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Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Banderas wins Cannes ‘best actor’ as Almodovar alter ego
CANNES - Hollywood actor Antonio Banderas has portrayed Zorro and Pablo Picasso but he is above all the go-to actor of Oscarwinning director Pedro Almodovar, who launched his hugely successful film career in Spain in the early 1980s. And it was the 58-year-old’s nuanced portrayal of Almodovar’s alter ego in the director’s “Pain & Glory” that won him the best actor award at the Cannes film festival -- his first major award Sporting Almodovar’s spiky hair and colourful clothes, he plays the movie’s central character, an ageing Spanish director who is plagued by physical and psychological frailty who revisits childhood memories. Almodovar, 69, has repeatedly said Banderas gives the “best performance of his life” in the film, which ran in competition for the Palme d’Or top prize. And on accepting his award, Banderas dedicated it Almodovar,
who has cast him in eight films and helped make him a global box office draw. “I respect him, I admire him, I love him, he’s my mentor and he’s given me so much in my entire life that this award, obviously, has to be dedicated to him,” he said. After decades in the profession, Banderas said it was “mindblowing” to have won his first major award. “After 40 years of being a professional actor, I’ve been nominated for practically everything except the Oscars, and I never got on the stage,” he said, citing four nominations for the Golden Globes and two for an Emmy among a string of others that never ended with an award. “So to get up there tonight was not very good news for my cardiologist!” he quipped in a nod to the heart attack he had in 2017 after which he had three operations. (afp)
Tuesday, May 28, 2019 South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho (L) poses during a photocall with South Korean actor Song Kang-ho after he won the Palme d’Or for the film “Parasite (Gisaengchung)” on May 25, 2019 during the closing ceremony of the 72nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France.
Bong and Song: the double act behind S. Korea’s Cannes victory
CANNES - To give you some idea how good an actor South Korea’s Song Kang-ho is, one of the first things director Bong Joon-ho did Saturday after he won the top prize at the Cannes was to drop to his knee and offer the Palme d’Or to his friend.
Spanish actor Antonio Banderas
LOIC VENANCE / AFP
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An actor who has become something of a national treasure, Song has starred in several of the divided country’s greatest movies. He also shines at the heart of “Parasite” as the head of a family of penniless scammers in the darkly comic drama that brought Bong his historic Cannes victory. Song, 52, has made four films with Bong including the 2006 monster flick “The Host” and Bong’s first English-language film “Snowpiercer”, both of which were
box office and critical smashes. “I rely on Song a lot,” the director told a recent press conference in Seoul. “Working with him has allowed me to be more brave as a filmmaker, and take on more difficult challenges.” After starting his career on stage, Song made his first film appearance in 1996 in now-acclaimed director Hong Sang-soo’s debut movie, “The Day a Pig Fell into a Wall”.
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Since then, he has appeared in more than 30 films and worked with top South Korean filmmakers including Park Chan-wook, Kang Je-gyu and Lee Chang-dong. Song has had roles in some of the most significant works in South Korean cinema’s modern history. Director Kang Je-gyu’s 1999 spy action film “Shiri” was the nation’s first big-budget, Hollywood-style blockbuster, and outperformed “Titanic” at the South Korean box office that year. (afp)
AP Photo/Sebastien Erome
Soldiers of French anti terrorist plan “Vigipirate Mission”, secure the area, near the site of a suspected bomb attack in central Lyon, Friday May, 24, 2019. A small explosion Friday on a busy street in the French city of Lyon lightly injured several people, local officials said.
4 suspects arrested after Lyon bomb attack that wounded 13
PARIS - French police have arrested four suspects following a blast in the city of Lyon that wounded 13 people last week, authorities said Monday. TV footage showed a police operation underway Monday in a small town outside Lyon involving officers wearing ski masks. Police had launched a large manhunt after a device exploded Friday on a busy pedestrian street in France’s third-largest city. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner announced the first arrest on Twitter, a development later confirmed by Paris prosecutors, who handle all terrorism-related cases. The prosecutors’ office later
said three other suspects, including a woman, were detained and formally arrested. According to French media, they included the mother and the brother of the main suspect. Lyon mayor Gerard Collomb, a former interior minister, said one of the suspects is an IT student who was arrested as he stepped off a bus. “It’s a relief for all Lyon inhabitants. I believe the case has been resolved,” Collomb told BFM TV. “If there was a network, it has been
identified and will certainly be dismantled.” French President Emmanuel Macron has called the explosion an “attack” but no group has claimed responsibility for the explosion yet. An investigation has been opened for “attempted murder in relation with a terrorist undertaking” and “criminal terrorist association.” Last week, France’s counterterrorism prosecutor, Remy Heitz, described video surveillance that showed a suspect heading toward the center of Lyon on a bike Friday afternoon. The man was seen arriving on foot, pushing his bike along a pedestrian-only street, then
leaving a paper bag on a concrete block in the middle of the street near a bakery. The suspect immediately returned to his bike and left the same way. One minute later, the explosion shattered the glass of a refrigerator in the bakery, Heitz said. Regional authorities said the 13 wounded suffered mostly minor injuries. It was unclear whether the suspect first arrested Monday was the same person, although Collomb said the detained student was identified thanks to video surveillance. Investigators at the scene have found screws, ball bearings, bat-
teries, a triggering device that can be used remotely and plastic pieces that may come from the explosive device. France has been hit by a spate of attacks in recent years, some of them deadly, carried out by people ranging from extremist attackers to mentally unstable individuals. (ap) News can also be heard in “Bali Image” at Global Radio FM 96.5 from 9.30 until 10.00 am. Listen to Global Radio FM at http:// globalfmbali.listen2myradio.com or live video streaming at http:// radioglobalfmbali.com and http:// ustream.tv/channel/global-fm-bali.
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Bali News
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
International
Activities
International
Suastini Koster presents Padang Karma poetry musicalization
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
15
Meaning of karmic law
DENPASAR - There was an attractive appearance with a magical nuance at the peak of the 17th anniversary of BaliTV entitled Nangun Sat Kerthi Loka Bali to Realize a New Era Bali at Ardha Candra Amphitheater, Bali Art Center, Denpasar, at Sunday night (May 26). National Artist, Putu Putri Suastini Koster, presented Poetry Musicalization entitled Padang Karma: The Door for the Persecuted accompanied with gamelan music and background dancers by ISI Denpasar. The poetry musicalization by Dhenok Kristianti was performed in full theatrical meaning of the responsibility of the results of action (karma phala) committed by someone. In the poem is explained that Goddess Durga, perceived by the community as a Goddess who is evil and full of wrath, in fact has a wise, loving and loving nature. Moreover, due to her love for people, the prayers of malice are granted as well even though she is hurt when hearing the prayers based on evil intentions. Goddess Durga is the embodiment of Goddess Uma who has a wise and loving character condemned by Lord Shiva. Despite changing appearance, the character of wisdom, compassion and love is still inherent in the Goddess Durga. “Through this poem, Mother (her familiar nickname) wants to change the impression that Goddess Durga is identical to the goddess of death and so on, so that she is called an evil goddess. Actually, good and bad deeds appear in accordance with what is desired and thought,” said Putri Suastini Koster. On that account, this wife of the Governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, invited all humanity to always walk and act on the right path. Even if we feel hurt by others, it should not be reproved with malice, let alone ask for a non-good prayer psychically because something bad coming to us is actually now purifying and melting our vices provided that such something bad is accepted with kindness and gratefulness. “Karma (cause) and Phala (effect) are our own responsibility. So, please think twice before doing and acting because what we do is appropriate with the result to be received. So, be grateful for everything coming to us,” she affirmed. (win)
Hyatt to Expand Luxury Portfolio in Asia Pacific with 21 New Hotels by 2020
IBP/Eka Adhyasa
Bali sits on archipelagic sea lane 2
National SAR Agency must guarantee sea transportation safety
MANGUPURA - Since Bali is an international tourist destination, as an agency in charge of searching and rescuing, all personnel, especially the operations department, must be prepared for 24 hours and 7 days a week continuously. This is to anticipate the possibility of incidents requiring the assistance of National SAR Agency (Basarnas). This was confirmed by the Director of Operations of Basarnas, Budi Purnama, while conducting work
visit and checking readiness during the Eid, at the Denpasar Search and Rescue Office on Friday (May 24). On that occasion, Budi Purnama said that other than being a tourist destination, the waters of Bali is also included in the Indonesian Archipelago Sea Alley (ALKI) 2 precisely located in the Lombok Strait. He said the area along ALKI 2 is usually passed through by large ships flagged by foreign countries. So, there could be a shipping acci-
dent or Medevac assistance needs. According to him, this is the reason for the placement of Main Tool in the form of helicopter at Ngurah Rai Airport. “Indonesia must be able to provide a guarantee of safety against the flow of sea and air transportation. The guarantee is in the hands of the National SAR Agency,” he said. In addition to readiness main tools, of course the quality of personnel also needs to be im-
proved. Preferably for rescuers, they must continuously want to learn, starting from the theory, frequent dry and wet exercise to be truly ready and not afraid to face any challenges. He emphasized about compactness where all fields have a role. “You have to indoctrinate yourself to think, one to be together, together to be one, all play a role and no one feels more important,” he said. On this occasion, Budi Pur-
nama had an internal meeting with the Head of the National SAR Agency and other officials. Hari Adi Purnomo as the Head of Office explained the matters related to readiness of main tool and personnel to anticipate the flow of homecoming both by sea and air transportation modes. Besides, it is also monitoring at several points of tourist objects usually crowded by visitors during Eid holidays. (kmb23)
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Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today that 21 new luxury hotels and resorts are planned to open in Asia Pacific by the end of 2020, fueling Hyatt’s brand expansion in the region. This expansion is comprised of seven Park Hyatt branded properties, six hotels each under the Grand Hyatt and Andaz brands and two Alila branded resorts, boosting Hyatt’s luxury portfolio in the region by more than 25%. “We are excited to expand our luxury portfolio in Asia Pacific,
bringing more distinct experiences through the Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Andaz and Alila brands to destinations that matter most to our guests,” said Carina Chorengel, senior vice president, Commercial, Asia Pacific, Hyatt. “As we expand our resort, lifestyle and wellbeing offerings, we will better cater to today’s increasingly diverse luxury travelers who seek greater personalization, whether they are traveling for business or leisure.” With this expansion, a record number of seven Park Hyatt hotels
are expected to open in under two years – a significant milestone for Hyatt, which adds an average of one Park Hyatt property per year. The Andaz brand, known to offer immersive cultural experiences, is set to double its footprint in Asia Pacific with new openings in major cities such as Seoul, Dubai and Shenzhen, alongside resort destinations such as Bali, as well as Sanya and Xiamen in China. Set to join the World of Hyatt loyalty program later this year following its integration into the Hyatt
portfolio in 2018, the Alila brand will add two resorts in Malaysia and Oman next year. Together these two resorts will bring the brand’s contemporary expressions of centuryold traditions, authentic experiences and sustainable mindset closer to more travelers. Additionally, the Grand Hyatt brand continues its steady growth momentum with new openings in emerging cities in China, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. “We see enormous potential to grow our luxury portfolio in Asia
Pacific, which currently accounts for 40% of Hyatt’s overall portfolio in the region,” said Patrick Finn, senior vice president, real estate and development, Asia Pacific, Hyatt. “Hyatt has a distinct and differentiated strategy with each of our brands positioned at the high end of every segment in which we operate, and we are committed to expanding our brand footprint in major business cities, cultural destinations and leisure hot spots that resonate with developers, owners and guests.”
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Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Science
International
How allergens in pollen help plants do more than make you sneeze
PARIS - Updates to scientists’ system of measurement went into force May 20, redefining the kilogram and several other units in the metric system. The revamp does away with some outdated standards — most notably, a metal cylinder kept in a vault near Paris that has defined the kilogram for 130 years .
ADELAIDE - “Are plants trying to kill us?” allergy sufferers often ask Deborah Devis. A plant molecular geneticist at the University of Adelaide’s Waite campus in Australia, Devis should know the answer better than most. She is chugging through the last few months of a Ph.D. that involves predicting how grasses use pollen proteins that make people sneeze, wheeze and weep for days on end. What’s known so far about what allergens do for pollens shed by grasses, trees and even mosses has nothing to do with revenge against a primate likely to attack them with mowers and other sharp tools, she says. Instead, plants are just trying to live like the rest of us. “In most cases,” she says, “the allergen proteins are absolutely essential.” To understand why, a refresher on some basics of plant sex is helpful. A pollen grain’s stripped-down mission is to carry male sex cells to female parts of flowers. It’s a chancy and dangerous job. But evolution has honed formidable chemistry that protects the grains’ travels and fertilization itself. For instance, the outer coat of a pollen grain contains the outstandingly tough sporopollenin, which can last thousands of years, says Hannah Banks of Kew Gardens in London. Just to clean debris off the coat, researchers routinely boil pollen in a mixture of sulfuric and acetic acid. When a healthy pollen grain finally lands on the female part of a flower, a tube from the grain starts racing down through the female tissue to fertilize the plant’s version of an egg, an ovule. Wind-carried pollen wafting off flowers in great clouds is particularly competitive, Devis says. Tobacco pollen, delivered by insect, sometimes waits a while before starting to grow and can take up to 12 hours to form a tube long enough to reach an ovule. In comparison, when Devis sprouted some normally wind-carried rice pollen
Tinkering with units allows scientists to more precisely measure weights, temperatures, electric currents and other quantities laid out in the International System of Units used around the globe. The kilogram, the basic unit of mass, is now defined by a quantum quantity known as the Planck constant. That value, an immutable constant of nature, is the same everywhere in space and time. That’s an improvement over the Parisian artifact, which could have changed slightly if gunk or scratches marred its surface. Also redefined, according to an agreement reached in November 2018 at the 26th General Conference on Weights and Measures in Versailles, France, are the kelvin, the unit of temperature; the ampere, the unit of electric current; and the
During allergy season, it’s hard not to take those puffs of pollen as a personal affront, but researchers are sorting out what plants get from their annoyingto-humans compounds.
IBP/net
For 130 years, this metal cylinder was the definition of a kilogram. Now, it’s just another hunk of metal, as scientists have instituted a new definition based on a quantity known as the Planck constant.
The kilogram just got a revamp. A unit of time might be next mole, the unit for an amount of substance. Scientists now have their sights set on updating the unit of time: the second. Currently, the second is defined by atomic clocks made of cesium atoms. Those atoms absorb a certain frequency of light. The wiggling of the light’s electromagnetic waves functions like the pendulum on a grandfather clock, rhythmically keeping time. One second is defined as 9,192,631,770 oscillations of the light. But a new generation of atomic clocks, known as optical atomic clocks, outdo the cesium clocks. “Their performance is a lot better than what currently defines the second,” says physicist Andrew Ludlow of the National Institute
of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colo. Because those optical atomic clocks operate at a higher frequency, their “ticks” are more closely spaced, making them about 100 times more precise than cesium clocks. Ideally, the length of a second should be defined using the most precise timepieces available. A switch might happen in the late 2020s, Ludlow says. The change to the kilogram’s definition was carefully orchestrated so that it wouldn’t affect normal people: A kilogram of flour still makes the same number of biscuits. Any change to the second will be similarly coordinated. So, sorry, there’ll be no chance to squeeze any extra seconds into a day. (net)
IBP/net
on a microscope slide, the pollen tubes were too long to fit her view within just 15 minutes. Profilins, a group of plant proteins containing allergens, matter in highstakes plant sex, and in particular, the development of those tubes. (Profilins pop up at some stage in all life-forms with a cell nucleus, even a kind of amoeba with a profilin that can trigger reactions in allergy skin-prick tests in people and airway inflammation in mice, researchers from the University of Pusan in South Korea found in 2018.) Plants need profilins for such fundamental jobs as assembling filaments into a cell’s basic framework. And in experiments at Cornell University in tomato plants (not wind-pollinated but easy to handle in the lab), suppressing a profilin gene sabotaged pollen tubes. “The pollen tubes can’t grow very long because there is no structure in place to keep on growing,” Devis says. Similarity among different plants’ versions of profilin is “very, very high,” which shows how evolutionarily crucial the proteins are for plants, Devis says. The similarity suggests that “it’s just impossible, or very improbable, for any offspring that has a variation of those profilins to even survive.” Another source of allergies are pollen proteins called expansins, which loosen cell walls, thus easing a pollen tube’s push toward the ovary. Sabotaging them turns pollen largely impotent. Without the normal expansins, “pollen tubes are just not making it to the ovule,” Devis says. Instead “they’re kind of clumping.” Still other groups of pollen proteins that plants find useful can also trigger allergens in people. For instance, proteins active in plants’ stress responses or a cell’s use of calcium have proved allergenic, says aerobiologist Annika Saarto of the University of Turku in Finland. Better understanding allergens’ jobs in pollen could help anyone who wanted to tackle the complex job of trying to engineer low-sneeze grasses, birch trees or other beloved but vexing plants, Devis says. But as alluring a dream as it may be for allergy sufferers, making allergen-free plants has its challenges. Because of the allergens’ vital roles for pollen, researchers can’t just engineer the structures all away. Scientists would need to use their knowledge of allergen functions to find some less- or non-allergy triggering substitutes. And while tweaking one plant variety might be doable — say taming some oak or olive that helped push 10 of Europe’s urban parks into the ranks of high-allergy provocation — making a whole landscape of pollen-spewing plants less sneeze-provoking is daunting. “Not in my lifetime,” Devis predicts. (net)
Bali News
International
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
3
Graduation Ceremony of GMIS Bali
GANDHI Memorial Intercontinental School (GMIS) organized a graduation ceremony for the 12th grade attended by 26 students and 10th grade attended by 49 students on Saturday (May 25). Previously, the school also held graduation on Friday (May 24) for PYP class (grade 5). This year’s graduation is for grade 12 and grade 10 (matriculating). The theme raised in this graduation is ‘We Are Full of Wonders.’ Graduating students come from various countries such as Japan, Russia, India, America, Britain, Korea, Spain, Indonesia, and others. A total of 129 students from 19 countries graduated on the two
days. Both days were full of grandeur, majesty and decoration. Invitees looked to fill in the room and the event took place lively. The graduation ceremony was also attended by parents of all the students. Pioneer Principal of the GMIS
Jakarta, A.P. Singh, stated that he is very happy to see the development of GMIS Bali having been established for 12 years. This school has completed its dream of becoming an IB world school in less than 10 years. Recently, GMIS Bali launched its newest program, namely the IB - IB Career Related Program. GMIS Bali has prepared 4 IB programs, namely the Primary Years Program (PYP), the Middle Years Program (MYP), the Diploma Program (DP) and the Career Related Program (CRP). “We also
have Cambridge Curriculum for grades 9 and 10. The school has been able to attract students and parents from the Island of Gods for a long time. So far, we have students from 35 countries,” he said on Saturday (May 25). Parents and teachers are equally very proud of the achievements of the young generation. They expressed their excitement by congratulating students and inspiring them to be getting better in their life. Their parents are also very interested in the four new programs of
IBP/kmb42
GMIS organized a graduation ceremony for the 12th grade attended by 26 students and 10th grade attended by 49 students on Saturday (May25).
the IB -IB Career Related Program. They are interested in this program because it is the only school in Bali offering the four programs. Principal of the GMIS Bali, Jaba Biswas, provided his motivation for students that graduated on that day. “Let the magic in you explore by itself and be patient, work diligently,” he motivated. Students’ parents stated the school had been able to instill virtue as a world citizen with an open-minded approach as well as mutual respect for each other’s culture. They explained that their strong faith becomes the mission of the school. Even though implementing the IB curriculum, the GMIS still maintains the sense of nationalism. “We always teach Pancasila, moral and religious values ??to students,” he said. In addition, he hoped the graduates after attending overseas and domestic university education can return to Indonesia and contribute to the country. Ketut Asmara Putra, the parent of Komang Dinda Putri Kirani, explained that as long as his daughter attends school here, he considered that his daughter has a personality and independence as well as their creativity begins to develop. While attending school at GMIS, she is comfortable with management services and the teachers so that his daughter could finish her education smoothly. He hoped that GMIS will be better in the future to be successful and provide output of graduates that can contribute to the country. After graduating from the GMIS, his daughter will continue to her education to Singapore majoring in fashion and art. (ad559)
Crowded visits, but district government unable to charge levies
SEMARAPURA — Tourist visits to Nusa Penida is quite high, especially to Lembongan and Jungut Batu. Such conditions are acknowledged by headman of Jungut Batu, Made Gede Suryawan, where every day there are quite a lot of tourists coming to travel to Jungut Batu. As his observation, every day there are around 3,000 tourists coming down from the boat at Jungut Batu Harbor. Most of them are foreign tourists from China. However, the high number of visits has temporarily not been subject to levies. Since levies by customary villages were stopped last year, practically tourists coming down there are not subject to any levies temporarily. More seriously, thousands of the tourists coming on holiday to Jungut Batu-Lembongan do not stay overnight. They come in the morning, and return to Sanur
at noon or in the afternoon. “This is just ordinary days. During high season such as June, July, August and September, the visit is quite booming,” said Suryawan, recently. He hoped the Regional Regulation on Levies can be fully implemented in order that tourist visits to Jungut Batu and Lembongan can generate regional income. Meanwhile, the Klungkung Tourism Office continues to discuss about various regulations to attract levies from tourists traveling to Klungkung, especially to Nusa Penida tourism area. After giving birth to the Regional Regulation, the Tourism Office is preparing regent regulation as its derivative regulation in the effort to prevent the widening of leakage of regional revenue from tourism sector. Head of the Klungkung Tourism Office, Nengah Sukasta, recently said that after the turmoil in regu-
lating levies by customary villages due to non-legal status, the regional government had issued Regional Regulation No. 5/2018 concerning Regional Levies. There is already a levy value set at IDR 25,000 for adult tourists and IDR 15,000 for children. The regulation cannot yet be fully applied to the tax object because the regulation has been reduced in the form of regent regulation being finalized in the Legal Section of the Klungkung district government. Sukasta added that in the collection process, as instructed by Regent of Klungkung Nyoman Suwirta, his office will draft good cooperation with boat owners. It is meant not to make direct levies to tourists in the Nusa Penida tourism area because such way is considered disturbing. “We have received a lot of input from boat operators. We are designing how the system is
going so that it runs well and does not violate the law,” said Sukasta. He admitted that before the regent regulation is issued, his agency cannot charge any levy
and neither can customary and administrative villages. On that account, this is very urgent in order that it can be realized immediately. (kmb31)
IBP/kmb
Hundreds of tourists are dropping off at Jungut Batu traditional harbor.
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Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Bali News
International
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
International
13
Everest ‘traffic jam’ survivor calls for tougher rules
KATHMANDU - Ameesha Chauhan, a survivor of the Everest “traffic jam” who is in hospital recovering from frostbite, said climbers without basic skills should be barred to prevent a recurrence of this year’s deadly season on the world’s highest peak.
Photographing fashion show
IMMORTALIZING the beautiful movement of models or designers demonstrating the designers’ clothes on catwalk is a type of shooting that is quite challenging for every photographer. The quite difficult challenge to be ‘conquered’ is the lighting that tends to change rapidly and the relatively fast movement of fashion models. To get the best results, surely it requires carefulness and accuracy in determining the right camera settings. In photographing fashion shows, photographers must also quickly take position to get the right and appropriate angel. Remember, we will ‘compete’ against many other photographers that certainly also look for the same target, namely getting the best quality photos. Therefore, try to arrive early or at least one hour before
the fashion show starts to get the best position. Another benefit of coming early is that photographers can get in touch with event supporters, especially with lighting operator. At this stage, the photographer will be able to find out what the light operator will be presenting in ‘flooding’ the catwalk with the lights. Of course, this will greatly help photographers in determining the right camera settings according to the lighting characters presented during the fashion show. Next, choose the best shooting angle. In the fashion show, the main focus is the middle angel because models will stop and stylishly face the photographers who are in front of them. Hold this position for a while. But to get varied photos, there’s nothing wrong when trying to
find a new angel. For example, take pictures from other positions such as the audience chair and so on. Lens Selection In addition to angle selection, choosing the right lens is also an absolute thing in fashion show shooting. Using two cameras, where each camera is fitted with a different type of lens is a very wise choice. One camera with a zoom lens is around 70-200mm or 70-300mm, and then another camera has an 18-55mm kit lens. The use of a zoom lens in fashion shows is usually the best choice because the photos produced will be more detailed and comprehensive. Meanwhile, the 18-55mm lens is used to capture a wider area to describe the atmosphere taking place in the fashion show. Ever-changing lights make photographer difficult to take pictures. On that account, the camera settings must be precise such as by adjusting the ISO, diaphragm, and speed. In photographing a fashion show, the obstacle is related to movement of the fast fashion show models. So, use high speed and high ISO, too. This is meant to avoid blurry photo results. Similarly, please be remembered that in a fashion show every photographer is not allowed to use flash because it will disturb the concentration of models and other photographers. So, we are required to deftly adjust the ISO according to the available light intensity so that the photos are not underexposure or dark. When photographing fashion shows, we will be overwhelmed by unexpected movements. Then, please prepare a memory card with enough capacity and a number of backup batteries. Do not let the beautiful moments pass in vain just because of full-memory cards problem and the camera battery runs out. (ian)
Ten people have died in little more than two weeks after poor weather cut the climbing window, leaving mountaineers waiting in long queues to the summit, risking exhaustion and running out of oxygen. Nepal issued a record 381 Everest permits this season, and several hundred of the summiteers are not properly trained, take poor decisions and “put their own life in risk and also the Sherpa guides”, Chauhan said. The 29-year-old Indian had to wait 20 minutes to come down from the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) peak, but others were held up for hours. “I saw some climbers without basic skills fully relying on their Sherpa guides. The government should fix the qualification criteria,” she told AFP in Kathmandu’s general hospital, all the toes on her left foot black and blue and her face weather-worn. “Only trained climbers should be granted the permit to climb Everest.” As well as the Everest deaths, nine climbers have died on other 8,000-metre Himalayan peaks, while one is missing. At least four deaths on the world’s highest mountain have been blamed on overcrowding with teams waiting sometimes for hours in the “death zone” where the cold is bitter, the air dangerously thin and the terrain treacherous. This year’s Everest toll is the highest since 2014-15 when huge earthquakes triggered devastating avalanches. The crowding was laid bare in a photo taken last week by Nirmal Purja, a former Gurkha soldier, of a long queue of climbers snaking up to the summit. The photo by the head of the Project Possible charity aiming to climb the 14 8,000 metre-plus peaks in the world in seven months has gone viral from his @nimsdai
Phunjo LAMA / AFP
In this file photo taken on May 17, 2018, mountaineers make their way to the summit of Mount Everest, as they ascend on the south face from Nepal. Twitter handle and highlighted the dangers amidst the mania to climb Everest. “Many climbers’ oxygen was running out,” Chauhan said. “Some climbers died due to their own negligence. They insisted on reaching the top even if their oxygen is running out, which risks their life,” she said. Another climber, the “adventure filmmaker” Elia Saikaly, posted on Instagram on Sunday that he had reached the summit of Everest and “cannot believe what I saw up there”. “Death. Carnage. Chaos. Lineups. Dead bodies on the route and in tents at camp 4. People who I tried to turn back who ended up dying. People being dragged down. Walking over bodies,” Saikaly wrote. “Everything you read in the sensational
headlines all played out on our summit night.” - $11,000 ticket Mountaineering has become big business since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first ascent of Everest in 1953, with the mountain becoming a favourite “bucket list” feat. Nepal’s permits this season cost $11,000 each, providing the impoverished Himalayan country with much-needed foreign currency. At least 140 others were granted permits to climb from the northern flank in Tibet. Although final numbers are yet to be released with the season set to wrap up this week, this could take the total past last year’s record of 807 people reaching the summit. The dead included four climbers from India and one each from the United States,
Britain and Nepal. An Irish mountaineer is presumed dead after he slipped and fell close to the summit. Another Austrian and an Irish climber died on the northern Tibet side. One of the Indians who died on the Nepal side, 27-year-old Nihal Bagwan, had to wait for more than 12 hours and died on his way back from the summit. Donald Lynn Cash, 55, collapsed at the summit as he was taking photographs, while Anjali Kulkarni, also 55, died while descending after reaching the top. Kulkarni’s expedition organiser, Arun Treks, said heavy traffic at the summit had delayed her descent and caused the tragedy. “She had to wait for a long time to reach the summit and descend,” said Thupden Sherpa. “She couldn’t move down on her own and died as Sherpa guides brought her down.” (afp)
Malaysia’s last male Sumatran rhino dies: officials
IBP/net
Malaysia’s last surviving male Sumatran rhino died Monday, wildlife officials said, leaving behind only one female in the country.
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia’s last surviving male Sumatran rhino died Monday, wildlife officials said, leaving behind only one female in the country and pushing the critically-endangered species closer to extinction. Once found as far away as eastern India and throughout Malaysia, the Sumatran rhino has been almost wiped out, with fewer than 80 left, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Only a handful of the creatures remain in the wilds of Indonesia. Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said the Malaysian male, Tam, had lived in a nature reserve on Borneo island. The cause of the animal’s death was not immediately clear, but previous media reports have suggested it was suffering from kidney and liver problems. Tam’s death puts pressure on an ongoing effort for conservationists
hoping to use in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) techniques to create offspring from Malaysia’s last female Sumatran rhino, Iman, and an Indonesian male. Tuuga said there were problems with Iman’s uterus and that she was incapable of becoming pregnant, but was still able to produce eggs. “We just have to look after the last remaining rhino. That’s all we can do, and try if possible to work with Indonesia,” he said. (afp)
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International
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
BUSINESS Analysis: Economy, Hindu-first impact are Modi’s challenges
International
Bali News
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Bali customs, excise detain Thai nationals over crystal meth smuggling
BADUNG - The Bali customs and excise officers arrested two Thai nationals, identified by their initials as PS, 29, and AP, 20, over attempt to smuggle crystal methamphetamine into Indonesia.
NEW DELHI - India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi described his first term as “filling in potholes” — shorthand for addressing the country’s basic needs. In a campaign speech in April, he pledged his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party in the next five years would “try to address people’s aspirations and take the country to new heights.”
Modi claimed a decisive victory in India’s elections, the vote count showing his BJP winning a commanding majority in the lower house of Parliament allowing it to form a form a government on its own. The victory signals that millions of Indians believe that Modi’s leadership is what the country needs to become a modern, developed and prosperous nation, while raising questions over how he and his party use such hefty political capital to advance their Hindufirst ideology and development agenda. Modi’s vision of India is threefold, political analysts say: getting India into the exclusive $5 trillion economy club that includes the European Union, United States, China and Japan; asserting itself as a nuclear power and a force in the world; and placing its Hindu heritage at the center of politics. By 2030, the BJP has pledged to expand the Indian economy from the world’s sixth-largest, a rank the World Bank said it achieved in 2017, to the third-largest. Modi believes he can do this by building on some preexisting social programs, including rural electrification, microloans and digitization. Other ideas, such as doubling the incomes of India’s legions of distressed farmers and building millions of homes to replace mud huts, are promises from his 2014 campaign that are still unfulfilled. Santosh Ahlawat, a former BJP member of Parliament from the desert state of Rajasthan, said the new administration will be a “people’s government which will go full throttle on all fronts” to build on the achievements of Modi’s first term. But before Modi can work on ramping up the economy, he will need to address its apparent slowdown, economists said. Amitabh Kant, chief executive of government-supported think tank Niti Aayog, said the focus of the new government will be to push annual economic growth from 6.6% to 9%. “We have to carry through more structural reforms and accelerate growth and for that, we have to open up more sectors of the economy. We will continue with our earlier policies of extending electricity, housing and other benefits to reach Indians in rural areas and we will enhance the flows of private
SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, File
In this Dec. 8, 2014, file photo, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during a campaign rally ahead of local elections in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir. Modi and the BJP on Thursday, May 23, 2019, claimed a thunderous sweep of India s general elections, winning well over the 272 seats in the lower house of Parliament required to form a government. investment coming in. The big challenge is to accelerate our growth rate,” he said. At the heart of the election campaign was an existential conflict between the opposition Congress Party’s idea of a pluralistic, diverse multicultural republic and the BJP’s ideology of Hindu nationalism, in which the country’s fundamental character would not be as a secular state but one with a distinct Hindu ethos where the majority culture dominates. Anti-Muslim sentiments were expressed repeatedly during the BJP campaign. Party president Amit Shah in April likened Bangladeshi migrants — mainly Muslims — to “termites” and promised to revive a national register of citizens he said would allow the government to “remove every infiltrator, except Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs.” The BJP also stoked fears by fielding Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, a Hindu hardliner facing trial on charges connected to a 2008 bombing that targeted Muslims, and who recently called independence leader Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin a “patriot.” Thakur won a seat in Bhopal with more than 60% of the vote. On the BJP goal of building a Hindu temple at Ayodhya, the site where the Babri Masjid mosque was demolished by a Hindu mob in 1992, the BJP election manifesto stated:
“All alternative options will be explored for its construction in a most conducive manner.” With such aims stirring sectarian passions, Modi’s critics say that India’s Muslim minority, 14% of India’s 1.3 billion people, will continue to feel persecuted and insecure. In a February report, Human Rights Watch said that between May 2015 and December 2018, at least 36 Muslims were killed by gangs of cow vigilantes who suspected them of consuming beef or illegally moving cattle. For the Hindu majority, the cow is regarded as sacred and its slaughter is banned in most states. For political analyst Yogendra Yadav, Modi’s second term promises “a move towards a non-theocratic Hindu majoritarianism. Two is a move towards two kinds of citizenship in India with the minorities relegated to second-class status. In short, we will see a move towards Putin’s Russia.” Vijay Chauthaiwale, a senior BJP official in charge of the party’s foreign affairs, rejected the accusation that Modi has created a culture of intolerance of minorities. “Our development agenda is for all citizens. When we gave cooking gas cylinders to women, we didn’t ask what religion they were. When we gave electricity and health care cover to people, we didn’t ask what
religion, gender or caste they were. So the BJP’s agenda is totally neutral on gender, caste and religion,” he said. Yadav said he based his somber prediction on Modi’s first term. “We have seen a serious truncation of every democratic space, a downplaying of constitutional freedoms, and shrinking space for minority rights. Now, we will move towards what I call electoral authoritarianism under which we will have regular elections certainly, but every other aspect of democracy will gradually be extinguished,” he said. As much as Modi’s victory is a testament to his political prowess, though, it also signals the lack of a credible alternative, voters and analysts said. Congress Party president Rahul Gandhi failed to convince voters that he would be a better prime minister and Modi’s left-leaning critics failed to persuade voters that longer Hindu nationalist leadership could imperil basic freedoms. Fashion designer Sandeep Verma, 39, said he wasn’t a BJP supporter but voted for the party in the elections. “A country like India needs a decisive leader and the people did not find that in Rahul Gandhi. There was no alternative to Modi,” Verma said. (afp)
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Thailand’s Prakob Seetasang (08) and compatriot Adison Phonlamat (03) sit in front of dozens of capsules of the metamphetamine drug during a press conference at the custom’s office in Denpasar on May 27, 2019. Seetasang allegedly swallowed 49 capsules (weighting 528,03 grams) of metamphetamine and Phonlamat 51 capsules (weighting 554,45 grams) of the same drug, and attempted to smuggle the drugs into the Indonesian resort island of Bali from Bangkok, official said. If convicted both men could face the death penalty.
Jember airport’s operations remain unaffected by Mt Agung’s eruption JEMBER - Airport authorities reported that Notohadinegoro Airport in Jember District, East Java Province, is safe and remains unaffected by the effects of the eruption of Mount Agung in Karangasem District, Bali. “Thank God, Notohadinegoro Airport’s operations continue as normal and remain unaffected by the volcanic ash of Mount Agung,” Head of Notohadinegoro Airport Management Edy Purnomo noted here in on Monday. Mount Agung erupted on Friday (May 24) at 19:23 local time, ejecting incandescent lava up to 2.5 to three kilometers in all directions. As a result, Bali’s Airport Authority Office of Region IV confirmed the cancellation of several flights from I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport and temporary diversion of flights to the airport on Friday (May 24) night. Purnomo remarked that the volcanic
ash of Mount Agung flew to the south, so it had no impact on flights in Jember and Banyuwangi. “Today, two flights from Wings Air and Citilink are operating at Notohadinegoro Jember Airport in accordance with the schedule, as the airport is safe from the volcanic ash of Mount Agung,” he noted. “It is expected that the flight paths will remain safe from the eruption of Mount Agung, so that people can use air transportation modes during the holiday of post-fasting festivity 2019,” Eddy stated. Citilink, which has replaced Garuda Indonesia since the end of April 2019, operates four times a week on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. “Meanwhile, Wings Air flies operates daily flights at Notohadinegoro Jember Airport,” Edy remarked. (ant)
Untung Basuki, head of the Bali-Nustra customs and excise office, remarked here on Monday that the duo had ingested the illicit drugs. The Thai nationals landed at the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport at 2 a.m. local time from Bangkok. PS had swallowed 49 wraps of 528.03 grams of crystal methamphetamine, while AP ingested 51 wraps of 554.45 grams weight. The Police detected the illicit drugs after the two suspects underwent x-ray screening. The drugs were lethal and could potentially kill them if the wraps had disintegrated in the stomach. The smuggled crystal methamphetamine, weighing 989.66 grams, was valued at Rp1,484,490,000 and intended for consumption of 4,947 people. The duo had each been paid 15 thousand Thai Baht to smuggle the banned drug into Indonesia. The two Thai suspects are liable to serve a nearly 20-year prison term and be fined a maximum of Rp10 billion. (ant)
Avengers stars Tom Holland and Chris Hemsworth spotted in Bali
The actor behind Spider-Man traveled far from home over the weekend to visit Bali, a pleasant surprise to his many fans in Indonesia. On Saturday, Tom Holland uploaded a video of himself promoting an ongoing competition for his fans on Twitter in which he mentioned being on his way to Bali.“So, we’re officially on our way to Bali for the next step in the press tour,” Tom said in the video. His arrival was promptly documented by fans on social media, who recorded him disembarking from his plane in Bali. That was followed by other social media posts documenting the 22-year-old English actor’s time on the island, including one showing a fan posing for a photo by the beach with Tom.Tom will be attending Sony Pictures film screenings and workshops on May 27 and 28 to promote his upcoming
movie, Spider-Man: Far From Home, which is set for release in July. Apparently, Tom isn’t the only actor from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to have made a recent appearance in Bali. Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, best known as the mighty Thor, was also spotted having recently arrived in Bali, according to this Instagram post from @sathyadjatmiko. Chris’ visit to the archipelago this time around might be to promote his own upcoming movie, Men In Black: International, which is also being distributed by Sony Pictures and set for a release next month. Judging from the social media reaction to their arrivals, there’s no doubt that Indonesians seriously stan these two superheroic actors, so we’ll likely see more fan photos posing with the pair in the next few days. (afp)
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Tuesday, May 28, 2019
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RLD
70,000 families displaced in Paraguay flooding
PARAGUAY - Heavy flooding in Paraguay has displaced 70,000 families and is threatening to further inundate the capital Asuncion in the coming weeks, the country’s weather bureau said. Water levels on the Paraguay River are rising at a rate of 4-5 centimeters (1.5-2 inches) every day and is only 46 cm (18 in) below a “disaster” level, according to official data from the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH). Crossing that threshold would “have a very strong impact” because of the number of Asuncion residents who have moved into the
city’s floodplain, said DMH deputy director Nelson Perez on Sunday. The city’s water service infrastructure was clogged with garbage which was exacerbating the floods, Perez added. Unusually heavy downpours over May, including two days which together exceeded Asuncion’s average monthly rainfall, have exacerbated the flooding, said DMH meteorologist Eduardo Mingo.
International
Some 40,000 people in Asuncion have already been affected by the floods, official data reported. A further 10,000 people have been displaced in the southern town of Pilar on the Argentinian border. The government has mobilized armed forces to help displaced residents relocate to shelters, but hundreds of families have opted to stay behind in their inundated homes. (afp)
Norberto DUARTE / AFP
People use a boat to move around the flooded town of Puerto Falcon, near Asuncion, on May 25, 2019, after heavy rains in the past weeks caused the overflowing of the Paraguay River.
Christof STACHE / AFP
German Chancellor Angela Merkel gives a speech during the last pre-European elections meeting of the European People’s Party (EPP), in Munich, southern Germany, on May 24, 2019.
Merkel’s coalition in crisis talks after EU vote debacle
BERLIN - German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s embattled coalition will hold crisis talks Monday after a thumping at European polls that has reignited questions over its survival. Voters handed her CDU party and its centre-left coalition partner the Social Democratic Party (SPD) their worst score in European election history, while doubling support for the Greens amid rising fears over global warming. The Greens snatched the second spot from the SPD, coming in just behind Merkel’s centre-right CDU/ CSU alliance. Crucially, the environmental party took more than a million votes -- including many from young people -- from both the SPD and the CDU. News weekly Der Spiegel judged that the coalition is “in danger” after Sunday’s drubbing. “This instability can lead to a break-up at any time,” it said. “The CDU and SPD are deeply insecure parties. If, for example, SPD leader (Andrea) Nahles were to fall, the question of the continued existence of the coalition would immediately arise.” The SPD, which was stung by a beating at general elections in 2017, had at the time initially sought to go into opposition. But it was reluctantly coaxed into renewing a partnership with Merkel, even as many within the party remain wary of continuing to govern in her shadow while taking the fall for unpopular policies. With the SPD also losing the top spot Sunday in a long-time stronghold, the city-state of Bremen, rumblings of discontent against the party leadership could well grow louder. Already ahead of the vote, Bild am Sonntag newspaper had quoted unnamed sources as saying that veteran politician Martin Schulz was ready to stand against Nahles when the parliamentary chief post comes up for renewal in September.
Slapping down the speculation, the SPD’s Finance Minister Olaf Scholz warned against any leadership challenges, saying that “calling for personal consequences would not help”.
- Blindsided -
With an eye on three key state elections looming in the autumn in Germany’s ex-communist east -- where the far-right is projected to make further gains -- time is running out for the SPD to find an answer to halt the haemorrhage of voters. “The debate about (staying in) the grand coalition is likely to pick up again in the SPD. It’s no longer about renewal but about the existence” of the party, said the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. But the SPD was not the only party in crisis mode: Merkel’s CDU too has been blindsided by youth-led anger centred on global warming. Key party figures admitted Sunday that they had campaigned on the wrong topics, as they overlooked climate which has overtaken immigration to become the main concern of German voters this year. The momentum for the green surge had been building up over months as the school strikes started last November by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, 16, caught the imagination of youth across the world. The Greens were given a further boost in Germany by a prominent YouTuber called Rezo, whose online assault against Merkel’s coalition accusing it of failing to act to halt global warming went viral in the final days of the election campaign. The CDU struggled for days to put out the fire, while Rezo upped the ante and published a joint call with 70 influential YouTubers telling their millions of followers to shun parties in Merkel’s coalition and the far-right AfD at the polls. (afp)
International
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
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Bawaslu refutes report citing procedural violation in data input
JAKARTA - The Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) has rejected a report from Prabowo-Sandi pair’s national winning team’s information technology voluntary team averring administrative rules flouted in entering data into the vote counting information system. “The report of alleged violation of election administration rules is unacceptable,” Bawaslu Chief Abhan noted in the agency’s verdict declared in Jakarta on Monday. Bawaslu commissioner Ratna Dewi Pettalolo remarked that although the report fulfilled the formal requirements, it lacked material requirements. In the report filed by Dian Islamiati Fatwa, a volunteer of Prabowo-Sandiaga’s national winning team, the reporting party cited no witnesses in the suit, Pettalolo pointed out. The report had, in fact, been filed nine days, well past the deadline of seven days since the date of finding in line with the agency’s Regulation No. 8 of 2018, she noted. Furthermore, the substance of the report bore similarity to the earlier report filed by Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, he stated. In its verdict, dated May 14, 2019, Bawaslu alleged procedural violations by the General Election Commission (KPU) in entering data into the vote counting system and instructed the agency to improve the procedures in the system. Dian Islamiyati voiced objection to claims of report being submitted late, affirming that she had consulted with the KPU regarding whether the report could be accepted. “We have checked (it with the KPU) while filing the report to confirm if it can be accepted,” she added. (ant)
Police strengthen security around Constitutional Court JAKARTA - Head of the National Police’s Information Bureau, Brigadier General Dedi Prasetyo, stated that the police have increased security stationed around the Constitutional Court. “We have strengthened the security around the Constitutional Court. The location around the Constitutional Court had become one of the main priorities for security,” Brigadier General Dedi Prasetyo said in Jakarta on Monday. In addition to the Constitutional Court, the police increased security around the areas of the General Elections Commission (KPU), the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), Presidential Palace, and the House of Representatives. Also, 58 thousand joint personnel of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) and Indonesian National Police have been positioned throughout Jakarta to ensure that the security situation remains under control. Brigadier General Dedi Prasetyo also noted that the police have reduced the city’s security status from high alert status. He added that the policy regarding the security situation in the Jakarta area has been submitted to the Jakarta Police. “The police will work with the military to evaluate the security situation in the Jakarta area,” Brigadier General Dedi Prasetyo said. (ant)
ADEK BERRY / AFP
Indonesian workers destroy bottles of liquors from the recent raids in Jakarta on May 27, 2019. The Jakarta government destroyed about 1,800 bottles of liquors during the holy month of Ramadan.
Indonesia steamrolls bootleg alcohol during Ramadan
About 18,000 bottles of bootleg alcohol were crushed by a steamroller in Muslim-majority Indonesia’s capital Monday as police warned tipplers off booze during the Ramadan fasting month. Nearly 90 percent of Indonesia’s 260 million people are Muslims who are advised to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex between sunrise and sunset during Ramadan. Police laid out thousands of bottles collected in raids over the past few months in the capital Jakarta and then drove a steamroller over them in a messy annual display. Jakarta governor Anies Baswe-
dan called on residents to avoid circulating illegal liquor. “The job of the community is to reduce demand,” he said at the booze-crushing event near the city’s national monument. “But no matter how much supply is reduced, it’s tough if there is still demand.” Indonesian authorities typically make a show out of seizing and destroying large quantities of il-
legal alcohol to remind Muslims to abstain from boozing during Ramadan. Alcohol is typically forbidden for Muslims at any time of the year. But most Indonesians practise a moderate form of Islam and alcohol is available at bars and nightclubs in major cities and holiday destinations such as Bali. Many entertainment spots are closed during Ramadan, including in Jakarta. (afp)
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Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Destination
International
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
International
‘On edge’ Federer marks Paris return with victory, Kerber crashes
Secret Bay JEMBRANA - Secret Bay is the more poetic name given by Bali’s diving community to Gilimanuk Bay, adjacent to where the ferries to and from Java dock. It is about 20mins by road from Labuan Lalang/ Menjangan and located in West Bali National Park. The bay is about 2km wide, very shallow (3-12M), contains two small islands, and has some areas of mangrove. Being the only bay off the narrow Bali Strait, where currents can reach 7knots, means that Gilimanuk acts as a catch tank (a big underwater nursery!) for many larval fish. A reef lying just outside the mouth of the bay creates a channel through which these waters are swept; this is what makes Gilimanuk an extremely interesting dive site. These strong tidal currents mean that the fish and invertebrates are extremely healthy, colourful and well-fed (also that the water is colder than generally found in Bali, around 25C). Entering the bay, as these macro critters do, from the channel, the bottom is fine black and grey volcanic sand. The channel
contains no coral although the sides are scattered with bommies full of angelfish, butterflyfish, schools of razorfish and tiny reef fish that include cardinalfish and multitudes of damselfish. Secret Bay is muck-diving (ie: diving
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Yann COATSALIOU / AFP
Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton points at the name of late Formula One legend Niki Lauda on his helmet after winning the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Monaco street circuit on May 26, 2019 in Monaco.
with a mud bottom) in shallow water with no water movement. Therefore, too much fin movement and/or less than perfect buoyancy control will stir up the bottom, leaving you with low visibility in that area. (IBP/net)
Hamilton talent saved us from defeat says Mercedes boss
MONACO - Lewis Hamilton’s individual ability ‘saved’ Mercedes and delivered the team’s emotional tribute victory to Niki Lauda at Sunday’s dramatic Monaco Grand Prix, according to team chief Toto Wolff. Without his “performance of a champion” drive on badly-worn and incorrectly-chosen medium compound tyres, in which he resisted near-incessant pressure from Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, the Silver Arrows’ season-opening winning streak may have been over. “Obviously, it was the wrong call,” admitted Wolff, referring to the decision to fit ‘mediums’ instead of ‘hards’ at Hamilton’s pit-stop after only 10 laps. “We thought the tyre would make it to the end. “But, of course, it didn’t. He saved us. His driving saved us. It is something that we really need to analyse now. “We calculated that the medium would make it, if we changed on lap 15 or 16, with the right management. It seemed a straightforward strategy. “It didn’t seem like a huge stretch, but then we realised 20 laps into it that some graining was appearing on the front left – and he started to complain. “Under-steer resulted from the graining and it was clear it would be very, very difficult to make it to the end…. “Everybody knew it would be a huge stretch and, probably 20 laps from the end, he had nought percent
rubber left and with massive understeer at slow speeds. “You could see that around the Loews hairpin – the car wouldn’t turn anymore… We were close to losing and if it was a normal track – like in Montreal – you lose that race.” Hamilton secured his third Monaco victory career 77th by resisting every attack from Verstappen, behind him on hard tyres, with one of the greatest stints of defensive racing ever seen on the unforgiving streets of the Mediterranean circuit. His agitated radio exchanges with engineer Pete Bonnington punctuated the contest and allowed him relief from his concentration during what he later described as the hardest race of his life. “It’s just difficult when you’re out on your own for so long and ‘Bono’ can’t say anything,” said Hamilton. “Nothing he can say, or anyone can say, or do to help – it was all down to me to bring it home for the team and for Niki. The just felt immense.” Three-time world champion Austrian Lauda, Mercedes non-executive chairman, died last Monday, aged 70. It was a measure of his achievement that Hamilton’s former teammate and rival Nico Rosberg gave him unstinting praise.
“Even in qualifying, he wasn’t the fastest guy, but he got the pole,” said the 2016 champion. “Today, he was massively struggling out there, but Lewis just managed it in a world champion’s manner and even fended off that challenge from Max Verstappen in a proper way.” Hamilton celebrated by leaping into the harbour swimming pool and later promised himself a rare glass of wine after extending his lead in the drivers’ championship to 20 points ahead of team-mate Valtteri Bottas. The Finn finished third behind Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari after Verstappen was dropped to fourth with a five-second penalty for his pit-lane brush with Bottas after an unsafe release by Red Bull. Among many other incidents, Racing Point’s Sergio Perez revealed he had almost hit two marshals during the Safety Car period when they ran into the track. “What’s wrong with those marshals?” he said. “I nearly killed them….” Later, he told reporters: “They were just running across and I was coming out of the pits. I had to brake and they were very lucky that I avoided them.” (afp)
PARIS - Roger Federer marked his return to Roland Garros after a four-year absence with a straight sets win over Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego on Sunday, admitting he “felt on edge”, as Angelique Kerber’s hopes of completing a career Grand Slam suffered a quick kill. Federer, a 20-time major winner, hadn’t played the tournament since 2015 when he reached the quarter-finals. However, on Sunday, it was as if the 37-year-old had never been away as he swept to a 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 victory in one hour 41 minutes on a packed, rebuilt Court Philippe Chatrier. It was his 60th successive first round win at a Grand Slam. “I felt on edge at the start, my heart was beating crazily,” said Federer, who hailed the new-look stadium which has been 90% rebuilt in readiness for the installation of a retractable roof for 2020. “I felt great playing on this court. It looks very attractive, so congratulations to everyone involved. “Hopefully I can play here again for my next match.” That match will be against German lucky loser Oscar Otte who won just his second match in eight years on the tour by seeing off Malek Jaziri of Tunisia 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 6-0. “I would be surprised if Roger knew my name,” said Otte, the world number 145. Federer broke serve five times and fired 36 winners past 24-yearold Sonego, the world number 73 who made the quarter-finals at the
Monte Carlo Masters. German fifth seed and reigning Wimbledon champion Kerber saw her hopes of a career Grand Slam ended by Russian teenager Anastasia Potapova. Kerber slumped to a 6-4, 6-2 defeat to 18-year-old Potapova who was making her French Open debut. “Kerber is actually one of my idols, and when I was young I was looking for her game,” said the 81st-ranked Russian who hit 28 winners past her German opponent. Kerber, 31, has now lost six times in the French Open first round. The German left-hander had come into Roland Garros carrying a right ankle injury which forced her to pull out of the Italian Open and retire from her second round tie in Madrid. “I didn’t have many expectations coming in,” said Kerber, who was broken six times in the match which brought the curtain up on the newlook Chatrier arena. Potapova’s first win over a top 10 player gives her a second round clash against 19-year-old Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic. Greek sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who stunned Federer on his way to the Australian Open semifinals and beat 11-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal in Madrid, also made the second round. The 20-year-old sixth seed brushed aside Germany’s Maximilian Marterer 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4). (afp)
Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP
Switzerland’s Roger Federer returns the ball to Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego during their men’s singles first round match on day 1 of The Roland Garros 2019 French Open tennis tournament in Paris on May 26, 2019.
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Tuesday, May 28, 2019
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Man City owner wants to invest in Malaysian club
Cech hopes to haunt Chelsea in Europa League final farewell
IBP/net
Petr Cech will bring down the curtain on a glittering playing career in strange circumstances as the Arsenal goalkeeper faces his former and potentially future employers Chelsea in the Europa League final on Wednesday. Cech, 37, enjoyed the best years of his career at Stamford Bridge, winning 13 trophies including four Premier League titles and the Champions League in 11 seasons with Chelsea before moving across London to Arsenal in 2015. And his close relationship with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich looks set to see him return to the Blues in the coming weeks as the club’s new sporting director. Cech lost his status as Arsenal’s number one during Unai Emery’s first season in charge, with Bernd Leno taking over in the Premier League since September, but the Czech veteran has started all of Arsenal’s knockout games to reach
the Europa League final. The success of Arsenal’s season depends not only on lifting a first European trophy for 25 years in Baku, but also on ensuring Champions League qualification that will come with victory. Emery therefore has the difficult decision on whether to give Cech a fitting farewell, or make the cold but calculated choice of playing his first-choice ‘keeper in Leno. “I’ll make a decision about my future after the last game,” said Cech as news spread about his imminent return to Chelsea. “Now my sole focus is to win the Europa League with Arsenal.” Emery believes Cech has the
experience and professionalism to shut out any distractions arising from a potential return to his old club. “Speaking about Petr Cech, we can be here three days and it is all positive things,” said Emery. “I only know him this year but he is amazing. Amazing like a person, amazing like a goalkeeper. His past, his experience, is awesome. “He is here because he deserves to be here. He was playing the last matches with a big performance. I want to enjoy this final with him and I am a privileged coach to work with him.” - Talented Cech -
A man of many talents, the Czech speaks five languages and his love of the drums saw him release a charity single earlier this month alongside Queen drummer
Roger Taylor. However, it was on the field he truly shone despite a horrific head injury in 2006 that fractured his skull and briefly threatened his life. After emergency surgery, Cech returned to the field just three months later, but had to sport his now trademark helmet to protect his skull from further damage for the rest of his career. It did not hold him back as Cech proved a reliable last line of defence during a decade in which managers came and went at Stamford Bridge. His crowning glory came saving penalties in extra-time and the shootout as Chelsea upset the odds to finally lift the Champions League in 2012, beating Bayern Munich in the final. The Europa League followed a season later, but Thibaut Courtois’s
return from a three-year loan spell at Atletico Madrid saw Cech lose his place as Jose Mourinho’s number one. Another player may have been forced to look further afield for a new club, but Cech’s close relationship with Abramovich saw the Russian billionaire clear the way for a move to Arsenal. Cech has not hit the same heights at the Emirates as in his early days at Chelsea, but still went on to become the first goalkeeper to register 200 Premier League clean sheets, reflecting his consistency over 15 years. One more chapter of a fabulous career could still be written in Baku before Cech hangs up his gloves. “My last dream was to play this European final with Arsenal and the last step is to win it,” he told BT Sport. (afp)
The owners of Premier League champions Manchester City are eyeing a stake in a Malaysian team to add to their growing portfolio of clubs, a sports official said. Ferran Soriano -- chief executive of City Football Group (CFG), which is bankrolled by Sheikh Mansour of the Abu Dhabi royal family -- raised the possibility when he met Sports Minister Syed Saddiq in Malaysia on Thursday. CFG already owns or has stakes in New York City, Melbourne City, Japan’s Yokohama F Marinos, Atletico Torque, Girona and Sichuan Jiuniu, as well as star side Manchester City. City are flying high after winning the FA Cup last week, completing a domestic treble with the English league title and the League Cup. “They are looking at the possibility of co-owning a Malaysian club,” Ahmad Shapawi Ismail, director-general of Malaysia’s national sports council, told AFP. The official, who was present at Thursday’s meeting, said he was “delighted and excited” at the news, adding: “We need (their) expertise.” He said that no specific
side was discussed. But Syed Saddiq said CFG would be meeting with some presidents of local clubs soon, and he wanted them to make Malaysia “their base in Southeast Asia”. Malaysia’s main divisions are the top-flight super league and the second-tier premier league. At Thursday’s meeting, Soriano said he saw great possibilities in Malaysia. “We would like to talk to all of the Malaysian football stakeholders to find ways to collaborate,” he was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times newspaper. “We see Malaysia has an opportunity for football... the level of enthusiasm of the fans is obvious. The development of Malaysian football and the league in the last year with investment by the government shows that there’s great opportunity.” It is the latest Asian country being considered by CFG -- in March, Soriano said the group wanted to invest in India. Football is popular in Malaysia but the country does not perform well on the international stage, and is currently ranked 168th in the world. (afp)
Handout / Ministry of Youth and Sports of Malaysia / AFP
This handout photo from the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Malaysia taken on May 23, 2019 and released on May 24, 2019 shows Malaysia’s Sports Minister Syed Saddiq (L) and Manchester City’s Spanish Chief Executive Officer Ferran Soriano posing for a picture in Putrajaya. Manchester City owners are keen to “co-own” a Malaysian club, a top official said on May 24 as it steadily expands its group portfolio across Asia.
Marco Bertorello / AFP
Juventus’ Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo holds the Italian Champion’s trophy next to his wife Georgina at the end of the Italian Serie A football match Juventus vs Atalanta on May 19, 2019 at the Allianz stadium in Turin.
Ronaldo not enough as Juve extend Italian domination but fall short in Europe
Massimiliano Allegri oversaw his final game as Juventus coach on Sunday, after guiding the team to an eighth consecutive Serie A title but paying the price for yet another Champions League failure despite the sensational signing of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo was left out alongside a host of other starters as the Allegri era ended with the whimper of a 2-0 defeat at Sampdoria, having played 31 of 38 matches and closing the season as the team’s top scorer with 21 league goals. But helping the team to another Serie A title was not why the 34-year-old was signed last summer. Ronaldo had spent nine glittering seasons at Real Madrid, lifting a fourth Champions League trophy in five seasons before moving to Italy. His arrival in Turin on a 100-million-euro ($115 million) deal, plus a reported 30 million euros a year, was hailed as “the deal of the century” by the Italian press. But after a season in which they were expected to sweep all before them Juventus have won less than
the previous season, with their fouryear reign as Coppa Italia holders ended in a 3-0 quarter-final defeat by Atalanta. Ronaldo single handedly lifted Juventus into the Champions League quarter-finals with a hattrick against Atletico Madrid. But his hopes of a fourth straight European triumph were ended when they crashed out to daring Dutch Ajax in the last eight. Amid criticism of Allegri’s tactics, Ronaldo, who has scored 124 goals in 160 Champions League appearances, reportedly said: “I don’t work miracles”. “Cristiano showed us he could always score in the games that counted. But then you have to have a strong team behind him,” said veteran defender Andrea Barzagli. - Money-spinner -
Despite the financial fallout of failing to advance in the Champions League, Ronaldo’s signing has been a money-spinning one for Juventus. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is the most followed sports star on social media with a global
reach of over 340 million followers. More fans ultimately means more money, and suddenly Ronaldo’s transfer fee does not look so extortionate. The club’s value on the Milan stock exchange has rocketed by 133 percent since his arrival last July. Shares had been trading around 0.6 euro in mid-May, jumping to 1.8 euro during the session on September 20, before dipping slightly following rape allegations against Ronaldo in the United States dating back to 2009 which he vehemently denies. Shares jumped by 30 per cent after his hat-trick catapulted the Italian football club into the quarter finals of the Champions League in March. Next season there will be a new coach on the bench with reports that Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri, former coach of Napoli, Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino and Lazio boss Simone Inzaghi are among the candidates. On the pitch Welsh international midfielder Aaron Ramsey arrives in Turin from Arsenal. (afp)
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Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
9
Man City owner wants to invest in Malaysian club
Cech hopes to haunt Chelsea in Europa League final farewell
IBP/net
Petr Cech will bring down the curtain on a glittering playing career in strange circumstances as the Arsenal goalkeeper faces his former and potentially future employers Chelsea in the Europa League final on Wednesday. Cech, 37, enjoyed the best years of his career at Stamford Bridge, winning 13 trophies including four Premier League titles and the Champions League in 11 seasons with Chelsea before moving across London to Arsenal in 2015. And his close relationship with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich looks set to see him return to the Blues in the coming weeks as the club’s new sporting director. Cech lost his status as Arsenal’s number one during Unai Emery’s first season in charge, with Bernd Leno taking over in the Premier League since September, but the Czech veteran has started all of Arsenal’s knockout games to reach
the Europa League final. The success of Arsenal’s season depends not only on lifting a first European trophy for 25 years in Baku, but also on ensuring Champions League qualification that will come with victory. Emery therefore has the difficult decision on whether to give Cech a fitting farewell, or make the cold but calculated choice of playing his first-choice ‘keeper in Leno. “I’ll make a decision about my future after the last game,” said Cech as news spread about his imminent return to Chelsea. “Now my sole focus is to win the Europa League with Arsenal.” Emery believes Cech has the
experience and professionalism to shut out any distractions arising from a potential return to his old club. “Speaking about Petr Cech, we can be here three days and it is all positive things,” said Emery. “I only know him this year but he is amazing. Amazing like a person, amazing like a goalkeeper. His past, his experience, is awesome. “He is here because he deserves to be here. He was playing the last matches with a big performance. I want to enjoy this final with him and I am a privileged coach to work with him.” - Talented Cech -
A man of many talents, the Czech speaks five languages and his love of the drums saw him release a charity single earlier this month alongside Queen drummer
Roger Taylor. However, it was on the field he truly shone despite a horrific head injury in 2006 that fractured his skull and briefly threatened his life. After emergency surgery, Cech returned to the field just three months later, but had to sport his now trademark helmet to protect his skull from further damage for the rest of his career. It did not hold him back as Cech proved a reliable last line of defence during a decade in which managers came and went at Stamford Bridge. His crowning glory came saving penalties in extra-time and the shootout as Chelsea upset the odds to finally lift the Champions League in 2012, beating Bayern Munich in the final. The Europa League followed a season later, but Thibaut Courtois’s
return from a three-year loan spell at Atletico Madrid saw Cech lose his place as Jose Mourinho’s number one. Another player may have been forced to look further afield for a new club, but Cech’s close relationship with Abramovich saw the Russian billionaire clear the way for a move to Arsenal. Cech has not hit the same heights at the Emirates as in his early days at Chelsea, but still went on to become the first goalkeeper to register 200 Premier League clean sheets, reflecting his consistency over 15 years. One more chapter of a fabulous career could still be written in Baku before Cech hangs up his gloves. “My last dream was to play this European final with Arsenal and the last step is to win it,” he told BT Sport. (afp)
The owners of Premier League champions Manchester City are eyeing a stake in a Malaysian team to add to their growing portfolio of clubs, a sports official said. Ferran Soriano -- chief executive of City Football Group (CFG), which is bankrolled by Sheikh Mansour of the Abu Dhabi royal family -- raised the possibility when he met Sports Minister Syed Saddiq in Malaysia on Thursday. CFG already owns or has stakes in New York City, Melbourne City, Japan’s Yokohama F Marinos, Atletico Torque, Girona and Sichuan Jiuniu, as well as star side Manchester City. City are flying high after winning the FA Cup last week, completing a domestic treble with the English league title and the League Cup. “They are looking at the possibility of co-owning a Malaysian club,” Ahmad Shapawi Ismail, director-general of Malaysia’s national sports council, told AFP. The official, who was present at Thursday’s meeting, said he was “delighted and excited” at the news, adding: “We need (their) expertise.” He said that no specific
side was discussed. But Syed Saddiq said CFG would be meeting with some presidents of local clubs soon, and he wanted them to make Malaysia “their base in Southeast Asia”. Malaysia’s main divisions are the top-flight super league and the second-tier premier league. At Thursday’s meeting, Soriano said he saw great possibilities in Malaysia. “We would like to talk to all of the Malaysian football stakeholders to find ways to collaborate,” he was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times newspaper. “We see Malaysia has an opportunity for football... the level of enthusiasm of the fans is obvious. The development of Malaysian football and the league in the last year with investment by the government shows that there’s great opportunity.” It is the latest Asian country being considered by CFG -- in March, Soriano said the group wanted to invest in India. Football is popular in Malaysia but the country does not perform well on the international stage, and is currently ranked 168th in the world. (afp)
Handout / Ministry of Youth and Sports of Malaysia / AFP
This handout photo from the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Malaysia taken on May 23, 2019 and released on May 24, 2019 shows Malaysia’s Sports Minister Syed Saddiq (L) and Manchester City’s Spanish Chief Executive Officer Ferran Soriano posing for a picture in Putrajaya. Manchester City owners are keen to “co-own” a Malaysian club, a top official said on May 24 as it steadily expands its group portfolio across Asia.
Marco Bertorello / AFP
Juventus’ Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo holds the Italian Champion’s trophy next to his wife Georgina at the end of the Italian Serie A football match Juventus vs Atalanta on May 19, 2019 at the Allianz stadium in Turin.
Ronaldo not enough as Juve extend Italian domination but fall short in Europe
Massimiliano Allegri oversaw his final game as Juventus coach on Sunday, after guiding the team to an eighth consecutive Serie A title but paying the price for yet another Champions League failure despite the sensational signing of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo was left out alongside a host of other starters as the Allegri era ended with the whimper of a 2-0 defeat at Sampdoria, having played 31 of 38 matches and closing the season as the team’s top scorer with 21 league goals. But helping the team to another Serie A title was not why the 34-year-old was signed last summer. Ronaldo had spent nine glittering seasons at Real Madrid, lifting a fourth Champions League trophy in five seasons before moving to Italy. His arrival in Turin on a 100-million-euro ($115 million) deal, plus a reported 30 million euros a year, was hailed as “the deal of the century” by the Italian press. But after a season in which they were expected to sweep all before them Juventus have won less than
the previous season, with their fouryear reign as Coppa Italia holders ended in a 3-0 quarter-final defeat by Atalanta. Ronaldo single handedly lifted Juventus into the Champions League quarter-finals with a hattrick against Atletico Madrid. But his hopes of a fourth straight European triumph were ended when they crashed out to daring Dutch Ajax in the last eight. Amid criticism of Allegri’s tactics, Ronaldo, who has scored 124 goals in 160 Champions League appearances, reportedly said: “I don’t work miracles”. “Cristiano showed us he could always score in the games that counted. But then you have to have a strong team behind him,” said veteran defender Andrea Barzagli. - Money-spinner -
Despite the financial fallout of failing to advance in the Champions League, Ronaldo’s signing has been a money-spinning one for Juventus. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is the most followed sports star on social media with a global
reach of over 340 million followers. More fans ultimately means more money, and suddenly Ronaldo’s transfer fee does not look so extortionate. The club’s value on the Milan stock exchange has rocketed by 133 percent since his arrival last July. Shares had been trading around 0.6 euro in mid-May, jumping to 1.8 euro during the session on September 20, before dipping slightly following rape allegations against Ronaldo in the United States dating back to 2009 which he vehemently denies. Shares jumped by 30 per cent after his hat-trick catapulted the Italian football club into the quarter finals of the Champions League in March. Next season there will be a new coach on the bench with reports that Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri, former coach of Napoli, Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino and Lazio boss Simone Inzaghi are among the candidates. On the pitch Welsh international midfielder Aaron Ramsey arrives in Turin from Arsenal. (afp)
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Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Destination
International
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
International
‘On edge’ Federer marks Paris return with victory, Kerber crashes
Secret Bay JEMBRANA - Secret Bay is the more poetic name given by Bali’s diving community to Gilimanuk Bay, adjacent to where the ferries to and from Java dock. It is about 20mins by road from Labuan Lalang/ Menjangan and located in West Bali National Park. The bay is about 2km wide, very shallow (3-12M), contains two small islands, and has some areas of mangrove. Being the only bay off the narrow Bali Strait, where currents can reach 7knots, means that Gilimanuk acts as a catch tank (a big underwater nursery!) for many larval fish. A reef lying just outside the mouth of the bay creates a channel through which these waters are swept; this is what makes Gilimanuk an extremely interesting dive site. These strong tidal currents mean that the fish and invertebrates are extremely healthy, colourful and well-fed (also that the water is colder than generally found in Bali, around 25C). Entering the bay, as these macro critters do, from the channel, the bottom is fine black and grey volcanic sand. The channel
contains no coral although the sides are scattered with bommies full of angelfish, butterflyfish, schools of razorfish and tiny reef fish that include cardinalfish and multitudes of damselfish. Secret Bay is muck-diving (ie: diving
Place Your Add Here
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Yann COATSALIOU / AFP
Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton points at the name of late Formula One legend Niki Lauda on his helmet after winning the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Monaco street circuit on May 26, 2019 in Monaco.
with a mud bottom) in shallow water with no water movement. Therefore, too much fin movement and/or less than perfect buoyancy control will stir up the bottom, leaving you with low visibility in that area. (IBP/net)
Hamilton talent saved us from defeat says Mercedes boss
MONACO - Lewis Hamilton’s individual ability ‘saved’ Mercedes and delivered the team’s emotional tribute victory to Niki Lauda at Sunday’s dramatic Monaco Grand Prix, according to team chief Toto Wolff. Without his “performance of a champion” drive on badly-worn and incorrectly-chosen medium compound tyres, in which he resisted near-incessant pressure from Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, the Silver Arrows’ season-opening winning streak may have been over. “Obviously, it was the wrong call,” admitted Wolff, referring to the decision to fit ‘mediums’ instead of ‘hards’ at Hamilton’s pit-stop after only 10 laps. “We thought the tyre would make it to the end. “But, of course, it didn’t. He saved us. His driving saved us. It is something that we really need to analyse now. “We calculated that the medium would make it, if we changed on lap 15 or 16, with the right management. It seemed a straightforward strategy. “It didn’t seem like a huge stretch, but then we realised 20 laps into it that some graining was appearing on the front left – and he started to complain. “Under-steer resulted from the graining and it was clear it would be very, very difficult to make it to the end…. “Everybody knew it would be a huge stretch and, probably 20 laps from the end, he had nought percent
rubber left and with massive understeer at slow speeds. “You could see that around the Loews hairpin – the car wouldn’t turn anymore… We were close to losing and if it was a normal track – like in Montreal – you lose that race.” Hamilton secured his third Monaco victory career 77th by resisting every attack from Verstappen, behind him on hard tyres, with one of the greatest stints of defensive racing ever seen on the unforgiving streets of the Mediterranean circuit. His agitated radio exchanges with engineer Pete Bonnington punctuated the contest and allowed him relief from his concentration during what he later described as the hardest race of his life. “It’s just difficult when you’re out on your own for so long and ‘Bono’ can’t say anything,” said Hamilton. “Nothing he can say, or anyone can say, or do to help – it was all down to me to bring it home for the team and for Niki. The just felt immense.” Three-time world champion Austrian Lauda, Mercedes non-executive chairman, died last Monday, aged 70. It was a measure of his achievement that Hamilton’s former teammate and rival Nico Rosberg gave him unstinting praise.
“Even in qualifying, he wasn’t the fastest guy, but he got the pole,” said the 2016 champion. “Today, he was massively struggling out there, but Lewis just managed it in a world champion’s manner and even fended off that challenge from Max Verstappen in a proper way.” Hamilton celebrated by leaping into the harbour swimming pool and later promised himself a rare glass of wine after extending his lead in the drivers’ championship to 20 points ahead of team-mate Valtteri Bottas. The Finn finished third behind Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari after Verstappen was dropped to fourth with a five-second penalty for his pit-lane brush with Bottas after an unsafe release by Red Bull. Among many other incidents, Racing Point’s Sergio Perez revealed he had almost hit two marshals during the Safety Car period when they ran into the track. “What’s wrong with those marshals?” he said. “I nearly killed them….” Later, he told reporters: “They were just running across and I was coming out of the pits. I had to brake and they were very lucky that I avoided them.” (afp)
PARIS - Roger Federer marked his return to Roland Garros after a four-year absence with a straight sets win over Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego on Sunday, admitting he “felt on edge”, as Angelique Kerber’s hopes of completing a career Grand Slam suffered a quick kill. Federer, a 20-time major winner, hadn’t played the tournament since 2015 when he reached the quarter-finals. However, on Sunday, it was as if the 37-year-old had never been away as he swept to a 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 victory in one hour 41 minutes on a packed, rebuilt Court Philippe Chatrier. It was his 60th successive first round win at a Grand Slam. “I felt on edge at the start, my heart was beating crazily,” said Federer, who hailed the new-look stadium which has been 90% rebuilt in readiness for the installation of a retractable roof for 2020. “I felt great playing on this court. It looks very attractive, so congratulations to everyone involved. “Hopefully I can play here again for my next match.” That match will be against German lucky loser Oscar Otte who won just his second match in eight years on the tour by seeing off Malek Jaziri of Tunisia 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 6-0. “I would be surprised if Roger knew my name,” said Otte, the world number 145. Federer broke serve five times and fired 36 winners past 24-yearold Sonego, the world number 73 who made the quarter-finals at the
Monte Carlo Masters. German fifth seed and reigning Wimbledon champion Kerber saw her hopes of a career Grand Slam ended by Russian teenager Anastasia Potapova. Kerber slumped to a 6-4, 6-2 defeat to 18-year-old Potapova who was making her French Open debut. “Kerber is actually one of my idols, and when I was young I was looking for her game,” said the 81st-ranked Russian who hit 28 winners past her German opponent. Kerber, 31, has now lost six times in the French Open first round. The German left-hander had come into Roland Garros carrying a right ankle injury which forced her to pull out of the Italian Open and retire from her second round tie in Madrid. “I didn’t have many expectations coming in,” said Kerber, who was broken six times in the match which brought the curtain up on the newlook Chatrier arena. Potapova’s first win over a top 10 player gives her a second round clash against 19-year-old Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic. Greek sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who stunned Federer on his way to the Australian Open semifinals and beat 11-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal in Madrid, also made the second round. The 20-year-old sixth seed brushed aside Germany’s Maximilian Marterer 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4). (afp)
Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP
Switzerland’s Roger Federer returns the ball to Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego during their men’s singles first round match on day 1 of The Roland Garros 2019 French Open tennis tournament in Paris on May 26, 2019.
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RLD
70,000 families displaced in Paraguay flooding
PARAGUAY - Heavy flooding in Paraguay has displaced 70,000 families and is threatening to further inundate the capital Asuncion in the coming weeks, the country’s weather bureau said. Water levels on the Paraguay River are rising at a rate of 4-5 centimeters (1.5-2 inches) every day and is only 46 cm (18 in) below a “disaster” level, according to official data from the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH). Crossing that threshold would “have a very strong impact” because of the number of Asuncion residents who have moved into the
city’s floodplain, said DMH deputy director Nelson Perez on Sunday. The city’s water service infrastructure was clogged with garbage which was exacerbating the floods, Perez added. Unusually heavy downpours over May, including two days which together exceeded Asuncion’s average monthly rainfall, have exacerbated the flooding, said DMH meteorologist Eduardo Mingo.
International
Some 40,000 people in Asuncion have already been affected by the floods, official data reported. A further 10,000 people have been displaced in the southern town of Pilar on the Argentinian border. The government has mobilized armed forces to help displaced residents relocate to shelters, but hundreds of families have opted to stay behind in their inundated homes. (afp)
Norberto DUARTE / AFP
People use a boat to move around the flooded town of Puerto Falcon, near Asuncion, on May 25, 2019, after heavy rains in the past weeks caused the overflowing of the Paraguay River.
Christof STACHE / AFP
German Chancellor Angela Merkel gives a speech during the last pre-European elections meeting of the European People’s Party (EPP), in Munich, southern Germany, on May 24, 2019.
Merkel’s coalition in crisis talks after EU vote debacle
BERLIN - German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s embattled coalition will hold crisis talks Monday after a thumping at European polls that has reignited questions over its survival. Voters handed her CDU party and its centre-left coalition partner the Social Democratic Party (SPD) their worst score in European election history, while doubling support for the Greens amid rising fears over global warming. The Greens snatched the second spot from the SPD, coming in just behind Merkel’s centre-right CDU/ CSU alliance. Crucially, the environmental party took more than a million votes -- including many from young people -- from both the SPD and the CDU. News weekly Der Spiegel judged that the coalition is “in danger” after Sunday’s drubbing. “This instability can lead to a break-up at any time,” it said. “The CDU and SPD are deeply insecure parties. If, for example, SPD leader (Andrea) Nahles were to fall, the question of the continued existence of the coalition would immediately arise.” The SPD, which was stung by a beating at general elections in 2017, had at the time initially sought to go into opposition. But it was reluctantly coaxed into renewing a partnership with Merkel, even as many within the party remain wary of continuing to govern in her shadow while taking the fall for unpopular policies. With the SPD also losing the top spot Sunday in a long-time stronghold, the city-state of Bremen, rumblings of discontent against the party leadership could well grow louder. Already ahead of the vote, Bild am Sonntag newspaper had quoted unnamed sources as saying that veteran politician Martin Schulz was ready to stand against Nahles when the parliamentary chief post comes up for renewal in September.
Slapping down the speculation, the SPD’s Finance Minister Olaf Scholz warned against any leadership challenges, saying that “calling for personal consequences would not help”.
- Blindsided -
With an eye on three key state elections looming in the autumn in Germany’s ex-communist east -- where the far-right is projected to make further gains -- time is running out for the SPD to find an answer to halt the haemorrhage of voters. “The debate about (staying in) the grand coalition is likely to pick up again in the SPD. It’s no longer about renewal but about the existence” of the party, said the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. But the SPD was not the only party in crisis mode: Merkel’s CDU too has been blindsided by youth-led anger centred on global warming. Key party figures admitted Sunday that they had campaigned on the wrong topics, as they overlooked climate which has overtaken immigration to become the main concern of German voters this year. The momentum for the green surge had been building up over months as the school strikes started last November by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, 16, caught the imagination of youth across the world. The Greens were given a further boost in Germany by a prominent YouTuber called Rezo, whose online assault against Merkel’s coalition accusing it of failing to act to halt global warming went viral in the final days of the election campaign. The CDU struggled for days to put out the fire, while Rezo upped the ante and published a joint call with 70 influential YouTubers telling their millions of followers to shun parties in Merkel’s coalition and the far-right AfD at the polls. (afp)
International
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
11
Bawaslu refutes report citing procedural violation in data input
JAKARTA - The Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) has rejected a report from Prabowo-Sandi pair’s national winning team’s information technology voluntary team averring administrative rules flouted in entering data into the vote counting information system. “The report of alleged violation of election administration rules is unacceptable,” Bawaslu Chief Abhan noted in the agency’s verdict declared in Jakarta on Monday. Bawaslu commissioner Ratna Dewi Pettalolo remarked that although the report fulfilled the formal requirements, it lacked material requirements. In the report filed by Dian Islamiati Fatwa, a volunteer of Prabowo-Sandiaga’s national winning team, the reporting party cited no witnesses in the suit, Pettalolo pointed out. The report had, in fact, been filed nine days, well past the deadline of seven days since the date of finding in line with the agency’s Regulation No. 8 of 2018, she noted. Furthermore, the substance of the report bore similarity to the earlier report filed by Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, he stated. In its verdict, dated May 14, 2019, Bawaslu alleged procedural violations by the General Election Commission (KPU) in entering data into the vote counting system and instructed the agency to improve the procedures in the system. Dian Islamiyati voiced objection to claims of report being submitted late, affirming that she had consulted with the KPU regarding whether the report could be accepted. “We have checked (it with the KPU) while filing the report to confirm if it can be accepted,” she added. (ant)
Police strengthen security around Constitutional Court JAKARTA - Head of the National Police’s Information Bureau, Brigadier General Dedi Prasetyo, stated that the police have increased security stationed around the Constitutional Court. “We have strengthened the security around the Constitutional Court. The location around the Constitutional Court had become one of the main priorities for security,” Brigadier General Dedi Prasetyo said in Jakarta on Monday. In addition to the Constitutional Court, the police increased security around the areas of the General Elections Commission (KPU), the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), Presidential Palace, and the House of Representatives. Also, 58 thousand joint personnel of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) and Indonesian National Police have been positioned throughout Jakarta to ensure that the security situation remains under control. Brigadier General Dedi Prasetyo also noted that the police have reduced the city’s security status from high alert status. He added that the policy regarding the security situation in the Jakarta area has been submitted to the Jakarta Police. “The police will work with the military to evaluate the security situation in the Jakarta area,” Brigadier General Dedi Prasetyo said. (ant)
ADEK BERRY / AFP
Indonesian workers destroy bottles of liquors from the recent raids in Jakarta on May 27, 2019. The Jakarta government destroyed about 1,800 bottles of liquors during the holy month of Ramadan.
Indonesia steamrolls bootleg alcohol during Ramadan
About 18,000 bottles of bootleg alcohol were crushed by a steamroller in Muslim-majority Indonesia’s capital Monday as police warned tipplers off booze during the Ramadan fasting month. Nearly 90 percent of Indonesia’s 260 million people are Muslims who are advised to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex between sunrise and sunset during Ramadan. Police laid out thousands of bottles collected in raids over the past few months in the capital Jakarta and then drove a steamroller over them in a messy annual display. Jakarta governor Anies Baswe-
dan called on residents to avoid circulating illegal liquor. “The job of the community is to reduce demand,” he said at the booze-crushing event near the city’s national monument. “But no matter how much supply is reduced, it’s tough if there is still demand.” Indonesian authorities typically make a show out of seizing and destroying large quantities of il-
legal alcohol to remind Muslims to abstain from boozing during Ramadan. Alcohol is typically forbidden for Muslims at any time of the year. But most Indonesians practise a moderate form of Islam and alcohol is available at bars and nightclubs in major cities and holiday destinations such as Bali. Many entertainment spots are closed during Ramadan, including in Jakarta. (afp)
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International
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
BUSINESS Analysis: Economy, Hindu-first impact are Modi’s challenges
International
Bali News
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Bali customs, excise detain Thai nationals over crystal meth smuggling
BADUNG - The Bali customs and excise officers arrested two Thai nationals, identified by their initials as PS, 29, and AP, 20, over attempt to smuggle crystal methamphetamine into Indonesia.
NEW DELHI - India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi described his first term as “filling in potholes” — shorthand for addressing the country’s basic needs. In a campaign speech in April, he pledged his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party in the next five years would “try to address people’s aspirations and take the country to new heights.”
Modi claimed a decisive victory in India’s elections, the vote count showing his BJP winning a commanding majority in the lower house of Parliament allowing it to form a form a government on its own. The victory signals that millions of Indians believe that Modi’s leadership is what the country needs to become a modern, developed and prosperous nation, while raising questions over how he and his party use such hefty political capital to advance their Hindufirst ideology and development agenda. Modi’s vision of India is threefold, political analysts say: getting India into the exclusive $5 trillion economy club that includes the European Union, United States, China and Japan; asserting itself as a nuclear power and a force in the world; and placing its Hindu heritage at the center of politics. By 2030, the BJP has pledged to expand the Indian economy from the world’s sixth-largest, a rank the World Bank said it achieved in 2017, to the third-largest. Modi believes he can do this by building on some preexisting social programs, including rural electrification, microloans and digitization. Other ideas, such as doubling the incomes of India’s legions of distressed farmers and building millions of homes to replace mud huts, are promises from his 2014 campaign that are still unfulfilled. Santosh Ahlawat, a former BJP member of Parliament from the desert state of Rajasthan, said the new administration will be a “people’s government which will go full throttle on all fronts” to build on the achievements of Modi’s first term. But before Modi can work on ramping up the economy, he will need to address its apparent slowdown, economists said. Amitabh Kant, chief executive of government-supported think tank Niti Aayog, said the focus of the new government will be to push annual economic growth from 6.6% to 9%. “We have to carry through more structural reforms and accelerate growth and for that, we have to open up more sectors of the economy. We will continue with our earlier policies of extending electricity, housing and other benefits to reach Indians in rural areas and we will enhance the flows of private
SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP
AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan, File
In this Dec. 8, 2014, file photo, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during a campaign rally ahead of local elections in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir. Modi and the BJP on Thursday, May 23, 2019, claimed a thunderous sweep of India s general elections, winning well over the 272 seats in the lower house of Parliament required to form a government. investment coming in. The big challenge is to accelerate our growth rate,” he said. At the heart of the election campaign was an existential conflict between the opposition Congress Party’s idea of a pluralistic, diverse multicultural republic and the BJP’s ideology of Hindu nationalism, in which the country’s fundamental character would not be as a secular state but one with a distinct Hindu ethos where the majority culture dominates. Anti-Muslim sentiments were expressed repeatedly during the BJP campaign. Party president Amit Shah in April likened Bangladeshi migrants — mainly Muslims — to “termites” and promised to revive a national register of citizens he said would allow the government to “remove every infiltrator, except Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs.” The BJP also stoked fears by fielding Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, a Hindu hardliner facing trial on charges connected to a 2008 bombing that targeted Muslims, and who recently called independence leader Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin a “patriot.” Thakur won a seat in Bhopal with more than 60% of the vote. On the BJP goal of building a Hindu temple at Ayodhya, the site where the Babri Masjid mosque was demolished by a Hindu mob in 1992, the BJP election manifesto stated:
“All alternative options will be explored for its construction in a most conducive manner.” With such aims stirring sectarian passions, Modi’s critics say that India’s Muslim minority, 14% of India’s 1.3 billion people, will continue to feel persecuted and insecure. In a February report, Human Rights Watch said that between May 2015 and December 2018, at least 36 Muslims were killed by gangs of cow vigilantes who suspected them of consuming beef or illegally moving cattle. For the Hindu majority, the cow is regarded as sacred and its slaughter is banned in most states. For political analyst Yogendra Yadav, Modi’s second term promises “a move towards a non-theocratic Hindu majoritarianism. Two is a move towards two kinds of citizenship in India with the minorities relegated to second-class status. In short, we will see a move towards Putin’s Russia.” Vijay Chauthaiwale, a senior BJP official in charge of the party’s foreign affairs, rejected the accusation that Modi has created a culture of intolerance of minorities. “Our development agenda is for all citizens. When we gave cooking gas cylinders to women, we didn’t ask what religion they were. When we gave electricity and health care cover to people, we didn’t ask what
religion, gender or caste they were. So the BJP’s agenda is totally neutral on gender, caste and religion,” he said. Yadav said he based his somber prediction on Modi’s first term. “We have seen a serious truncation of every democratic space, a downplaying of constitutional freedoms, and shrinking space for minority rights. Now, we will move towards what I call electoral authoritarianism under which we will have regular elections certainly, but every other aspect of democracy will gradually be extinguished,” he said. As much as Modi’s victory is a testament to his political prowess, though, it also signals the lack of a credible alternative, voters and analysts said. Congress Party president Rahul Gandhi failed to convince voters that he would be a better prime minister and Modi’s left-leaning critics failed to persuade voters that longer Hindu nationalist leadership could imperil basic freedoms. Fashion designer Sandeep Verma, 39, said he wasn’t a BJP supporter but voted for the party in the elections. “A country like India needs a decisive leader and the people did not find that in Rahul Gandhi. There was no alternative to Modi,” Verma said. (afp)
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Thailand’s Prakob Seetasang (08) and compatriot Adison Phonlamat (03) sit in front of dozens of capsules of the metamphetamine drug during a press conference at the custom’s office in Denpasar on May 27, 2019. Seetasang allegedly swallowed 49 capsules (weighting 528,03 grams) of metamphetamine and Phonlamat 51 capsules (weighting 554,45 grams) of the same drug, and attempted to smuggle the drugs into the Indonesian resort island of Bali from Bangkok, official said. If convicted both men could face the death penalty.
Jember airport’s operations remain unaffected by Mt Agung’s eruption JEMBER - Airport authorities reported that Notohadinegoro Airport in Jember District, East Java Province, is safe and remains unaffected by the effects of the eruption of Mount Agung in Karangasem District, Bali. “Thank God, Notohadinegoro Airport’s operations continue as normal and remain unaffected by the volcanic ash of Mount Agung,” Head of Notohadinegoro Airport Management Edy Purnomo noted here in on Monday. Mount Agung erupted on Friday (May 24) at 19:23 local time, ejecting incandescent lava up to 2.5 to three kilometers in all directions. As a result, Bali’s Airport Authority Office of Region IV confirmed the cancellation of several flights from I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport and temporary diversion of flights to the airport on Friday (May 24) night. Purnomo remarked that the volcanic
ash of Mount Agung flew to the south, so it had no impact on flights in Jember and Banyuwangi. “Today, two flights from Wings Air and Citilink are operating at Notohadinegoro Jember Airport in accordance with the schedule, as the airport is safe from the volcanic ash of Mount Agung,” he noted. “It is expected that the flight paths will remain safe from the eruption of Mount Agung, so that people can use air transportation modes during the holiday of post-fasting festivity 2019,” Eddy stated. Citilink, which has replaced Garuda Indonesia since the end of April 2019, operates four times a week on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. “Meanwhile, Wings Air flies operates daily flights at Notohadinegoro Jember Airport,” Edy remarked. (ant)
Untung Basuki, head of the Bali-Nustra customs and excise office, remarked here on Monday that the duo had ingested the illicit drugs. The Thai nationals landed at the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport at 2 a.m. local time from Bangkok. PS had swallowed 49 wraps of 528.03 grams of crystal methamphetamine, while AP ingested 51 wraps of 554.45 grams weight. The Police detected the illicit drugs after the two suspects underwent x-ray screening. The drugs were lethal and could potentially kill them if the wraps had disintegrated in the stomach. The smuggled crystal methamphetamine, weighing 989.66 grams, was valued at Rp1,484,490,000 and intended for consumption of 4,947 people. The duo had each been paid 15 thousand Thai Baht to smuggle the banned drug into Indonesia. The two Thai suspects are liable to serve a nearly 20-year prison term and be fined a maximum of Rp10 billion. (ant)
Avengers stars Tom Holland and Chris Hemsworth spotted in Bali
The actor behind Spider-Man traveled far from home over the weekend to visit Bali, a pleasant surprise to his many fans in Indonesia. On Saturday, Tom Holland uploaded a video of himself promoting an ongoing competition for his fans on Twitter in which he mentioned being on his way to Bali.“So, we’re officially on our way to Bali for the next step in the press tour,” Tom said in the video. His arrival was promptly documented by fans on social media, who recorded him disembarking from his plane in Bali. That was followed by other social media posts documenting the 22-year-old English actor’s time on the island, including one showing a fan posing for a photo by the beach with Tom.Tom will be attending Sony Pictures film screenings and workshops on May 27 and 28 to promote his upcoming
movie, Spider-Man: Far From Home, which is set for release in July. Apparently, Tom isn’t the only actor from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to have made a recent appearance in Bali. Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, best known as the mighty Thor, was also spotted having recently arrived in Bali, according to this Instagram post from @sathyadjatmiko. Chris’ visit to the archipelago this time around might be to promote his own upcoming movie, Men In Black: International, which is also being distributed by Sony Pictures and set for a release next month. Judging from the social media reaction to their arrivals, there’s no doubt that Indonesians seriously stan these two superheroic actors, so we’ll likely see more fan photos posing with the pair in the next few days. (afp)
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Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Bali News
International
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
International
13
Everest ‘traffic jam’ survivor calls for tougher rules
KATHMANDU - Ameesha Chauhan, a survivor of the Everest “traffic jam” who is in hospital recovering from frostbite, said climbers without basic skills should be barred to prevent a recurrence of this year’s deadly season on the world’s highest peak.
Photographing fashion show
IMMORTALIZING the beautiful movement of models or designers demonstrating the designers’ clothes on catwalk is a type of shooting that is quite challenging for every photographer. The quite difficult challenge to be ‘conquered’ is the lighting that tends to change rapidly and the relatively fast movement of fashion models. To get the best results, surely it requires carefulness and accuracy in determining the right camera settings. In photographing fashion shows, photographers must also quickly take position to get the right and appropriate angel. Remember, we will ‘compete’ against many other photographers that certainly also look for the same target, namely getting the best quality photos. Therefore, try to arrive early or at least one hour before
the fashion show starts to get the best position. Another benefit of coming early is that photographers can get in touch with event supporters, especially with lighting operator. At this stage, the photographer will be able to find out what the light operator will be presenting in ‘flooding’ the catwalk with the lights. Of course, this will greatly help photographers in determining the right camera settings according to the lighting characters presented during the fashion show. Next, choose the best shooting angle. In the fashion show, the main focus is the middle angel because models will stop and stylishly face the photographers who are in front of them. Hold this position for a while. But to get varied photos, there’s nothing wrong when trying to
find a new angel. For example, take pictures from other positions such as the audience chair and so on. Lens Selection In addition to angle selection, choosing the right lens is also an absolute thing in fashion show shooting. Using two cameras, where each camera is fitted with a different type of lens is a very wise choice. One camera with a zoom lens is around 70-200mm or 70-300mm, and then another camera has an 18-55mm kit lens. The use of a zoom lens in fashion shows is usually the best choice because the photos produced will be more detailed and comprehensive. Meanwhile, the 18-55mm lens is used to capture a wider area to describe the atmosphere taking place in the fashion show. Ever-changing lights make photographer difficult to take pictures. On that account, the camera settings must be precise such as by adjusting the ISO, diaphragm, and speed. In photographing a fashion show, the obstacle is related to movement of the fast fashion show models. So, use high speed and high ISO, too. This is meant to avoid blurry photo results. Similarly, please be remembered that in a fashion show every photographer is not allowed to use flash because it will disturb the concentration of models and other photographers. So, we are required to deftly adjust the ISO according to the available light intensity so that the photos are not underexposure or dark. When photographing fashion shows, we will be overwhelmed by unexpected movements. Then, please prepare a memory card with enough capacity and a number of backup batteries. Do not let the beautiful moments pass in vain just because of full-memory cards problem and the camera battery runs out. (ian)
Ten people have died in little more than two weeks after poor weather cut the climbing window, leaving mountaineers waiting in long queues to the summit, risking exhaustion and running out of oxygen. Nepal issued a record 381 Everest permits this season, and several hundred of the summiteers are not properly trained, take poor decisions and “put their own life in risk and also the Sherpa guides”, Chauhan said. The 29-year-old Indian had to wait 20 minutes to come down from the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) peak, but others were held up for hours. “I saw some climbers without basic skills fully relying on their Sherpa guides. The government should fix the qualification criteria,” she told AFP in Kathmandu’s general hospital, all the toes on her left foot black and blue and her face weather-worn. “Only trained climbers should be granted the permit to climb Everest.” As well as the Everest deaths, nine climbers have died on other 8,000-metre Himalayan peaks, while one is missing. At least four deaths on the world’s highest mountain have been blamed on overcrowding with teams waiting sometimes for hours in the “death zone” where the cold is bitter, the air dangerously thin and the terrain treacherous. This year’s Everest toll is the highest since 2014-15 when huge earthquakes triggered devastating avalanches. The crowding was laid bare in a photo taken last week by Nirmal Purja, a former Gurkha soldier, of a long queue of climbers snaking up to the summit. The photo by the head of the Project Possible charity aiming to climb the 14 8,000 metre-plus peaks in the world in seven months has gone viral from his @nimsdai
Phunjo LAMA / AFP
In this file photo taken on May 17, 2018, mountaineers make their way to the summit of Mount Everest, as they ascend on the south face from Nepal. Twitter handle and highlighted the dangers amidst the mania to climb Everest. “Many climbers’ oxygen was running out,” Chauhan said. “Some climbers died due to their own negligence. They insisted on reaching the top even if their oxygen is running out, which risks their life,” she said. Another climber, the “adventure filmmaker” Elia Saikaly, posted on Instagram on Sunday that he had reached the summit of Everest and “cannot believe what I saw up there”. “Death. Carnage. Chaos. Lineups. Dead bodies on the route and in tents at camp 4. People who I tried to turn back who ended up dying. People being dragged down. Walking over bodies,” Saikaly wrote. “Everything you read in the sensational
headlines all played out on our summit night.” - $11,000 ticket Mountaineering has become big business since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first ascent of Everest in 1953, with the mountain becoming a favourite “bucket list” feat. Nepal’s permits this season cost $11,000 each, providing the impoverished Himalayan country with much-needed foreign currency. At least 140 others were granted permits to climb from the northern flank in Tibet. Although final numbers are yet to be released with the season set to wrap up this week, this could take the total past last year’s record of 807 people reaching the summit. The dead included four climbers from India and one each from the United States,
Britain and Nepal. An Irish mountaineer is presumed dead after he slipped and fell close to the summit. Another Austrian and an Irish climber died on the northern Tibet side. One of the Indians who died on the Nepal side, 27-year-old Nihal Bagwan, had to wait for more than 12 hours and died on his way back from the summit. Donald Lynn Cash, 55, collapsed at the summit as he was taking photographs, while Anjali Kulkarni, also 55, died while descending after reaching the top. Kulkarni’s expedition organiser, Arun Treks, said heavy traffic at the summit had delayed her descent and caused the tragedy. “She had to wait for a long time to reach the summit and descend,” said Thupden Sherpa. “She couldn’t move down on her own and died as Sherpa guides brought her down.” (afp)
Malaysia’s last male Sumatran rhino dies: officials
IBP/net
Malaysia’s last surviving male Sumatran rhino died Monday, wildlife officials said, leaving behind only one female in the country.
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia’s last surviving male Sumatran rhino died Monday, wildlife officials said, leaving behind only one female in the country and pushing the critically-endangered species closer to extinction. Once found as far away as eastern India and throughout Malaysia, the Sumatran rhino has been almost wiped out, with fewer than 80 left, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Only a handful of the creatures remain in the wilds of Indonesia. Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said the Malaysian male, Tam, had lived in a nature reserve on Borneo island. The cause of the animal’s death was not immediately clear, but previous media reports have suggested it was suffering from kidney and liver problems. Tam’s death puts pressure on an ongoing effort for conservationists
hoping to use in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) techniques to create offspring from Malaysia’s last female Sumatran rhino, Iman, and an Indonesian male. Tuuga said there were problems with Iman’s uterus and that she was incapable of becoming pregnant, but was still able to produce eggs. “We just have to look after the last remaining rhino. That’s all we can do, and try if possible to work with Indonesia,” he said. (afp)
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Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Science
International
How allergens in pollen help plants do more than make you sneeze
PARIS - Updates to scientists’ system of measurement went into force May 20, redefining the kilogram and several other units in the metric system. The revamp does away with some outdated standards — most notably, a metal cylinder kept in a vault near Paris that has defined the kilogram for 130 years .
ADELAIDE - “Are plants trying to kill us?” allergy sufferers often ask Deborah Devis. A plant molecular geneticist at the University of Adelaide’s Waite campus in Australia, Devis should know the answer better than most. She is chugging through the last few months of a Ph.D. that involves predicting how grasses use pollen proteins that make people sneeze, wheeze and weep for days on end. What’s known so far about what allergens do for pollens shed by grasses, trees and even mosses has nothing to do with revenge against a primate likely to attack them with mowers and other sharp tools, she says. Instead, plants are just trying to live like the rest of us. “In most cases,” she says, “the allergen proteins are absolutely essential.” To understand why, a refresher on some basics of plant sex is helpful. A pollen grain’s stripped-down mission is to carry male sex cells to female parts of flowers. It’s a chancy and dangerous job. But evolution has honed formidable chemistry that protects the grains’ travels and fertilization itself. For instance, the outer coat of a pollen grain contains the outstandingly tough sporopollenin, which can last thousands of years, says Hannah Banks of Kew Gardens in London. Just to clean debris off the coat, researchers routinely boil pollen in a mixture of sulfuric and acetic acid. When a healthy pollen grain finally lands on the female part of a flower, a tube from the grain starts racing down through the female tissue to fertilize the plant’s version of an egg, an ovule. Wind-carried pollen wafting off flowers in great clouds is particularly competitive, Devis says. Tobacco pollen, delivered by insect, sometimes waits a while before starting to grow and can take up to 12 hours to form a tube long enough to reach an ovule. In comparison, when Devis sprouted some normally wind-carried rice pollen
Tinkering with units allows scientists to more precisely measure weights, temperatures, electric currents and other quantities laid out in the International System of Units used around the globe. The kilogram, the basic unit of mass, is now defined by a quantum quantity known as the Planck constant. That value, an immutable constant of nature, is the same everywhere in space and time. That’s an improvement over the Parisian artifact, which could have changed slightly if gunk or scratches marred its surface. Also redefined, according to an agreement reached in November 2018 at the 26th General Conference on Weights and Measures in Versailles, France, are the kelvin, the unit of temperature; the ampere, the unit of electric current; and the
During allergy season, it’s hard not to take those puffs of pollen as a personal affront, but researchers are sorting out what plants get from their annoyingto-humans compounds.
IBP/net
For 130 years, this metal cylinder was the definition of a kilogram. Now, it’s just another hunk of metal, as scientists have instituted a new definition based on a quantity known as the Planck constant.
The kilogram just got a revamp. A unit of time might be next mole, the unit for an amount of substance. Scientists now have their sights set on updating the unit of time: the second. Currently, the second is defined by atomic clocks made of cesium atoms. Those atoms absorb a certain frequency of light. The wiggling of the light’s electromagnetic waves functions like the pendulum on a grandfather clock, rhythmically keeping time. One second is defined as 9,192,631,770 oscillations of the light. But a new generation of atomic clocks, known as optical atomic clocks, outdo the cesium clocks. “Their performance is a lot better than what currently defines the second,” says physicist Andrew Ludlow of the National Institute
of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colo. Because those optical atomic clocks operate at a higher frequency, their “ticks” are more closely spaced, making them about 100 times more precise than cesium clocks. Ideally, the length of a second should be defined using the most precise timepieces available. A switch might happen in the late 2020s, Ludlow says. The change to the kilogram’s definition was carefully orchestrated so that it wouldn’t affect normal people: A kilogram of flour still makes the same number of biscuits. Any change to the second will be similarly coordinated. So, sorry, there’ll be no chance to squeeze any extra seconds into a day. (net)
IBP/net
on a microscope slide, the pollen tubes were too long to fit her view within just 15 minutes. Profilins, a group of plant proteins containing allergens, matter in highstakes plant sex, and in particular, the development of those tubes. (Profilins pop up at some stage in all life-forms with a cell nucleus, even a kind of amoeba with a profilin that can trigger reactions in allergy skin-prick tests in people and airway inflammation in mice, researchers from the University of Pusan in South Korea found in 2018.) Plants need profilins for such fundamental jobs as assembling filaments into a cell’s basic framework. And in experiments at Cornell University in tomato plants (not wind-pollinated but easy to handle in the lab), suppressing a profilin gene sabotaged pollen tubes. “The pollen tubes can’t grow very long because there is no structure in place to keep on growing,” Devis says. Similarity among different plants’ versions of profilin is “very, very high,” which shows how evolutionarily crucial the proteins are for plants, Devis says. The similarity suggests that “it’s just impossible, or very improbable, for any offspring that has a variation of those profilins to even survive.” Another source of allergies are pollen proteins called expansins, which loosen cell walls, thus easing a pollen tube’s push toward the ovary. Sabotaging them turns pollen largely impotent. Without the normal expansins, “pollen tubes are just not making it to the ovule,” Devis says. Instead “they’re kind of clumping.” Still other groups of pollen proteins that plants find useful can also trigger allergens in people. For instance, proteins active in plants’ stress responses or a cell’s use of calcium have proved allergenic, says aerobiologist Annika Saarto of the University of Turku in Finland. Better understanding allergens’ jobs in pollen could help anyone who wanted to tackle the complex job of trying to engineer low-sneeze grasses, birch trees or other beloved but vexing plants, Devis says. But as alluring a dream as it may be for allergy sufferers, making allergen-free plants has its challenges. Because of the allergens’ vital roles for pollen, researchers can’t just engineer the structures all away. Scientists would need to use their knowledge of allergen functions to find some less- or non-allergy triggering substitutes. And while tweaking one plant variety might be doable — say taming some oak or olive that helped push 10 of Europe’s urban parks into the ranks of high-allergy provocation — making a whole landscape of pollen-spewing plants less sneeze-provoking is daunting. “Not in my lifetime,” Devis predicts. (net)
Bali News
International
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
3
Graduation Ceremony of GMIS Bali
GANDHI Memorial Intercontinental School (GMIS) organized a graduation ceremony for the 12th grade attended by 26 students and 10th grade attended by 49 students on Saturday (May 25). Previously, the school also held graduation on Friday (May 24) for PYP class (grade 5). This year’s graduation is for grade 12 and grade 10 (matriculating). The theme raised in this graduation is ‘We Are Full of Wonders.’ Graduating students come from various countries such as Japan, Russia, India, America, Britain, Korea, Spain, Indonesia, and others. A total of 129 students from 19 countries graduated on the two
days. Both days were full of grandeur, majesty and decoration. Invitees looked to fill in the room and the event took place lively. The graduation ceremony was also attended by parents of all the students. Pioneer Principal of the GMIS
Jakarta, A.P. Singh, stated that he is very happy to see the development of GMIS Bali having been established for 12 years. This school has completed its dream of becoming an IB world school in less than 10 years. Recently, GMIS Bali launched its newest program, namely the IB - IB Career Related Program. GMIS Bali has prepared 4 IB programs, namely the Primary Years Program (PYP), the Middle Years Program (MYP), the Diploma Program (DP) and the Career Related Program (CRP). “We also
have Cambridge Curriculum for grades 9 and 10. The school has been able to attract students and parents from the Island of Gods for a long time. So far, we have students from 35 countries,” he said on Saturday (May 25). Parents and teachers are equally very proud of the achievements of the young generation. They expressed their excitement by congratulating students and inspiring them to be getting better in their life. Their parents are also very interested in the four new programs of
IBP/kmb42
GMIS organized a graduation ceremony for the 12th grade attended by 26 students and 10th grade attended by 49 students on Saturday (May25).
the IB -IB Career Related Program. They are interested in this program because it is the only school in Bali offering the four programs. Principal of the GMIS Bali, Jaba Biswas, provided his motivation for students that graduated on that day. “Let the magic in you explore by itself and be patient, work diligently,” he motivated. Students’ parents stated the school had been able to instill virtue as a world citizen with an open-minded approach as well as mutual respect for each other’s culture. They explained that their strong faith becomes the mission of the school. Even though implementing the IB curriculum, the GMIS still maintains the sense of nationalism. “We always teach Pancasila, moral and religious values ??to students,” he said. In addition, he hoped the graduates after attending overseas and domestic university education can return to Indonesia and contribute to the country. Ketut Asmara Putra, the parent of Komang Dinda Putri Kirani, explained that as long as his daughter attends school here, he considered that his daughter has a personality and independence as well as their creativity begins to develop. While attending school at GMIS, she is comfortable with management services and the teachers so that his daughter could finish her education smoothly. He hoped that GMIS will be better in the future to be successful and provide output of graduates that can contribute to the country. After graduating from the GMIS, his daughter will continue to her education to Singapore majoring in fashion and art. (ad559)
Crowded visits, but district government unable to charge levies
SEMARAPURA — Tourist visits to Nusa Penida is quite high, especially to Lembongan and Jungut Batu. Such conditions are acknowledged by headman of Jungut Batu, Made Gede Suryawan, where every day there are quite a lot of tourists coming to travel to Jungut Batu. As his observation, every day there are around 3,000 tourists coming down from the boat at Jungut Batu Harbor. Most of them are foreign tourists from China. However, the high number of visits has temporarily not been subject to levies. Since levies by customary villages were stopped last year, practically tourists coming down there are not subject to any levies temporarily. More seriously, thousands of the tourists coming on holiday to Jungut Batu-Lembongan do not stay overnight. They come in the morning, and return to Sanur
at noon or in the afternoon. “This is just ordinary days. During high season such as June, July, August and September, the visit is quite booming,” said Suryawan, recently. He hoped the Regional Regulation on Levies can be fully implemented in order that tourist visits to Jungut Batu and Lembongan can generate regional income. Meanwhile, the Klungkung Tourism Office continues to discuss about various regulations to attract levies from tourists traveling to Klungkung, especially to Nusa Penida tourism area. After giving birth to the Regional Regulation, the Tourism Office is preparing regent regulation as its derivative regulation in the effort to prevent the widening of leakage of regional revenue from tourism sector. Head of the Klungkung Tourism Office, Nengah Sukasta, recently said that after the turmoil in regu-
lating levies by customary villages due to non-legal status, the regional government had issued Regional Regulation No. 5/2018 concerning Regional Levies. There is already a levy value set at IDR 25,000 for adult tourists and IDR 15,000 for children. The regulation cannot yet be fully applied to the tax object because the regulation has been reduced in the form of regent regulation being finalized in the Legal Section of the Klungkung district government. Sukasta added that in the collection process, as instructed by Regent of Klungkung Nyoman Suwirta, his office will draft good cooperation with boat owners. It is meant not to make direct levies to tourists in the Nusa Penida tourism area because such way is considered disturbing. “We have received a lot of input from boat operators. We are designing how the system is
going so that it runs well and does not violate the law,” said Sukasta. He admitted that before the regent regulation is issued, his agency cannot charge any levy
and neither can customary and administrative villages. On that account, this is very urgent in order that it can be realized immediately. (kmb31)
IBP/kmb
Hundreds of tourists are dropping off at Jungut Batu traditional harbor.
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Bali News
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
International
Activities
International
Suastini Koster presents Padang Karma poetry musicalization
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
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Meaning of karmic law
DENPASAR - There was an attractive appearance with a magical nuance at the peak of the 17th anniversary of BaliTV entitled Nangun Sat Kerthi Loka Bali to Realize a New Era Bali at Ardha Candra Amphitheater, Bali Art Center, Denpasar, at Sunday night (May 26). National Artist, Putu Putri Suastini Koster, presented Poetry Musicalization entitled Padang Karma: The Door for the Persecuted accompanied with gamelan music and background dancers by ISI Denpasar. The poetry musicalization by Dhenok Kristianti was performed in full theatrical meaning of the responsibility of the results of action (karma phala) committed by someone. In the poem is explained that Goddess Durga, perceived by the community as a Goddess who is evil and full of wrath, in fact has a wise, loving and loving nature. Moreover, due to her love for people, the prayers of malice are granted as well even though she is hurt when hearing the prayers based on evil intentions. Goddess Durga is the embodiment of Goddess Uma who has a wise and loving character condemned by Lord Shiva. Despite changing appearance, the character of wisdom, compassion and love is still inherent in the Goddess Durga. “Through this poem, Mother (her familiar nickname) wants to change the impression that Goddess Durga is identical to the goddess of death and so on, so that she is called an evil goddess. Actually, good and bad deeds appear in accordance with what is desired and thought,” said Putri Suastini Koster. On that account, this wife of the Governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, invited all humanity to always walk and act on the right path. Even if we feel hurt by others, it should not be reproved with malice, let alone ask for a non-good prayer psychically because something bad coming to us is actually now purifying and melting our vices provided that such something bad is accepted with kindness and gratefulness. “Karma (cause) and Phala (effect) are our own responsibility. So, please think twice before doing and acting because what we do is appropriate with the result to be received. So, be grateful for everything coming to us,” she affirmed. (win)
Hyatt to Expand Luxury Portfolio in Asia Pacific with 21 New Hotels by 2020
IBP/Eka Adhyasa
Bali sits on archipelagic sea lane 2
National SAR Agency must guarantee sea transportation safety
MANGUPURA - Since Bali is an international tourist destination, as an agency in charge of searching and rescuing, all personnel, especially the operations department, must be prepared for 24 hours and 7 days a week continuously. This is to anticipate the possibility of incidents requiring the assistance of National SAR Agency (Basarnas). This was confirmed by the Director of Operations of Basarnas, Budi Purnama, while conducting work
visit and checking readiness during the Eid, at the Denpasar Search and Rescue Office on Friday (May 24). On that occasion, Budi Purnama said that other than being a tourist destination, the waters of Bali is also included in the Indonesian Archipelago Sea Alley (ALKI) 2 precisely located in the Lombok Strait. He said the area along ALKI 2 is usually passed through by large ships flagged by foreign countries. So, there could be a shipping acci-
dent or Medevac assistance needs. According to him, this is the reason for the placement of Main Tool in the form of helicopter at Ngurah Rai Airport. “Indonesia must be able to provide a guarantee of safety against the flow of sea and air transportation. The guarantee is in the hands of the National SAR Agency,” he said. In addition to readiness main tools, of course the quality of personnel also needs to be im-
proved. Preferably for rescuers, they must continuously want to learn, starting from the theory, frequent dry and wet exercise to be truly ready and not afraid to face any challenges. He emphasized about compactness where all fields have a role. “You have to indoctrinate yourself to think, one to be together, together to be one, all play a role and no one feels more important,” he said. On this occasion, Budi Pur-
nama had an internal meeting with the Head of the National SAR Agency and other officials. Hari Adi Purnomo as the Head of Office explained the matters related to readiness of main tool and personnel to anticipate the flow of homecoming both by sea and air transportation modes. Besides, it is also monitoring at several points of tourist objects usually crowded by visitors during Eid holidays. (kmb23)
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Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today that 21 new luxury hotels and resorts are planned to open in Asia Pacific by the end of 2020, fueling Hyatt’s brand expansion in the region. This expansion is comprised of seven Park Hyatt branded properties, six hotels each under the Grand Hyatt and Andaz brands and two Alila branded resorts, boosting Hyatt’s luxury portfolio in the region by more than 25%. “We are excited to expand our luxury portfolio in Asia Pacific,
bringing more distinct experiences through the Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Andaz and Alila brands to destinations that matter most to our guests,” said Carina Chorengel, senior vice president, Commercial, Asia Pacific, Hyatt. “As we expand our resort, lifestyle and wellbeing offerings, we will better cater to today’s increasingly diverse luxury travelers who seek greater personalization, whether they are traveling for business or leisure.” With this expansion, a record number of seven Park Hyatt hotels
are expected to open in under two years – a significant milestone for Hyatt, which adds an average of one Park Hyatt property per year. The Andaz brand, known to offer immersive cultural experiences, is set to double its footprint in Asia Pacific with new openings in major cities such as Seoul, Dubai and Shenzhen, alongside resort destinations such as Bali, as well as Sanya and Xiamen in China. Set to join the World of Hyatt loyalty program later this year following its integration into the Hyatt
portfolio in 2018, the Alila brand will add two resorts in Malaysia and Oman next year. Together these two resorts will bring the brand’s contemporary expressions of centuryold traditions, authentic experiences and sustainable mindset closer to more travelers. Additionally, the Grand Hyatt brand continues its steady growth momentum with new openings in emerging cities in China, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. “We see enormous potential to grow our luxury portfolio in Asia
Pacific, which currently accounts for 40% of Hyatt’s overall portfolio in the region,” said Patrick Finn, senior vice president, real estate and development, Asia Pacific, Hyatt. “Hyatt has a distinct and differentiated strategy with each of our brands positioned at the high end of every segment in which we operate, and we are committed to expanding our brand footprint in major business cities, cultural destinations and leisure hot spots that resonate with developers, owners and guests.”
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Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Banderas wins Cannes ‘best actor’ as Almodovar alter ego
CANNES - Hollywood actor Antonio Banderas has portrayed Zorro and Pablo Picasso but he is above all the go-to actor of Oscarwinning director Pedro Almodovar, who launched his hugely successful film career in Spain in the early 1980s. And it was the 58-year-old’s nuanced portrayal of Almodovar’s alter ego in the director’s “Pain & Glory” that won him the best actor award at the Cannes film festival -- his first major award Sporting Almodovar’s spiky hair and colourful clothes, he plays the movie’s central character, an ageing Spanish director who is plagued by physical and psychological frailty who revisits childhood memories. Almodovar, 69, has repeatedly said Banderas gives the “best performance of his life” in the film, which ran in competition for the Palme d’Or top prize. And on accepting his award, Banderas dedicated it Almodovar,
who has cast him in eight films and helped make him a global box office draw. “I respect him, I admire him, I love him, he’s my mentor and he’s given me so much in my entire life that this award, obviously, has to be dedicated to him,” he said. After decades in the profession, Banderas said it was “mindblowing” to have won his first major award. “After 40 years of being a professional actor, I’ve been nominated for practically everything except the Oscars, and I never got on the stage,” he said, citing four nominations for the Golden Globes and two for an Emmy among a string of others that never ended with an award. “So to get up there tonight was not very good news for my cardiologist!” he quipped in a nod to the heart attack he had in 2017 after which he had three operations. (afp)
Tuesday, May 28, 2019 South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho (L) poses during a photocall with South Korean actor Song Kang-ho after he won the Palme d’Or for the film “Parasite (Gisaengchung)” on May 25, 2019 during the closing ceremony of the 72nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France.
Bong and Song: the double act behind S. Korea’s Cannes victory
CANNES - To give you some idea how good an actor South Korea’s Song Kang-ho is, one of the first things director Bong Joon-ho did Saturday after he won the top prize at the Cannes was to drop to his knee and offer the Palme d’Or to his friend.
Spanish actor Antonio Banderas
LOIC VENANCE / AFP
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An actor who has become something of a national treasure, Song has starred in several of the divided country’s greatest movies. He also shines at the heart of “Parasite” as the head of a family of penniless scammers in the darkly comic drama that brought Bong his historic Cannes victory. Song, 52, has made four films with Bong including the 2006 monster flick “The Host” and Bong’s first English-language film “Snowpiercer”, both of which were
box office and critical smashes. “I rely on Song a lot,” the director told a recent press conference in Seoul. “Working with him has allowed me to be more brave as a filmmaker, and take on more difficult challenges.” After starting his career on stage, Song made his first film appearance in 1996 in now-acclaimed director Hong Sang-soo’s debut movie, “The Day a Pig Fell into a Wall”.
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Since then, he has appeared in more than 30 films and worked with top South Korean filmmakers including Park Chan-wook, Kang Je-gyu and Lee Chang-dong. Song has had roles in some of the most significant works in South Korean cinema’s modern history. Director Kang Je-gyu’s 1999 spy action film “Shiri” was the nation’s first big-budget, Hollywood-style blockbuster, and outperformed “Titanic” at the South Korean box office that year. (afp)
AP Photo/Sebastien Erome
Soldiers of French anti terrorist plan “Vigipirate Mission”, secure the area, near the site of a suspected bomb attack in central Lyon, Friday May, 24, 2019. A small explosion Friday on a busy street in the French city of Lyon lightly injured several people, local officials said.
4 suspects arrested after Lyon bomb attack that wounded 13
PARIS - French police have arrested four suspects following a blast in the city of Lyon that wounded 13 people last week, authorities said Monday. TV footage showed a police operation underway Monday in a small town outside Lyon involving officers wearing ski masks. Police had launched a large manhunt after a device exploded Friday on a busy pedestrian street in France’s third-largest city. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner announced the first arrest on Twitter, a development later confirmed by Paris prosecutors, who handle all terrorism-related cases. The prosecutors’ office later
said three other suspects, including a woman, were detained and formally arrested. According to French media, they included the mother and the brother of the main suspect. Lyon mayor Gerard Collomb, a former interior minister, said one of the suspects is an IT student who was arrested as he stepped off a bus. “It’s a relief for all Lyon inhabitants. I believe the case has been resolved,” Collomb told BFM TV. “If there was a network, it has been
identified and will certainly be dismantled.” French President Emmanuel Macron has called the explosion an “attack” but no group has claimed responsibility for the explosion yet. An investigation has been opened for “attempted murder in relation with a terrorist undertaking” and “criminal terrorist association.” Last week, France’s counterterrorism prosecutor, Remy Heitz, described video surveillance that showed a suspect heading toward the center of Lyon on a bike Friday afternoon. The man was seen arriving on foot, pushing his bike along a pedestrian-only street, then
leaving a paper bag on a concrete block in the middle of the street near a bakery. The suspect immediately returned to his bike and left the same way. One minute later, the explosion shattered the glass of a refrigerator in the bakery, Heitz said. Regional authorities said the 13 wounded suffered mostly minor injuries. It was unclear whether the suspect first arrested Monday was the same person, although Collomb said the detained student was identified thanks to video surveillance. Investigators at the scene have found screws, ball bearings, bat-
teries, a triggering device that can be used remotely and plastic pieces that may come from the explosive device. France has been hit by a spate of attacks in recent years, some of them deadly, carried out by people ranging from extremist attackers to mentally unstable individuals. (ap) 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.