U.S. and European private buyers, Paris-based auctioneers Aguttes said.

The French state will now have 30 months to raise the funds for the purchase from citizens or the help of

private fortunes, or the items will be put back on sale.

De Sade’s daring novel -- left behind in his cell when he moved out in 1789, during the French Revolution, and only later discovered and published -- had been expected to fetch between 4 million and 6 million euros ($7.09 million).

It recounts the story of four aristocrats who resolve to experience every sexual perversion.

The works by Breton on surrealism, which helped define the 20th century artistic movement, had been forecast to sell for up to 5.5 million euros for the lot.

The auction is the first in a series of attempts to liquidate a 130,000strong collection of artworks and literary treasures pulled together by Aristophil, a group set up in 1990 that raised funds from some 18,000 investors in exchange for a share in the pieces.

The company went bankrupt in 2015, causing losses for its backers, while founder Gerard Lheritier was detained and put under investigation for fraud, a charge he denies. (rtr)

More than 8 million Yemenis “a step away from famine” - U.N. GENEVA - Warring sides must let more aid get through to 8.4 million people who are “a step away from famine” in Yemen, a senior U.N. official said on Monday. A Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen’s civil war blockaded ports last month after a missile was fired towards Riyadh.

REUTERS/Adrees Latif/File Photo

Singer Lady Gaga performs during the halftime show at Super Bowl LI between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons in Houston, Texas, U.S., February 5, 2017.

Lady Gaga heads for Las Vegas concert residency

Jamie McGoldrick, the humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said the blockade has since been eased, but the situation remained dire. “The continuing blockade of ports is limiting supplies of fuel, food and medicines; dramatically increasing the number of vulnerable people who need help,” McGoldrick said in a statement.

“The lives of millions of people, including 8.4 million Yemenis who are a step away from famine, hinge on our ability to continue our operations and to provide health, safe water,

food, shelter and nutrition support,” he added. That marked an increase from past U.N. estimates of around 8 million people on the brink of famine.

The coalition accuses Iran of sending weapons to its Houthi allies, including missile parts, through Yemen’s main Hodeidah port, were most food supplies enter. Saudi state television said on Monday a U.N delegation of experts has arrived in Riyadh to meet the coalition and the Yemeni government the coalition supports

LOS ANGELES - Pop star Lady Gaga is swapping touring for a two-year stint in Las Vegas, joining the likes of music divas Celine Dion, Britney Spears and Shania Twain who have recently taken up concert residencies in the entertainment mecca.

REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

An employee displays the Marquis de Sade’s original rolled manuscript called Le Rouleau de la Bastille of “Les 120 jours de Sodome ou l’ecole du libertinage” (The 120 Days of Sodom, or the School of Libertinage, 1785) before its auction at the Hotel Drouot auction house in Paris, France, November 23, 2017.

Gaga, 31, said on Tuesday she will start a two-year engagement at the 5,300-seat Park Theater at the Park MGM resort on the Las Vegas strip in December 2018.

“It’s the land of Elvis, Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra, the Rat Pack, Elton John, Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli. It has been a life-long dream of mine to play Las Vegas,” the singer said in a statement.

“I am humbled to be a part of a historical lineup of performers, and to have the honor of creating a new show unlike anything Vegas has ever seen before,” she added.

Gaga made her name almost 10 years ago with catchy pop songs, arresting dance routines and outrageous stunts like setting her piano on fire and wearing a raw meat dress.

In February, she kicked off her the halftime show at the annual Super Bowl by singing “God Bless America,” from the top of Houston’s NRG Stadium.

But in September, the “Bad Romance” singer postponed until early 2018 the European leg of her “Joanne” world tour, citing severe pain. She was hospitalized in 2013 for a hip injury and more

recently has said she suffers from the musculoskeletal disorder fibromyalgia.

Las Vegas residencies have become a popular draw for top music stars because they allow performers to remain in one place and draw large crowd without the rigors of touring.

Exact dates and ticket prices for Lady Gaga’s residency will be announced at a later date.

The Park Theater is part of the transformation of the Monte Carlo hotel on the Las Vegas Strip into a redesigned Park MGM resort. (rtr)

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A Houthi militant carries belongings as he walks by a Houthi-run detention center hit by air strikes in Sanaa, Yemen December 13, 2017.

“to prevent the transfer of weapons and rockets to Houthis”.

Iran has denied supplying the Houthis with weapons, saying the U.S. and Saudi allegations are “baseless and unfounded”. The United Nations says food shortages caused by the warring parties blocking supplies has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The Saudis intervened in neighbouring Yemen in 2015 after the Houthis advanced on the southern port city of Aden and forced Presi-

dent Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government into exile.

The conflict has killed more than 10,000 people, displaced more than 2 million and triggered a cholera epidemic that has infected about 1 million people. The U.S. government on Friday called on the Saudi-led military coalition to facilitate the free flow of humanitarian aid to all of Yemen’s ports and through Sana’a airport.

A senior State Department official told reporters in Geneva on Monday that the United States had provided nearly $638 million in humanitarian assistance to Yemen in the U.S. fiscal year 2017 that ended on Sept 30. “We have called on both sides to stop the fighting

and seek a political solution to the problem,” the official said.

He said the United States had made its position clear to its allies to end the blockade and called on the Houthis to allow access for humanitarian supplies as “there are shocking shortage of food, fuel and medicines that are causing great suffering”.(rtr) News can also be heard in “Bali Image” at Global Radio FM 96.5 from 9.30 until 10.00 am. Listen to Global Radio FM at http:// globalfmbali.listen2myradio.com or live video streaming at http:// radioglobalfmbali.com and http:// ustream.tv/channel/global-fm-bali.