Edition Thursday, August 23, 2018 | International Bali Post

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

16 Pages Number 175 10th year

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

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Thursday, August 23, 2018

‘Crazy Rich Asians’ author wanted in Singapore over national service SINGAPORE - The author of “Crazy Rich Asians”, which has been adapted into a hit Hollywood movie, is wanted in his native Singapore for allegedly dodging mandatory national service, authorities said Wednesday.

Kevin Kwan, who has lived in the US since he was 11 but is still a Singapore citizen, faces up to three years in jail and a hefty fine if convicted, the city-state’s defence ministry said.

The movie adaption of his bestseller, which focuses on the glamorous world of Singapore’s super-rich, was released in the United States last week and has been hailed as a watershed for Hollywood diversity due to its mostly Asian cast.

The film had its Singapore premiere Tuesday, with some of its stars gracing the red carpet and hundreds of fans turning out -- but Kwan was conspicuous by his absence, Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper reported.

And in a twist worthy of a Hollywood thriller, Singapore’s defence ministry revealed in a statement that Kwan “failed to register for National Service in 1990, despite notices and letters sent to his overseas address.

“He also stayed overseas without a valid exit permit.”

The Singapore-American author had committed offences under the enlistment act and faces a fine of up to Sg$10,000 ($7,300) and a prison term of up to three years if convicted, the ministry said.

Male Singapore citizens are required to undergo two years of national service upon turning 18.

They can either serve in the military, the police or the civil defence force.

The defence ministry said Kwan sought to renounce his Singapore citizenship in 1994, but his application and a subsequent appeal were rejected due to his failure to

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Thursday, August 23, 2018

Italian actress Asia Argento speaks on stage on May 19, 2018 during the closing ceremony of the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France.

complete national service.

“Crazy Rich Asians”, the first Hollywood film for a generation to have a majority-Asian cast, tells the tale of an Asian-American woman who is plunged into the world of Singapore’s wealthy elite after travelling to the city with her boyfriend. (afp)

Actress Asia Argento denies sexual relationship with underage teen

Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP

ROME - talian actress and sexual abuse campaigner Asia Argento denied Tuesday having had a sexual relationship five years ago with an underage teen, calling the allegations part of “a long-standing persecution”.

Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for SiriusXM/AFP

Author Kevin Kwan

The New York Times reported on Sunday that Argento, 42, a Harvey Weinstein accuser and leading figure in the #MeToo movement, had paid actor and rock musician Jimmy Bennett $380,000 over the alleged 2013 incident at a Los Angeles hotel.

Bennett was two months past his 17th birthday at the time of the alleged encounter, while Argento was 37. The legal age of consent in California is 18.

In a statement Argento said her late boyfriend, celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain who committed suicide in June, gave money to Bennett upon the condition that “we would no longer suffer any

further intrusions in our life,” “I strongly deny and oppose the contents of the New York Times article... as circulated also in national and international news,” a statement issued by her agent said.

“I am deeply shocked and hurt by having read news that is absolutely false. I have never had any sexual relationship with Bennett,” it goes on.

Argento says that she was linked to Bennett “during several years by friendship only”.

- ‘Long-standing persecution’ The pair had acted together in the 2004 film “The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things”, in which

Argento plays Bennett’s troubled mother.

Argento said the friendship “ended when, subsequent to my exposure in the Weinstein case, Bennett -- who was then undergoing severe economic problems and had previously undertaken legal actions against his own family requesting millions in damages -unexpectedly made an exorbitant request of money from me.”

Addressing the issue of the payment of money to Bennett, Argento explained that Bourdain “was afraid of the possible negative publicity that such a person, whom he considered dangerous, could have brought upon us”. (afp)

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Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP

Venezuelan women walk back to their country after a day selling soft drinks and snacks in the Brazilian border in the city of Pacaraima, in Roraima State, on August 21, 2018. Desperate Venezuelans fleeing the country’s crisis continue to cross the Brazilian border, despite the violent anti-migrant riot that took place last week in the border town of Pacaraima.

Hyperinflation: spiralling prices and poverty

Venezuela today, Zimbabwe a decade ago, before that the rump Yugoslavia, Hungary and Germany. An explanation of hyperinflation where prices soar, banknotes get more zeros, and poverty and hunger spread.

How does inflation start soaring? “By cranking up the banknote printing presses,” said Nicolas Veron, an economist at the European think tank Bruegel.

If printing money is the trigger for hyperinflation, the real problem is a hole in public finances.

“When a government doesn’t have money, it is very difficult to resist the temptation to start rolling

the presses,” said Veron. In extreme situations, such as conflicts and regime changes, the temptation is even greater. Hyperinflation is generally considered to exist when prices rise by more than 50 percent in one month. In Venezuela, inflation is expected to hit 1,000,000 percent by the end of the year.

In Zimbabwe, the government was forced to introduce a 100-tril-

lion-dollar note -- though it could barely buy a loaf of bread.

However the worst hyperinflation was in Hungary in 1946 when prices doubled every 15 hours, according to the Cato Institute.

What are the consequences?

If the rapid creation of money is the cause of hyperinflation, the effect is a collapse of economic

activity along with shortages of goods and hunger.

Venezuela is a typical case, according to economist Philippe Waechter at asset manager Ostrum.

The authorities have printed tonnes of money and economic output plunged 40 percent between 2015 and 2017.

“You have plenty of cash, but nothing to buy, and as the money is plunging in value you can’t import anything,” he said.

The rapid deterioration of the value of the currency means that

people don’t want to accept it. Hyperinflation quickly leads to goods disappearing from shops, with governments having to introduce rationing. Hunger spreads.

Continued to page 6

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

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Thursday, August 23, 2018

Bali News

International

International

Foreign tourist arrivals through Ngurah Rai Aiport increase by 7.32 percent MANGUPURA —Between January and July 2018, Ngurah Rai International Airport records show that they served 3,527,980 foreign tourists.

This is a 7.32 percent increase from the same period in 2017 when 3,287,205 tourists arrived at Ngurah Rai.

GM of Ngurah Rai International Airport, Yanus Suprayogi, stated on Monday (Aug. 20) that 23.65 of all foreign tourist arriving at Ngurah Rai are Chinese – the largest percentage from a single country.

Australian tourists are the second largest in number representing18.84 followed by tourists from India representing 6.37 percent.

Suprayogi, added that in July alone there were 635,578 foreign tourist arrivals. This shows a dramatic 13.43 percent increase from July of last year. “In July of this year, tourists from China are still ranked first in number coming into Indonesia through Ngurah Rai Airport with a total of 150,093 passengers. By percentage, this showed an increase of 2.59 percent compared to the number of tourists coming from China in the same period of last year”, he said.

The largest number of foreign tourists from a single country this July came from France with a total of 24,432 arrivals showing a 65.88 percent increase from July last year.

At present, Ngurah Rai International Airport is preparing to receive delegates from the IMF-World Bank Group Annual Meeting 2018 to be held in October, with the construction and development of a number of facilities. (kmb23)

Sand being sunctioned for airport expansion DENPASAR —The suctioning of sand from the sea bed that had caused disturbances to the public recently was initially being carried out to repair beaches eroded by abrasion for which the Bali Integrated Investment and Licensing Agency (DPMPTSP) had issued a permit. However more recent sand suctioning was carried out to provide material for the expansion of the apron at Ngurah Rai Ariport.

The permit for this suctioning was not issued by the Government of Bali but instead by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and the Ministry of Transportation.

“The sand collection seems to be finished now. I had given permission for such activity for the purpose of fixing damaged beaches.

So we do not see this as a problem but in fact what we expect. The

recent sand suctioning was permitted by the central government for the expansion of the airport. So they did not have a permit from us but from the central government”, said Head of the Bali Integrated Investment and Licensing Agency, I.B. Parwata, when contacted for confirmation on Monday (Aug. 20).

Parwata then explained that the expansion go the apron at Ngurah Rai Airport being done by reclaiming sand from the seas is part of a national strategic project and is a priority for the welcoming the IMF-World Bank Annual Meeting and is also being carried out in preparation of the arrival of 10 million tourists by 2025. The aircrafts transporting the IMF-World Bank delegates are expected to be able to park in Bali, and not have to park in

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Surabaya, Banyuwangi or Lombok as is often done now.

“Actually, this project is very beneficial for Bali. It is a presidential project, part of the national strategy and has been made a priority. It cannot be obstructed and must carry on”, he said.

Parwata added that Bali Integrated Investment and Licensing Agency had disseminated information about the planned project previously and that there were no objections from any of the chiefs of the customary villages in the surrounding area. The chiefs of the customary villages indeed agreed with the expansion of Ngurah Rai Airport. They did however stipulate that there should be a revitalization process undertaken if coastal abrasion was caused by the project. “The

expansion of the airport is indeed very urgently needed”, he added.

In response to questions about the sand dredging in Benoa Harbor, Parwata said it was being carried out to expand the ship pier – allowing more ships to anchor without sinking into the sand.

Previously, Chairman of Commission I of the Bali House of Representatives, I Ketut Tama Tenaya, received queries from the members of the community of Kutuh customary village, South Kuta, and surrounding areas who were troubled by the presence of sand suctioning ships in Southern Bali.

Tenaya expressed his commission’s concern that mass scale exploitation of the environment will add to the severity of coastal abrasion in Tanjung Benoa, Nusa Dua, Kutuh,

Ungasan, all the way to Pecatu.

“The ships are suctioning sand as they move. People started speaking up when they saw the sea water turn murky”, explained this politician from Tanjung Benoa, Badung.

According to Tenaya, locals people’s means of earning their livelihood depends on the sea – such as fishermen, are very disturbed by the sand sand suctioning.

The coast could also become eroded. The government he said needs to pay attention to the security of coastal communities who livelihood depends on the coast and sea.

“There was never any information disseminated to the public about the plan to suction sand from the sea bed for the Benoa Harbour and Ngurah Rai Airport projects”, this PDI-P politician. (kmb32)

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

Activities

Sense Sunset Seminyak Caters Business Meetings and Events

Renowned for its famous surf beaches, rich culture, bargain shopping and vibrant nightlife, Bali is the most well-known leisure destination. No wonder, Bali has become among the top 5 most popular destinations in the world on TripAdvisor’s Travelers’s Choice Awards 2018. Besides being a place to spend holiday, Bali also welcomes many people who are travelling for business purposes. There are a lot of hotels that have function room for small or large scale of meeting conference, including Sense Sunset Seminyak.

Business meets leisure. Sense Sunset Seminyak offers a variety of spaces to suit all of business needs. Either guests are interested in a venue of short meetings or even a day long conferences, Sense Sunset Seminyak can accommodate until 290 persons and ensure the success of any business meetings and events.

The meeting facilities of Sense Sunset Seminyak consists of 3 separated, flexible and modern meeting and event rooms. Contemporary design with a traditional style, the meeting and event rooms are ideal for

business meetings or for any other type of professional or social events that the guests may wish to organize. Fully equipped with all of the latest technology and facilities required for any type of event, which include state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment, LCD projector and portable screen, free Wi-Fi, video conference, audiovisual control room, extra lighting arrangements, a standard sound system with 2 microphones, notepads, pens, candies and mineral water, flip chart, white board and markers, reception desks with flower arrangements, podium and flagpoles, and adjustable stage.

“Sense Sunset Seminyak is strategically located on Sunset Road boulevard in the trendy Seminyak Area which is a really city center and it makes this hotel an ideal destination for business and leisure travel.”, said Theresia Elena, General Manager of Ox Woods Bali Management.

For additional information and reservations please call +6281 739 888 or visit www. sensesunsetseminyak.com

Thursday, August 23, 2018

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Health

Thursday, August 23, 2018

International

New cervical cancer guidance: Use HPV tests

WASHINGTON - New cervical cancer screening recommendations out Tuesday have started to make old-fashioned Pap smears a thing of the past for women over 30.

Most women may opt for the human papillomavirus test, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) says in its latest recommendations.

And women over 30 can safely wait five years in between tests if they feel comfortable doing that, the task force says in the recommendations, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

For women under 30, the Pap smear is still the best option, but testing every three years is all right. The recommendations are based on a now-solid body of evidence showing that almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by the human papillomavirus and that the HPV test is the best way to find evidence that the virus is causing the damage that can lead to cancer.

She said the guidelines may make it easier for women in areas with fewer doctors or clinics to get tested.

“The new guidelines are not at all confusing to us physicians, since they are very similar to our usual practice from 2012,” said Dr. Ranit Mishori, a professor of family medicine at Georgetown University.

“I do not find that the longer interval is confusing to women — many, in fact, are relieved that they don’t have to undergo this procedure every year and are thankful to find out that they can wait three or five years before they need to get the next one.”

But, he added, women need regular doctor visits to make sure other problems have not popped up.

What is important, experts said, is that women get tested.

“We found that regular screening with any method will lead to lower cervical cancer rates,” said Joy Melnikow, director of the Center for Healthcare Policy and Research at the University of California, Davis, who led a study showing that the HPV test is effective.

“In the U.S., where most women are not part of an organized screening program, our biggest challenge is reaching women who have not been screened.” (net)

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Thursday, August 23, 2018

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80 percent completion of Ubud infrastructure repair

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Dr. Charles Conway with a vagus nerve stimulator. A national study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that people treated with nerve stimulation experience significant improvements in quality of life, even when their depression symptoms don’t completely dissipate.

Nerve stimulator helps depressed patients

WASHINGTON - An implanted nerve stimulator may help patients with the most severe depression get some of their day-to-day lives back, even if it doesn’t fully relieve their symptoms, doctors reported Tuesday.

A cervical smear, or Pap test, is a tissue specimen scraped from the cervix, which is then stained and examined under a microscope.

Bali News

International

Patients who have been using the vagus nerve stimulator say they have regained significant quality of life, and the improvements have lasted for as long as five years, the team reported in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

They hope that their findings will help encourage health insurance companies to pay for the pacemaker-like devices and the surgery needed to implant them.

Although the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the devices for depression in 2005, health insurance companies, including Medicare, rarely pay for them.

The improvements were enough to help people work, socialize and interact with their families better, said Dr. Charles Conway of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who led the

study team.

“It includes overall well-being and sex drive,” Conway said in an interview. “They describe improvements beyond ‘I am not feeling sad or down anymore.’

They say things like, ‘I am more enthusiastic about life. I am more involved with my family.’ ” His team studied nearly 600 people; all received typical antidepressant treatment but half of them also had the device implanted. It’s attached to the vagus nerve, a large nerve that travels from the body up into the brain.

“We found that patients who had as little as a 34 percent drop in depression symptoms reported a meaningful improvement in their quality of life,” Conway said.

It’s not clear how it might work for depression. The device is also approved to treat epilepsy.

“Brain imaging studies suggest that vagus nerve stimulation may bring about its effects via changes in the prefrontal, cingulate and insular cortex as well as the brain stem,” the team wrote in its report.

“We don’t know for certain but we know that the vagus nerve projects up into the brain and influences a number of regions involved in mood and regulation of mood,” Conway said.

It worked for Charlie Donovan, a St. Louis mortgage contractor.

“At the time, it was life-changing, life-altering,” Donovan told NBC News.

“I was in utter despair and hopelessness. I had probably tried 15 different medications, several hospitalizations, electroconvulsive shock therapy. Nothing was working and I was getting worse.” (net)

GIANYAR — District government of Gianyar has accelerated the repair of damaged infrastructure in the Ubud area. Moreover, the infrastructure repair in the form of roads and sidewalks have reached 80 percent. Surely the repair is completed before the visit of delegates coalesced into the members of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) - World Bank (WB) Group in October 2018.

The Head of the Gianyar Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency (PUPR), Nyoman Nuadi, said the work on infrastructure repair in the Ubud area is almost complete. His agency also targeted the workmanship to accomplish before October 2018. “Now, the completion has reached 80 percent, and only a few works remain,” he said on Sunday (Aug. 19).

He explained the road repair around the Ubud area is carried out by using funds of the regional budget 2018 and the Special Allocation Fund (DAK).

The repair is worked on from Pertamina gas station at Pengosekan. “From the location goes northwards through the Monkey Forest, to the south of Catus Pata (central intersection) of Ubud,” he said.

The repair along the road, he added, is in the form of hot mix. In addition, the agency also made a sidewalk repair service. Other than the road section, the PUPR Agency also carried out repair of sidewalks in a number of other damage points. “At the same time, we also repair several other road sections,” he said.

He added that provincial road section covering the road from the Campuhan Bridge to the intersection of Kedewatan also gets repair. As for the national road section repaired includes the Jalan Cok. Sudarsana, Teges to Campuhan.

“The central intersection area of Ubud is also the authority of the central government. We in the district government only reach the border of the central intersection,” said Nuadi.

Regarding the repair of provincial and national roads, Nuadi claimed to have coordinated with the provincial government of Bali and the central government.

So far, the response is good enough. The handling of provincial roads will be funded by the budget of the DAK. As for the national road section, Nuadi claimed to have not received certainty from central government. “Related to the implementation of the IMF event, we have coordinated the arrangement of roads in Ubud, especially the paving of road in the Catus Pata. We have submitted a proposal to central government but do not know about the decision,” he said.

During the repair process, Nyoman Nuadi also asked for the understanding of the road users because the traffic at some road sections to Ubud has been temporarily diverted. “We have coordinated with the relevant agencies related to traffic diversion during this repair process. We also hope the understanding of the road users during this process,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Traffic Division Head at the Gianyar Transportation Agency, Nus Widyaswanto, said the infrastructure repair process on progress by the PUPR Agency in the Ubud area so far does not disrupt the traffic. Nevertheless, his agency still optimizes personnel in the field to anticipate unexpected bottlenecks. “For example, at the Pengosekan road section there was hot mix workmanship yesterday, but now the process has been completed. So, it does not to disturb the traffic,” he said.

According to him, the traffic jam occurred for several times due to the high volume of vehicles moving to Ubud. His agency also continues to coordinate with police authority in regulating the traffic at the tourist village. “We continuously coordinate with police authority. For example, yesterday there was a closure in the Kutri area, Singapadu, due to the implementation of customary ceremony,” he said. (kmb35)

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Since the monkey attacks are really very detrimental, farmers cannot use their land optimally.

Farmers in Tegallalang subgroup still troubled by monkeys

BANGLI — Farmers of Tegallalang subgroup (tempek) at Subak Sidembunut, whose land is located near the banks of the Melangit River, are still confused about the presence of monkeys that frequently attack and damage their agricultural crops. Since there is no solution from the government to deal with the monkey attack, some farmers are forced to leave their land idle.

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District government of Gianyar has accelerated the repair of damaged infrastructure in the Ubud area.

Chief of Tegallalang subgroup, Sang Ketut Rencana, revealed on Sunday (Aug. 19) about the presence of a large number of monkey herds on the banks of the Melangit River. The population is estimated to reach thousands of heads. The existence of the herd of monkeys has been said to be very disturbing because they often damages and feeds on farmers’ crops.

The herd of monkeys living in group does not only attack dry agricultural land planted with peanuts and yams, but also attacks and damages their paddy plants.

“Albizia trees having just been planted are also often damaged by being broken,” he said.

Since the monkey attacks are

really very detrimental, farmers cannot use their land optimally. A number of farmers are forced to leave their dry agricultural land idle with bushes. He stated the whole agricultural land is dry, especially in the Tegallalang area which is now left idle to reach approximately 10 hectares.

To overcome the number of monkey attacks, Rencana said the subak members had organized a ceremony to drive out the monkeys.

Besides, he has also reported such attack to the Bangli Agriculture Agency. Moreover, the Bali Agriculture Agency around three years ago also came down to the location to resolve the problem. At that time, there were a number of plans to be

carried out as the solution to the problem of monkey attacks, namely by capturing and relocating, but until now the solution remains uncertain. “So far, there has been no follow-up from the government,” he said.

Nevertheless, the subak still hopes the follow up of the government regarding the solution having been discoursed. By that way, farmers hope they can return to work on their land so as to be productive.

Rencana is also worried if the herd of monkeys will enter the settlement and disturb the community if they are not handled properly over time. “In the past, the monkeys enter the Tambahan area and stole eggs,” he added. (kmb40)

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Bali News

Thursday, August 23, 2018

International

Thursday, August 23, 2018

International

Tour guide must pass cultural test

Fake news adds to India’s flood torment

DENPASAR - Until now, the popularity of Bali remains to attract many foreign tourists to come. The latest data of the Bali Tourism Office show that Chinese tourists dominate the visits to the Island of the Gods. Approximately 600,000 Chinese tourists visited Bali up to July 2018. This number outperformed Australian tourists reaching around 500,000 and Indian amounting to 200,000 people.

“Many Chinese people have already known Bali but do not know where it is.

Bali is indeed very popular. In my opinion, Chinese tourists will increase in number in the future,” said the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Denpasar, Gou Haodong, recently.

According to Gou Haodong, Bali has an extraordinary appeal especially in terms of culture and nature. The supporting infrastructure is also very good such as hotel rooms, other accommodations and services to tourists. However, Bali still needs to pay attention to the transportation system because these shortcomings often make tourists feel uncomfortable.

“The next thing needs to get the attention is tourism human resources, like the tour guide. Sometimes, they are less competent to explain in details about particular tourist objects,” he added.

Gou Haodong added that a tour guide must have extensive and in-depth knowledge about Hinduism and local culture becoming the spirit of Bali tourism.

Therefore, tour guide must be standardized and given training in order to be able to provide more comprehensive explanations about Bali for tourists, especially tourists from China.

When confirmed separately, the Head of Bali Tourism Office, A.A. Gede Yuniartha Putra, said that cultural test had actually become one of the requirements for obtaining a tour guide license. There is a team established to carry out the cultural test, consist-

MARK GRAHAM / AFP

Australia’s former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton (back L) sits on the back benches in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra on August 22, 2018. At least 10 ministers have offered their resignations as a leadership crisis in Australian politics deepened on August 22 with another challenge against Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appearing inevitable. Dutton quit his cabinet position after his failed leadership bid.

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The popularity of Bali remains to attract many foreign tourists to come. ing of academicians, cultural observers, and community leaders.

“So, if they don’t pass the test, they are not able to be a tour guide yet. They can only be so after passing the test,” he said. Yuniartha admitted there is indeed limitation in the cultural test. Especially regarding the questions asked, they do not necessarily make the prospective tour guide directly know about

Balinese culture as a whole. “Hopefully, they still have to learn to develop themselves.

So, they do not only learn for the test,” he explained.

According to Yuniartha, his office has planned to collaborate with the Culture Agency in creating a guidebook on Balinese culture. Meanwhile, cultural symbols or history about tourist destinations in Bali can be

learned via the internet. On the other hand, the Association of Indonesia Tour Guides (HPI) of Bali Chapter will also be asked to provide the learning related to culture for tour guides.

“That’s all in order to improve the knowledge of tour guides about Balinese culture.

Basically, they must like learning and enjoy reading,” he said. (kmb32)

To hold merchants at Penelokan

Space prepared on second floor at Geopark Art Market

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The re-arrangement project of Penelokan in Kintamani is planned to be carried out in the near future.

BANGLI - The re-arrangement project of Penelokan in Kintamani is planned to be carried out in the near future. Related to this, the Bangli Industry and Trade Agency has prepared a place to accommodate merchants having been making a fortune at this tourist object.

Merchants will later be relocated to sell on the second floor of the Geopark Art Market.

The Head of the Bangli Industry and Trade Agency, Nengah Sudibya, when confirmed on Monday (Aug. 20) said that the place prepared on the second floor of the Geopark Art Market is quite large and wide. So, he thought it is enough to accommodate merchants having been occupying the kiosk, including hawkers at Penelokan.

“The place is clean and not bad

to accommodate. They sell in turn and just bring a little merchandise,” he said.

Regarding this matter, Sudibya admitted that his agency with Tourism Office has disseminated to merchants door to door since long time ago so that they want to move to the Geopark Art Market.

His agency also had time to issue a circular for the merchants regarding the prohibition to sell in certain places according to Regional Regulation No.2/1990. However, the merchants still choose to survive selling at Penelokan.

Sudibya had confidence that the merchants having been collecting fortune in Penelokan tourist object will inevitably move themselves to Geopark Art Market when the re-arrangement project has begun.

“Later on, we will summon them again for dissemination. Yesterday, we were about to gather them but it was postponed because Batur Tengah village was still organizing a cremation ceremony,” he said.

As previously reported, the Penelokan development or rearrangement project in Kintamani will soon be realized in the near future. This follows the winner of the project bidder. On the other hand, a number of cloth and food merchants that have been collecting fortune at Penelokan tourist kiosks are now getting confused. Even though the project work will begin soon, until now there has been no submission from the related agency regarding the planned relocation of the merchants during the project. (kmb40)

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Ministers offer to quit as Australia political crisis deepens

KOCHI - Cristiano Ronaldo has not donated $11 million to the Kerala flood disaster fund and there are no cracks in a key dam, but India’s fake news machine has been working overtime to fuel confusion and fear.

The Kerala state government and India’s military have issued rare warnings about viral social media messages as they confront the aftermath of floods which have killed some 420 people.

The deluge of false news, videos and claims also comes as the Indian government steps up pressure on Facebook, WhatsApp and other platforms to act against fake news, blamed for inciting more than 20 lynchings in the past two months.

Some postings have been relatively harmless. Portuguese football superstar Ronaldo is often linked to big donations after a catastrophe that makes international headlines.

But Indian fact-checking websites like Boomlive.in have highlighted how many people are using Ronaldo’s supposed donation to criticise the federal government’s response to the crisis.

The central government has pledged almost $100 million in aid so far.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijaran issued a Twitter warning after a viral fake video said there were cracks in the Mullaperiyar dam in Kerala’s Idukki district.

- Fake fatigues In the clip an unidentified man, quoting a supposed friend in the office of Prime Minister Narendra

Modi, says that within three hours the surrounding area will be inundated.

“I wish to inform all that the state government will now take very strict action against such people,” Vijayan said.

The Indian Army in turn debunked a fake video where a man in military fatigues is seen talking about the relief operations and slamming the Kerala chief minister.

“Imposter wearing army combat uniform in video spreading disinformation about rescue and relief efforts,” the army tweeted.

“Every effort (being made) by all and Indian army to overcome this terrifying human tragedy,” it said, urging people to inform authorities about suspicious news.

Joke news peddled by parody accounts on Twitter have also caused distress.

“Man refuses to accept a saffron life jacket, dies as a result,” read a headline on a story by Fault News which describes itself as a satirical portal.

Saffron is the most sacred colour for Hindus. They are the majority in Kerala, a state of 33 million people, and there is rivalry with Christian and Muslim communities.

In yet another instance, an image of a flooded car park at a Renault dealership in the main city of Kochi turned out to be an old photo.

Fake news is often deadly in India. Hoax messages about child kidnappers being seen in villages spread like wildfire on platforms such as WhatsApp, which boasts more than 200 million users in India. (afp)

SYDNEY - At least 10 ministers have offered their resignations as a leadership crisis in Australian politics deepened Wednesday with another challenge against Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appearing inevitable.

The embattled leader narrowly survived a move to unseat him by his populist Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on Tuesday with a Liberal party ballot voting 48-35 in his favour.

It came to a head after months of poor opinion polls and a revolt by fellow Liberal politicians on Monday against his plans to embed carbon emissions targets in law at a time of soaring power prices.

Despite Turnbull’s win, it laid bare that dozens of his own MPs do not want him as their leader, and Dutton worked the phones and blitzed the airwaves Wednesday to shore up more support for another widely-expected crack at the top job.

Dutton quit his cabinet position after his failed leadership bid, with at least nine other ministers also offering to go, according to

a tally by broadcasters ABC and Sky News. They include the health minister and trade minister, both frontbenchers.

Turnbull has so far only accepted two resignations -- Dutton and International Development Minister Concetta Fierravanti-Wells -- and insisted Wednesday the others had since “given me unequivocal assurances of continuing loyalty and support”.

But buoyed by his support, Dutton, seen as a more hardline conservative that the moderate Turnbull, worked to soften his perceived tough guy image earned as home affairs and immigration minister, in media interviews in which he laid out his policy agenda.

The former police officer, who admits he rarely smiles, made no secret of still wanting to run the country.

“I’m speaking to colleagues, I’m not going to beat around the bush with that, mate,” he told commercial radio station 3AW on again attempting to dump Turnbull.

“That’s being very honest and upfront with you and that’s how I see it.”

He added that he thinks he could win an election -- due by the middle of next year -- as leader against Labor opposition leader Bill Shorten.

“I would never run for the leadership not believing that I could beat Bill Shorten,” added the 47year-old.

If he became prime minister, Dutton said he would focus on lowering electricity prices, cutting immigration to ease population pressures and boost water investment to help drought-stricken farmers. (afp)

AFP

Indian student Dhanosh dries out his school books after flooding hit his home in Kochi in the south Indian state of Kerala on August 21, 2018.

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Thursday, August 23, 2018

Bali News

International

BUSINESS

Garbage has never smelled so sweet for a small village in southern Benin since it opened a pilot waste treatment centre to turn household rubbish into gas -- and cash. “Our trash has become gold. We no longer throw it into the bush. We use it to make money,” beams Alphonse Ago, who lives next to the centre in Houegbo village.

- ‘Goldmine’ Symphorien Adonon, 35, drops off a week’s worth of carefully sorted waste,

smiling as he pockets his cash payment.

“Now I have enough to do the shopping for dinner,” says Adonon, who drives a motorcycle taxi.

The centre has treated more than 20 tonnes of waste since it began operations late last year. In addition to the customers’ household waste, there is also rubbish collected by a local non-government organisation, Astome.

The NGO’s chief, Florent Gbegnon, says he used to collect it on a push cart, but he now uses a tricycle provided by the centre.

“It’s a huge relief,” he says as he dumps a load of pineapple skins. “Pushing the cart was a real burden.”

It was the massive amounts of waste such as pineapple skins that originally caught the attention of ReBin’s founder, Mark Giannelli, and inspired him to set up the treatment centre in Houegbo.

“I saw this not as a problem, but as an opportunity, and I thought it was a goldmine,” Giannelli told AFP. Benin is Africa’s fourth-biggest exporter of pineapples. And in Houegbo, which has one of the busiest markets in the region, local sources estimate that more than a tonne of waste is generated every day from that fruit alone. Giannelli told AFP that he had been searching for a potential site for his project in Benin’s West African neighbours Ghana and

Tourist Learn to Dance at Kakul Mas Studio, Batuan

IBP/kmb

LOIC VENANCE / AFP

An employee passes by sorted waste on August 21, 2018, at a Kerval sorting center in Ploufragan, western France.

Togo. But it was the enthusiasm with which the locals embraced his idea that finally convinced him to set up the waste treatment centre here, he said.

- ‘Source of happiness’ The goal is to establish “a real economy that serves the population and protects the environment,” he says. “We have to take the problems locally and adapt them to local solutions.”

Once the necessary expertise has become more firmly established in Houegbo, Giannelli

hopes to extend the project to larger municipalities and let local entrepreneurs run it.

The centre’s director, Sewai Mardochee, suggests duplicating it in all of Benin’s 77 municipalities.

“We can then create jobs and clean up our living environment by reducing the use of firewood and coal,” he said.

Nicolas Hounje, a retired official, has put himself forward to take over the company.

“We did not know here that garbage can become a source of happiness,” he says. (afp)

Belarusian leader Lukashenko fires Cabinet as economy sinks MINSK - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has fired his Cabinet, emphasizing the need to strengthen the economy to preserve the nation’s post-Soviet independence.

Lukashenko said he fired Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov’s Cabinet for failing to execute his orders and for paying too little attention to the country’s social needs. He appointed banker Sergei Rumas to succeed Kobyakov.

Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an iron hand for 24 years, maintaining rigid Soviet-style controls over the

economy and showing little tolerance for dissent or independent media.

He said Saturday that Belarus won’t turn into a “vassal” of its giant neighbor, Russia, even though he underlined the importance of close ties with Moscow.

Belarus has long depended on cheap energy and other subsidies from Russia, which is facing its own economic woes and warned that it would scale down assistance to its ally.

Lukashenko criticized Russia for failing to honor its agreements with Belarus.

The new Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Rumas in Minsk, Belarus, on Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018. Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko has dismissed the country’s prime minister and other top ministers, according to information released from the Presidential office, and named Rumas, the former head of the country’s Development Bank, as new prime minister.

“We will never become a vassal to anyone,” he said, warning against any attempts to encroach on Belarus’ independence.

“We will remain independent for as long as our economy develops as needed,” the Belarusian leader said, adding that “we won’t be able to maintain our independence if we ruin the economy.”

Observers noted that the Belarusian leader was facing pressure to reform the economy as Russia’s assistance dries up.

“It doesn’t mean that the country is going to have full-fledged free-market reforms, but some movement is possible,” independent Minsk-based analyst Alexander Klaskovsky said. “Lukashenko hasn’t turned into a reformer, but he realizes that Moscow is turning off the taps and he needs to raise money himself and turn to the West.” (ap)

5

Taman Mumbul as Spiritual Tourist Attraction in Badung

‘Trash is gold’ as Benin community turns waste into biogas

ReBin, a Swiss foundation for sustainable development, built the 1.3-hectare (3.2-acre) facility, which every week turns around six tonnes of organic waste into 200 cubic metres of biogas -- saving some 164 tonnes of wood from being used to make charcoal.

The centre, which opened late last year, also plans to produce around 400 tonnes of organic fertiliser per year. So far, around 100 households in the area have signed up to the scheme to deposit their waste at the centre on a daily basis. Every 10 kilogrammes (22 pounds) of waste fetches 250 CFA francs (around 50 euro cents, 57 US cents), paid either in cash or credit -- to buy biogas. The fuel is a precious commodity in a rural region where electricity remains scarce.

Agnes Avoce, a shopkeeper and mother of five, proudly straps a large plastic bag of the gas onto her back. Biogas, she says, is much cleaner and more efficient for cooking than charcoal -- which “darkens the pots and makes me sick” -- and she is more than happy to make the switch. Avoce is not alone; five other women are waiting to pick up gas.

“There are queues here since we opted for biogas,” another customer says.

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Batuan village, Sukawati, Gianyar, deserves to be called a cultural tourism village. In addition to having beautiful nature, this village also keeps ‘gold’ as a source of traditional arts remaining to be inherited until now. Moreover, the ancient heritage at Desa and Puseh Temple can be a special attraction. So it’s not mistaken if the artists, foreign researchers and foreign tourists throng this village.

For instance, some students from Melbourne, Australia, some time ago visited this village. They are Balinese culture lovers deliberately coming to Kakul Mas Dance Studio to know and learn more about the Balinese classical dances.

“There are 15 tourists with student status that learned to dance in our house (Kakul Mas Dance Studio),” said I Ketut Wirtawan, an artist and trainer who is also the successor of the studio.

The students coming at that time, continued Wirtawan, have major in theater that want to deepen the Balinese arts, especially the art of gambuh operetta. The gambuh is a very complex ancient art, having the elements of motion art (dance), vocal and gamelan music. The most important is characterizations, so it is in accordance with their selected major. “The knowledge of Balinese dance is intended to enrich the theatrical studies they have,” he added.

These students studied for ten days and practiced for 2.5 hours a day. They know the Kakul Mas Dance Studio from his father, the late I Ketut Kantor. One of their lecturers had learned mask dance directly from the late I Ketut Kantor. Their lecturer then sent the students to get the fundamentals of Balinese classical dance from the successor of the late I Ketut Kantor.

These students did not only learn to dance, but also tried to express themselves by learning to dance, make a mask and know more about Balinese life. In practicing the dance, they are trained directly by Ketut Wirtawan, Wayan Artawa, Nyoman Juniati, Tut Nik and Wayan Darmawan.

The class of making a mask is provided by Ketut Wirtawan.

“Although the schedule is held by their campus, there are also students attending the program repeatedly on their personal ac-

count,” he said.

Kakul Mas Dance Studio which is also the home of I Ketut Wirtawan’s family is natural remaining to refer to the kosala-kosali (Balinese geomancy) rules, commonly used in the making of Balinese house. That’s why many foreign tourists often visit the house as a kind of tourist attraction. They come from various countries escorted by a tour guide. “There are always tourists making a visit here.

They like to see traditional house as well as painting of Batuan style,” said Wirtawan.

Ketut Wirtawan is often taken advantage as an object when painting on canvas. Indeed, in the matter of painting, Batuan village remains the same as in the past, preserving the painting of Batuan style. Other than being one of the successors of Gambuh operetta, Wirtawan is still actively scratching on canvas or paper as it has become a habit. (kmb)

Realizing Taman Mumbul as a spiritual tourist destination in Badung is a very smart idea. In addition to keeping the village asset, it can also bring in economic benefits for local community. Just imagine, every day there are always guests coming to make a visit. Moreover, they also come on auspicious days, like Kliwon, full moon, new moon and Banyupinaruh.

Taman Mumbul is a sacred place sanctified by the Sangeh and surrounding communities. It has a big pond like a lake with clear water.

The water sources from 11 major springs and dozens of small springs around the lake. Aside from being functioned as source of clean water for people’s daily life, the lake water is also used to irrigate paddy fields of Subak Sangeh spreading across the area of 200 hectares.

Chief of Sangeh customary village, Ida Bagus Dipayana, said that Taman Mumbul can be divided into three areas, namely the innermost, middle and outermost courtyard.

The innermost courtyard hosts several temples such as the Ulunsuwi, Taman Beji, Segara Kelebutan, Ratu Gede, Taman Mumbul, Ratu Niang and Bebaturan to worship wong samar (supernatural beings).

“All the temples have their own function, but in essence they are functioned to maintain the nature and safety of Sangeh people,” he said.

Ulunsuwi Temple is located in the northern most venerated by members of Subak Sangeh. On particular days, subak members perform a ceremony as an expression of gratitude to God for the graces bestowed. In the southern part sits the Taman Beji Temple with three fountains as destination of melasti (physical and psychical purification) procession. Remaining in the region, there is Segara Kelebutan Temple in the form of three-tiered meru shrine located in the middle of the pond.

In the south of the pond precisely under a banyan tree sits the representative temple of Taman Ayun.

This temple was established when making the pond that was never finished. Its levees were always broken. Seeing this condition, the royal figure of Mengwi was invited to come. After that, the levees of the lake became very strong, so that it was then made a shrine to worship the deities of Taman Ayun.

Meanwhile, the Ratu Gede Temple is used to venerate the guardian in the psychical ream of the pond.

The middle courtyard of the Taman Mumbul Temple is located in the east of the area. This temple is venerated by the Brahmana hamlet. There is also a Pengelukatan Temple marked by eleven fountains. Here, the residents do self-purificatory rite (melukat) physically and psychically accompanied by the presentation of the offerings. Sangeh community believes that Ratu Niang abides at this temple.

Then, the southernmost shrine is bebaturan (menhir) used to worship wong samar (supernatural beings). “Therefore, we always urge visitors to always prioritize ethics as the region the Taman Mumbul area is rich in objects and sacred places,” he said. This arrangement, explained I.B. Dipa, is meant to make the place attractive and comfortable to be visited. The arrangement workmanship started in 2016. Thankfully, it can be operated in late 2016. Arrangement of the area was funded by assistance of Badung government and village treasury. “The assistance of Badung government is worth IDR 4 billion and village treasury approximately amounted to IDR 500 million,” he said.

In the meantime, the outermost courtyard located at southernmost area (after the Pengelukatan Temple) will be made into water attraction equipped with a pool of children and adult. Various types of water tourist attractions will be created as children playground.

“Hopefully, the water attraction could be realized in 2018,” he hoped. (kmb)

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Thursday, August 23, 2018

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International

International

RLD

Thursday, August 23, 2018

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Bringing home the bacon: China pork braces for trade war blues

BAIYANG - Twice a day, Chinese pig farmer Jia Tiechui’s workers flip levers to deliver plops of soybean-based feed to 18,000 hogs, whose appetite is getting costlier as the US trade war bites.

IBP/net

The price of the powdery grain mixture, which is one-fifth soy, has risen since China imposed 25-percent duties on US soybean imports last month, escalating a trade spat between the two economic giants.

The price of the powdery grain mixture, which is one-fifth soy, has risen since China imposed 25-percent duties on US soybean imports last month, escalating a trade spat between the two economic giants.

With both sides bracing for more tit-for-tat levies due Thursday, fallout from Beijing’s retaliation highlights the tricky balancing act of firing back at Washington while not shooting its own economy in the foot.

China, the world’s biggest importer of soybeans -- used mostly in cooking oil and animal feed -- bought around a third of its beans from the United States last year.

So far, the impact of the trade clash “hasn’t been too drastic” at Jia’s farm, on the outskirts of Luoyang city in China’s pig-raising powerhouse province of Henan, he said.

But he may have to switch to a

different feed formula with less soy if his profit margins continue to slim.

“Our formula can be changed, replacing soybean pulp with cotton seed or rapeseed pulp,” Jia said, inspecting rows of massive, pregnant sows squealing for supper.

“If costs keep going up and this doesn’t affect the pigs’ growth, we’ll definitely adjust it.”

- Oversupply Jia’s family of corn-growing farmers scraped and saved for years to buy two pigs to raise at home, which they fed by hand.

He could never have imagined then or even when he first entered the business in the late 90s that his pigsties would one day stretch as far as the eye can see.

Low pork prices are Jia’s biggest concern, he said.

“When the market is good, it doesn’t affect our income if feed is a bit more expensive. What we’re worried about is if the market worsens and pork prices don’t go up,” he explained.

An oversupply problem faces China’s pork industry, whose rapid expansion has made it the world’s biggest producer of the meat.

This means prices are likely to stay low enough to not dramatically affect consumers during a trade war, analysts say.

“There’s an incredible amount of pork in China; there’s no way we can eat it all,” said Feng Yonghui, chief researcher for trade portal Soozhu.com.

Pork prices tumbled to a four-year low earlier in 2018 before rising again from June, Feng said, but are now being hit by an outbreak of African swine fever that began this month. (afp)

Hunger-striking Ukrainian filmmaker ‘losing hope’: cousin

Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov is “losing hope” and no longer believes that he will be freed after almost 100 days on hunger strike in a Russian prison, his cousin told AFP. Natalia Kaplan insisted in an interview that Western leaders had “leverage” to bring about the release

of the 42-year-old Kremlin opponent who was convicted on terrorism charges.

“He’s losing hope,” Kaplan said Thursday, a week after she received a letter from Sentsov in which he told her he felt the “end is near”.

“In his letter, he wrote to me that we mustn’t tell him any more that

Hyperinflation...

Venezuela introduced Monday a new bolivar that lobbed five zeros off the old currency. But it is unclear if the currency’s anchor to the country’s widely discredited cryptocurrency, the petro, which is in turned linked to the price of Venezuelan oil, will restore confidence.

“Removing zeros can have a psychological effect, but it isn’t worth anything if other measures aren’t taken,” said Veron at the Bruegel think tank.

Yugoslavia in 1994 issued a new currency, the novi dinar, and pegged it to the deutsche mark to restore confidence. Zimbabwe just abandoned its dollar in 2009, letting people trade in foreign currencies.

Such currency substitution is often also called dollarisation of an economy. While resolving the question of confidence, it isn’t always a panacea. Zimbabwe found this out as the lack of foreign banknotes in the country held back economic activity. It eventually introduced a parallel currency in 2016 which has since slid in value. (afp)

From page 1

“Venezuelans lost an average of 11 kilos (24 pounds) in 2017 compared to 2016,” noted Waechter.

Many people also try to flee the country.

What solutions are there?

Besides turning off the presses, the authorities need to regain the confidence of the public that it won’t recklessly print more money and get its finances in order.

Today, countries can turn to the International Monetary Fund, which provides loans only if governments pursue an agreed economic plan that aims to heal public finances and encourage growth.

The IMF lending can thus plug budget gaps while the conditionality of the help works to restore confidence.

Countries can also try to introduce new currencies, link them to foreign currencies, or abandon them altogether.

freedom is coming. He doesn’t believe it any more,” she said.

According to Kaplan, Sentsov’s health has dramatically declined since he started a hunger strike on May 14 to demand the release of all Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia.

“He has a very weak heartbeat of 40 beats per minute. He complains that his heart hurts, that he’s weak, and he tries not to get up too often to preserve his strength,” she said.

Activist and journalist Zoya Svetova, who visited the filmmaker in his Russian Arctic prison this week, told AFP he had lost 17 kilogrammes (28 pounds), though prison medics said he had lost 11 kilos.

Svetova said however that Sentsov had no intention of ending his hunger strike. He is receiving supplements in a drip usually meant for people unable to eat, she said.

- Celebrity support Sentsov was convicted of arson attacks on pro-Moscow party offices in Crimea after Russia annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

Amnesty International denounced the trial against him as “Stalinist”.

G7 ambassadors as well as major figures from the world of cinema, from director Jean-Luc Godard to Hollywood star Johnny Depp, have called for his release.

Last Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron raised the issue with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, discussing the need to find “an urgent humanitarian solution” in Sentsov’s case.

Kaplan said she was waiting for Western leaders to put pressure on Moscow and “find some sort of leverage to free Oleg and other political prisoners”. “Such leverage does exist, I am sure of it,” she said.

“We can’t put down our arms while Oleg is continuing his fight. It would be a betrayal both of Oleg and the people who are making such huge efforts to secure his release,” Kaplin added. (afp)

AP Photo/Fauzy Chaniago

A man inspects destroyed homes following an earthquake on Lombok island, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 20, 2018. Multiple strong earthquakes killed a number of people on the Indonesian islands of Lombok and Sumbawa as the region was trying to recover from a temblor earlier this month that killed hundreds of people.

Indonesia: Lombok quakes don’t meet national disaster status

JAKARTA — Indonesia’s disaster agency says earthquakes that killed more than 500 people on the island of Lombok in the past month and caused half a billion dollars in damage don’t rise to the level of a national emergency.

The agency’s response to criticism, released Monday evening, strikes a nationalistic tone, noting that declaring a national disaster opens the “door as wide as possible” to international assistance that can cause new problems.

But it also said Indonesia has substantial experience in handling natural calamities and hasn’t de-

clared a national disaster since the December 2004 tsunami that killed more than 100,000 people in Aceh province on Sumatra.

It said the tsunami was declared a national disaster because all levels of government in the province were devastated and overwhelmed, requiring a central command.

Media articles and people on social media have criticized the relief response to the earthquakes.

An Australian journalist’s tweet expressing astonishment that a national disaster hadn’t been declared was retweeted nearly 5,000 times.

Some of the domestic criticism is politically motivated as candidates for the presidential election in April, including the incumbent Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, are beginning their campaigns.

Lombok, a less developed

island next to the tourist hotspot of Bali, has been hit by a series of powerful quakes since late July.

The latest two on Sunday, a magnitude 6.3 quake in the morning and a 6.9 temblor in the evening, included a swarm of aftershocks above magnitude 5.0 and killed at least a dozen people.

The disaster agency said the quakes have claimed 506 lives, damaged more than 74,000 homes and displaced 431,000 people — about 13 percent of Lombok’s population. Damage and losses

are currently estimated at 7.7 trillion rupiah ($528 million).

Disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the central government funds the relief effort regardless of whether a national disaster is declared or not.

He said a 4 trillion rupiah ($274 million) disaster relief fund managed by the finance ministry and the disaster agency can be topped up by parliament. Reconstruction would be separately funded by the national government, he said.(ap)

Indonesian woman jailed for complaining about mosque noise

Genya SAVILOV / AFP

People hold placards reading “Free Sentsov” with an appeal to free Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov during a rally in front of Russia embassy in Ukrainian capital of Kiev on August 21, 2018.

A woman in Muslim-majority Indonesia was sentenced to 18 months in jail Tuesday for complaining about the volume of a mosque’s call to prayer -- the latest conviction under a controversial blasphemy law.

Meiliana, 44, an ethnic Chinese Buddhist, was found guilty of insulting Islam for asking her neighbourhood mosque to lower its sound system because it was too loud and “hurt” her ears.

There are some 800,000

mosques across the archipelago, with the five-times-a-day call to prayer heard everywhere in the biggest cities and smallest towns.

Tuesday’s verdict will likely fuel fears that Indonesia’s moderate brand of Islam is coming under threat from increasingly influential radicals.

The court in the city of Medan on Sumatra island said the woman’s comments two years ago triggered riots that saw angry Muslim mobs ransack Buddhist temples. Some

ethnic Chinese in the area fled in fear.

The defendant’s lawyer said his client would appeal the decision while Amnesty International urged a higher court to quash the sentence.

“This ludicrous decision is a flagrant violation of freedom of expression,” said its Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid in a statement.

“Sentencing someone to 18 months in prison for something so trivial is a stark illustration of the

increasingly arbitrary and repressive application of the blasphemy law in the country.”

Indonesia, which has the world’s biggest Muslim population, is officially pluralist with six major religions recognised, including Hinduism, Christianity and Buddhism. Freedom of expression is supposed to be guaranteed by law.

But criticising religion -- particularly Islam, which is followed by nearly 90 percent of Indonesia’s 260 million citizens -- can land of-

fenders in jail.

Rights groups have long campaigned against the nation’s blasphemy laws, which they say are frequently misused to target minorities.

Last year Jakarta’s former governor -- the city’s first Christian leader of Chinese descent -- was sentenced to two years in jail for blasphemy.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla made a plea in 2015 for places of worship to turn down the volume slightly to placate nearby residents.(afp)

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Destination

Thursday, August 23, 2018

International

Thursday, August 23, 2018

International

Time for a change: US Open gets new arena, shot clocks -- and park benches

Double-Six Rooftop Rooftop Bar in Seminyak

NEW YORK - The US Open begins next week celebrating 50 years of Open Era tennis with a decidedly new feel at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.

SEMINYAK - Double-Six Rooftop is one of the signature venues at the Double-Six Luxury Hotel in Seminyak, which has literally taken to new heights the legacy of the late Double-Six Club that closed in the same spot at the brink of 2011. This expansive 1,700sqm luxurious rooftop space attracts an upmarket crowd. You can lounge away while taking in spectacular 180-degree views over Seminyak’s coastline and sunsets, while enjoying creative cocktail selections.

The bar’s edge is one of the most coveted spaces at Double-Six Rooftop as it offers the very best views. This perimeter has round lounge pods with cushions and pillows that comfortably seat up to nine, set within a shallow, awningcovered freeform pool. You only get to settle into these pods with a minimum spend of IDR 1 million (USD 74). Further in to the centre is its unique pit grill that forms a ‘circle of fire’, where juicy satays are prepared using coconut shell charcoal.

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The biggest change in the infrastructure of the sprawling complex in the New York borough of Queens will be the unveiling of the new 14,000-seat Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Designed to give a more “intimate” feel than the cavernous Arthur Ashe stadium, the new Armstrong with its retractable fabric roof “gives the US Open a second stage that is second to none”, USTA President Katrina Adams said this spring as construction neared completion. “(It allows) us to present a reliable and predictable schedule that will be unaltered by weather. Now, with two stadiums with roofs, you know that if you’ve got a ticket to the US Open, you’re going to see tennis regardless of the weather conditions.”

The Armstrong design, with terra cotta louvers that aid air circulation, features 6,400 reserved lower-bowl seats and more than 7,000 seats in the upper bowl that are open to anyone holding a grounds pass -- a link to the days when grounds pass holders flocked into the old Armstrong before it was demolished after the 2016 tournament.

On all courts, however, it’s the ‘shot clocks’ that will be in use for the first time in a Grand Slam main draw that will undoubtedly be most

or USD 63 a vessel), a tangy blend of pineapple, kaffir lime, lemongrass, Sailor Jerry, blue curacao, and young coconut water.

Feeling peckish? There’s mini sliders (two per serving) with selections that include grilled wagyu, suckling pig, tiger prawn and chorizo. Don’t forget to sample from the circular fire pit for a full range of satays such as Italian lamb, bratwurst pork, mahi-mahi, wagyu and lobster. Alternatively, go for the ultimate satay platter that serves two or more with a great assortment of meats and seafood (IDR 280,000 or USD 20). Drinks are on the pricier side for Seminyak, with Bintangs costing IDR 50,000 (USD 3.70). Every Tuesday and Thursday there’s two-for-the-price-of-one deals on most drinks between 19:00 and 21:00, as well as similar daily offers for certain wines. Cool jazzy playlists augment the elegant but laidback ambiance throughout, while live gigs by great local jazz, funk and blues bands are highlighted weekly. (net)

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visible.

The clocks, designed to prevent time-wasting and maintain a regular pace of play, have received mixed reviews from players in North American hardcourt tournaments leading up to the Open, and the pressure-cooker atmosphere of a Grand Slam could intensify feeling on the subject.

US Open tournament director David Brewer told the New York

Post that the clocks are a bid to be “transparent with the players and the live and broadcast audience between points”.

“We want to get the information of the rules out there,” Brewer said.

- On the clock The clocks, which will be placed at two corners of all four show courts and 13 field courts, will

count out the 25 seconds a player is allowed to serve -- time previously kept by the chair umpire.

Andy Murray, the 2012 US Open champion, has welcomed the change.

“It was one of those things in tennis that is so stupid, that the players were

IndyCar rookie Wickens stable after spine surgery

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LOS ANGELES - IndyCar rookie Robert Wickens was in a stable condition on Tuesday after undergoing surgery to repair his injured spine following a horrific crash at the Pocono 500, his team said.

A statement from Wickens’ Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team said the Canadian driver had surgery to stabilise his spine at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Pennsylvania on Monday.

“Titanium rods and screws were placed successfully in Wickens’ spine during the surgery, which was performed without complication,”

the statement said.

“The severity of the spinal cord injury is indeterminate at this time.”

The statement said Wickens was expected to undergo further surgeries to treat fractures in his legs and right forearm, describing his condition as “stable”.

Wickens was hospitalised after his car was sent hurtling into the catchfence following a collision with Ryan Hunter-Reay’s IndyCar at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond on Sunday.

The crash occurred three years after British driver Justin Wilson died in an accident at the same Pocono

circuit in 2015.

Wilson was fatally injured after being struck by debris from an accident involving Sage Karam.

Sunday’s accident has prompted calls for a review of safety standards at the circuit, with former driver Paul Tracy saying IndyCar should find an alternative to chain link fencing and posts around racetracks. (afp)

IBP/net

sort of expected to be counting to 25 in their heads, not having a clock on the court, and then getting warned -- how were you supposed to know how much time you were actually taking?” Murray said after playing with a clock in Washington.

But Serena Williams, who counts six US Open titles among her 23 Grand Slams, found the clock distracting in San Jose. (afp)

8

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Thursday, August 23, 2018

ASIAN GAMES 2018 Jakarta Palembang

Indonesia secures sixth gold from men’s paragliding team BOGOR – The Indonesian paragliding team presented the country’s the sixth gold in the 2018 Asian Games after they outclassed 14 other teams in the final round of the men’s team accuracy at Gunung Mas, Puncak, Bogor, on Wednesday.

Indonesia sent out five athletes in the men’s team accuracy event, namely Aris Apriansyah, Joni Efendi, Jafro Megawangi, Hening Paradigma and Roni Pratama.

Meanwhile, three Indonesian female paragliding pilots — Lis Adriana, Ike Ayu Wulandari and Rika Wi-

jayanti — grabbed a silver medal in the women’s team accuracy.

National Sports Council (KONI) deputy chairman Maj. Gen. (ret.) Suwarno noted that the 2018 Asian Games marked the debut of the paragliding competition in the continental multisports event.(ant)

An athlete practices in the paragliding event during the 2018 Asian Games in Bogor, outside of Jakarta on August 19, 2018.

Snappy salute: Philippines hails Diaz for Asian Games lift The Philippines saluted Asian Games gold medallist Hidilyn Diaz on Wednesday as the soldier-weightlifter gave the basketball-mad nation a lift after a heartbreaking hoops loss to China.

Footage of the tearful Diaz, the silver medallist from the Rio Olympics, saluting the flag after Tuesday’s victory brought goosebumps to Filipinos following the Indonesia event.

President Rodrigo Duterte excitedly announced in a speech late Tuesday that the country had broken its gold medal duck at the games with Diaz’s victory.

“Congrats @diaz_hidilyn U make us feel like crying tears of joy and pride too,” wrote Twitter user @ yusufledesma.

Vice-President Leni Robredo hailed her “story of triumph over adversity”, while the lifter earned a special citation from the Air Force.

“We give (Airwoman First Class) Hidilyn Diaz our snappiest salute for her discipline, perseverance and hard work that made her achieve another milestone,” it said in a statement.

Newspapers splashed photos of Diaz, 27, on their front pages.

“Hidilyn Diaz’s gold medal feat obviously eased the pain of the men’s basketball team’s 2-pt loss against China,” @gerardmos posted on Twitter.

Diaz, from a poor coastal village in the southern Philippines, began lifting weights by carting five-gallon (18 litre) jugs of water for her family to use for cooking, drinking and bathing.

In 2016 she sprang a major surprise by winning the nation’s first Olympic medal in 20 years, a silver.

Diaz now manages her new weightlifting gym and has been seeking greater support and better training facilities for the nation’s athletes.

She now has her sights on the gold in the Tokyo Olympics in two years’ time, which is when she also plans to retire from the sport.

With her latest victory, Diaz stands to receive at least five million pesos ($93,500) in cash incentives mandated by law and from donors, legislators said.(afp)

JAKARTA — Tottenham forward Son Heung-min took matters into his own hands to ensure defending champion South Korea progressed to the knockout stage at the Asian Games.

Son scored in the 63rd minute in a 1-0 win over Kyrgyzstan on Monday to set up a Round of 16 match against Iran, the other four-time Asian Games champion.

The South Koreans placed second in Group E following a surprising 2-1 loss to Malaysia last Friday, when Son made his debut at the tournament.

An Asian Games gold medal would earn Son an exemption from compulsory military service in South Korea, so he’s doing what he can to make it happen.

Son wore the captain’s armband and started at the Asian Games for the first time, joining Gamba Osaka striker Hwang Ui-jo and Gwangju FC forward Na Sang-ho up front.

The Koreans had 12 shots but couldn’t beat Kyrgyz goalkeeper Kalysbek Akimaliev in the first half.

Hwang Ui-jo was replaced by Hwang Hee-chan at the break and the attack improved.

Son finally broke through with a volley off a corner kick.

South Korea went close to doubling the lead late but Hwang Hee-chan and Son’ missed opportunities.

Malaysia finished atop the group despite its 3-2 loss to Bahrain, getting the better of the tiebreaker with the South Koreans because of the win in their head-to-head meeting.

In the other late game Monday, host Indonesia beat Hong Kong 3-1 to top Group A. The Malaysians will next play Japan, which finished second to Vietnam in Group D. The top two teams from each of the six groups and the four best third-place teams advanced.(ap)

Asian Games 2018 Medal Tally No. 1 2 3 4 5

MONEY SHARMA / AFP

Hidilyn Diaz of Philippines competes in the women’s 53kg weightlifting event during the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta on August 21, 2018.

India thrash Hong Kong 26-0 in record hockey win

Son scores to help South Korea advance at Asian Games

Countries China Japan Korea Indonesia Iran

Gold 34 15 9 6 5

Silver 25 19 15 3 3

Bronze 12 22 19 5 6

Total 71 56 43 14 14

India’s men’s hockey team romped to their biggest ever tournament win at the Asian Games on Wednesday with a 26-0 thrashing of hapless Hong Kong -- who didn’t have a single shot on target.

India scored nearly a goal every two minutes as they broke an 86-year-old record, surpassing their 24-1 victory over the United States at the 1932 Olympics.

The eight-time Olympic champions’ dominance was such that with seven minutes to go, they took off their goalkeeper Krishnan Bahadur Pathak as the entire team laid seige to the Hong Kong goal.

India had already overtaken their previous Asian Games record -- Monday’s 17-0 hammering of hosts Indonesia -- by the end of the third quarter, when they led 18-0.

But the defending champions refused to show any mercy, scoring another eight goals in the final period.

India’s men have won a record eight Olympic golds, but trail on Asian Games golds (three) to their fierce rivals Pakistan (eight).(afp)

South Korea’s Son Heung Min prepares to pass the ball during their men’s soccer match between South Korea and Malaysia at the 18th Asian Games at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung, Indonesia, Friday, Aug. 17, 2018.

9

8

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Thursday, August 23, 2018

ASIAN GAMES 2018 Jakarta Palembang

Indonesia secures sixth gold from men’s paragliding team BOGOR – The Indonesian paragliding team presented the country’s the sixth gold in the 2018 Asian Games after they outclassed 14 other teams in the final round of the men’s team accuracy at Gunung Mas, Puncak, Bogor, on Wednesday.

Indonesia sent out five athletes in the men’s team accuracy event, namely Aris Apriansyah, Joni Efendi, Jafro Megawangi, Hening Paradigma and Roni Pratama.

Meanwhile, three Indonesian female paragliding pilots — Lis Adriana, Ike Ayu Wulandari and Rika Wi-

jayanti — grabbed a silver medal in the women’s team accuracy.

National Sports Council (KONI) deputy chairman Maj. Gen. (ret.) Suwarno noted that the 2018 Asian Games marked the debut of the paragliding competition in the continental multisports event.(ant)

An athlete practices in the paragliding event during the 2018 Asian Games in Bogor, outside of Jakarta on August 19, 2018.

Snappy salute: Philippines hails Diaz for Asian Games lift The Philippines saluted Asian Games gold medallist Hidilyn Diaz on Wednesday as the soldier-weightlifter gave the basketball-mad nation a lift after a heartbreaking hoops loss to China.

Footage of the tearful Diaz, the silver medallist from the Rio Olympics, saluting the flag after Tuesday’s victory brought goosebumps to Filipinos following the Indonesia event.

President Rodrigo Duterte excitedly announced in a speech late Tuesday that the country had broken its gold medal duck at the games with Diaz’s victory.

“Congrats @diaz_hidilyn U make us feel like crying tears of joy and pride too,” wrote Twitter user @ yusufledesma.

Vice-President Leni Robredo hailed her “story of triumph over adversity”, while the lifter earned a special citation from the Air Force.

“We give (Airwoman First Class) Hidilyn Diaz our snappiest salute for her discipline, perseverance and hard work that made her achieve another milestone,” it said in a statement.

Newspapers splashed photos of Diaz, 27, on their front pages.

“Hidilyn Diaz’s gold medal feat obviously eased the pain of the men’s basketball team’s 2-pt loss against China,” @gerardmos posted on Twitter.

Diaz, from a poor coastal village in the southern Philippines, began lifting weights by carting five-gallon (18 litre) jugs of water for her family to use for cooking, drinking and bathing.

In 2016 she sprang a major surprise by winning the nation’s first Olympic medal in 20 years, a silver.

Diaz now manages her new weightlifting gym and has been seeking greater support and better training facilities for the nation’s athletes.

She now has her sights on the gold in the Tokyo Olympics in two years’ time, which is when she also plans to retire from the sport.

With her latest victory, Diaz stands to receive at least five million pesos ($93,500) in cash incentives mandated by law and from donors, legislators said.(afp)

JAKARTA — Tottenham forward Son Heung-min took matters into his own hands to ensure defending champion South Korea progressed to the knockout stage at the Asian Games.

Son scored in the 63rd minute in a 1-0 win over Kyrgyzstan on Monday to set up a Round of 16 match against Iran, the other four-time Asian Games champion.

The South Koreans placed second in Group E following a surprising 2-1 loss to Malaysia last Friday, when Son made his debut at the tournament.

An Asian Games gold medal would earn Son an exemption from compulsory military service in South Korea, so he’s doing what he can to make it happen.

Son wore the captain’s armband and started at the Asian Games for the first time, joining Gamba Osaka striker Hwang Ui-jo and Gwangju FC forward Na Sang-ho up front.

The Koreans had 12 shots but couldn’t beat Kyrgyz goalkeeper Kalysbek Akimaliev in the first half.

Hwang Ui-jo was replaced by Hwang Hee-chan at the break and the attack improved.

Son finally broke through with a volley off a corner kick.

South Korea went close to doubling the lead late but Hwang Hee-chan and Son’ missed opportunities.

Malaysia finished atop the group despite its 3-2 loss to Bahrain, getting the better of the tiebreaker with the South Koreans because of the win in their head-to-head meeting.

In the other late game Monday, host Indonesia beat Hong Kong 3-1 to top Group A. The Malaysians will next play Japan, which finished second to Vietnam in Group D. The top two teams from each of the six groups and the four best third-place teams advanced.(ap)

Asian Games 2018 Medal Tally No. 1 2 3 4 5

MONEY SHARMA / AFP

Hidilyn Diaz of Philippines competes in the women’s 53kg weightlifting event during the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta on August 21, 2018.

India thrash Hong Kong 26-0 in record hockey win

Son scores to help South Korea advance at Asian Games

Countries China Japan Korea Indonesia Iran

Gold 34 15 9 6 5

Silver 25 19 15 3 3

Bronze 12 22 19 5 6

Total 71 56 43 14 14

India’s men’s hockey team romped to their biggest ever tournament win at the Asian Games on Wednesday with a 26-0 thrashing of hapless Hong Kong -- who didn’t have a single shot on target.

India scored nearly a goal every two minutes as they broke an 86-year-old record, surpassing their 24-1 victory over the United States at the 1932 Olympics.

The eight-time Olympic champions’ dominance was such that with seven minutes to go, they took off their goalkeeper Krishnan Bahadur Pathak as the entire team laid seige to the Hong Kong goal.

India had already overtaken their previous Asian Games record -- Monday’s 17-0 hammering of hosts Indonesia -- by the end of the third quarter, when they led 18-0.

But the defending champions refused to show any mercy, scoring another eight goals in the final period.

India’s men have won a record eight Olympic golds, but trail on Asian Games golds (three) to their fierce rivals Pakistan (eight).(afp)

South Korea’s Son Heung Min prepares to pass the ball during their men’s soccer match between South Korea and Malaysia at the 18th Asian Games at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung, Indonesia, Friday, Aug. 17, 2018.

9

10

Destination

Thursday, August 23, 2018

International

Thursday, August 23, 2018

International

Time for a change: US Open gets new arena, shot clocks -- and park benches

Double-Six Rooftop Rooftop Bar in Seminyak

NEW YORK - The US Open begins next week celebrating 50 years of Open Era tennis with a decidedly new feel at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.

SEMINYAK - Double-Six Rooftop is one of the signature venues at the Double-Six Luxury Hotel in Seminyak, which has literally taken to new heights the legacy of the late Double-Six Club that closed in the same spot at the brink of 2011. This expansive 1,700sqm luxurious rooftop space attracts an upmarket crowd. You can lounge away while taking in spectacular 180-degree views over Seminyak’s coastline and sunsets, while enjoying creative cocktail selections.

The bar’s edge is one of the most coveted spaces at Double-Six Rooftop as it offers the very best views. This perimeter has round lounge pods with cushions and pillows that comfortably seat up to nine, set within a shallow, awningcovered freeform pool. You only get to settle into these pods with a minimum spend of IDR 1 million (USD 74). Further in to the centre is its unique pit grill that forms a ‘circle of fire’, where juicy satays are prepared using coconut shell charcoal.

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If you’re not taking in the spectacular seascapes, you can always settle for the wooden deck with beach-style chairs in their mini outdoor cinema. Further inside, after the grill, are freeform lounges set around indoor pine trees next to the green pineapple-themed bar. Even the bar stools are quirky – cubes covered in bright green artificial grass. The modern interiors are really something to behold from entry to centre, not to mention the sharks and rays gracefully swimming in tanks (which are also a feature in the restrooms!). The top choices at the bar are the tiki-style cocktails, most being creative takes inspired by local tropical ingredients. There’s the sweet treat of Pandan Daiquiri (IDR 130,000 or USD 10), made with dark rum that is infused with aromatic pandan leaf and soursop sorbet, and the Semangka Collins, with watermelon, rosella and soda pop (IDR 120,000 or USD 9). For sharing among up to eight people, there’s the truly refreshing Blue Iguana (IDR 850,000

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The biggest change in the infrastructure of the sprawling complex in the New York borough of Queens will be the unveiling of the new 14,000-seat Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Designed to give a more “intimate” feel than the cavernous Arthur Ashe stadium, the new Armstrong with its retractable fabric roof “gives the US Open a second stage that is second to none”, USTA President Katrina Adams said this spring as construction neared completion. “(It allows) us to present a reliable and predictable schedule that will be unaltered by weather. Now, with two stadiums with roofs, you know that if you’ve got a ticket to the US Open, you’re going to see tennis regardless of the weather conditions.”

The Armstrong design, with terra cotta louvers that aid air circulation, features 6,400 reserved lower-bowl seats and more than 7,000 seats in the upper bowl that are open to anyone holding a grounds pass -- a link to the days when grounds pass holders flocked into the old Armstrong before it was demolished after the 2016 tournament.

On all courts, however, it’s the ‘shot clocks’ that will be in use for the first time in a Grand Slam main draw that will undoubtedly be most

or USD 63 a vessel), a tangy blend of pineapple, kaffir lime, lemongrass, Sailor Jerry, blue curacao, and young coconut water.

Feeling peckish? There’s mini sliders (two per serving) with selections that include grilled wagyu, suckling pig, tiger prawn and chorizo. Don’t forget to sample from the circular fire pit for a full range of satays such as Italian lamb, bratwurst pork, mahi-mahi, wagyu and lobster. Alternatively, go for the ultimate satay platter that serves two or more with a great assortment of meats and seafood (IDR 280,000 or USD 20). Drinks are on the pricier side for Seminyak, with Bintangs costing IDR 50,000 (USD 3.70). Every Tuesday and Thursday there’s two-for-the-price-of-one deals on most drinks between 19:00 and 21:00, as well as similar daily offers for certain wines. Cool jazzy playlists augment the elegant but laidback ambiance throughout, while live gigs by great local jazz, funk and blues bands are highlighted weekly. (net)

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visible.

The clocks, designed to prevent time-wasting and maintain a regular pace of play, have received mixed reviews from players in North American hardcourt tournaments leading up to the Open, and the pressure-cooker atmosphere of a Grand Slam could intensify feeling on the subject.

US Open tournament director David Brewer told the New York

Post that the clocks are a bid to be “transparent with the players and the live and broadcast audience between points”.

“We want to get the information of the rules out there,” Brewer said.

- On the clock The clocks, which will be placed at two corners of all four show courts and 13 field courts, will

count out the 25 seconds a player is allowed to serve -- time previously kept by the chair umpire.

Andy Murray, the 2012 US Open champion, has welcomed the change.

“It was one of those things in tennis that is so stupid, that the players were

IndyCar rookie Wickens stable after spine surgery

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LOS ANGELES - IndyCar rookie Robert Wickens was in a stable condition on Tuesday after undergoing surgery to repair his injured spine following a horrific crash at the Pocono 500, his team said.

A statement from Wickens’ Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team said the Canadian driver had surgery to stabilise his spine at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Pennsylvania on Monday.

“Titanium rods and screws were placed successfully in Wickens’ spine during the surgery, which was performed without complication,”

the statement said.

“The severity of the spinal cord injury is indeterminate at this time.”

The statement said Wickens was expected to undergo further surgeries to treat fractures in his legs and right forearm, describing his condition as “stable”.

Wickens was hospitalised after his car was sent hurtling into the catchfence following a collision with Ryan Hunter-Reay’s IndyCar at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond on Sunday.

The crash occurred three years after British driver Justin Wilson died in an accident at the same Pocono

circuit in 2015.

Wilson was fatally injured after being struck by debris from an accident involving Sage Karam.

Sunday’s accident has prompted calls for a review of safety standards at the circuit, with former driver Paul Tracy saying IndyCar should find an alternative to chain link fencing and posts around racetracks. (afp)

IBP/net

sort of expected to be counting to 25 in their heads, not having a clock on the court, and then getting warned -- how were you supposed to know how much time you were actually taking?” Murray said after playing with a clock in Washington.

But Serena Williams, who counts six US Open titles among her 23 Grand Slams, found the clock distracting in San Jose. (afp)

6

Thursday, August 23, 2018

W

International

International

RLD

Thursday, August 23, 2018

11

Bringing home the bacon: China pork braces for trade war blues

BAIYANG - Twice a day, Chinese pig farmer Jia Tiechui’s workers flip levers to deliver plops of soybean-based feed to 18,000 hogs, whose appetite is getting costlier as the US trade war bites.

IBP/net

The price of the powdery grain mixture, which is one-fifth soy, has risen since China imposed 25-percent duties on US soybean imports last month, escalating a trade spat between the two economic giants.

The price of the powdery grain mixture, which is one-fifth soy, has risen since China imposed 25-percent duties on US soybean imports last month, escalating a trade spat between the two economic giants.

With both sides bracing for more tit-for-tat levies due Thursday, fallout from Beijing’s retaliation highlights the tricky balancing act of firing back at Washington while not shooting its own economy in the foot.

China, the world’s biggest importer of soybeans -- used mostly in cooking oil and animal feed -- bought around a third of its beans from the United States last year.

So far, the impact of the trade clash “hasn’t been too drastic” at Jia’s farm, on the outskirts of Luoyang city in China’s pig-raising powerhouse province of Henan, he said.

But he may have to switch to a

different feed formula with less soy if his profit margins continue to slim.

“Our formula can be changed, replacing soybean pulp with cotton seed or rapeseed pulp,” Jia said, inspecting rows of massive, pregnant sows squealing for supper.

“If costs keep going up and this doesn’t affect the pigs’ growth, we’ll definitely adjust it.”

- Oversupply Jia’s family of corn-growing farmers scraped and saved for years to buy two pigs to raise at home, which they fed by hand.

He could never have imagined then or even when he first entered the business in the late 90s that his pigsties would one day stretch as far as the eye can see.

Low pork prices are Jia’s biggest concern, he said.

“When the market is good, it doesn’t affect our income if feed is a bit more expensive. What we’re worried about is if the market worsens and pork prices don’t go up,” he explained.

An oversupply problem faces China’s pork industry, whose rapid expansion has made it the world’s biggest producer of the meat.

This means prices are likely to stay low enough to not dramatically affect consumers during a trade war, analysts say.

“There’s an incredible amount of pork in China; there’s no way we can eat it all,” said Feng Yonghui, chief researcher for trade portal Soozhu.com.

Pork prices tumbled to a four-year low earlier in 2018 before rising again from June, Feng said, but are now being hit by an outbreak of African swine fever that began this month. (afp)

Hunger-striking Ukrainian filmmaker ‘losing hope’: cousin

Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov is “losing hope” and no longer believes that he will be freed after almost 100 days on hunger strike in a Russian prison, his cousin told AFP. Natalia Kaplan insisted in an interview that Western leaders had “leverage” to bring about the release

of the 42-year-old Kremlin opponent who was convicted on terrorism charges.

“He’s losing hope,” Kaplan said Thursday, a week after she received a letter from Sentsov in which he told her he felt the “end is near”.

“In his letter, he wrote to me that we mustn’t tell him any more that

Hyperinflation...

Venezuela introduced Monday a new bolivar that lobbed five zeros off the old currency. But it is unclear if the currency’s anchor to the country’s widely discredited cryptocurrency, the petro, which is in turned linked to the price of Venezuelan oil, will restore confidence.

“Removing zeros can have a psychological effect, but it isn’t worth anything if other measures aren’t taken,” said Veron at the Bruegel think tank.

Yugoslavia in 1994 issued a new currency, the novi dinar, and pegged it to the deutsche mark to restore confidence. Zimbabwe just abandoned its dollar in 2009, letting people trade in foreign currencies.

Such currency substitution is often also called dollarisation of an economy. While resolving the question of confidence, it isn’t always a panacea. Zimbabwe found this out as the lack of foreign banknotes in the country held back economic activity. It eventually introduced a parallel currency in 2016 which has since slid in value. (afp)

From page 1

“Venezuelans lost an average of 11 kilos (24 pounds) in 2017 compared to 2016,” noted Waechter.

Many people also try to flee the country.

What solutions are there?

Besides turning off the presses, the authorities need to regain the confidence of the public that it won’t recklessly print more money and get its finances in order.

Today, countries can turn to the International Monetary Fund, which provides loans only if governments pursue an agreed economic plan that aims to heal public finances and encourage growth.

The IMF lending can thus plug budget gaps while the conditionality of the help works to restore confidence.

Countries can also try to introduce new currencies, link them to foreign currencies, or abandon them altogether.

freedom is coming. He doesn’t believe it any more,” she said.

According to Kaplan, Sentsov’s health has dramatically declined since he started a hunger strike on May 14 to demand the release of all Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia.

“He has a very weak heartbeat of 40 beats per minute. He complains that his heart hurts, that he’s weak, and he tries not to get up too often to preserve his strength,” she said.

Activist and journalist Zoya Svetova, who visited the filmmaker in his Russian Arctic prison this week, told AFP he had lost 17 kilogrammes (28 pounds), though prison medics said he had lost 11 kilos.

Svetova said however that Sentsov had no intention of ending his hunger strike. He is receiving supplements in a drip usually meant for people unable to eat, she said.

- Celebrity support Sentsov was convicted of arson attacks on pro-Moscow party offices in Crimea after Russia annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

Amnesty International denounced the trial against him as “Stalinist”.

G7 ambassadors as well as major figures from the world of cinema, from director Jean-Luc Godard to Hollywood star Johnny Depp, have called for his release.

Last Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron raised the issue with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, discussing the need to find “an urgent humanitarian solution” in Sentsov’s case.

Kaplan said she was waiting for Western leaders to put pressure on Moscow and “find some sort of leverage to free Oleg and other political prisoners”. “Such leverage does exist, I am sure of it,” she said.

“We can’t put down our arms while Oleg is continuing his fight. It would be a betrayal both of Oleg and the people who are making such huge efforts to secure his release,” Kaplin added. (afp)

AP Photo/Fauzy Chaniago

A man inspects destroyed homes following an earthquake on Lombok island, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 20, 2018. Multiple strong earthquakes killed a number of people on the Indonesian islands of Lombok and Sumbawa as the region was trying to recover from a temblor earlier this month that killed hundreds of people.

Indonesia: Lombok quakes don’t meet national disaster status

JAKARTA — Indonesia’s disaster agency says earthquakes that killed more than 500 people on the island of Lombok in the past month and caused half a billion dollars in damage don’t rise to the level of a national emergency.

The agency’s response to criticism, released Monday evening, strikes a nationalistic tone, noting that declaring a national disaster opens the “door as wide as possible” to international assistance that can cause new problems.

But it also said Indonesia has substantial experience in handling natural calamities and hasn’t de-

clared a national disaster since the December 2004 tsunami that killed more than 100,000 people in Aceh province on Sumatra.

It said the tsunami was declared a national disaster because all levels of government in the province were devastated and overwhelmed, requiring a central command.

Media articles and people on social media have criticized the relief response to the earthquakes.

An Australian journalist’s tweet expressing astonishment that a national disaster hadn’t been declared was retweeted nearly 5,000 times.

Some of the domestic criticism is politically motivated as candidates for the presidential election in April, including the incumbent Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, are beginning their campaigns.

Lombok, a less developed

island next to the tourist hotspot of Bali, has been hit by a series of powerful quakes since late July.

The latest two on Sunday, a magnitude 6.3 quake in the morning and a 6.9 temblor in the evening, included a swarm of aftershocks above magnitude 5.0 and killed at least a dozen people.

The disaster agency said the quakes have claimed 506 lives, damaged more than 74,000 homes and displaced 431,000 people — about 13 percent of Lombok’s population. Damage and losses

are currently estimated at 7.7 trillion rupiah ($528 million).

Disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the central government funds the relief effort regardless of whether a national disaster is declared or not.

He said a 4 trillion rupiah ($274 million) disaster relief fund managed by the finance ministry and the disaster agency can be topped up by parliament. Reconstruction would be separately funded by the national government, he said.(ap)

Indonesian woman jailed for complaining about mosque noise

Genya SAVILOV / AFP

People hold placards reading “Free Sentsov” with an appeal to free Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov during a rally in front of Russia embassy in Ukrainian capital of Kiev on August 21, 2018.

A woman in Muslim-majority Indonesia was sentenced to 18 months in jail Tuesday for complaining about the volume of a mosque’s call to prayer -- the latest conviction under a controversial blasphemy law.

Meiliana, 44, an ethnic Chinese Buddhist, was found guilty of insulting Islam for asking her neighbourhood mosque to lower its sound system because it was too loud and “hurt” her ears.

There are some 800,000

mosques across the archipelago, with the five-times-a-day call to prayer heard everywhere in the biggest cities and smallest towns.

Tuesday’s verdict will likely fuel fears that Indonesia’s moderate brand of Islam is coming under threat from increasingly influential radicals.

The court in the city of Medan on Sumatra island said the woman’s comments two years ago triggered riots that saw angry Muslim mobs ransack Buddhist temples. Some

ethnic Chinese in the area fled in fear.

The defendant’s lawyer said his client would appeal the decision while Amnesty International urged a higher court to quash the sentence.

“This ludicrous decision is a flagrant violation of freedom of expression,” said its Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid in a statement.

“Sentencing someone to 18 months in prison for something so trivial is a stark illustration of the

increasingly arbitrary and repressive application of the blasphemy law in the country.”

Indonesia, which has the world’s biggest Muslim population, is officially pluralist with six major religions recognised, including Hinduism, Christianity and Buddhism. Freedom of expression is supposed to be guaranteed by law.

But criticising religion -- particularly Islam, which is followed by nearly 90 percent of Indonesia’s 260 million citizens -- can land of-

fenders in jail.

Rights groups have long campaigned against the nation’s blasphemy laws, which they say are frequently misused to target minorities.

Last year Jakarta’s former governor -- the city’s first Christian leader of Chinese descent -- was sentenced to two years in jail for blasphemy.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla made a plea in 2015 for places of worship to turn down the volume slightly to placate nearby residents.(afp)

12

International

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Bali News

International

BUSINESS

Garbage has never smelled so sweet for a small village in southern Benin since it opened a pilot waste treatment centre to turn household rubbish into gas -- and cash. “Our trash has become gold. We no longer throw it into the bush. We use it to make money,” beams Alphonse Ago, who lives next to the centre in Houegbo village.

- ‘Goldmine’ Symphorien Adonon, 35, drops off a week’s worth of carefully sorted waste,

smiling as he pockets his cash payment.

“Now I have enough to do the shopping for dinner,” says Adonon, who drives a motorcycle taxi.

The centre has treated more than 20 tonnes of waste since it began operations late last year. In addition to the customers’ household waste, there is also rubbish collected by a local non-government organisation, Astome.

The NGO’s chief, Florent Gbegnon, says he used to collect it on a push cart, but he now uses a tricycle provided by the centre.

“It’s a huge relief,” he says as he dumps a load of pineapple skins. “Pushing the cart was a real burden.”

It was the massive amounts of waste such as pineapple skins that originally caught the attention of ReBin’s founder, Mark Giannelli, and inspired him to set up the treatment centre in Houegbo.

“I saw this not as a problem, but as an opportunity, and I thought it was a goldmine,” Giannelli told AFP. Benin is Africa’s fourth-biggest exporter of pineapples. And in Houegbo, which has one of the busiest markets in the region, local sources estimate that more than a tonne of waste is generated every day from that fruit alone. Giannelli told AFP that he had been searching for a potential site for his project in Benin’s West African neighbours Ghana and

Tourist Learn to Dance at Kakul Mas Studio, Batuan

IBP/kmb

LOIC VENANCE / AFP

An employee passes by sorted waste on August 21, 2018, at a Kerval sorting center in Ploufragan, western France.

Togo. But it was the enthusiasm with which the locals embraced his idea that finally convinced him to set up the waste treatment centre here, he said.

- ‘Source of happiness’ The goal is to establish “a real economy that serves the population and protects the environment,” he says. “We have to take the problems locally and adapt them to local solutions.”

Once the necessary expertise has become more firmly established in Houegbo, Giannelli

hopes to extend the project to larger municipalities and let local entrepreneurs run it.

The centre’s director, Sewai Mardochee, suggests duplicating it in all of Benin’s 77 municipalities.

“We can then create jobs and clean up our living environment by reducing the use of firewood and coal,” he said.

Nicolas Hounje, a retired official, has put himself forward to take over the company.

“We did not know here that garbage can become a source of happiness,” he says. (afp)

Belarusian leader Lukashenko fires Cabinet as economy sinks MINSK - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has fired his Cabinet, emphasizing the need to strengthen the economy to preserve the nation’s post-Soviet independence.

Lukashenko said he fired Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov’s Cabinet for failing to execute his orders and for paying too little attention to the country’s social needs. He appointed banker Sergei Rumas to succeed Kobyakov.

Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an iron hand for 24 years, maintaining rigid Soviet-style controls over the

economy and showing little tolerance for dissent or independent media.

He said Saturday that Belarus won’t turn into a “vassal” of its giant neighbor, Russia, even though he underlined the importance of close ties with Moscow.

Belarus has long depended on cheap energy and other subsidies from Russia, which is facing its own economic woes and warned that it would scale down assistance to its ally.

Lukashenko criticized Russia for failing to honor its agreements with Belarus.

The new Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Rumas in Minsk, Belarus, on Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018. Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko has dismissed the country’s prime minister and other top ministers, according to information released from the Presidential office, and named Rumas, the former head of the country’s Development Bank, as new prime minister.

“We will never become a vassal to anyone,” he said, warning against any attempts to encroach on Belarus’ independence.

“We will remain independent for as long as our economy develops as needed,” the Belarusian leader said, adding that “we won’t be able to maintain our independence if we ruin the economy.”

Observers noted that the Belarusian leader was facing pressure to reform the economy as Russia’s assistance dries up.

“It doesn’t mean that the country is going to have full-fledged free-market reforms, but some movement is possible,” independent Minsk-based analyst Alexander Klaskovsky said. “Lukashenko hasn’t turned into a reformer, but he realizes that Moscow is turning off the taps and he needs to raise money himself and turn to the West.” (ap)

5

Taman Mumbul as Spiritual Tourist Attraction in Badung

‘Trash is gold’ as Benin community turns waste into biogas

ReBin, a Swiss foundation for sustainable development, built the 1.3-hectare (3.2-acre) facility, which every week turns around six tonnes of organic waste into 200 cubic metres of biogas -- saving some 164 tonnes of wood from being used to make charcoal.

The centre, which opened late last year, also plans to produce around 400 tonnes of organic fertiliser per year. So far, around 100 households in the area have signed up to the scheme to deposit their waste at the centre on a daily basis. Every 10 kilogrammes (22 pounds) of waste fetches 250 CFA francs (around 50 euro cents, 57 US cents), paid either in cash or credit -- to buy biogas. The fuel is a precious commodity in a rural region where electricity remains scarce.

Agnes Avoce, a shopkeeper and mother of five, proudly straps a large plastic bag of the gas onto her back. Biogas, she says, is much cleaner and more efficient for cooking than charcoal -- which “darkens the pots and makes me sick” -- and she is more than happy to make the switch. Avoce is not alone; five other women are waiting to pick up gas.

“There are queues here since we opted for biogas,” another customer says.

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Batuan village, Sukawati, Gianyar, deserves to be called a cultural tourism village. In addition to having beautiful nature, this village also keeps ‘gold’ as a source of traditional arts remaining to be inherited until now. Moreover, the ancient heritage at Desa and Puseh Temple can be a special attraction. So it’s not mistaken if the artists, foreign researchers and foreign tourists throng this village.

For instance, some students from Melbourne, Australia, some time ago visited this village. They are Balinese culture lovers deliberately coming to Kakul Mas Dance Studio to know and learn more about the Balinese classical dances.

“There are 15 tourists with student status that learned to dance in our house (Kakul Mas Dance Studio),” said I Ketut Wirtawan, an artist and trainer who is also the successor of the studio.

The students coming at that time, continued Wirtawan, have major in theater that want to deepen the Balinese arts, especially the art of gambuh operetta. The gambuh is a very complex ancient art, having the elements of motion art (dance), vocal and gamelan music. The most important is characterizations, so it is in accordance with their selected major. “The knowledge of Balinese dance is intended to enrich the theatrical studies they have,” he added.

These students studied for ten days and practiced for 2.5 hours a day. They know the Kakul Mas Dance Studio from his father, the late I Ketut Kantor. One of their lecturers had learned mask dance directly from the late I Ketut Kantor. Their lecturer then sent the students to get the fundamentals of Balinese classical dance from the successor of the late I Ketut Kantor.

These students did not only learn to dance, but also tried to express themselves by learning to dance, make a mask and know more about Balinese life. In practicing the dance, they are trained directly by Ketut Wirtawan, Wayan Artawa, Nyoman Juniati, Tut Nik and Wayan Darmawan.

The class of making a mask is provided by Ketut Wirtawan.

“Although the schedule is held by their campus, there are also students attending the program repeatedly on their personal ac-

count,” he said.

Kakul Mas Dance Studio which is also the home of I Ketut Wirtawan’s family is natural remaining to refer to the kosala-kosali (Balinese geomancy) rules, commonly used in the making of Balinese house. That’s why many foreign tourists often visit the house as a kind of tourist attraction. They come from various countries escorted by a tour guide. “There are always tourists making a visit here.

They like to see traditional house as well as painting of Batuan style,” said Wirtawan.

Ketut Wirtawan is often taken advantage as an object when painting on canvas. Indeed, in the matter of painting, Batuan village remains the same as in the past, preserving the painting of Batuan style. Other than being one of the successors of Gambuh operetta, Wirtawan is still actively scratching on canvas or paper as it has become a habit. (kmb)

Realizing Taman Mumbul as a spiritual tourist destination in Badung is a very smart idea. In addition to keeping the village asset, it can also bring in economic benefits for local community. Just imagine, every day there are always guests coming to make a visit. Moreover, they also come on auspicious days, like Kliwon, full moon, new moon and Banyupinaruh.

Taman Mumbul is a sacred place sanctified by the Sangeh and surrounding communities. It has a big pond like a lake with clear water.

The water sources from 11 major springs and dozens of small springs around the lake. Aside from being functioned as source of clean water for people’s daily life, the lake water is also used to irrigate paddy fields of Subak Sangeh spreading across the area of 200 hectares.

Chief of Sangeh customary village, Ida Bagus Dipayana, said that Taman Mumbul can be divided into three areas, namely the innermost, middle and outermost courtyard.

The innermost courtyard hosts several temples such as the Ulunsuwi, Taman Beji, Segara Kelebutan, Ratu Gede, Taman Mumbul, Ratu Niang and Bebaturan to worship wong samar (supernatural beings).

“All the temples have their own function, but in essence they are functioned to maintain the nature and safety of Sangeh people,” he said.

Ulunsuwi Temple is located in the northern most venerated by members of Subak Sangeh. On particular days, subak members perform a ceremony as an expression of gratitude to God for the graces bestowed. In the southern part sits the Taman Beji Temple with three fountains as destination of melasti (physical and psychical purification) procession. Remaining in the region, there is Segara Kelebutan Temple in the form of three-tiered meru shrine located in the middle of the pond.

In the south of the pond precisely under a banyan tree sits the representative temple of Taman Ayun.

This temple was established when making the pond that was never finished. Its levees were always broken. Seeing this condition, the royal figure of Mengwi was invited to come. After that, the levees of the lake became very strong, so that it was then made a shrine to worship the deities of Taman Ayun.

Meanwhile, the Ratu Gede Temple is used to venerate the guardian in the psychical ream of the pond.

The middle courtyard of the Taman Mumbul Temple is located in the east of the area. This temple is venerated by the Brahmana hamlet. There is also a Pengelukatan Temple marked by eleven fountains. Here, the residents do self-purificatory rite (melukat) physically and psychically accompanied by the presentation of the offerings. Sangeh community believes that Ratu Niang abides at this temple.

Then, the southernmost shrine is bebaturan (menhir) used to worship wong samar (supernatural beings). “Therefore, we always urge visitors to always prioritize ethics as the region the Taman Mumbul area is rich in objects and sacred places,” he said. This arrangement, explained I.B. Dipa, is meant to make the place attractive and comfortable to be visited. The arrangement workmanship started in 2016. Thankfully, it can be operated in late 2016. Arrangement of the area was funded by assistance of Badung government and village treasury. “The assistance of Badung government is worth IDR 4 billion and village treasury approximately amounted to IDR 500 million,” he said.

In the meantime, the outermost courtyard located at southernmost area (after the Pengelukatan Temple) will be made into water attraction equipped with a pool of children and adult. Various types of water tourist attractions will be created as children playground.

“Hopefully, the water attraction could be realized in 2018,” he hoped. (kmb)

4

Bali News

Thursday, August 23, 2018

International

Thursday, August 23, 2018

International

Tour guide must pass cultural test

Fake news adds to India’s flood torment

DENPASAR - Until now, the popularity of Bali remains to attract many foreign tourists to come. The latest data of the Bali Tourism Office show that Chinese tourists dominate the visits to the Island of the Gods. Approximately 600,000 Chinese tourists visited Bali up to July 2018. This number outperformed Australian tourists reaching around 500,000 and Indian amounting to 200,000 people.

“Many Chinese people have already known Bali but do not know where it is.

Bali is indeed very popular. In my opinion, Chinese tourists will increase in number in the future,” said the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Denpasar, Gou Haodong, recently.

According to Gou Haodong, Bali has an extraordinary appeal especially in terms of culture and nature. The supporting infrastructure is also very good such as hotel rooms, other accommodations and services to tourists. However, Bali still needs to pay attention to the transportation system because these shortcomings often make tourists feel uncomfortable.

“The next thing needs to get the attention is tourism human resources, like the tour guide. Sometimes, they are less competent to explain in details about particular tourist objects,” he added.

Gou Haodong added that a tour guide must have extensive and in-depth knowledge about Hinduism and local culture becoming the spirit of Bali tourism.

Therefore, tour guide must be standardized and given training in order to be able to provide more comprehensive explanations about Bali for tourists, especially tourists from China.

When confirmed separately, the Head of Bali Tourism Office, A.A. Gede Yuniartha Putra, said that cultural test had actually become one of the requirements for obtaining a tour guide license. There is a team established to carry out the cultural test, consist-

MARK GRAHAM / AFP

Australia’s former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton (back L) sits on the back benches in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra on August 22, 2018. At least 10 ministers have offered their resignations as a leadership crisis in Australian politics deepened on August 22 with another challenge against Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appearing inevitable. Dutton quit his cabinet position after his failed leadership bid.

IBP/kmb

The popularity of Bali remains to attract many foreign tourists to come. ing of academicians, cultural observers, and community leaders.

“So, if they don’t pass the test, they are not able to be a tour guide yet. They can only be so after passing the test,” he said. Yuniartha admitted there is indeed limitation in the cultural test. Especially regarding the questions asked, they do not necessarily make the prospective tour guide directly know about

Balinese culture as a whole. “Hopefully, they still have to learn to develop themselves.

So, they do not only learn for the test,” he explained.

According to Yuniartha, his office has planned to collaborate with the Culture Agency in creating a guidebook on Balinese culture. Meanwhile, cultural symbols or history about tourist destinations in Bali can be

learned via the internet. On the other hand, the Association of Indonesia Tour Guides (HPI) of Bali Chapter will also be asked to provide the learning related to culture for tour guides.

“That’s all in order to improve the knowledge of tour guides about Balinese culture.

Basically, they must like learning and enjoy reading,” he said. (kmb32)

To hold merchants at Penelokan

Space prepared on second floor at Geopark Art Market

IBP/kmb

The re-arrangement project of Penelokan in Kintamani is planned to be carried out in the near future.

BANGLI - The re-arrangement project of Penelokan in Kintamani is planned to be carried out in the near future. Related to this, the Bangli Industry and Trade Agency has prepared a place to accommodate merchants having been making a fortune at this tourist object.

Merchants will later be relocated to sell on the second floor of the Geopark Art Market.

The Head of the Bangli Industry and Trade Agency, Nengah Sudibya, when confirmed on Monday (Aug. 20) said that the place prepared on the second floor of the Geopark Art Market is quite large and wide. So, he thought it is enough to accommodate merchants having been occupying the kiosk, including hawkers at Penelokan.

“The place is clean and not bad

to accommodate. They sell in turn and just bring a little merchandise,” he said.

Regarding this matter, Sudibya admitted that his agency with Tourism Office has disseminated to merchants door to door since long time ago so that they want to move to the Geopark Art Market.

His agency also had time to issue a circular for the merchants regarding the prohibition to sell in certain places according to Regional Regulation No.2/1990. However, the merchants still choose to survive selling at Penelokan.

Sudibya had confidence that the merchants having been collecting fortune in Penelokan tourist object will inevitably move themselves to Geopark Art Market when the re-arrangement project has begun.

“Later on, we will summon them again for dissemination. Yesterday, we were about to gather them but it was postponed because Batur Tengah village was still organizing a cremation ceremony,” he said.

As previously reported, the Penelokan development or rearrangement project in Kintamani will soon be realized in the near future. This follows the winner of the project bidder. On the other hand, a number of cloth and food merchants that have been collecting fortune at Penelokan tourist kiosks are now getting confused. Even though the project work will begin soon, until now there has been no submission from the related agency regarding the planned relocation of the merchants during the project. (kmb40)

13

Ministers offer to quit as Australia political crisis deepens

KOCHI - Cristiano Ronaldo has not donated $11 million to the Kerala flood disaster fund and there are no cracks in a key dam, but India’s fake news machine has been working overtime to fuel confusion and fear.

The Kerala state government and India’s military have issued rare warnings about viral social media messages as they confront the aftermath of floods which have killed some 420 people.

The deluge of false news, videos and claims also comes as the Indian government steps up pressure on Facebook, WhatsApp and other platforms to act against fake news, blamed for inciting more than 20 lynchings in the past two months.

Some postings have been relatively harmless. Portuguese football superstar Ronaldo is often linked to big donations after a catastrophe that makes international headlines.

But Indian fact-checking websites like Boomlive.in have highlighted how many people are using Ronaldo’s supposed donation to criticise the federal government’s response to the crisis.

The central government has pledged almost $100 million in aid so far.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijaran issued a Twitter warning after a viral fake video said there were cracks in the Mullaperiyar dam in Kerala’s Idukki district.

- Fake fatigues In the clip an unidentified man, quoting a supposed friend in the office of Prime Minister Narendra

Modi, says that within three hours the surrounding area will be inundated.

“I wish to inform all that the state government will now take very strict action against such people,” Vijayan said.

The Indian Army in turn debunked a fake video where a man in military fatigues is seen talking about the relief operations and slamming the Kerala chief minister.

“Imposter wearing army combat uniform in video spreading disinformation about rescue and relief efforts,” the army tweeted.

“Every effort (being made) by all and Indian army to overcome this terrifying human tragedy,” it said, urging people to inform authorities about suspicious news.

Joke news peddled by parody accounts on Twitter have also caused distress.

“Man refuses to accept a saffron life jacket, dies as a result,” read a headline on a story by Fault News which describes itself as a satirical portal.

Saffron is the most sacred colour for Hindus. They are the majority in Kerala, a state of 33 million people, and there is rivalry with Christian and Muslim communities.

In yet another instance, an image of a flooded car park at a Renault dealership in the main city of Kochi turned out to be an old photo.

Fake news is often deadly in India. Hoax messages about child kidnappers being seen in villages spread like wildfire on platforms such as WhatsApp, which boasts more than 200 million users in India. (afp)

SYDNEY - At least 10 ministers have offered their resignations as a leadership crisis in Australian politics deepened Wednesday with another challenge against Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appearing inevitable.

The embattled leader narrowly survived a move to unseat him by his populist Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on Tuesday with a Liberal party ballot voting 48-35 in his favour.

It came to a head after months of poor opinion polls and a revolt by fellow Liberal politicians on Monday against his plans to embed carbon emissions targets in law at a time of soaring power prices.

Despite Turnbull’s win, it laid bare that dozens of his own MPs do not want him as their leader, and Dutton worked the phones and blitzed the airwaves Wednesday to shore up more support for another widely-expected crack at the top job.

Dutton quit his cabinet position after his failed leadership bid, with at least nine other ministers also offering to go, according to

a tally by broadcasters ABC and Sky News. They include the health minister and trade minister, both frontbenchers.

Turnbull has so far only accepted two resignations -- Dutton and International Development Minister Concetta Fierravanti-Wells -- and insisted Wednesday the others had since “given me unequivocal assurances of continuing loyalty and support”.

But buoyed by his support, Dutton, seen as a more hardline conservative that the moderate Turnbull, worked to soften his perceived tough guy image earned as home affairs and immigration minister, in media interviews in which he laid out his policy agenda.

The former police officer, who admits he rarely smiles, made no secret of still wanting to run the country.

“I’m speaking to colleagues, I’m not going to beat around the bush with that, mate,” he told commercial radio station 3AW on again attempting to dump Turnbull.

“That’s being very honest and upfront with you and that’s how I see it.”

He added that he thinks he could win an election -- due by the middle of next year -- as leader against Labor opposition leader Bill Shorten.

“I would never run for the leadership not believing that I could beat Bill Shorten,” added the 47year-old.

If he became prime minister, Dutton said he would focus on lowering electricity prices, cutting immigration to ease population pressures and boost water investment to help drought-stricken farmers. (afp)

AFP

Indian student Dhanosh dries out his school books after flooding hit his home in Kochi in the south Indian state of Kerala on August 21, 2018.

14

Health

Thursday, August 23, 2018

International

New cervical cancer guidance: Use HPV tests

WASHINGTON - New cervical cancer screening recommendations out Tuesday have started to make old-fashioned Pap smears a thing of the past for women over 30.

Most women may opt for the human papillomavirus test, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) says in its latest recommendations.

And women over 30 can safely wait five years in between tests if they feel comfortable doing that, the task force says in the recommendations, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

For women under 30, the Pap smear is still the best option, but testing every three years is all right. The recommendations are based on a now-solid body of evidence showing that almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by the human papillomavirus and that the HPV test is the best way to find evidence that the virus is causing the damage that can lead to cancer.

She said the guidelines may make it easier for women in areas with fewer doctors or clinics to get tested.

“The new guidelines are not at all confusing to us physicians, since they are very similar to our usual practice from 2012,” said Dr. Ranit Mishori, a professor of family medicine at Georgetown University.

“I do not find that the longer interval is confusing to women — many, in fact, are relieved that they don’t have to undergo this procedure every year and are thankful to find out that they can wait three or five years before they need to get the next one.”

But, he added, women need regular doctor visits to make sure other problems have not popped up.

What is important, experts said, is that women get tested.

“We found that regular screening with any method will lead to lower cervical cancer rates,” said Joy Melnikow, director of the Center for Healthcare Policy and Research at the University of California, Davis, who led a study showing that the HPV test is effective.

“In the U.S., where most women are not part of an organized screening program, our biggest challenge is reaching women who have not been screened.” (net)

IBP/net

Thursday, August 23, 2018

3

80 percent completion of Ubud infrastructure repair

IBP/net

Dr. Charles Conway with a vagus nerve stimulator. A national study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that people treated with nerve stimulation experience significant improvements in quality of life, even when their depression symptoms don’t completely dissipate.

Nerve stimulator helps depressed patients

WASHINGTON - An implanted nerve stimulator may help patients with the most severe depression get some of their day-to-day lives back, even if it doesn’t fully relieve their symptoms, doctors reported Tuesday.

A cervical smear, or Pap test, is a tissue specimen scraped from the cervix, which is then stained and examined under a microscope.

Bali News

International

Patients who have been using the vagus nerve stimulator say they have regained significant quality of life, and the improvements have lasted for as long as five years, the team reported in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

They hope that their findings will help encourage health insurance companies to pay for the pacemaker-like devices and the surgery needed to implant them.

Although the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the devices for depression in 2005, health insurance companies, including Medicare, rarely pay for them.

The improvements were enough to help people work, socialize and interact with their families better, said Dr. Charles Conway of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who led the

study team.

“It includes overall well-being and sex drive,” Conway said in an interview. “They describe improvements beyond ‘I am not feeling sad or down anymore.’

They say things like, ‘I am more enthusiastic about life. I am more involved with my family.’ ” His team studied nearly 600 people; all received typical antidepressant treatment but half of them also had the device implanted. It’s attached to the vagus nerve, a large nerve that travels from the body up into the brain.

“We found that patients who had as little as a 34 percent drop in depression symptoms reported a meaningful improvement in their quality of life,” Conway said.

It’s not clear how it might work for depression. The device is also approved to treat epilepsy.

“Brain imaging studies suggest that vagus nerve stimulation may bring about its effects via changes in the prefrontal, cingulate and insular cortex as well as the brain stem,” the team wrote in its report.

“We don’t know for certain but we know that the vagus nerve projects up into the brain and influences a number of regions involved in mood and regulation of mood,” Conway said.

It worked for Charlie Donovan, a St. Louis mortgage contractor.

“At the time, it was life-changing, life-altering,” Donovan told NBC News.

“I was in utter despair and hopelessness. I had probably tried 15 different medications, several hospitalizations, electroconvulsive shock therapy. Nothing was working and I was getting worse.” (net)

GIANYAR — District government of Gianyar has accelerated the repair of damaged infrastructure in the Ubud area. Moreover, the infrastructure repair in the form of roads and sidewalks have reached 80 percent. Surely the repair is completed before the visit of delegates coalesced into the members of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) - World Bank (WB) Group in October 2018.

The Head of the Gianyar Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency (PUPR), Nyoman Nuadi, said the work on infrastructure repair in the Ubud area is almost complete. His agency also targeted the workmanship to accomplish before October 2018. “Now, the completion has reached 80 percent, and only a few works remain,” he said on Sunday (Aug. 19).

He explained the road repair around the Ubud area is carried out by using funds of the regional budget 2018 and the Special Allocation Fund (DAK).

The repair is worked on from Pertamina gas station at Pengosekan. “From the location goes northwards through the Monkey Forest, to the south of Catus Pata (central intersection) of Ubud,” he said.

The repair along the road, he added, is in the form of hot mix. In addition, the agency also made a sidewalk repair service. Other than the road section, the PUPR Agency also carried out repair of sidewalks in a number of other damage points. “At the same time, we also repair several other road sections,” he said.

He added that provincial road section covering the road from the Campuhan Bridge to the intersection of Kedewatan also gets repair. As for the national road section repaired includes the Jalan Cok. Sudarsana, Teges to Campuhan.

“The central intersection area of Ubud is also the authority of the central government. We in the district government only reach the border of the central intersection,” said Nuadi.

Regarding the repair of provincial and national roads, Nuadi claimed to have coordinated with the provincial government of Bali and the central government.

So far, the response is good enough. The handling of provincial roads will be funded by the budget of the DAK. As for the national road section, Nuadi claimed to have not received certainty from central government. “Related to the implementation of the IMF event, we have coordinated the arrangement of roads in Ubud, especially the paving of road in the Catus Pata. We have submitted a proposal to central government but do not know about the decision,” he said.

During the repair process, Nyoman Nuadi also asked for the understanding of the road users because the traffic at some road sections to Ubud has been temporarily diverted. “We have coordinated with the relevant agencies related to traffic diversion during this repair process. We also hope the understanding of the road users during this process,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Traffic Division Head at the Gianyar Transportation Agency, Nus Widyaswanto, said the infrastructure repair process on progress by the PUPR Agency in the Ubud area so far does not disrupt the traffic. Nevertheless, his agency still optimizes personnel in the field to anticipate unexpected bottlenecks. “For example, at the Pengosekan road section there was hot mix workmanship yesterday, but now the process has been completed. So, it does not to disturb the traffic,” he said.

According to him, the traffic jam occurred for several times due to the high volume of vehicles moving to Ubud. His agency also continues to coordinate with police authority in regulating the traffic at the tourist village. “We continuously coordinate with police authority. For example, yesterday there was a closure in the Kutri area, Singapadu, due to the implementation of customary ceremony,” he said. (kmb35)

IBP/kmb

Since the monkey attacks are really very detrimental, farmers cannot use their land optimally.

Farmers in Tegallalang subgroup still troubled by monkeys

BANGLI — Farmers of Tegallalang subgroup (tempek) at Subak Sidembunut, whose land is located near the banks of the Melangit River, are still confused about the presence of monkeys that frequently attack and damage their agricultural crops. Since there is no solution from the government to deal with the monkey attack, some farmers are forced to leave their land idle.

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District government of Gianyar has accelerated the repair of damaged infrastructure in the Ubud area.

Chief of Tegallalang subgroup, Sang Ketut Rencana, revealed on Sunday (Aug. 19) about the presence of a large number of monkey herds on the banks of the Melangit River. The population is estimated to reach thousands of heads. The existence of the herd of monkeys has been said to be very disturbing because they often damages and feeds on farmers’ crops.

The herd of monkeys living in group does not only attack dry agricultural land planted with peanuts and yams, but also attacks and damages their paddy plants.

“Albizia trees having just been planted are also often damaged by being broken,” he said.

Since the monkey attacks are

really very detrimental, farmers cannot use their land optimally. A number of farmers are forced to leave their dry agricultural land idle with bushes. He stated the whole agricultural land is dry, especially in the Tegallalang area which is now left idle to reach approximately 10 hectares.

To overcome the number of monkey attacks, Rencana said the subak members had organized a ceremony to drive out the monkeys.

Besides, he has also reported such attack to the Bangli Agriculture Agency. Moreover, the Bali Agriculture Agency around three years ago also came down to the location to resolve the problem. At that time, there were a number of plans to be

carried out as the solution to the problem of monkey attacks, namely by capturing and relocating, but until now the solution remains uncertain. “So far, there has been no follow-up from the government,” he said.

Nevertheless, the subak still hopes the follow up of the government regarding the solution having been discoursed. By that way, farmers hope they can return to work on their land so as to be productive.

Rencana is also worried if the herd of monkeys will enter the settlement and disturb the community if they are not handled properly over time. “In the past, the monkeys enter the Tambahan area and stole eggs,” he added. (kmb40)

2

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Bali News

International

International

Foreign tourist arrivals through Ngurah Rai Aiport increase by 7.32 percent MANGUPURA —Between January and July 2018, Ngurah Rai International Airport records show that they served 3,527,980 foreign tourists.

This is a 7.32 percent increase from the same period in 2017 when 3,287,205 tourists arrived at Ngurah Rai.

GM of Ngurah Rai International Airport, Yanus Suprayogi, stated on Monday (Aug. 20) that 23.65 of all foreign tourist arriving at Ngurah Rai are Chinese – the largest percentage from a single country.

Australian tourists are the second largest in number representing18.84 followed by tourists from India representing 6.37 percent.

Suprayogi, added that in July alone there were 635,578 foreign tourist arrivals. This shows a dramatic 13.43 percent increase from July of last year. “In July of this year, tourists from China are still ranked first in number coming into Indonesia through Ngurah Rai Airport with a total of 150,093 passengers. By percentage, this showed an increase of 2.59 percent compared to the number of tourists coming from China in the same period of last year”, he said.

The largest number of foreign tourists from a single country this July came from France with a total of 24,432 arrivals showing a 65.88 percent increase from July last year.

At present, Ngurah Rai International Airport is preparing to receive delegates from the IMF-World Bank Group Annual Meeting 2018 to be held in October, with the construction and development of a number of facilities. (kmb23)

Sand being sunctioned for airport expansion DENPASAR —The suctioning of sand from the sea bed that had caused disturbances to the public recently was initially being carried out to repair beaches eroded by abrasion for which the Bali Integrated Investment and Licensing Agency (DPMPTSP) had issued a permit. However more recent sand suctioning was carried out to provide material for the expansion of the apron at Ngurah Rai Ariport.

The permit for this suctioning was not issued by the Government of Bali but instead by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and the Ministry of Transportation.

“The sand collection seems to be finished now. I had given permission for such activity for the purpose of fixing damaged beaches.

So we do not see this as a problem but in fact what we expect. The

recent sand suctioning was permitted by the central government for the expansion of the airport. So they did not have a permit from us but from the central government”, said Head of the Bali Integrated Investment and Licensing Agency, I.B. Parwata, when contacted for confirmation on Monday (Aug. 20).

Parwata then explained that the expansion go the apron at Ngurah Rai Airport being done by reclaiming sand from the seas is part of a national strategic project and is a priority for the welcoming the IMF-World Bank Annual Meeting and is also being carried out in preparation of the arrival of 10 million tourists by 2025. The aircrafts transporting the IMF-World Bank delegates are expected to be able to park in Bali, and not have to park in

IBP/kmb

Surabaya, Banyuwangi or Lombok as is often done now.

“Actually, this project is very beneficial for Bali. It is a presidential project, part of the national strategy and has been made a priority. It cannot be obstructed and must carry on”, he said.

Parwata added that Bali Integrated Investment and Licensing Agency had disseminated information about the planned project previously and that there were no objections from any of the chiefs of the customary villages in the surrounding area. The chiefs of the customary villages indeed agreed with the expansion of Ngurah Rai Airport. They did however stipulate that there should be a revitalization process undertaken if coastal abrasion was caused by the project. “The

expansion of the airport is indeed very urgently needed”, he added.

In response to questions about the sand dredging in Benoa Harbor, Parwata said it was being carried out to expand the ship pier – allowing more ships to anchor without sinking into the sand.

Previously, Chairman of Commission I of the Bali House of Representatives, I Ketut Tama Tenaya, received queries from the members of the community of Kutuh customary village, South Kuta, and surrounding areas who were troubled by the presence of sand suctioning ships in Southern Bali.

Tenaya expressed his commission’s concern that mass scale exploitation of the environment will add to the severity of coastal abrasion in Tanjung Benoa, Nusa Dua, Kutuh,

Ungasan, all the way to Pecatu.

“The ships are suctioning sand as they move. People started speaking up when they saw the sea water turn murky”, explained this politician from Tanjung Benoa, Badung.

According to Tenaya, locals people’s means of earning their livelihood depends on the sea – such as fishermen, are very disturbed by the sand sand suctioning.

The coast could also become eroded. The government he said needs to pay attention to the security of coastal communities who livelihood depends on the coast and sea.

“There was never any information disseminated to the public about the plan to suction sand from the sea bed for the Benoa Harbour and Ngurah Rai Airport projects”, this PDI-P politician. (kmb32)

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Activities

Sense Sunset Seminyak Caters Business Meetings and Events

Renowned for its famous surf beaches, rich culture, bargain shopping and vibrant nightlife, Bali is the most well-known leisure destination. No wonder, Bali has become among the top 5 most popular destinations in the world on TripAdvisor’s Travelers’s Choice Awards 2018. Besides being a place to spend holiday, Bali also welcomes many people who are travelling for business purposes. There are a lot of hotels that have function room for small or large scale of meeting conference, including Sense Sunset Seminyak.

Business meets leisure. Sense Sunset Seminyak offers a variety of spaces to suit all of business needs. Either guests are interested in a venue of short meetings or even a day long conferences, Sense Sunset Seminyak can accommodate until 290 persons and ensure the success of any business meetings and events.

The meeting facilities of Sense Sunset Seminyak consists of 3 separated, flexible and modern meeting and event rooms. Contemporary design with a traditional style, the meeting and event rooms are ideal for

business meetings or for any other type of professional or social events that the guests may wish to organize. Fully equipped with all of the latest technology and facilities required for any type of event, which include state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment, LCD projector and portable screen, free Wi-Fi, video conference, audiovisual control room, extra lighting arrangements, a standard sound system with 2 microphones, notepads, pens, candies and mineral water, flip chart, white board and markers, reception desks with flower arrangements, podium and flagpoles, and adjustable stage.

“Sense Sunset Seminyak is strategically located on Sunset Road boulevard in the trendy Seminyak Area which is a really city center and it makes this hotel an ideal destination for business and leisure travel.”, said Theresia Elena, General Manager of Ox Woods Bali Management.

For additional information and reservations please call +6281 739 888 or visit www. sensesunsetseminyak.com

Thursday, August 23, 2018

15

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

16 Pages Number 175 10th year

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

Price: Rp 3.000,-

Thursday, August 23, 2018

‘Crazy Rich Asians’ author wanted in Singapore over national service SINGAPORE - The author of “Crazy Rich Asians”, which has been adapted into a hit Hollywood movie, is wanted in his native Singapore for allegedly dodging mandatory national service, authorities said Wednesday.

Kevin Kwan, who has lived in the US since he was 11 but is still a Singapore citizen, faces up to three years in jail and a hefty fine if convicted, the city-state’s defence ministry said.

The movie adaption of his bestseller, which focuses on the glamorous world of Singapore’s super-rich, was released in the United States last week and has been hailed as a watershed for Hollywood diversity due to its mostly Asian cast.

The film had its Singapore premiere Tuesday, with some of its stars gracing the red carpet and hundreds of fans turning out -- but Kwan was conspicuous by his absence, Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper reported.

And in a twist worthy of a Hollywood thriller, Singapore’s defence ministry revealed in a statement that Kwan “failed to register for National Service in 1990, despite notices and letters sent to his overseas address.

“He also stayed overseas without a valid exit permit.”

The Singapore-American author had committed offences under the enlistment act and faces a fine of up to Sg$10,000 ($7,300) and a prison term of up to three years if convicted, the ministry said.

Male Singapore citizens are required to undergo two years of national service upon turning 18.

They can either serve in the military, the police or the civil defence force.

The defence ministry said Kwan sought to renounce his Singapore citizenship in 1994, but his application and a subsequent appeal were rejected due to his failure to

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

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Italian actress Asia Argento speaks on stage on May 19, 2018 during the closing ceremony of the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France.

complete national service.

“Crazy Rich Asians”, the first Hollywood film for a generation to have a majority-Asian cast, tells the tale of an Asian-American woman who is plunged into the world of Singapore’s wealthy elite after travelling to the city with her boyfriend. (afp)

Actress Asia Argento denies sexual relationship with underage teen

Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP

ROME - talian actress and sexual abuse campaigner Asia Argento denied Tuesday having had a sexual relationship five years ago with an underage teen, calling the allegations part of “a long-standing persecution”.

Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for SiriusXM/AFP

Author Kevin Kwan

The New York Times reported on Sunday that Argento, 42, a Harvey Weinstein accuser and leading figure in the #MeToo movement, had paid actor and rock musician Jimmy Bennett $380,000 over the alleged 2013 incident at a Los Angeles hotel.

Bennett was two months past his 17th birthday at the time of the alleged encounter, while Argento was 37. The legal age of consent in California is 18.

In a statement Argento said her late boyfriend, celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain who committed suicide in June, gave money to Bennett upon the condition that “we would no longer suffer any

further intrusions in our life,” “I strongly deny and oppose the contents of the New York Times article... as circulated also in national and international news,” a statement issued by her agent said.

“I am deeply shocked and hurt by having read news that is absolutely false. I have never had any sexual relationship with Bennett,” it goes on.

Argento says that she was linked to Bennett “during several years by friendship only”.

- ‘Long-standing persecution’ The pair had acted together in the 2004 film “The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things”, in which

Argento plays Bennett’s troubled mother.

Argento said the friendship “ended when, subsequent to my exposure in the Weinstein case, Bennett -- who was then undergoing severe economic problems and had previously undertaken legal actions against his own family requesting millions in damages -unexpectedly made an exorbitant request of money from me.”

Addressing the issue of the payment of money to Bennett, Argento explained that Bourdain “was afraid of the possible negative publicity that such a person, whom he considered dangerous, could have brought upon us”. (afp)

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Venezuelan women walk back to their country after a day selling soft drinks and snacks in the Brazilian border in the city of Pacaraima, in Roraima State, on August 21, 2018. Desperate Venezuelans fleeing the country’s crisis continue to cross the Brazilian border, despite the violent anti-migrant riot that took place last week in the border town of Pacaraima.

Hyperinflation: spiralling prices and poverty

Venezuela today, Zimbabwe a decade ago, before that the rump Yugoslavia, Hungary and Germany. An explanation of hyperinflation where prices soar, banknotes get more zeros, and poverty and hunger spread.

How does inflation start soaring? “By cranking up the banknote printing presses,” said Nicolas Veron, an economist at the European think tank Bruegel.

If printing money is the trigger for hyperinflation, the real problem is a hole in public finances.

“When a government doesn’t have money, it is very difficult to resist the temptation to start rolling

the presses,” said Veron. In extreme situations, such as conflicts and regime changes, the temptation is even greater. Hyperinflation is generally considered to exist when prices rise by more than 50 percent in one month. In Venezuela, inflation is expected to hit 1,000,000 percent by the end of the year.

In Zimbabwe, the government was forced to introduce a 100-tril-

lion-dollar note -- though it could barely buy a loaf of bread.

However the worst hyperinflation was in Hungary in 1946 when prices doubled every 15 hours, according to the Cato Institute.

What are the consequences?

If the rapid creation of money is the cause of hyperinflation, the effect is a collapse of economic

activity along with shortages of goods and hunger.

Venezuela is a typical case, according to economist Philippe Waechter at asset manager Ostrum.

The authorities have printed tonnes of money and economic output plunged 40 percent between 2015 and 2017.

“You have plenty of cash, but nothing to buy, and as the money is plunging in value you can’t import anything,” he said.

The rapid deterioration of the value of the currency means that

people don’t want to accept it. Hyperinflation quickly leads to goods disappearing from shops, with governments having to introduce rationing. Hunger spreads.

Continued to page 6

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