Edition Thursday, October 25, 2018 | International Bali Post

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16 Pages Number 219 10th year

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Thursday, October 25, 2018 Thursday, October 25, 2018

TV host Megyn Kelly apologises for saying dressing up in blackface is okay

NEW YORK - A high-profile TV host has apologised for saying that dressing up in blackface for Halloween is okay.

Megyn Kelly, a former Fox News presenter who hosts a morning show on NBC in the US, had questioned why it was considered racist when a reality star had darkened her skin for a Diana Ross costume.

On her programme, the 47-year-old said that dressing up in blackface was acceptable when she was young as long as you were impersonating a character.

Several of Kelly’s critics swiftly drew comparisons to her insistence that Santa Claus was white - an assertion she made while working at Fox News.

Following a social media backlash, Kelly wrote an email to her colleagues to apologise, in which she acknowledged dressing up in blackface is wrong because of its abhorrent history in culture.

She said: “I understand that we do need to be more sensitive in this day and age. Particularly on race and ethnicity issues which, far from being healed, have been exacerbated in our politics over the past year.

“This is a time for more understanding, love, sensitivity and honour, and I want to be part of that.”

During the controversial segment, Kelly had claimed “the costume police are cracking down like never before” - and ridiculed a school that suggested wearing a cowboy outfit was also inadvisable.

Alex Wagner, a journalist on another network, tweeted: “I was born in the same decade as Megyn Kelly and do not recall blackface being acceptable anywhere, anytime.” (IBP/net)

Megyn Kelly apologised for her remarks in an email to colleagues.

Nicki Minaj (L) has been accused of sampling a Tracy Chapman (R) track.

IBP/net

Nicki Minaj sued for using Tracy Chapman’s song without permission

LOS ANGELES - Nicki Minaj is being sued by Tracy Chapman for using a sample of one of her songs without permission.

The rapper has been accused of incorporating the lyrics and vocal melody of Chapman’s 1988 single Baby Can I Hold You into Minaj’s unreleased track Sorry.

Chapman has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in a federal court in Los Angeles.

The lawsuit claims the singer repeatedly turned down a series of

requests to allow Minaj to sample the song for her fourth album Queen.

In the end, Sorry was not included on Minaj’s album.

But Chapman alleges in the suit the rapper gave it to a DJ who played the song on a New York radio station and posted it to his social media accounts in August.

The Fast Car singer has demanded unspecified damages and is seeking to prevent Minaj from releasing the track commercially.

Baby Can I Hold You was taken from Chapman’s eponymous debut album and made it into the Billboard top 100 in the US and reached number 94 in the UK. (IBP/net)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Olivier MORIN / AFP

This file photo shows Gondola’s near St Mark’s square flooded during “acqua alta” (high water) on November 1, 2012 in Venice. From Venice and the tower of Pisa to the medieval city of Rhodes, dozens of UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Mediterranean basin are deeply threatened by sea level rise, researchers warned on October 16, 2018.

Paradise lost: Tourist spots in danger of being loved to death

The Philippines’ most famous resort island Boracay re-opens Friday after a six-month cleanup intended to fix the damage done by unrestrained mass tourism. Here are some other global hotspots that authorities have moved to protect: - Bali, Indonesia Officials on the holiday island, Indonesia’s top tourist destination, declared a “garbage emergency” last year after the palm-fringed Kuta beach was swallowed up by mountains of trash.

Indonesia, second only to China as the world’s biggest contributor to marine debris, deployed 700 cleaners and 35 trucks to remove roughly 100 tonnes of debris each day from Kuta and two other popular beaches to a nearby landfill.

feet) tall, the isolated Pacific island severely curtailed visitor numbers in August this year due to concerns over the remote Chilean territory’s environmental sustainability.

Tourist stays on the island, believed to have been settled by the Rapa Nui people around the 12th century, were cut to 30 days from 90, after the population -- along with the crime rate -- doubled in a few decades. Those who wish to live on the island are now required to be a parent, partner or child of the Rapa Nui people.

- Easter Island, Chile Known for its 900-odd human figures standing up to 10 metres (32

- Dubrovnik, Croatia Dubrovnik, which boasts an old walled city, saw cruise ship arrivals

shoot through the roof after it was used as a backdrop in the smash television drama series “Game of Thrones”, causing congestion as tourists made a beeline for the shoot locales. Mayor Mato Frankovic told AFP the authorities plan to cut cruise ship numbers coming into the Adriatic port, while deploying cameras to count the number of people entering the old town.

- Venice and Florence, Italy Venice authorities are trialling a system that forces visitors to make a reservation if they want to go to the popular Saint Mark’s Square during peak hours. They are also

fining tourists 500 euros ($585) for bathing or having picnics in the city’s famous canals.

In Florence, officials have resorted to hosing down public spots such as church steps where many visitors congregate to eat picnics.

This aims to prevent people from sitting on the wet pavement.

- Machu Picchu, Peru Peruvian authorities increased surveillance at the 15th-century Incan citadel high in the Andes mountain range in 2014 as nude photos and streaking became increasingly common. Tourists have since at least 2013 been posting their naked selfies on social media, which the government described as a “disrespectful act” aimed solely at getting attention.

- Maya Bay, Thailand The glittering Thai bay immortalised in the movie “The Beach” was closed indefinitely on October 1 to allow it to recover from the impact of mass tourism, after a four-month respite failed to ease beach erosion and pollution. About 5,000 tourists had arrived by boat each day to the beach framed by limestone cliffs that was made famous by the 2000 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. (afp) News can also be heard in “Bali Image” at Global Radio FM 96.5 from 9.30 until 10.00 am. Listen to Global Radio FM at http:// globalfmbali.listen2myradio.com or live video streaming at http:// radioglobalfmbali.com and http:// ustream.tv/channel/global-fm-bali.

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Thursday, October 25, 2018

Bali News

International

Road to quality tourism

DENPASAR - The issue on Bali tourism being sold cheaply has long been heard. However, there has been no significant effort towards the improvement. Not long ago, Bali was shaken again by the finding if Bali tourism is sold at the price of IDR 600,000. This increasingly shows that Bali tourism is twopennyhalfpenny.

Deputy Governor of Bali, Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Su-

kawati, said that from year to year, Bali tourism remains to show off a

positive trend. Many tourists come to Bali not only the rich but also the poor and some even the crazy.

The attraction of Bali also makes Bali tour packages sold cheaply.

Many tourists experience accidents when diving or visiting other destinations. As a result, the quality is also not as expected. It can make

IBP/kmb

the name of Bali fall.

The follow-up to be carried out is implementing moratorium to control supply. When there is over supply, it will result in tariff war and price suppression. Besides, the types of products sold are expected not to be controlled by the market demands. So, what must be done is that law enforcement officers just need to do law enforcement. “If left unchecked, it will gradually overthrow Bali,” he said during the Focus Group Discussion entitled Road to Quality Tourism by the Badung Regional Tourism Promotion Agency (BPPD) on Tuesday (Oct. 23). Since this incident occurs in several districts, it must be jointly carried out by Municipal Police.

Chairman of Bali Tourism Board (BTB), I.B. Agung Partha Adnyana, said that to get to quality tourism, all parties, especially tourism stakeholders, should work together to face it. “There is nothing too prominent in attitude and nothing to be inferior,” he said.

So far, Chinese market has always been regarded as a cheap market and their tourists are not qualified. On the contrary, Chinese market is very large and not entirely cheap. Therefore, Bali must take advantage of this Chinese market opportunity. At present, Chinese trust on Bali is very low. Moreover, Chinese consulate general in Bali received many complaints about Bali related to many accidents afflicting to Chinese tourists. With such low trust, he is worried that Chinese tourist visit will reduce if the problem is not resolved.

According to him, what to be done is to give recognition. Since Chinese government warns its citizen from visiting Thailand, this is the opportunity to take over the Thai market. Chinese consul general also asked him to provide the companies or destination recom-

mended by the BTB. “He (Chinese consul general) wants to make Bali the best destination for China. Otherwise, Chinese confidence will go down. Whatever the cooperation to be built with China, it must keep building Bali’s credibility,” he said.

Head of the Badung Tourism Office, I Made Badra, said when leading to quality tourism it is necessary to maintain the balance of supply and demand. This balance needs to be studied. To that end, he will prepare a budget to conduct research in collaboration with STP and Udayana University. “To see whether it remains over supply or low demand because this concerns with price issue,” he said on the same occasion.

Deputy Regent of Badung, Ketut Suiasa, stated that selling cheap tourism packages makes Bali tourism not dignified. If this condition persists, it will be unfortunate because Bali tourism is based on culture. By selling cheap means to sell Balinese culture cheaply. According to him, this is harassment.

Moreover, according to him, this is a form of colonization whose impact is worse than the risk of weapons war. The risk will be more quickly affecting the moral, economic and mental damage.

The sales of Bali tour packages at cheap price also indicated low nationalism. On that account, he invited tourism stakeholders to find solutions and common ground in handling the problem. “It is meant to give birth to recommendations that must be done and who does it, so that the results are clear,” said Suiasa.

After issuing the recommendation, the next meeting is expected to have the results of evaluation, the results of the FGD discussion as well as factual issues occurred on that day. He will also coordinate with the regent to establish a special team. (kmb42)

Foreign workers banned from working as shopkeepers

DENPASAR - Foreign workers should not work as ordinary workers such as a shopkeeper like the findings of the Deputy Governor of Bali when making inspection to four Chinese network stores. If found working without documents, foreign workers can be threatened with deportation.

“The position occupied by foreign workers with document is the level of manager. Below this position like ordinary employees and so on is not allowed,” said the

Head of the Bali Manpower as well as Energy and Mineral Resources Agency, Ni Luh Made Wiratmi, in Denpasar, on Tuesday (Oct. 23).

Wiratmi claimed to immediately check with the companies employing the foreign workers including Chinese network stores. Moreover, she already received information related to the allegations of foreign workers there. This includes the taking of certain diplomas and deals. In addition to supervising foreign workers, supervision is also

carried out related to work norms and occupational safety and health.

“So, we’ll check first, whether they are working officially or not, legal or illegal. If they have a document, it means they are having job misplacement so that it needs to be fostered. If they are without documents, they will be deported,” he explained.

Wiratmi added there was already a SOP in carrying out supervision of foreign workers in the company.

To follow-up to deportation, her

agency has made cooperation with immigration office and police authority. Previously, Wiratmi had also disseminated the Presidential Regulation No. 20/2018 to around 150 company representatives in Bali.

“We disseminate it so that the company really understands. So far, many foreign workers have worked in the hotel and restaurant sectors.

“For HRD and financial positions, we cannot use foreign workers,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Bali Municipal Police will close Chinese network shops if they are proved to illegally operate. Moreover, the existence of these shops is alleged to have harmed the public and threatened the image of Bali tourism.

“We will take action firmly for the closure if the businesses do not comply with the applicable rules,” said the Head of Bali Municipal Police, Made Sukadana. (kmb32)

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Bangli: Suasrina, Buleleng: Mudiarta, Gianyar: Manik Astajaya, Karangasem: Bagiarta, Klungkung: Sosiawan. 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

International

Thursday, October 25, 2018

15

Happily Ever After at Villa Berawa

Experience an ideal fairytale wedding in the heart of Canggu at Villa Berawa, a collection of 8 traditional wooden Javanese houses constructed in the Joglo style. Your big day will be a dream come true in a luxurious tropical setting unlike any other. For an intimate wedding of up to 30 people, Villa Berawa is a perfect choice.

The wedding party must book all 8 villas which can accommodate a maximum of 30 people and prices start from USD 1,500 per night with a minimum 3-nights stay. The wedding package will come with a set dinner at Dapur Berawa restaurant, a ceremony at

the three-bedroom villa or at the main pool, wedding decorations and more.

Comprising 8 villas with a total of 14 bedrooms, Villa Berawa provides 4 units of 1-bedroom villas, 2 units of 2-bedroom villas and 3-bedroom villas that all come with its own private pool and ornate traditional Javanese furnishings brought in from Java.

If you look closely you’ll find some hand painted and handmade tiles, artwork and ornaments.

Equipped with the latest stateof-the-art facilities, the villas have all the modern comforts you need for the perfect holiday escape. In

the 3-bedroom villa, you’ll enjoy your very own compound consisting of three separate buildings featuring bedrooms with romantic four-poster beds, living rooms with flat-screen TVs and beautiful Javanese furniture as well as a kitchen. In the centre sits a large cerulean blue swimming pool.

Our favourite area in the villa has to be the luxuriously large, spacious and elegant bathroom.

Decorated with antique mirrors, bathtub, shower and double sinks, it overlooks a tropical enclave through its glass walls, perfect for relaxing while you enjoy a long, sumptuous bath.

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Thursday, October 25, 2018

Health

International

Taking pills to prevent HIV stops its spread groups working to help improve health literacy, and a network of free, publicly funded and private sexual health services serving men who have sex with men.”

Over the year, just two of the men who were given PrEP caught HIV, and neither of them had taken the pills they were given as suggested, the researchers reported.

Gilead’s two-drug pill Truvada has been approved for use as a PrEP drug.

Many governments and non-profit groups are trying to make PrEP more widely available to people at high risk of HIV, but their success is hit and miss. In the U.S., for example, researchers have estimated that 1.1 million people should be taking PrEP. But a CDC study out Thursday showed that only 78,000 Americans are actually taking it.

“Approximately 7 percent of the estimated 1.1 million persons who had indications for PrEP were prescribed PrEP in 2016, including 2.1 percent of women with PrEP indications,” the CDC reported.

Minorities are also missing out.

“Although black men and women accounted for approximately 40 percent of persons with PrEP indications, this study found that nearly six times as many white men and women were prescribed PrEP as were black men and women,” the CDC team reported.

“One of our most powerful tools for HIV prevention remains largely on pharmacy shelves,” Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, said in a statement.

All governments with populations at risk of HIV should be using PrEP, said Sheena McCormack, of Britain’s Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit, who was not involved in the study.

“New South Wales has shown how effective the combined efforts of government leadership, civil society, and a state-wide sexual health service can be at achieving high coverage with a new technology. Others need to follow suit,” she wrote in a commentary.

McCormack noted that in the Australian study, it was easier to get men treated when there were high concentrations of gay and bisexual men. “The reduction in recent HIV infections exceeded 50 percent in Sydney’s gay suburbs and the rest of New South Wales, but was only 7.3 percent in the non-gay suburbs of the city, highlighting the challenge of reaching all communities,” she wrote.

“Nonetheless, the overall benefit from the introduction of PrEP was impressive, given the evidence from behavior surveys and notifications of sexually transmitted infections suggesting that risk was increasing during this period.” And in many places, especially Africa but also parts of the U.S., heterosexual women are at a high risk, also. In some cities and in Eastern Europe, injecting drug users have a high risk of HIV. According to the United Nations, nearly 37 million people are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS. More than 35 million people have died from AIDSrelated illnesses. (IBP/net)

IBP/net

Bottles of antiretroviral drug Truvada are displayed at Jack’s Pharmacy in San Anselmo, California on November 23, 2010.

Thursday, October 25, 2018

3

Take advantage of irrigation flow

Sumampan Waterfall draws crowded visitors

WHEN enough people take pills to protect themselves from HIV, they also help control its spread, researchers reported Wednesday.

Pills that treat HIV infection can also prevent infection if people at high risk take them. The approach is called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, and it’s more than 99 percent effective in preventing infection if people take the pills every day.

If enough people take PrEP, that should slow the spread of HIV and a team of researchers in Australia say it happened there. When they dispensed PrEP to 3,600 men at high risk of HIV for a year, and made sure they took the pills, the spread of HIV across the whole state fell by 25 percent between 2016 and 2017.

It’s another piece of evidence supporting the use of PrEP, but statistics show barely anyone who should be getting the treatment actually does.

“We recruited high-risk gay men in a New South Wales-wide network of 21 clinics,” Andrew Grulich of the University of New South Wales and colleagues wrote in a report published in the Lancet HIV. “PrEP implementation was associated with a rapid decline in HIV diagnoses in the state of New South Wales.”

It was a highly coordinated campaign to test gay and bisexual men, who are at a higher risk of catching HIV, and then follow up with them to make sure they got the pills and took them. It was hard work to make everything go right, Grulich said.

“This study involved a large-scale and state-wide response to ensure that PrEP was made available to men at high risk of HIV infection,” he said in a statement.

“This involved leadership from the NSW government, advocacy

Bali News

International

IBP/net

An influenza vaccination is prepared for a patient this month at the CVS Pharmacy store’s MinuteClinic in Miami.

Unvaccinated child dies from flu in Florida

FLORIDA - A child in Florida has died from the flu, marking the first reported pediatric death of the 2018-19 flu season, according to the Florida Department of Health.

While the department did not release the child’s name, age, gender or location, it said the child had not been vaccinated before contracting the flu.

The child died between Sept. 30 and Oct. 6, according to the department.

Although the exact timing of flu season can vary, it typically begins around October and peters off around May. While the last season was particularly brutal across the United States, the flu virus is unpredictable and the current season could be very different, according to experts.

The 2017-18 season was responsible for the deaths of approximately 80,000 people, including 180 children, according to the CDC. The number of flu deaths in adults is estimated because of the volume of cases, and while deaths in children are reported to departments of health, they are not always precise because influenza is not always being listed as the primary cause of death.

The surgeon general, Dr. Jerome Adams, said most of the children reported to have died from the flu last year had not been vaccinated.

In Florida alone last flu season, it was determined that nearly 9,000 adults died from pneumonia and influenza and eight influenza-related pediatric deaths were reported, according to the state’s Department of Health. None of the children who died in the state had received flu vaccinations.

And the rate of children receiving vaccines appeared to fall nationwide last season from previous seasons, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

During the 2015-16 season, approximately 59.3 percent of children between 6 months old and 17 years old were vaccinated against the flu, the foundation reported. Last season, 57.9 percent of children in the same age range were vaccinated.

Researchers are working to make a more effective flu vaccine.

Last year’s vaccine only reduced the risk of catching flu by about 40 percent, but the CDC said it greatly reduced the risk of becoming very ill or dying from flu. The hope is to eventually get a vaccine that reduces infections by 90 percent or more, but that’s years away.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says no matter how effective the vaccine, everyone should still be vaccinated.

“It is the best way to protect from getting illness from having to see the doctor, from being hospitalized, and, in kids, it prevents death,” said Dr. Dan Jernigan, CDC influenza division director.

(IBP/net)

GIANYAR — Downstream outlet of the subak irrigation tunnel taking advantage for Sumampan waterfall tourist attraction at Sumampan hamlet, Kemenuh, Sukawati, began to be visited by crowded visitors even though this object was just opened a month ago by local residents. Not only domestic guests, foreign tourists also visit this attraction located at Petanu River flow every day.

This waterfall attraction was just opened a few months ago by local residents namely Wayan Cepeg with his sons Made Redana and Nyoman Retana. On Monday afternoon (Oct. 22), a number of foreign and domestic tourists were enthusiastic to enjoy the beauty of the waterfall by taking pictures.

Besides, they freely bathed in the streams of Petanu River.

Well, in fact this waterfall is not an object having existed for a long time. Wayan Cepeg revealed the discharge of the irrigation channel from the tunnel located in the east of the Petanu River had existed since long time ago when he was 17 years old. “But it was not in the form of a waterfall like the current one,” said this 60-year-old man having nine grandchildren.

He said that several years ago local residents dredged sandstones right in front of the disposal of the irrigation channel. Dredging on the eastern part of the Petanu River’s cliff reaches a depth of a dozen meters from the initial position and so far it forms a cliff.

“Dredging has been taking place for long time, about a dozen years ago,” he said.

The dredging process was fi-

nally stopped due to a government ban. However, due to dredging forms the cliff, the flow of water from the irrigation tunnel with a width of 2 meters and 2.5 meters high falls to form a waterfall.

“Now, the waterfall with a height of about 15 meters looks more beautiful,” he said.

Meanwhile, the initial opening of this waterfall was for tourist visits, starting with the tourists passing through the area. “The guests staying at the villa near here love this waterfall, and I was asked to arrange road access,” he said.

Located at Sumampan hamlet, this tourist attraction is easy to find.

Road access has also been opened, even though it is only in the form of land clearing owned by Wayan Cepeg. Nowadays, it can be passed through by motorcycles. Through this access, visitors can immediately reach the location near the waterfall. “Incidentally, I have a piece of land to the west of Petanu River, so the road access from my land is opened to the waterfall,” said Wayan Cepeg.

In the future, he is going to widen the road access so that it can be passed through by cars or buses, even though he has to sacrifice his private land. “This private land covers an area of more than 1 hectare, I want to prepare for parking lot,” he said.

Well, not long after a number of visitors began to arrive. They uploaded their waterfall photos onto social media. “Many visitors coming here claim to get information from social media, and they come with cameras and drone,” he said. (kmb)

IBP/eka

Fortunately, until now Denpasar has not been significantly affected because the flow of river water remains quite good.

Dry season has no significant impact on paddy fields in Denpasar

DENPASAR - Dry season has been going on for several months and it begins to result in apprehensiveness among farmers. Moreover, some areas in Bali have been experiencing drought.

Fortunately, until now Denpasar has not been significantly affected because the flow of river water remains quite good.

Sumampan Waterfall

IBP/kmb

Head of the Denpasar Agriculture Agency, I Gede Ambara Putra, when met on Monday (Oct. 22) stated the dry season conditions having begun to occur do not too much influence to farmers in Denpasar. Until now, there are no paddy fields experiencing drought. Ambara Putra added the cropping pattern applied in Denpasar is different from other regions. Denpasar, having become a downstream area for a long time, has implemented a rotating cropping pattern. In the odd year, the subak having the turn to get water has been determined.

Likewise in the even years as this

year, it becomes the turn of subak around Renon.

He said that for the southern region, covering Sanur, Renon and surrounding areas, the distribution of water flow is carried out at the dam of Bindu River, Ujung hamlet.

At the location, there has been a distribution pattern that can drain water to the two existing channels. As for the region of North Denpasar, it is carried out at Tanah Putih Dam. From monitoring to a number of river water sources in Denpasar, the water discharge remains quite large as seen in the streams of Bindu

River. The flow getting the turn of irrigation water leads to western Renon. Meanwhile, the east region is closed. Likewise, the water discharge in Buluh River remains quite large. This indicates the water conditions for paddy fields are still quite good.

Ambara Putra added that to anticipate the dry season, his agency had also provided a number of artesian wells that could be used by farmers. “If the condition of river water discharge is getting smaller, the artesian well can be a source for farmers to water their plants,” said Ambara. (kmb12)

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Bali News

Thursday, October 25, 2018

International

Striking color paints vulnerable to contain lead

Most children threatened to get exposure

DENPASAR - Toys, benches and tables for early childhood education (PAUD) or kindergarten students are often painted in striking colors. Behind the beauty and the cheerful impression featured, the striking colors in fact retain hazards. Particularly, it happens because of the lead (Pb) content in enamel paint or wood and iron paint used for coloring. Meanwhile, wall paint does not contain lead.

The Bali Focus Foundation came down to two kindergartens in Denpasar on Tuesday (Oct. 23) to check the lead content on student toys. As a result, all toys like slides and swings painted in red, yellow, orange, and pink contain lead above 90 ppm.

“In fact, there is an orange color containing 728 ppm. It means to almost reach 8 times of the standard specified,” said researcher at Bali Focus, Sonia Buftheim, who examined the content of lead by using X-Ray fluorescence.

According to Sonia, the dust or peeled off paint can be inhaled by children when playing. She said it becomes hazardous because half of their time at school is spent for playing with these toys. On the other hand, the lead also has a sweet taste.

“Small children belonging to 0 to 5 years old have the possibility or habit of inserting hands into their mouth. Well, such a habit is ultimately hazardous because lead tastes sweet,” she explained.

Sonia added the hazards, among others, can reduce IQ, cause neurological diseases and autism. She said there are many studies claiming if the main source of autism is heavy metal. Meanwhile, the body immunity of children aged 0-5 years stays not fully developed.

On that account, they are more susceptible to disease, including

exposure to lead.

“Lead easily enters into the body of children because lead can replace calcium function. The ion charge is 2+. Very frequently, the body thinks of calcium, whereas it is actually lead substance,” she added.

In addition to paint, continued Sonia, lead is also contained in gasoline, cosmetics such as mascara and lipstick, and batteries.

Especially regarding lead in batteries, there have been studies on the processing of used batteries that can indeed cause neurological diseases, decrease of IQ, and autism.

Principal of one of the kindergartens in Denpasar, Komang Sari, claimed to have deliberately chosen bright colors for student toys at school. However, she did not know if the paint for wood and iron used at the kindergarten she leads in fact contains lead.

“If it should be indeed replaced, we will replace it for the sake of our children. “I have had the opportunity to ask what brand of paint we should use,” she said.

Meanwhile, continued Sari, children will be more watched while playing. In addition, they will also be invited to wash their hands frequently after playing. On the other hand, the government is expected to participate in checking the paint content to all schools, especially kindergartens / early childhood

IBP/kmb41

The Yeh Malet Beach tourist object at Antiga village, Manggis.

Thursday, October 25, 2018

International

13

Decades of war shatter Afghanistan’s glassblowing craft

HERAT - Hunched and shrivelled, Afghan glassblower Ghulam Sakhi deftly blows and twirls molten glass into delicate blue and green goblets and vases -- a craft passed down for generations but now at risk of dying out.

IBP/kmb32

The Bali Focus Foundation came down to two kindergartens in Denpasar on Tuesday (Oct. 23) to check the lead content on student toys. education as the Bali Focus does.

Senior Advisor of Bali Focus, Yuyun Ismawati, stated that October 21-27, 2018 is International Action Week on Lead Poisoning Prevention. Non-governmental organizations in 30 countries in coordination with the Global Alliance for the Elimination of Lead in Paint urge the government to adopt the laws or regulations to protect children’s health. Bali Focus has conducted research to 121 decorative enamel cans from 63 brands during the period of 2014-2015 purchased from 5 cities in Indonesia. Lead levels in the paint samples were analyzed in accredited laboratories in Europe.

“About 25 percent of paint brands or 15 of the 63 brands ana-

lyzed contain lead below 90 ppm, a safe number that can be achieved as recommended by the WHO and UNEP (voluntary partnerships coordinated by the United Nations Environment Program—Ed),” she said.

According to Yuyun, the paints examined in 2014-2015 mostly contained lead of greater than 600 ppm. Meanwhile, the Indonesian government has set a voluntary standard for 600 ppm lead content for organic solvent-based paint as outlined in the National Standard of Indonesia or SNI 8011: 2014. It means there are still many paints that do not comply with the voluntary new standards in Indonesia.

The highest and most dangerous lead concentration reaches 102,000

ppm found in bright colors such as yellow, orange, red, and green.

These colors are widely used in kindergartens, PAUD facilities, and child care centers. On that account, the government must be present to protect the future of 48 million Indonesian children aged 0-9 years that are at high risk of being exposed to lead.

“Although considered as a source of low risk exposure, in a long period of exposure at an early age will have a permanent impact especially in children’s brain development. Voluntary standards cannot be relied upon. There is an urgent need to prohibit the production, sales and use of lead paint as well as the enforcement of regulations,” she explained. (kmb32)

Sakhi is one of the last makers of Herati glassware in the eponymous western city where the oncethriving industry has been shattered by decades of war, poverty, and cheap imports.

The brick and corrugated iron workshop where Sakhi toils only operates a few days a month owing to the lack of demand for the distinctive coloured glassware that is more expensive than Chinese-made products.

“People don’t value art,” says Sakhi, who is in his mid-40s but looks much older. He began working with his glassblower father when he was seven.

Sakhi sits on a low stool next to a wood-fired clay oven, occasionally wiping away sweat as the temperature inside the workshop soars above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

His eldest son Habibullah works alongside him, scraping shards of glass -- mixed with copper or iron powder to create a blue or green tint -- into a bubbling pot of molten liquid inside the furnace.

Sakhi sticks an iron blowpipe into the fiery mixture, gently spinning it like a honey twirler. After extracting the rod, he swings, blows and rolls the molten glass into shape before firing it in a

kiln.

The tools and techniques used

by Sakhi have barely changed in generations, although instead of making glass from quartz, glassblowers now recycle bottles and broken windows, which are “easier to find”.

“It’s not going to last another generation,” says Sakhi, whose family have been making Herati glass for “200 or 300 years”.

- ‘Already finished’ Decades of war have driven away foreign tourists who used to be drawn to Herat, a city steeped in history as a trading hub on the ancient Silk Road and the 15th century capital of the Timurid empire.

Most Afghans also prefer cheaper Chinese-made imports over hand-made glassware that breaks easily, says Sakhi.

“They think when they buy imports from China they are going to be better quality,” he explains.

The only hints of modernity in the smoky workshop are Sakhi’s blue Nokia mobile phone lying next to him and an electric fan whirring furiously in the searing heat.

Sultan Ahmad Hamidi, the white bearded owner of the workshop who spends his days lolling on

IDR 2.2 billion allocated for Yeh Malet Beach arrangement

AMLAPURA - In order to support the tourism in Karangasem, the district government in this case the Tourism Office, continues to arrange the existing infrastructure in tourist attractions. One of them is the Yeh Malet Beach tourist object at Antiga village, Manggis, precisely on the border of Karangasem and Klungkung. For the arrangement, the district government allocated a budget of IDR.2.2 billion in the main regional budget plan 2018.

Head of the Karangasem Tourism Office, I Wayan Astika, explained the arrangement is carried out from the end of October 2018. Astika added the funds disbursed to make the arrangement amounts to IDR 2.2 billion. It sources from the main

regional budget plan 2018 coming to IDR 2.2 billion. “This year, the object must be arranged and now it stays on progress. The winner of tender has been announced while the arrangements are carried out at the end of October to December 24. So, we are sure the process can be completed on time,” he said not long ago.

Astika added the arrangement includes the repair of merchant stalls, construction of gazebos, walkways, and signboard of ‘Welcome to Karangasem’ around Yeh Malet. Clearly, the arrangement of Yeh Malet Beach is done to beautify the tourist attraction. Thus, the black sandy beach looks nice, and neat. Hopefully, this arrangement will increase the tourist visit in the

area. “The regulation already exists. So, we just need to disseminate to local community,” he added.

He further stated that residents and merchants at Yeh Malet really hope the arrangement will be carried out immediately. By that way, the economic rotation around tourist area will increase like other tourist objects. Currently, merchants only rely on passing traffic.

“Foreign or domestic tourist visit to Yeh Malet Beach remains quiet.

Visitors dropping by are estimated to reach around 1-20 people every day. Moreover, they are domestic tourists traveling to Denpasar. By and large, they stop to unwind at Yeh Malet,” explained Astika. (kmb41)

FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh on October 23, 2018.

HOSHANG HASHIMI / AFP

In this photo taken on August 2, 2018, Afghan man glassblower Ghulam Sakhi, mid-40s, crafts a glass object at his traditional glassblowing workshop in Herat province. a sofa in his store selling Herati glassware, trinkets and handicrafts, despairs for the future of his business.

“Thirty to 40 years ago people were lining up to buy glass here -- as many as 100 tourists a day,” says Hamidi, 78.

His store, which is across a busy street from the city’s main

mosque, is crammed with Herati glass goblets, vases and bowls that are gathering dust.

With prices starting around $6, it takes a month to sell 100 pieces, he complains.

As the craft declines, survival becomes a growing challenge for Sahki and his family.

Habibullah supplements their

meagre income from glassblowing by ferrying passengers around the city in a three-wheeled motorbike taxi.

But without government support or tourism, Sakhi fears he could be the last of Herat’s glassblowers.

“I’m very sad,” he says. “If it stays like this it’s already finished.” (afp)

RIYADH - Saudi Arabia’s crown prince is scheduled to address an investment forum in Riyadh Wednesday, his first public speech since the murder of critic Jamal Khashoggi plunged the kingdom into crisis.

Organisers of the glitzy flagship Future Investment Initiative listed Prince Mohammed bin Salman among the “top speakers” for the second day of the three-day conference, after he made a brief appearance on Tuesday.

The crown prince is likely to appear on a panel alongside Lebanon’s prime minister-designate Saad Hariri, whose resignation in a televised address from the Saudi capital in mysterious circumstances last year sparked rumours he was being held against his will.

The conference, nicknamed

“Davos in the desert”, has been overshadowed by the outcry over the murder of Khashoggi inside the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2, with a array of big names pulling out over the case.

The reform credentials of Prince Mohammed, the king’s powerful son, have been tarnished by the scandal despite repeated denials he had any involvement in the killing of the Washington Post contributor. Saudi organisers of the conference have sought to portray it as business as usual, announcing 12 “mega deals” worth more than $50 billion in oil, gas, infrastructure and other sectors on the opening day of the forum.

Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih acknowledged, however, that the kingdom was in crisis following the “abhorrent” murder of Khashoggi.

Saudi Arabia initially claimed Khashoggi left freely after visiting the consulate but, as international pressure mounted, the kingdom said he died inside the mission when an argument degenerated into a fistfight. It later acknowledged that he had in fact been murdered, as Turkish officials said all along.

The changing narrative has triggered deep scepticism abroad.

The United States said Tuesday it was revoking the visas of Saudis implicated in the murder, as President Donald Trump ridiculed the kingdom’s response as “one of the worst cover-ups” in history.

The move came as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a keenly anticipated speech on Tuesday that Khashoggi’s killing inside the consulate had been meticulously planned. (afp)

Saudi crown prince to make first speech since Khashoggi murder

12

International

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Bali News

International

BUSINESS

5

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Zimbabwe opposition leader seeks dialogue on economic crisis

HARARE - Zimbabwe’s opposition leader on Tuesday called for the creation of a “national transitional authority” to deal with a worsening economic crisis amid shortages of basic items such as drugs and fuel.

Nelson Chamisa, who narrowly lost July’s election, accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government of excessive borrowing and lacking ideas to solve Zimbabwe’s biggest crisis in a decade.

Chamisa also plans to go ahead with a rally on Saturday that party officials have indicated could include a mock “inauguration” in protest of the disputed vote.

A ruling ZANU-PF party official, Paul Mangwana, said dialogue with the opposition can only commence if Chamisa accepts Mnangagwa’s victory.

A fragile national unity government in 2009 helped pull the country out of economic crisis when hyperinflation reached 500 billion percent, according to the International Monetary Fund.

When asked what a “national transitional authority” would entail, Chamisa said it should be a “bottom-up” approach to involve citizens, churches and other stakeholders and that discussions would determine the nature of the government.

He said the ruling party and opposition had discussed the arrangement after former leader

Robert Mugabe was forced out in November but “they reneged on that promise and chose the path of elections instead of a transitional authority.”

After Mugabe’s departure many in Zimbabwe had hoped the country would emerge from turmoil and return to prosperity. But that has turned into despair as public hospitals run out of drugs and private pharmacies, like many other businesses, close down while supermarkets ration items such as bottled water and beer.

Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube on Tuesday said the government has suspended import controls on items ranging from cooking oil to bottled water to baked beans and shoe polish. Previously, only those with special licenses were allowed to import the items.

The government in recent days has cracked down on street currency dealers, while some senior officials from the reserve bank were suspended Monday after a ruling party activist accused them of corruption.

The activist, appointed last week to head a special communications task force for the ministry, was fired on Tuesday after he promised more

Mosaic Pottery of Yangapi Village Enters Foreign Market

IBP/kmb

Jekesai NJIKIZANA / AFP

Zimbabwe main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Alliance gestures during a press conference on Zimbabwe’s economic crisis on October 23, 2018 at his party headquarters in Harare. disclosures.

The president in a weekly column in a state-run newspaper accused “an intricate network of

currency speculators mostly in high places and in places of trust” of manipulating black-market foreign currency rates, resulting in

a spike in prices of goods that are still available. With industry in near collapse, Zimbabwe imports most items. (ap)

Italy stands firm against EU in budget dispute

MILAN - Italy on Monday refused to back down on its plans to ramp up public spending, keeping alive a dispute with the European Union, which is worried the budget would increase the country’s high debts. Premier Giuseppe Conte defended the budget in a news conference in Rome following the noon deadline for Italy to submit its response to the EU’s rebuke of the draft budget.

“If today, confronted by the EU letter, I would say that we made a mistake and we re-write the maneuver, that would mean admitting that we made the wrong maneuver,” Conte said. “That is not the case.”

The plan increases the deficit to 2.4 percent of GDP next year, three times more than initially targeted

by the previous government. The EU complains that the plan means Italy will not lower its public debt as promised. At over 130 percent of GDP, debt is more than twice the EU limit and economists worry it is a risk to the region’s financial markets.

In the letter to the European Commission, Economic Minister Giovanni Tria said Italy would adjust the plan if it does not deliver the expected dividends, but that the spending boost and reform course were necessary due to “particularly unsatisfactory macroeconomic and social conditions a decade after the beginning of the crisis.”

The letter said that the budget plan “does not pose any risks to the financial stability of Italy, or the other European Union countries.”

Conte the budget was “well-conceived,” and that it would promote economic growth.

He noted that the 2.4 percent deficit level was a ceiling and held out the possibility that it would not reach that level in 2019. He also repeated that it would be brought lower in the following two years.

Investors and financial experts are skeptical. Even before knowing whether Italy would back down from its proposed deficit increase, credit ratings agency Moody’s downgraded Italy by one notch to just one level above junk status. It gave Italy a stable outlook, meaning it is not currently considering another downgrade.

Conte said that underlined that the Italian economy’s “fundamen-

tals are good.”

Italy’s plans have widely been criticized by EU leaders as being out of line with the bloc’s spending constraints. The EU Commission handed Italy a stinging letter last week warning that the higher deficit targets represented a deviation “unprecedented in the history” of EU budget rules.

Margaritis Schinas, the European Commission spokesman, said Monday that Italy’s response “has just arrived” and added that on Tuesday “the Commission will discuss the procedure and will determine” its next steps.

Conte was critical in his remarks of EU officials, whom he said spoke out of turn by slamming the budget draft and Italy’s response

before receiving either. He also said that citing treaties alone would not persuade Europeans who are disillusioned with current policies.

“Today we are living years in which Europe is languishing,” he said. He added that blaming populists or nationalists misses the opportunity to “assume the burden of evaluating what are the causes and see how to relaunch Europe.”

He also emphasized that Italy had no intentions of exiting either the European Union or the 19country euro currency, recalling a famous phrase used by U.S. President George H.W. Bush.

“Read my lips. For Italy, there is no chance, no way, to get Italexit.

There is no way to get out of Europe and the eurozone.” (ap)

Various handicraft products produced by local craftsmen of Bangli have been able to penetrate foreign market. One of them is the mosaic pottery made by Nengah Kita, a craftsman from Kalanganyar hamlet, Yangapi, Tembuku.

Wayan Locong, the brother of Nengah Kita, having got involved in the same business all this time, said that his handicraft products in-

clude jars, candle holder, fruit plate and other wall decorations. In addition to being sold in local markets, the products are widely shipped to

Europe, Spain and Argentina.

To make mosaic pottery, he purchases raw materials from outside Bangli such as pottery from Lombok, while glass is brought in from Gianyar. The process of making mosaic pottery begins from sanding the pottery until getting smooth. Further, it is painted and drawn according to the

Tatag, a Unique Tourism Village worth Exploring

Birdsongs greet the tranquil natural countryside where birds perch on green branches and fly away exalting in their freedom.

Below ducks play in the rice field and have become so familiar with farmers that they causal look for food in the watery paddy fields, undisturbed by those who walk near them. Such is the atmosphere of countryside Tatag Hamlet, Kukuh Village, Marga Subdistrict, Tabanan. The hamlet, located about 18 km north of Denpasar is indeed still natural and unique. It is situated far from the hustles and bustles of the city and offers verdant views of rice fields in all directions.

Similarly, the hamlet preserves some large trees that provide the shade for all souls who pass under

them. At each end of the hamlet, there are springs used for public drinking, bathing and washing.

Traditional cultural activities are also maintained. The local community still makes a variety of cakes like jaja begina, rice cones, used in oblation and for other ceremonial purposes. The people of this village engage in artistic activities such as drawing, dancing and playing Balinese traditional gamelan. The local villagers also routinely raise pigs and cattle. “These activities are attractive to foreign tourists” said Kukuh Headman, I Ketut Budiarta.

Indeed, the hamlet inhabited by a population of 389 people is often used for trekking by tourists. Aside from the beautiful natural surroundings of this village, meten -tradition-

al ancient Balinese houses can also be found here. There are also jineng (rice granary), Balinese pavilions and classical style entrance gates.

Tatatg is also strategically located very close to the tourist destination of Alas Kedaton. “Many of our people still cook in traditional manner” added the headman of Kukuh. .

“Every week, there are tourists who strolle through the village –mostly form Europe. Other tourists ride bicycles to enjoy the special areas of this village. Apart from foreigners, there are also entrepreneurs from Denpasar and Tabanan interested in experiencing the unique adventure” said I Ketut Jana, Hamlet Chief of Tagtag, while escorting Bali Travel News to have look around the village. (kmb)

desired design. After that, the pottery is fitted with pieces of clear glass having already been colored.

Helped by 13 workers, in a day he can produce dozens of pieces.

Just like any other craft businesses, there are always obstacles faced by craftsmen. He added that in producing mosaic pottery, the constraint

is the weather. If it rains continuously, the supply of pottery from Lombok is often too late. The price of mosaic pottery varies depending on the size. For a set of three stuffing jars is sold for IDR 100,000 to IDR 500,000. In the meantime, a candlestick is sold starting from IDR 20,000. (kmb)

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Thursday, October 25, 2018

W

International

RLD

‘Holy plant’: Cannabis legalisation delights South African users For Siphelele Luthuli, 47, who was diagnosed with asthma in 2010, the court ruling has been a saving grace after years of secretly buying cannabis from a merchant in a dangerous part of Durban, on South Africa’s southeastern coast.

“Obviously it was illegal so I had my secret merchant,” she said.

“For me it’s really liberating to be able to have access to it.”

- ‘Holy plant from ancestors’ -

Luthuli, a tourism entrepreneur, turned to cannabis in her quest for a natural alternative to a heavy cocktail of steroids, which she said caused water retention and subsequent weight gain.

In 2014, her doctor did not object when she suggested trying home-brewed cannabis tea -- at a fraction of the cost of the Western treatment.

“I would boil it and Google a recipe, even though with my measurements it wasn’t that accurate.

But I found solace in knowing that you can never overdose on weed because it’s natural,” Luthuli said.

After taking the cannabis tea for

almost a year she went back for a check-up and was declared asthmafree, she said.

Dagga is sometimes seen as a gateway drug to harder substances.

But Sipho Ntanzi, 23, a goat shearer, has steadfastly used it as a basic painkiller for years.

The powers of cannabis have been an open secret in his family for generations.

“When I was growing up, my uncle used to brew cannabis tea for himself at home and there was no problem or stigma attached to it,” he said, adding: “No one had a problem with it unless you smoked it -- then you would get into trouble.”

As an adult, he started taking a cupful of the tea daily in the morning and evening.

“After drinking it I feel stronger and my system is refreshed,” Ntanzi told AFP while sipping the tea at the sangoma’s offices.

Criticising Western medicine for despising traditional herbal remedies such as cannabis, Ntanzi said he takes a dose whenever he feels “a bit sick -- to stop illness in its tracks”. (afp)

Geoff Robins / AFP

A woman smokes a marijuana cigarette during a legalization party at Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto, Ontario, October 17, 2018. Nearly a century of marijuana prohibition came to an end Wednesday as Canada became the first major Western nation to legalize and regulate its sale and recreational use.

Thursday, October 25, 2018

11

Indonesia disaster ‘punishment for gay activities’: Malaysia politician

JOHANNESBURG - A bucket containing a soupy green mixture sits under a table in Nduna Ewrong-Nxumalo’s consultation room in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa’s economic hub.

The traditional healer, or sangoma, has trusted and prescribed the pungent mixture -- cannabis tea -- to his patients for years.

“We were given this holy plant by the ancestors,” Ewrong-Nxumalo told AFP, scooping out a cupful.

“Healers who came before us and trained us showed us how to restore people’s health with it,” said the healer, wearing a leopard-skin vest and khaki trousers.

“It is a plant to be respected and protected, and I’m happy the law is finally doing that.”

Last month, South Africa’s top court decriminalised the private and personal use of cannabis in a landmark case that pitted law enforcement agencies against advocates of the plant, known in the country as dagga.

The Constitutional Court ruling changed attitudes overnight while bringing interim legal relief to those who use cannabis for medicinal purposes by decriminalising the possession and cultivation of dagga for private use.

Parliament has 24 months to iron out legislative details such as permitted quantities.

International

XAVIER BOURGOIS / AFP

A file photo taken on September 10, 2011 shows an areal view of Nkok, a special economic site dedicated to the transformation of wood, some 30 km from Libreville.

Saving the precious wood of Gabon’s forests from illegal logging

OYEM - In Gabon the majestic kevazingo tree, its tropical hardwood highly valued in Asia for upmarket furniture, is also held to be sacred by generations of forest dwellers in equatorial Africa.

Chopping down the kevazingo tree, which can grow to more than 500 years old, has been outlawed in Gabon since March, but that hasn’t eased environmental fears.

A loophole in the law allows the sale of the prized wood if felled trees were abandoned or seized from illegal loggers which environmentalists say only encourages further exploitation.

The ban on felling the trees is intended to “limit trafficking in this wood”, explains Simplice Nteme, the national director general of waterways and forests, which cover 85 percent of the west African country.

But for Martial, a 54-year-old resident of Oyem, capital of the northern Woleu-Ntem region, little has changed.

“They tell us that kevazingo is no longer cut, but we see lorries loaded with kevazingo logs leaving the forest to go to the capital Libreville,” he told AFP. The government insists it is taking away kevazingo that is considered “abandoned” after lying on the ground for six months after being chopped down.

“Who can cut down a kevazingo tree and then just leave it there?” asks Marc Ona, president of the Gabonese environmental NGO Brainforest.

“We’ve noticed in long years of work that some companies or even villagers, sometimes with other accomplices, chop wood illegally, then recover it six months later as abandoned wood,” adds Luc Mathot, president of Conservation Justice, a

group combatting wood trafficking and poaching in Gabon.

“So this is a way of laundering illegal wood,” he claims.

- Villagers blockade -

The heavy, dense kevazingo wood ranges in colour from pinkish red to ruddy brown. Chopping down an ancient giant is a major enterprise, from clearing the surrounding area to digging a ramp to hold the trunk when it falls.

More than 150 forestry firms have been welcomed to Gabon, where the industry accounts for about five percent of the gross domestic product.

Since 2014, timber companies have been legally obliged to give money to village committees to help pay for such services as schools and clinics.

In practice, locals may well end up mounting roadblocks to remind some loggers of this responsibility.

“It’s unfortunate, but we are often forced to put up a show of strength in order to be heard,” says Herve Allogo, a villager from Essong Medzome, near Oyem, manning a barricade of logs.

Timber firms tend to lay the blame for shortfalls in community support on internal constraints or outside factors, and also claim villagers lack information.

“Administration is slow, because projects must be approved at several levels,” says Sylvain Ibouanga Mbouma, a director of Compagnie Dan Gabon, a Chinese firm active in the north.

The state is keen to promote the wood processing industry inside Gabon, rather than export raw timber for value-added treatment elsewhere. (afp)

Malaysia’s opposition leader said Tuesday a quake-tsunami that killed thousands in neighbouring Indonesia was “punishment from Allah” for the activities of gay people, sparking a storm of criticism.

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who heads a party which lost power in Muslim-majority Malaysia at historic elections in May, made the remarks in parliament as he warned about the growing influence of the country’s gay community.

It was the latest sign of a backlash against homosexuals in Malaysia. In recent months officials -- including the prime minister -have spoken out against gay rights and two lesbians were caned for breaking Islamic laws that forbid same-sex relations.

Ahmad Zahid, a former deputy former premier who is now facing jail after being arrested for corruption, said that “in Palu, where there was recently an earthquake and tsunami, it was said that there were more than 1,000 (people) involved in such (LGBT) activities. “As a result, the whole area was crushed.

This is punishment from Allah.”

The 7.5-magnitude quake and

subsequent tsunami smashed into the coastal city of Palu, on Sulawesi island, on September 28.

More than 2,000 bodies have since been recovered and there are fears that 5,000 more could be buried beneath the ruins in several hit-hard neighbourhoods.

Ahmad Zahid’s remarks sparked widespread criticism, and he was accused of making populist comments to save his own skin.

Pang Khee Teik, a leading gay rights activist, told AFP that the comments were “proof that every time a politician is in trouble, LGBT people get blamed.

“Next time you hear a politician say that LGBT people are causing natural disaster, please remember that it’s because his career is about to be swallowed up by the earth.”

There was a flood of anger on social media, with one Facebook user slamming Ahmad Zahid for his “stupid and irresponsible statement”.

Last week the 65-year-old was hit with 45 charges in a $26 million corruption case. He is accused of crimes that include accepting bribes to award government contracts and money-laundering. (afp)

Polemic on rice data must be resolved: observer

IBP/net

JAKARTA - Al-Azhar University Criminal Law Observer Suparji Ahmad has recommended that the debate about the differences in data about rice should be resolved. “The State Audit Board (BPK) must dare to audit it thoroughly. The difference in data is too great, and this concerns the lives of many people,” Suparji said.

ADEK BERRY / AFP

A model presents a creation by Indonesian designer Anne Avantie during the 2019 Jakarta Fashion Week in Jakarta on October 23, 2018. The 2019 Jakarta Fashion Week is held from October 20 to 26.

According to Suparji, BPK audit results can be used by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) as preliminary data if there are indications of fraud.

“The BPK and the KPK must coordinate with each other, moreover it has been seen from the beginning that there are differences in data, so it should be investigated more quickly,” he said.

The gap in data about rice was revealed after BPS released the 2018 rice production surplus, which only reached 2.8 million tons, far below the Ministry of

Agriculture`s data or calculations.

Based on the Ministry of Agriculture`s official website, this year`s rice surplus was to be 13.03 million tons.

The calculation is made in 2018 based upon the unhulled rice production of 80 million tons, or 46.5 million tons of rice equivalent, while the total national rice consumption is only 33.47 million tons.

A similar view was made by Jakarta State University`s (UNJ`s) political observer Ubedillah Badrun. He called the data mismatch

reasonable, as will be seen if investigated.

All survey institutions of the government, according to Ubedillah, should coordinate with each other, not only on the matter of conducting the survey, but also on the proper methodology that can be used academically.

He explained that there are two possibilities if an agency has different data. The first is that there is a methodological error. The second possibility is that there is something triggered by certain interests behind the figure. (ant)

10

Destination

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Tohpati Village

KLUNGKUNG - Tohpati Village is just about 12 kilometers from Kuta, and famous for Bali’s Batik Wand Weaving Center. Batik is a traditional form of painting fabric.

They painstakingly use dots and lines from wax to decorate the cloth.

It is very impressive to watch. It would be impossible to visit or live in Indonesia and not be exposed to one of the country’s most highly developed art forms, batik.

Tohpati Village is a batik home industry, you will undoubtedly experience an overwhelming stimulation of the senses – due to the many colors, patterns and the actual smell of batik. Only through repeated visits and a bit of study will the types of designs and their origins become apparent.

Tohpati Village is one of the most famous Bali Places of Interest is where you can watching the entire Batik, making process from the designing, waxing, coloring and drying of the materials. Its very exciting to watch the Balinese paint on a cloth, its not just simple structured paintings but they are very expert. There are a large number of Batik showrooms in this village where one can find the genuine batik and the finest batik cloth known is Ikat weaving, Ikat means to tie or bind, is used as the name for intricately patterned cloth.

It is an ancient art from tribes of Indonesia which has a strong ethnic identification.

History of Batik Evidence of early examples of batik have been found in the Far East, Middle East, Central Asia and India from over 2000 years ago.

It is conceivable that these areas developed independently, without the influence from trade or cultural exchanges. However, it is more likely that the craft spread from Asia to the islands of the Malay Archipelago and west to the Middle

East through the caravan route. Batik was practised in China as early as the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618).

These were silk batiks and these have also been discovered in Nara, Japan in the form of screens and ascribed to the Nara period (AD 710-794). It is probable that these were made by Chinese artists. They are decorated with trees, animals, flute players, hunting scenes and stylised mountains.

No evidence of very old cotton batiks have been found in India but frescoes in the Ajunta caves depict head wraps and garments which could well have been batiks. In Java and Bali temple ruins contain figures whose garments are patterned in a manner suggestive of batik. By 1677 there is evidence of a considerable export trade, mostly on silk from China to Java, Sumatra, Persia and Hindustan. In Egypt linen and occasionally woollen fabrics have been excavated bearing white patterns on a blue ground and are the oldest known and date from the 5th century A.D. They were made in Egypt, possibly Syria. In central Africa resist dyeing using cassava and rice paste has existed for centuries in the Yoruba tribe of Southern Nigeria and Senegal.

Indonesia, most particularly the island of Java, is the area where batik has reached the greatest peak of accomplishment. The Dutch brought Indonesian craftsmen to teach the craft to Dutch warders in several factories in Holland from 1835. The Swiss produced imitation batik in the early 1940s.

A wax block form of printing was developed in Java using a cap.

By the early 1900s the Germans had developed mass production of batiks. There are many examples of this form of batik as well as handproduced work in many parts of the world today. Computerisation of batik techniques is a very recent development. (IBP/net)

International

Thursday, October 25, 2018

International

Federer digs deep to reach Basel second round

BASEL - Roger Federer had to fight hard to hold off Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic on Tuesday, edging to a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 win to reach the second round of the Swiss Indoors.

The eight-time champion flirted with his earliest exit in Basel since his 1998 debut as a teenager, but came out on top in a nervy deciding set. “I was up 6-2, 3-1, it could have ended very quickly,” Federer said. “But I made life more difficult.

“I didn’t have the best serving stats, maybe that caught up to me.

“But these are different balls, more altitude than in Shanghai, it’s about getting used to it.

“And first rounds are always tricky, it’s never a given that you are going to win.”

Earlier, Jan-Lennard Struff ended the possibility of a rematch between Federer and his US Open conqueror John Millman by beating the Australian 7-6 (7/3), 6-2. Krajinovic appeared to be on the way to a straight-sets loss in his first meeting with the 20-time Grand Slam winner before the momentum began to turn.

Up a set and a break, the Swiss lost serve in the sixth game of the second set before his opponent managed to square the match with a break in game 10. The top seed went up an early break in the third and broke Krajinovic in an 11-minute

game for a 5-2 lead, only to fail to serve out the match at the first time of asking.

But he clinched victory on his second match point to take his career record at the tournament to 67-9 as he bids to reach a 12th successive final at St. Jakobshalle.

“I’m glad I got through. These are the matches you have to win,” said Federer.

“Things didn’t really flow, but it was a hardfought win. I feel good physically. I have a day off tomorrow so it was no trouble to play three sets. “I’m happy where I am right now.”

The 37-year-old Federer, who revealed earlier this week that he had been struggling with a hand injury since the grass-court season, last lost at the Swiss Indoors in 2013, going down to Juan Martin del Potro.

Seventh seed Daniil Medvedev, a semifinalist last week in Moscow, saw off German Maximilian Marterer 6-3, 7-5.

Russian Medvedev stands at a career-high ranking of 20th, with three titles this season and will next face Andreas Seppi after the Italian defeated Japan’s Taro Daniel 6-0, 6-4. (afp)

Roger Federer

Johannes EISELE / AFP

Griffin half-century as unbeaten Pistons defeat Sixers

LOS ANGELES - Blake Griffin scored a career-high 50 points as the Detroit Pistons extended their unbeaten start to the season with an overtime victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.

Griffin weighed in with a driving layup to tie the score with just under two seconds

left on the clock and drew a foul from Robert Covington before making a free throw to seal a 133-132 victory at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena.

Griffin also weighed in with 14 rebounds and six assists as the Pistons laid down a marker to their Eastern Conference rivals.

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Blake Griffin #23 of the Detroit Pistons shoots the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 23, 2018 at Little Caesars Arena in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Griffin’s career night also included one highlight-reel worthy moment in the second quarter when he soared above Sixers big man Joel Embiid to slam down a monster dunk.

“We just kept fighting,” Griffin said. “We kept taking punches.

“At halftime I said this wasn’t going to be a game where the person who punches the most wins. It’s going to be about the person who can absorb the most punches, and we did that.

“We just believed and kept fighting and finished the game.”

Griffin, who was showered with chants of “M-V-P” throughout, said he had been determined to nail his winning free throw after missing six earlier in the game.

“I’m going to go and ice and then get back to the free throw line to practice,” he said.

Griffin was one of five players to finish with double digit scoring figures, with Reggie Jackson claiming 23 points and Ish Smith adding 21 off the bench.

- Pelicans, Nuggets roll on The victory gave Detroit three wins out of three as they set out on their latest bid to return to the postseason.

The Pistons have not made the playoffs since 2016, when they finished eighth in the Eastern Conference.

Philadelphia’s preparations meanwhile were jolted earlier Tuesday when Australianborn guard Ben Simmons was ruled out with tightness in his lower back.

Sixers coach Brett Brown said the deci-

sion to rest Simmons was precautionary, adding that he hopes to play against Milwaukee on Wednesday.

With Simmons missing, Embiid stepped up to shoulder the offensive burden with 33 points while J.J. Redick added 30. Covington added 16 points, and Dario Saric 14.

Elsewhere Monday, New Orleans and Denver joined Detroit by preserving their unbeaten starts to the season.

Anthony Davis scored 34 points for the Pelicans in a 116-109 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in New Orleans.

Davis pulled down 12 rebounds and contributed two assists as the Pelicans all-round scoring power overwhelmed the Clippers.

Elfrid Payton had 20 points while Julius Randle and Nikola Mirotic added 18 points each to leave the Pelicans at 3-0.

After a hard-fought first half, the Pelicans pulled away with a big third quarter which saw them open up a 91-84 lead heading into the fourth which they held onto until the final buzzer. In Denver meanwhile, the Nuggets improved to 4-0 with a 126-112 blowout over the Sacramento Kings.

Eight Denver players cracked double figures, with point guard Jamal Murray leading the scoring with 19.

Nikola Jokic meanwhile ended the night with 14 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.

Denver were never threatened throughout, stretching into a 112-87 lead midway through the fourth quarter and romping to a victory that leaves them on top of the Western Conference standings. (afp)

8

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Amid a packed schedule Arsenal take a 10-match winning streak to Sporting Lisbon as their quest to win the Europa League continues Thursday, when city rivals Chelsea, possibly without the influential Eden Hazard, host BATE Borisov of Belarus.

After sealing an impressive 10th straight victory at home to Leicester in the Premier League on Monday, Unai Emery’s outfit are the team to watch in Group E. Arsenal and Sporting sit on six points apiece after two games, with Azerbaijan’s Qarabag and fellow strugglers Vorskla of Ukraine still pointless. Sporting are fifth in Portugal’s top flight, four points off the top with former Manchester United star Nani having scored three goals from seven league outings.

If Arsenal needed more reason to believe in their chances of going all the way, they need not look far. As coach of Sevilla in 2013-2016, Emery led the Spaniards to three consecutive Europa League titles.

“We are beginning to play with heart,” Emery said after Monday’s

come-from-behind 3-1 win, in which Mesut Ozil scored and provided an assist in a man-of-the-match performance. “I think we played some sexy football,” said the 30-year-old German.

Sporting, who won 2-1 away to Loures in the Portuguese Cup with Nani and Bruno Fernandes both on target, should be fresher having played on Saturday.

Arsenal played on Monday and Emery, already set to make changes due to a packed schedule, is set to tinker further after both Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac were ruled out. “Yesterday was a very bad day for injuries,” Emery conceded on Tuesday.

- ‘We can go all the way’ -

Having won both their opening Group L matches, 2013 champions Chelsea can take a major step to

the next round with a home win on Thursday, although they may have to do without Hazard.

The Belgian playmaker says he was kicked so much during Chelsea’s 2-2 weekend draw with Manchester United that he will miss the Stamford Bridge game against BATE with a bad back. “When I woke up on Monday I was stiff. Even during the second half I couldn’t accelerate properly,” he said.

With Spanish centre-forward Alvaro Morata struggling on just three goals this season, Hazard’s absence could rob Chelsea of their main attacking threat after a blistering seven-goal start to the Premier League campaign.

Yet Brazilian winger Willian remains upbeat about their chances, claiming the entire club has been given a lift by the arrival of new coach Maurizio Sarri. “The way we are playing this season, we can go all the way,” the in-form winger said of their Europa League campaign.

As Marseille prepare to face Lazio, the French side will be hoping the past

experience of coach Rudi Garcia pays dividends as they bid for their first win of the group stage following a 2-2 draw at Apollon Limassol. He joined them from Roma, where he faced Lazio five times in the capital-city derby and never lost.

“Three wins and two draws in five games, I hope we can get a result like I used to in those Rome derbies,” Garcia told AFP. He added: “I’ll always have a little bit of Roma in my heart so that gives us added inspiration, but what counts here is winning, not punchlines.” (afp) Arsenal’s Gabonese striker PierreEmerick Aubameyang gestures to supporters on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium in London on October 22, 2018. Arsenal won the game 3-1.

Madrid hand Lopetegui respite with nervy win over Plzen It might not be enough to save Julen Lopetegui but Real Madrid’s 2-1 Champions League win over Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday stopped the

GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP

Viktoria Plzen’s Nigerian midfielder Ubong Moses Ekpai (BOTTOM) tackles Real Madrid’s Brazilian defender Marcelo during the UEFA Champions League group G football match between Real Madrid CF and FC Viktoria Plzen at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on October 23, 2018.

rot and restored some belief.

Barcelona are next at Camp Nou and even without the injured Lionel Messi, Madrid are unlikely to find them as generous if handed the sort of golden chances Plzen were presented with at the Santiago Bernabeu.

But after five games without a win, and three defeats in a row, victory was all-important, and Madrid secured it with a goal in each half from Karim Benzema and Marcelo.

It could have been more straightforward and when Patrik Hrosovsky pulled one back for Plzen with 12 minutes left, a nervy finale ensued. When it was over, there were disgruntled whistles from the home fans. “I would have liked to achieve a more comfortable victory but the important thing is the three points,” Lopetegui said. “It can be a turning point.”

Madrid held on to reassert themselves in Group G, where the reigning champions now sit level on six points with Roma.

Whether Lopetegui is still in charge for the return fixture in the Czech Republic next month remains to be seen, although he was confident he would still be in position against Barca.

“I am absolutely convinced of that yes,” he said. Florentino Perez may well have already made up his mind to make a change but there is still the question of timing.

Barcelona would be a cruel opening assignment for a new coach while defeat in a Clasico, perhaps a heavy one, could also kill any potential bounce. Instead, Lopetegui was still on the touchline here, cajoling and clapping as his team created, and missed, more chances. Wincing as

Plzen also squandered theirs.

He left all four of the club’s summer signings on the bench including Alvaro Odriozola, who was replaced at right-back by Lucas Vazquez.

Perhaps it was a coincidence, or perhaps a message to the board.

There was gentle applause when the coach’s name was announced before kick-off and Madrid’s players started like they were trying for him too.

Sergio Ramos headed over and then against the post when twice allowed to run free but if they were eager up front, they were just as nervy at the back. Keylor Navas jabbed a difficult pass straight out of play and then had to make a save, as Milan Petrzela raced in behind Vazquez and was denied on the angle by Navas’ thigh.

After weeks of agonising about scoring, Madrid then made it look easy. Vazquez, more comfortable going forward, chipped a cross to the back post, where the lively Benzema timed his run perfectly and nodded in from a yard.

Benzema and Isco both should have doubled the lead but opted to shoot when a pass would have given a tap-in. Gareth Bale and Toni Kroos each threw their arms up in frustration.

Plzen could have punished them as David Limbersky’s chip floated wide before Petrzela feathered over from two yards with only Navas to beat. It was a dreadful miss and spared the blushes of Marcelo, who had sold himself on the opposite flank.

But Marcelo’s defensive frailties have always come with an attacking benefit and his lifted finish in the 55th minute gave Madrid

the breathing space they craved. Bale’s deft touch had sent him clear in the box. Bale was freed by Benzema but his finish was blocked and Luka Modric’s scooped through ball suggested Madrid were even enjoying themselves, as Bale joined Isco in being substituted.

Plzen, however, had other ideas and after Hrosovsky curved the ball expertly past Navas’ left hand and into the corner, the visitors smelt a point.

They pushed forward and Madrid grew frantic, Nacho having to hook the ball away from Michael Krmencik in the box. Plzen’s fans were cheering louder after fulltime. (afp)

J o s e Mourinho bemoaned the chasm between his Manchester United side and Juventus as the Italian champions won 1-0 on Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Ronaldo did not get on the scoresheet, but played a supporting role by helping set up Paulo Dybala’s winner on 17 minutes as Juventus opened up a five-point lead over United at the top of Group H. Only a series of excellent saves from David de Gea prevented the margin of defeat being far greater for the hosts as any momentum United gained from fightbacks against Newcastle and Chelsea in recent weeks in the Premier League faded away against one of the favourites to win the Champions League.

Jose Mourinho’s men were handed a break before kick-off as Valencia’s 1-1 draw away to Young Boys means United still hold a two-point lead over the Spaniards, but a fourth defeat of the season will see speculation over Mourinho’s future increase once more.

And in keeping with his complaints all season, Mourinho suggested United need to invest more in the transfer market to get to Juventus’ level.

Juventus spent 112 million euros ($129 million) for a 33-yearold Ronaldo in July and also brought Leonardo Bonucci back just a year after selling the Italian international to AC Milan.

“Mr. Bonucci, Mr. (Giorgio) Chiellini, they could go to Harvard to give some classes about how to be a central defender,” said Mourinho, whose attempts to add a centre-back in the summer were thwarted.

“Juventus is champions for seven years in a row, two Champions League finals in the last four or five years and they are not

happy with what they have, they want more. They had (Gonzalo) Higuain, (Mario) Manduzkic and Dybala, but they want more, they want Ronaldo,” he added.

“They go for the best players in the world. A big club with a big past but also a big desire to have a big future.”

- Muted Ronaldo reception -

Ronaldo was given a hero’s welcome on his previous visit to Old Trafford with Real Madrid in 2013 after scoring 118 goals for United in

six seasons between 2003 and 2009 to help the Red Devils win three Premier

League titles and the first of his five Champions Leagues.

The Portuguese’s early days as Juventus player since making the move to Italy from Madrid this summer have been overshadowed by a rape allegation made against him in the United States, which he strongly denies.

And the reception he received from the United faithful this time was far more muted, although he was applauded off the field at the end of the game after taking a selfie with a pitch invader, who was hauled away by security staff.

Ronaldo scored the winner in a contentious Champions League last-16 tie for Madrid five years ago, but this time played the role of provider for Dybala to be the match-winner.

His cross intended for Juan Cuadrado ricocheted

9

kindly off Chris Smalling into the path of Dybala to sweep the ball past De Gea for his fourth goal in two Champions League games.

“The forwards moved a lot and caused their defence a few problems, but we missed the final pass too many times, especially in the second half,” said Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri.

“However I’m satisfied mostly because we are continuing to grow, especially in terms of confidence, and that allowed us to impose our own game in this difficult stadium.”

De Gea made fine saves from Joao Cancelo and Blaise Matuidi before the break, but saved his best stop to prevent Ronaldo scoring his first Champions League goal for Juventus seven minutes into the second-half.

Going behind brought out the best in Mourinho’s side against Newcastle and Chelsea to help ease the pressure on the manager.

But the hosts failed to threaten until Paul Pogba’s curling shot from outside the box hit the post 15 minutes from time. (afp)

8

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Amid a packed schedule Arsenal take a 10-match winning streak to Sporting Lisbon as their quest to win the Europa League continues Thursday, when city rivals Chelsea, possibly without the influential Eden Hazard, host BATE Borisov of Belarus.

After sealing an impressive 10th straight victory at home to Leicester in the Premier League on Monday, Unai Emery’s outfit are the team to watch in Group E. Arsenal and Sporting sit on six points apiece after two games, with Azerbaijan’s Qarabag and fellow strugglers Vorskla of Ukraine still pointless. Sporting are fifth in Portugal’s top flight, four points off the top with former Manchester United star Nani having scored three goals from seven league outings.

If Arsenal needed more reason to believe in their chances of going all the way, they need not look far. As coach of Sevilla in 2013-2016, Emery led the Spaniards to three consecutive Europa League titles.

“We are beginning to play with heart,” Emery said after Monday’s

come-from-behind 3-1 win, in which Mesut Ozil scored and provided an assist in a man-of-the-match performance. “I think we played some sexy football,” said the 30-year-old German.

Sporting, who won 2-1 away to Loures in the Portuguese Cup with Nani and Bruno Fernandes both on target, should be fresher having played on Saturday.

Arsenal played on Monday and Emery, already set to make changes due to a packed schedule, is set to tinker further after both Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac were ruled out. “Yesterday was a very bad day for injuries,” Emery conceded on Tuesday.

- ‘We can go all the way’ -

Having won both their opening Group L matches, 2013 champions Chelsea can take a major step to

the next round with a home win on Thursday, although they may have to do without Hazard.

The Belgian playmaker says he was kicked so much during Chelsea’s 2-2 weekend draw with Manchester United that he will miss the Stamford Bridge game against BATE with a bad back. “When I woke up on Monday I was stiff. Even during the second half I couldn’t accelerate properly,” he said.

With Spanish centre-forward Alvaro Morata struggling on just three goals this season, Hazard’s absence could rob Chelsea of their main attacking threat after a blistering seven-goal start to the Premier League campaign.

Yet Brazilian winger Willian remains upbeat about their chances, claiming the entire club has been given a lift by the arrival of new coach Maurizio Sarri. “The way we are playing this season, we can go all the way,” the in-form winger said of their Europa League campaign.

As Marseille prepare to face Lazio, the French side will be hoping the past

experience of coach Rudi Garcia pays dividends as they bid for their first win of the group stage following a 2-2 draw at Apollon Limassol. He joined them from Roma, where he faced Lazio five times in the capital-city derby and never lost.

“Three wins and two draws in five games, I hope we can get a result like I used to in those Rome derbies,” Garcia told AFP. He added: “I’ll always have a little bit of Roma in my heart so that gives us added inspiration, but what counts here is winning, not punchlines.” (afp) Arsenal’s Gabonese striker PierreEmerick Aubameyang gestures to supporters on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium in London on October 22, 2018. Arsenal won the game 3-1.

Madrid hand Lopetegui respite with nervy win over Plzen It might not be enough to save Julen Lopetegui but Real Madrid’s 2-1 Champions League win over Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday stopped the

GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP

Viktoria Plzen’s Nigerian midfielder Ubong Moses Ekpai (BOTTOM) tackles Real Madrid’s Brazilian defender Marcelo during the UEFA Champions League group G football match between Real Madrid CF and FC Viktoria Plzen at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on October 23, 2018.

rot and restored some belief.

Barcelona are next at Camp Nou and even without the injured Lionel Messi, Madrid are unlikely to find them as generous if handed the sort of golden chances Plzen were presented with at the Santiago Bernabeu.

But after five games without a win, and three defeats in a row, victory was all-important, and Madrid secured it with a goal in each half from Karim Benzema and Marcelo.

It could have been more straightforward and when Patrik Hrosovsky pulled one back for Plzen with 12 minutes left, a nervy finale ensued. When it was over, there were disgruntled whistles from the home fans. “I would have liked to achieve a more comfortable victory but the important thing is the three points,” Lopetegui said. “It can be a turning point.”

Madrid held on to reassert themselves in Group G, where the reigning champions now sit level on six points with Roma.

Whether Lopetegui is still in charge for the return fixture in the Czech Republic next month remains to be seen, although he was confident he would still be in position against Barca.

“I am absolutely convinced of that yes,” he said. Florentino Perez may well have already made up his mind to make a change but there is still the question of timing.

Barcelona would be a cruel opening assignment for a new coach while defeat in a Clasico, perhaps a heavy one, could also kill any potential bounce. Instead, Lopetegui was still on the touchline here, cajoling and clapping as his team created, and missed, more chances. Wincing as

Plzen also squandered theirs.

He left all four of the club’s summer signings on the bench including Alvaro Odriozola, who was replaced at right-back by Lucas Vazquez.

Perhaps it was a coincidence, or perhaps a message to the board.

There was gentle applause when the coach’s name was announced before kick-off and Madrid’s players started like they were trying for him too.

Sergio Ramos headed over and then against the post when twice allowed to run free but if they were eager up front, they were just as nervy at the back. Keylor Navas jabbed a difficult pass straight out of play and then had to make a save, as Milan Petrzela raced in behind Vazquez and was denied on the angle by Navas’ thigh.

After weeks of agonising about scoring, Madrid then made it look easy. Vazquez, more comfortable going forward, chipped a cross to the back post, where the lively Benzema timed his run perfectly and nodded in from a yard.

Benzema and Isco both should have doubled the lead but opted to shoot when a pass would have given a tap-in. Gareth Bale and Toni Kroos each threw their arms up in frustration.

Plzen could have punished them as David Limbersky’s chip floated wide before Petrzela feathered over from two yards with only Navas to beat. It was a dreadful miss and spared the blushes of Marcelo, who had sold himself on the opposite flank.

But Marcelo’s defensive frailties have always come with an attacking benefit and his lifted finish in the 55th minute gave Madrid

the breathing space they craved. Bale’s deft touch had sent him clear in the box. Bale was freed by Benzema but his finish was blocked and Luka Modric’s scooped through ball suggested Madrid were even enjoying themselves, as Bale joined Isco in being substituted.

Plzen, however, had other ideas and after Hrosovsky curved the ball expertly past Navas’ left hand and into the corner, the visitors smelt a point.

They pushed forward and Madrid grew frantic, Nacho having to hook the ball away from Michael Krmencik in the box. Plzen’s fans were cheering louder after fulltime. (afp)

J o s e Mourinho bemoaned the chasm between his Manchester United side and Juventus as the Italian champions won 1-0 on Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Ronaldo did not get on the scoresheet, but played a supporting role by helping set up Paulo Dybala’s winner on 17 minutes as Juventus opened up a five-point lead over United at the top of Group H. Only a series of excellent saves from David de Gea prevented the margin of defeat being far greater for the hosts as any momentum United gained from fightbacks against Newcastle and Chelsea in recent weeks in the Premier League faded away against one of the favourites to win the Champions League.

Jose Mourinho’s men were handed a break before kick-off as Valencia’s 1-1 draw away to Young Boys means United still hold a two-point lead over the Spaniards, but a fourth defeat of the season will see speculation over Mourinho’s future increase once more.

And in keeping with his complaints all season, Mourinho suggested United need to invest more in the transfer market to get to Juventus’ level.

Juventus spent 112 million euros ($129 million) for a 33-yearold Ronaldo in July and also brought Leonardo Bonucci back just a year after selling the Italian international to AC Milan.

“Mr. Bonucci, Mr. (Giorgio) Chiellini, they could go to Harvard to give some classes about how to be a central defender,” said Mourinho, whose attempts to add a centre-back in the summer were thwarted.

“Juventus is champions for seven years in a row, two Champions League finals in the last four or five years and they are not

happy with what they have, they want more. They had (Gonzalo) Higuain, (Mario) Manduzkic and Dybala, but they want more, they want Ronaldo,” he added.

“They go for the best players in the world. A big club with a big past but also a big desire to have a big future.”

- Muted Ronaldo reception -

Ronaldo was given a hero’s welcome on his previous visit to Old Trafford with Real Madrid in 2013 after scoring 118 goals for United in

six seasons between 2003 and 2009 to help the Red Devils win three Premier

League titles and the first of his five Champions Leagues.

The Portuguese’s early days as Juventus player since making the move to Italy from Madrid this summer have been overshadowed by a rape allegation made against him in the United States, which he strongly denies.

And the reception he received from the United faithful this time was far more muted, although he was applauded off the field at the end of the game after taking a selfie with a pitch invader, who was hauled away by security staff.

Ronaldo scored the winner in a contentious Champions League last-16 tie for Madrid five years ago, but this time played the role of provider for Dybala to be the match-winner.

His cross intended for Juan Cuadrado ricocheted

9

kindly off Chris Smalling into the path of Dybala to sweep the ball past De Gea for his fourth goal in two Champions League games.

“The forwards moved a lot and caused their defence a few problems, but we missed the final pass too many times, especially in the second half,” said Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri.

“However I’m satisfied mostly because we are continuing to grow, especially in terms of confidence, and that allowed us to impose our own game in this difficult stadium.”

De Gea made fine saves from Joao Cancelo and Blaise Matuidi before the break, but saved his best stop to prevent Ronaldo scoring his first Champions League goal for Juventus seven minutes into the second-half.

Going behind brought out the best in Mourinho’s side against Newcastle and Chelsea to help ease the pressure on the manager.

But the hosts failed to threaten until Paul Pogba’s curling shot from outside the box hit the post 15 minutes from time. (afp)

10

Destination

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Tohpati Village

KLUNGKUNG - Tohpati Village is just about 12 kilometers from Kuta, and famous for Bali’s Batik Wand Weaving Center. Batik is a traditional form of painting fabric.

They painstakingly use dots and lines from wax to decorate the cloth.

It is very impressive to watch. It would be impossible to visit or live in Indonesia and not be exposed to one of the country’s most highly developed art forms, batik.

Tohpati Village is a batik home industry, you will undoubtedly experience an overwhelming stimulation of the senses – due to the many colors, patterns and the actual smell of batik. Only through repeated visits and a bit of study will the types of designs and their origins become apparent.

Tohpati Village is one of the most famous Bali Places of Interest is where you can watching the entire Batik, making process from the designing, waxing, coloring and drying of the materials. Its very exciting to watch the Balinese paint on a cloth, its not just simple structured paintings but they are very expert. There are a large number of Batik showrooms in this village where one can find the genuine batik and the finest batik cloth known is Ikat weaving, Ikat means to tie or bind, is used as the name for intricately patterned cloth.

It is an ancient art from tribes of Indonesia which has a strong ethnic identification.

History of Batik Evidence of early examples of batik have been found in the Far East, Middle East, Central Asia and India from over 2000 years ago.

It is conceivable that these areas developed independently, without the influence from trade or cultural exchanges. However, it is more likely that the craft spread from Asia to the islands of the Malay Archipelago and west to the Middle

East through the caravan route. Batik was practised in China as early as the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618).

These were silk batiks and these have also been discovered in Nara, Japan in the form of screens and ascribed to the Nara period (AD 710-794). It is probable that these were made by Chinese artists. They are decorated with trees, animals, flute players, hunting scenes and stylised mountains.

No evidence of very old cotton batiks have been found in India but frescoes in the Ajunta caves depict head wraps and garments which could well have been batiks. In Java and Bali temple ruins contain figures whose garments are patterned in a manner suggestive of batik. By 1677 there is evidence of a considerable export trade, mostly on silk from China to Java, Sumatra, Persia and Hindustan. In Egypt linen and occasionally woollen fabrics have been excavated bearing white patterns on a blue ground and are the oldest known and date from the 5th century A.D. They were made in Egypt, possibly Syria. In central Africa resist dyeing using cassava and rice paste has existed for centuries in the Yoruba tribe of Southern Nigeria and Senegal.

Indonesia, most particularly the island of Java, is the area where batik has reached the greatest peak of accomplishment. The Dutch brought Indonesian craftsmen to teach the craft to Dutch warders in several factories in Holland from 1835. The Swiss produced imitation batik in the early 1940s.

A wax block form of printing was developed in Java using a cap.

By the early 1900s the Germans had developed mass production of batiks. There are many examples of this form of batik as well as handproduced work in many parts of the world today. Computerisation of batik techniques is a very recent development. (IBP/net)

International

Thursday, October 25, 2018

International

Federer digs deep to reach Basel second round

BASEL - Roger Federer had to fight hard to hold off Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic on Tuesday, edging to a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 win to reach the second round of the Swiss Indoors.

The eight-time champion flirted with his earliest exit in Basel since his 1998 debut as a teenager, but came out on top in a nervy deciding set. “I was up 6-2, 3-1, it could have ended very quickly,” Federer said. “But I made life more difficult.

“I didn’t have the best serving stats, maybe that caught up to me.

“But these are different balls, more altitude than in Shanghai, it’s about getting used to it.

“And first rounds are always tricky, it’s never a given that you are going to win.”

Earlier, Jan-Lennard Struff ended the possibility of a rematch between Federer and his US Open conqueror John Millman by beating the Australian 7-6 (7/3), 6-2. Krajinovic appeared to be on the way to a straight-sets loss in his first meeting with the 20-time Grand Slam winner before the momentum began to turn.

Up a set and a break, the Swiss lost serve in the sixth game of the second set before his opponent managed to square the match with a break in game 10. The top seed went up an early break in the third and broke Krajinovic in an 11-minute

game for a 5-2 lead, only to fail to serve out the match at the first time of asking.

But he clinched victory on his second match point to take his career record at the tournament to 67-9 as he bids to reach a 12th successive final at St. Jakobshalle.

“I’m glad I got through. These are the matches you have to win,” said Federer.

“Things didn’t really flow, but it was a hardfought win. I feel good physically. I have a day off tomorrow so it was no trouble to play three sets. “I’m happy where I am right now.”

The 37-year-old Federer, who revealed earlier this week that he had been struggling with a hand injury since the grass-court season, last lost at the Swiss Indoors in 2013, going down to Juan Martin del Potro.

Seventh seed Daniil Medvedev, a semifinalist last week in Moscow, saw off German Maximilian Marterer 6-3, 7-5.

Russian Medvedev stands at a career-high ranking of 20th, with three titles this season and will next face Andreas Seppi after the Italian defeated Japan’s Taro Daniel 6-0, 6-4. (afp)

Roger Federer

Johannes EISELE / AFP

Griffin half-century as unbeaten Pistons defeat Sixers

LOS ANGELES - Blake Griffin scored a career-high 50 points as the Detroit Pistons extended their unbeaten start to the season with an overtime victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.

Griffin weighed in with a driving layup to tie the score with just under two seconds

left on the clock and drew a foul from Robert Covington before making a free throw to seal a 133-132 victory at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena.

Griffin also weighed in with 14 rebounds and six assists as the Pistons laid down a marker to their Eastern Conference rivals.

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Blake Griffin #23 of the Detroit Pistons shoots the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 23, 2018 at Little Caesars Arena in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Griffin’s career night also included one highlight-reel worthy moment in the second quarter when he soared above Sixers big man Joel Embiid to slam down a monster dunk.

“We just kept fighting,” Griffin said. “We kept taking punches.

“At halftime I said this wasn’t going to be a game where the person who punches the most wins. It’s going to be about the person who can absorb the most punches, and we did that.

“We just believed and kept fighting and finished the game.”

Griffin, who was showered with chants of “M-V-P” throughout, said he had been determined to nail his winning free throw after missing six earlier in the game.

“I’m going to go and ice and then get back to the free throw line to practice,” he said.

Griffin was one of five players to finish with double digit scoring figures, with Reggie Jackson claiming 23 points and Ish Smith adding 21 off the bench.

- Pelicans, Nuggets roll on The victory gave Detroit three wins out of three as they set out on their latest bid to return to the postseason.

The Pistons have not made the playoffs since 2016, when they finished eighth in the Eastern Conference.

Philadelphia’s preparations meanwhile were jolted earlier Tuesday when Australianborn guard Ben Simmons was ruled out with tightness in his lower back.

Sixers coach Brett Brown said the deci-

sion to rest Simmons was precautionary, adding that he hopes to play against Milwaukee on Wednesday.

With Simmons missing, Embiid stepped up to shoulder the offensive burden with 33 points while J.J. Redick added 30. Covington added 16 points, and Dario Saric 14.

Elsewhere Monday, New Orleans and Denver joined Detroit by preserving their unbeaten starts to the season.

Anthony Davis scored 34 points for the Pelicans in a 116-109 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in New Orleans.

Davis pulled down 12 rebounds and contributed two assists as the Pelicans all-round scoring power overwhelmed the Clippers.

Elfrid Payton had 20 points while Julius Randle and Nikola Mirotic added 18 points each to leave the Pelicans at 3-0.

After a hard-fought first half, the Pelicans pulled away with a big third quarter which saw them open up a 91-84 lead heading into the fourth which they held onto until the final buzzer. In Denver meanwhile, the Nuggets improved to 4-0 with a 126-112 blowout over the Sacramento Kings.

Eight Denver players cracked double figures, with point guard Jamal Murray leading the scoring with 19.

Nikola Jokic meanwhile ended the night with 14 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.

Denver were never threatened throughout, stretching into a 112-87 lead midway through the fourth quarter and romping to a victory that leaves them on top of the Western Conference standings. (afp)

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Thursday, October 25, 2018

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International

RLD

‘Holy plant’: Cannabis legalisation delights South African users For Siphelele Luthuli, 47, who was diagnosed with asthma in 2010, the court ruling has been a saving grace after years of secretly buying cannabis from a merchant in a dangerous part of Durban, on South Africa’s southeastern coast.

“Obviously it was illegal so I had my secret merchant,” she said.

“For me it’s really liberating to be able to have access to it.”

- ‘Holy plant from ancestors’ -

Luthuli, a tourism entrepreneur, turned to cannabis in her quest for a natural alternative to a heavy cocktail of steroids, which she said caused water retention and subsequent weight gain.

In 2014, her doctor did not object when she suggested trying home-brewed cannabis tea -- at a fraction of the cost of the Western treatment.

“I would boil it and Google a recipe, even though with my measurements it wasn’t that accurate.

But I found solace in knowing that you can never overdose on weed because it’s natural,” Luthuli said.

After taking the cannabis tea for

almost a year she went back for a check-up and was declared asthmafree, she said.

Dagga is sometimes seen as a gateway drug to harder substances.

But Sipho Ntanzi, 23, a goat shearer, has steadfastly used it as a basic painkiller for years.

The powers of cannabis have been an open secret in his family for generations.

“When I was growing up, my uncle used to brew cannabis tea for himself at home and there was no problem or stigma attached to it,” he said, adding: “No one had a problem with it unless you smoked it -- then you would get into trouble.”

As an adult, he started taking a cupful of the tea daily in the morning and evening.

“After drinking it I feel stronger and my system is refreshed,” Ntanzi told AFP while sipping the tea at the sangoma’s offices.

Criticising Western medicine for despising traditional herbal remedies such as cannabis, Ntanzi said he takes a dose whenever he feels “a bit sick -- to stop illness in its tracks”. (afp)

Geoff Robins / AFP

A woman smokes a marijuana cigarette during a legalization party at Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto, Ontario, October 17, 2018. Nearly a century of marijuana prohibition came to an end Wednesday as Canada became the first major Western nation to legalize and regulate its sale and recreational use.

Thursday, October 25, 2018

11

Indonesia disaster ‘punishment for gay activities’: Malaysia politician

JOHANNESBURG - A bucket containing a soupy green mixture sits under a table in Nduna Ewrong-Nxumalo’s consultation room in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa’s economic hub.

The traditional healer, or sangoma, has trusted and prescribed the pungent mixture -- cannabis tea -- to his patients for years.

“We were given this holy plant by the ancestors,” Ewrong-Nxumalo told AFP, scooping out a cupful.

“Healers who came before us and trained us showed us how to restore people’s health with it,” said the healer, wearing a leopard-skin vest and khaki trousers.

“It is a plant to be respected and protected, and I’m happy the law is finally doing that.”

Last month, South Africa’s top court decriminalised the private and personal use of cannabis in a landmark case that pitted law enforcement agencies against advocates of the plant, known in the country as dagga.

The Constitutional Court ruling changed attitudes overnight while bringing interim legal relief to those who use cannabis for medicinal purposes by decriminalising the possession and cultivation of dagga for private use.

Parliament has 24 months to iron out legislative details such as permitted quantities.

International

XAVIER BOURGOIS / AFP

A file photo taken on September 10, 2011 shows an areal view of Nkok, a special economic site dedicated to the transformation of wood, some 30 km from Libreville.

Saving the precious wood of Gabon’s forests from illegal logging

OYEM - In Gabon the majestic kevazingo tree, its tropical hardwood highly valued in Asia for upmarket furniture, is also held to be sacred by generations of forest dwellers in equatorial Africa.

Chopping down the kevazingo tree, which can grow to more than 500 years old, has been outlawed in Gabon since March, but that hasn’t eased environmental fears.

A loophole in the law allows the sale of the prized wood if felled trees were abandoned or seized from illegal loggers which environmentalists say only encourages further exploitation.

The ban on felling the trees is intended to “limit trafficking in this wood”, explains Simplice Nteme, the national director general of waterways and forests, which cover 85 percent of the west African country.

But for Martial, a 54-year-old resident of Oyem, capital of the northern Woleu-Ntem region, little has changed.

“They tell us that kevazingo is no longer cut, but we see lorries loaded with kevazingo logs leaving the forest to go to the capital Libreville,” he told AFP. The government insists it is taking away kevazingo that is considered “abandoned” after lying on the ground for six months after being chopped down.

“Who can cut down a kevazingo tree and then just leave it there?” asks Marc Ona, president of the Gabonese environmental NGO Brainforest.

“We’ve noticed in long years of work that some companies or even villagers, sometimes with other accomplices, chop wood illegally, then recover it six months later as abandoned wood,” adds Luc Mathot, president of Conservation Justice, a

group combatting wood trafficking and poaching in Gabon.

“So this is a way of laundering illegal wood,” he claims.

- Villagers blockade -

The heavy, dense kevazingo wood ranges in colour from pinkish red to ruddy brown. Chopping down an ancient giant is a major enterprise, from clearing the surrounding area to digging a ramp to hold the trunk when it falls.

More than 150 forestry firms have been welcomed to Gabon, where the industry accounts for about five percent of the gross domestic product.

Since 2014, timber companies have been legally obliged to give money to village committees to help pay for such services as schools and clinics.

In practice, locals may well end up mounting roadblocks to remind some loggers of this responsibility.

“It’s unfortunate, but we are often forced to put up a show of strength in order to be heard,” says Herve Allogo, a villager from Essong Medzome, near Oyem, manning a barricade of logs.

Timber firms tend to lay the blame for shortfalls in community support on internal constraints or outside factors, and also claim villagers lack information.

“Administration is slow, because projects must be approved at several levels,” says Sylvain Ibouanga Mbouma, a director of Compagnie Dan Gabon, a Chinese firm active in the north.

The state is keen to promote the wood processing industry inside Gabon, rather than export raw timber for value-added treatment elsewhere. (afp)

Malaysia’s opposition leader said Tuesday a quake-tsunami that killed thousands in neighbouring Indonesia was “punishment from Allah” for the activities of gay people, sparking a storm of criticism.

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who heads a party which lost power in Muslim-majority Malaysia at historic elections in May, made the remarks in parliament as he warned about the growing influence of the country’s gay community.

It was the latest sign of a backlash against homosexuals in Malaysia. In recent months officials -- including the prime minister -have spoken out against gay rights and two lesbians were caned for breaking Islamic laws that forbid same-sex relations.

Ahmad Zahid, a former deputy former premier who is now facing jail after being arrested for corruption, said that “in Palu, where there was recently an earthquake and tsunami, it was said that there were more than 1,000 (people) involved in such (LGBT) activities. “As a result, the whole area was crushed.

This is punishment from Allah.”

The 7.5-magnitude quake and

subsequent tsunami smashed into the coastal city of Palu, on Sulawesi island, on September 28.

More than 2,000 bodies have since been recovered and there are fears that 5,000 more could be buried beneath the ruins in several hit-hard neighbourhoods.

Ahmad Zahid’s remarks sparked widespread criticism, and he was accused of making populist comments to save his own skin.

Pang Khee Teik, a leading gay rights activist, told AFP that the comments were “proof that every time a politician is in trouble, LGBT people get blamed.

“Next time you hear a politician say that LGBT people are causing natural disaster, please remember that it’s because his career is about to be swallowed up by the earth.”

There was a flood of anger on social media, with one Facebook user slamming Ahmad Zahid for his “stupid and irresponsible statement”.

Last week the 65-year-old was hit with 45 charges in a $26 million corruption case. He is accused of crimes that include accepting bribes to award government contracts and money-laundering. (afp)

Polemic on rice data must be resolved: observer

IBP/net

JAKARTA - Al-Azhar University Criminal Law Observer Suparji Ahmad has recommended that the debate about the differences in data about rice should be resolved. “The State Audit Board (BPK) must dare to audit it thoroughly. The difference in data is too great, and this concerns the lives of many people,” Suparji said.

ADEK BERRY / AFP

A model presents a creation by Indonesian designer Anne Avantie during the 2019 Jakarta Fashion Week in Jakarta on October 23, 2018. The 2019 Jakarta Fashion Week is held from October 20 to 26.

According to Suparji, BPK audit results can be used by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) as preliminary data if there are indications of fraud.

“The BPK and the KPK must coordinate with each other, moreover it has been seen from the beginning that there are differences in data, so it should be investigated more quickly,” he said.

The gap in data about rice was revealed after BPS released the 2018 rice production surplus, which only reached 2.8 million tons, far below the Ministry of

Agriculture`s data or calculations.

Based on the Ministry of Agriculture`s official website, this year`s rice surplus was to be 13.03 million tons.

The calculation is made in 2018 based upon the unhulled rice production of 80 million tons, or 46.5 million tons of rice equivalent, while the total national rice consumption is only 33.47 million tons.

A similar view was made by Jakarta State University`s (UNJ`s) political observer Ubedillah Badrun. He called the data mismatch

reasonable, as will be seen if investigated.

All survey institutions of the government, according to Ubedillah, should coordinate with each other, not only on the matter of conducting the survey, but also on the proper methodology that can be used academically.

He explained that there are two possibilities if an agency has different data. The first is that there is a methodological error. The second possibility is that there is something triggered by certain interests behind the figure. (ant)

12

International

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Bali News

International

BUSINESS

5

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Zimbabwe opposition leader seeks dialogue on economic crisis

HARARE - Zimbabwe’s opposition leader on Tuesday called for the creation of a “national transitional authority” to deal with a worsening economic crisis amid shortages of basic items such as drugs and fuel.

Nelson Chamisa, who narrowly lost July’s election, accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government of excessive borrowing and lacking ideas to solve Zimbabwe’s biggest crisis in a decade.

Chamisa also plans to go ahead with a rally on Saturday that party officials have indicated could include a mock “inauguration” in protest of the disputed vote.

A ruling ZANU-PF party official, Paul Mangwana, said dialogue with the opposition can only commence if Chamisa accepts Mnangagwa’s victory.

A fragile national unity government in 2009 helped pull the country out of economic crisis when hyperinflation reached 500 billion percent, according to the International Monetary Fund.

When asked what a “national transitional authority” would entail, Chamisa said it should be a “bottom-up” approach to involve citizens, churches and other stakeholders and that discussions would determine the nature of the government.

He said the ruling party and opposition had discussed the arrangement after former leader

Robert Mugabe was forced out in November but “they reneged on that promise and chose the path of elections instead of a transitional authority.”

After Mugabe’s departure many in Zimbabwe had hoped the country would emerge from turmoil and return to prosperity. But that has turned into despair as public hospitals run out of drugs and private pharmacies, like many other businesses, close down while supermarkets ration items such as bottled water and beer.

Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube on Tuesday said the government has suspended import controls on items ranging from cooking oil to bottled water to baked beans and shoe polish. Previously, only those with special licenses were allowed to import the items.

The government in recent days has cracked down on street currency dealers, while some senior officials from the reserve bank were suspended Monday after a ruling party activist accused them of corruption.

The activist, appointed last week to head a special communications task force for the ministry, was fired on Tuesday after he promised more

Mosaic Pottery of Yangapi Village Enters Foreign Market

IBP/kmb

Jekesai NJIKIZANA / AFP

Zimbabwe main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Alliance gestures during a press conference on Zimbabwe’s economic crisis on October 23, 2018 at his party headquarters in Harare. disclosures.

The president in a weekly column in a state-run newspaper accused “an intricate network of

currency speculators mostly in high places and in places of trust” of manipulating black-market foreign currency rates, resulting in

a spike in prices of goods that are still available. With industry in near collapse, Zimbabwe imports most items. (ap)

Italy stands firm against EU in budget dispute

MILAN - Italy on Monday refused to back down on its plans to ramp up public spending, keeping alive a dispute with the European Union, which is worried the budget would increase the country’s high debts. Premier Giuseppe Conte defended the budget in a news conference in Rome following the noon deadline for Italy to submit its response to the EU’s rebuke of the draft budget.

“If today, confronted by the EU letter, I would say that we made a mistake and we re-write the maneuver, that would mean admitting that we made the wrong maneuver,” Conte said. “That is not the case.”

The plan increases the deficit to 2.4 percent of GDP next year, three times more than initially targeted

by the previous government. The EU complains that the plan means Italy will not lower its public debt as promised. At over 130 percent of GDP, debt is more than twice the EU limit and economists worry it is a risk to the region’s financial markets.

In the letter to the European Commission, Economic Minister Giovanni Tria said Italy would adjust the plan if it does not deliver the expected dividends, but that the spending boost and reform course were necessary due to “particularly unsatisfactory macroeconomic and social conditions a decade after the beginning of the crisis.”

The letter said that the budget plan “does not pose any risks to the financial stability of Italy, or the other European Union countries.”

Conte the budget was “well-conceived,” and that it would promote economic growth.

He noted that the 2.4 percent deficit level was a ceiling and held out the possibility that it would not reach that level in 2019. He also repeated that it would be brought lower in the following two years.

Investors and financial experts are skeptical. Even before knowing whether Italy would back down from its proposed deficit increase, credit ratings agency Moody’s downgraded Italy by one notch to just one level above junk status. It gave Italy a stable outlook, meaning it is not currently considering another downgrade.

Conte said that underlined that the Italian economy’s “fundamen-

tals are good.”

Italy’s plans have widely been criticized by EU leaders as being out of line with the bloc’s spending constraints. The EU Commission handed Italy a stinging letter last week warning that the higher deficit targets represented a deviation “unprecedented in the history” of EU budget rules.

Margaritis Schinas, the European Commission spokesman, said Monday that Italy’s response “has just arrived” and added that on Tuesday “the Commission will discuss the procedure and will determine” its next steps.

Conte was critical in his remarks of EU officials, whom he said spoke out of turn by slamming the budget draft and Italy’s response

before receiving either. He also said that citing treaties alone would not persuade Europeans who are disillusioned with current policies.

“Today we are living years in which Europe is languishing,” he said. He added that blaming populists or nationalists misses the opportunity to “assume the burden of evaluating what are the causes and see how to relaunch Europe.”

He also emphasized that Italy had no intentions of exiting either the European Union or the 19country euro currency, recalling a famous phrase used by U.S. President George H.W. Bush.

“Read my lips. For Italy, there is no chance, no way, to get Italexit.

There is no way to get out of Europe and the eurozone.” (ap)

Various handicraft products produced by local craftsmen of Bangli have been able to penetrate foreign market. One of them is the mosaic pottery made by Nengah Kita, a craftsman from Kalanganyar hamlet, Yangapi, Tembuku.

Wayan Locong, the brother of Nengah Kita, having got involved in the same business all this time, said that his handicraft products in-

clude jars, candle holder, fruit plate and other wall decorations. In addition to being sold in local markets, the products are widely shipped to

Europe, Spain and Argentina.

To make mosaic pottery, he purchases raw materials from outside Bangli such as pottery from Lombok, while glass is brought in from Gianyar. The process of making mosaic pottery begins from sanding the pottery until getting smooth. Further, it is painted and drawn according to the

Tatag, a Unique Tourism Village worth Exploring

Birdsongs greet the tranquil natural countryside where birds perch on green branches and fly away exalting in their freedom.

Below ducks play in the rice field and have become so familiar with farmers that they causal look for food in the watery paddy fields, undisturbed by those who walk near them. Such is the atmosphere of countryside Tatag Hamlet, Kukuh Village, Marga Subdistrict, Tabanan. The hamlet, located about 18 km north of Denpasar is indeed still natural and unique. It is situated far from the hustles and bustles of the city and offers verdant views of rice fields in all directions.

Similarly, the hamlet preserves some large trees that provide the shade for all souls who pass under

them. At each end of the hamlet, there are springs used for public drinking, bathing and washing.

Traditional cultural activities are also maintained. The local community still makes a variety of cakes like jaja begina, rice cones, used in oblation and for other ceremonial purposes. The people of this village engage in artistic activities such as drawing, dancing and playing Balinese traditional gamelan. The local villagers also routinely raise pigs and cattle. “These activities are attractive to foreign tourists” said Kukuh Headman, I Ketut Budiarta.

Indeed, the hamlet inhabited by a population of 389 people is often used for trekking by tourists. Aside from the beautiful natural surroundings of this village, meten -tradition-

al ancient Balinese houses can also be found here. There are also jineng (rice granary), Balinese pavilions and classical style entrance gates.

Tatatg is also strategically located very close to the tourist destination of Alas Kedaton. “Many of our people still cook in traditional manner” added the headman of Kukuh. .

“Every week, there are tourists who strolle through the village –mostly form Europe. Other tourists ride bicycles to enjoy the special areas of this village. Apart from foreigners, there are also entrepreneurs from Denpasar and Tabanan interested in experiencing the unique adventure” said I Ketut Jana, Hamlet Chief of Tagtag, while escorting Bali Travel News to have look around the village. (kmb)

desired design. After that, the pottery is fitted with pieces of clear glass having already been colored.

Helped by 13 workers, in a day he can produce dozens of pieces.

Just like any other craft businesses, there are always obstacles faced by craftsmen. He added that in producing mosaic pottery, the constraint

is the weather. If it rains continuously, the supply of pottery from Lombok is often too late. The price of mosaic pottery varies depending on the size. For a set of three stuffing jars is sold for IDR 100,000 to IDR 500,000. In the meantime, a candlestick is sold starting from IDR 20,000. (kmb)

4

Bali News

Thursday, October 25, 2018

International

Striking color paints vulnerable to contain lead

Most children threatened to get exposure

DENPASAR - Toys, benches and tables for early childhood education (PAUD) or kindergarten students are often painted in striking colors. Behind the beauty and the cheerful impression featured, the striking colors in fact retain hazards. Particularly, it happens because of the lead (Pb) content in enamel paint or wood and iron paint used for coloring. Meanwhile, wall paint does not contain lead.

The Bali Focus Foundation came down to two kindergartens in Denpasar on Tuesday (Oct. 23) to check the lead content on student toys. As a result, all toys like slides and swings painted in red, yellow, orange, and pink contain lead above 90 ppm.

“In fact, there is an orange color containing 728 ppm. It means to almost reach 8 times of the standard specified,” said researcher at Bali Focus, Sonia Buftheim, who examined the content of lead by using X-Ray fluorescence.

According to Sonia, the dust or peeled off paint can be inhaled by children when playing. She said it becomes hazardous because half of their time at school is spent for playing with these toys. On the other hand, the lead also has a sweet taste.

“Small children belonging to 0 to 5 years old have the possibility or habit of inserting hands into their mouth. Well, such a habit is ultimately hazardous because lead tastes sweet,” she explained.

Sonia added the hazards, among others, can reduce IQ, cause neurological diseases and autism. She said there are many studies claiming if the main source of autism is heavy metal. Meanwhile, the body immunity of children aged 0-5 years stays not fully developed.

On that account, they are more susceptible to disease, including

exposure to lead.

“Lead easily enters into the body of children because lead can replace calcium function. The ion charge is 2+. Very frequently, the body thinks of calcium, whereas it is actually lead substance,” she added.

In addition to paint, continued Sonia, lead is also contained in gasoline, cosmetics such as mascara and lipstick, and batteries.

Especially regarding lead in batteries, there have been studies on the processing of used batteries that can indeed cause neurological diseases, decrease of IQ, and autism.

Principal of one of the kindergartens in Denpasar, Komang Sari, claimed to have deliberately chosen bright colors for student toys at school. However, she did not know if the paint for wood and iron used at the kindergarten she leads in fact contains lead.

“If it should be indeed replaced, we will replace it for the sake of our children. “I have had the opportunity to ask what brand of paint we should use,” she said.

Meanwhile, continued Sari, children will be more watched while playing. In addition, they will also be invited to wash their hands frequently after playing. On the other hand, the government is expected to participate in checking the paint content to all schools, especially kindergartens / early childhood

IBP/kmb41

The Yeh Malet Beach tourist object at Antiga village, Manggis.

Thursday, October 25, 2018

International

13

Decades of war shatter Afghanistan’s glassblowing craft

HERAT - Hunched and shrivelled, Afghan glassblower Ghulam Sakhi deftly blows and twirls molten glass into delicate blue and green goblets and vases -- a craft passed down for generations but now at risk of dying out.

IBP/kmb32

The Bali Focus Foundation came down to two kindergartens in Denpasar on Tuesday (Oct. 23) to check the lead content on student toys. education as the Bali Focus does.

Senior Advisor of Bali Focus, Yuyun Ismawati, stated that October 21-27, 2018 is International Action Week on Lead Poisoning Prevention. Non-governmental organizations in 30 countries in coordination with the Global Alliance for the Elimination of Lead in Paint urge the government to adopt the laws or regulations to protect children’s health. Bali Focus has conducted research to 121 decorative enamel cans from 63 brands during the period of 2014-2015 purchased from 5 cities in Indonesia. Lead levels in the paint samples were analyzed in accredited laboratories in Europe.

“About 25 percent of paint brands or 15 of the 63 brands ana-

lyzed contain lead below 90 ppm, a safe number that can be achieved as recommended by the WHO and UNEP (voluntary partnerships coordinated by the United Nations Environment Program—Ed),” she said.

According to Yuyun, the paints examined in 2014-2015 mostly contained lead of greater than 600 ppm. Meanwhile, the Indonesian government has set a voluntary standard for 600 ppm lead content for organic solvent-based paint as outlined in the National Standard of Indonesia or SNI 8011: 2014. It means there are still many paints that do not comply with the voluntary new standards in Indonesia.

The highest and most dangerous lead concentration reaches 102,000

ppm found in bright colors such as yellow, orange, red, and green.

These colors are widely used in kindergartens, PAUD facilities, and child care centers. On that account, the government must be present to protect the future of 48 million Indonesian children aged 0-9 years that are at high risk of being exposed to lead.

“Although considered as a source of low risk exposure, in a long period of exposure at an early age will have a permanent impact especially in children’s brain development. Voluntary standards cannot be relied upon. There is an urgent need to prohibit the production, sales and use of lead paint as well as the enforcement of regulations,” she explained. (kmb32)

Sakhi is one of the last makers of Herati glassware in the eponymous western city where the oncethriving industry has been shattered by decades of war, poverty, and cheap imports.

The brick and corrugated iron workshop where Sakhi toils only operates a few days a month owing to the lack of demand for the distinctive coloured glassware that is more expensive than Chinese-made products.

“People don’t value art,” says Sakhi, who is in his mid-40s but looks much older. He began working with his glassblower father when he was seven.

Sakhi sits on a low stool next to a wood-fired clay oven, occasionally wiping away sweat as the temperature inside the workshop soars above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

His eldest son Habibullah works alongside him, scraping shards of glass -- mixed with copper or iron powder to create a blue or green tint -- into a bubbling pot of molten liquid inside the furnace.

Sakhi sticks an iron blowpipe into the fiery mixture, gently spinning it like a honey twirler. After extracting the rod, he swings, blows and rolls the molten glass into shape before firing it in a

kiln.

The tools and techniques used

by Sakhi have barely changed in generations, although instead of making glass from quartz, glassblowers now recycle bottles and broken windows, which are “easier to find”.

“It’s not going to last another generation,” says Sakhi, whose family have been making Herati glass for “200 or 300 years”.

- ‘Already finished’ Decades of war have driven away foreign tourists who used to be drawn to Herat, a city steeped in history as a trading hub on the ancient Silk Road and the 15th century capital of the Timurid empire.

Most Afghans also prefer cheaper Chinese-made imports over hand-made glassware that breaks easily, says Sakhi.

“They think when they buy imports from China they are going to be better quality,” he explains.

The only hints of modernity in the smoky workshop are Sakhi’s blue Nokia mobile phone lying next to him and an electric fan whirring furiously in the searing heat.

Sultan Ahmad Hamidi, the white bearded owner of the workshop who spends his days lolling on

IDR 2.2 billion allocated for Yeh Malet Beach arrangement

AMLAPURA - In order to support the tourism in Karangasem, the district government in this case the Tourism Office, continues to arrange the existing infrastructure in tourist attractions. One of them is the Yeh Malet Beach tourist object at Antiga village, Manggis, precisely on the border of Karangasem and Klungkung. For the arrangement, the district government allocated a budget of IDR.2.2 billion in the main regional budget plan 2018.

Head of the Karangasem Tourism Office, I Wayan Astika, explained the arrangement is carried out from the end of October 2018. Astika added the funds disbursed to make the arrangement amounts to IDR 2.2 billion. It sources from the main

regional budget plan 2018 coming to IDR 2.2 billion. “This year, the object must be arranged and now it stays on progress. The winner of tender has been announced while the arrangements are carried out at the end of October to December 24. So, we are sure the process can be completed on time,” he said not long ago.

Astika added the arrangement includes the repair of merchant stalls, construction of gazebos, walkways, and signboard of ‘Welcome to Karangasem’ around Yeh Malet. Clearly, the arrangement of Yeh Malet Beach is done to beautify the tourist attraction. Thus, the black sandy beach looks nice, and neat. Hopefully, this arrangement will increase the tourist visit in the

area. “The regulation already exists. So, we just need to disseminate to local community,” he added.

He further stated that residents and merchants at Yeh Malet really hope the arrangement will be carried out immediately. By that way, the economic rotation around tourist area will increase like other tourist objects. Currently, merchants only rely on passing traffic.

“Foreign or domestic tourist visit to Yeh Malet Beach remains quiet.

Visitors dropping by are estimated to reach around 1-20 people every day. Moreover, they are domestic tourists traveling to Denpasar. By and large, they stop to unwind at Yeh Malet,” explained Astika. (kmb41)

FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh on October 23, 2018.

HOSHANG HASHIMI / AFP

In this photo taken on August 2, 2018, Afghan man glassblower Ghulam Sakhi, mid-40s, crafts a glass object at his traditional glassblowing workshop in Herat province. a sofa in his store selling Herati glassware, trinkets and handicrafts, despairs for the future of his business.

“Thirty to 40 years ago people were lining up to buy glass here -- as many as 100 tourists a day,” says Hamidi, 78.

His store, which is across a busy street from the city’s main

mosque, is crammed with Herati glass goblets, vases and bowls that are gathering dust.

With prices starting around $6, it takes a month to sell 100 pieces, he complains.

As the craft declines, survival becomes a growing challenge for Sahki and his family.

Habibullah supplements their

meagre income from glassblowing by ferrying passengers around the city in a three-wheeled motorbike taxi.

But without government support or tourism, Sakhi fears he could be the last of Herat’s glassblowers.

“I’m very sad,” he says. “If it stays like this it’s already finished.” (afp)

RIYADH - Saudi Arabia’s crown prince is scheduled to address an investment forum in Riyadh Wednesday, his first public speech since the murder of critic Jamal Khashoggi plunged the kingdom into crisis.

Organisers of the glitzy flagship Future Investment Initiative listed Prince Mohammed bin Salman among the “top speakers” for the second day of the three-day conference, after he made a brief appearance on Tuesday.

The crown prince is likely to appear on a panel alongside Lebanon’s prime minister-designate Saad Hariri, whose resignation in a televised address from the Saudi capital in mysterious circumstances last year sparked rumours he was being held against his will.

The conference, nicknamed

“Davos in the desert”, has been overshadowed by the outcry over the murder of Khashoggi inside the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2, with a array of big names pulling out over the case.

The reform credentials of Prince Mohammed, the king’s powerful son, have been tarnished by the scandal despite repeated denials he had any involvement in the killing of the Washington Post contributor. Saudi organisers of the conference have sought to portray it as business as usual, announcing 12 “mega deals” worth more than $50 billion in oil, gas, infrastructure and other sectors on the opening day of the forum.

Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih acknowledged, however, that the kingdom was in crisis following the “abhorrent” murder of Khashoggi.

Saudi Arabia initially claimed Khashoggi left freely after visiting the consulate but, as international pressure mounted, the kingdom said he died inside the mission when an argument degenerated into a fistfight. It later acknowledged that he had in fact been murdered, as Turkish officials said all along.

The changing narrative has triggered deep scepticism abroad.

The United States said Tuesday it was revoking the visas of Saudis implicated in the murder, as President Donald Trump ridiculed the kingdom’s response as “one of the worst cover-ups” in history.

The move came as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a keenly anticipated speech on Tuesday that Khashoggi’s killing inside the consulate had been meticulously planned. (afp)

Saudi crown prince to make first speech since Khashoggi murder

14

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Health

International

Taking pills to prevent HIV stops its spread groups working to help improve health literacy, and a network of free, publicly funded and private sexual health services serving men who have sex with men.”

Over the year, just two of the men who were given PrEP caught HIV, and neither of them had taken the pills they were given as suggested, the researchers reported.

Gilead’s two-drug pill Truvada has been approved for use as a PrEP drug.

Many governments and non-profit groups are trying to make PrEP more widely available to people at high risk of HIV, but their success is hit and miss. In the U.S., for example, researchers have estimated that 1.1 million people should be taking PrEP. But a CDC study out Thursday showed that only 78,000 Americans are actually taking it.

“Approximately 7 percent of the estimated 1.1 million persons who had indications for PrEP were prescribed PrEP in 2016, including 2.1 percent of women with PrEP indications,” the CDC reported.

Minorities are also missing out.

“Although black men and women accounted for approximately 40 percent of persons with PrEP indications, this study found that nearly six times as many white men and women were prescribed PrEP as were black men and women,” the CDC team reported.

“One of our most powerful tools for HIV prevention remains largely on pharmacy shelves,” Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, said in a statement.

All governments with populations at risk of HIV should be using PrEP, said Sheena McCormack, of Britain’s Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit, who was not involved in the study.

“New South Wales has shown how effective the combined efforts of government leadership, civil society, and a state-wide sexual health service can be at achieving high coverage with a new technology. Others need to follow suit,” she wrote in a commentary.

McCormack noted that in the Australian study, it was easier to get men treated when there were high concentrations of gay and bisexual men. “The reduction in recent HIV infections exceeded 50 percent in Sydney’s gay suburbs and the rest of New South Wales, but was only 7.3 percent in the non-gay suburbs of the city, highlighting the challenge of reaching all communities,” she wrote.

“Nonetheless, the overall benefit from the introduction of PrEP was impressive, given the evidence from behavior surveys and notifications of sexually transmitted infections suggesting that risk was increasing during this period.” And in many places, especially Africa but also parts of the U.S., heterosexual women are at a high risk, also. In some cities and in Eastern Europe, injecting drug users have a high risk of HIV. According to the United Nations, nearly 37 million people are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS. More than 35 million people have died from AIDSrelated illnesses. (IBP/net)

IBP/net

Bottles of antiretroviral drug Truvada are displayed at Jack’s Pharmacy in San Anselmo, California on November 23, 2010.

Thursday, October 25, 2018

3

Take advantage of irrigation flow

Sumampan Waterfall draws crowded visitors

WHEN enough people take pills to protect themselves from HIV, they also help control its spread, researchers reported Wednesday.

Pills that treat HIV infection can also prevent infection if people at high risk take them. The approach is called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, and it’s more than 99 percent effective in preventing infection if people take the pills every day.

If enough people take PrEP, that should slow the spread of HIV and a team of researchers in Australia say it happened there. When they dispensed PrEP to 3,600 men at high risk of HIV for a year, and made sure they took the pills, the spread of HIV across the whole state fell by 25 percent between 2016 and 2017.

It’s another piece of evidence supporting the use of PrEP, but statistics show barely anyone who should be getting the treatment actually does.

“We recruited high-risk gay men in a New South Wales-wide network of 21 clinics,” Andrew Grulich of the University of New South Wales and colleagues wrote in a report published in the Lancet HIV. “PrEP implementation was associated with a rapid decline in HIV diagnoses in the state of New South Wales.”

It was a highly coordinated campaign to test gay and bisexual men, who are at a higher risk of catching HIV, and then follow up with them to make sure they got the pills and took them. It was hard work to make everything go right, Grulich said.

“This study involved a large-scale and state-wide response to ensure that PrEP was made available to men at high risk of HIV infection,” he said in a statement.

“This involved leadership from the NSW government, advocacy

Bali News

International

IBP/net

An influenza vaccination is prepared for a patient this month at the CVS Pharmacy store’s MinuteClinic in Miami.

Unvaccinated child dies from flu in Florida

FLORIDA - A child in Florida has died from the flu, marking the first reported pediatric death of the 2018-19 flu season, according to the Florida Department of Health.

While the department did not release the child’s name, age, gender or location, it said the child had not been vaccinated before contracting the flu.

The child died between Sept. 30 and Oct. 6, according to the department.

Although the exact timing of flu season can vary, it typically begins around October and peters off around May. While the last season was particularly brutal across the United States, the flu virus is unpredictable and the current season could be very different, according to experts.

The 2017-18 season was responsible for the deaths of approximately 80,000 people, including 180 children, according to the CDC. The number of flu deaths in adults is estimated because of the volume of cases, and while deaths in children are reported to departments of health, they are not always precise because influenza is not always being listed as the primary cause of death.

The surgeon general, Dr. Jerome Adams, said most of the children reported to have died from the flu last year had not been vaccinated.

In Florida alone last flu season, it was determined that nearly 9,000 adults died from pneumonia and influenza and eight influenza-related pediatric deaths were reported, according to the state’s Department of Health. None of the children who died in the state had received flu vaccinations.

And the rate of children receiving vaccines appeared to fall nationwide last season from previous seasons, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

During the 2015-16 season, approximately 59.3 percent of children between 6 months old and 17 years old were vaccinated against the flu, the foundation reported. Last season, 57.9 percent of children in the same age range were vaccinated.

Researchers are working to make a more effective flu vaccine.

Last year’s vaccine only reduced the risk of catching flu by about 40 percent, but the CDC said it greatly reduced the risk of becoming very ill or dying from flu. The hope is to eventually get a vaccine that reduces infections by 90 percent or more, but that’s years away.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says no matter how effective the vaccine, everyone should still be vaccinated.

“It is the best way to protect from getting illness from having to see the doctor, from being hospitalized, and, in kids, it prevents death,” said Dr. Dan Jernigan, CDC influenza division director.

(IBP/net)

GIANYAR — Downstream outlet of the subak irrigation tunnel taking advantage for Sumampan waterfall tourist attraction at Sumampan hamlet, Kemenuh, Sukawati, began to be visited by crowded visitors even though this object was just opened a month ago by local residents. Not only domestic guests, foreign tourists also visit this attraction located at Petanu River flow every day.

This waterfall attraction was just opened a few months ago by local residents namely Wayan Cepeg with his sons Made Redana and Nyoman Retana. On Monday afternoon (Oct. 22), a number of foreign and domestic tourists were enthusiastic to enjoy the beauty of the waterfall by taking pictures.

Besides, they freely bathed in the streams of Petanu River.

Well, in fact this waterfall is not an object having existed for a long time. Wayan Cepeg revealed the discharge of the irrigation channel from the tunnel located in the east of the Petanu River had existed since long time ago when he was 17 years old. “But it was not in the form of a waterfall like the current one,” said this 60-year-old man having nine grandchildren.

He said that several years ago local residents dredged sandstones right in front of the disposal of the irrigation channel. Dredging on the eastern part of the Petanu River’s cliff reaches a depth of a dozen meters from the initial position and so far it forms a cliff.

“Dredging has been taking place for long time, about a dozen years ago,” he said.

The dredging process was fi-

nally stopped due to a government ban. However, due to dredging forms the cliff, the flow of water from the irrigation tunnel with a width of 2 meters and 2.5 meters high falls to form a waterfall.

“Now, the waterfall with a height of about 15 meters looks more beautiful,” he said.

Meanwhile, the initial opening of this waterfall was for tourist visits, starting with the tourists passing through the area. “The guests staying at the villa near here love this waterfall, and I was asked to arrange road access,” he said.

Located at Sumampan hamlet, this tourist attraction is easy to find.

Road access has also been opened, even though it is only in the form of land clearing owned by Wayan Cepeg. Nowadays, it can be passed through by motorcycles. Through this access, visitors can immediately reach the location near the waterfall. “Incidentally, I have a piece of land to the west of Petanu River, so the road access from my land is opened to the waterfall,” said Wayan Cepeg.

In the future, he is going to widen the road access so that it can be passed through by cars or buses, even though he has to sacrifice his private land. “This private land covers an area of more than 1 hectare, I want to prepare for parking lot,” he said.

Well, not long after a number of visitors began to arrive. They uploaded their waterfall photos onto social media. “Many visitors coming here claim to get information from social media, and they come with cameras and drone,” he said. (kmb)

IBP/eka

Fortunately, until now Denpasar has not been significantly affected because the flow of river water remains quite good.

Dry season has no significant impact on paddy fields in Denpasar

DENPASAR - Dry season has been going on for several months and it begins to result in apprehensiveness among farmers. Moreover, some areas in Bali have been experiencing drought.

Fortunately, until now Denpasar has not been significantly affected because the flow of river water remains quite good.

Sumampan Waterfall

IBP/kmb

Head of the Denpasar Agriculture Agency, I Gede Ambara Putra, when met on Monday (Oct. 22) stated the dry season conditions having begun to occur do not too much influence to farmers in Denpasar. Until now, there are no paddy fields experiencing drought. Ambara Putra added the cropping pattern applied in Denpasar is different from other regions. Denpasar, having become a downstream area for a long time, has implemented a rotating cropping pattern. In the odd year, the subak having the turn to get water has been determined.

Likewise in the even years as this

year, it becomes the turn of subak around Renon.

He said that for the southern region, covering Sanur, Renon and surrounding areas, the distribution of water flow is carried out at the dam of Bindu River, Ujung hamlet.

At the location, there has been a distribution pattern that can drain water to the two existing channels. As for the region of North Denpasar, it is carried out at Tanah Putih Dam. From monitoring to a number of river water sources in Denpasar, the water discharge remains quite large as seen in the streams of Bindu

River. The flow getting the turn of irrigation water leads to western Renon. Meanwhile, the east region is closed. Likewise, the water discharge in Buluh River remains quite large. This indicates the water conditions for paddy fields are still quite good.

Ambara Putra added that to anticipate the dry season, his agency had also provided a number of artesian wells that could be used by farmers. “If the condition of river water discharge is getting smaller, the artesian well can be a source for farmers to water their plants,” said Ambara. (kmb12)

2

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Bali News

International

Road to quality tourism

DENPASAR - The issue on Bali tourism being sold cheaply has long been heard. However, there has been no significant effort towards the improvement. Not long ago, Bali was shaken again by the finding if Bali tourism is sold at the price of IDR 600,000. This increasingly shows that Bali tourism is twopennyhalfpenny.

Deputy Governor of Bali, Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Su-

kawati, said that from year to year, Bali tourism remains to show off a

positive trend. Many tourists come to Bali not only the rich but also the poor and some even the crazy.

The attraction of Bali also makes Bali tour packages sold cheaply.

Many tourists experience accidents when diving or visiting other destinations. As a result, the quality is also not as expected. It can make

IBP/kmb

the name of Bali fall.

The follow-up to be carried out is implementing moratorium to control supply. When there is over supply, it will result in tariff war and price suppression. Besides, the types of products sold are expected not to be controlled by the market demands. So, what must be done is that law enforcement officers just need to do law enforcement. “If left unchecked, it will gradually overthrow Bali,” he said during the Focus Group Discussion entitled Road to Quality Tourism by the Badung Regional Tourism Promotion Agency (BPPD) on Tuesday (Oct. 23). Since this incident occurs in several districts, it must be jointly carried out by Municipal Police.

Chairman of Bali Tourism Board (BTB), I.B. Agung Partha Adnyana, said that to get to quality tourism, all parties, especially tourism stakeholders, should work together to face it. “There is nothing too prominent in attitude and nothing to be inferior,” he said.

So far, Chinese market has always been regarded as a cheap market and their tourists are not qualified. On the contrary, Chinese market is very large and not entirely cheap. Therefore, Bali must take advantage of this Chinese market opportunity. At present, Chinese trust on Bali is very low. Moreover, Chinese consulate general in Bali received many complaints about Bali related to many accidents afflicting to Chinese tourists. With such low trust, he is worried that Chinese tourist visit will reduce if the problem is not resolved.

According to him, what to be done is to give recognition. Since Chinese government warns its citizen from visiting Thailand, this is the opportunity to take over the Thai market. Chinese consul general also asked him to provide the companies or destination recom-

mended by the BTB. “He (Chinese consul general) wants to make Bali the best destination for China. Otherwise, Chinese confidence will go down. Whatever the cooperation to be built with China, it must keep building Bali’s credibility,” he said.

Head of the Badung Tourism Office, I Made Badra, said when leading to quality tourism it is necessary to maintain the balance of supply and demand. This balance needs to be studied. To that end, he will prepare a budget to conduct research in collaboration with STP and Udayana University. “To see whether it remains over supply or low demand because this concerns with price issue,” he said on the same occasion.

Deputy Regent of Badung, Ketut Suiasa, stated that selling cheap tourism packages makes Bali tourism not dignified. If this condition persists, it will be unfortunate because Bali tourism is based on culture. By selling cheap means to sell Balinese culture cheaply. According to him, this is harassment.

Moreover, according to him, this is a form of colonization whose impact is worse than the risk of weapons war. The risk will be more quickly affecting the moral, economic and mental damage.

The sales of Bali tour packages at cheap price also indicated low nationalism. On that account, he invited tourism stakeholders to find solutions and common ground in handling the problem. “It is meant to give birth to recommendations that must be done and who does it, so that the results are clear,” said Suiasa.

After issuing the recommendation, the next meeting is expected to have the results of evaluation, the results of the FGD discussion as well as factual issues occurred on that day. He will also coordinate with the regent to establish a special team. (kmb42)

Foreign workers banned from working as shopkeepers

DENPASAR - Foreign workers should not work as ordinary workers such as a shopkeeper like the findings of the Deputy Governor of Bali when making inspection to four Chinese network stores. If found working without documents, foreign workers can be threatened with deportation.

“The position occupied by foreign workers with document is the level of manager. Below this position like ordinary employees and so on is not allowed,” said the

Head of the Bali Manpower as well as Energy and Mineral Resources Agency, Ni Luh Made Wiratmi, in Denpasar, on Tuesday (Oct. 23).

Wiratmi claimed to immediately check with the companies employing the foreign workers including Chinese network stores. Moreover, she already received information related to the allegations of foreign workers there. This includes the taking of certain diplomas and deals. In addition to supervising foreign workers, supervision is also

carried out related to work norms and occupational safety and health.

“So, we’ll check first, whether they are working officially or not, legal or illegal. If they have a document, it means they are having job misplacement so that it needs to be fostered. If they are without documents, they will be deported,” he explained.

Wiratmi added there was already a SOP in carrying out supervision of foreign workers in the company.

To follow-up to deportation, her

agency has made cooperation with immigration office and police authority. Previously, Wiratmi had also disseminated the Presidential Regulation No. 20/2018 to around 150 company representatives in Bali.

“We disseminate it so that the company really understands. So far, many foreign workers have worked in the hotel and restaurant sectors.

“For HRD and financial positions, we cannot use foreign workers,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Bali Municipal Police will close Chinese network shops if they are proved to illegally operate. Moreover, the existence of these shops is alleged to have harmed the public and threatened the image of Bali tourism.

“We will take action firmly for the closure if the businesses do not comply with the applicable rules,” said the Head of Bali Municipal Police, Made Sukadana. (kmb32)

 Founder : K.Nadha,  General Manager :Palgunadi Chief Editor: Gugiek Savindra  Editors:Agus Toni, Daniel Fajry, Mawa, Sueca, Denpasar: Dira Arsana, Giriana Saputra, Subrata, Sumatika, Asmara Putra.

Bangli: Suasrina, Buleleng: Mudiarta, Gianyar: Manik Astajaya, Karangasem: Bagiarta, Klungkung: Sosiawan. 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

International

Thursday, October 25, 2018

15

Happily Ever After at Villa Berawa

Experience an ideal fairytale wedding in the heart of Canggu at Villa Berawa, a collection of 8 traditional wooden Javanese houses constructed in the Joglo style. Your big day will be a dream come true in a luxurious tropical setting unlike any other. For an intimate wedding of up to 30 people, Villa Berawa is a perfect choice.

The wedding party must book all 8 villas which can accommodate a maximum of 30 people and prices start from USD 1,500 per night with a minimum 3-nights stay. The wedding package will come with a set dinner at Dapur Berawa restaurant, a ceremony at

the three-bedroom villa or at the main pool, wedding decorations and more.

Comprising 8 villas with a total of 14 bedrooms, Villa Berawa provides 4 units of 1-bedroom villas, 2 units of 2-bedroom villas and 3-bedroom villas that all come with its own private pool and ornate traditional Javanese furnishings brought in from Java.

If you look closely you’ll find some hand painted and handmade tiles, artwork and ornaments.

Equipped with the latest stateof-the-art facilities, the villas have all the modern comforts you need for the perfect holiday escape. In

the 3-bedroom villa, you’ll enjoy your very own compound consisting of three separate buildings featuring bedrooms with romantic four-poster beds, living rooms with flat-screen TVs and beautiful Javanese furniture as well as a kitchen. In the centre sits a large cerulean blue swimming pool.

Our favourite area in the villa has to be the luxuriously large, spacious and elegant bathroom.

Decorated with antique mirrors, bathtub, shower and double sinks, it overlooks a tropical enclave through its glass walls, perfect for relaxing while you enjoy a long, sumptuous bath.

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

16 Pages Number 219 10th year

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

Price: Rp 3.000,-

Thursday, October 25, 2018 Thursday, October 25, 2018

TV host Megyn Kelly apologises for saying dressing up in blackface is okay

NEW YORK - A high-profile TV host has apologised for saying that dressing up in blackface for Halloween is okay.

Megyn Kelly, a former Fox News presenter who hosts a morning show on NBC in the US, had questioned why it was considered racist when a reality star had darkened her skin for a Diana Ross costume.

On her programme, the 47-year-old said that dressing up in blackface was acceptable when she was young as long as you were impersonating a character.

Several of Kelly’s critics swiftly drew comparisons to her insistence that Santa Claus was white - an assertion she made while working at Fox News.

Following a social media backlash, Kelly wrote an email to her colleagues to apologise, in which she acknowledged dressing up in blackface is wrong because of its abhorrent history in culture.

She said: “I understand that we do need to be more sensitive in this day and age. Particularly on race and ethnicity issues which, far from being healed, have been exacerbated in our politics over the past year.

“This is a time for more understanding, love, sensitivity and honour, and I want to be part of that.”

During the controversial segment, Kelly had claimed “the costume police are cracking down like never before” - and ridiculed a school that suggested wearing a cowboy outfit was also inadvisable.

Alex Wagner, a journalist on another network, tweeted: “I was born in the same decade as Megyn Kelly and do not recall blackface being acceptable anywhere, anytime.” (IBP/net)

Megyn Kelly apologised for her remarks in an email to colleagues.

Nicki Minaj (L) has been accused of sampling a Tracy Chapman (R) track.

IBP/net

Nicki Minaj sued for using Tracy Chapman’s song without permission

LOS ANGELES - Nicki Minaj is being sued by Tracy Chapman for using a sample of one of her songs without permission.

The rapper has been accused of incorporating the lyrics and vocal melody of Chapman’s 1988 single Baby Can I Hold You into Minaj’s unreleased track Sorry.

Chapman has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in a federal court in Los Angeles.

The lawsuit claims the singer repeatedly turned down a series of

requests to allow Minaj to sample the song for her fourth album Queen.

In the end, Sorry was not included on Minaj’s album.

But Chapman alleges in the suit the rapper gave it to a DJ who played the song on a New York radio station and posted it to his social media accounts in August.

The Fast Car singer has demanded unspecified damages and is seeking to prevent Minaj from releasing the track commercially.

Baby Can I Hold You was taken from Chapman’s eponymous debut album and made it into the Billboard top 100 in the US and reached number 94 in the UK. (IBP/net)

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Olivier MORIN / AFP

This file photo shows Gondola’s near St Mark’s square flooded during “acqua alta” (high water) on November 1, 2012 in Venice. From Venice and the tower of Pisa to the medieval city of Rhodes, dozens of UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Mediterranean basin are deeply threatened by sea level rise, researchers warned on October 16, 2018.

Paradise lost: Tourist spots in danger of being loved to death

The Philippines’ most famous resort island Boracay re-opens Friday after a six-month cleanup intended to fix the damage done by unrestrained mass tourism. Here are some other global hotspots that authorities have moved to protect: - Bali, Indonesia Officials on the holiday island, Indonesia’s top tourist destination, declared a “garbage emergency” last year after the palm-fringed Kuta beach was swallowed up by mountains of trash.

Indonesia, second only to China as the world’s biggest contributor to marine debris, deployed 700 cleaners and 35 trucks to remove roughly 100 tonnes of debris each day from Kuta and two other popular beaches to a nearby landfill.

feet) tall, the isolated Pacific island severely curtailed visitor numbers in August this year due to concerns over the remote Chilean territory’s environmental sustainability.

Tourist stays on the island, believed to have been settled by the Rapa Nui people around the 12th century, were cut to 30 days from 90, after the population -- along with the crime rate -- doubled in a few decades. Those who wish to live on the island are now required to be a parent, partner or child of the Rapa Nui people.

- Easter Island, Chile Known for its 900-odd human figures standing up to 10 metres (32

- Dubrovnik, Croatia Dubrovnik, which boasts an old walled city, saw cruise ship arrivals

shoot through the roof after it was used as a backdrop in the smash television drama series “Game of Thrones”, causing congestion as tourists made a beeline for the shoot locales. Mayor Mato Frankovic told AFP the authorities plan to cut cruise ship numbers coming into the Adriatic port, while deploying cameras to count the number of people entering the old town.

- Venice and Florence, Italy Venice authorities are trialling a system that forces visitors to make a reservation if they want to go to the popular Saint Mark’s Square during peak hours. They are also

fining tourists 500 euros ($585) for bathing or having picnics in the city’s famous canals.

In Florence, officials have resorted to hosing down public spots such as church steps where many visitors congregate to eat picnics.

This aims to prevent people from sitting on the wet pavement.

- Machu Picchu, Peru Peruvian authorities increased surveillance at the 15th-century Incan citadel high in the Andes mountain range in 2014 as nude photos and streaking became increasingly common. Tourists have since at least 2013 been posting their naked selfies on social media, which the government described as a “disrespectful act” aimed solely at getting attention.

- Maya Bay, Thailand The glittering Thai bay immortalised in the movie “The Beach” was closed indefinitely on October 1 to allow it to recover from the impact of mass tourism, after a four-month respite failed to ease beach erosion and pollution. About 5,000 tourists had arrived by boat each day to the beach framed by limestone cliffs that was made famous by the 2000 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. (afp) News can also be heard in “Bali Image” at Global Radio FM 96.5 from 9.30 until 10.00 am. Listen to Global Radio FM at http:// globalfmbali.listen2myradio.com or live video streaming at http:// radioglobalfmbali.com and http:// ustream.tv/channel/global-fm-bali.