Edition Thursday, March 22, 2018 | Internasional Bali Post

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 76 10th year

Price: Rp 3.000,-

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Former Playboy model sues to break silence on alleged Trump affair Geoffrey Rush

IBP/net

Australian court rejects part of News Corp defence against Geoffrey Rush defamation suit SYDNEY - An Australian court on Tuesday threw out part of News Corp’s defence against a defamation lawsuit by Geoffrey Rush, a win for the Oscar-winning actor who objected to a series of newspaper articles accusing him of inappropriate conduct.

Rush is suing News’s Australian arm over a series of articles in 2017 saying he was the subject of an unspecified complaint to Sydney Theatre Company in relation to a 2015 production of King Lear where he played the starring role.

News is defending itself, arguing it should be allowed to publish the articles because they were based on the truth. News sought a court order that the theatre company produce a copy of the complaint, but Rush sought to stop that order.

In an intermediary ruling, Federal Court Judge Michael Wigney dismissed the News request, saying that for the theatre company to hand over the complaint after the articles were published would have “no apparent forensic purpose”.

“A defendant who pleads (the truth) must do so on the basis of the information which it has in its possession when the defence is delivered, and is not permitted to

undertake a fishing expedition in the hope of finding something in support of its plea,” Wigney wrote in his ruling.

Wigney ordered News to amend its defence and to pay Rush’s legal costs from requesting the change.

Rush, who won the Best Actor Oscar in 1997 for “Shine” and has since appeared in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies and Best Picture Oscar winners “Shakespeare In Love” and “The King’s Speech”, has denied wrongdoing and said he was never told of the complaint at the time.

He has said the timing of the articles, late 2017, suggested he had committed sexual assault or inappropriate conduct in the theatre because other articles in the weeks before had named producer Harvey Weinstein and actor Kevin Spacey as “sexual predators who had committed acts of sexual assault and/or sexual harassment”, Wigney wrote.

Rush is seeking damages and a restraint on further publication on the matter. He has stepped down as president of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television until the matter is resolved. (rtr)

NEW YORK - A former Playboy model who said she had an affair with President Donald Trump filed suit in California on Tuesday seeking release from a legal agreement requiring her to stay silent, becoming the second woman this month to contest arrangements not to disclose alleged extramarital relationships with Trump.

Karen McDougal filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against American Media Inc, publisher of the National Enquirer, which paid her $150,000 in 2016 to keep quiet.

McDougal’s lawsuit came on the same day that a New York state judge ruled Trump must face a defamation suit by California restaurateur Summer Zervos, who accused him of sexually harassing her after she appeared on his former reality TV show “The Apprentice.”

New Yorker magazine last month reported on McDougal’s alleged affair and a move by American Media to pay her for rights to her story, which it never published. American Media head David Pecker has described Trump as a “personal friend.”

In the lawsuit, McDougal claimed she and Trump engaged in a 10-month extramarital “romantic relationship” in 2006 and 2007, a time period that overlaps with his alleged affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump’s wife Melania Trump gave birth to the president’s youngest son Barron in 2006.

McDougal said her lawyer at the time, Keith Davidson, secretly negotiated with Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal lawyer, on the AMI deal.

Cohen has acknowledged arranging to pay Daniels for her silence during the 2016 presidential campaign.

McDougal is asking the court to declare the agreement null and void, saying she was tricked into signing it, that it was intended to illegally influence the 2016 election and because it violates public policy against using threats of legal action to get someone to stay silent on issues of public concern.

She also called the agreement an illegal corporate donation from AMI to the Trump campaign that violated federal election law.

AMI said in a statement the company has a valid contract with McDougal and looks forward to

reaching an amicable resolution with her. It said she has been free to respond to press inquiries about her relationship with Trump since 2016 and that the suggestion that AMI silenced her is without merit.

“AMI lied to me, made empty promises, and repeatedly intimidated and manipulated me. I just want the opportunity to set the record straight and move on with my life, free from this company, its executives, and its lawyers,” McDougal, who was Playboy magazine’s 1998 Playmate of the Year, said in a statement. (rtr)

REUTERS/Luc Gnago

A Nigerien soldier stands guard in a camp of the city of Diffa during the visit of Niger’s Interior Minister Mohamed Bazoum following attacks by Boko Haram fighters in the region of Diffa, Niger June 18,2016.

Militants free scores of abducted Nigerian schoolgirls after month in captivity

DAPCHI - Islamist militants drove scores of kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls back into the town where they had been captured a month ago and abruptly set them free on Wednesday. The captors gave no reason for their release, but Nigeria denied that a ransom had been paid. Several of the girls said some of their friends had died in captivity and one was still being held.

You can find International Bali Post at: 1 Kuta Beach Club Jl. Bakung Sari Kuta 2 Wen Dys Kuta the Coffe Bear Jl. Pantai Kuta 3 Seminyak Paradiso Bali Hotel Jl. Camplung Tanduk 4 Ramayana Resort&Spa Jl. Bakung Sari Kuta 5 The Lokha Legian Resort&Spa Jl. Padma Legian Kuta 6 66 Corner Live Sport Emtertaiment Jl. Doble Six/Werkudara 23 7 Leghawa Grill Jl. D.Tamblingan No. 51 8 Retno Barr dan Restoran Jl. D.Tamblingan No.126 A Sanur 9 Elkomedor Jl. D.Tamblingan 140

10 Malaika Scret 11 Snack Shack 12 Warung Lokal 13 Cokro Cafee 14 T.J.Bar 15 J & N Kebab 16 Goanna Bar 17 Batu Jimbar 18 Ramayana Cafee

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

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Jl. D.Poso No 68 Jl. D.Poso No. 50D Jl. D.Poso No. 39 Jl. D.Poso Sanur Jl. D.Poso Sanur Jl. D.Poso Sanur Jl. D.Poso Sanur Jl. D.Tamblingan Sanur Jl. D.Tamblingan

19 Smirnof Cafee Jl. D.Tamblingan Sanur 20 Legwa Hotel Jl. D.Tamblingan Sanur 21 Nu Laser Cafee Jl. D.Tamblingan Sanur 22 Ganesa Book Jl. D.Tamblingan Sanur 23 All For Daiving Jl. D.Tamblingan Sanur 24 Barocca Jl.Petitenget 17 DKerobokan 25 Lantern Jl.Petitenget 17E Kerobokan 26 Shearlock Jl.Petitenget 17C Kerobokan Klod 27 Cafe Degan Jl.Petitenget 9 Kerobokan Klod

28 Kopi Made Jl. Raya Puputan No. 106 Dps 29 Dimsum Manan Jl. Raya Niti Mandala Renon No 148 30 Furama Jl. Raya Niti Mandala No. 148 Renon 31 Warung Subah Renon Jl. Mohamad Yamin No.18 32 Ayam Betutu khas Gilimanuk Jl. Merdeka No.88 Renon 33 Bali Bakery Jl. Hayam Wuruk 184 Denpasar

The fighters from the Boko Haram group, some shouting ‘God is greatest’, drove the girls back into the northeast town of Dapchi in a line of trucks in the morning, dropped them off then left, witnesses told Reuters. “I don’t know why they brought us back but they said because we are children of Muslims,” one of the freed girls, Khadija Grema, told Reuters.

Aliyu Maina, reunited with his 13-year-old daughter, said the fighters “stopped and blocked the road, they didn’t talk to anybody, they didn’t greet anybody.” “They

said people should make space for people to recognise their children and I got my child.”

Boko Haram has waged a nineyear insurgency in northeast Nigeria and neighbouring states that has seen tens of thousands of people killed, more than 2 million displaced and thousands abducted.

A 2015 military campaign drove the group from most territory it controlled, but much of the area remains beyond government rule, and insurgents still stage attacks from strongholds near Lake Chad.

The kidnapping of 110 girls aged

11-19 on Feb. 19 from Dapchi was the biggest mass abduction since Boko Haram took more than 270 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in 2014 - a case that triggered international outrage. Dapchi residents said more than 100 girls had returned on Wednesday.

“One is still with them because she is a Christian,” said Grema, the freed girl. “About five are dead but it was not as if they killed them - it was because of the stress and trauma that made them tired and weak.” “They didn’t harm us,” Grema added. “They were giving us food, very good food.

We didn’t have any problem.”

Muhammad Bursari said his niece Hadiza Muhammed, another of the freed girls, told him the remaining student was still in captivity because she had refused to convert to Islam.

NO RANSOM Nigeria’s information minister, Lai Mohammed, told Reuters 76 released girls had been registered so far, while “others went straight home to their parents, but they will come for documentation later”.

“No ransom was paid to them to effect this release. The only condition they gave us is not to release (the girls) to the military but release them in the town of Dapchi without the military presence.”

Nigeria had secured the release “through back-channel efforts and with the help of some friends of the country,” Mohammed said in a separate statement. “For the release to work, the government had a clear understanding that violence and confrontation would not be the way out as it could endanger the lives of the girls, hence a non-violent approach was the preferred option,” it said.

Continued to page 6 News can also be heard in “Bali Image” at Global Radio FM 96.5 from 9.30 until 10.00 am. Listen to Global Radio FM at http:// globalfmbali.listen2myradio.com or live video streaming at http:// radioglobalfmbali.com and http:// ustream.tv/channel/global-fm-bali.

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Thursday, March 22, 2018

Bali News

International

Activities

International

Thursday, March 22, 2018

15

Tropical cyclone Marcus

Waters of Bali Strait could be hit by big waves MANGUPURA —

IBP/net

Driven by construction and UMP hike

Bali’s economy in first quarter predicted to grow 5.72 - 6.12 percent DENPASAR —

After having slumped in fourth quarter of 2017 by 4.01 percent, in the first quarter of 2018, Bank Indonesia predicted that Bali’s economy grew by 5.72 to 6.12 percent.

This growth is driven by construction business conducted from January to midMarch. It is also supported by the realization of provincial minimum wages (UMP) hike of 8.71 percent. So, it encourages public consumption.

Deputy Head of Bali Representative Office of Bank Indonesia (BI), Azka Subhan, accompanied by BI Analyst Umran Usman revealed that Bali tourism began to recover.

It can be seen from the increase in international passengers at Ngurah Rai Airport in February as much as 8.98 percent.

Meanwhile, in January it grew by 7.44 percent. When compared to February of 2017 (yoy), the increase reaches 4.16 percent.

The increase in tourist visit is also estimated due to direct flights from two cities in China and from the Philippines by two airlines. In addition, there are charter flights during the celebration of Lunar New Year so as to increase the level of tourist visits.

Aside from the increasingly recovering tourist arrivals, a

number of projects are also driving the growth in the first quarter of this year. They are the expansion of eastern airport apron, development of Sidan Reservoir in Badung, underpass construction whose percentage is on the rise, the improvement of GWK and the development of Benoa tourism harbor starting in mid-March will also be a driving force of the economic growth. All these projects have large investments of more than IDR 3.53 trillion.

“It can be imagined the workmanship of the project, the labor to be employed. With the purchase of building materials, woodworking equipment, et cetera, trading business will definitely grow and so will the field of construction business,” he explained.

On the demand side, it will also grow with the increase

in provincial minimum wage (UMP) which rose significantly from 8.5 to 8.71. The increase in the UMP encourages household consumption. Besides, in the first quarter there are also some religious festivities that encouraged household consumption. “Moreover, before Nyepi, people already shopped a lot of necessities in the shopping center to result in long queue,” he explained.

Government consumption also grew due to budget expenditures for some projects and budgets for the elections.

Rice harvest in March will also boost the agricultural performance.

The growing business field and public consumption encouraged the growth of GDP in Bali to reach IDR 50 trillion-IDR 55 trillion in the first quarter of 2018. (kmb42)

According to data released by the Australian Meteorological Agency on Tuesday (Mar. 20) at 08:51, Tropical cyclone Marcus moving around the waters of Australia is currently located in the Indian Ocean next to NTB but is moving west- northeasterly.

According to Kadek Setiawati, a forecaster at the National Weather Service (BMKG), the dominant influence of tropical cyclone Marcus in the region of ??Bali region has the potential to bring strong winds and large waves to the area of Bali –particularly in the Southern parts of the island. “The potential for high winds is predicted to manifest in the next two days. According to weather data modelling, the potential for large waves is likely to occur in the next 5-6 days”, said Setiawati.

She added that cyclones do not always cause rain in nearby areas as it depends on the position of the cyclone.

“If the tropical cyclone was showing wind bend accompanied by mass deceleration then the region of Bali would likely have heavy rains. However in the current position of the cyclone there is not wind bend so there is unlikely to be heavy rains but strong winds and large waves instead”, she said.

Setiawati also explained that cyclones are generally caused by sea surface temperatures of 26 degrees Celcius or higher, mass water vapor and winds being struck by cyclone currents.

“These three elements cause cyclones to occur continually. Tropical cyclone Marcus was formed in the waters of Northern Australia. “Currently tropical cyclone Marcus is positioned south of NTB”, she explained. (kmb23)

Three people bitten by rabies infected dog

Another victim unidentified TABANAN — After some time of no rabies cases, the subdistrict of Tabanan had it’s first reported cases in 2018. A rapid dog bit three people in Sakenan Baleran halmet, Delod Peken. Two of the victims were local residents, while the third victim remains unidentified and is being sought out by the authorities in order to have a anti-rabies vaccine (VAR) administered.

Head of the Subdistrict of Tabanan’s Livestock Unit, I Ketut Muria, explained on Tuesday (Mar. 20) the incident occurred on Sunday afternoon (Mar. 18). Three people were bitten in the area north of the Dalem Temple.

A stray dog suddenly appeared and bit the three people. Nearby residents immediately killed the rapid dog and brought it to the to Tabanan Subdistrict Livestock Unit for a brain sample test.

“The samples were taken and examined in the laboratory. The result was issued on Monday (Mar. 19) and declared to be positive of rabies”, he said.

The two identified victims are Ni Ketut Puspawardani and I Ketut Widiana, who were both bitten on their legs.

Both were also immediately given a letter of recommendation to obtain a VAR. The third victim remain unidentified but according to Muria a call has gone out over social media to find the victim and let them know they should get a rabies vaccination.

“Whoever was bitten by a stray dog on Sunday (Mar. 18) at Sakenan Baleran hamlet, Delod Peken, ith all due respect is expected to immediately seek out a VAR. If they have any difficulties in this

respect, they can contact to the Tabanan Agriculture Agency or go directly to the emergency room of Tabanan Hospital”, he said.

Muria also explained that the Tabanan Subdistrict Livestock Unit along with the Agriculture Agency will conduct a mass dog elimination and a mass dog vaccination in three villages.

Other than Delod Peken village which has been flagged as a danger zone, the two neighbouring villages, Dajan Peken and Dauh Peken will also be targeted.

The schedule for the elimination and vaccination process will be determined after coordintaing with the the three hamlet chiefs. Other subdistrict will be called on to halp out with the mass dog elimintaion nad vaccination as the subdistrict of Tabanan has limited human resources.

Muria added that this is the first reported case of rabies in Tabanan for 2018. The last case to have been reported in the area occurred a year previously. Muria hopes that local residents will remain aware of the dangers of rabies and that they will have their dogs vaccinated and mot allow them to roam freely.

Division Head of Eradication of Communicable Diseases (P2M) at the Tabanan Health Agency, Ketut Nariana, confirmed that the two recent dog bite victims have been given VAR while the third victim is still being sought out. HE also stated that the number of VAR is still considered a safe amount.

Currently Tabanan has 1,700 vials of VAR. (kmb24)

 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

Fox Haris Hotel Jimbaran newly opened

FOX Harris is the newest brand of Tauzia and is an extension of the Harris brand having been widely known before. Contemporary and adaptable design makes Fox Harris the right choice for rebranding of the previous property, Pramapada Hotel Jimbaran. Quality of the hotel and service can be met well by Tauzia which has the concept of reflecting the spirit of Simple, Unique and Friendly.

FOX Harris Jimbaran comes as a 4-star midscale hotel targeting the middle-class market, particularly modern business travelers, leisure travelers, individuals and groups as well as corporations. It is expected to fulfill the needs of accommodation on the Island of the Gods. With tagline ‘A moment in life’ FOX Harris Jimbaran brings decoration

pattern as public rooms and the rooms to reflect the concept of Urban Lifestyle without reducing the value and ethnic elements of Bali.

In addition, FOX Harris Jimbaran also presents excellent quality of hotel products and services by involving human touch that will surely make FOX Harris Jimbaran special and different from a number of other hotels existing in Bali with Tauzia as a partner of new operator.

FOX Harris Jimbaran would like to invite guests to enjoy life through the unique experiences at FOX Harris hotels through colorful activities, and full interaction with the hotel team and with fellow guests.

Strategically located in Jimbaran Bay area, FOX Harris Jimbaran is famous for its beautiful beaches and very popular seafood restaurants.

From hotel to the beach, it only takes you about 5 minutes’ walk. Surrounded by international hotels and world-class villas makes Jimbaran area into a fun holiday destination.

Facilities available include 125 Deluxe rooms, WTF Rooftop Pool and Bar, WTF Lounge, Meeting Room, Restaurant, Fitness Center, Laundry, Cub Club, 24-hour room service, Wi-Fi internet access, wedding chapel, Pool Bar, Dedari Spa and 24-hour security.

Its room interior design is quite luxurious with wooden parquet making it elegant and comfortable to stay. Spreading across 38 square meters, the room is spacious and available in double and twin bed.

For guests staying with family, there is a day bed of large size. Free Wi-Fi is accessible in every room

equipped with 40-inch LCD TV, safe deposit box, mini bar, bathrobes and toiletries.

WTF Rooftop Pool and Bar becomes the highlight of FOX Harris Jimbaran. This infinity pool is designed very beautifully and guests can enjoy sunset view while swimming in the afternoon from the 6th floor. At the WTF Rooftop Pool & Bar guests can sing along with karaoke on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Various choices of songs are available according to taste. Meanwhile, the entertainment on Wednesdays and Fridays is acoustic guitar and BBQ Dinner. WTF Rooftop is very suitable for private parties such as birthdays, gatherings, reunions and others.

In the Lobby area, there is WTF Lounge where guests can relax

while listening to the music, billiard table and sofas with matching design. While in the WTF lounge, guests will be recommended to enjoy the signature juice of ‘FOX on the Beach’ consisting of dragon fruit, pineapple, mango and coconut milk and special ‘FOX on the Roll’ dish that can also be enjoyed in a pleasant holiday atmosphere.

In a series of the grand launching of FOX Harris in Pekanbaru, the hotel has done promotional event with the name of Foxing Fox for all the bookings made within the period of March 1-14, 2018. Guests can get special rates and free breakfast for 2 persons by booking through the official website directly at www. foxharrishotels.com. Guests can stay for the period of March 1, 2018 until August 31, 2018.

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Health

Thursday, March 22, 2018

International

Bali News

International

FDA seeks data on role of flavors in tobacco addiction

Hungary explores cooperation with Bali

Working on online marketplace platform

NEW YORK - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday asked for data, research and public comment on the role that flavors such as menthol play in tobacco addiction, the agency’s latest move to curb nicotine addiction in the country.

The health regulator said it would seek more information about the pros and cons of flavors in drawing youth towards tobacco and getting adult smokers to quit or transition to potentially less harmful products.

The move by the regulator is part of a comprehensive plan, announced last summer, that is designed to move smokers towards potentially less harmful e-cigarettes.

Last week, the agency began soliciting public response for regulation related to a product standard to lower nicotine in cigarettes to minimally or non-addictive levels.

The window for public comment starts on Wednesday and will remain open for three months, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement. (rtr)

I Made Badra

IBP/kmb

MANGUPURA — Hungary through its ambassador recently conducted an assessment of cooperation between the district government of Badung and Hungarian businessmen. The assessment was conducted in order to develop the Hungarian tourism market to Bali as well as to initiate the BNB Mate start up development.

Head of the Badung Tourism Office, I Made

Badra, said the BNB Mate start up is an online marketplace platform to promote tourist destinations of Badung to online market.

BNB Mate will develop an online concept as the choice of tourists when enjoying Bali and Badung destinations in particular.

Later on, the vendors such as transportation companies, tour service providers, activities, travel agencies and tourist objects can

join to become a service provider. The products will be promoted through BNB Mate. The vendors will be given access code and passwords to update their product via intranet.

Badra appreciated to the visit of Hungarian Ambassador, Judith Nemech Pacth. He expressed his readiness to forge further the cooperation for the BNB Mate development as well as scheduled promo-

tion to Hungary to bring in more Hungarian tourists to Bali. “We are ready to support this plan and ready to make promotion to Hungary with the ambassador in the near future,” he said.

Honorary Consul of Hungary for Bali, IGN Rai Suryawijaya, who is also Chairman of the Regional Tourism Promotion Board (BPPD) of Badung, will also facilitate Hungarian government cooperation

relationship with district government of Badung to increase Hungarian tourist visit to Bali.

The visit was started with BNB Mate presentation resumed with discussion along with the industry related to BNB Mate platform model. The real form of cooperation will be realized with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the near future. (kmb42)

Bali local businessmen must be improved

REUTERS/Eric Thayer

Twenty-one year old men smoke outside a friend’s apartment in Lower Manhattan, New York May 18, 2014.

Children risk serious injuries on golf carts TENNESSEE - Golf cart crashes involving children can result in serious injuries, a new study confirms.

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Thursday, March 22, 2018

Researchers found that children as young as nine years old were driving golf carts, often not wearing seat belts, and faced the

risk of the cart overturning.

Non-automobile vehicles - like ATVs, go-karts, golf carts and others – “are often viewed as

IBP/net

Children as young as nine years old were driving golf carts, often not wearing seat belts, and faced the risk of the cart overturning.

harmless or safe by parents and communities,” study coauthor Joseph Starnes told Reuters Health by email. “This is especially true for golf carts, which tend to be slower.”

Yet of nearly 150,000 golf cart injuries in the U.S. between 1990 and 2006, about a third involved children under age 16, according to a 2008 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

For the new study, Starnes and colleagues at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee analyzed golf cart-related injuries in patients under age 18 at their pediatric trauma center between 2008 and 2016.

During that period, they treated 40 children with golf-cart related injuries, 85 percent of whom were between ages 5 and 14.

About half the injuries were severe or moderate. Injuries were worse in older children and were most likely to occur in the head and neck. About a quarter of the children spent time in the intensive care unit. For half the cases, hospital charges came to more than $20,500.

The most common cause of injury was being thrown off the cart. For older children, it was also common to overturn the cart.

Only one injured child in the study was wearing a seat belt.

“Improved education about golf cart safety may reduce the

frequency and severity of golf cart-related injuries,” Starnes said.

A similar pattern was seen in a 2011 study at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia, also home to the Master’s Tournament and two global golf cart manufacturers.

Dr. Brandon Miller of Harbin Clinic in Rome, Georgia, a coauthor on the 2011 study, told Reuters Health, “People know ATVs can be dangerous, but what’s unique about golf carts is that they usually involve people from affluent neighborhoods and wellintentioned parents who have no idea how dangerous they can be.”

“This study gives more credence to the idea that this is happening in yet another location, not just the golf capitals of the United States,” Miller told Reuters Health by phone.

“Outreach to parents, golf courses and local communities could promote safe riding and driving practices,” said Dr. Jason Fraser of Children’s Mercy Kansas City in Missouri, who published research last year about pediatric injuries on ATVs, dirt bikes, golf carts, go-karts and dune buggies.

In his study of more than 500 such injuries, 78 percent of children went to the hospital, and nearly a quarter had injuries related to the brain, neck and spine. (rtr)

DENPASAR — Bali often and even always attains the predicate as the best tourist destination in the world. This happens because Bali tourism has a unique culture inspired by the noble values of Hinduism and supported by the beauty of nature and hospitality of its people.

In addition, Bali also received foreign tourist visit of about 40 percent of the tourist visit to Indonesia and contributed nearly 50 percent to national tourism revenue. However, Bali with the abundance of dollars is considered unable to equate the income of community. This can be seen from the gini ratio remaining above 0.3 because Bali tourism is still concentrated in Southern Bali, especially in Badung district, having 80 percent of the total number of hotel rooms in Bali.

“Of course, this causes Badung to get the highest Hotel & Restaurant Tax (PHR) in Bali and it has realized the sharing of hotel and restaurant tax revenue to other six districts in Bali, including Tabanan, Jembrana, Buleleng, Bangli, Klungkung and Karangasem,” said a tourism observer, I Putu Anom, on Monday (Mar. 19).

In addition, he said that currently tourism industry in Bali remains to be widely owned by investors from outside Bali. So, automatically not much income can be enjoyed by the people of Bali. Although they can do, it is just limited as an employee. This condition is aggravated by the increasingly less competitive local businessmen in the tourism sector.

“This is what the government needs to do to the local businessmen of Bali and Balinese community as a supporter of the Balinese culture. Nowadays, Balinese handicraft industry is fading and almost dormant because it is out of competition. It is necessary to encourage the SMEs owned by Balinese people in order to revive as in the glorious period in the

1980s,” said this Chairman of Indonesia Association of Tourism Scholars (ICPI) of Badung.

Aside from encouraging the local SMEs of Balinese people, tourism objects should also be given more roles to local community in the matter of management. Besides, it encourages the development of small-scale lodging owned by local communities at tourism villages. Big investors should be prohibited from entering tourism villages. However, the investor can become a foster parents being capable of fostering local entrepreneurs, including participating in marketing local businesses. Balinese artists must also be empowered to get priority for the performances watched by tourists as well as they must be paid at standard salary.

“Apparently it no longer becomes a public secret, where the government should immediately build the infrastructure to accelerate access to North, East and West Bali including the access and tourism facilities with uniqueness and encouraging diversification of products so as not to be monotonous with South Bali. However, it should not deviate from Bali cultural tourism icon. Human resources of Balinese community must also be improved in order to compete in this global era without leaving their identity as Balinese,” he said.

Similar opinion was revealed by an academician who is also Chairman III of Pawongan (social affairs) of Balinese Resident Brotherhood, I Made Dwija Suastana. He said that predicate as top world’s best destination for Bali is

IBP/kmb

Bali received foreign tourist visit of about 40 percent of the tourist visit to Indonesia and contributed nearly 50 percent to national tourism revenue. not surprising. Taksu or divine vibration of Bali is now still guarded

by Balinese people making Bali always have a place in the hearts of the world community.

However, the capacity of Bali having always been ‘the best’ should get better attention from central government as well as local stakeholders. Community-based tourism should be implemented through the multiplier effect distribution of tourism by undertaking a comprehensive protection of Bali’s strength point—namely the art, culture and agriculture in a broader sense. Besides, there should be equitable development of tourism

facilities centralized in Southern Bali to other regions in Bali. All this time, this has been causing inequality of income received by low-level society.

“The main problem faced by Bali in prospering its people is the unsynchronized policy between the district/municipal government and provincial government. Bali needs to soon implement the ‘one island management’ concept in real practice, both in the policy and overall development. The leading sector should be provincial government,” said Dwija.

In addition, he continued that tourism as a locomotive of de-

velopment in Bali should have sovereignty to control provincial government. Thus, it is required a ‘Balinese way’ to build Bali and the welfare of its people.

‘Balinese way’ here is the advancement of local values to encourage local people to become the subjects. For example, they are given the opportunity to have a tourism business entity through cooperatives and village-owned enterprise (BUMDes). Central government and local government in Bali must selectively accept investors; the government must obey its own rules regarding the proliferation of tourism facilities. (win)

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Bali News

Thursday, March 22, 2018

International

Production of Kintamani coffee drops

MOSUL - Perched atop a mound of rubble, Abdelsattar al-Hibbu surveyed what remained of his second-floor office: twisted iron and centuries-old stone reduced to dust by an airstrike.

“I used to look out at the river from my window,” Hibbu said wistfully, recalling how the ninemonth battle that defeated Islamic State militants in Mosul last year destroyed tens of thousands of buildings. “Now look at it.”

Hibbu is the municipality chief of Mosul and faces the titanic task of rebuilding Iraq’s second largest

BANGLI - Kintamani coffee production decreased. Based on data obtained at the Bangli Agriculture, Food Security and Fisheries Agency, the coffee production in 2016 reached 2,482.78 tons. Meanwhile, in 2017 the production decreased to 2,150.29 tons. This was disclosed by the Division Head of Food Crops, Horticulture and Plantation, I Wayan Tagel Sujana.

Although it can produce fruit, the harvest will not be maximal as the old branches will not be able to bear fruits anymore.

In addition, sunlight cannot enter, so the assimilation process becomes imperfect which affects the results of fertilization,” he said.

To increase the production of Kintamani coffee, Tagel explained there are several efforts that can be made such as by doing coffee regeneration. He added that coffee nursery will be conducted at Catur village as many as 47,000 with an area of 1 hectare. Furthermore, he also planned to do nursery at Mengani as many as 1.2 million coffee seedlings with a land area of up to 3 hectares.

“Coffee nursery at Catur village was started in January. Meanwhile, the nursery at Mengani is started this March. Meanwhile, the seedling assistance is helped by central government,” he explained. (kmb41)

city from the ruins of war. It is a mega-project that could take years and require billions of dollars – yet his administration is strapped for cash.

“What are we supposed to do, dig money out of the ground?” asked Hibbu, a tall, broad man in his mid-forties who is fond of recounting his city’s storied past as a

centre of culture and learning.

His daily struggles reflect the challenges facing a city seen as vital to efforts to stabilise Iraq.

Once home to about two million inhabitants, Mosul now has an estimated 700,000 of its population displaced and needs at least $2 billion of reconstruction, according to federal government estimates.

IBP/kmb41

The decrease in the Kintamani coffee production was caused by the impact of climate change affecting the coffee production.

IRAQ-MOSUL/OFFICIAL REUTERS/Ari Jalal

To avoid skimming

BCA educates customers to make secure transactions

DENPASAR - The increasing numbers of skimming cases to bank customers make people

worried. However, BCA from the beginning has educated its customers to make secure transactions,

IBP/kmb

The security of ATM outlets within the bank has been overseen by security. However, the ATMs outside the office like in Indomaret, Alfamart are secured in cooperation with the store.

13

This man is trying to rebuild Mosul. He needs help - lots of it.

District govt does regeneration to tens of thousands of coffee

According to Tagel Sujana, the decrease in the Kintamani coffee production was caused by the impact of climate change affecting the coffee production. Such conditions make it vulnerable to disturbing organisms (OPT) in coffee plants.

“Maybe the decrease in coffee production does not only occur in Bangli. Other coffee-producing regions also experience the same condition. Indeed climate change is very influential to coffee production because coffee plant is attacked by pests and diseases,” he said.

Other than due to climate change, Tagel said the decline in coffee production also happens due to less maximal trimming carried out by farmers. Trimming is indeed very necessary to increase the production of fertilization. Without good trimming, it will lead to a decrease in coffee production.

“Trimming is done twice a year. Otherwise, it will lead to decrease the fruit yields.

Thursday, March 22, 2018

International

namely by concealing ATM pins.

Vice President of BCA for BaliNusra Region, Wirya Setiawan, said that skimming is a data theft by using a camera or recording device.

So, if the data cannot be stolen, then the transaction will be secure.

“As long as the pin is unknown to the skimmer, it will not concede as the culprits steal the card data and pin. That’s why they use cameras and recording device,” he said on Tuesday (Mar. 20).

On that account, BCA always urges its customers to make ATM transaction safely. “It is important not to conceal the pins, to cover up when pressing pin button and never entrust the card to others, et cetera. So, we have educated customers regarding the measures to prevent such crimes,” he explained.

Apart from educating customers, he also does migration process from magnetic stripe to chip. The process is said to be ongoing and runs gradually. However, the percentage of migration cannot be disclosed. All the BCA credit cards have been using chips. Meanwhile, debit and ATM cards are in the process of migration to the use of chip.

“It is under process of Bank Indonesia. At first, we used stripe.

All credit cards also used signatures. Nowadays, we switch to the use of pins. Ultimately, we will also use chip. We attempt to always comply with the rules of BI,” he said.

Until now, there are no indications if BCA or ATM of BCA customers have been skimmed.

Likewise, he admitted there were

no reports regarding such cases.

He hoped it will not happen.

So far, the security of ATM outlets within the bank has been overseen by security. However, the ATMs outside the office like in Indomaret, Alfamart are secured in cooperation with the store.

Meanwhile, for securing transactions on EDC machines, he advised customers to use Europay MasterCard and Visa (EMV) chip readers instead of swipe. “Well, the EMV technology can indeed read the chip. In other words, the card no longer needs to be swiped.

In the past, all the technologies in use needed to swipe (use magnetic stripe), so it can be skimmed.

Nowadays, people start using chips. Therefore, BI instructed all issuer banks should use chip,” he concluded. (kmb42)

Destroyed buildings from previous clashes are seen in Mosul, Iraq, January 10, 2018. Picture taken January 10, 2018.

Before the war it had an administrative budget of $80 million a year; now it doesn’t know how to pay its bills.

In mid-January Hibbu told Reuters he didn’t have a budget for 2018 yet, but that the city needed $75 million just to maintain basic services. He thought he might get $10 million from the Ministry of the Municipalities and Public Works, a federal government agency in Baghdad that oversees municipal governments. Nor is he expecting much from the provincial government, which once provided Mosul with about $60 million a year. It’s in disarray after the governor was suspended in an investigation into alleged corruption and the torturing of journalists. The governor denies any wrongdoing.

What scares Hibbu and Western officials is that the devastation and lack of help may reignite old sectarian grievances.

Mosul’s predominantly Sunni population had for years complained they were marginalised by the Shi’ite-led central government, treated like second class citizens and deprived of decent jobs and senior positions in the security forces.

Those resentments led many of Mosul’s Sunnis to welcome Islamic State when it captured the city in 2014 and called for war against Iraq’s majority Shi’ites.

Hibbu, a Sunni himself, wants to avoid conditions that could enable a new group of militants to exploit frustration with the central government and pose another security threat.

“If Baghdad doesn’t properly invest in the reconstruction of Mosul, we could get something worse” than Islamic State, said Hibbu. “This lack of foresight is going to have very negative consequences.”

Lise Grande, until recently the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq who oversaw the U.N.’s stabilisation programme tasked with servicing immediate humanitarian needs, takes a similar view. “If we don’t stabilise these areas quickly, violent extremism might emerge again, and the gains against ISIL (Islamic State) could be lost,” she told Reuters.

The Baghdad government did not respond to Reuters requests for comment on the reconstruction of Mosul and the festering tensions.

For Hibbu, it’s an uphill struggle.

People show up at his office at all hours making endless demands.

State employees who have not been paid in months. City workers who need more vehicles to clear the garbage that is piling up. Factory officials desperate for fuel. Even a shepherd seeking help to transport his animals through the city centre.

Many people in the city feel abandoned. Some areas are dotted with dirt-covered women and children, scouring the rubble for scrap metal they can sell. At one rubbish dump in December, an elderly woman rooted through a pile of fetid garbage for anything salvageable. “At least under Daesh” - an Arabic acronym for Islamic State “we were treated better and weren’t reduced to picking garbage,” she said. (rtr)

Suu Kyi loyalist seen replacing Myanmar’s sick president-ruling party spokesman

YANGON - Myanmar’s civilian president Htin Kyaw resigned due to ill health on Wednesday and is expected to be replaced by a close ally of de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a move unlikely to affect power in a country where the army remains influential.

Htin Kyaw’s office said he was retiring “in order to take rest from the current duties and responsibilities”. Win Myint, a Suu Kyi loyalist who has served as the speaker of the lower house, was likely to replace him, said NLD spokesman Aung Shin.

Win Myint has had a tight grip on the parliament and his critics accuse him of stifling democratic debate, including from within the caucus of Suu Kyi’s ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party. He resigned from that post on Wednesday.

“He is loyal and has been a member of the NLD since the party was founded,” said Aung Shin, who lauded Win Myint’s performance as the lower house speaker and said he has “worked very well with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during the whole period”.

Suu Kyi is known for keeping her cards close to her chest and operating only with a very narrow group of trusted acolytes. Local media, citing confidential sources, have also reported Win Myint has been tipped to become the next president.

Analysts said the move was forced by the 71year-old Htin Kyaw’s deteriorating health, and was unrelated to the crisis sparked by the brutal military crackdown that has pushed out hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to neighbouring Bangladesh.

Speculation over Htin Kyaw’s ill health mounted in recent months over his rapid and visible loss of weight.

“The discussion about the replacement has been around for a while so this was well expected,” said Liu Yun, political analyst from China-based Han Yue Consultancy. “It should have a fairly limited impact on the political equation in Myanmar.”

He said the role of the president “isn’t that influential as Suu Kyi makes the final call, so the impact will be limited.” (rtr)

REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo

Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi (L) and Myanmar’s president Htin Kyaw attend a photo opportunity after the opening ceremony of the 21st Century Panglong Conference in Naypyitaw, Myanmar May 24, 2017.

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International

Thursday, March 22, 2018

BUSINESS In India, digital gold sellers hope trickle will become a rush

A digital revolution is reshaping India’s $34 billion gold market, with smartphones, e-wallets and flexible investment schemes drawing new buyers into a business dominated by traditional, face-to-face transactions. Digital payment systems have ballooned in popularity in India since the government scrapped large-value bank notes in 2016.

Among these offerings are applications that enable smartphone users to buy, sell or store gold - even in small amounts - kept in secured vaults operated by MMTC-PAMP India Pvt Ltd, a joint venture between MMTC Ltd, the largest national trading firm, and Swiss gold refiner PAMP. Although online gold purchases have been growing globally for years, they are a relatively recent phenomenon in India, where jewellry and bars of the precious metal tend to be kept in hand and given as gifts.

“In India, the action is really starting now. The digitization of the economy will certainly lead to digitization of gold,” said Somasundaram PR, managing director of World Gold Council’s (WGC) India operations. “It is poised for significant growth, possibly in the next 12-24 months.”

The WGC estimated total Indian gold demand at 727 tonnes (25.6 million ounces) in 2017, and could be up to 800 tonnes in 2018.

In China, the top consumer, 2017 demand was 953.3 tonnes.

It is difficult to gauge how many new buyers are entering the market because of online access. The digital payments firm Paytm said that in the first six months after it began offering digital gold last April, it facilitated about $18.4 million worth of sales - a tiny fraction of the Indian gold market.

With the vast majority of purchases made in the traditional way, demand for physical gold isn’t abating, “especially when physical gold plays an important role at Indian weddings,” said Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst at Think Markets UK Ltd. NEWLY ATTRACTIVE Besides convenience, Indian

International

Bali News

Thursday, March 22, 2018

5

Special, Celebrating Nyepi in Bali

Hindu community in Bali celebrates Nyepi or the Caka New Year on Saturday (Mar. 17). According to the belief of Balinese Hindu, Nyepi is the turn of the Caka Year whose history comes from India. It is said the Kaniska kingdom was first led by a wise king who was very advanced in culture and religion. His golden era was then honored as the turn of the Caka Year started in 78 AD and in Bali is celebrated as Nyepi.

Chairman of the Hindu Dharma Council of Indonesia (PHDI) of Bali, Prof. Dr. I Gusti Ngurah Sudiana, stated that the King Kaniska led successfully so that fierce battle among local tribes could be totally ended. It happened because the king led by culture, not by violence. Under his leadership, his people lived prosperously and peacefully. Ultimately, it is celebrated as the turn of the Caka Year.

consumers are attracted to competitive pricing and ability to make purchases in tiny increments. Goldbased financial offerings, including Gold Accumulation Plans (GAPs), allow users to buy and store gold in fractions as small as 0.1 grams - an amount that would be an uneconomical to trade physically because of the associated handling costs.

These accumulation plans, along with gold-backed bonds and websites selling coins and jewelry that can be shipped for free or cheaply within India, are especially appealing to young Indians. In the past, even those with an enduring affinity for gold have needed to wait until they have saved enough to build holdings.

Joe Jacob, a 29-year-old entrepreneur in the southern city of Bengaluru, recently bought 5 rupees (8 cents) worth of digital gold as a “trial investment.” “Physical gold is a hassle in terms of storage, and

I don’t wear gold, but understand it is an asset to hold. Digital gold is better than storing the actual metal at home, worrying about its safety,” he said.

Security experts said that because the gold, guaranteed to physically exist in an MMTC PAMP vault, was insured, there was little risk of fraudulent sales. And digital wallet providers expect interest to grow.

Paytm leads the crowded e-wallet space in India and announced two new gold gift and savings plans this month after launching its first digital gold product in April 2017. The company, backed by Japan’s SoftBank Group and China’s Alibaba, sources its 24-carat gold from MMTC PAMP. “There is no ‘season’ for this product; it is running twenty-four seven. Sitting in their offices, homes or wherever they want, they can easily access, buy sell or redeem,” said Gaurav Singh, deputy general manager of

marketing at MMTC PAMP. Gold trading traditionally peaks around festival and wedding seasons, experts say. But Singh added that because digital gold lowers the minimum price needed to buy gold - from about 3,000 rupees previously, enough to buy roughly 1 gram of gold at current prices and boosts market transparency via live pricing, there has been a rise in the frequency of gold purchases at other times of the year.

Nitin Misra, senior vice president at Paytm confirmed a similar trend, noting “about 40 percent of sales” happen during the “offseason” for buying gold in India.

He said more than half of the company’s users were repeat customers, and 70 percent were younger than 35. As of December 2017, about 1.4 million of its customers held some gold balance in their e-accounts.

“We have stumbled upon a brand

new segment,” he said of younger users buying gold. “What we have done, is not cannibalize the existing market, but grown it.”

The company said last year it planned to sell $200 million worth of gold in the 2017 fiscal year, which ended March 1. But its reported sales in 2017 appeared to be headed far short of that number.

Its rival e-wallet provider PhonePe was upbeat.

“The gold consumption market is expected to grow by 35 percent from 2015 to 2020, and customers are exploring digital options for purchase,” it said in an emailed statement.

For Bangalore-based P Vinoth, a logistics consultant who still prefers buying ornaments and jewelry from retail stores, e-wallets now offer an alternative. “For long term, I previously invested in exchangetraded funds. Now I am using Paytm gold,” he said. (rtr)

IGN-Sudiana In Bali, Prof. Sudiana added that prior to the existence of Caka influence from India there has been similar celebration to Nyepi at each village. There was Nyepi Desa specially implemented at particular village after holding a grandiose ritual; Nyepi Segara implemented by fishermen where their members are not allowed to do activities at sea; Nyepi Tegal (in the moor) and Nyepi Carik (in paddy field). “Local Nyepi is intended to provide a space for people to make evaluation and introspection heading for better life in the future,” he said.

Nyepi in each location also provides a space for nature to do the rotation in accordance with the plot, and not to be coerced.

Since the implementation of Nyepi was carried out locally, the Hindu Dharma Council of Indonesia (PHDI) took the philosophy of Caka New Year in India to unite the celebration across Bali starting in 1959 so that it can be celebrated simultaneously.

Nevertheless, he added that the implementation of Nyepi could not be made simultaneously like it can be done today. There are important reasons to propose the Nyepi into a national holiday feast. Incidentally there was also a call from the government for each religion to have a national religious holiday. After that, PHDI proposed Nyepi

to the government and was accepted and approved by President Soeharto in 1986 as a national holiday.

By degrees, PHDI made coordination with religious councils, stakeholders and the communities so that Nyepi can be celebrated as the Hindus do today. “It enables due to the coordination and tolerance of all the Balinese people, not only the Hindus but also other communities. Therefore, Nyepi becomes a special day in Bali and even the world,” he explained.

In the celebration of Nyepi in Bali, the entire communities are not allowed to go out, make entertainment, work and start a fire. All the bans are complied with and implemented

by Balinese people. People are not riding a motorcycle and car; as well as the flights are even abolished. A variety of entertainments including TV broadcasts are stopped. People light no fire and turn off power. Services of

all government and private offices including people’s daily activities are nullified.

“These can work due to great tolerance and the values ??of Nyepi are universal.

Apart from being useful for the people of Bali and Indonesia, it is also for the world, so that the world then adopts it to be a Silent Day,” he added.

According to him, Nyepi is not only useful for humans, but also for the entire universe.

At the moment of Nyepi, there is no pollution and the whole sky is clean. With the clean sky above, the ozone layer is not eroded.

Clean air brings in health to all living beings.

Trees also become healthy so that they can contribute to the life of every creature.

On that account, Nyepi actually contains a more profound meaning so that the public can make a self-evaluation for their future.

The evaluation is done to organize a better life. No fire means that people can control

their passions.

Celebration of Nyepi is commenced by implementation of melasti where pilgrims come together and carry all the symbols of God’s manifestation to the sea to take holy water of life and dispose of impurities and stains.

Then, mecaru tawur signifies the attention to the existence of the negative elements that change into positive ones, negative thoughts into positive ones towards a better life. If nature has not been changed into positive, nobody will be able to help human life. “To help this process, it must be followed with the implementation of catur bratha penyepian or four abstinences,” he said.

After implementing the catur bratha penyepian it is then resumed with Ngembak Geni that philosophically means that pilgrims do their best after making an evaluation. It is then ended with Darma Shanti to forgive each other. (kmb)

Bebek Sungai Ubud Now Offers Betutu Duck Tired of having crispy duck?

Try to enjoy the betutu duck processed by Bebek Sungai Ubud Restaurant. This restaurant nestled at cool village in the tourist area always innovates in providing services to each guest. “Now, we have a new menu named betutu duck at a cheaper price of IDR 60,000 including rice and drink,” said Operations Manager, Hendra S. Dharma accompanied by Restaurant Manager, Gede Adnyana, in Ubud, Friday (Jan. 26).

A portion of betutu duck comes with cassava leaf vegetable, gravy, cucumber and Balinese raw condiment. Betutu duck menu is rarely

presented because the commonplace is a betutu chicken with a distinctive seasoning. “We want to feature Balinese culture and local taste, so people who travel in Bali can be familiar with this menu. It is prepared for tourists and local people costing of IDR 40,000 to 60,000,” he added.

Despite having a market share from Australia, Europe, Germany and China, by presenting relatively cheap menus, the Bebek Sungai will target domestic market, even local market. “The impact of Mount Agung eruption is very influential on the number of tourist visits to the Bebek Sungai. Fortu-

nately, there is domestic market really helping, so the Bebek Sungai is always crowded,” explained Hendra.

For seasoning, it takes advantage of local herbs with traditional processing method, so that the betutu duck menu can offer a different taste. The process is accompanied with genuine basic flavor traditionally process. Thus, the texture of the meat is tender.

Enjoying the betutu duck can provide a valuable experience during a holiday on the Island of the Gods. “We prepare betutu duck as the prominent menu of Bebek Sungai,” he said. (kmb)

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Thursday, March 22, 2018

W

RLD

IBP/net

Texas bombings suspect blows himself up as Austin police close in - but FBI fear ‘other parcel bombs might be out there.’

Texas bombing suspect blows self up as police close in

AUSTIN - The 24-year-old man who terrified residents of Austin, Texas, with a three-week bombing campaign that killed two people blew himself up on the side of a highway north of the city as police closed in on him early Wednesday, police officials said.

Police had tracked the suspect to a hotel near Austin, the state’s capital city, and were following his vehicle when he pulled to the side of the road and detonated a device, killing himself, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told reporters near the scene.

“The suspect is deceased and has significant injuries from a blast that occurred from detonating a bomb inside his vehicle,” Manley told reporters. He said the suspect was white but declined to give his name.

Manley said the suspect was believed to be responsible for six bombs around Austin, including five that detonated, since March 2. He said what motivated the bombing campaign or whether the suspect had help was not yet known.

Most important, Manley warned that it was not clear whether any more bombs had been left in place around the city.

The series of bombings killed two people and injured at least five others, unnerving residents of Austin, a city of some 1 million people. The first bombings occurred as the state capital was hosting the annual South

By Southwest music, film and tech-

nology festival.

Police found the suspect at a hotel in Round Rock, Texas, about 20 miles (32 km) north of Austin. While officers were waiting for reinforcements to make an arrest, the suspect left the hotel and police followed him.

The suspect pulled off the city’s main highway and two Austin police officers were approaching his vehicle when he set off his device. One officer fired at the vehicle and the other sustained a minor injury when the bomb went off, Manley said.

Police urged residents of the area to treat packages with suspicion during the bombing campaign, and Manley warned residents not to let their guard down yet.

“Everybody needs to remember that this investigation is continuing.

We still need people to be vigilant,” Austin Mayor Steve Adler told the local CBS news affiliate early on Wednesday. “We don’t know where the suspect has been the last 24 hours.”

U.S. President Donald Trump on Twitter congratulated police, saying, “Great job by law enforcement and all concerned!”

The first three devices were parcel bombs dropped off in front of homes around Austin neighborhoods. A fourth went off on Sunday night, apparently detonated with a trip wire, and one exploded inside a FedEx Corp facility on Tuesday.

The series of bombings began on March 2 and bewildered law enforcement officials, who by Sunday began taking the unusual step of publicly calling on the bomber to get in touch and explain why he was carrying out the attacks.

The first two bombs killed black men, raising fears that they were part of a hate crime, but investigators said the later, more random blasts made that less likely.

Manley said investigators still had no clear idea of what prompted the suspect to carry out the bombing.

“We do not understand what motivated him to do what he did,” Manley said.

“We don’t know if he was on his way to deliver another bomb,” Manley said. “He had one with him and that’s what he detonated as we approached.” (rtr)

International

Israel admits bombing suspected Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007, warns Iran JERUSALEM - Israel for the first time admitted that it bombed a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007 and said on Wednesday the strike should be a warning to Iran that it would not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

The Israeli military released previously classified cockpit footage, photographs and intelligence documents about its Sept. 6, 2007, air strike on the Al-Kubar facility near Deir al-Zor in eastern Syria.

It said the reactor was being built with help from North Korea and the facility had been months away from activation. Reuters has been unable to immediately verify the Israeli material.

Israel’s decision to go public comes after repeated calls in recent months by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the United States and international community to take tougher action on Iran, Syria’s ally.

Israel’s intelligence minister, Israel Katz, said on Twitter: “The (2007) operation and its success made clear that Israel will never allow nuclear weaponry to be in the hands of those who threaten its existence - Syria then, and Iran today.”

The Israeli military described in detail events leading up to the night of Sept 5-6, 2007, in which, it said, eight warplanes, F-16s and F-15s, carried out the mission after taking off from the Ramon and Hatzerim air bases and flying to Deir al-Zor region, 450 km northwest of Damascus. Eighteen tonnes of munitions were dropped on the site, it said.

In his 2010 memoir “Decision Points,” former U.S. President George W. Bush disclosed that he discussed intelligence about the Syrian facility with then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert before it was destroyed but did not give him the green light for the raid.

James Jeffrey, Bush’s deputy national security adviser, said on Wednesday the former U.S. president had been “absolutely supportive” of Israel. “(He) made it clear that we were very happy that events had eliminated this threat and that if there were any threats to Israel that would emerge from this situation, the United States would stand with Israel, period,” Jeffrey told Israel’s Army Radio.

In 2008 the United States presented what it described as intelligence showing that North Korea had helped Syria with “covert nuclear activities.” At the time Syria dismissed the accusations as part of a campaign to discredit the Damascus government.

“The Syrian government regrets the campaign of lies and falsification by the U.S. administration against Syria, including allegations of nuclear activity,” said a government statement issued on the Syrian state news agency.

Iran, which says its nuclear program has only peaceful aims, signed a 2015 deal under which it accepted curbs on its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief. U.S. President Donald Trump and Netanyahu have both been critical of the deal. (rtr)

REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo

An Israeli air force F-15 fighter jet flies during an exhibition as part of the graduation ceremony of air force pilots at Hatzerim air base in southern Israel June 25, 2015.

International

Thursday, March 22, 2018

11

A ‘millennials party’ dares to break Indonesia’s political mould JAKARTA - In the Jakarta headquarters of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), workers call each other “bro” and “sis”, and their leader sets the sartorial standard with a pair of ripped jeans. Dubbed the ‘millennials party’, the PSI is an upstart on the political stage of this Southeast Asian nation that hopes to tap into young voters’ contempt for the entrenched corruption and divisive identity politics of the ruling elite.

The downfall of long-serving autocrat Suharto in 1998 - amid a crisis widely blamed on a culture of nepotism and graft - brought an end to a regime of repression.

But two decades later, the 190 million voters of the world’s thirdlargest democracy are still asked to choose from a crowd of candidates who began their political careers during that period.

The 2019 presidential election looks set to be a repeat of 2014, when current leader Joko Widodo narrowly defeated Prabowo Subianto, an ex-armed forces general who was formerly married to a daughter of Suharto. The PSI is one of four new parties the General Election Commission is allowing to contest next year’s legislative and presidential elections.

Two of the new parties are fronted by establishment figures.

The United Indonesia Party (Perindo) is headed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s business partner in Indonesia, Hary Tanoeseodibjo, while the Berkaya Party is led by Suharto’s youngest son, Tommy, who advocates a return to the “New Order” values of his late father.

PSI leader Grace Natalie, a former television journalist, believes the time has come for a new generation of politicians who would be genuinely accountable to the people. Her party interviews members seeking nomination for a seat in parliament, and live-streams the discussions on social media platforms. Teachers, corporate lawyers, doctors and bankers are among those whose interviews have aired on Facebook and YouTube.

“No other party is offering what we are in terms of transparency,” she told Reuters at PSI’s headquarters - referred to by party staff as “base camp” - where a wall poster urges “Make Art, Not War”.

CRITICAL DEMOGRAPHIC

Natalie, a 35-year-old mother of

two toddlers, set up PSI in 2014, determined to offer an alternative for young voters. It’s a critical demographic with people between the ages of 17 and 25 accounting for about 30 percent of the electorate. Two-thirds of the party’s roughly 400,000 members are under 35. PSI relies on crowdfunding and donations to run operations across the vast archipelago of Indonesia, and to keep costs down it works from members’ houses and uses donated vehicles.

“This way, no one person can claim that they own the party. Everyone is contributing something,” said Natalie, who was educated in Jakarta and the Netherlands, and speaks proficient English. So far, PSI has raised 2.6 billion rupiah ($180,000), a tiny sum compared to the coffers of mainstream parties that benefit from poor enforcement of laws limiting political donations.

It will also struggle to get traction with the youth it is targeting.

While the size of the youth vote bank has swelled from 18 percent of total voters in 2004 to 30 percent in 2014, the participation of young voters has dwindled.

Data from the elections commission showed less than half of voters between 17 and 29 years old cast a ballot in 2014 legislative elections compared with around 90 percent among those over 30.

Ella Prihatini, a researcher at the University of Western Australia, in a survey of 253 young voters, found many of them were uninterested in politics. “On parliament, the dominant answer from respondents was that their MPs are not actually representing them, so why bother voting?” Prihatini said.

POLITICAL ISLAM

Winning support is also likely to be particularly challenging for Natalie, an ethnic-Chinese Indonesian, in a climate of religious and ethnic tensions. Indonesia is a secular country but concerns are

REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

The leader of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), Grace Natalie, poses for a photograph in her office at the party’s headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia March 19, 2018. Picture taken March 19, 2018. growing about the Islamisation of politics in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country. Jakarta’s former governor, an ethnic-Chinese Christian, was ousted last year after hardline Muslim groups organised massive protests over allegations he insulted Islam. He was later jailed for blasphemy.

The 14 parties contesting next year’s polls include the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), which leads the ruling coalition, several other secular parties as well as rising Islamic-oriented parties.

Natalie, who plans to run for parliament next year, conceded she and PSI need a far bigger budget to win support in rural areas, home to nearly half of Indonesia’s population. Her party will back Widodo - a popular moderate reformer - for re-election as president rather than try to field a candidate of its own.

Ibrahim Irsyad Hasibuan, a 20-year-old journalism student from Tangerang outside Jakarta, said young voters are apathetic because they have no faith in the political system, and so PSI could

be a wake-up call for his generation. “But I can’t relate to PSI,” he said. “It is a new political party and has no track record yet.”

Achmad Sukarsono, a Singapore-based political analyst for Control Risks, was dismissive of the new party, arguing that an anticorruption stance alone will not be enough to win over voters more interested in local and bread-andbutter issues. “It is a nice utopian effort that shows desire for change from the educated, Westernized elite,” he said.(rtr)

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Destination

Thursday, March 22, 2018

International

Thursday, March 22, 2018

International

Hamilton, Vettel kick off race for fifth title in Melbourne

MELBOURNE - The first instalment of what Formula One fans hope will be a genuine season-long tussle kicks off on Sunday as four-times champions Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel lock horns at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Stand up paddle board surfing in Bali

MANGUPURA - Stand Up Paddle surfing in Bali, oftentimes referred to as ‘SUP’, or simply ‘paddle boarding’, is a fun way to ride the waves. The best thing about it is that you don’t need to ‘catch’ a wave as you would in regular surfing, or go through the hassle of hand paddling and waiting up in line for the perfect swell. Specially designed boards allow you to stand upright firmly due to their larger size, while a long paddle allows you to cruise along at your own desired speed, even over swells.

You can try out or rent boards for Stand Up Paddle surfing at most surf schools in Bali. Start out with a flat water SUP then hone your skills as you get hooked with an intermediate lesson. If you choose

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to, you can even ride your Stand Up Paddle board while kneeling. Bali is a surfing mecca for riders from around the world, and this is one cool and immersive way to enjoy the view and thrills of the island’s beautiful coasts.

What is Stand Up Paddle (SUP)?

An increasingly popular offshoot of surfing as we known it, Stand Up Paddle (SUP) boarding lets riders cruise over waves while standing up on their boards, maintain an upright stance throughout the activity, and propel themselves over the surface using a single paddle. SUP is great for those looking for a more recreational surfing activity, to enjoy sightseeing along the coastline,

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and have greater control and stability while on the water. You don’t need to purchase or bring your own board and gear as bulky luggage on your flight to Bali. There are many surf schools that rent out SUPs for experienced riders as well. Daily rentals start from only IDR 250,000 (USD 19) and some rentals also offer weekly rates. If you need to, you can generally fit your own gear on the plane within the normal 20kg luggage limit.

Best Place(s) in Bali for Stand Up Paddle Boarding?

You could bring out your SUP board just about anywhere you like.

Kuta beach, where surfing on the island pretty much started, remains a great place to SUP for its com-

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binations of rideable swells and flat rides. Low tide at the beaches of Sanur and Nusa Dua are also great, with the nearer coastal waters cordoned by natural reef barriers, providing you with perfect flat water inside, and some exciting rides beyond. Beginners should stick to the former, to avoid the corals. The east-facing coasts, like Sanur, Nusa Dua and Tanjung Benoa, can be windier most of the times. Western coasts,like Kuta, and Jimbaran bay, are more favourable for flat wave riders. The crowd factor should also come into consideration. Rip Curl School of Surf has a school right on the quiet beachfront of the InterContinental Bali Resort in Jimbaran, which is a wonderful spot to learn and enjoy SUP.

Where Can You Learn or Rent SUPs? Even though it is a relatively new sport, Stand Up Paddle in Bali is now more accessible than ever, with numerous surf schools and board rentals available on the island. Here are some reputable surf schools offering SUPs as part of their programmes, and which you can go to, grab a board and paddle, and head out for the waves for an hour or two.

Beginner’s courses usually start off with flat-water paddling, then move up to some wave riding and even ‘bigger’ wave riding.

SUP course prices range from IDR 350,000 (USD 27) to IDR 600,000 (USD 45) for a regular 1.5 hours. (IBP/net)

This year marks the first that two quadruple champions are competing in the same season and their battle to see who joins Argentine legend Juan Manuel Fangio in second place on the all-time list with five titles promises to light up the series.

Michael Schumacher leads the way on seven world titles.

Hamilton emerged well on top for Mercedes at the end of 2017 after Ferrari’s Vettel made the early running, but their rivalry added plenty of spice, the pair banging wheels on the track in Azerbaijan and exchanging threats off it.

Hopes are high for more tense duelling to spark interest in a championship that has generally proved a procession for the Silver Arrows, who have swept the drivers’ and constructors championships in each of the past four years.

Much will depend on whether Ferrari’s SF71H can keep German Vettel within striking distance of Hamilton in his Mercedes W09, which the Briton raved about during pre-season testing.

On that score, the jury is out.

Lap times at testing can be misleading but there remains a conviction that Mercedes will head into Sunday’s race at Albert Park, as always, the team to beat.

“We know that Mercedes is a

little bit ahead of everyone and is dominating the sport for the last four years,” McLaren’s twice world champion Fernando Alonso told Reuters on Wednesday.

“And they are the big favourites again to start the new season.”

PERFECT TARGET Mercedes are eager to see what the W09 can do at the lakeside circuit in Melbourne, with technical director James Allison saying it would “blow away” the W08 which garnered 12 race wins in 2017 and a fourth consecutive constructors’ title.

Hamilton, however, was guarded about their opening weekend prospects, believing Red Bull could be as much a threat to the Silver Arrows as Ferrari.

“I think at this time of the year everyone is trying to hype someone else up and we are the perfect target because we are the world champions,” the Briton said at a Melbourne event with sponsor Petronas on Wednesday.

“From what I understand, I think Red Bull and Ferrari are very close.

Potentially we are either level, just behind or maybe just ahead of the Red Bulls as far as I’m aware.”

Ferrari have kept a low profile in the lead-up to the race but home hope and Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo emerged on Wednesday

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to express hope for a “statement” performance.

“Every year, the team works hard to build a fast car but, come testing, we’ve never really had much to show for it,” the Australian told reporters.

“This year, we obviously had a

bit more so, from a team perspective, we’re feeling much more prepared.”

There will be fingers crossed in the McLaren garage as Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne put the new Renault-powered car through its paces, the once formidable outfit

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Amanda Anisimova (USA)

MIAMI - American teenager Amanda Anisimova, fresh off an impressive run at Indian Wells, beat China’s Wang Qiang 6-3 1-6 6-2 at the Miami Open on Tuesday to set up a second round clash with Spanish third seed Garbine Muguruza.

The 16-year-old wild card, who had never won a WTA main-draw match until this month’s BNP Paribas Open where she reached the fourth round, broke the world number 53 five times during a 98minute match in which she committed six double faults.

Next up for Anisimova, ranked 130th in the world, is Wimbledon champion Muguruza, who will be eager to get back to competition

after falling at the first hurdle in Indian Wells.

Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia overcame some early pressure to defeat Briton Heather Watson 7-6(3) 6-2. Watson had a chance to serve for the opening set but squandered it and then allowed the Brazilian to run away with the match.

Haddad Maia will next face No. 31 seed Zhang Shuai.

Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic looked headed for an early exit when she fell behind 4-0 in the deciding set against Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko but the Croatian-born world number 90 reeled off seven of the next eight games to prevail 3-6 6-4 7-5.

REUTERS/Albert Gea

having split with Honda after three miserable years.

Albert Park will see a number of debuts, with Formula Two’s Monegasque champion Charles Leclerc and Russian Sergey Sirotkin having their first races for Sauber and Williams respectively. (rtr)

American teen Anisimova stuns Wang in Miami

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Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari in the pit-lane during testing.

American wild card Bernarda Pera advanced when she stunned Spanish world number 68 Lara Arruabarrena 7-5 6-4 to set up a second-round match with Belgian 22rd seed Elise Mertens.

Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi was leading Christina McHale 3-1 but retired 31 minutes into the match, gifting the American passage into the second round where she will face Czech Barbora Strycova.

Also advancing on the first day of the main draw in Miami were Belgians Kirsten Flipkens and Alison Van Uytvanck, Swede Johanna Larsson, Hungary’s Timea Babos, Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich and American wild card Claire Liu. (rtr)

8

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Sp rt

Man Utd still flex most social media muscle

Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers

England representatives plant trees as the FA, Woodland Trust and National Football Museum join forces to remember England internationals of 1914 who served in the armed forces during the First World War

Door remains wide open for England squad hopefuls

LONDON - Less than two months before England manager Gareth Southgate names his provisional list of 35 for the World Cup finals only a handful of players can be reasonably confident of starting against Tunisia in Volgograd, Russia on June 18. Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane, providing he is fit, and Manchester City right back Kyle Walker look safe bets to get the nod. However, after that pretty much every position is up for grabs.

It says much about the lack of ‘world beaters’ available to Southgate that so many players, many from unfashionable clubs, might still fancy their chances. Friday’s friendly away to the Netherlands and the home clash with Italy next Tuesday might shed more light on who will make the plane to Russia - or they might also pose more questions than they answer.

Southgate’s biggest headache in the coming months might be deciding who he can trust in goal.

Joe Hart, who has 75 caps for England, was between the posts in nine of England’s 10 qualification games, conceding only three goals. But erratic club form has seen him come under pressure from Stoke City’s Jack Butland and Everton’s Jordan Pickford, with Burnley’s Nick Pope also in the frame.

Hart lost his place at West Ham United but returned against Burnley in the Premier League this month, only to make a howler in the 3-0 home defeat in which Pope excelled at the other end.

Butland and Pickford have many positive attributes but both made mistakes in Stoke’s clash with Everton at the weekend and

between them have conceded 101 league goals this season -- something that would not have gone unnoticed by Southgate. Former England defender Martin Keown thinks it might be a case of better the devil you know. “If they’re not going to prove they’re better than him, do you take that risk to play them,” he told the BBC. DEFENSIVE CONCERNS

Not long ago, Chelsea skipper Gary Cahill appeared a shoe-in for England central defence, most likely alongside Manchester City’s John Stones. Cahill, however, was omitted for the upcoming friendlies having lost his place in Chelsea’s starting lineup.

With Stones also on the bench at City, Burnley’s James Tarkowski, Leicester City’s Harry Maguire and Swansea City’s Alfie Mawson will try to stake their claims against the Netherlands and Italy.

Despite not qualifying for the World Cup, both opponents will provide stern tests for an England defence that, despite a miserly qualifying campaign, is fallible against high calibre attacks.

Tottenham’s holding mid-

fielder Eric Dier could also fit into Southgate’s preferred 3-4-3 system as a defender and will be vying with Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson for the captain’s armband in Amsterdam.

Spurs’ Dele Alli is Southgate’s preferred link man for Kane, but with his club team mate injured, Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere and Adam Lallana can underline their credentials in the coming week, as can Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jesse Lingard.

Up front, Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling and Jamie Vardy look favourites to join Kane in Russia although Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck could nudge his way back in with a strong finish to the season now he is back from injury.

Southgate may face some agonising before naming his 23-man squad for Russia, but that is a position Dutch manager Ronald Koeman and Italy’s stand-in coach Luigi Di Biagio would love.

For the Netherlands and Italy, matches against England will mark the first steps in a rehabilitation in time for qualification for the 2020 European Championship.(rtr)

LONDON - Manchester United are trailing Manchester City this season on the pitch but are peerless when it comes to their social media muscle, according to a report published this week.

The Old Trafford giants, who topped Deloitte’s Money League in January for the world’s richest clubs, also came out top of the Social Network Rankings for the Premier League in 2017.

The report, produced by Newton Insight, ranked England’s 20 top-flight according to eight performance indicators across various social media platforms.

United beat Manchester City to first place with Chelsea third, Arsenal fourth, Liverpool fifth and Tottenham Hotspur in seventh place. Huddersfield Town were a surprising sixth with Stoke City bottom of the pile.

United had 73.7 million Facebook followers in 2017, 16.5 million Twitter fans and 20 million Instagram followers. City had 29 million, 5.5 million and 5.9 million respectively for the same categories. United also had most followers of the 20 Premier League clubs on Chinese social media platform Weibo -- 9.2 million.

Fans of the Red Devils made up 30 percent of all Premier League followers and the club accounted for 40 percent of all Premier League fan engagement on social media in 2017. “The best way to describe Manchester United’s approach to building its global fanbase is ‘relentless’,” the report said.

“The club is not sitting back defending its lead, it keeps pressing forward. They have more resources than most to support its ambitions but the club is also committed to producing creative

content and driving fan engagement.”

The Social Network Rankings were calculated using indicators such as fan engagement, growth, total number of club posts and the amount of days it takes clubs to add 10,000 new followers on a given platform. While newlypromoted Huddersfield’s 113,000 Facebook followers was dwarfed by the bigger clubs it represented an 80 percent rise in a year while their Instagram figures rose by 600 percent -- proof of the appeal of the Premier League.

Huddersfield made huge efforts to increase the club’s profile on the back of promotion, racking up 18,000 social media posts in 2017, behind only Chelsea, United and City. “Smaller teams may struggle to compete financially with the top teams, but Huddersfield’s digital performance should encourage other clubs looking to increase brand exposure,” the report said.

While the combined 250 million Facebook followers of the Premier League made it the most used format for fans, that figure represented only a five percent yearly rise compared to the 49 and 33 percent increases enjoyed

by Twitter and Instagram.

“Facebook appears to have reached maturity,” the report said.

“Twitter’s immediacy lends itself to the drama of live football. It feeds the endless appetite for gossip.” China is regarded as a huge, and relatively untapped market, although still something of a puzzle, according to the report.

Arsenal and Liverpool were the first to set up social media sites on Weibo in 2011, since when Premier League clubs have amassed a combined fanbase of 30 million followers.(rtr)

IBP/net

”Prove you’re more than a club” - Barca urged to drop ticket prices

Kante feels ”at home” with Chelsea Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante says he feels “at home” at the club despite speculation linking him with a return to France. Kante was instrumental to Leicester City’s league triumph in the 2015/16 season before he moved to London and helped Chelsea do the same the following year.

“I am at home. It is my club, I am a Chelsea player,” Kante, who has been linked with a move to Paris St Germain, was quoted as saying by the Evening Standard. “This is my second year at Chelsea. After what happened last season, it was a very good one for us because we got to celebrate winning the title.

“In the second season, I have got to play in the Champions League ... We will fight until the end to finish in the top four and to get in a Champions League position.”

Chelsea, who face Southampton in the FA Cup semi-finals next month, are fifth in the league, five points behind Tottenham Hotspur with eight matches left to play.

“We also have the FA Cup to play for - it is a good competition. Last season we failed in the final,” added Kante. “It is the only trophy we can win this season, so we have to give everything to get to the final and win it.” The 26-year-old has been named in the France squad for friendlies against Colombia on Friday and Russia on March 27.(rtr)

Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante during training

IBP/net

9

BARCELONA - Barcelona should extend their “more than a club” motto to their ticket pricing, Rome-based newspaper Il Romanista said on Tuesday as they urged the La Liga side to lower rates for their Champions League quarter-final first leg against AS Roma. The newspaper published a copy of an open letter it sent to Barca’s president Josep Maria Bartomeu in which it railed against prices for visiting supporters for the game at the Nou Camp on April 4, which are expected to begin at 90 euros ($110.3).

“If we continue like this, supporting a team will become an inaccessible luxury for a large number of supporters,” said the letter, published in Italian and Catalan.

“Your club has always been unique in football for the class it has shown on and off the pitch.

Show us one more time that you’re more than a club. We have faith and hope that you will consider this petition. It would be the best ‘play’ you make.”

A price war broke out between Manchester United and Sevilla earlier this year over tickets for both legs of their Champions League last-16 tie after the Spanish side charged English fans 89 to 133 pounds ($125 to $186) for the first leg in Spain.

United responded by refunding supporters who had bought tickets for the game 35 pounds and charging the same amount to Sevilla fans who attended the return leg at Old Trafford.(rtr)

8

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Sp rt

Man Utd still flex most social media muscle

Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers

England representatives plant trees as the FA, Woodland Trust and National Football Museum join forces to remember England internationals of 1914 who served in the armed forces during the First World War

Door remains wide open for England squad hopefuls

LONDON - Less than two months before England manager Gareth Southgate names his provisional list of 35 for the World Cup finals only a handful of players can be reasonably confident of starting against Tunisia in Volgograd, Russia on June 18. Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane, providing he is fit, and Manchester City right back Kyle Walker look safe bets to get the nod. However, after that pretty much every position is up for grabs.

It says much about the lack of ‘world beaters’ available to Southgate that so many players, many from unfashionable clubs, might still fancy their chances. Friday’s friendly away to the Netherlands and the home clash with Italy next Tuesday might shed more light on who will make the plane to Russia - or they might also pose more questions than they answer.

Southgate’s biggest headache in the coming months might be deciding who he can trust in goal.

Joe Hart, who has 75 caps for England, was between the posts in nine of England’s 10 qualification games, conceding only three goals. But erratic club form has seen him come under pressure from Stoke City’s Jack Butland and Everton’s Jordan Pickford, with Burnley’s Nick Pope also in the frame.

Hart lost his place at West Ham United but returned against Burnley in the Premier League this month, only to make a howler in the 3-0 home defeat in which Pope excelled at the other end.

Butland and Pickford have many positive attributes but both made mistakes in Stoke’s clash with Everton at the weekend and

between them have conceded 101 league goals this season -- something that would not have gone unnoticed by Southgate. Former England defender Martin Keown thinks it might be a case of better the devil you know. “If they’re not going to prove they’re better than him, do you take that risk to play them,” he told the BBC. DEFENSIVE CONCERNS

Not long ago, Chelsea skipper Gary Cahill appeared a shoe-in for England central defence, most likely alongside Manchester City’s John Stones. Cahill, however, was omitted for the upcoming friendlies having lost his place in Chelsea’s starting lineup.

With Stones also on the bench at City, Burnley’s James Tarkowski, Leicester City’s Harry Maguire and Swansea City’s Alfie Mawson will try to stake their claims against the Netherlands and Italy.

Despite not qualifying for the World Cup, both opponents will provide stern tests for an England defence that, despite a miserly qualifying campaign, is fallible against high calibre attacks.

Tottenham’s holding mid-

fielder Eric Dier could also fit into Southgate’s preferred 3-4-3 system as a defender and will be vying with Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson for the captain’s armband in Amsterdam.

Spurs’ Dele Alli is Southgate’s preferred link man for Kane, but with his club team mate injured, Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere and Adam Lallana can underline their credentials in the coming week, as can Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jesse Lingard.

Up front, Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling and Jamie Vardy look favourites to join Kane in Russia although Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck could nudge his way back in with a strong finish to the season now he is back from injury.

Southgate may face some agonising before naming his 23-man squad for Russia, but that is a position Dutch manager Ronald Koeman and Italy’s stand-in coach Luigi Di Biagio would love.

For the Netherlands and Italy, matches against England will mark the first steps in a rehabilitation in time for qualification for the 2020 European Championship.(rtr)

LONDON - Manchester United are trailing Manchester City this season on the pitch but are peerless when it comes to their social media muscle, according to a report published this week.

The Old Trafford giants, who topped Deloitte’s Money League in January for the world’s richest clubs, also came out top of the Social Network Rankings for the Premier League in 2017.

The report, produced by Newton Insight, ranked England’s 20 top-flight according to eight performance indicators across various social media platforms.

United beat Manchester City to first place with Chelsea third, Arsenal fourth, Liverpool fifth and Tottenham Hotspur in seventh place. Huddersfield Town were a surprising sixth with Stoke City bottom of the pile.

United had 73.7 million Facebook followers in 2017, 16.5 million Twitter fans and 20 million Instagram followers. City had 29 million, 5.5 million and 5.9 million respectively for the same categories. United also had most followers of the 20 Premier League clubs on Chinese social media platform Weibo -- 9.2 million.

Fans of the Red Devils made up 30 percent of all Premier League followers and the club accounted for 40 percent of all Premier League fan engagement on social media in 2017. “The best way to describe Manchester United’s approach to building its global fanbase is ‘relentless’,” the report said.

“The club is not sitting back defending its lead, it keeps pressing forward. They have more resources than most to support its ambitions but the club is also committed to producing creative

content and driving fan engagement.”

The Social Network Rankings were calculated using indicators such as fan engagement, growth, total number of club posts and the amount of days it takes clubs to add 10,000 new followers on a given platform. While newlypromoted Huddersfield’s 113,000 Facebook followers was dwarfed by the bigger clubs it represented an 80 percent rise in a year while their Instagram figures rose by 600 percent -- proof of the appeal of the Premier League.

Huddersfield made huge efforts to increase the club’s profile on the back of promotion, racking up 18,000 social media posts in 2017, behind only Chelsea, United and City. “Smaller teams may struggle to compete financially with the top teams, but Huddersfield’s digital performance should encourage other clubs looking to increase brand exposure,” the report said.

While the combined 250 million Facebook followers of the Premier League made it the most used format for fans, that figure represented only a five percent yearly rise compared to the 49 and 33 percent increases enjoyed

by Twitter and Instagram.

“Facebook appears to have reached maturity,” the report said.

“Twitter’s immediacy lends itself to the drama of live football. It feeds the endless appetite for gossip.” China is regarded as a huge, and relatively untapped market, although still something of a puzzle, according to the report.

Arsenal and Liverpool were the first to set up social media sites on Weibo in 2011, since when Premier League clubs have amassed a combined fanbase of 30 million followers.(rtr)

IBP/net

”Prove you’re more than a club” - Barca urged to drop ticket prices

Kante feels ”at home” with Chelsea Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante says he feels “at home” at the club despite speculation linking him with a return to France. Kante was instrumental to Leicester City’s league triumph in the 2015/16 season before he moved to London and helped Chelsea do the same the following year.

“I am at home. It is my club, I am a Chelsea player,” Kante, who has been linked with a move to Paris St Germain, was quoted as saying by the Evening Standard. “This is my second year at Chelsea. After what happened last season, it was a very good one for us because we got to celebrate winning the title.

“In the second season, I have got to play in the Champions League ... We will fight until the end to finish in the top four and to get in a Champions League position.”

Chelsea, who face Southampton in the FA Cup semi-finals next month, are fifth in the league, five points behind Tottenham Hotspur with eight matches left to play.

“We also have the FA Cup to play for - it is a good competition. Last season we failed in the final,” added Kante. “It is the only trophy we can win this season, so we have to give everything to get to the final and win it.” The 26-year-old has been named in the France squad for friendlies against Colombia on Friday and Russia on March 27.(rtr)

Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante during training

IBP/net

9

BARCELONA - Barcelona should extend their “more than a club” motto to their ticket pricing, Rome-based newspaper Il Romanista said on Tuesday as they urged the La Liga side to lower rates for their Champions League quarter-final first leg against AS Roma. The newspaper published a copy of an open letter it sent to Barca’s president Josep Maria Bartomeu in which it railed against prices for visiting supporters for the game at the Nou Camp on April 4, which are expected to begin at 90 euros ($110.3).

“If we continue like this, supporting a team will become an inaccessible luxury for a large number of supporters,” said the letter, published in Italian and Catalan.

“Your club has always been unique in football for the class it has shown on and off the pitch.

Show us one more time that you’re more than a club. We have faith and hope that you will consider this petition. It would be the best ‘play’ you make.”

A price war broke out between Manchester United and Sevilla earlier this year over tickets for both legs of their Champions League last-16 tie after the Spanish side charged English fans 89 to 133 pounds ($125 to $186) for the first leg in Spain.

United responded by refunding supporters who had bought tickets for the game 35 pounds and charging the same amount to Sevilla fans who attended the return leg at Old Trafford.(rtr)

10

Destination

Thursday, March 22, 2018

International

Thursday, March 22, 2018

International

Hamilton, Vettel kick off race for fifth title in Melbourne

MELBOURNE - The first instalment of what Formula One fans hope will be a genuine season-long tussle kicks off on Sunday as four-times champions Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel lock horns at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Stand up paddle board surfing in Bali

MANGUPURA - Stand Up Paddle surfing in Bali, oftentimes referred to as ‘SUP’, or simply ‘paddle boarding’, is a fun way to ride the waves. The best thing about it is that you don’t need to ‘catch’ a wave as you would in regular surfing, or go through the hassle of hand paddling and waiting up in line for the perfect swell. Specially designed boards allow you to stand upright firmly due to their larger size, while a long paddle allows you to cruise along at your own desired speed, even over swells.

You can try out or rent boards for Stand Up Paddle surfing at most surf schools in Bali. Start out with a flat water SUP then hone your skills as you get hooked with an intermediate lesson. If you choose

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to, you can even ride your Stand Up Paddle board while kneeling. Bali is a surfing mecca for riders from around the world, and this is one cool and immersive way to enjoy the view and thrills of the island’s beautiful coasts.

What is Stand Up Paddle (SUP)?

An increasingly popular offshoot of surfing as we known it, Stand Up Paddle (SUP) boarding lets riders cruise over waves while standing up on their boards, maintain an upright stance throughout the activity, and propel themselves over the surface using a single paddle. SUP is great for those looking for a more recreational surfing activity, to enjoy sightseeing along the coastline,

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and have greater control and stability while on the water. You don’t need to purchase or bring your own board and gear as bulky luggage on your flight to Bali. There are many surf schools that rent out SUPs for experienced riders as well. Daily rentals start from only IDR 250,000 (USD 19) and some rentals also offer weekly rates. If you need to, you can generally fit your own gear on the plane within the normal 20kg luggage limit.

Best Place(s) in Bali for Stand Up Paddle Boarding?

You could bring out your SUP board just about anywhere you like.

Kuta beach, where surfing on the island pretty much started, remains a great place to SUP for its com-

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binations of rideable swells and flat rides. Low tide at the beaches of Sanur and Nusa Dua are also great, with the nearer coastal waters cordoned by natural reef barriers, providing you with perfect flat water inside, and some exciting rides beyond. Beginners should stick to the former, to avoid the corals. The east-facing coasts, like Sanur, Nusa Dua and Tanjung Benoa, can be windier most of the times. Western coasts,like Kuta, and Jimbaran bay, are more favourable for flat wave riders. The crowd factor should also come into consideration. Rip Curl School of Surf has a school right on the quiet beachfront of the InterContinental Bali Resort in Jimbaran, which is a wonderful spot to learn and enjoy SUP.

Where Can You Learn or Rent SUPs? Even though it is a relatively new sport, Stand Up Paddle in Bali is now more accessible than ever, with numerous surf schools and board rentals available on the island. Here are some reputable surf schools offering SUPs as part of their programmes, and which you can go to, grab a board and paddle, and head out for the waves for an hour or two.

Beginner’s courses usually start off with flat-water paddling, then move up to some wave riding and even ‘bigger’ wave riding.

SUP course prices range from IDR 350,000 (USD 27) to IDR 600,000 (USD 45) for a regular 1.5 hours. (IBP/net)

This year marks the first that two quadruple champions are competing in the same season and their battle to see who joins Argentine legend Juan Manuel Fangio in second place on the all-time list with five titles promises to light up the series.

Michael Schumacher leads the way on seven world titles.

Hamilton emerged well on top for Mercedes at the end of 2017 after Ferrari’s Vettel made the early running, but their rivalry added plenty of spice, the pair banging wheels on the track in Azerbaijan and exchanging threats off it.

Hopes are high for more tense duelling to spark interest in a championship that has generally proved a procession for the Silver Arrows, who have swept the drivers’ and constructors championships in each of the past four years.

Much will depend on whether Ferrari’s SF71H can keep German Vettel within striking distance of Hamilton in his Mercedes W09, which the Briton raved about during pre-season testing.

On that score, the jury is out.

Lap times at testing can be misleading but there remains a conviction that Mercedes will head into Sunday’s race at Albert Park, as always, the team to beat.

“We know that Mercedes is a

little bit ahead of everyone and is dominating the sport for the last four years,” McLaren’s twice world champion Fernando Alonso told Reuters on Wednesday.

“And they are the big favourites again to start the new season.”

PERFECT TARGET Mercedes are eager to see what the W09 can do at the lakeside circuit in Melbourne, with technical director James Allison saying it would “blow away” the W08 which garnered 12 race wins in 2017 and a fourth consecutive constructors’ title.

Hamilton, however, was guarded about their opening weekend prospects, believing Red Bull could be as much a threat to the Silver Arrows as Ferrari.

“I think at this time of the year everyone is trying to hype someone else up and we are the perfect target because we are the world champions,” the Briton said at a Melbourne event with sponsor Petronas on Wednesday.

“From what I understand, I think Red Bull and Ferrari are very close.

Potentially we are either level, just behind or maybe just ahead of the Red Bulls as far as I’m aware.”

Ferrari have kept a low profile in the lead-up to the race but home hope and Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo emerged on Wednesday

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to express hope for a “statement” performance.

“Every year, the team works hard to build a fast car but, come testing, we’ve never really had much to show for it,” the Australian told reporters.

“This year, we obviously had a

bit more so, from a team perspective, we’re feeling much more prepared.”

There will be fingers crossed in the McLaren garage as Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne put the new Renault-powered car through its paces, the once formidable outfit

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Amanda Anisimova (USA)

MIAMI - American teenager Amanda Anisimova, fresh off an impressive run at Indian Wells, beat China’s Wang Qiang 6-3 1-6 6-2 at the Miami Open on Tuesday to set up a second round clash with Spanish third seed Garbine Muguruza.

The 16-year-old wild card, who had never won a WTA main-draw match until this month’s BNP Paribas Open where she reached the fourth round, broke the world number 53 five times during a 98minute match in which she committed six double faults.

Next up for Anisimova, ranked 130th in the world, is Wimbledon champion Muguruza, who will be eager to get back to competition

after falling at the first hurdle in Indian Wells.

Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia overcame some early pressure to defeat Briton Heather Watson 7-6(3) 6-2. Watson had a chance to serve for the opening set but squandered it and then allowed the Brazilian to run away with the match.

Haddad Maia will next face No. 31 seed Zhang Shuai.

Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic looked headed for an early exit when she fell behind 4-0 in the deciding set against Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko but the Croatian-born world number 90 reeled off seven of the next eight games to prevail 3-6 6-4 7-5.

REUTERS/Albert Gea

having split with Honda after three miserable years.

Albert Park will see a number of debuts, with Formula Two’s Monegasque champion Charles Leclerc and Russian Sergey Sirotkin having their first races for Sauber and Williams respectively. (rtr)

American teen Anisimova stuns Wang in Miami

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Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari in the pit-lane during testing.

American wild card Bernarda Pera advanced when she stunned Spanish world number 68 Lara Arruabarrena 7-5 6-4 to set up a second-round match with Belgian 22rd seed Elise Mertens.

Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi was leading Christina McHale 3-1 but retired 31 minutes into the match, gifting the American passage into the second round where she will face Czech Barbora Strycova.

Also advancing on the first day of the main draw in Miami were Belgians Kirsten Flipkens and Alison Van Uytvanck, Swede Johanna Larsson, Hungary’s Timea Babos, Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich and American wild card Claire Liu. (rtr)

6

Thursday, March 22, 2018

W

RLD

IBP/net

Texas bombings suspect blows himself up as Austin police close in - but FBI fear ‘other parcel bombs might be out there.’

Texas bombing suspect blows self up as police close in

AUSTIN - The 24-year-old man who terrified residents of Austin, Texas, with a three-week bombing campaign that killed two people blew himself up on the side of a highway north of the city as police closed in on him early Wednesday, police officials said.

Police had tracked the suspect to a hotel near Austin, the state’s capital city, and were following his vehicle when he pulled to the side of the road and detonated a device, killing himself, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told reporters near the scene.

“The suspect is deceased and has significant injuries from a blast that occurred from detonating a bomb inside his vehicle,” Manley told reporters. He said the suspect was white but declined to give his name.

Manley said the suspect was believed to be responsible for six bombs around Austin, including five that detonated, since March 2. He said what motivated the bombing campaign or whether the suspect had help was not yet known.

Most important, Manley warned that it was not clear whether any more bombs had been left in place around the city.

The series of bombings killed two people and injured at least five others, unnerving residents of Austin, a city of some 1 million people. The first bombings occurred as the state capital was hosting the annual South

By Southwest music, film and tech-

nology festival.

Police found the suspect at a hotel in Round Rock, Texas, about 20 miles (32 km) north of Austin. While officers were waiting for reinforcements to make an arrest, the suspect left the hotel and police followed him.

The suspect pulled off the city’s main highway and two Austin police officers were approaching his vehicle when he set off his device. One officer fired at the vehicle and the other sustained a minor injury when the bomb went off, Manley said.

Police urged residents of the area to treat packages with suspicion during the bombing campaign, and Manley warned residents not to let their guard down yet.

“Everybody needs to remember that this investigation is continuing.

We still need people to be vigilant,” Austin Mayor Steve Adler told the local CBS news affiliate early on Wednesday. “We don’t know where the suspect has been the last 24 hours.”

U.S. President Donald Trump on Twitter congratulated police, saying, “Great job by law enforcement and all concerned!”

The first three devices were parcel bombs dropped off in front of homes around Austin neighborhoods. A fourth went off on Sunday night, apparently detonated with a trip wire, and one exploded inside a FedEx Corp facility on Tuesday.

The series of bombings began on March 2 and bewildered law enforcement officials, who by Sunday began taking the unusual step of publicly calling on the bomber to get in touch and explain why he was carrying out the attacks.

The first two bombs killed black men, raising fears that they were part of a hate crime, but investigators said the later, more random blasts made that less likely.

Manley said investigators still had no clear idea of what prompted the suspect to carry out the bombing.

“We do not understand what motivated him to do what he did,” Manley said.

“We don’t know if he was on his way to deliver another bomb,” Manley said. “He had one with him and that’s what he detonated as we approached.” (rtr)

International

Israel admits bombing suspected Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007, warns Iran JERUSALEM - Israel for the first time admitted that it bombed a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007 and said on Wednesday the strike should be a warning to Iran that it would not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

The Israeli military released previously classified cockpit footage, photographs and intelligence documents about its Sept. 6, 2007, air strike on the Al-Kubar facility near Deir al-Zor in eastern Syria.

It said the reactor was being built with help from North Korea and the facility had been months away from activation. Reuters has been unable to immediately verify the Israeli material.

Israel’s decision to go public comes after repeated calls in recent months by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the United States and international community to take tougher action on Iran, Syria’s ally.

Israel’s intelligence minister, Israel Katz, said on Twitter: “The (2007) operation and its success made clear that Israel will never allow nuclear weaponry to be in the hands of those who threaten its existence - Syria then, and Iran today.”

The Israeli military described in detail events leading up to the night of Sept 5-6, 2007, in which, it said, eight warplanes, F-16s and F-15s, carried out the mission after taking off from the Ramon and Hatzerim air bases and flying to Deir al-Zor region, 450 km northwest of Damascus. Eighteen tonnes of munitions were dropped on the site, it said.

In his 2010 memoir “Decision Points,” former U.S. President George W. Bush disclosed that he discussed intelligence about the Syrian facility with then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert before it was destroyed but did not give him the green light for the raid.

James Jeffrey, Bush’s deputy national security adviser, said on Wednesday the former U.S. president had been “absolutely supportive” of Israel. “(He) made it clear that we were very happy that events had eliminated this threat and that if there were any threats to Israel that would emerge from this situation, the United States would stand with Israel, period,” Jeffrey told Israel’s Army Radio.

In 2008 the United States presented what it described as intelligence showing that North Korea had helped Syria with “covert nuclear activities.” At the time Syria dismissed the accusations as part of a campaign to discredit the Damascus government.

“The Syrian government regrets the campaign of lies and falsification by the U.S. administration against Syria, including allegations of nuclear activity,” said a government statement issued on the Syrian state news agency.

Iran, which says its nuclear program has only peaceful aims, signed a 2015 deal under which it accepted curbs on its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief. U.S. President Donald Trump and Netanyahu have both been critical of the deal. (rtr)

REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo

An Israeli air force F-15 fighter jet flies during an exhibition as part of the graduation ceremony of air force pilots at Hatzerim air base in southern Israel June 25, 2015.

International

Thursday, March 22, 2018

11

A ‘millennials party’ dares to break Indonesia’s political mould JAKARTA - In the Jakarta headquarters of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), workers call each other “bro” and “sis”, and their leader sets the sartorial standard with a pair of ripped jeans. Dubbed the ‘millennials party’, the PSI is an upstart on the political stage of this Southeast Asian nation that hopes to tap into young voters’ contempt for the entrenched corruption and divisive identity politics of the ruling elite.

The downfall of long-serving autocrat Suharto in 1998 - amid a crisis widely blamed on a culture of nepotism and graft - brought an end to a regime of repression.

But two decades later, the 190 million voters of the world’s thirdlargest democracy are still asked to choose from a crowd of candidates who began their political careers during that period.

The 2019 presidential election looks set to be a repeat of 2014, when current leader Joko Widodo narrowly defeated Prabowo Subianto, an ex-armed forces general who was formerly married to a daughter of Suharto. The PSI is one of four new parties the General Election Commission is allowing to contest next year’s legislative and presidential elections.

Two of the new parties are fronted by establishment figures.

The United Indonesia Party (Perindo) is headed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s business partner in Indonesia, Hary Tanoeseodibjo, while the Berkaya Party is led by Suharto’s youngest son, Tommy, who advocates a return to the “New Order” values of his late father.

PSI leader Grace Natalie, a former television journalist, believes the time has come for a new generation of politicians who would be genuinely accountable to the people. Her party interviews members seeking nomination for a seat in parliament, and live-streams the discussions on social media platforms. Teachers, corporate lawyers, doctors and bankers are among those whose interviews have aired on Facebook and YouTube.

“No other party is offering what we are in terms of transparency,” she told Reuters at PSI’s headquarters - referred to by party staff as “base camp” - where a wall poster urges “Make Art, Not War”.

CRITICAL DEMOGRAPHIC

Natalie, a 35-year-old mother of

two toddlers, set up PSI in 2014, determined to offer an alternative for young voters. It’s a critical demographic with people between the ages of 17 and 25 accounting for about 30 percent of the electorate. Two-thirds of the party’s roughly 400,000 members are under 35. PSI relies on crowdfunding and donations to run operations across the vast archipelago of Indonesia, and to keep costs down it works from members’ houses and uses donated vehicles.

“This way, no one person can claim that they own the party. Everyone is contributing something,” said Natalie, who was educated in Jakarta and the Netherlands, and speaks proficient English. So far, PSI has raised 2.6 billion rupiah ($180,000), a tiny sum compared to the coffers of mainstream parties that benefit from poor enforcement of laws limiting political donations.

It will also struggle to get traction with the youth it is targeting.

While the size of the youth vote bank has swelled from 18 percent of total voters in 2004 to 30 percent in 2014, the participation of young voters has dwindled.

Data from the elections commission showed less than half of voters between 17 and 29 years old cast a ballot in 2014 legislative elections compared with around 90 percent among those over 30.

Ella Prihatini, a researcher at the University of Western Australia, in a survey of 253 young voters, found many of them were uninterested in politics. “On parliament, the dominant answer from respondents was that their MPs are not actually representing them, so why bother voting?” Prihatini said.

POLITICAL ISLAM

Winning support is also likely to be particularly challenging for Natalie, an ethnic-Chinese Indonesian, in a climate of religious and ethnic tensions. Indonesia is a secular country but concerns are

REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

The leader of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), Grace Natalie, poses for a photograph in her office at the party’s headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia March 19, 2018. Picture taken March 19, 2018. growing about the Islamisation of politics in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country. Jakarta’s former governor, an ethnic-Chinese Christian, was ousted last year after hardline Muslim groups organised massive protests over allegations he insulted Islam. He was later jailed for blasphemy.

The 14 parties contesting next year’s polls include the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), which leads the ruling coalition, several other secular parties as well as rising Islamic-oriented parties.

Natalie, who plans to run for parliament next year, conceded she and PSI need a far bigger budget to win support in rural areas, home to nearly half of Indonesia’s population. Her party will back Widodo - a popular moderate reformer - for re-election as president rather than try to field a candidate of its own.

Ibrahim Irsyad Hasibuan, a 20-year-old journalism student from Tangerang outside Jakarta, said young voters are apathetic because they have no faith in the political system, and so PSI could

be a wake-up call for his generation. “But I can’t relate to PSI,” he said. “It is a new political party and has no track record yet.”

Achmad Sukarsono, a Singapore-based political analyst for Control Risks, was dismissive of the new party, arguing that an anticorruption stance alone will not be enough to win over voters more interested in local and bread-andbutter issues. “It is a nice utopian effort that shows desire for change from the educated, Westernized elite,” he said.(rtr)

12

International

Thursday, March 22, 2018

BUSINESS In India, digital gold sellers hope trickle will become a rush

A digital revolution is reshaping India’s $34 billion gold market, with smartphones, e-wallets and flexible investment schemes drawing new buyers into a business dominated by traditional, face-to-face transactions. Digital payment systems have ballooned in popularity in India since the government scrapped large-value bank notes in 2016.

Among these offerings are applications that enable smartphone users to buy, sell or store gold - even in small amounts - kept in secured vaults operated by MMTC-PAMP India Pvt Ltd, a joint venture between MMTC Ltd, the largest national trading firm, and Swiss gold refiner PAMP. Although online gold purchases have been growing globally for years, they are a relatively recent phenomenon in India, where jewellry and bars of the precious metal tend to be kept in hand and given as gifts.

“In India, the action is really starting now. The digitization of the economy will certainly lead to digitization of gold,” said Somasundaram PR, managing director of World Gold Council’s (WGC) India operations. “It is poised for significant growth, possibly in the next 12-24 months.”

The WGC estimated total Indian gold demand at 727 tonnes (25.6 million ounces) in 2017, and could be up to 800 tonnes in 2018.

In China, the top consumer, 2017 demand was 953.3 tonnes.

It is difficult to gauge how many new buyers are entering the market because of online access. The digital payments firm Paytm said that in the first six months after it began offering digital gold last April, it facilitated about $18.4 million worth of sales - a tiny fraction of the Indian gold market.

With the vast majority of purchases made in the traditional way, demand for physical gold isn’t abating, “especially when physical gold plays an important role at Indian weddings,” said Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst at Think Markets UK Ltd. NEWLY ATTRACTIVE Besides convenience, Indian

International

Bali News

Thursday, March 22, 2018

5

Special, Celebrating Nyepi in Bali

Hindu community in Bali celebrates Nyepi or the Caka New Year on Saturday (Mar. 17). According to the belief of Balinese Hindu, Nyepi is the turn of the Caka Year whose history comes from India. It is said the Kaniska kingdom was first led by a wise king who was very advanced in culture and religion. His golden era was then honored as the turn of the Caka Year started in 78 AD and in Bali is celebrated as Nyepi.

Chairman of the Hindu Dharma Council of Indonesia (PHDI) of Bali, Prof. Dr. I Gusti Ngurah Sudiana, stated that the King Kaniska led successfully so that fierce battle among local tribes could be totally ended. It happened because the king led by culture, not by violence. Under his leadership, his people lived prosperously and peacefully. Ultimately, it is celebrated as the turn of the Caka Year.

consumers are attracted to competitive pricing and ability to make purchases in tiny increments. Goldbased financial offerings, including Gold Accumulation Plans (GAPs), allow users to buy and store gold in fractions as small as 0.1 grams - an amount that would be an uneconomical to trade physically because of the associated handling costs.

These accumulation plans, along with gold-backed bonds and websites selling coins and jewelry that can be shipped for free or cheaply within India, are especially appealing to young Indians. In the past, even those with an enduring affinity for gold have needed to wait until they have saved enough to build holdings.

Joe Jacob, a 29-year-old entrepreneur in the southern city of Bengaluru, recently bought 5 rupees (8 cents) worth of digital gold as a “trial investment.” “Physical gold is a hassle in terms of storage, and

I don’t wear gold, but understand it is an asset to hold. Digital gold is better than storing the actual metal at home, worrying about its safety,” he said.

Security experts said that because the gold, guaranteed to physically exist in an MMTC PAMP vault, was insured, there was little risk of fraudulent sales. And digital wallet providers expect interest to grow.

Paytm leads the crowded e-wallet space in India and announced two new gold gift and savings plans this month after launching its first digital gold product in April 2017. The company, backed by Japan’s SoftBank Group and China’s Alibaba, sources its 24-carat gold from MMTC PAMP. “There is no ‘season’ for this product; it is running twenty-four seven. Sitting in their offices, homes or wherever they want, they can easily access, buy sell or redeem,” said Gaurav Singh, deputy general manager of

marketing at MMTC PAMP. Gold trading traditionally peaks around festival and wedding seasons, experts say. But Singh added that because digital gold lowers the minimum price needed to buy gold - from about 3,000 rupees previously, enough to buy roughly 1 gram of gold at current prices and boosts market transparency via live pricing, there has been a rise in the frequency of gold purchases at other times of the year.

Nitin Misra, senior vice president at Paytm confirmed a similar trend, noting “about 40 percent of sales” happen during the “offseason” for buying gold in India.

He said more than half of the company’s users were repeat customers, and 70 percent were younger than 35. As of December 2017, about 1.4 million of its customers held some gold balance in their e-accounts.

“We have stumbled upon a brand

new segment,” he said of younger users buying gold. “What we have done, is not cannibalize the existing market, but grown it.”

The company said last year it planned to sell $200 million worth of gold in the 2017 fiscal year, which ended March 1. But its reported sales in 2017 appeared to be headed far short of that number.

Its rival e-wallet provider PhonePe was upbeat.

“The gold consumption market is expected to grow by 35 percent from 2015 to 2020, and customers are exploring digital options for purchase,” it said in an emailed statement.

For Bangalore-based P Vinoth, a logistics consultant who still prefers buying ornaments and jewelry from retail stores, e-wallets now offer an alternative. “For long term, I previously invested in exchangetraded funds. Now I am using Paytm gold,” he said. (rtr)

IGN-Sudiana In Bali, Prof. Sudiana added that prior to the existence of Caka influence from India there has been similar celebration to Nyepi at each village. There was Nyepi Desa specially implemented at particular village after holding a grandiose ritual; Nyepi Segara implemented by fishermen where their members are not allowed to do activities at sea; Nyepi Tegal (in the moor) and Nyepi Carik (in paddy field). “Local Nyepi is intended to provide a space for people to make evaluation and introspection heading for better life in the future,” he said.

Nyepi in each location also provides a space for nature to do the rotation in accordance with the plot, and not to be coerced.

Since the implementation of Nyepi was carried out locally, the Hindu Dharma Council of Indonesia (PHDI) took the philosophy of Caka New Year in India to unite the celebration across Bali starting in 1959 so that it can be celebrated simultaneously.

Nevertheless, he added that the implementation of Nyepi could not be made simultaneously like it can be done today. There are important reasons to propose the Nyepi into a national holiday feast. Incidentally there was also a call from the government for each religion to have a national religious holiday. After that, PHDI proposed Nyepi

to the government and was accepted and approved by President Soeharto in 1986 as a national holiday.

By degrees, PHDI made coordination with religious councils, stakeholders and the communities so that Nyepi can be celebrated as the Hindus do today. “It enables due to the coordination and tolerance of all the Balinese people, not only the Hindus but also other communities. Therefore, Nyepi becomes a special day in Bali and even the world,” he explained.

In the celebration of Nyepi in Bali, the entire communities are not allowed to go out, make entertainment, work and start a fire. All the bans are complied with and implemented

by Balinese people. People are not riding a motorcycle and car; as well as the flights are even abolished. A variety of entertainments including TV broadcasts are stopped. People light no fire and turn off power. Services of

all government and private offices including people’s daily activities are nullified.

“These can work due to great tolerance and the values ??of Nyepi are universal.

Apart from being useful for the people of Bali and Indonesia, it is also for the world, so that the world then adopts it to be a Silent Day,” he added.

According to him, Nyepi is not only useful for humans, but also for the entire universe.

At the moment of Nyepi, there is no pollution and the whole sky is clean. With the clean sky above, the ozone layer is not eroded.

Clean air brings in health to all living beings.

Trees also become healthy so that they can contribute to the life of every creature.

On that account, Nyepi actually contains a more profound meaning so that the public can make a self-evaluation for their future.

The evaluation is done to organize a better life. No fire means that people can control

their passions.

Celebration of Nyepi is commenced by implementation of melasti where pilgrims come together and carry all the symbols of God’s manifestation to the sea to take holy water of life and dispose of impurities and stains.

Then, mecaru tawur signifies the attention to the existence of the negative elements that change into positive ones, negative thoughts into positive ones towards a better life. If nature has not been changed into positive, nobody will be able to help human life. “To help this process, it must be followed with the implementation of catur bratha penyepian or four abstinences,” he said.

After implementing the catur bratha penyepian it is then resumed with Ngembak Geni that philosophically means that pilgrims do their best after making an evaluation. It is then ended with Darma Shanti to forgive each other. (kmb)

Bebek Sungai Ubud Now Offers Betutu Duck Tired of having crispy duck?

Try to enjoy the betutu duck processed by Bebek Sungai Ubud Restaurant. This restaurant nestled at cool village in the tourist area always innovates in providing services to each guest. “Now, we have a new menu named betutu duck at a cheaper price of IDR 60,000 including rice and drink,” said Operations Manager, Hendra S. Dharma accompanied by Restaurant Manager, Gede Adnyana, in Ubud, Friday (Jan. 26).

A portion of betutu duck comes with cassava leaf vegetable, gravy, cucumber and Balinese raw condiment. Betutu duck menu is rarely

presented because the commonplace is a betutu chicken with a distinctive seasoning. “We want to feature Balinese culture and local taste, so people who travel in Bali can be familiar with this menu. It is prepared for tourists and local people costing of IDR 40,000 to 60,000,” he added.

Despite having a market share from Australia, Europe, Germany and China, by presenting relatively cheap menus, the Bebek Sungai will target domestic market, even local market. “The impact of Mount Agung eruption is very influential on the number of tourist visits to the Bebek Sungai. Fortu-

nately, there is domestic market really helping, so the Bebek Sungai is always crowded,” explained Hendra.

For seasoning, it takes advantage of local herbs with traditional processing method, so that the betutu duck menu can offer a different taste. The process is accompanied with genuine basic flavor traditionally process. Thus, the texture of the meat is tender.

Enjoying the betutu duck can provide a valuable experience during a holiday on the Island of the Gods. “We prepare betutu duck as the prominent menu of Bebek Sungai,” he said. (kmb)

4

Bali News

Thursday, March 22, 2018

International

Production of Kintamani coffee drops

MOSUL - Perched atop a mound of rubble, Abdelsattar al-Hibbu surveyed what remained of his second-floor office: twisted iron and centuries-old stone reduced to dust by an airstrike.

“I used to look out at the river from my window,” Hibbu said wistfully, recalling how the ninemonth battle that defeated Islamic State militants in Mosul last year destroyed tens of thousands of buildings. “Now look at it.”

Hibbu is the municipality chief of Mosul and faces the titanic task of rebuilding Iraq’s second largest

BANGLI - Kintamani coffee production decreased. Based on data obtained at the Bangli Agriculture, Food Security and Fisheries Agency, the coffee production in 2016 reached 2,482.78 tons. Meanwhile, in 2017 the production decreased to 2,150.29 tons. This was disclosed by the Division Head of Food Crops, Horticulture and Plantation, I Wayan Tagel Sujana.

Although it can produce fruit, the harvest will not be maximal as the old branches will not be able to bear fruits anymore.

In addition, sunlight cannot enter, so the assimilation process becomes imperfect which affects the results of fertilization,” he said.

To increase the production of Kintamani coffee, Tagel explained there are several efforts that can be made such as by doing coffee regeneration. He added that coffee nursery will be conducted at Catur village as many as 47,000 with an area of 1 hectare. Furthermore, he also planned to do nursery at Mengani as many as 1.2 million coffee seedlings with a land area of up to 3 hectares.

“Coffee nursery at Catur village was started in January. Meanwhile, the nursery at Mengani is started this March. Meanwhile, the seedling assistance is helped by central government,” he explained. (kmb41)

city from the ruins of war. It is a mega-project that could take years and require billions of dollars – yet his administration is strapped for cash.

“What are we supposed to do, dig money out of the ground?” asked Hibbu, a tall, broad man in his mid-forties who is fond of recounting his city’s storied past as a

centre of culture and learning.

His daily struggles reflect the challenges facing a city seen as vital to efforts to stabilise Iraq.

Once home to about two million inhabitants, Mosul now has an estimated 700,000 of its population displaced and needs at least $2 billion of reconstruction, according to federal government estimates.

IBP/kmb41

The decrease in the Kintamani coffee production was caused by the impact of climate change affecting the coffee production.

IRAQ-MOSUL/OFFICIAL REUTERS/Ari Jalal

To avoid skimming

BCA educates customers to make secure transactions

DENPASAR - The increasing numbers of skimming cases to bank customers make people

worried. However, BCA from the beginning has educated its customers to make secure transactions,

IBP/kmb

The security of ATM outlets within the bank has been overseen by security. However, the ATMs outside the office like in Indomaret, Alfamart are secured in cooperation with the store.

13

This man is trying to rebuild Mosul. He needs help - lots of it.

District govt does regeneration to tens of thousands of coffee

According to Tagel Sujana, the decrease in the Kintamani coffee production was caused by the impact of climate change affecting the coffee production. Such conditions make it vulnerable to disturbing organisms (OPT) in coffee plants.

“Maybe the decrease in coffee production does not only occur in Bangli. Other coffee-producing regions also experience the same condition. Indeed climate change is very influential to coffee production because coffee plant is attacked by pests and diseases,” he said.

Other than due to climate change, Tagel said the decline in coffee production also happens due to less maximal trimming carried out by farmers. Trimming is indeed very necessary to increase the production of fertilization. Without good trimming, it will lead to a decrease in coffee production.

“Trimming is done twice a year. Otherwise, it will lead to decrease the fruit yields.

Thursday, March 22, 2018

International

namely by concealing ATM pins.

Vice President of BCA for BaliNusra Region, Wirya Setiawan, said that skimming is a data theft by using a camera or recording device.

So, if the data cannot be stolen, then the transaction will be secure.

“As long as the pin is unknown to the skimmer, it will not concede as the culprits steal the card data and pin. That’s why they use cameras and recording device,” he said on Tuesday (Mar. 20).

On that account, BCA always urges its customers to make ATM transaction safely. “It is important not to conceal the pins, to cover up when pressing pin button and never entrust the card to others, et cetera. So, we have educated customers regarding the measures to prevent such crimes,” he explained.

Apart from educating customers, he also does migration process from magnetic stripe to chip. The process is said to be ongoing and runs gradually. However, the percentage of migration cannot be disclosed. All the BCA credit cards have been using chips. Meanwhile, debit and ATM cards are in the process of migration to the use of chip.

“It is under process of Bank Indonesia. At first, we used stripe.

All credit cards also used signatures. Nowadays, we switch to the use of pins. Ultimately, we will also use chip. We attempt to always comply with the rules of BI,” he said.

Until now, there are no indications if BCA or ATM of BCA customers have been skimmed.

Likewise, he admitted there were

no reports regarding such cases.

He hoped it will not happen.

So far, the security of ATM outlets within the bank has been overseen by security. However, the ATMs outside the office like in Indomaret, Alfamart are secured in cooperation with the store.

Meanwhile, for securing transactions on EDC machines, he advised customers to use Europay MasterCard and Visa (EMV) chip readers instead of swipe. “Well, the EMV technology can indeed read the chip. In other words, the card no longer needs to be swiped.

In the past, all the technologies in use needed to swipe (use magnetic stripe), so it can be skimmed.

Nowadays, people start using chips. Therefore, BI instructed all issuer banks should use chip,” he concluded. (kmb42)

Destroyed buildings from previous clashes are seen in Mosul, Iraq, January 10, 2018. Picture taken January 10, 2018.

Before the war it had an administrative budget of $80 million a year; now it doesn’t know how to pay its bills.

In mid-January Hibbu told Reuters he didn’t have a budget for 2018 yet, but that the city needed $75 million just to maintain basic services. He thought he might get $10 million from the Ministry of the Municipalities and Public Works, a federal government agency in Baghdad that oversees municipal governments. Nor is he expecting much from the provincial government, which once provided Mosul with about $60 million a year. It’s in disarray after the governor was suspended in an investigation into alleged corruption and the torturing of journalists. The governor denies any wrongdoing.

What scares Hibbu and Western officials is that the devastation and lack of help may reignite old sectarian grievances.

Mosul’s predominantly Sunni population had for years complained they were marginalised by the Shi’ite-led central government, treated like second class citizens and deprived of decent jobs and senior positions in the security forces.

Those resentments led many of Mosul’s Sunnis to welcome Islamic State when it captured the city in 2014 and called for war against Iraq’s majority Shi’ites.

Hibbu, a Sunni himself, wants to avoid conditions that could enable a new group of militants to exploit frustration with the central government and pose another security threat.

“If Baghdad doesn’t properly invest in the reconstruction of Mosul, we could get something worse” than Islamic State, said Hibbu. “This lack of foresight is going to have very negative consequences.”

Lise Grande, until recently the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq who oversaw the U.N.’s stabilisation programme tasked with servicing immediate humanitarian needs, takes a similar view. “If we don’t stabilise these areas quickly, violent extremism might emerge again, and the gains against ISIL (Islamic State) could be lost,” she told Reuters.

The Baghdad government did not respond to Reuters requests for comment on the reconstruction of Mosul and the festering tensions.

For Hibbu, it’s an uphill struggle.

People show up at his office at all hours making endless demands.

State employees who have not been paid in months. City workers who need more vehicles to clear the garbage that is piling up. Factory officials desperate for fuel. Even a shepherd seeking help to transport his animals through the city centre.

Many people in the city feel abandoned. Some areas are dotted with dirt-covered women and children, scouring the rubble for scrap metal they can sell. At one rubbish dump in December, an elderly woman rooted through a pile of fetid garbage for anything salvageable. “At least under Daesh” - an Arabic acronym for Islamic State “we were treated better and weren’t reduced to picking garbage,” she said. (rtr)

Suu Kyi loyalist seen replacing Myanmar’s sick president-ruling party spokesman

YANGON - Myanmar’s civilian president Htin Kyaw resigned due to ill health on Wednesday and is expected to be replaced by a close ally of de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a move unlikely to affect power in a country where the army remains influential.

Htin Kyaw’s office said he was retiring “in order to take rest from the current duties and responsibilities”. Win Myint, a Suu Kyi loyalist who has served as the speaker of the lower house, was likely to replace him, said NLD spokesman Aung Shin.

Win Myint has had a tight grip on the parliament and his critics accuse him of stifling democratic debate, including from within the caucus of Suu Kyi’s ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party. He resigned from that post on Wednesday.

“He is loyal and has been a member of the NLD since the party was founded,” said Aung Shin, who lauded Win Myint’s performance as the lower house speaker and said he has “worked very well with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during the whole period”.

Suu Kyi is known for keeping her cards close to her chest and operating only with a very narrow group of trusted acolytes. Local media, citing confidential sources, have also reported Win Myint has been tipped to become the next president.

Analysts said the move was forced by the 71year-old Htin Kyaw’s deteriorating health, and was unrelated to the crisis sparked by the brutal military crackdown that has pushed out hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to neighbouring Bangladesh.

Speculation over Htin Kyaw’s ill health mounted in recent months over his rapid and visible loss of weight.

“The discussion about the replacement has been around for a while so this was well expected,” said Liu Yun, political analyst from China-based Han Yue Consultancy. “It should have a fairly limited impact on the political equation in Myanmar.”

He said the role of the president “isn’t that influential as Suu Kyi makes the final call, so the impact will be limited.” (rtr)

REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo

Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi (L) and Myanmar’s president Htin Kyaw attend a photo opportunity after the opening ceremony of the 21st Century Panglong Conference in Naypyitaw, Myanmar May 24, 2017.

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Health

Thursday, March 22, 2018

International

Bali News

International

FDA seeks data on role of flavors in tobacco addiction

Hungary explores cooperation with Bali

Working on online marketplace platform

NEW YORK - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday asked for data, research and public comment on the role that flavors such as menthol play in tobacco addiction, the agency’s latest move to curb nicotine addiction in the country.

The health regulator said it would seek more information about the pros and cons of flavors in drawing youth towards tobacco and getting adult smokers to quit or transition to potentially less harmful products.

The move by the regulator is part of a comprehensive plan, announced last summer, that is designed to move smokers towards potentially less harmful e-cigarettes.

Last week, the agency began soliciting public response for regulation related to a product standard to lower nicotine in cigarettes to minimally or non-addictive levels.

The window for public comment starts on Wednesday and will remain open for three months, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement. (rtr)

I Made Badra

IBP/kmb

MANGUPURA — Hungary through its ambassador recently conducted an assessment of cooperation between the district government of Badung and Hungarian businessmen. The assessment was conducted in order to develop the Hungarian tourism market to Bali as well as to initiate the BNB Mate start up development.

Head of the Badung Tourism Office, I Made

Badra, said the BNB Mate start up is an online marketplace platform to promote tourist destinations of Badung to online market.

BNB Mate will develop an online concept as the choice of tourists when enjoying Bali and Badung destinations in particular.

Later on, the vendors such as transportation companies, tour service providers, activities, travel agencies and tourist objects can

join to become a service provider. The products will be promoted through BNB Mate. The vendors will be given access code and passwords to update their product via intranet.

Badra appreciated to the visit of Hungarian Ambassador, Judith Nemech Pacth. He expressed his readiness to forge further the cooperation for the BNB Mate development as well as scheduled promo-

tion to Hungary to bring in more Hungarian tourists to Bali. “We are ready to support this plan and ready to make promotion to Hungary with the ambassador in the near future,” he said.

Honorary Consul of Hungary for Bali, IGN Rai Suryawijaya, who is also Chairman of the Regional Tourism Promotion Board (BPPD) of Badung, will also facilitate Hungarian government cooperation

relationship with district government of Badung to increase Hungarian tourist visit to Bali.

The visit was started with BNB Mate presentation resumed with discussion along with the industry related to BNB Mate platform model. The real form of cooperation will be realized with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the near future. (kmb42)

Bali local businessmen must be improved

REUTERS/Eric Thayer

Twenty-one year old men smoke outside a friend’s apartment in Lower Manhattan, New York May 18, 2014.

Children risk serious injuries on golf carts TENNESSEE - Golf cart crashes involving children can result in serious injuries, a new study confirms.

3

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Researchers found that children as young as nine years old were driving golf carts, often not wearing seat belts, and faced the

risk of the cart overturning.

Non-automobile vehicles - like ATVs, go-karts, golf carts and others – “are often viewed as

IBP/net

Children as young as nine years old were driving golf carts, often not wearing seat belts, and faced the risk of the cart overturning.

harmless or safe by parents and communities,” study coauthor Joseph Starnes told Reuters Health by email. “This is especially true for golf carts, which tend to be slower.”

Yet of nearly 150,000 golf cart injuries in the U.S. between 1990 and 2006, about a third involved children under age 16, according to a 2008 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

For the new study, Starnes and colleagues at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee analyzed golf cart-related injuries in patients under age 18 at their pediatric trauma center between 2008 and 2016.

During that period, they treated 40 children with golf-cart related injuries, 85 percent of whom were between ages 5 and 14.

About half the injuries were severe or moderate. Injuries were worse in older children and were most likely to occur in the head and neck. About a quarter of the children spent time in the intensive care unit. For half the cases, hospital charges came to more than $20,500.

The most common cause of injury was being thrown off the cart. For older children, it was also common to overturn the cart.

Only one injured child in the study was wearing a seat belt.

“Improved education about golf cart safety may reduce the

frequency and severity of golf cart-related injuries,” Starnes said.

A similar pattern was seen in a 2011 study at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia, also home to the Master’s Tournament and two global golf cart manufacturers.

Dr. Brandon Miller of Harbin Clinic in Rome, Georgia, a coauthor on the 2011 study, told Reuters Health, “People know ATVs can be dangerous, but what’s unique about golf carts is that they usually involve people from affluent neighborhoods and wellintentioned parents who have no idea how dangerous they can be.”

“This study gives more credence to the idea that this is happening in yet another location, not just the golf capitals of the United States,” Miller told Reuters Health by phone.

“Outreach to parents, golf courses and local communities could promote safe riding and driving practices,” said Dr. Jason Fraser of Children’s Mercy Kansas City in Missouri, who published research last year about pediatric injuries on ATVs, dirt bikes, golf carts, go-karts and dune buggies.

In his study of more than 500 such injuries, 78 percent of children went to the hospital, and nearly a quarter had injuries related to the brain, neck and spine. (rtr)

DENPASAR — Bali often and even always attains the predicate as the best tourist destination in the world. This happens because Bali tourism has a unique culture inspired by the noble values of Hinduism and supported by the beauty of nature and hospitality of its people.

In addition, Bali also received foreign tourist visit of about 40 percent of the tourist visit to Indonesia and contributed nearly 50 percent to national tourism revenue. However, Bali with the abundance of dollars is considered unable to equate the income of community. This can be seen from the gini ratio remaining above 0.3 because Bali tourism is still concentrated in Southern Bali, especially in Badung district, having 80 percent of the total number of hotel rooms in Bali.

“Of course, this causes Badung to get the highest Hotel & Restaurant Tax (PHR) in Bali and it has realized the sharing of hotel and restaurant tax revenue to other six districts in Bali, including Tabanan, Jembrana, Buleleng, Bangli, Klungkung and Karangasem,” said a tourism observer, I Putu Anom, on Monday (Mar. 19).

In addition, he said that currently tourism industry in Bali remains to be widely owned by investors from outside Bali. So, automatically not much income can be enjoyed by the people of Bali. Although they can do, it is just limited as an employee. This condition is aggravated by the increasingly less competitive local businessmen in the tourism sector.

“This is what the government needs to do to the local businessmen of Bali and Balinese community as a supporter of the Balinese culture. Nowadays, Balinese handicraft industry is fading and almost dormant because it is out of competition. It is necessary to encourage the SMEs owned by Balinese people in order to revive as in the glorious period in the

1980s,” said this Chairman of Indonesia Association of Tourism Scholars (ICPI) of Badung.

Aside from encouraging the local SMEs of Balinese people, tourism objects should also be given more roles to local community in the matter of management. Besides, it encourages the development of small-scale lodging owned by local communities at tourism villages. Big investors should be prohibited from entering tourism villages. However, the investor can become a foster parents being capable of fostering local entrepreneurs, including participating in marketing local businesses. Balinese artists must also be empowered to get priority for the performances watched by tourists as well as they must be paid at standard salary.

“Apparently it no longer becomes a public secret, where the government should immediately build the infrastructure to accelerate access to North, East and West Bali including the access and tourism facilities with uniqueness and encouraging diversification of products so as not to be monotonous with South Bali. However, it should not deviate from Bali cultural tourism icon. Human resources of Balinese community must also be improved in order to compete in this global era without leaving their identity as Balinese,” he said.

Similar opinion was revealed by an academician who is also Chairman III of Pawongan (social affairs) of Balinese Resident Brotherhood, I Made Dwija Suastana. He said that predicate as top world’s best destination for Bali is

IBP/kmb

Bali received foreign tourist visit of about 40 percent of the tourist visit to Indonesia and contributed nearly 50 percent to national tourism revenue. not surprising. Taksu or divine vibration of Bali is now still guarded

by Balinese people making Bali always have a place in the hearts of the world community.

However, the capacity of Bali having always been ‘the best’ should get better attention from central government as well as local stakeholders. Community-based tourism should be implemented through the multiplier effect distribution of tourism by undertaking a comprehensive protection of Bali’s strength point—namely the art, culture and agriculture in a broader sense. Besides, there should be equitable development of tourism

facilities centralized in Southern Bali to other regions in Bali. All this time, this has been causing inequality of income received by low-level society.

“The main problem faced by Bali in prospering its people is the unsynchronized policy between the district/municipal government and provincial government. Bali needs to soon implement the ‘one island management’ concept in real practice, both in the policy and overall development. The leading sector should be provincial government,” said Dwija.

In addition, he continued that tourism as a locomotive of de-

velopment in Bali should have sovereignty to control provincial government. Thus, it is required a ‘Balinese way’ to build Bali and the welfare of its people.

‘Balinese way’ here is the advancement of local values to encourage local people to become the subjects. For example, they are given the opportunity to have a tourism business entity through cooperatives and village-owned enterprise (BUMDes). Central government and local government in Bali must selectively accept investors; the government must obey its own rules regarding the proliferation of tourism facilities. (win)

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Thursday, March 22, 2018

Bali News

International

Activities

International

Thursday, March 22, 2018

15

Tropical cyclone Marcus

Waters of Bali Strait could be hit by big waves MANGUPURA —

IBP/net

Driven by construction and UMP hike

Bali’s economy in first quarter predicted to grow 5.72 - 6.12 percent DENPASAR —

After having slumped in fourth quarter of 2017 by 4.01 percent, in the first quarter of 2018, Bank Indonesia predicted that Bali’s economy grew by 5.72 to 6.12 percent.

This growth is driven by construction business conducted from January to midMarch. It is also supported by the realization of provincial minimum wages (UMP) hike of 8.71 percent. So, it encourages public consumption.

Deputy Head of Bali Representative Office of Bank Indonesia (BI), Azka Subhan, accompanied by BI Analyst Umran Usman revealed that Bali tourism began to recover.

It can be seen from the increase in international passengers at Ngurah Rai Airport in February as much as 8.98 percent.

Meanwhile, in January it grew by 7.44 percent. When compared to February of 2017 (yoy), the increase reaches 4.16 percent.

The increase in tourist visit is also estimated due to direct flights from two cities in China and from the Philippines by two airlines. In addition, there are charter flights during the celebration of Lunar New Year so as to increase the level of tourist visits.

Aside from the increasingly recovering tourist arrivals, a

number of projects are also driving the growth in the first quarter of this year. They are the expansion of eastern airport apron, development of Sidan Reservoir in Badung, underpass construction whose percentage is on the rise, the improvement of GWK and the development of Benoa tourism harbor starting in mid-March will also be a driving force of the economic growth. All these projects have large investments of more than IDR 3.53 trillion.

“It can be imagined the workmanship of the project, the labor to be employed. With the purchase of building materials, woodworking equipment, et cetera, trading business will definitely grow and so will the field of construction business,” he explained.

On the demand side, it will also grow with the increase

in provincial minimum wage (UMP) which rose significantly from 8.5 to 8.71. The increase in the UMP encourages household consumption. Besides, in the first quarter there are also some religious festivities that encouraged household consumption. “Moreover, before Nyepi, people already shopped a lot of necessities in the shopping center to result in long queue,” he explained.

Government consumption also grew due to budget expenditures for some projects and budgets for the elections.

Rice harvest in March will also boost the agricultural performance.

The growing business field and public consumption encouraged the growth of GDP in Bali to reach IDR 50 trillion-IDR 55 trillion in the first quarter of 2018. (kmb42)

According to data released by the Australian Meteorological Agency on Tuesday (Mar. 20) at 08:51, Tropical cyclone Marcus moving around the waters of Australia is currently located in the Indian Ocean next to NTB but is moving west- northeasterly.

According to Kadek Setiawati, a forecaster at the National Weather Service (BMKG), the dominant influence of tropical cyclone Marcus in the region of ??Bali region has the potential to bring strong winds and large waves to the area of Bali –particularly in the Southern parts of the island. “The potential for high winds is predicted to manifest in the next two days. According to weather data modelling, the potential for large waves is likely to occur in the next 5-6 days”, said Setiawati.

She added that cyclones do not always cause rain in nearby areas as it depends on the position of the cyclone.

“If the tropical cyclone was showing wind bend accompanied by mass deceleration then the region of Bali would likely have heavy rains. However in the current position of the cyclone there is not wind bend so there is unlikely to be heavy rains but strong winds and large waves instead”, she said.

Setiawati also explained that cyclones are generally caused by sea surface temperatures of 26 degrees Celcius or higher, mass water vapor and winds being struck by cyclone currents.

“These three elements cause cyclones to occur continually. Tropical cyclone Marcus was formed in the waters of Northern Australia. “Currently tropical cyclone Marcus is positioned south of NTB”, she explained. (kmb23)

Three people bitten by rabies infected dog

Another victim unidentified TABANAN — After some time of no rabies cases, the subdistrict of Tabanan had it’s first reported cases in 2018. A rapid dog bit three people in Sakenan Baleran halmet, Delod Peken. Two of the victims were local residents, while the third victim remains unidentified and is being sought out by the authorities in order to have a anti-rabies vaccine (VAR) administered.

Head of the Subdistrict of Tabanan’s Livestock Unit, I Ketut Muria, explained on Tuesday (Mar. 20) the incident occurred on Sunday afternoon (Mar. 18). Three people were bitten in the area north of the Dalem Temple.

A stray dog suddenly appeared and bit the three people. Nearby residents immediately killed the rapid dog and brought it to the to Tabanan Subdistrict Livestock Unit for a brain sample test.

“The samples were taken and examined in the laboratory. The result was issued on Monday (Mar. 19) and declared to be positive of rabies”, he said.

The two identified victims are Ni Ketut Puspawardani and I Ketut Widiana, who were both bitten on their legs.

Both were also immediately given a letter of recommendation to obtain a VAR. The third victim remain unidentified but according to Muria a call has gone out over social media to find the victim and let them know they should get a rabies vaccination.

“Whoever was bitten by a stray dog on Sunday (Mar. 18) at Sakenan Baleran hamlet, Delod Peken, ith all due respect is expected to immediately seek out a VAR. If they have any difficulties in this

respect, they can contact to the Tabanan Agriculture Agency or go directly to the emergency room of Tabanan Hospital”, he said.

Muria also explained that the Tabanan Subdistrict Livestock Unit along with the Agriculture Agency will conduct a mass dog elimination and a mass dog vaccination in three villages.

Other than Delod Peken village which has been flagged as a danger zone, the two neighbouring villages, Dajan Peken and Dauh Peken will also be targeted.

The schedule for the elimination and vaccination process will be determined after coordintaing with the the three hamlet chiefs. Other subdistrict will be called on to halp out with the mass dog elimintaion nad vaccination as the subdistrict of Tabanan has limited human resources.

Muria added that this is the first reported case of rabies in Tabanan for 2018. The last case to have been reported in the area occurred a year previously. Muria hopes that local residents will remain aware of the dangers of rabies and that they will have their dogs vaccinated and mot allow them to roam freely.

Division Head of Eradication of Communicable Diseases (P2M) at the Tabanan Health Agency, Ketut Nariana, confirmed that the two recent dog bite victims have been given VAR while the third victim is still being sought out. HE also stated that the number of VAR is still considered a safe amount.

Currently Tabanan has 1,700 vials of VAR. (kmb24)

 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

Fox Haris Hotel Jimbaran newly opened

FOX Harris is the newest brand of Tauzia and is an extension of the Harris brand having been widely known before. Contemporary and adaptable design makes Fox Harris the right choice for rebranding of the previous property, Pramapada Hotel Jimbaran. Quality of the hotel and service can be met well by Tauzia which has the concept of reflecting the spirit of Simple, Unique and Friendly.

FOX Harris Jimbaran comes as a 4-star midscale hotel targeting the middle-class market, particularly modern business travelers, leisure travelers, individuals and groups as well as corporations. It is expected to fulfill the needs of accommodation on the Island of the Gods. With tagline ‘A moment in life’ FOX Harris Jimbaran brings decoration

pattern as public rooms and the rooms to reflect the concept of Urban Lifestyle without reducing the value and ethnic elements of Bali.

In addition, FOX Harris Jimbaran also presents excellent quality of hotel products and services by involving human touch that will surely make FOX Harris Jimbaran special and different from a number of other hotels existing in Bali with Tauzia as a partner of new operator.

FOX Harris Jimbaran would like to invite guests to enjoy life through the unique experiences at FOX Harris hotels through colorful activities, and full interaction with the hotel team and with fellow guests.

Strategically located in Jimbaran Bay area, FOX Harris Jimbaran is famous for its beautiful beaches and very popular seafood restaurants.

From hotel to the beach, it only takes you about 5 minutes’ walk. Surrounded by international hotels and world-class villas makes Jimbaran area into a fun holiday destination.

Facilities available include 125 Deluxe rooms, WTF Rooftop Pool and Bar, WTF Lounge, Meeting Room, Restaurant, Fitness Center, Laundry, Cub Club, 24-hour room service, Wi-Fi internet access, wedding chapel, Pool Bar, Dedari Spa and 24-hour security.

Its room interior design is quite luxurious with wooden parquet making it elegant and comfortable to stay. Spreading across 38 square meters, the room is spacious and available in double and twin bed.

For guests staying with family, there is a day bed of large size. Free Wi-Fi is accessible in every room

equipped with 40-inch LCD TV, safe deposit box, mini bar, bathrobes and toiletries.

WTF Rooftop Pool and Bar becomes the highlight of FOX Harris Jimbaran. This infinity pool is designed very beautifully and guests can enjoy sunset view while swimming in the afternoon from the 6th floor. At the WTF Rooftop Pool & Bar guests can sing along with karaoke on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Various choices of songs are available according to taste. Meanwhile, the entertainment on Wednesdays and Fridays is acoustic guitar and BBQ Dinner. WTF Rooftop is very suitable for private parties such as birthdays, gatherings, reunions and others.

In the Lobby area, there is WTF Lounge where guests can relax

while listening to the music, billiard table and sofas with matching design. While in the WTF lounge, guests will be recommended to enjoy the signature juice of ‘FOX on the Beach’ consisting of dragon fruit, pineapple, mango and coconut milk and special ‘FOX on the Roll’ dish that can also be enjoyed in a pleasant holiday atmosphere.

In a series of the grand launching of FOX Harris in Pekanbaru, the hotel has done promotional event with the name of Foxing Fox for all the bookings made within the period of March 1-14, 2018. Guests can get special rates and free breakfast for 2 persons by booking through the official website directly at www. foxharrishotels.com. Guests can stay for the period of March 1, 2018 until August 31, 2018.

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 76 10th year

Price: Rp 3.000,-

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Former Playboy model sues to break silence on alleged Trump affair Geoffrey Rush

IBP/net

Australian court rejects part of News Corp defence against Geoffrey Rush defamation suit SYDNEY - An Australian court on Tuesday threw out part of News Corp’s defence against a defamation lawsuit by Geoffrey Rush, a win for the Oscar-winning actor who objected to a series of newspaper articles accusing him of inappropriate conduct.

Rush is suing News’s Australian arm over a series of articles in 2017 saying he was the subject of an unspecified complaint to Sydney Theatre Company in relation to a 2015 production of King Lear where he played the starring role.

News is defending itself, arguing it should be allowed to publish the articles because they were based on the truth. News sought a court order that the theatre company produce a copy of the complaint, but Rush sought to stop that order.

In an intermediary ruling, Federal Court Judge Michael Wigney dismissed the News request, saying that for the theatre company to hand over the complaint after the articles were published would have “no apparent forensic purpose”.

“A defendant who pleads (the truth) must do so on the basis of the information which it has in its possession when the defence is delivered, and is not permitted to

undertake a fishing expedition in the hope of finding something in support of its plea,” Wigney wrote in his ruling.

Wigney ordered News to amend its defence and to pay Rush’s legal costs from requesting the change.

Rush, who won the Best Actor Oscar in 1997 for “Shine” and has since appeared in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies and Best Picture Oscar winners “Shakespeare In Love” and “The King’s Speech”, has denied wrongdoing and said he was never told of the complaint at the time.

He has said the timing of the articles, late 2017, suggested he had committed sexual assault or inappropriate conduct in the theatre because other articles in the weeks before had named producer Harvey Weinstein and actor Kevin Spacey as “sexual predators who had committed acts of sexual assault and/or sexual harassment”, Wigney wrote.

Rush is seeking damages and a restraint on further publication on the matter. He has stepped down as president of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television until the matter is resolved. (rtr)

NEW YORK - A former Playboy model who said she had an affair with President Donald Trump filed suit in California on Tuesday seeking release from a legal agreement requiring her to stay silent, becoming the second woman this month to contest arrangements not to disclose alleged extramarital relationships with Trump.

Karen McDougal filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against American Media Inc, publisher of the National Enquirer, which paid her $150,000 in 2016 to keep quiet.

McDougal’s lawsuit came on the same day that a New York state judge ruled Trump must face a defamation suit by California restaurateur Summer Zervos, who accused him of sexually harassing her after she appeared on his former reality TV show “The Apprentice.”

New Yorker magazine last month reported on McDougal’s alleged affair and a move by American Media to pay her for rights to her story, which it never published. American Media head David Pecker has described Trump as a “personal friend.”

In the lawsuit, McDougal claimed she and Trump engaged in a 10-month extramarital “romantic relationship” in 2006 and 2007, a time period that overlaps with his alleged affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump’s wife Melania Trump gave birth to the president’s youngest son Barron in 2006.

McDougal said her lawyer at the time, Keith Davidson, secretly negotiated with Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal lawyer, on the AMI deal.

Cohen has acknowledged arranging to pay Daniels for her silence during the 2016 presidential campaign.

McDougal is asking the court to declare the agreement null and void, saying she was tricked into signing it, that it was intended to illegally influence the 2016 election and because it violates public policy against using threats of legal action to get someone to stay silent on issues of public concern.

She also called the agreement an illegal corporate donation from AMI to the Trump campaign that violated federal election law.

AMI said in a statement the company has a valid contract with McDougal and looks forward to

reaching an amicable resolution with her. It said she has been free to respond to press inquiries about her relationship with Trump since 2016 and that the suggestion that AMI silenced her is without merit.

“AMI lied to me, made empty promises, and repeatedly intimidated and manipulated me. I just want the opportunity to set the record straight and move on with my life, free from this company, its executives, and its lawyers,” McDougal, who was Playboy magazine’s 1998 Playmate of the Year, said in a statement. (rtr)

REUTERS/Luc Gnago

A Nigerien soldier stands guard in a camp of the city of Diffa during the visit of Niger’s Interior Minister Mohamed Bazoum following attacks by Boko Haram fighters in the region of Diffa, Niger June 18,2016.

Militants free scores of abducted Nigerian schoolgirls after month in captivity

DAPCHI - Islamist militants drove scores of kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls back into the town where they had been captured a month ago and abruptly set them free on Wednesday. The captors gave no reason for their release, but Nigeria denied that a ransom had been paid. Several of the girls said some of their friends had died in captivity and one was still being held.

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The fighters from the Boko Haram group, some shouting ‘God is greatest’, drove the girls back into the northeast town of Dapchi in a line of trucks in the morning, dropped them off then left, witnesses told Reuters. “I don’t know why they brought us back but they said because we are children of Muslims,” one of the freed girls, Khadija Grema, told Reuters.

Aliyu Maina, reunited with his 13-year-old daughter, said the fighters “stopped and blocked the road, they didn’t talk to anybody, they didn’t greet anybody.” “They

said people should make space for people to recognise their children and I got my child.”

Boko Haram has waged a nineyear insurgency in northeast Nigeria and neighbouring states that has seen tens of thousands of people killed, more than 2 million displaced and thousands abducted.

A 2015 military campaign drove the group from most territory it controlled, but much of the area remains beyond government rule, and insurgents still stage attacks from strongholds near Lake Chad.

The kidnapping of 110 girls aged

11-19 on Feb. 19 from Dapchi was the biggest mass abduction since Boko Haram took more than 270 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in 2014 - a case that triggered international outrage. Dapchi residents said more than 100 girls had returned on Wednesday.

“One is still with them because she is a Christian,” said Grema, the freed girl. “About five are dead but it was not as if they killed them - it was because of the stress and trauma that made them tired and weak.” “They didn’t harm us,” Grema added. “They were giving us food, very good food.

We didn’t have any problem.”

Muhammad Bursari said his niece Hadiza Muhammed, another of the freed girls, told him the remaining student was still in captivity because she had refused to convert to Islam.

NO RANSOM Nigeria’s information minister, Lai Mohammed, told Reuters 76 released girls had been registered so far, while “others went straight home to their parents, but they will come for documentation later”.

“No ransom was paid to them to effect this release. The only condition they gave us is not to release (the girls) to the military but release them in the town of Dapchi without the military presence.”

Nigeria had secured the release “through back-channel efforts and with the help of some friends of the country,” Mohammed said in a separate statement. “For the release to work, the government had a clear understanding that violence and confrontation would not be the way out as it could endanger the lives of the girls, hence a non-violent approach was the preferred option,” it said.

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