Edition Wednesday, January 23, 2019 | International Bali Post

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Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Russell Brand reveals he has never looked after his children for a 24-hour period LOS ANGELES - Russell Brand has revealed he has never looked after his children for a 24hour period in an interview where he talks about the “real awakening” of the #MeToo movement. The 43-year-old comedian was a notorious womaniser in the past and has previously claimed to have slept with hundreds of women. Asked if the #MeToo movement has made him reappraise his past behaviour, he told the Sunday Times Magazine: “No. I just feel that [#MeToo] is a really positive change, it’s a sign of real awakening.” When questioned if there is anything he now looks back on with regret, he said: “No”. Brand, who was married to American pop star Katy Perry from

2010 to 2012, said he learnt a valuable lesson from the marriage. He said: “No one was put on this earth to make me feel better. That’s no one’s job.” He is now married to Laura Gallacher and they have two daughters, Mabel, two, and Peggy, six months, but has revealed he doesn’t get too involved with parenting. He said: “Um, I’ve done like, a night. But they’re asleep then.” Asked if he has spent 24 hours in sole charge of his children, he said: “No. She wouldn’t go away for 24 hours, Laura. She respects and cares for their safety too much. “Yes, I’m very, very focused on the mystical connotations of Mabel’s beauty and grace. Not so good on the nappies and making sure that they eat food. (net)

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Angela Weiss / AFP

Actor Bruce Willis (L) and his wife English model Emma Heming attend the premiere of Universal Pictures’ “Glass” at SVA Theatre on January 15, 2019 in New York City.

Shyamalan’s ‘Glass’ dominates N. American box office

HOLLYWOOD - “Glass,” a superhero thriller both financed and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, dominated North American box offices this weekend, taking in $40.6 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said Sunday.

IBP/net

Brand was married to pop singer Katy Perry for 14 months.

The Universal film, a sequel to Shyamalan’s “Unbreakable” (2000) and “Split” (2016), stars Bruce Willis as the superhuman known as “The Overseer” locked in a psychiatric ward with nemesis and mass murderer Samuel L. Jackson, AKA “Mr. Glass.” Its estimated three-day take -at the start of the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in the US -- saw it vault past the previous weekend’s leader, “The Upside” from STX Films, which took in $15.7 million for second spot.

“The Upside” features Bryan Cranston as a wealthy quadriplegic who hires ex-convict Kevin Hart as his caretaker. Critics have called the script, a remake of a 2011 French film, “corny” but praised the two lead actors. In third was Warner Bros.’s superhero film “Aquaman,” down one spot from last weekend, with a take of $10.3 million. The film, starring Jason Momoa as the Atlantean king, has generated more than $1 billion in box office revenues worldwide.

Fourth spot went to a surprise entry -- anime film “Dragon Ball Super: Broly” from Funimation Films, with $9 million. The fantasy martial arts movie is the 20th “Dragon Ball” film and appears to be having one of the best showings of any in the series. And in fifth was “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” still performing well in its sixth week out at $7.3 million. The Sony movie won the Best Animated Movie award at the recent Golden Globe ceremony. (afp)

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This photo taken on January 19, 2019 shows a medical staff taking care of a new born baby at a hospital in Fuyang in China’s eastern Anhui province. China’s population shrank last year for the first time in 70 years, experts said, warning of a “demographic crisis” that puts pressure on the country’s slowing economy.

China’s population growth slows despite two-child policy

China’s population grew at a slower rate last year despite the abolition of the one-child policy, official data showed Monday, raising fears an ageing society will pile further pressure on an already slowing economy. China’s government raised the limit to two children in 2016 to rejuvenate the world’s most populous country, which has nearly 1.4 billion people, and experts say it may remove the cap next year. But the change does not seem to have inspired couples to have more children, partly due to urbanisation and the higher cost of living in the world’s second biggest economy, according to experts. “Decades-long social and economic transformations have prepared an entirely new generation in China, for whom marriage and childbearing no longer have the importance as they once did for their parents generation,” said Wang Feng, a sociology professor at University of California, Irving. There were 15.23 million live births in 2018, a drop of two million from the year before, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed.

With 9.93 million deaths, this led to a growth rate of 3.81 per thousand in 2018, a dip from 5.32 per thousand the previous year. Population growth is at its second-lowest since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Wang said, adding that the lowest ever growth was in 1960, when the country was going through a famine. Still, China’s total population rose by 5.3 million in 2018 to 1.395 billion people, retaining its title as the world’s most populous nation. NBS commissioner Ning Jize said population growth had peaked, but said the country still had huge potential. “China’s labour participation rate is not considered low world-

wide, more than 700 million of our 900 million people (of working age) are employed, and there is still room (for growth),” he said. -Workforce declineChina’s workforce -- those aged between 16 and 59 -- was 897.3 million last year, a 4.7 million drop from 2017, NBS data showed. This is the seventh consecutive year of decline, noted He Yafu, an independent demographer based in the southern Guangdong province. The workforce is on track to decline by as much as 23 percent by 2050. “The low birth rate has led to a seriously ageing population.

On one hand, families are getting smaller, reducing support for the elderly; on the other hand, the elderly population to workforce is growing, which increases the burden on the working population,” He said. Signs of China’s falling population growth had emerged when data released by some local authorities indicated a significant drop in births last year. In Qingdao, a city in eastern Shandong province -- one of China’s most populous regions -- births between January and November decreased by 21 percent to just over 81,000 compared to the previous year. - Birth limits removed? Introduced in 1979, the onechild policy was mainly enforced through fines but was also notorious for forced abortions and sterilisations, which caused birth

rates to plummet. Exceptions were made for rural families whose firstborn was a female, and for ethnic minorities. In a draft of China’s new sweeping Civil Code, due to be introduced in 2020, all mention of “family planning” has been removed, suggesting that the limit on family sizes could be lifted. But the rising cost of living has discouraged many of child-bearing age, He said, adding that like with many countries around the world, fertility rates in rural areas are high but less so in the cities. (afp) News can also be heard in “Bali Image” at Global Radio FM 96.5 from 9.30 until 10.00 am. Listen to Global Radio FM at http:// globalfmbali.listen2myradio.com or live video streaming at http:// radioglobalfmbali.com and http:// ustream.tv/channel/global-fm-bali.

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Bali News

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

International

International

IBP/file

Nature conservation program questionable

This was revealed in the initial discussion of the Regional Bill on the RPJPD of Bali Province for the period of 2005-2025 and the Regional Bill concerning RPJMD for the period of 2018-2023 at the Meeting Room of the Bali House of Representatives on Monday (Jan. 21). “It is necessary to present concrete narratives related to the nature of Bali, for example, about the target of Wana Kerthi or forest conservation. In other words, the executive needs to project what percentage of forest area in Bali is expected to be achieved in the RPJPD 2025,” said the expert team of the Bali House, Dewa Gede Suamba. Thus, continued Suamba, the RPJPD will connect with the vision of the governor. Regarding this matter, the Head of the Bali Revenue Service and R & D Agency, I Wayan Wiasthana Ika Putra, stated the nature conservation program had been stated in full. Among others, it includes the protection of paddy fields, water sources, preservation of critical land and good forest conditions

as well as establishment of potential water source to overcome water deficits in Bali. “Now, the underground water is being exploited. Later on, it should not be exploited. We must really count it. Currently we do not calculate it where many are operating without permission. This is one of them,” he said. In the Universal Planning of the RPJPD, the preservation of Bali’s nature is directed at preserving marine aquatic ecosystems as well as reducing critical land, coastal abrasion and environmental pollution. Then, it is increasing forest quality and vegetation of watershed cover from 23 percent to at least 30 percent, sustainable urban green open space of at least 30 percent, and the realization of development of watershed conservation and natural resource infrastructure, water resources infrastructure to support raw water requirements in 2025 amounting to 9,258 liters per second, transportation, facilities for drinking water, waste water, solid waste, energy and reliable telematics. Since revising the previous RPJPD, the vision of regional development also changed from the Bali Dwipa Jaya Based on Tri Hita Karana to Building Sat Kerthi Loka Bali through the Universal Planning Development Pattern. Maintaining Bali’s natural balance is the main target of number three out of the four main objectives to be achieved based on the direction of Bali’s regional development policy. The other three main targets are realizing an increase in the competitiveness of Balinese human, strengthening of Balinese

culture (genuine Bali), and having sufficient readiness in anticipating or facing new problems and challenges. Chairperson of the Special Committee, I Ketut Tama Tenaya, stated the RPJPD and Universal Planning of the RPJMD of Bali Province will be successful if they receive total support from the district / municipality. Therefore, it requires a very good coordination. The RPJMD in particular must be adjusted between the provinces and districts / municipality. “So this (Provincial RPJMD) serves as a legal instrument, the others must be adjusted so that they will be coherent,” he said. Tama gave an example of the poverty target set at 1.0-1.5 percent. Meanwhile, the districts or municipality in Bali have different abilities in alleviating poverty. On the other hand, the RPJMD with a total of 500 pages is also related to the Bali Province’s Bill currently included in the long list of the National Legislation Program of the Central House of Representatives. When the Bill on the Bali Province is passed, there could be a revision to the RPJMD later on. “The Bill on Bali Province has not been discussed. Hopefully, it should have been discussed soon in the central parliament. We cannot just shout in Bali when the Central House of Representatives (DPR RI) and Representative Council of Bali (DPD RI) are not maximally guarding it. Moreover, currently is the election year, I am worried there are legislators or senators in charge of the office (DPR RI—Ed),” explained this PDI-P politician. (kmb32)

Ngelawang may not be done at traffic light

SEMARAPURA - Ngelawang or street show activities seem to get serious attention from the local government because the art potential displayed by children often draws the attention in the streets. Regent of Klungkung, Nyoman Suwirta, requested the ngelawang to be fostered and arranged so as not to wander at traffic light which gives the impression of begging. Regent Suwirta returned to reveal the matter when monitoring to the office of Hindu Dharma Council of Indonesia (PHDI) of Klungkung on Monday (Jan. 21).

The regent hoped the PHDI will also give an understanding on the right process of ngelawang, so as not to seem like a beggar. “It is not forbidding, but educating them so as not to carry out ngelawang activities on the edge of the intersection. Then, the barong is put down, and the ngelawang members come to road users and ask for show donation when the red light is on. Previously, the local government had showed concern by giving the stage for the ngelawang artists, especially children around

the Puputan Klungkung Square to enliven the Car Free Day (CFD) agenda held every Sunday. At that time, there were children from the Hindu Dharma Widya Kindergarten of Klungkung performing the Ngelawang Barong Bangkung on Sunday (Jan. 20). The appearance of the children on stage was quite entertaining. Many residents appreciated to their appearance as a tangible manifestation of cultural preservation. The appearance of Ngelawang Barong Bangkung opens the perspective of the local government

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

15

Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa, Bali supports the use of Balinese script

The mangrove forest in Bali

DENPASAR - The Expert Team in the Bali House of Representatives had questioned the nature conservation program in the Bali Regional Long-Term Development Plan (RPJMD) and Universal Planning of Regional Mid-Term Development Plan (RPJMD). Actually, Bali’s nature is the first element of the three main elements of Bali’s development namely the nature people and culture of Bali.

Activities

to its current existence. Regent Suwirta immediately instructed the Culture Office to provide coaching thoroughly. In particular, it is intended for the activities of Ngelawang Barong Bangkung carried out by groups of children during Galungan and Kuningan holidays. Like his experience, Regent Suwirta had noticed a group of children featuring Ngelawang Barong Bangkung at the intersection. The Barong Bangkung supposed to be danced, the accessories were even put down at road side after some

of them walked around while carrying can to put money donated by residents. It is considered to be disturbing traffic. “In the future, it should not happen, do not perform Ngelawang at traffic light because it disrupts traffic. The Culture Service must conduct a coaching and the Ngelawang tradition should go from one home to another,” he said. In principle, Regent Suwirta asked the relevant agencies to be responsive to seeing community art activities and innovating for empowerment. (kmb31)

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Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa supports the Bali Governor’s instructions regarding the use of Balinese literature and has implemented traditional Balinese script on general hotel signage. Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa supports fully the conservation of the island’s indigenous and traditional legacy. The Resort management and staff also wear traditional Balinese dress every Thursday and on other festive and ceremonial days of the Balinese calendar. “We will continue to preserve the local cultural heritage and protect the rich identity of Bali” said Jamal Hussain, General Manager of Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa. The Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa is the pioneer of luxury accommodation within the Nusa Dua area. This 5-star diamond resort, has been welcoming kings, queens, presidents and other dignitaries since its grand opening. Nestled within beautifully landscaped gardens, the resort, with its 382 guestrooms and suites, features all the elegance of a Balinese palace, while offering modern amenities. The Nusa Dua Spa is designed to highlight its rich Balinese

tradition with a variety of indigenous treatments. Dining at Nusa Dua Hotel & Spa is an epicurean journey with a choice of five restaurants and four bars under the close watch of an award-winning culinary team. For more information, please visit www.nusaduahotel.com.

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Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Technology

International

A new gravitational wave detector is almost ready to join the search

KAMIOKA - In the quest for better gravitational wave detectors, scientists are going cold.

An up-and-coming detector called KAGRA aims to spot spacetime ripples by harnessing advanced technological twists: chilling key components to temperatures hovering just above absolute zero, and placing the ultrasensitive setup in an enormous underground cavern. Scientists with KAGRA, located in Kamioka, Japan, now have results from their first ultrafrigid tests. Those experiments suggest that the detector should be ready to start searching for gravitational waves later in 2019, the team reports January 14 at arXiv.org. The new detector will join similar observatories in the search for the minute cosmic undulations, which are stirred up by violent events like collisions of black holes. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, LIGO, has two detectors located in Hanford, Wash., and Livingston, La. Another observatory, Virgo, is located near Pisa, Italy. Those detectors sit above ground, and don’t use the cooling technique, making KAGRA the first of its kind. KAGRA consists of two 3-kilometer-long arms, arranged in an “L” shape. Within each arm, laser light bounces back and forth between two mirrors located at both ends. The light acts like a giant measuring stick, capturing tiny changes in the length of each arm, which can be caused by a passing gravitational wave stretching and squeezing spacetime. Because gravitational wave detectors measure length changes tinier than the diameter of a proton, minuscule effects like the jiggling of molecules on the mirrors’ surfaces can interfere with the measurements. Cooling the mirrors to about 20 kelvins (–253° Celsius) limits that jiggling. In the new tests, performed in spring 2018, researchers cooled only one of KAGRA’s four mirrors, says KAGRA leader Takaaki Kajita of the University of Tokyo. When the detector starts up for real, the others will be chilled too. Having the detector underground also helps keep the mirrors from vibrating due to activity on Earth’s surface. LIGO is so sensitive that it can be affected by rumbling trucks, a stiff breeze or even mischievous

SAN FRANCISCO - Robots imbued with a certain kind of common sense may soon be able to follow instructional diagrams to build things. When studying pictures for assembling IKEA furniture or LEGO villages, humans are naturally good at inferring how to get from A to B. Robots, on the other hand, normally have to be painstakingly programmed with exact instructions for how to move. “Even when you try to teach robots by demonstration, they’re just repeating the exact same motions you show them, not the concept underlying them,” says Dileep George, an artificial intelligence and neuroscience researcher at the San Francisco company Vicarious AI. George and colleagues have now designed a robot operating system that can understand the basic ideas conveyed in schematic instructions and translate those

IBP/net

Chilled mirrors and an underground hideout (shown) should help the KAGRA experiment in its upcoming search for gravitational waves. wildlife. KAGRA’s underground lair should be significantly quieter. Building underground and going cold required years of effort from KAGRA’s researchers. “They’ve taken on these two great challenges, which are both important to the long-term future of the field,” says LIGO spokesperson David Shoemaker of MIT. In the future, even more advanced gravitational wave detectors could build on KAGRA’s techniques. For now, adding KAGRA to the existing observatories

ideas into action. These common sense robots, described online January 16 in Science Robotics, could work on a wider variety of tasks under different conditions than machines restricted to explicitly coded instructions or physical demonstrations. The new robotic system learned more than 500 general concepts, such as “stack green objects on the right” and “arrange objects in a circle,” by studying before and after images for each type of action. When given a new set of instructions with a before-and-after diagram, the fully trained system considers all the concepts it has learned, and chooses and executes the

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International

should help scientists improve their studies of where gravitational wiggles come from. Once scientists detect a gravitational wave signal, they alert astronomers, who search for light from the cataclysm that generated the waves in the hope of better understanding the event. Having an additional gravitational wave detector in a different part of the world will help better triangulate wave sources. “This feature is very important,” Kajita says, “because telescopes can only see a small part of the sky at a time.” (net)

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

3

Residents of Peliatan collect plastic waste

GIANYAR — A number of residents at Peliatan village built a community intensively chasing after plastic waste. The community named the Peliatan Ngogo (Pego) hunts for plastic waste in sacred areas such as temples to graves. This effort is expected to be able to make wider community understand so that they will not use plastic waste when going to temple. Pego Coordinator, I Wayan Sugiarta, said that his community also collected plastic waste on Sunday (Jan. 20) by choosing the location at Dalem Puri Temple and local cemeteries. Aside from young people, village officials to local community leaders also took part. “This time, we choose the location at the Dalem Puri Temple of Peliatan by taking advantage of the moment of presenting Calonarang performance held every six months. We want this movement to be more widespread and most importantly becomes a tradition in each household,” he said. He said the Pego Community is a medium for residents of Peliatan village, especially young people, to improve environmental conditions. Besides, it serves as solution to the problem of social concern. “We are moving to take collective and sustainable actions for the creation of a sustainable village environment,” he explained. He admitted that in the past ten years the river condition at the local village is quite alarming. Apart from household liquid waste, it

is also mixed with solid waste, namely plastic waste. “Hopefully, with this movement the citizens can grow the sense of shame to those who have been throwing waste into the river. We’d just like to grow collective awareness,” he explained. Chief of Peliatan customary village, I Ketut Sandi, also admitted that other than in urban areas, the river water conditions in Peliatan also begin to result in concern. This condition makes local people move with the action of searching for waste in the river. Through Pego community, they regularly target the river flowing at the local village so as to be sustainable. “After the river, Pego also ensures that the sacred area should be sterile from plastic. On that account, we always support and issue appendix to customary village bylaw (perarem) so that prayer activities to invoke holy water are prohibited from using plastic bags,” he explained. As a result, in the past few months, it has been quite effective to raise awareness about the importance of maintaining environmental cleanliness from an early age. As evidence, the Pego Community dominated by young people is used as a creative forum for environmental sustainability. “This community is also used as a medium of information for young people related to environmental issues. Besides, it is also educating citizens to care for the environment chiefly through their real actions to save the environment,” he said proudly. (kmb35)

IBP/wan

The pilgrims thronged to worship in a series of the Panca Bali Krama ritual at Lempuyang Temple, Purwayu customary village, Tribuana, Abang, on Sunday (Jan. 20).

Pilgrims throng peak of Panca Bali Krama at Lempuyang Temple

AMLAPURA — The pilgrims thronged to worship in a series of the Panca Bali Krama ritual at Lempuyang Temple, Purwayu customary village, Tribuana, Abang, on Sunday (Jan. 20). Moreover, the vehicles of the pilgrims fully occupied the parking area. To get to the temple, they must be boarded with a bus prepared by the Transportation Agency of Karangasem because it was only invited guests allowed to go up.

maneuvers that will help it reach its goal. George’s team tested the operating system in two gripper arm robots that moved objects across a tabletop. The robots examined picture instructions and then completed the tasks, such as separating lemons from limes and arranging different colored cans in a row. The machines also worked well when researchers changed conditions like the type of objects to be moved or the tabletop color. (net)

IBP/kmb35

The community named the Peliatan Ngogo (Pego) hunts for plastic waste in sacred areas such as temples to graves.

Chief of Purwayu customary village, I Nyoman Jati, who is also Executive Chairman of the Panca Bali Krama, said the on day before the peak of the Bali Krama Karya was held various processions such as Pemben, Segara Kertih Mras Segara (Melasti), Maguru Piduka Segara Kertih and Mepedada. He added that series of the ceremonies on the Peak of Panca Bali Krama was commenced with dance performances such as the Rejang Dewa, Baris Gede, and Topeng Panca followed by Ida Bhatara Tedun and joint worship. Regent of Karangasem, I Gusti Ayu Mas Sumatri,

expressed her gratitude especially to the committee of the Panca Bali Krama of Sad Kahyangan Luhur Temple, having been able to unite their thoughts based on sincerity and together collected funds to implement the ceremony. “As the Karangasem district government, we hope this ceremony will run smoothly and after this procession has ended, I hope we can establish better sense of brotherhood to Karangasem,” he hoped. Meanwhile, Committee Chairperson of the Panca Bali Krama, Wayan Artha Dipa, said the ceremony serves to clean up ritual belonging to the Dewa Yadnya and Bhuta Yadnya which has a function as an offering to God as the Creator with his manifestations as Dewa and Bhuta who controls the points of the compass. “It aims to request blessing of purification for the universe (macrocosm) and the human self (microcosm). At the same time, it also begs to be blessed with peace, well-being and harmony for the universe along with all the contents. This is the implementation of the Tri Hita Karana concept that we often talk about and disseminate today. Hopefully, this ceremony can run smoothly,” he added. (kmb41)

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Bali News

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

International

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

International

Kumbasari Park at Badung River now equipped with free Wi-Fi

Taiwan’s ‘Bikini Climber’ social media star dies after ravine fall

All visitors appealed to maintain cleanliness and facilities

DENPASAR - Various supporting facilities have equipped the Kumbasari Park at Tukad Badung crossing between the Badung Market and Kumbasari Market, Denpasar. This time, local community and visitors to the city can enjoy free Wi-Fi access made in collaboration of the Denpasar municipality and the Bali provincial government. Secretary of the Denpasar Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency, I Gusti Ngurah Putra Sanjaya, stated on Sunday (Jan. 20) that various efforts have been made by Denpasar municipality to provide maximum services for the community. As a public space, surely the presence of WiFi access is very necessary, especially in the face of rapid development in the era of digitalization. “This Wi-Fi internet access is collaboration between the Denpasar government and the Bali provincial government in providing smart city supporting facilities in Denpasar City,” he explained. Further, he explained that community can take advantage of this Kumbasari Park as a recreational site, playground, location of discussion and group learning. It is enabled because there are many pupils and students in the city of Denpasar that are still confused to find out their location to do assignments, so this Kumbasari Park

can be an alternative while still paying attention to weather conditions. “With this Wi-Fi access facility, of course, the Kumbasari Park can be an alternative for pupils or students and the community wishing to accomplish their assignments,” he explained. Ngurah Putra emphasized that various facilities provided are to facilitate community activities. On that account, all the elements of society should mutually maintain the supporting facilities. “Hopefully, the community and visitors will take care of the existing facilities and infrastructure as well as pay attention to the cleanliness of the park so that the beauty can continuously be enjoyed together,” he concluded. Meanwhile, Division Head of EGovernment at the Denpasar Communications and Informatics Agency, Ni Alit Sucitawati, said the Wi-Fi has the speed of 20 Mbps. So, it is enough to facilitate visitors wishing to use the Wi-Fi internet access. (kmb)

SIA KAMBOU / AFP

“Komians”, traditional priestesses, dance and throw kaolin during the purification ceremony of a komian widow, in Amelekia, on November 28, 2018.

Kumbasari Park at Badung River.

IBP/kmb

Dengue fever starts to spread

IBP/kmb

To anticipate the widespread dengue fever, the Klungkung Health Agency is intensifying prevention through fogging in a number of places where dengue fever is spreading.

SEMARAPURA - Having been flushed by rain for several weeks, its congenital disease, namely dengue fever, began to spread. Some residents began to suffer dengue fever, so they had to get intensive care at Klungkung Hospital. To anticipate the widespread dengue fever, the Klungkung Health Agency is intensifying prevention through fogging in a number of places where dengue fever is spreading. Acting Secretary of the Klungkung Health Agency, Jaya Putra, stated on Sunday (Jan. 20) that he had received the reports from two residents having been attacked by dengue fever. They include Ni Komang Ismarini, 36, a housewife living on Jalan Hassanudin Gang Anggrek No.6 Pegending. She is recorded to have been suffering dengue fever since Tuesday (Jan. 5). At present, she is said to get intensive care at the Kedondong Room (F). Another victim is on behalf of I Wayan Dira, 63, a resident of Ambengan hamlet, Tangkas. He is being treated in the same Kedondong Room, and has been known to have dengue fever since last Saturday (Jan. 12). Seeing these two cases, according to

Jaya Putra, now there has been an increase in the spread of dengue fever after rain over the past few weeks. Following up on this issue, his party moved quickly to take preventative measures. The surrounding community is also asked to increase awareness by maintaining environmental and health cleanliness. “We immediately conducted fogging around the house where the residents of dengue fever live,” he said while emphasizing the handling is also assisted by local military village commissioner officers in the field. On the other hand, Director of Klungkung Hospital, Nyoman Kesuma, confirmed on Sunday (Jan. 20) the handling of patients with dengue fever. In addition to the two victims of dengue fever, he added there were five more people who had dengue fever. They are I Kadek Nanda Suryadi, 19, from Sangging hamlet, Akah, treated at in Kedondong Room; Luh Kadek Sri Indah Yani, 20, from Kaleran hamlet, Manduang, treated in the Jambu Room; Ni Kadek Kaisra Dwi Pradnya, 5, from Penasan hamlet, Tihingan, Banjarangkan, treated in the Durian Room; and Ni Putu Eka Apriliani, 4, from Paksebali, Dawan, treated

in the Durian Room; Ni Komang Prad was Satya Kerti, 3, the younger brother of the previous patient, Ni Kadek Kaisra Dwi Pradnya. “Now, they are both still being treated at Klungkung Hospital,” said Nyoman Kesuma. The outbreak of dengue fever has apparently happened nationally. This is known from the circular of the Indonesian Ministry of Health through the Director General of Disease Prevention and Control. The circular is said to have been sent to all heads of provincial and district health agencies in order to remain alert to dengue cases. Through the circular, each region is encouraged to increase dissemination and education in eradicating mosquito nests (PSN). PSN can be done through activities such as draining, closing and reusing used goods, plus preventing mosquito bites by implementing the movement of one house of one larvae monitoring officer. In addition, it also improves case surveillance and risk factor surveillance of dengue incidence, including through periodic larvae monitoring, provision of insecticides and larvicides for eradicating mosquitoes and larvae. (kmb31)

13

Endangered in Ivory Coast: traditional priestesses

TAIPEI - Taiwanese rescue teams were trying Tuesday to retrieve the body of a dead hiker who became famous on social media for taking selfies on top of mountain peaks dressed in a bikini. Gigi Wu -- dubbed the “Bikini Climber” by fans -- used a satellite phone on Saturday to tell friends she had fallen down a ravine in Taiwan’s Yushan national park and badly injured herself. Rescue helicopters struggled to reach her because of bad weather and officials eventually located her lifeless body on Monday. “The weather conditions in the mountains are not good, we have asked our rescuers to move the body to a more open space and after the weather clears we will make a request for a helicopter to bring the body down,” Lin Cheng-yi, from the Nantou County Fire and Rescue Services, told reporters. Officials said Wu had told friends she was unable to move the lower half of her body after a fall of some 20-30 metres (65-100 feet) but was able to give her coordinates. She is the latest in a string of social media adventure seekers who have met an untimely end. Last week, the bodies of an Indian couple were found at the bottom of a popular overlook in

California’s Yosemite National Park after hikers alerted officials to their camera equipment at the top of the cliff. New Taipei City native Wu, 36, built up a sizeable social media following through photos of herself at the top of mountains dressed in bikinis. She usually wore hiking clothes to scale the mountains, only changing into a bikini once she reached the top. In an interview with local channel FTV last year, she said she had scaled more than 100 peaks in four years. “I put on a bikini in each one of the 100 mountains. I only have around 97 bikinis so I accidentally repeated some,” she said. When asked why she did it, she replied: “It just looks so beautiful, what’s not to like?” While Taiwan is a largely tropical country, it boasts a spine of towering peaks down its middle that regularly top 3,000 metres. In the winter, temperatures routinely drop well below freezing on the mountain slopes. Lin said their top rescue team hiked for 28 hours to reach the body, only sleeping for three hours because they knew temperatures were rapidly plunging. (afp)

ANIANSUE - A dozen women, their bodies coated with clay, sway to beating drums as if in a trance, ankle bells jingling as they stamp their feet, in the eastern Ivorian town of Aniansue. They are training to become certified “komians”, or priestesses, steeped in traditional lore, the properties of medicinal plants and the techniques of conflict resolution. They are credited with the power to cast spells and predict the future -- at a time when the komians fear for their own future as modern society increasingly leaves tradition behind. The women belong to the 25 million-strong Akan ethnic group predominant in eastern Ivory Coast and across the border in Ghana, in the bosom of the traditional Ashanti kingdom. No local king or tribal chief can be enthroned without the intervention of these priestesses, whose school, set up in 1992, gained

national recognition in 2014. “The komian has a sanctifying role,” Pascal Abinan Kouakou, the Ivorian employment minister, told AFP. “She participates in the cohesion and stability of our regions.” - Disrepair Even so, the school is slowly deteriorating. Its ochre walls have not been painted for years, and most of its buildings are in disrepair. “Help us! We sleep rough -- we have no dormitories while we take in dozens of patients each month,” said Adjoua Messouma, who founded the Adjoua Messouma Centre for the Initiation of Komians of Aniansue (CIKAMA). The course lasts at least three years, with around 20 graduates

each year. They can then take official positions in their local villages or set up private practices. The school, bordered on one side by a teak plantation, features a large central courtyard with a giant mango tree in the middle, surrounded by houses. People come to the school seeking cures or treatments from the komians for conditions such as cancers, infertility, epilepsy and mental illnesses. Others come for counselling over personal problems. “I was diagnosed with appendicitis which I want to treat with plants,” said businesswoman Dame Yvonne Ezan after a consultation. (afp)

IBP/net

Gigi Wu, known as the Bikini Hiker, has frozen to death after falling down.

12

International

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Bali News

International

BUSINESS

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

5

China’s 2018 economic growth sinks to 3-decade low

BEIJING - China’s economic growth hit a threedecade low in 2018, adding to pressure on Beijing to beef up stimulus measures and settle a tariff war with Washington.

Growth slowed to 6.6 percent from 2017’s 6.9 percent as both the world’s appetite for China’s exports and domestic consumer spending weakened, official data showed Monday. Forecasters said they expect Beijing to try to shore up growth by making credit cheaper, raising government spending and adopting measures to encourage sales of autos and consumer goods. Communist leaders want to steer China toward slower, more self-sustaining growth driven by consumer spending instead of trade and investment. But the slowdown has been sharper than expected, prompting Beijing to boost spending on construction of roads and bridges and to order banks to lend more, especially to the entrepreneurs who generate most of China’s new jobs and wealth. “Downward pressure on the economy is increasing,” the commissioner of the National Bureau of Statistics, Ning Jizhe, said at a news conference. He cited import controls, volatile financial markets and declining investment spending as factors. Still, Ning insisted China can resist shocks, saying “the longterm trend of stability will not change.” Economic growth in 2018 was the lowest since 1990’s 3.9 percent following the violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests centered on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Growth in the last quarter of 2018 dipped to 6.4 percent — the lowest quarterly level since the 2008 global crisis — from the previous quarter’s 6.5 percent. “The government is expected to implement more fiscal and monetary stimulus measures to support economic growth,” Yanjun Lin of IHS Markit said in a report. Growth in investment, retail spending and factory activity all

Let’s Go Vacation to Taman Nusa

Have you already got an itinerary to fill in your next vacation? You can consider the Taman Nusa for your destination on school, Galungan and Kuningan, Christmas and New Year 2019 holidays. When having a promenade in tourist attractions, there is definitely endless word to tell about Indonesian culture. Spending holidays at the Taman Nusa can enrich your knowledge. Visitors can also expand their knowledge on the culture of the Indonesian people by looking directly, and getting involved in the cultural activities at Taman Nusa. The Taman Nusa as Indonesian cultural park located in Gianyar shows off the passage of time of the Indonesian people from the

Chinatopix via AP

In this Jan. 17, 2019, photo, women take a selfie as others tour at the Yu Garden decorated with pig statues for Lunar New Year in Shanghai. China’s 2018 economic growth fell to a three-decade low as activity cooled amid a tariff war with Washington. declined, though analysts pointed to a flicker of improvement in manufacturing in December. It grew by 5.7 percent over a year earlier, up 0.3 percentage points from November. Production of plastics, metals and specialized industrial machinery accelerated, “suggesting warming expectations for a pickup in investment,” Chaoping Zhu of J.P. Morgan Asset Management said in a report. The trade dispute with the U.S. is proving costly. Exports held up through most of 2018 despite President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes on Chinese imports in a fight over Beijing’s technology ambitions. But they contracted in December as the penalties began to depress U.S.

demand. The two sides have imposed tariff hikes of up to 25 percent on tens of billions of dollars of each other’s goods in the fight over U.S. complaints that Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over technology. Washington wants China to roll back plans for stateled industry development that its trading partners say violate its market-opening obligations. The trade dispute, and reports of job losses and tumbling sales of autos and real estate, have unnerved Chinese consumers that Beijing is counting on to drive growth. As pocketbooks snap shut, the downturn could worsen. China’s top trade envoy, Vice Premier Liu He, is due to visit Washington for talks Jan. 30-31.

Business groups and economists said a decision by Liu and his American counterpart, Robert Lighthizer, to get directly involved would suggest earlier talks by lower-level officials made progress. Trump said Saturday that trade relations with China were “going very well” and “a deal could very well happen.” Forecasters expect Chinese growth to bottom out this year as Beijing’s stimulus efforts gain traction. However, they have pushed back the time frame for that due to weakening exports. Public works spending “is shaping up to be the engine for 2019,” Iris Pang of ING said in a report. “However, non-infrastructure business activities will be dismal this year. And debt will grow.”

A meeting of Communist Party leaders in December promised tax cuts, better access to bank lending for entrepreneurs and other steps to help the private sector. Chinese leaders have been warning that any recovery would be “L-shaped,” meaning that companies and investors shouldn’t expect growth to rebound to the previous decade’s double-digit levels. Forecasters expect growth to decline further this year to 6.3 percent or lower. “China’s economy is likely to weaken further before growth stabilizes in the second half of the year on the back of expanded policy stimulus,” Julian EvansPritchard of Capital Economics said in a report. (ap)

pre-historic period, bronze period, kingdom period, cultural kampong, early Indonesia, independent Indonesia to the future of Indonesia. During the kingdom period, visitors can enjoy the splendor of one of the world’s masterpieces, namely the replica of Borobudur Temple, where visitors can climb

to the upper level of the stupa and feel like they are in the original Borobudur Temple in Central Java. In cultural kampong, there are more than 60 traditional buildings, where some of the traditional houses have been decades, even hundreds of years old. Similarly, there are several art

studios and art activities where visitors can be directly involved and interact with the culture itself. “Taking a leisurely walk in the morning or evening with family and friends will be more complete with Bali’s natural scenery such as mountains, rivers and amazing nature. No less attractive is the beautiful forest increasingly scarce to be found on the Island of Bali,” said General Manager of Taman Nusa, I Nyoman Murjana.

Cultural Kampong is also equipped with cafeterias for resting, and Pondokan Kuliner Nusantara or archipelagic culinary cabin while enjoying terrace views and the gorge of Melangit River. “In a series of welcoming the Galungan and Kuningan, Christmas and New Year 2019 holidays, the Taman Nusa wants to share its kindness by giving special promotion to domestic visitors. This promotion is valid from December 22, 2018 – January 6, 2019,” he concluded. (kmb)

Sudaji Village Waits for Your Arrival. Trekking, Culinary, Spiritual Tourism Et Cetera on Offer

Numerous potentials owned by North Bali can lure foreign tourists. If some regions offer the potential of the beach, then some others are superior to the potential of mountainous nature and culture. Now, it depends on each region to pack and present the potential at hand to tourists. One of the villages developing the potential with the characteristic owned is Sudaji village in Sawan subdistrict, Buleleng. Aside from offering durians, since several years ago Sudaji has been known as a tourism village. According to the Chief of the Sudaji tourism village, Gede Suharsana, the village was inaugurated as a tourism village by the regent of Buleleng last May 5. Though newly inaugurated, the village has initiated and pioneered

a tour package since 2008. This tourism village is managed by local tourism awareness group (Pokdarwis) inaugurated by customary village in 2012. He said that establishment of the tourism village passed through a long process, inseparable from the mapping of the potential owned. The concept introduced and highlighted is the local wisdom with the Tri Hita Karana (three causes of happiness). Habitable homes of residents are taken advantage as an accommodation as well as a place to interact for tourists. His group also introduces typical cuisines to visiting guests, not Western food. Not only that, in the span of a few years Sudaji tourism village has been capable of presenting tourist activities ranging from trekking,

spiritual tourism, agro-tourism and cultural performances. Pokdarwis continues to explore the village potential, where the latest is the potential of the river. The local river remaining natural with a fairly heavy flow can be used for rafting adventure. This rafting tour is considered as the first one in North Bali. However, his group is still constrained by equipment of the adrenalin racing adventure. “Yesterday we tested with our self-made equipment, but we still need equipment complying with the standards,” he said. Another obstacle is the matter of weather, where rainy season is prone to flooding that will be hazardous and make tourists feel afraid to try the whitewater rafting adventure. (kmb)

6

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

W

RLD

CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP

In this photograph taken on January 16, 2019, international followers of the Indian spiritual guru Chidanand Saraswati perform Hindu rituals on the banks of the holy Sangam -- the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers -- at the Kumbh Mela festival in Allahabad.

Foreigners gather at India’s religious mega festival

ALLAHABAD - At the Kumbh Mela, the world’s biggest religious event, millions of Indian Hindus are not the only people bathing in the sacred waters to wash away their sins.

Foreigners too are among the ascetics, saints, sadhus and spectators thronging the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers in northern India for what is billed as humanity’s biggest gathering. Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati grew up in a Jewish family in California but moved in 1996 to an ashram in Rishikesh -- the town made famous internationally when the Beatles visited in 1968 -- and changed her life and her name. “I was on holiday with a backpack and when I got to Rishikesh, on the banks of the sacred Ganges, I had a very very deep, very very powerful spiritual awakening experience which made me realise where I need to be, where I need to spend my life,” she told AFP. The 47-year-old is among the worshippers taking a dip at the Kumbh, which is expected to attract well over 100 million people over the next seven weeks. “The reason we take a bath in the sacred waters is to achieve immortality... immortality of the soul,” she said. “It felt amazing, it always feels amazing... Normally only the body gets wet but here you actually feel like your inner self is getting wet, your heart, your soul is getting wet, your spirit... The depth of my being is being touched.” A record 22.5 million people plunged into the waters on the first day of the Kumbh last Tuesday, according

to local officials. Nearly 30,000 police helped by drones buzzing overhead have been deployed to oversee crowds and prevent stampedes. A vast tent city with restaurants, roads and marketplaces has sprung up along the river, with pilgrims camped out across a sprawling 45-square-kilometre (17-square-mile) zone. Westerners who have immersed themselves in Hindu spirituality include Baba Rampuri, who claims to be the first foreigner to be initiated into India’s largest and most ancient order of yogis, the Naga Sannyasis of Juna Akhara. The surgeon’s son -- reportedly born William A. Gans -- grew up in Beverly Hills and moved to India in 1970, and like Saraswati is active on Facebook and Twitter. “I am not a great believer in modern technology, or the consumerist messages being sent out through the medium, but we have to make people aware that we exist,” he told the Indian Express. Another is Sir James Mallinson, the dreadlocked fifth baronet of Walthamstow and British academic ordained as a mahant, or Hindu priest, in 2013. He also runs a paragliding firm in the Himalayas. Many of the foreigners at the Kumbh are simple tourists though, keen to see the ash-smeared, pipesmoking Naga sadhus, naked except for beads and flower garlands. One ascetic has had his right arm raised for seven years. Another has been standing for eight months and aims to do so for another 43 months. (afp)

International

‘Indiana Jones of art’ finds stolen Spanish carvings in English garden

THE HAGUE - A Dutch art detective has returned two priceless stone reliefs stolen from an ancient Spanish church after tracing them to an English nobleman’s garden where they were displayed as ornaments. Arthur Brand, dubbed the “Indiana Jones of the art world”, said he handed over the centuries-old carvings to the Spanish embassy in London at a private ceremony on Monday. It was the culmination of a long search for the artworks, which were snatched in 2004 from the Santa Maria de Lara church in northern Spain, believed to be at least 1,000 years old. They turned up in the garden of an aristocratic British family who had unwittingly bought them, and it was there that Brand found them covered in mud and leaves. “These artworks are priceless. To find them in a garden after searching for eight years is just incredible,” the art sleuth told AFP. “You can imagine how horrified they were to learn that their garden ornaments were in fact priceless stolen Spanish religious art.” The private investigator showed AFP the stone carvings -- one of which depicts John the Evangelist, author of one of the Gospels -- hours before they were handed back. The reliefs, said to weigh 50 kilos (110 pounds) each, were then handed to representatives of Spain’s Guardia Civil police force, who are collaborating in the case, and two museum curators from the northern city of Burgos. The Spanish embassy in London declined to comment. - ‘World heritage’ -

The hunt for the artworks could come straight from a detective novel. The church from which they were stolen is believed to date from the era of the Visigoths, with experts dating

it between the seventh and eleventh centuries. But in a huge blow the reliefs were snatched by professional art thieves in 2004, Brand said. In 2010 the intrepid sleuth first received word from an unnamed British informant that “something strange” had popped up in London, which eventually pointed him to a shadowy man Brand referred to as ‘Mr X’. “It turns out ‘Mr X’ saw a French dealer arriving with the reliefs by truck in London. They were put on offer as garden ornaments -- but Mr X recognised them as possible Visigoth religious artworks,” Brand said. “The guys who stole these wanted to sell it for a couple of millions or whatever, but they have soon find out that you can not sell these, so to make at least a little bit of money, they sold them as garden ornaments,” he said, adding that they were probably sold for around 50,000 pounds each. Brand then tracked down the French dealer, who pointed them towards an unnamed British aristocratic family living north of London. “It ended up in the garden of an English nobleman, who did not know that it was world heritage, where they would stay like 15 years,” he said. The owners were so shocked when told the truth that “they wanted to throw the artworks into a river and let them disappear forever. Fortunately we managed to convinced them not to,” said Brand. It was yet another success for Brand, who was in the headlines last year for returning a stolen 1,600-yearold mosaic to Cyprus that was found in the possession of a similarly unwitting British family. He won world fame in 2015 after finding “Hitler’s Horses”, two bronze statues made by Nazi sculptor Joseph Thorak. (afp)

NIKLAS HALLE’N / AFP

Dutch art detective Arthur Brand poses for a photograph with two limestone Visigoth reliefs from the 7th century in north London on January 20, 2019, the reliefs, depicting evangelists, where both stolen from the Maria del Lara Church in Spain.

International

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

INDONESIAN INDONESIAN

11

ELECTION 2019

Ma`ruf Amin invites ulemas to maintain Indonesia`s unity

IBP/ant

Indonesia plans to create eco-friendly cities through better waste management NUSA DUA - Indonesia, through its Ministry of Environment and Forestry, has planned to create eco-friendly cities across the country on an ongoing basis by striving to implement better waste management practices. The plan and concept of ecofriendly cities was announced by the ministry at the 10th High-Level Seminar on Sustainable Cities attended by participants from ASEAN member countries and its partners in Nusa Dua, Bali, on January 21-23, 2019. “The high-level seminar, held since 2017, has expanded its focus to a multidimensional nature of urban development, especially environmental issues. Hence, Indonesia strives to focus on waste management in urban areas in order to create eco-friendly cities,” Director General of Waste and Toxic Hazardous Materials Management of the Environment and Forestry Ministry Rosa Vivien Ratnawati stated here on Monday. Ratnawati explained that since 2015, the percentage of Indonesians living in urban areas has been higher than those living in villages, reaching 59.35 percent of the total population. Moreover, she remarked that some 82.37 percent of the Indonesian population is projected to live in urban areas by 2045. “This will have an impact on the landfill and waste management in cities due to increase in human activities,” she pointed out. Ratnawati further stressed that waste-related problems in turn not

only affect the quality of health and the environment at the local level but also at the global level. “This is especially applies to plastic waste that has spread globally through seas and polluted them,” Ratnawati remarked. Hence, she added that the Indonesian government has committed to conducting better waste management as is reflected in Presidential Regulation No. 97 of 2017 on National Policies and Strategies for Household Waste Management. The regulation mandated the central and local governments to manage to achieve 100 percent waste management comprising 30 percent waste reduction and 70 percent waste recycling. Based on the fact that Indonesia is an archipelagic country that gives importance to the sea as a vital asset, the government has prioritized to solve the problem of marine plastic waste. The Indonesian government has issued Presidential Regulation No. 83 of 2018 on Marine Waste Management aimed at reducing 70 percent of the waste leaking into the sea by 2025. In addition to environmental issues, the High-Level Seminar on Sustainable Cities focused on aligning national development planning with the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. The High-Level Seminar on Sustainable Cities is a forum for policy makers, experts, and practitioners in the field of sustainable urban development in the East and Southeast Asia region. (ant)

BANDUNG - Vice presidential candidate Ma`ruf Amin invited kyai (Islamic teachers) and ulemas (clerics) to maintain the national unity and integrity of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia from various challenges and threats. “Indonesia has often faced challenges and efforts to replace the state ideology Pancasila despite the fact that it has actually been proven to unite the nation within the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia,” said Ma`ruf Amin said here on Sunday, Jan 20. Speaking before the clerics and scholars of Bandung Raya in a gathering held at the Riyadhul Huda Islamic Boarding School, in Ngamprah District, West Bandung District, he said there has been an ideological war, even though the founders of the nation have agreed that the ideology of the Indonesian state is Pancasila. “This has become the agreement of all the founders of the nation, so if anyone wants to change the ideology but not according to the agreement, it will be rejected,” he said. On this occasion, Ma`ruf Amin, reminded the kyais and ulemas of continuing to become the loyalists of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia in accordance with the agreement of the founding fathers of the nation. Ma`ruf Amin, who arrived at Riyadhul Huda Islamic Boarding School at around 09:00 a.m., was greeted by santri (students) who marched from the inner gate to the courtyard of the head of the Islamic boarding school, while praying. Kiai Ma`ruf and his entourage passed the line of the santri to the meeting room, next to the house of the boarding school. Present at the gathering were Deputy Chairperson of the Indonesian House of Representatives Commission VIII Ace Hasan Syadzilly, Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI)-West Bandung District Chapter KH Muhammad Ridwan, and Mayor of Cirebon Nasrudin Azis. In his speech, KH Muhammad Ridwan said that the clerics and ulemas in Bandung Raya were honored to receive a visit from

Kyai Ma`ruf in West Java Province. He hoped that Kyai Ma`ruf could advance West Bandung District after later succeeding in becoming Vice President. “I have the honor to welcome Kyai Ma`ruf to this West Bandung District. The district is still quite young, and resulted from the division of Bandung District,” he said. (ant)

10

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Destination

International

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

International

Tsitsipas and Collins live the dream and make Open semis

MELBOURNE - Greek rising star Stefanos Tsitsipas was living the dream Tuesday after powering into the Australian Open semi-finals where he was joined by fellow giant-killer and Grand Slam last four debutant Danielle Collins.

Ambengan Rice Terrace SINGARAJA - Tourism is one of the most important industry in Bali. Usually, foreigners choose to explore the village of Bali for tracking, camping and much more. One of the popular destination to go is in the North Bali where the surrounding is very exotic and beautiful. Ambengan Village is none other one of those attractions village tourist loves to explore especially for their waterfalls, natural pools, rice terrace and so much more. Ambengan Village is located in the village of Sukasada sub-district Ambengan, District of Buleleng, Bali. It is about 120 km from Ngurah Rai International Airport and 5 km from the city of Singaraja. Travellers can use vehicle such as motorbikes or car to go to Ambengan. They could rent a car near Ngurah Rai airport or around the town of Singaraja beacuse the route to Ambengan Village is quite easy where they just

have to lead the vehicle to Bedugul or Singaraja. Then passed by one of the tourist area of Bedugul, Gitgit, to go forward to Singaraja. You will pass through the route overviewing the rice terrace. There will be a tjunction in Bangkiang Sidem River and a sharp turn towards to the left, turn to the left and you will reach your destination! The village is formerly known as Pebantenan, after a surge of water of Lake Tamblingan back in 22 November 1815 which caused 17 villages submerged in mud as deep as 20-40 feet, the survived communities were relocated to Ambengan Village East which is called by the name of Sukadana. It is named after the fertile soil. The village is often used as a resting place or pitstop by traders in Bali. The existence of weeds called Ambengan is main factor for the pitstop of traders which eventually caused

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the village to be named Ambengan rather than Sukadana. The Ambengan Village is cited in the green hills above the Sukasada (soil) and majority of citizens are farmers. The village is dotted by rice field which creates a potential trade between the the local and corporations. It has been said that this helps a lot with the economy. Other than having rice terrace, Ambengan Village also has more than four waterfalls and several natural ponds which commonly referred to as a hidden garden, where visitors can swim while enjoying the cool eve. There are also other attractions you can find near to Ambegan Village such as the River Terrace, beach, Harbor of Buleleng and such. You can spend the night here as well as there are quality Inn or hotels you can stay at while trying restaurants which sell kosher culinary specialties of Bali. (IBP/net)

William WEST / AFP

Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas hits a return against Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut during their men’s singles quarter-final match on day nine of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 22, 2019.

The 20-year-old, who ended Swiss great Roger Federer’s tournament, reinforced his new-found status with a measured 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) win over Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut on Rod Laver Arena that left him emotional. In doing so, the 14th seed became the youngest man to reach the semis at Melbourne Park since Andy Roddick in 2003 and the first player from Greece -- man or woman -- to get so far at Grand Slam. Unseeded American Collins, the world number 35, had never won a Grand Slam match before entering this year’s tournament but she stunned three-time major champion and second seed Angelique Kerber in round four. And the 25-year-old from Florida continued her fairytale run by bouncing back spectacularly to down Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the quarter-finals. Tsitsipas’s exploits line him up with semi-final against either fellow young gun Frances Tiafoe of the United States or 17-time Grand Slam-winning Spaniard Rafael Nadal. “I’m just living the dream, living what I’ve been working hard for,” said Tsitsipas, who lives in Cyprus but trains at the academy of Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou in France. “I feel a bit emotional but not too much -– I know I really worked hard to get here, playing in semis of a Grand Slam.” Bautista Agut, seeded 22, acknowledged Tsitsipas was playing well, but with Nadal and Novak Djokovic still in the tournament he doesn’t give him much chance of winning the title. “Of course, he has a lot of time to improve, a lot of time to get enough experience to be in the finals of these tournaments,” he said. “But here I think Rafa and Novak are my favourites.” (afp)

76ers shoot down Rockets, George leads Thumder romp

NEW YORK - Philadelphia big man Joel Embiid scored 32 points and grabbed 14 rebounds Monday as the 76ers withstood a 37-point performance from James Harden in a 121-93 NBA victory over the Houston Rockets. Harden notched his 20th straight game with 30 or more points, but the Rockets were no match for the 76ers in a sometimes testy encounter. Embiid added two assists, two steals and three blocked shots, provoking the ire of Harden in the final minute of the first half when he leaned in to guard the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player as he drove toward the basket. Harden hit the court and as he rose the two traded words, both drawing technical fouls. Embiid then blocked a Harden shot from behind as the half ended with the 76ers leading 65-50.

Philadelphia out-scored the Rockets 29-13 in the third period pushing their lead to as many as 31 points. With the game out of reach, Harden sat out a fourth quarter that saw both team’s starters mostly on the bench. “We stayed to one philosophy and that’s moving the ball, sharing the ball, playing together,” Embiid said of how the 76ers dominated despite the absence of Jimmy Butler. “I think we did that pretty well tonight.” In New York, Oklahoma City’s Paul George scored 31 points while Russell Westbrook added 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists as the Thunder routed the Knicks 127-109. Germany’s Dennis Schroder added 17 points off the bench while Jerami Grant and reserve Abdel Nader each contributed 16 points for Oklahoma City (28-18) in the

Martin Luther King Jr. holiday romp. “This is my first time playing on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It’s an honor to play on the holiday, a great honor,” George said. The Thunder jumped ahead 34-16 after the first quarter and never looked back after quieting the Madison Square Garden crowd. “We’ve been talking about having a better start in every game,” George said. “And you want to play at a high level when you come to Madison.” The Thunder, third in the Western Conference behind defending NBA champion Golden State and Denver, is keeping a focus on the playoffs even as they take care of business during the season. Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Knicks (10-36) with 23 points, but New York’s losing streak stretched to six games. (afp)

Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE / Getty Images / AFP

Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers goes to the basket against the Houston Rockets on January 21, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

8

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Rashford comes in from the cold at Man United Marcus Rashford was in danger of seeing his dream of becoming Manchester United’s star striker turn to dust but the England forward is flourishing again after escaping Jose Mourinho’s shackles. Three years after exploding onto the Premier League scene, Rashford marked his 150th United appearance on Saturday with a memorable goal that underlined his vast potential.

Smoothly turning away from Brighton’s Pascal Gross, Rashford curled a fine shot into the top corner as United sealed a seventh successive win since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over as interim manager. Solskjaer’s arrival in December to replace the sacked Mourinho has proved a catalyst for United’s surge, and Rashford has been at the heart of their success. Rashford has scored five times in six league

matches following the Norwegian’s appointment, earning comparisons from his manager with former United stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. “Definitely he can be absolutely top-class. He is only 21 but the maturity he is showing at times is more than 21,” Solskjaer said when asked if Rashford was capable of emulating Ronaldo and Rooney. Born in the south Manchester suburb of

Wythenshawe, Rashford has long appeared destined to join the lengthy list of homegrown United legends. He joined the club as a sevenyear-old and was so highly regarded that the notoriously demanding Louis van Gaal handed him his debut in a Europa League tie against Midtjylland in February 2016. The coltish Rashford netted twice that night, before scoring another brace against Arsenal in

his first Premier League game three days later. He also scored in his first Manchester derby match and his first Champions League match, earning an England call-up that featured -- what else -- a debut goal. Scoring against Australia in the third minute, Rashford became the youngest Englishman to net on his international bow. But following Mourinho’s arrival, it quickly became clear that Rashford’s precocious talent would be tolerated but not fully trusted by the Portuguese coach. Mourinho rarely gave Rashford a sustained run of games as a centre forward, preferring to use him on the flanks while Romelu Lukaku monopolised playing time, even though the Belgian was often inconsistent. - Hunger and desire -

Lindsey PARNABY / AFP

In this file photo taken on January 2, 2019 Manchester United’s English striker Marcus Rashford celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Manchester United at St James’ Park in Newcastleupon-Tyne. Marcus Rashford was in danger of becoming Manchester United’s forgotten man, but the England forward is finally flourishing again after escaping Jose Mourinho’s shackles.

By the early stages of this season, Rashford was growing disillusioned. He scored just twice for United between August and December, and Mourinho’s acerbic tongue hardly helped ease his player’s fears that his career was stalling. Sent off at Burnley in September for a headbutt, Rashford was labelled “naive” by Mourinho. It was not the last time he would be one of Mourinho’s sacrificial lambs. “When we talk about Luke Shaw, about (Anthony) Martial, about (Jesse) Lingard, about Marcus Rashford, we’re talking about boys with great potential but who still are lacking that (courage),” Mourinho moaned in November. Thankfully for Rashford’s flagging morale, that proved one of Mourinho’s last salvos before his unlamented exit. Solskjaer knows a thing or two about persevering in adversity at United after thriving under Alex Ferguson despite often being used as an impact substitute. His refusal to be defined by his understudy role was rewarded when he scored the dramatic winner in the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich. Feeling a kinship with Rashford, Solskjaer was quick to seek him out when he arrived at United’s Carrington training ground, mak-

ing a point of rebuilding his shattered confidence by assuring him the goals would come as long as he persevered. Putting in the hard yards has never been a problem for Rashford, who is so dedicated to his craft that he spends hours after training honing his skills while most of his teammates have long since gone home. “Marcus just wants to learn. He’s on the training pitch all the time and at times you have to drag him off, because he just wants to be out there,” United defender Ashley Yo u n g said. “It’s fantastic to see, he’s got that hunger, that desire, he’s a winner.” For Solskjaer, a devotee of United’s purist principles, the pace and poise of Rashford was the ideal building block for his revamped attack. His strike against Brighton was his 41st goal for United, with Ronaldo having scored 25 times and Rooney 45 times after 150 games. Unchained by Solskjaer, Rashford is the leading man at last and United are reaping the rewards. (afp)

9

Ronaldo faces multi-million tax fraud fine in Madrid court Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Madrid on Tuesday for a court date in which he could be fined 18.8 million euros ($21.4 mil-

lion) for tax fraud in a d e a l reached with the Spanish taxman. A s part of an agreement arranged in June with the former Real Madrid hero’s lawyers, prosecutors are also asking that the Portuguese attacker, who last summer left the Spanish capital for Italian champions Juventus, be handed a 23-month jail sentence. However Ronaldo would not spend a day in prison as sentences of up to two years are generally not enforced in Spain for first-time offenders in non-violent crimes. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner did not speak to the crowd of reporters waiting behind blue police barriers for him to arrive at the court in northeastern Madrid for the hear-

ing, which is expected to last just a few minutes as the deal is officially presented to the judge. Dressed in black and wearing dark sunglasses, a smiling Ronaldo climbed up the courthouse steps holding hands with his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez. The judge will give the final sentence on Tuesday or the coming days, according to a court spokesman. Ronaldo’s lawyers had asked that he be allowed to enter the building by car to avoid the media spotlight. But the court president refused the request, saying that despite his “great fame”, he wouldn’t “compromise security” at the building, according to a court document. Ronaldo’s request to appear via videoconference was also denied.

Xabi Alonso will appear at the same Madrid court on Tuesday on a separate tax evasion charge. Public prosecutors are demanding that Alonso be handed a five-year jail sentence and pay a fine of four million euros. Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, once Ronaldo’s big La Liga rival, paid a twomillion-euro fine in 2016 in his own tax wrangle and received a 21-month jail term. The prison sentence was later reduced to a further fine of 252,000 euros, equivalent to 400 euros per day of the original term.

- Accused of rape in US -

But Ronaldo’s legal wrangles won’t be over soon after a probe was opened in October in the United States where a former American model accused him of raping her in Las Vegas in 2009. Police in the US city recently asked Italian authorities for a DNA sample from the footballer. Ronaldo has always strenuously denied the accusations. In a New Year’s Eve interview with Portuguese sports daily Record, he said he had a “calm conscience” and was “confident that everything will very soon be clarified”. (afp)

- Offshore companies -

Madrid prosecutors opened a probe into Ronaldo in June 2017 and he was questioned in July that same year. “I have never hidden anything, nor have I had the intention of evading taxes,” he told the court then, according to a statement from the sports agency which represents him, Gestifute. Prosecutors accuse him of having used companies in lowtax foreign jurisdictions -- notably the British Virgin Islands and Ireland -- to avoid having to pay the tax due in Spain on his image rights between 2011 and 2014. His lawyers said there had been a difference in interpretation of what was and was not taxable in Spain. The deal between Spain’s taxman and his lawyers has allowed Ronaldo to avoid having to sit through a long trial that could have damaged his image and seen him handed a heftier sentence. Ronaldo is not the only footballer to have fallen foul of Spain’s tax authorities. His former Real Madrid team-mate

OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP

Juventus’ forward and former Real Madrid player Cristiano Ronaldo leaves with his Spanish girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez after attending a court hearing for tax evasion in Madrid on January 22, 2019.

Cardiff striker Sala feared missing in plane crash: French police Premier League club Cardiff City’s record new signing, Argentina-born striker Emiliano Sala, was

on board a light aircraft that disappeared over the English Channel on Monday night, police sources told AFP.

This file photo taken on January 13, 2019 shows Nantes’ Argentinian forward Emiliano Sala during the French L1 football match between Nantes and Rennes at La Beaujoire stadium in Nantes. Cardiff striker Emiliano Sala was on board of a missing plane that vanished from radar off Alderney in the Channel Islands according to French police sources on January 22, 2019.

Sala, signed by Cardiff on Saturday from French club Nantes for a reported 17 million euro ($19.3 million) fee, was flying to Cardiff aboard a small plane that disappeared from radars around 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of the island of Guernsey. A statement from police on Guernsey, a British island just off the coast of France, said lifeboats and helicopters had searched for several hours for the plane, which had two people on board, without success.

“The search was terminated at 02:00, with all search and rescue assets being stood down, due to strengthening winds, worsening sea conditions and reducing visibility,” the statement said. Helicopters from the British and French coastguard joined renewed efforts on Tuesday morning to find the plane which is thought to have crashed. Sala, 28, who had been at Nantes since 2016 and had scored 12 league goals this season, had signed a three-and-a-half-year contract

with relegation-threatened Cardiff subject to receiving international clearance. When he put pen to paper at Cardiff on Saturday, he said in a statement: “I’m very happy to be here. It gives me great pleasure and I can’t wait to start training, meet my new team-mates and get down to work. “For me it feels special (to be the club’s record signing). I have come here wanting to work and to help my team-mates and the club.” (afp)

8

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Rashford comes in from the cold at Man United Marcus Rashford was in danger of seeing his dream of becoming Manchester United’s star striker turn to dust but the England forward is flourishing again after escaping Jose Mourinho’s shackles. Three years after exploding onto the Premier League scene, Rashford marked his 150th United appearance on Saturday with a memorable goal that underlined his vast potential.

Smoothly turning away from Brighton’s Pascal Gross, Rashford curled a fine shot into the top corner as United sealed a seventh successive win since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over as interim manager. Solskjaer’s arrival in December to replace the sacked Mourinho has proved a catalyst for United’s surge, and Rashford has been at the heart of their success. Rashford has scored five times in six league

matches following the Norwegian’s appointment, earning comparisons from his manager with former United stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. “Definitely he can be absolutely top-class. He is only 21 but the maturity he is showing at times is more than 21,” Solskjaer said when asked if Rashford was capable of emulating Ronaldo and Rooney. Born in the south Manchester suburb of

Wythenshawe, Rashford has long appeared destined to join the lengthy list of homegrown United legends. He joined the club as a sevenyear-old and was so highly regarded that the notoriously demanding Louis van Gaal handed him his debut in a Europa League tie against Midtjylland in February 2016. The coltish Rashford netted twice that night, before scoring another brace against Arsenal in

his first Premier League game three days later. He also scored in his first Manchester derby match and his first Champions League match, earning an England call-up that featured -- what else -- a debut goal. Scoring against Australia in the third minute, Rashford became the youngest Englishman to net on his international bow. But following Mourinho’s arrival, it quickly became clear that Rashford’s precocious talent would be tolerated but not fully trusted by the Portuguese coach. Mourinho rarely gave Rashford a sustained run of games as a centre forward, preferring to use him on the flanks while Romelu Lukaku monopolised playing time, even though the Belgian was often inconsistent. - Hunger and desire -

Lindsey PARNABY / AFP

In this file photo taken on January 2, 2019 Manchester United’s English striker Marcus Rashford celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Manchester United at St James’ Park in Newcastleupon-Tyne. Marcus Rashford was in danger of becoming Manchester United’s forgotten man, but the England forward is finally flourishing again after escaping Jose Mourinho’s shackles.

By the early stages of this season, Rashford was growing disillusioned. He scored just twice for United between August and December, and Mourinho’s acerbic tongue hardly helped ease his player’s fears that his career was stalling. Sent off at Burnley in September for a headbutt, Rashford was labelled “naive” by Mourinho. It was not the last time he would be one of Mourinho’s sacrificial lambs. “When we talk about Luke Shaw, about (Anthony) Martial, about (Jesse) Lingard, about Marcus Rashford, we’re talking about boys with great potential but who still are lacking that (courage),” Mourinho moaned in November. Thankfully for Rashford’s flagging morale, that proved one of Mourinho’s last salvos before his unlamented exit. Solskjaer knows a thing or two about persevering in adversity at United after thriving under Alex Ferguson despite often being used as an impact substitute. His refusal to be defined by his understudy role was rewarded when he scored the dramatic winner in the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich. Feeling a kinship with Rashford, Solskjaer was quick to seek him out when he arrived at United’s Carrington training ground, mak-

ing a point of rebuilding his shattered confidence by assuring him the goals would come as long as he persevered. Putting in the hard yards has never been a problem for Rashford, who is so dedicated to his craft that he spends hours after training honing his skills while most of his teammates have long since gone home. “Marcus just wants to learn. He’s on the training pitch all the time and at times you have to drag him off, because he just wants to be out there,” United defender Ashley Yo u n g said. “It’s fantastic to see, he’s got that hunger, that desire, he’s a winner.” For Solskjaer, a devotee of United’s purist principles, the pace and poise of Rashford was the ideal building block for his revamped attack. His strike against Brighton was his 41st goal for United, with Ronaldo having scored 25 times and Rooney 45 times after 150 games. Unchained by Solskjaer, Rashford is the leading man at last and United are reaping the rewards. (afp)

9

Ronaldo faces multi-million tax fraud fine in Madrid court Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Madrid on Tuesday for a court date in which he could be fined 18.8 million euros ($21.4 mil-

lion) for tax fraud in a d e a l reached with the Spanish taxman. A s part of an agreement arranged in June with the former Real Madrid hero’s lawyers, prosecutors are also asking that the Portuguese attacker, who last summer left the Spanish capital for Italian champions Juventus, be handed a 23-month jail sentence. However Ronaldo would not spend a day in prison as sentences of up to two years are generally not enforced in Spain for first-time offenders in non-violent crimes. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner did not speak to the crowd of reporters waiting behind blue police barriers for him to arrive at the court in northeastern Madrid for the hear-

ing, which is expected to last just a few minutes as the deal is officially presented to the judge. Dressed in black and wearing dark sunglasses, a smiling Ronaldo climbed up the courthouse steps holding hands with his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez. The judge will give the final sentence on Tuesday or the coming days, according to a court spokesman. Ronaldo’s lawyers had asked that he be allowed to enter the building by car to avoid the media spotlight. But the court president refused the request, saying that despite his “great fame”, he wouldn’t “compromise security” at the building, according to a court document. Ronaldo’s request to appear via videoconference was also denied.

Xabi Alonso will appear at the same Madrid court on Tuesday on a separate tax evasion charge. Public prosecutors are demanding that Alonso be handed a five-year jail sentence and pay a fine of four million euros. Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, once Ronaldo’s big La Liga rival, paid a twomillion-euro fine in 2016 in his own tax wrangle and received a 21-month jail term. The prison sentence was later reduced to a further fine of 252,000 euros, equivalent to 400 euros per day of the original term.

- Accused of rape in US -

But Ronaldo’s legal wrangles won’t be over soon after a probe was opened in October in the United States where a former American model accused him of raping her in Las Vegas in 2009. Police in the US city recently asked Italian authorities for a DNA sample from the footballer. Ronaldo has always strenuously denied the accusations. In a New Year’s Eve interview with Portuguese sports daily Record, he said he had a “calm conscience” and was “confident that everything will very soon be clarified”. (afp)

- Offshore companies -

Madrid prosecutors opened a probe into Ronaldo in June 2017 and he was questioned in July that same year. “I have never hidden anything, nor have I had the intention of evading taxes,” he told the court then, according to a statement from the sports agency which represents him, Gestifute. Prosecutors accuse him of having used companies in lowtax foreign jurisdictions -- notably the British Virgin Islands and Ireland -- to avoid having to pay the tax due in Spain on his image rights between 2011 and 2014. His lawyers said there had been a difference in interpretation of what was and was not taxable in Spain. The deal between Spain’s taxman and his lawyers has allowed Ronaldo to avoid having to sit through a long trial that could have damaged his image and seen him handed a heftier sentence. Ronaldo is not the only footballer to have fallen foul of Spain’s tax authorities. His former Real Madrid team-mate

OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP

Juventus’ forward and former Real Madrid player Cristiano Ronaldo leaves with his Spanish girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez after attending a court hearing for tax evasion in Madrid on January 22, 2019.

Cardiff striker Sala feared missing in plane crash: French police Premier League club Cardiff City’s record new signing, Argentina-born striker Emiliano Sala, was

on board a light aircraft that disappeared over the English Channel on Monday night, police sources told AFP.

This file photo taken on January 13, 2019 shows Nantes’ Argentinian forward Emiliano Sala during the French L1 football match between Nantes and Rennes at La Beaujoire stadium in Nantes. Cardiff striker Emiliano Sala was on board of a missing plane that vanished from radar off Alderney in the Channel Islands according to French police sources on January 22, 2019.

Sala, signed by Cardiff on Saturday from French club Nantes for a reported 17 million euro ($19.3 million) fee, was flying to Cardiff aboard a small plane that disappeared from radars around 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of the island of Guernsey. A statement from police on Guernsey, a British island just off the coast of France, said lifeboats and helicopters had searched for several hours for the plane, which had two people on board, without success.

“The search was terminated at 02:00, with all search and rescue assets being stood down, due to strengthening winds, worsening sea conditions and reducing visibility,” the statement said. Helicopters from the British and French coastguard joined renewed efforts on Tuesday morning to find the plane which is thought to have crashed. Sala, 28, who had been at Nantes since 2016 and had scored 12 league goals this season, had signed a three-and-a-half-year contract

with relegation-threatened Cardiff subject to receiving international clearance. When he put pen to paper at Cardiff on Saturday, he said in a statement: “I’m very happy to be here. It gives me great pleasure and I can’t wait to start training, meet my new team-mates and get down to work. “For me it feels special (to be the club’s record signing). I have come here wanting to work and to help my team-mates and the club.” (afp)

10

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Destination

International

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

International

Tsitsipas and Collins live the dream and make Open semis

MELBOURNE - Greek rising star Stefanos Tsitsipas was living the dream Tuesday after powering into the Australian Open semi-finals where he was joined by fellow giant-killer and Grand Slam last four debutant Danielle Collins.

Ambengan Rice Terrace SINGARAJA - Tourism is one of the most important industry in Bali. Usually, foreigners choose to explore the village of Bali for tracking, camping and much more. One of the popular destination to go is in the North Bali where the surrounding is very exotic and beautiful. Ambengan Village is none other one of those attractions village tourist loves to explore especially for their waterfalls, natural pools, rice terrace and so much more. Ambengan Village is located in the village of Sukasada sub-district Ambengan, District of Buleleng, Bali. It is about 120 km from Ngurah Rai International Airport and 5 km from the city of Singaraja. Travellers can use vehicle such as motorbikes or car to go to Ambengan. They could rent a car near Ngurah Rai airport or around the town of Singaraja beacuse the route to Ambengan Village is quite easy where they just

have to lead the vehicle to Bedugul or Singaraja. Then passed by one of the tourist area of Bedugul, Gitgit, to go forward to Singaraja. You will pass through the route overviewing the rice terrace. There will be a tjunction in Bangkiang Sidem River and a sharp turn towards to the left, turn to the left and you will reach your destination! The village is formerly known as Pebantenan, after a surge of water of Lake Tamblingan back in 22 November 1815 which caused 17 villages submerged in mud as deep as 20-40 feet, the survived communities were relocated to Ambengan Village East which is called by the name of Sukadana. It is named after the fertile soil. The village is often used as a resting place or pitstop by traders in Bali. The existence of weeds called Ambengan is main factor for the pitstop of traders which eventually caused

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the village to be named Ambengan rather than Sukadana. The Ambengan Village is cited in the green hills above the Sukasada (soil) and majority of citizens are farmers. The village is dotted by rice field which creates a potential trade between the the local and corporations. It has been said that this helps a lot with the economy. Other than having rice terrace, Ambengan Village also has more than four waterfalls and several natural ponds which commonly referred to as a hidden garden, where visitors can swim while enjoying the cool eve. There are also other attractions you can find near to Ambegan Village such as the River Terrace, beach, Harbor of Buleleng and such. You can spend the night here as well as there are quality Inn or hotels you can stay at while trying restaurants which sell kosher culinary specialties of Bali. (IBP/net)

William WEST / AFP

Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas hits a return against Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut during their men’s singles quarter-final match on day nine of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 22, 2019.

The 20-year-old, who ended Swiss great Roger Federer’s tournament, reinforced his new-found status with a measured 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) win over Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut on Rod Laver Arena that left him emotional. In doing so, the 14th seed became the youngest man to reach the semis at Melbourne Park since Andy Roddick in 2003 and the first player from Greece -- man or woman -- to get so far at Grand Slam. Unseeded American Collins, the world number 35, had never won a Grand Slam match before entering this year’s tournament but she stunned three-time major champion and second seed Angelique Kerber in round four. And the 25-year-old from Florida continued her fairytale run by bouncing back spectacularly to down Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the quarter-finals. Tsitsipas’s exploits line him up with semi-final against either fellow young gun Frances Tiafoe of the United States or 17-time Grand Slam-winning Spaniard Rafael Nadal. “I’m just living the dream, living what I’ve been working hard for,” said Tsitsipas, who lives in Cyprus but trains at the academy of Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou in France. “I feel a bit emotional but not too much -– I know I really worked hard to get here, playing in semis of a Grand Slam.” Bautista Agut, seeded 22, acknowledged Tsitsipas was playing well, but with Nadal and Novak Djokovic still in the tournament he doesn’t give him much chance of winning the title. “Of course, he has a lot of time to improve, a lot of time to get enough experience to be in the finals of these tournaments,” he said. “But here I think Rafa and Novak are my favourites.” (afp)

76ers shoot down Rockets, George leads Thumder romp

NEW YORK - Philadelphia big man Joel Embiid scored 32 points and grabbed 14 rebounds Monday as the 76ers withstood a 37-point performance from James Harden in a 121-93 NBA victory over the Houston Rockets. Harden notched his 20th straight game with 30 or more points, but the Rockets were no match for the 76ers in a sometimes testy encounter. Embiid added two assists, two steals and three blocked shots, provoking the ire of Harden in the final minute of the first half when he leaned in to guard the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player as he drove toward the basket. Harden hit the court and as he rose the two traded words, both drawing technical fouls. Embiid then blocked a Harden shot from behind as the half ended with the 76ers leading 65-50.

Philadelphia out-scored the Rockets 29-13 in the third period pushing their lead to as many as 31 points. With the game out of reach, Harden sat out a fourth quarter that saw both team’s starters mostly on the bench. “We stayed to one philosophy and that’s moving the ball, sharing the ball, playing together,” Embiid said of how the 76ers dominated despite the absence of Jimmy Butler. “I think we did that pretty well tonight.” In New York, Oklahoma City’s Paul George scored 31 points while Russell Westbrook added 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists as the Thunder routed the Knicks 127-109. Germany’s Dennis Schroder added 17 points off the bench while Jerami Grant and reserve Abdel Nader each contributed 16 points for Oklahoma City (28-18) in the

Martin Luther King Jr. holiday romp. “This is my first time playing on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It’s an honor to play on the holiday, a great honor,” George said. The Thunder jumped ahead 34-16 after the first quarter and never looked back after quieting the Madison Square Garden crowd. “We’ve been talking about having a better start in every game,” George said. “And you want to play at a high level when you come to Madison.” The Thunder, third in the Western Conference behind defending NBA champion Golden State and Denver, is keeping a focus on the playoffs even as they take care of business during the season. Tim Hardaway Jr. led the Knicks (10-36) with 23 points, but New York’s losing streak stretched to six games. (afp)

Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE / Getty Images / AFP

Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers goes to the basket against the Houston Rockets on January 21, 2019 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

6

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

W

RLD

CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP

In this photograph taken on January 16, 2019, international followers of the Indian spiritual guru Chidanand Saraswati perform Hindu rituals on the banks of the holy Sangam -- the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers -- at the Kumbh Mela festival in Allahabad.

Foreigners gather at India’s religious mega festival

ALLAHABAD - At the Kumbh Mela, the world’s biggest religious event, millions of Indian Hindus are not the only people bathing in the sacred waters to wash away their sins.

Foreigners too are among the ascetics, saints, sadhus and spectators thronging the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers in northern India for what is billed as humanity’s biggest gathering. Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati grew up in a Jewish family in California but moved in 1996 to an ashram in Rishikesh -- the town made famous internationally when the Beatles visited in 1968 -- and changed her life and her name. “I was on holiday with a backpack and when I got to Rishikesh, on the banks of the sacred Ganges, I had a very very deep, very very powerful spiritual awakening experience which made me realise where I need to be, where I need to spend my life,” she told AFP. The 47-year-old is among the worshippers taking a dip at the Kumbh, which is expected to attract well over 100 million people over the next seven weeks. “The reason we take a bath in the sacred waters is to achieve immortality... immortality of the soul,” she said. “It felt amazing, it always feels amazing... Normally only the body gets wet but here you actually feel like your inner self is getting wet, your heart, your soul is getting wet, your spirit... The depth of my being is being touched.” A record 22.5 million people plunged into the waters on the first day of the Kumbh last Tuesday, according

to local officials. Nearly 30,000 police helped by drones buzzing overhead have been deployed to oversee crowds and prevent stampedes. A vast tent city with restaurants, roads and marketplaces has sprung up along the river, with pilgrims camped out across a sprawling 45-square-kilometre (17-square-mile) zone. Westerners who have immersed themselves in Hindu spirituality include Baba Rampuri, who claims to be the first foreigner to be initiated into India’s largest and most ancient order of yogis, the Naga Sannyasis of Juna Akhara. The surgeon’s son -- reportedly born William A. Gans -- grew up in Beverly Hills and moved to India in 1970, and like Saraswati is active on Facebook and Twitter. “I am not a great believer in modern technology, or the consumerist messages being sent out through the medium, but we have to make people aware that we exist,” he told the Indian Express. Another is Sir James Mallinson, the dreadlocked fifth baronet of Walthamstow and British academic ordained as a mahant, or Hindu priest, in 2013. He also runs a paragliding firm in the Himalayas. Many of the foreigners at the Kumbh are simple tourists though, keen to see the ash-smeared, pipesmoking Naga sadhus, naked except for beads and flower garlands. One ascetic has had his right arm raised for seven years. Another has been standing for eight months and aims to do so for another 43 months. (afp)

International

‘Indiana Jones of art’ finds stolen Spanish carvings in English garden

THE HAGUE - A Dutch art detective has returned two priceless stone reliefs stolen from an ancient Spanish church after tracing them to an English nobleman’s garden where they were displayed as ornaments. Arthur Brand, dubbed the “Indiana Jones of the art world”, said he handed over the centuries-old carvings to the Spanish embassy in London at a private ceremony on Monday. It was the culmination of a long search for the artworks, which were snatched in 2004 from the Santa Maria de Lara church in northern Spain, believed to be at least 1,000 years old. They turned up in the garden of an aristocratic British family who had unwittingly bought them, and it was there that Brand found them covered in mud and leaves. “These artworks are priceless. To find them in a garden after searching for eight years is just incredible,” the art sleuth told AFP. “You can imagine how horrified they were to learn that their garden ornaments were in fact priceless stolen Spanish religious art.” The private investigator showed AFP the stone carvings -- one of which depicts John the Evangelist, author of one of the Gospels -- hours before they were handed back. The reliefs, said to weigh 50 kilos (110 pounds) each, were then handed to representatives of Spain’s Guardia Civil police force, who are collaborating in the case, and two museum curators from the northern city of Burgos. The Spanish embassy in London declined to comment. - ‘World heritage’ -

The hunt for the artworks could come straight from a detective novel. The church from which they were stolen is believed to date from the era of the Visigoths, with experts dating

it between the seventh and eleventh centuries. But in a huge blow the reliefs were snatched by professional art thieves in 2004, Brand said. In 2010 the intrepid sleuth first received word from an unnamed British informant that “something strange” had popped up in London, which eventually pointed him to a shadowy man Brand referred to as ‘Mr X’. “It turns out ‘Mr X’ saw a French dealer arriving with the reliefs by truck in London. They were put on offer as garden ornaments -- but Mr X recognised them as possible Visigoth religious artworks,” Brand said. “The guys who stole these wanted to sell it for a couple of millions or whatever, but they have soon find out that you can not sell these, so to make at least a little bit of money, they sold them as garden ornaments,” he said, adding that they were probably sold for around 50,000 pounds each. Brand then tracked down the French dealer, who pointed them towards an unnamed British aristocratic family living north of London. “It ended up in the garden of an English nobleman, who did not know that it was world heritage, where they would stay like 15 years,” he said. The owners were so shocked when told the truth that “they wanted to throw the artworks into a river and let them disappear forever. Fortunately we managed to convinced them not to,” said Brand. It was yet another success for Brand, who was in the headlines last year for returning a stolen 1,600-yearold mosaic to Cyprus that was found in the possession of a similarly unwitting British family. He won world fame in 2015 after finding “Hitler’s Horses”, two bronze statues made by Nazi sculptor Joseph Thorak. (afp)

NIKLAS HALLE’N / AFP

Dutch art detective Arthur Brand poses for a photograph with two limestone Visigoth reliefs from the 7th century in north London on January 20, 2019, the reliefs, depicting evangelists, where both stolen from the Maria del Lara Church in Spain.

International

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

INDONESIAN INDONESIAN

11

ELECTION 2019

Ma`ruf Amin invites ulemas to maintain Indonesia`s unity

IBP/ant

Indonesia plans to create eco-friendly cities through better waste management NUSA DUA - Indonesia, through its Ministry of Environment and Forestry, has planned to create eco-friendly cities across the country on an ongoing basis by striving to implement better waste management practices. The plan and concept of ecofriendly cities was announced by the ministry at the 10th High-Level Seminar on Sustainable Cities attended by participants from ASEAN member countries and its partners in Nusa Dua, Bali, on January 21-23, 2019. “The high-level seminar, held since 2017, has expanded its focus to a multidimensional nature of urban development, especially environmental issues. Hence, Indonesia strives to focus on waste management in urban areas in order to create eco-friendly cities,” Director General of Waste and Toxic Hazardous Materials Management of the Environment and Forestry Ministry Rosa Vivien Ratnawati stated here on Monday. Ratnawati explained that since 2015, the percentage of Indonesians living in urban areas has been higher than those living in villages, reaching 59.35 percent of the total population. Moreover, she remarked that some 82.37 percent of the Indonesian population is projected to live in urban areas by 2045. “This will have an impact on the landfill and waste management in cities due to increase in human activities,” she pointed out. Ratnawati further stressed that waste-related problems in turn not

only affect the quality of health and the environment at the local level but also at the global level. “This is especially applies to plastic waste that has spread globally through seas and polluted them,” Ratnawati remarked. Hence, she added that the Indonesian government has committed to conducting better waste management as is reflected in Presidential Regulation No. 97 of 2017 on National Policies and Strategies for Household Waste Management. The regulation mandated the central and local governments to manage to achieve 100 percent waste management comprising 30 percent waste reduction and 70 percent waste recycling. Based on the fact that Indonesia is an archipelagic country that gives importance to the sea as a vital asset, the government has prioritized to solve the problem of marine plastic waste. The Indonesian government has issued Presidential Regulation No. 83 of 2018 on Marine Waste Management aimed at reducing 70 percent of the waste leaking into the sea by 2025. In addition to environmental issues, the High-Level Seminar on Sustainable Cities focused on aligning national development planning with the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. The High-Level Seminar on Sustainable Cities is a forum for policy makers, experts, and practitioners in the field of sustainable urban development in the East and Southeast Asia region. (ant)

BANDUNG - Vice presidential candidate Ma`ruf Amin invited kyai (Islamic teachers) and ulemas (clerics) to maintain the national unity and integrity of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia from various challenges and threats. “Indonesia has often faced challenges and efforts to replace the state ideology Pancasila despite the fact that it has actually been proven to unite the nation within the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia,” said Ma`ruf Amin said here on Sunday, Jan 20. Speaking before the clerics and scholars of Bandung Raya in a gathering held at the Riyadhul Huda Islamic Boarding School, in Ngamprah District, West Bandung District, he said there has been an ideological war, even though the founders of the nation have agreed that the ideology of the Indonesian state is Pancasila. “This has become the agreement of all the founders of the nation, so if anyone wants to change the ideology but not according to the agreement, it will be rejected,” he said. On this occasion, Ma`ruf Amin, reminded the kyais and ulemas of continuing to become the loyalists of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia in accordance with the agreement of the founding fathers of the nation. Ma`ruf Amin, who arrived at Riyadhul Huda Islamic Boarding School at around 09:00 a.m., was greeted by santri (students) who marched from the inner gate to the courtyard of the head of the Islamic boarding school, while praying. Kiai Ma`ruf and his entourage passed the line of the santri to the meeting room, next to the house of the boarding school. Present at the gathering were Deputy Chairperson of the Indonesian House of Representatives Commission VIII Ace Hasan Syadzilly, Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI)-West Bandung District Chapter KH Muhammad Ridwan, and Mayor of Cirebon Nasrudin Azis. In his speech, KH Muhammad Ridwan said that the clerics and ulemas in Bandung Raya were honored to receive a visit from

Kyai Ma`ruf in West Java Province. He hoped that Kyai Ma`ruf could advance West Bandung District after later succeeding in becoming Vice President. “I have the honor to welcome Kyai Ma`ruf to this West Bandung District. The district is still quite young, and resulted from the division of Bandung District,” he said. (ant)

12

International

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Bali News

International

BUSINESS

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

5

China’s 2018 economic growth sinks to 3-decade low

BEIJING - China’s economic growth hit a threedecade low in 2018, adding to pressure on Beijing to beef up stimulus measures and settle a tariff war with Washington.

Growth slowed to 6.6 percent from 2017’s 6.9 percent as both the world’s appetite for China’s exports and domestic consumer spending weakened, official data showed Monday. Forecasters said they expect Beijing to try to shore up growth by making credit cheaper, raising government spending and adopting measures to encourage sales of autos and consumer goods. Communist leaders want to steer China toward slower, more self-sustaining growth driven by consumer spending instead of trade and investment. But the slowdown has been sharper than expected, prompting Beijing to boost spending on construction of roads and bridges and to order banks to lend more, especially to the entrepreneurs who generate most of China’s new jobs and wealth. “Downward pressure on the economy is increasing,” the commissioner of the National Bureau of Statistics, Ning Jizhe, said at a news conference. He cited import controls, volatile financial markets and declining investment spending as factors. Still, Ning insisted China can resist shocks, saying “the longterm trend of stability will not change.” Economic growth in 2018 was the lowest since 1990’s 3.9 percent following the violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests centered on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Growth in the last quarter of 2018 dipped to 6.4 percent — the lowest quarterly level since the 2008 global crisis — from the previous quarter’s 6.5 percent. “The government is expected to implement more fiscal and monetary stimulus measures to support economic growth,” Yanjun Lin of IHS Markit said in a report. Growth in investment, retail spending and factory activity all

Let’s Go Vacation to Taman Nusa

Have you already got an itinerary to fill in your next vacation? You can consider the Taman Nusa for your destination on school, Galungan and Kuningan, Christmas and New Year 2019 holidays. When having a promenade in tourist attractions, there is definitely endless word to tell about Indonesian culture. Spending holidays at the Taman Nusa can enrich your knowledge. Visitors can also expand their knowledge on the culture of the Indonesian people by looking directly, and getting involved in the cultural activities at Taman Nusa. The Taman Nusa as Indonesian cultural park located in Gianyar shows off the passage of time of the Indonesian people from the

Chinatopix via AP

In this Jan. 17, 2019, photo, women take a selfie as others tour at the Yu Garden decorated with pig statues for Lunar New Year in Shanghai. China’s 2018 economic growth fell to a three-decade low as activity cooled amid a tariff war with Washington. declined, though analysts pointed to a flicker of improvement in manufacturing in December. It grew by 5.7 percent over a year earlier, up 0.3 percentage points from November. Production of plastics, metals and specialized industrial machinery accelerated, “suggesting warming expectations for a pickup in investment,” Chaoping Zhu of J.P. Morgan Asset Management said in a report. The trade dispute with the U.S. is proving costly. Exports held up through most of 2018 despite President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes on Chinese imports in a fight over Beijing’s technology ambitions. But they contracted in December as the penalties began to depress U.S.

demand. The two sides have imposed tariff hikes of up to 25 percent on tens of billions of dollars of each other’s goods in the fight over U.S. complaints that Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over technology. Washington wants China to roll back plans for stateled industry development that its trading partners say violate its market-opening obligations. The trade dispute, and reports of job losses and tumbling sales of autos and real estate, have unnerved Chinese consumers that Beijing is counting on to drive growth. As pocketbooks snap shut, the downturn could worsen. China’s top trade envoy, Vice Premier Liu He, is due to visit Washington for talks Jan. 30-31.

Business groups and economists said a decision by Liu and his American counterpart, Robert Lighthizer, to get directly involved would suggest earlier talks by lower-level officials made progress. Trump said Saturday that trade relations with China were “going very well” and “a deal could very well happen.” Forecasters expect Chinese growth to bottom out this year as Beijing’s stimulus efforts gain traction. However, they have pushed back the time frame for that due to weakening exports. Public works spending “is shaping up to be the engine for 2019,” Iris Pang of ING said in a report. “However, non-infrastructure business activities will be dismal this year. And debt will grow.”

A meeting of Communist Party leaders in December promised tax cuts, better access to bank lending for entrepreneurs and other steps to help the private sector. Chinese leaders have been warning that any recovery would be “L-shaped,” meaning that companies and investors shouldn’t expect growth to rebound to the previous decade’s double-digit levels. Forecasters expect growth to decline further this year to 6.3 percent or lower. “China’s economy is likely to weaken further before growth stabilizes in the second half of the year on the back of expanded policy stimulus,” Julian EvansPritchard of Capital Economics said in a report. (ap)

pre-historic period, bronze period, kingdom period, cultural kampong, early Indonesia, independent Indonesia to the future of Indonesia. During the kingdom period, visitors can enjoy the splendor of one of the world’s masterpieces, namely the replica of Borobudur Temple, where visitors can climb

to the upper level of the stupa and feel like they are in the original Borobudur Temple in Central Java. In cultural kampong, there are more than 60 traditional buildings, where some of the traditional houses have been decades, even hundreds of years old. Similarly, there are several art

studios and art activities where visitors can be directly involved and interact with the culture itself. “Taking a leisurely walk in the morning or evening with family and friends will be more complete with Bali’s natural scenery such as mountains, rivers and amazing nature. No less attractive is the beautiful forest increasingly scarce to be found on the Island of Bali,” said General Manager of Taman Nusa, I Nyoman Murjana.

Cultural Kampong is also equipped with cafeterias for resting, and Pondokan Kuliner Nusantara or archipelagic culinary cabin while enjoying terrace views and the gorge of Melangit River. “In a series of welcoming the Galungan and Kuningan, Christmas and New Year 2019 holidays, the Taman Nusa wants to share its kindness by giving special promotion to domestic visitors. This promotion is valid from December 22, 2018 – January 6, 2019,” he concluded. (kmb)

Sudaji Village Waits for Your Arrival. Trekking, Culinary, Spiritual Tourism Et Cetera on Offer

Numerous potentials owned by North Bali can lure foreign tourists. If some regions offer the potential of the beach, then some others are superior to the potential of mountainous nature and culture. Now, it depends on each region to pack and present the potential at hand to tourists. One of the villages developing the potential with the characteristic owned is Sudaji village in Sawan subdistrict, Buleleng. Aside from offering durians, since several years ago Sudaji has been known as a tourism village. According to the Chief of the Sudaji tourism village, Gede Suharsana, the village was inaugurated as a tourism village by the regent of Buleleng last May 5. Though newly inaugurated, the village has initiated and pioneered

a tour package since 2008. This tourism village is managed by local tourism awareness group (Pokdarwis) inaugurated by customary village in 2012. He said that establishment of the tourism village passed through a long process, inseparable from the mapping of the potential owned. The concept introduced and highlighted is the local wisdom with the Tri Hita Karana (three causes of happiness). Habitable homes of residents are taken advantage as an accommodation as well as a place to interact for tourists. His group also introduces typical cuisines to visiting guests, not Western food. Not only that, in the span of a few years Sudaji tourism village has been capable of presenting tourist activities ranging from trekking,

spiritual tourism, agro-tourism and cultural performances. Pokdarwis continues to explore the village potential, where the latest is the potential of the river. The local river remaining natural with a fairly heavy flow can be used for rafting adventure. This rafting tour is considered as the first one in North Bali. However, his group is still constrained by equipment of the adrenalin racing adventure. “Yesterday we tested with our self-made equipment, but we still need equipment complying with the standards,” he said. Another obstacle is the matter of weather, where rainy season is prone to flooding that will be hazardous and make tourists feel afraid to try the whitewater rafting adventure. (kmb)

4

Bali News

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

International

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

International

Kumbasari Park at Badung River now equipped with free Wi-Fi

Taiwan’s ‘Bikini Climber’ social media star dies after ravine fall

All visitors appealed to maintain cleanliness and facilities

DENPASAR - Various supporting facilities have equipped the Kumbasari Park at Tukad Badung crossing between the Badung Market and Kumbasari Market, Denpasar. This time, local community and visitors to the city can enjoy free Wi-Fi access made in collaboration of the Denpasar municipality and the Bali provincial government. Secretary of the Denpasar Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency, I Gusti Ngurah Putra Sanjaya, stated on Sunday (Jan. 20) that various efforts have been made by Denpasar municipality to provide maximum services for the community. As a public space, surely the presence of WiFi access is very necessary, especially in the face of rapid development in the era of digitalization. “This Wi-Fi internet access is collaboration between the Denpasar government and the Bali provincial government in providing smart city supporting facilities in Denpasar City,” he explained. Further, he explained that community can take advantage of this Kumbasari Park as a recreational site, playground, location of discussion and group learning. It is enabled because there are many pupils and students in the city of Denpasar that are still confused to find out their location to do assignments, so this Kumbasari Park

can be an alternative while still paying attention to weather conditions. “With this Wi-Fi access facility, of course, the Kumbasari Park can be an alternative for pupils or students and the community wishing to accomplish their assignments,” he explained. Ngurah Putra emphasized that various facilities provided are to facilitate community activities. On that account, all the elements of society should mutually maintain the supporting facilities. “Hopefully, the community and visitors will take care of the existing facilities and infrastructure as well as pay attention to the cleanliness of the park so that the beauty can continuously be enjoyed together,” he concluded. Meanwhile, Division Head of EGovernment at the Denpasar Communications and Informatics Agency, Ni Alit Sucitawati, said the Wi-Fi has the speed of 20 Mbps. So, it is enough to facilitate visitors wishing to use the Wi-Fi internet access. (kmb)

SIA KAMBOU / AFP

“Komians”, traditional priestesses, dance and throw kaolin during the purification ceremony of a komian widow, in Amelekia, on November 28, 2018.

Kumbasari Park at Badung River.

IBP/kmb

Dengue fever starts to spread

IBP/kmb

To anticipate the widespread dengue fever, the Klungkung Health Agency is intensifying prevention through fogging in a number of places where dengue fever is spreading.

SEMARAPURA - Having been flushed by rain for several weeks, its congenital disease, namely dengue fever, began to spread. Some residents began to suffer dengue fever, so they had to get intensive care at Klungkung Hospital. To anticipate the widespread dengue fever, the Klungkung Health Agency is intensifying prevention through fogging in a number of places where dengue fever is spreading. Acting Secretary of the Klungkung Health Agency, Jaya Putra, stated on Sunday (Jan. 20) that he had received the reports from two residents having been attacked by dengue fever. They include Ni Komang Ismarini, 36, a housewife living on Jalan Hassanudin Gang Anggrek No.6 Pegending. She is recorded to have been suffering dengue fever since Tuesday (Jan. 5). At present, she is said to get intensive care at the Kedondong Room (F). Another victim is on behalf of I Wayan Dira, 63, a resident of Ambengan hamlet, Tangkas. He is being treated in the same Kedondong Room, and has been known to have dengue fever since last Saturday (Jan. 12). Seeing these two cases, according to

Jaya Putra, now there has been an increase in the spread of dengue fever after rain over the past few weeks. Following up on this issue, his party moved quickly to take preventative measures. The surrounding community is also asked to increase awareness by maintaining environmental and health cleanliness. “We immediately conducted fogging around the house where the residents of dengue fever live,” he said while emphasizing the handling is also assisted by local military village commissioner officers in the field. On the other hand, Director of Klungkung Hospital, Nyoman Kesuma, confirmed on Sunday (Jan. 20) the handling of patients with dengue fever. In addition to the two victims of dengue fever, he added there were five more people who had dengue fever. They are I Kadek Nanda Suryadi, 19, from Sangging hamlet, Akah, treated at in Kedondong Room; Luh Kadek Sri Indah Yani, 20, from Kaleran hamlet, Manduang, treated in the Jambu Room; Ni Kadek Kaisra Dwi Pradnya, 5, from Penasan hamlet, Tihingan, Banjarangkan, treated in the Durian Room; and Ni Putu Eka Apriliani, 4, from Paksebali, Dawan, treated

in the Durian Room; Ni Komang Prad was Satya Kerti, 3, the younger brother of the previous patient, Ni Kadek Kaisra Dwi Pradnya. “Now, they are both still being treated at Klungkung Hospital,” said Nyoman Kesuma. The outbreak of dengue fever has apparently happened nationally. This is known from the circular of the Indonesian Ministry of Health through the Director General of Disease Prevention and Control. The circular is said to have been sent to all heads of provincial and district health agencies in order to remain alert to dengue cases. Through the circular, each region is encouraged to increase dissemination and education in eradicating mosquito nests (PSN). PSN can be done through activities such as draining, closing and reusing used goods, plus preventing mosquito bites by implementing the movement of one house of one larvae monitoring officer. In addition, it also improves case surveillance and risk factor surveillance of dengue incidence, including through periodic larvae monitoring, provision of insecticides and larvicides for eradicating mosquitoes and larvae. (kmb31)

13

Endangered in Ivory Coast: traditional priestesses

TAIPEI - Taiwanese rescue teams were trying Tuesday to retrieve the body of a dead hiker who became famous on social media for taking selfies on top of mountain peaks dressed in a bikini. Gigi Wu -- dubbed the “Bikini Climber” by fans -- used a satellite phone on Saturday to tell friends she had fallen down a ravine in Taiwan’s Yushan national park and badly injured herself. Rescue helicopters struggled to reach her because of bad weather and officials eventually located her lifeless body on Monday. “The weather conditions in the mountains are not good, we have asked our rescuers to move the body to a more open space and after the weather clears we will make a request for a helicopter to bring the body down,” Lin Cheng-yi, from the Nantou County Fire and Rescue Services, told reporters. Officials said Wu had told friends she was unable to move the lower half of her body after a fall of some 20-30 metres (65-100 feet) but was able to give her coordinates. She is the latest in a string of social media adventure seekers who have met an untimely end. Last week, the bodies of an Indian couple were found at the bottom of a popular overlook in

California’s Yosemite National Park after hikers alerted officials to their camera equipment at the top of the cliff. New Taipei City native Wu, 36, built up a sizeable social media following through photos of herself at the top of mountains dressed in bikinis. She usually wore hiking clothes to scale the mountains, only changing into a bikini once she reached the top. In an interview with local channel FTV last year, she said she had scaled more than 100 peaks in four years. “I put on a bikini in each one of the 100 mountains. I only have around 97 bikinis so I accidentally repeated some,” she said. When asked why she did it, she replied: “It just looks so beautiful, what’s not to like?” While Taiwan is a largely tropical country, it boasts a spine of towering peaks down its middle that regularly top 3,000 metres. In the winter, temperatures routinely drop well below freezing on the mountain slopes. Lin said their top rescue team hiked for 28 hours to reach the body, only sleeping for three hours because they knew temperatures were rapidly plunging. (afp)

ANIANSUE - A dozen women, their bodies coated with clay, sway to beating drums as if in a trance, ankle bells jingling as they stamp their feet, in the eastern Ivorian town of Aniansue. They are training to become certified “komians”, or priestesses, steeped in traditional lore, the properties of medicinal plants and the techniques of conflict resolution. They are credited with the power to cast spells and predict the future -- at a time when the komians fear for their own future as modern society increasingly leaves tradition behind. The women belong to the 25 million-strong Akan ethnic group predominant in eastern Ivory Coast and across the border in Ghana, in the bosom of the traditional Ashanti kingdom. No local king or tribal chief can be enthroned without the intervention of these priestesses, whose school, set up in 1992, gained

national recognition in 2014. “The komian has a sanctifying role,” Pascal Abinan Kouakou, the Ivorian employment minister, told AFP. “She participates in the cohesion and stability of our regions.” - Disrepair Even so, the school is slowly deteriorating. Its ochre walls have not been painted for years, and most of its buildings are in disrepair. “Help us! We sleep rough -- we have no dormitories while we take in dozens of patients each month,” said Adjoua Messouma, who founded the Adjoua Messouma Centre for the Initiation of Komians of Aniansue (CIKAMA). The course lasts at least three years, with around 20 graduates

each year. They can then take official positions in their local villages or set up private practices. The school, bordered on one side by a teak plantation, features a large central courtyard with a giant mango tree in the middle, surrounded by houses. People come to the school seeking cures or treatments from the komians for conditions such as cancers, infertility, epilepsy and mental illnesses. Others come for counselling over personal problems. “I was diagnosed with appendicitis which I want to treat with plants,” said businesswoman Dame Yvonne Ezan after a consultation. (afp)

IBP/net

Gigi Wu, known as the Bikini Hiker, has frozen to death after falling down.

14

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Technology

International

A new gravitational wave detector is almost ready to join the search

KAMIOKA - In the quest for better gravitational wave detectors, scientists are going cold.

An up-and-coming detector called KAGRA aims to spot spacetime ripples by harnessing advanced technological twists: chilling key components to temperatures hovering just above absolute zero, and placing the ultrasensitive setup in an enormous underground cavern. Scientists with KAGRA, located in Kamioka, Japan, now have results from their first ultrafrigid tests. Those experiments suggest that the detector should be ready to start searching for gravitational waves later in 2019, the team reports January 14 at arXiv.org. The new detector will join similar observatories in the search for the minute cosmic undulations, which are stirred up by violent events like collisions of black holes. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, LIGO, has two detectors located in Hanford, Wash., and Livingston, La. Another observatory, Virgo, is located near Pisa, Italy. Those detectors sit above ground, and don’t use the cooling technique, making KAGRA the first of its kind. KAGRA consists of two 3-kilometer-long arms, arranged in an “L” shape. Within each arm, laser light bounces back and forth between two mirrors located at both ends. The light acts like a giant measuring stick, capturing tiny changes in the length of each arm, which can be caused by a passing gravitational wave stretching and squeezing spacetime. Because gravitational wave detectors measure length changes tinier than the diameter of a proton, minuscule effects like the jiggling of molecules on the mirrors’ surfaces can interfere with the measurements. Cooling the mirrors to about 20 kelvins (–253° Celsius) limits that jiggling. In the new tests, performed in spring 2018, researchers cooled only one of KAGRA’s four mirrors, says KAGRA leader Takaaki Kajita of the University of Tokyo. When the detector starts up for real, the others will be chilled too. Having the detector underground also helps keep the mirrors from vibrating due to activity on Earth’s surface. LIGO is so sensitive that it can be affected by rumbling trucks, a stiff breeze or even mischievous

SAN FRANCISCO - Robots imbued with a certain kind of common sense may soon be able to follow instructional diagrams to build things. When studying pictures for assembling IKEA furniture or LEGO villages, humans are naturally good at inferring how to get from A to B. Robots, on the other hand, normally have to be painstakingly programmed with exact instructions for how to move. “Even when you try to teach robots by demonstration, they’re just repeating the exact same motions you show them, not the concept underlying them,” says Dileep George, an artificial intelligence and neuroscience researcher at the San Francisco company Vicarious AI. George and colleagues have now designed a robot operating system that can understand the basic ideas conveyed in schematic instructions and translate those

IBP/net

Chilled mirrors and an underground hideout (shown) should help the KAGRA experiment in its upcoming search for gravitational waves. wildlife. KAGRA’s underground lair should be significantly quieter. Building underground and going cold required years of effort from KAGRA’s researchers. “They’ve taken on these two great challenges, which are both important to the long-term future of the field,” says LIGO spokesperson David Shoemaker of MIT. In the future, even more advanced gravitational wave detectors could build on KAGRA’s techniques. For now, adding KAGRA to the existing observatories

ideas into action. These common sense robots, described online January 16 in Science Robotics, could work on a wider variety of tasks under different conditions than machines restricted to explicitly coded instructions or physical demonstrations. The new robotic system learned more than 500 general concepts, such as “stack green objects on the right” and “arrange objects in a circle,” by studying before and after images for each type of action. When given a new set of instructions with a before-and-after diagram, the fully trained system considers all the concepts it has learned, and chooses and executes the

Bali News

International

should help scientists improve their studies of where gravitational wiggles come from. Once scientists detect a gravitational wave signal, they alert astronomers, who search for light from the cataclysm that generated the waves in the hope of better understanding the event. Having an additional gravitational wave detector in a different part of the world will help better triangulate wave sources. “This feature is very important,” Kajita says, “because telescopes can only see a small part of the sky at a time.” (net)

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

3

Residents of Peliatan collect plastic waste

GIANYAR — A number of residents at Peliatan village built a community intensively chasing after plastic waste. The community named the Peliatan Ngogo (Pego) hunts for plastic waste in sacred areas such as temples to graves. This effort is expected to be able to make wider community understand so that they will not use plastic waste when going to temple. Pego Coordinator, I Wayan Sugiarta, said that his community also collected plastic waste on Sunday (Jan. 20) by choosing the location at Dalem Puri Temple and local cemeteries. Aside from young people, village officials to local community leaders also took part. “This time, we choose the location at the Dalem Puri Temple of Peliatan by taking advantage of the moment of presenting Calonarang performance held every six months. We want this movement to be more widespread and most importantly becomes a tradition in each household,” he said. He said the Pego Community is a medium for residents of Peliatan village, especially young people, to improve environmental conditions. Besides, it serves as solution to the problem of social concern. “We are moving to take collective and sustainable actions for the creation of a sustainable village environment,” he explained. He admitted that in the past ten years the river condition at the local village is quite alarming. Apart from household liquid waste, it

is also mixed with solid waste, namely plastic waste. “Hopefully, with this movement the citizens can grow the sense of shame to those who have been throwing waste into the river. We’d just like to grow collective awareness,” he explained. Chief of Peliatan customary village, I Ketut Sandi, also admitted that other than in urban areas, the river water conditions in Peliatan also begin to result in concern. This condition makes local people move with the action of searching for waste in the river. Through Pego community, they regularly target the river flowing at the local village so as to be sustainable. “After the river, Pego also ensures that the sacred area should be sterile from plastic. On that account, we always support and issue appendix to customary village bylaw (perarem) so that prayer activities to invoke holy water are prohibited from using plastic bags,” he explained. As a result, in the past few months, it has been quite effective to raise awareness about the importance of maintaining environmental cleanliness from an early age. As evidence, the Pego Community dominated by young people is used as a creative forum for environmental sustainability. “This community is also used as a medium of information for young people related to environmental issues. Besides, it is also educating citizens to care for the environment chiefly through their real actions to save the environment,” he said proudly. (kmb35)

IBP/wan

The pilgrims thronged to worship in a series of the Panca Bali Krama ritual at Lempuyang Temple, Purwayu customary village, Tribuana, Abang, on Sunday (Jan. 20).

Pilgrims throng peak of Panca Bali Krama at Lempuyang Temple

AMLAPURA — The pilgrims thronged to worship in a series of the Panca Bali Krama ritual at Lempuyang Temple, Purwayu customary village, Tribuana, Abang, on Sunday (Jan. 20). Moreover, the vehicles of the pilgrims fully occupied the parking area. To get to the temple, they must be boarded with a bus prepared by the Transportation Agency of Karangasem because it was only invited guests allowed to go up.

maneuvers that will help it reach its goal. George’s team tested the operating system in two gripper arm robots that moved objects across a tabletop. The robots examined picture instructions and then completed the tasks, such as separating lemons from limes and arranging different colored cans in a row. The machines also worked well when researchers changed conditions like the type of objects to be moved or the tabletop color. (net)

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The community named the Peliatan Ngogo (Pego) hunts for plastic waste in sacred areas such as temples to graves.

Chief of Purwayu customary village, I Nyoman Jati, who is also Executive Chairman of the Panca Bali Krama, said the on day before the peak of the Bali Krama Karya was held various processions such as Pemben, Segara Kertih Mras Segara (Melasti), Maguru Piduka Segara Kertih and Mepedada. He added that series of the ceremonies on the Peak of Panca Bali Krama was commenced with dance performances such as the Rejang Dewa, Baris Gede, and Topeng Panca followed by Ida Bhatara Tedun and joint worship. Regent of Karangasem, I Gusti Ayu Mas Sumatri,

expressed her gratitude especially to the committee of the Panca Bali Krama of Sad Kahyangan Luhur Temple, having been able to unite their thoughts based on sincerity and together collected funds to implement the ceremony. “As the Karangasem district government, we hope this ceremony will run smoothly and after this procession has ended, I hope we can establish better sense of brotherhood to Karangasem,” he hoped. Meanwhile, Committee Chairperson of the Panca Bali Krama, Wayan Artha Dipa, said the ceremony serves to clean up ritual belonging to the Dewa Yadnya and Bhuta Yadnya which has a function as an offering to God as the Creator with his manifestations as Dewa and Bhuta who controls the points of the compass. “It aims to request blessing of purification for the universe (macrocosm) and the human self (microcosm). At the same time, it also begs to be blessed with peace, well-being and harmony for the universe along with all the contents. This is the implementation of the Tri Hita Karana concept that we often talk about and disseminate today. Hopefully, this ceremony can run smoothly,” he added. (kmb41)

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Bali News

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

International

International

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Nature conservation program questionable

This was revealed in the initial discussion of the Regional Bill on the RPJPD of Bali Province for the period of 2005-2025 and the Regional Bill concerning RPJMD for the period of 2018-2023 at the Meeting Room of the Bali House of Representatives on Monday (Jan. 21). “It is necessary to present concrete narratives related to the nature of Bali, for example, about the target of Wana Kerthi or forest conservation. In other words, the executive needs to project what percentage of forest area in Bali is expected to be achieved in the RPJPD 2025,” said the expert team of the Bali House, Dewa Gede Suamba. Thus, continued Suamba, the RPJPD will connect with the vision of the governor. Regarding this matter, the Head of the Bali Revenue Service and R & D Agency, I Wayan Wiasthana Ika Putra, stated the nature conservation program had been stated in full. Among others, it includes the protection of paddy fields, water sources, preservation of critical land and good forest conditions

as well as establishment of potential water source to overcome water deficits in Bali. “Now, the underground water is being exploited. Later on, it should not be exploited. We must really count it. Currently we do not calculate it where many are operating without permission. This is one of them,” he said. In the Universal Planning of the RPJPD, the preservation of Bali’s nature is directed at preserving marine aquatic ecosystems as well as reducing critical land, coastal abrasion and environmental pollution. Then, it is increasing forest quality and vegetation of watershed cover from 23 percent to at least 30 percent, sustainable urban green open space of at least 30 percent, and the realization of development of watershed conservation and natural resource infrastructure, water resources infrastructure to support raw water requirements in 2025 amounting to 9,258 liters per second, transportation, facilities for drinking water, waste water, solid waste, energy and reliable telematics. Since revising the previous RPJPD, the vision of regional development also changed from the Bali Dwipa Jaya Based on Tri Hita Karana to Building Sat Kerthi Loka Bali through the Universal Planning Development Pattern. Maintaining Bali’s natural balance is the main target of number three out of the four main objectives to be achieved based on the direction of Bali’s regional development policy. The other three main targets are realizing an increase in the competitiveness of Balinese human, strengthening of Balinese

culture (genuine Bali), and having sufficient readiness in anticipating or facing new problems and challenges. Chairperson of the Special Committee, I Ketut Tama Tenaya, stated the RPJPD and Universal Planning of the RPJMD of Bali Province will be successful if they receive total support from the district / municipality. Therefore, it requires a very good coordination. The RPJMD in particular must be adjusted between the provinces and districts / municipality. “So this (Provincial RPJMD) serves as a legal instrument, the others must be adjusted so that they will be coherent,” he said. Tama gave an example of the poverty target set at 1.0-1.5 percent. Meanwhile, the districts or municipality in Bali have different abilities in alleviating poverty. On the other hand, the RPJMD with a total of 500 pages is also related to the Bali Province’s Bill currently included in the long list of the National Legislation Program of the Central House of Representatives. When the Bill on the Bali Province is passed, there could be a revision to the RPJMD later on. “The Bill on Bali Province has not been discussed. Hopefully, it should have been discussed soon in the central parliament. We cannot just shout in Bali when the Central House of Representatives (DPR RI) and Representative Council of Bali (DPD RI) are not maximally guarding it. Moreover, currently is the election year, I am worried there are legislators or senators in charge of the office (DPR RI—Ed),” explained this PDI-P politician. (kmb32)

Ngelawang may not be done at traffic light

SEMARAPURA - Ngelawang or street show activities seem to get serious attention from the local government because the art potential displayed by children often draws the attention in the streets. Regent of Klungkung, Nyoman Suwirta, requested the ngelawang to be fostered and arranged so as not to wander at traffic light which gives the impression of begging. Regent Suwirta returned to reveal the matter when monitoring to the office of Hindu Dharma Council of Indonesia (PHDI) of Klungkung on Monday (Jan. 21).

The regent hoped the PHDI will also give an understanding on the right process of ngelawang, so as not to seem like a beggar. “It is not forbidding, but educating them so as not to carry out ngelawang activities on the edge of the intersection. Then, the barong is put down, and the ngelawang members come to road users and ask for show donation when the red light is on. Previously, the local government had showed concern by giving the stage for the ngelawang artists, especially children around

the Puputan Klungkung Square to enliven the Car Free Day (CFD) agenda held every Sunday. At that time, there were children from the Hindu Dharma Widya Kindergarten of Klungkung performing the Ngelawang Barong Bangkung on Sunday (Jan. 20). The appearance of the children on stage was quite entertaining. Many residents appreciated to their appearance as a tangible manifestation of cultural preservation. The appearance of Ngelawang Barong Bangkung opens the perspective of the local government

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

15

Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa, Bali supports the use of Balinese script

The mangrove forest in Bali

DENPASAR - The Expert Team in the Bali House of Representatives had questioned the nature conservation program in the Bali Regional Long-Term Development Plan (RPJMD) and Universal Planning of Regional Mid-Term Development Plan (RPJMD). Actually, Bali’s nature is the first element of the three main elements of Bali’s development namely the nature people and culture of Bali.

Activities

to its current existence. Regent Suwirta immediately instructed the Culture Office to provide coaching thoroughly. In particular, it is intended for the activities of Ngelawang Barong Bangkung carried out by groups of children during Galungan and Kuningan holidays. Like his experience, Regent Suwirta had noticed a group of children featuring Ngelawang Barong Bangkung at the intersection. The Barong Bangkung supposed to be danced, the accessories were even put down at road side after some

of them walked around while carrying can to put money donated by residents. It is considered to be disturbing traffic. “In the future, it should not happen, do not perform Ngelawang at traffic light because it disrupts traffic. The Culture Service must conduct a coaching and the Ngelawang tradition should go from one home to another,” he said. In principle, Regent Suwirta asked the relevant agencies to be responsive to seeing community art activities and innovating for empowerment. (kmb31)

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Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa supports the Bali Governor’s instructions regarding the use of Balinese literature and has implemented traditional Balinese script on general hotel signage. Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa supports fully the conservation of the island’s indigenous and traditional legacy. The Resort management and staff also wear traditional Balinese dress every Thursday and on other festive and ceremonial days of the Balinese calendar. “We will continue to preserve the local cultural heritage and protect the rich identity of Bali” said Jamal Hussain, General Manager of Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa. The Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa is the pioneer of luxury accommodation within the Nusa Dua area. This 5-star diamond resort, has been welcoming kings, queens, presidents and other dignitaries since its grand opening. Nestled within beautifully landscaped gardens, the resort, with its 382 guestrooms and suites, features all the elegance of a Balinese palace, while offering modern amenities. The Nusa Dua Spa is designed to highlight its rich Balinese

tradition with a variety of indigenous treatments. Dining at Nusa Dua Hotel & Spa is an epicurean journey with a choice of five restaurants and four bars under the close watch of an award-winning culinary team. For more information, please visit www.nusaduahotel.com.

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

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Price: Rp 3.000,-

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Russell Brand reveals he has never looked after his children for a 24-hour period LOS ANGELES - Russell Brand has revealed he has never looked after his children for a 24hour period in an interview where he talks about the “real awakening” of the #MeToo movement. The 43-year-old comedian was a notorious womaniser in the past and has previously claimed to have slept with hundreds of women. Asked if the #MeToo movement has made him reappraise his past behaviour, he told the Sunday Times Magazine: “No. I just feel that [#MeToo] is a really positive change, it’s a sign of real awakening.” When questioned if there is anything he now looks back on with regret, he said: “No”. Brand, who was married to American pop star Katy Perry from

2010 to 2012, said he learnt a valuable lesson from the marriage. He said: “No one was put on this earth to make me feel better. That’s no one’s job.” He is now married to Laura Gallacher and they have two daughters, Mabel, two, and Peggy, six months, but has revealed he doesn’t get too involved with parenting. He said: “Um, I’ve done like, a night. But they’re asleep then.” Asked if he has spent 24 hours in sole charge of his children, he said: “No. She wouldn’t go away for 24 hours, Laura. She respects and cares for their safety too much. “Yes, I’m very, very focused on the mystical connotations of Mabel’s beauty and grace. Not so good on the nappies and making sure that they eat food. (net)

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Angela Weiss / AFP

Actor Bruce Willis (L) and his wife English model Emma Heming attend the premiere of Universal Pictures’ “Glass” at SVA Theatre on January 15, 2019 in New York City.

Shyamalan’s ‘Glass’ dominates N. American box office

HOLLYWOOD - “Glass,” a superhero thriller both financed and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, dominated North American box offices this weekend, taking in $40.6 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said Sunday.

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Brand was married to pop singer Katy Perry for 14 months.

The Universal film, a sequel to Shyamalan’s “Unbreakable” (2000) and “Split” (2016), stars Bruce Willis as the superhuman known as “The Overseer” locked in a psychiatric ward with nemesis and mass murderer Samuel L. Jackson, AKA “Mr. Glass.” Its estimated three-day take -at the start of the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in the US -- saw it vault past the previous weekend’s leader, “The Upside” from STX Films, which took in $15.7 million for second spot.

“The Upside” features Bryan Cranston as a wealthy quadriplegic who hires ex-convict Kevin Hart as his caretaker. Critics have called the script, a remake of a 2011 French film, “corny” but praised the two lead actors. In third was Warner Bros.’s superhero film “Aquaman,” down one spot from last weekend, with a take of $10.3 million. The film, starring Jason Momoa as the Atlantean king, has generated more than $1 billion in box office revenues worldwide.

Fourth spot went to a surprise entry -- anime film “Dragon Ball Super: Broly” from Funimation Films, with $9 million. The fantasy martial arts movie is the 20th “Dragon Ball” film and appears to be having one of the best showings of any in the series. And in fifth was “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” still performing well in its sixth week out at $7.3 million. The Sony movie won the Best Animated Movie award at the recent Golden Globe ceremony. (afp)

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This photo taken on January 19, 2019 shows a medical staff taking care of a new born baby at a hospital in Fuyang in China’s eastern Anhui province. China’s population shrank last year for the first time in 70 years, experts said, warning of a “demographic crisis” that puts pressure on the country’s slowing economy.

China’s population growth slows despite two-child policy

China’s population grew at a slower rate last year despite the abolition of the one-child policy, official data showed Monday, raising fears an ageing society will pile further pressure on an already slowing economy. China’s government raised the limit to two children in 2016 to rejuvenate the world’s most populous country, which has nearly 1.4 billion people, and experts say it may remove the cap next year. But the change does not seem to have inspired couples to have more children, partly due to urbanisation and the higher cost of living in the world’s second biggest economy, according to experts. “Decades-long social and economic transformations have prepared an entirely new generation in China, for whom marriage and childbearing no longer have the importance as they once did for their parents generation,” said Wang Feng, a sociology professor at University of California, Irving. There were 15.23 million live births in 2018, a drop of two million from the year before, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed.

With 9.93 million deaths, this led to a growth rate of 3.81 per thousand in 2018, a dip from 5.32 per thousand the previous year. Population growth is at its second-lowest since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Wang said, adding that the lowest ever growth was in 1960, when the country was going through a famine. Still, China’s total population rose by 5.3 million in 2018 to 1.395 billion people, retaining its title as the world’s most populous nation. NBS commissioner Ning Jize said population growth had peaked, but said the country still had huge potential. “China’s labour participation rate is not considered low world-

wide, more than 700 million of our 900 million people (of working age) are employed, and there is still room (for growth),” he said. -Workforce declineChina’s workforce -- those aged between 16 and 59 -- was 897.3 million last year, a 4.7 million drop from 2017, NBS data showed. This is the seventh consecutive year of decline, noted He Yafu, an independent demographer based in the southern Guangdong province. The workforce is on track to decline by as much as 23 percent by 2050. “The low birth rate has led to a seriously ageing population.

On one hand, families are getting smaller, reducing support for the elderly; on the other hand, the elderly population to workforce is growing, which increases the burden on the working population,” He said. Signs of China’s falling population growth had emerged when data released by some local authorities indicated a significant drop in births last year. In Qingdao, a city in eastern Shandong province -- one of China’s most populous regions -- births between January and November decreased by 21 percent to just over 81,000 compared to the previous year. - Birth limits removed? Introduced in 1979, the onechild policy was mainly enforced through fines but was also notorious for forced abortions and sterilisations, which caused birth

rates to plummet. Exceptions were made for rural families whose firstborn was a female, and for ethnic minorities. In a draft of China’s new sweeping Civil Code, due to be introduced in 2020, all mention of “family planning” has been removed, suggesting that the limit on family sizes could be lifted. But the rising cost of living has discouraged many of child-bearing age, He said, adding that like with many countries around the world, fertility rates in rural areas are high but less so in the cities. (afp) News can also be heard in “Bali Image” at Global Radio FM 96.5 from 9.30 until 10.00 am. Listen to Global Radio FM at http:// globalfmbali.listen2myradio.com or live video streaming at http:// radioglobalfmbali.com and http:// ustream.tv/channel/global-fm-bali.