Edisi 29 April 2015 | International Bali Post

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

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Wednesday, April 29, 2015

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‘Age of Ultron’ is an Avengers overdose

It will surely stand as one of the most peculiar and possibly ironic entries in a director’s filmography that in between Joss Whedon’s two “Avengers” films there reads “Much Ado About Nothing”: a low-budget, black-and-white Shakespeare adaption sandwiched between two of the most gargantuan blockbusters ever made.

In “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” there is definitely aplenty ado-ing.

Too much, certainly, but then again, we come to the Avengers for their clown-car excess of superheroes, their colorful coterie of capes. What binds Whedon’s spectacles with his Shakespeare are the quips, which sail in iambic pentameter in one and zigzag between explosions in the others. The original 2012 “Avengers” should have had more of them, and there’s even less room in the massive — and massively overstuffed — sequel for Whedon’s dry, self-referential wit.

As a sequel, “Age of Ultron” pushes further into emotionality and complexity, adding up to a full but not particularly satisfying meal of franchise building, and leaving only a bread-crumb trail of Whedon’s banter to follow through the rubble.

The action starts predictably with the Avengers assaulting a remote HYDRA base in the fictional Eastern European republic of Sokovia. They are a weaving force: Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, Chris Evans’s Captain America, Scarlett

Johansson’s Black Widow and Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye.

Their powers are as various (supernatural, technological, mythological) as their flaws (Iron Man’s narcissism, the Hulk’s rage, the Black Widow’s regrets). Downey’s glib Tony Stark/ Iron Man is the lead-singer equivalent of this super group and, I suspect, the one Whedon likes writing for the most. “I’ve had a long day,” he sighs.

“Eugene O’Neill long.”

What “Age of Ultron” has going for it, as such references prove, is a sense of fun, a lack of self-seriousness that persists even when things start going kablooey — something not always evident in other faux-serious superhero films. (See: “Man of Steel,” or rather, don’t.)

In Sokovia, they encounter duplicitous twins: the quick-footed Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and the mystical Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). The real villain, though, is the titular Ultron, an artificial intelligence that the Scarlet Witch slyly leads Stark to create, birthing not the global protection system he hopes, but a maniacal Frankenstein born, thankfully, with some of his creator’s drollness.

Ultron (James Spader) builds himself a muscular metallic body and begins amassing a robot army to rid the planet of human life. Spader plays Ultron who is too similar to other mechanical monsters to equal Tom Hiddleston’s great Loki, the nemesis of the last “Avengers” film. But Spader’s

jocular menace adds plenty. He wickedly hums Pinocchio melodies: “There are no strings on me.”

But the drama of “Age of Ultron” lies only partly in the battle with Ultron. The film is really focused on the fraying dysfunction of the Avengers and their existential quandaries as proficient killers now untethered from the dismantled S.H.I.E.L.D. agency.

There’s not a wrong note in the cast; just about anything with the likes of Spader, Ruffalo, Johansson, Hemsworth and Downey can’t help but entertain. But the dive into the vulnerability of the Avengers doesn’t add much depth (is the home life of an arrow slinger named Hawkeye important?) and saps the film’s zip.

All the character arcs — the Avengers, the bad guys and the new characters — are simply too much to tackle, even for a master juggler like Whedon.

The movie’s hefty machinery — the action sequences, the sequel baiting — suck up much of the movie’s oxygen.

In the relentless march forward of the Marvel juggernaut, “Age of Ultron” feels like a movie trying to stay light on its feet but gets swallowed up by a larger power: The Franchise.

“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” a Walt Disney release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for “intense sequences of sci-fi action, violence and destruction.”

Running time: 141 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four. (ap)

Disney/Marvel via AP

This photo provided by Disney/Marvel shows, from left, Cobie Smulders, seated, Chris Evans, Don Cheadle, Claudia Kim, Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo and Scarlett Johansson in the film, “Avengers: Age Of Ultron.” The movie releases in U.S. theaters on May 1, 2015.

Ukraine says rebels firing rocket launchers again Page 6

Mariah Carey makes grand entrance for Vegas show

AP Photo/Claude Paris, File

LAS VEGAS — Mariah Carey arrived to cheering screams at Caesars Palace Monday night in a classic 1936 pink convertible trailing behind 18 mobile billboards bearing the titles of her number one hits including “Always be my baby” from 1996 and “Heartbreaker” from 1999. The gladiator-clad men took it from there, carrying Carey through the casino on a platform fit for Cleopatra.

The grand entrance marked her Las Vegas Strip arrival that will bring her chart-topping hits to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace starting May 6 with performances through July.

Called “Mariah #1 to Infinity,” the show is timed with the debut of Carey’s newest breakup single and music video dubbed “Infinity.”

Carey sang along to the new song on a stage inside, at one point filming herself and the crowd with an iPhone.

“I can’t wait to sing all the hits for you guys,” she told the crowd.

Devin Cole, 28, can’t wait to hear them. The Queens resident with a Carey collage on his phone

hopped a flight to Las Vegas for the weekend when he heard about the Caesars event. Cole credited Carey’s songs for keeping him alive as he battled depression at 16 years old.

“She’s a lyrical goddess,” he said.

The Grammy winner is among the best-selling female solo artists of all time and joins the ranks of Celine Dion, Elton John, Rod Stewart and Shania Twain, who have all taken up residency at The Colosseum. Across the Strip, pop star Britney Spears calls a Planet Hollywood stage home.

Tickets for Carey’s show are priced from $55 to $250. (ap)

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

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Bayern could face long-term challenge from Wolfsburg Page 8

Indonesia gears up for executions as families wail in grief

CILACAP - Indonesia made final preparations Tuesday to execute eight foreigners by firing squad, as family members wailed in grief during last visits to their loved ones and ambulances carrying white coffins arrived at the drug convicts’ prison.

Relatives of Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, the Australian ringleaders of the so-called “Bali Nine” heroin trafficking group, arrived at Nusakambangan prison calling for mercy for their loved ones, with Sukumaran’s sister collapsing in grief, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

Chan and Sukumaran are among nine prisoners -- eight of whom are foreign and one Indonesian -- facing death after authorities gave them final notice of their executions at the weekend.

The families have been asked to say their final goodbyes by Tuesday afternoon as signs indicated the death sentences would be carried out by early the next day.

Australian media have published photos of crosses that will be used for the coffins, inscribed with Wednesday’s date, 29.04.2015.

An AFP reporter at Nusakambangan, the high-security prison where the convicts are awaiting their sentence, said ambulances carrying the empty white coffins had arrived.

The convicts, who have been held in isolation cells since the weekend, also include nationals from Brazil, the Philippines and Nigeria.

President Joko Widodo, who believes Indonesia is facing an emergency due to rising drugs use, has signalled his determination to push on with the executions despite mounting international condemnation led by UN Secre-

Iraq faces huge challenges dislodging Islamic State in Anbar Page 13

atan Syuflana

AP Photo/T tary General Ban Ki-moon.

Myuran Sukuof s ter nter, sis Indonesian Attorney-General Muival Brintha Sukumaran, ce ath row, cries upon arr hammad Prasetyo told AFP the authoriran, an Australian on de of d ma an isl n so ss to the pri ties will not announce a date before the jayapura ferry port to cro ntral Java, Indonesia, Wi at executions. acap, Ce Nusakambangan, in Cil .

15 20 , 28 ril Tuesday, Ap

Screaming for mercy

The families of Chan and Sukumaran, who have been visiting them frequently in recent days, were unable to control their emotion as they arrived at Cilacap, the town that serves as the gateway to Nusakambangan.

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.

a

AP Photo/Tatan Syuflan

an, an brother of Andrew Ch at WiMichael Chan, center, l iva arr row, walks upon d of Australian on death an isl n iso pr cross to the es jayapura ferry port to on ia, acap, Central Java, Ind Nusakambangan, in Cil .

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

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AP Photo/Tatan Syuflan

Jane rk Darren, sons of Mary WiMark Daniel, left, and Ma at ive arr , row ath de n on of Veloso, a Filipino woma d an isl cross to the prison AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana ia, jayapura ferry port to es on Ind , va ntral Ja Armed police officers and security personnel stand guard as a ferry carrying ambulances prepares to Nusakambangan, in Cilacap, Ce .

15 20 , 28 set off for Nusakambangan island in Cilacap, Central Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, April 28, 2015.

Tuesday, April

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International

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Bali News

International

Activities

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

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Enjoying unique tea experience at Table8

Illegal Water sport at Banyualit

NUSA DUA - If you want to enjoy a unique experience while drinking your tea, you should add Table8 at Mulia Resort and Villas, Nusa Dua in your check list. The new Table8 at Mulia Resort’s promenade level includes popular delicacies from China’s two regions, Canton and Sichuan. Consequently, Table8 brings in tea masters to complement the authentic oriental dining experience. The tea master learns the kung fu moves from China intensively for a couple of months and a year of practice before performing live in the restaurant.

Municipal Police threaten to forcibly dismantle facilities

The tea is served in a unique way. It is not an easy thing to do as each tea master must learn kung fu moves that requires physical and mental strength to perform the artistic ritual.

Firstly, a round-shaped bundle of tea (Hua Cha Shuang Xi Lin Men, or in short – flower tea) is presented on the table in a long glass. This customized, hand woven creation consists of two types of Chrysanthemum flowers – symbolizing happiness, Jasmine flowers and Green Tea leaves from Fujian province in China.

A tea master then will stop by your table with a long nosed brass kettle pouring hot water from afar with an artistic movement as if shown by a kung fu master. The bundle, with a touch of hot water then will slowly bloom into a beautiful flower and ready to be enjoyed. Table8 serves various Chinese tea leaves, from green tea, white tea, oolong to Chinese black tea, Pu-er.

SINGARAJA - The construction of a water sports facility on the beach of Banyualit hamlet, Lovina, was undertaken without a permit from the local government. For this violation, the Buleleng Municipal Police threatened to dismantle the facilities within 14 days if the owner does not submit a request for the permit. Other than the water sport facilities themselves, other buildings onsite also have no building permit (IMB). The owner, who is a foreigner from Australia, intentionally built the facility before requesting a permit.

These facts were revealed when the Buleleng Municipal Police inspected the construction site of the water sports facilities on Banyualit Beach on Monday afternoon (Apr. 27). The inspection team was led by the Chief of the Buleleng Municipal Police, I Made Budi Astawa. The inspection also involved the Head of the Buleleng Environment Agency (BLH), Nyoman Surya Temaja, the Head of Culture and Tourism Agency, Gede Suyasa, and headman of Kalibukbuk I Ketut Suka.

The entourage originally wanted to meet the owner of the water sports facility. Unfortunately, the owner was on site, but they were received by the project coordinator, I Gede Wenten. Apart from asking for an explanation from the coordinator, Municipal Police also had a closer look at the construction of the tourist facilities by the sea. When Municipal Police asked to Wenten to present the permit documents, he stated that his boss has not submitted a request for the permit yet.

Chief of the Buleleng Municipal Police, I Made Budi Astawa, said the business owner has committed a vio-

lation. According to the explanation of the project coordinator, the owner that has started to build and install the water sport facilities by the sea had deliberately not submitted a request for a permit.

For the violation, the Municipal Police issued a reprimand letter and stopped the construction of the water sports project. The owner was given 14 days to submit the licensing documents. If the owner has not down so within before the deadline, the Municiple Police threatened to forcibly dismantle the water sports facilities.

“Our inspection has revealed that the water sports facility in fact has not permit so we have issued a cease and decist order for the construction workers. If after 14 days the owner has not submitted the request for the permits, we will dismantle these facilities,” he said.

Responding to the reprimand, the project coordinator, I Gede Wenten, stated that he will immediately inform his boss Mr. Robmuir, 47, a foreign national from Australia. Wenten promised to immediately submit a request for the permit after receiving the go-ahead from his business partner

in Australia. When the installation of the water sports facility began, village authorities invited Robmuir to present his plan. Based on this plan, the adjacent hotels objected to the project on the beach of Banyualit. In response to these objections, the project was changed into a water park that would not be using motorized boats or Jetski. With the change in the type of business, village authorities said they were prepared to provide support, which is when the construction started.

However, Wenten said that he didn’t think that the installation of the ecofriendly tourism facilities required a permit. After receiving the reprimand from the Municipal Police, Wenten promised to submit the documents for the permits according to applicable regulations.

“I will definitely submit the documents required to request the permits and will address this issue as soon as possible because this business is being built in cooperation with a foreigner from Australia,” he said.

Wenten also said that the tourism facilities are not actually for water sports, but are meant to be used as a water park. The equipment that has

The officers of Buleleng Government are inspecting the water sport facilities in Banyualit, Buleleng

NEGARA - Aside from pest attack, farmers in Jembrana are anxious due to bad weather conditions during harvest season. Strong winds accompanied with rain have caused the ready-forharvest paddy to fall and kindles the selling price of grain to slump. Under this condition, the paddy middlemen determine the price.

The paddy of a number of subak areas that have been ready to harvest fell and even was under water. The fallen paddy has expanded so that makes the farmers concerned. “If the condition is like this, the price will go down though

having been given upfront payment by grain middlemen,” complained one of the farmers whose paddy fell met at Pohsanten. The middlemen are reluctant to pay according to the initial agreement because the quality of grain is down. Other than in subak area, the paddy plots owned by the demonstration plot of Auxiliary Seed Agency (BBP) at Pohsanten also looked to have collapsed.

Deputy Chairman of the Jembrana House, I Wayan Wardana, also claimed to often find such a condition. Under that condition, farmers

resigned to accept a renegotiation despite being given upfront payment because their paddy has fallen.

“Grain middlemen are willing not to revoke the upfront payment, but the price will be decreased from initial agreement. I often mediate to make an agreement so that it will not be detrimental to farmers,” said the legislator who has been long involved in farmer cooperatives. When harvest arrives, it is indeed difficult to distinguish grain middlemen because they simultaneously come down and are overwhelmed due to the lack of har-

vesting labor. As a result, the harvest is then made gradually.

On the other hand, the Head of Jembrana Agriculture Agency, I Ketut Wiratma, admitted that the quite troublesome problem faced by farmers today is the fallen paddy. Though it will not interfere with the production, certainly the quality of grain will decline and it has an impact on the selling price. “What we worry about is actually the pest, but it has been only a little and promptly addressed. Now, the fallen paddy becomes a threat,” said Wiratma. According to him, the

Balinese Temple Ceremony

IBP/file

been installed in the ocean was accidentally brought in from overseas and classified as an eco-friendly facility. It resembles a sofa that can be moved if no tourists rent the facility or if the marine weather conditions are not favorable. As for the supporting facilities, Wenten admitted that they intended to have a reception building, a kitchen and a cashier’s office.

The buildings are being constructed on contracted land owned by a local resident who has leased the land for

for a period of five years.

As reported earlier, local residents and hotel owners suspected that the installation of the water tourism facility out to sea was illegal. The construction can be clearly seen from shore as it lies just 100 meters out to sea. To prevent the facility from drifting, it has been anchored to the sea bed. There is concern that the anchor could harm sprouting coral reef which are a main attraction for divers visiting Lovina. (kmb38)

More and more paddy plants fall, price of grain drops

issue cannot be predicted because it depends on natural factors.

The Agriculture Agency has not made data collection on the fallen paddy, but it is ascertained to happen evenly in some subak areas, while at the others occurred sporadically. “It occurs sporadically and unevenly in one plot. It is the will of nature, so that we cannot predict. We urge farmers to immediately harvest it,” said Wiratma.

Some shorter rice varieties are also tested in the demonstration plots as planted at Pohsanten, but in fact they also fall. (kmb26)

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IBP/Courtesy of Mulia Resort

Every Temple and Shrine has a special date for it annual Ceremony, or “ Odalan “, every 210 days according to Balinese calendar, including the smaller ancestral shrine which each family possesses. Because of this practically every few days a ceremony of festival of some kind takes place in some Village in Bali. There are also times when the entire island celebrated the same Holiday, such as at Galungan, Kuningan, Nyepi day, Saraswati day, Tumpek Landep day, Pagerwesi day, Tumpek Wayang day etc.

The dedication or inauguration day of a Temple is considered its birth day and celebration always takes place on the same day if the wuku or 210 day calendar is used. When new moon is used then the celebration always happens on new moon or full moon. The day of course can differ the religious celebration of a temple lasts at least one full day with some temple celebrating for three days while the celebration of Besakih temple, the Mother Temple, is never less than 7 days and most of the time it lasts for 11 days, depending on the importance of the occasion.

The celebration is very colorful. The shrine are dressed with pieces of cloths and sometimes with brocade, sailings, decorations of carved wood and sometimes painted with gold and Chinese coins, very beautifully arranged, are hung in the four corners of the shrine. In front of shrine are placed red, white or black umbrellas depending which Gods are worshipped in the shrines.

In front of important shrine one sees, besides these umbrellas soars, tridents and other weapons, the “umbulumbul”, long flags, all these are prerogatives or attributes of Holiness. In front of the Temple gate put up “Penjor”, long bamboo poles, decorated beautifully ornaments of young coconut leaves, rice and other products of the land.

Most beautiful to see are the girls in their colorful attire, carrying offerings, arrangements of all kinds fruits and colored cakes, to the Temple. Every visitor admires the grace with which the carry their load on their heads.

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Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Technology

International

Yahoo unveils new online video series

NEW YORK - US Internet giant Yahoo said Monday it was expanding its online offerings, unveiling 18 new video series with which it hopes to attract a larger audience and advertisers.

Of these, 14 will be featured in Yahoo’s digital magazines, which focus on beauty, show business and finance.

“I Am Naomi,” starring model Naomi Campbell, and “Riding Shotgun with Michelle Rodriguez,” which will feature actress Michelle Rodriguez driving cars,

are among the new offerings.

Music will be another big focus for the company as it courts millennials. It will be extending a deal with Live Nation to broadcast music festivals, and will join iHeartMedia to broadcast other music events.

Electronic dance music will

be the theme of “Ultimate DJ,” produced by Simon Cowell.

And Yahoo unveiled a new long-form series: a comedy called “The Pursuit” aimed at millennials in the digital age.

Chief executive Marissa Mayer is trying to get Yahoo back on the growth track.

“Yahoo is amidst a multiyear transformation to return an iconic company to greatness,” Mayer said in an earnings statement last week.

“This quarter, we saw encouraging revenue growth of eight percent, with display revenue growing a modest two percent and search growing 20 percent.”

Yahoo has been under pres-

sure from activist shareholders to deliver more value with lower costs and a narrower focus.

Mayer spent more than $1 billion to acquire the blogging platform Tumblr to reach a younger market segment and has made a push to focus more on mobile content and search.

But Yahoo remains far behind search market leader Google, based on market surveys. (afp)

Starbucks breakdown shows how registers have evolved

NEW YORK — A glitch that disabled registers at thousands of Starbucks stores Friday was a reminder of the invisible systems restaurants rely on to run increasingly sophisticated operations.

Registers that once merely rang up tabs and stored cash have evolved into hubs that can collect enormous volumes of data and carry out many tasks.

They process credit cards, send orders to computer screens in kitchens and help run loyalty programs.

In the industry, they’re called pointof-sale, or POS, systems, and vary greatly in what they can do.

The register malfunction that forced Starbucks to close stores last week was surprisingly large; it affected all company-owned stores in the U.S. and Canada, or more than 60 percent of roughly 13,500 locations.

“I have never heard of anything on a national scale like this,” said Blaine Hurst, chief transformation and growth officer at Panera Bread Co. Starbucks said the outage was the result of an “internal failure during a daily system refresh,” and declined to provide further details.

Regardless of the shutdown’s cause, modern-day registers have become an essential tool for helping restaurants with: The transactions recorded through registers can give companies insight on everything from how many chicken wings were sold in a particular week to whether a new iced coffee is faring well in warmer regions of the country.

“Data is the holy grail of retail,” said Craig Bahner, former chief marketing officer for Wendy’s. “We always thought of the POS system as a tool to be able to get to know your customer.”

Bahner noted that loyalty programs can provide another level of data by connecting purchases to specific individuals. That allows companies to better tailor promotions and offers.

Beyond helping companies understand customer tastes, sales data can help chains run tighter ships. It can let managers better predict how many beef patties they’ll need in the

coming week, or plan how many workers they’ll need to schedule.

It’s one of the reasons that Sonic Corp. began asking franchisees to convert to one of two new POS systems last year. Claudia San Pedro, chief financial officer for the chain of drive-in restaurants, said the systems can use sales data to help manage supplies and worker schedules, with the aim of boosting the bottom line.

Restaurant chains are always shaking up their menus or dangling limited-time offers to attract customers; think of the McRib at

McDonald’s or the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks. That means chains need to regularly update their menus, and may have to adjust registers as well.

Earlier this month, for instance, Boston Market offered a “Buy One, Get One” promotion for Tax Day that required a special button to be programmed into registers.

Given the chaos that could ensue if registers were to malfunction, Boston Market has an “IT Lab” where it tests upgrades on about a dozen machines, said Gregory Uhing, the chain’s chief financial

officer, who also oversees technology.

“We try to see if we can break it,” Uhing said.

When things go wrong with the chain’s POS systems, Uhing said it’s often because of minor, unrelated snafus related to the multiple services interacting together in one machine.

The technology that companies use to program their registers varies.

For instance, Panera’s Hurst said he previously reviewed a program

by Micros called Simphony that

updates menus and prices on registers by loading the information into a cloud. If the data in the cloud were to be wiped out for whatever reason, that would theoretically leave registers unable to function, Hurst said.

A representative for Micros, which announced Starbucks as a client for its POS system in 2011, was not available for comment.

Registers are usually hooked up to Internet connections for a variety of reason, including making sure credit cards are authorized before accepting them as payment. (ap)

Bali News

International

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Thousands of UNUD students and faculty protest at courthouse DENPASAR - Thousands of students, faculties and staff from Udayana University (UNUD) joined with others to protest the use of 2.76 hectares of disputed land on Jalan Uluwatu, Jimbaran, Badung, on Monday (Apr. 27). The demonstration was attended by the Rector of Udayana University, Prof. Dr. Ketut Suastika, along with the deputy rector and a number of officials.

In essence, the protesters coordinated by Arta Dana, and President of the student, Klara Listyadewi, demanded that the execution of a project on disputed land be suspended given that Udayana University has yet to submit their review of the project to the courts.

The Udayana students who were escorted by hundreds of police led by the Chief of Denpasar Police, A.A. Made Sudana, said in a speech that they suspected that there was a conspiracy afoot by those wishing to possess the disputed land including one investor in particular.. So, the students carried banners that read ‘Reject the Execution,’ ‘Grant Review of Court,’ ‘Save Udayana,’ ‘Bring Back the State Land’ and ‘Do Not Forfeit Education for Money,’ and a number of other demands.

Orations blasted over loudspeakers from a pickup truck with the enthusiastic support of the students who held clenched fists in the air yelling: “Reject the Execution”.

This loud chanting was followed by the singing of songs led by the field coordinator, one such song was entitled: ‘Reject the Execution Right Now.’ All of this took place in front of the Denpasar District Court on Jalan Sudirman, Denpasar, from morning until noon on Monday. There was also shouting about the fact that the disputed land is now estimated to be worth IDR 500 million per 100 square meters. “The price of land is IDR 500 million per 100 square meters. Who does not have an intention to own this land? We suspect that the party that claims to want to own this land is (allegedly) backed

up by investors. Do you accept this my friends?” said the students in their speech. Thousands of people who gathered from various sectors including the academic community shouted back “Noooooooooo.”

The students loudly voiced their suspicions that Udayana University is being mocked by those who have their eyes on 2.76 hectares of disputed land.

The Rector of Udayana University, Prof. Ketut Suastika also got up onto the podium on the pickup truck to encourage his students.

Prof. Suastika chronologically outlined the details of the case with plaintiff Ni Wayan Kepreg and Nyoman Swastika, in the Denpasar District Court and High Court that had been won by Udayana University. However, the appeal to the Supreme Court was won by Ni Wayan Kepreg and Nyoman Swastika who were declared the rightful owners of the disputed land based on their land title (pipil) and property tax bill (SPPT).

After the speeches, escorted by Agung Sudana, the rector and deputy rector were received by the Denpasar District Court, represented by Deputy Chief Dr. Made Suweda and Spokesperson Hasoloan Sianturi.

For approximately one hour, on the second floor of the Denpasar District Court, they discussed the issue. After the meeting, the rector said that there are two things that support the suspension of the execution, namely the realm of law and security. “We are now applying the review of court, and indeed the review of court does not delay the execution. We are waiting and talk-

Thousands of students, faculties and staff from Udayana University (UNUD) joined with others to protest the use of 2.76 hectares of disputed land on Jalan Uluwatu, Jimbaran, Badung, on Monday (Apr. 27). ing about legal process. We will ask the students to withdraw to let the court get back to work” explained Prof. Suastika. As for the results of the meeting, the rector said that the Chief of the Denpasar District Court, Sugeng Riyono, said that in terms of legality the execution cannot be delayed. “Theoretically, the execution team will proceed,” he said.

Is there any commitment from the District Court to delay operations? Prof. Suastika said that the execution of the plan will continue.

Spokesperson for the Denpasar District Court, Hasoloan Sianturi, said that the verdict of the case was read out by the Supreme Court on

May 7, 2014. In essence, the Supreme Court received and granted the plaintiff’s claim in its entirety.

The plaintiff is legally valid as the owner of the land on behalf of (the late) I Ripuh; the defendant’s act is against the law. Over the Supreme Court decision, the plaintiff invoked an execution and has issued reprimand twice but the defendant of the execution was not present, so according to procedure a letter of execution was then issued. Hasoloan said that the execution was finally held on Monday (Apr. 27, 2015) at the location of the object of the case. The execution on Monday made a fool of Udayana University because while the demonstration was being held at the Denpasar

GIANYAR - A 1,000 meters long canvas was recently painted on Jalan Dharmagiri Gianyar by hundreds of artists from Gianyar as part of the celebrations of the town of Gianyar’s 244th anniversary. The stretch of canvas was partially painted before being mounted, the other 50 percent of the painting was then finished on location by the painters who made it into a master work. A 1,000 meter long painting begs

the question of where it can be displayed or stored. The results of the group painting were on display for 3 days and in fact drew many interested people. Approximately 12 of the painters sold their paintings on the spot, while the remaining paintings were taken home by their artists.

Committee chairman of the 1,000 meter painting activity, I Nyoman Arjawa, said that some 552 Ganyarese painters par-

ticipated in the event. After being displayed for three days, the paintings were relinquished to their respective artist. “Indeed, some paintings were sold and the money was immediately accepted by the painters,” said Arjawa.

The canvas itself was provided by the government, as was food and transportation for the artists. This was the first time that Gianyar organized a 1,000 meter painting activity which aimed at

giving painters an opportunity to showcase their talent. Until now, the government has only focused on showcasing the talent of dancers and gamelan players.

The anniversary of Gianyar was an opportunity to hold this unique event which will be immortalized in a book. Arjawa added that the paintings that were created during this event can be borrowed from the respective artists when needed. (dar)

IBP/Yudi Karnaedi

1,000 meter long painting

AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File

In this Dec. 6, 2010 file photo, a customer pays for a coffee beverage at Starbucks in the SoHo neighborhood of New York. A glitch that disabled registers at thousands of Starbucks stores on Friday, April 24, 2015 was a reminder of the invisible systems restaurants rely on to run increasingly sophisticated operations.

3

District Court, the executors of the Denpasar District Court led by Komang Bayu Wirawan proceeded smoothly with the execution at the location of the disputed land. (kmb37)

4

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Bali News

International

Narmada Bali Raja Park to be managed by village

BANGLI - The Narmada Bali Raja Park located at Taman Bali village, Bangli, has long been abandoned and is unkempt. There is now a plan for the local community to take over management of the park -as disclosed by headman of Taman Bali, I Dewa Gd. Ngurah Oka, on Tuesday.

He said that the park has the potential to be developed into an ideal tourist destination. Previously, the government had promoted the park but nothing further was done. Since the park is located adjacent to other tourist attractions, such as the Bukit Jati and Taman Nusa Gianyar, the Narmada Bali Raja Park has a good chance of becoming a popular tourist destination. “I think this park has the potential to attract tourists, but we need to have a management plan,” he said.

When asked when renovations would begin, Ngurah Oka said that they will start immediately and will be equipped with park facilities such as gazebos and such, but the management plan still needs to be discussed with village and community leaders. “We need to communicate the management plan to the village apparatus before further measures can be taken” he explained.

The park, with an extensive pool, is in poor condition and looks dishevelled with weeds overrunning the place and nothing is left of the rest area by the pool exept for a few beams and a seat. The parks ticket booth has also collapsed.

Taman Bali resident, Pande Ketut Ar-

dana, said that the park has been completely abandoned for about ten years but: “many travellers still come to visit the park, but since it is abandoned like this, they immediately leave,” he said.

Ardana explained that the parking lot for the park was recently repaired but only because it was not known that the park itself was abandoned, so the parking lot has since being turned into a building materials store. “Parking spaces had been prepared, but we do not know why it was suddenly abandoned,” he added.

According to Ngurah Oka, the other potential tourist attractions to be developed are the Guliang Kangin waterfalls that shower 11 colors and Kuning waterfall located at Kuning hamlet. Both objects are found at Taman Bali village and have been managed by the local customary village. Nevertheless, the Kuning waterfall attraction also faces similar fate as the Narmada Bali Raja Park that was included in the promotional program but has not been managed properly.

Considering the great potential and lack of attention given by the government, at the beginning of this month, the Kuning waterfall started to be managed by the youth club

The Narmada Bali Raja Park

(sekaa taruna) of local customary village.

Chief of Kuning customary village, Taman Bali village, Ngakan Perasi Semarabawa, said that currently the Kuning 30 foot waterfall attraction has started to be visited by travellers. For the most part. these travellers are young people. “Many visitors are now starting to visit this attraction” he said.

Visitors to the waterfalls do not only get to see the swift water cascading down, but can also enjoy the fresh mountain water by taking dip in the pools below, or just take pictures. Although many visitors have come, Semarabawa admitted that no institution manages the waterfalls. “So far, there is no official management handling the waterfall attraction,” he explained.

Semarabawa revealed that the large number of visitors to the Kuning waterfall can provide additional income to the regionally generated revenue (PAD) from the tourism sector. “We will communicate this idea to the Culture and Tourism Agency, especially regarding supporting facilities,” he said. He added those visiting the waterfalls are not charged any particular amount, but are invited to make a sincere donation. (kmb45)

IBP/Sosiawan

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

International

Iraq faces huge challenges dislodging Islamic State in Anbar

Lake Buyan still overgrown by water hyacinth

SINGARAJA - One of the sources of water needs in Bali is the spring at Lake Buyan and Lake Tamblingan. Ecosystem preservation and sanitation of the area around the lake is a must, and cannot be neglected as such. Seriousness in the handling is still necessary considering if the lake is polluted it will have an impact on living creatures around it.

A researcher doubling as lecturer at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Udayana, Dr. Kartini, said on Tuesday that the ecosystem preservation of Lake Buyan and Lake Tamblingan must be maintained by Balinese people, especially from the threat of water hyacinth weed. The government of Buleleng has a difficult task to overcome the presence of water hyacinth, either in the environment of Lake Buyan or around Lake Tamblingan. “Now, on the outskirts of Lake Buyan, I have seen a lot of water hyacinth scattering. It should be quickly addressed considering the rapid growth of water hyacinth in waters of lake area,” said Kartini.

She revealed that the presence of water hyacinth in Lake Buyan can be used to produce organic fertilizer or compost.

The processing of water hyacinth into fertilizer needs human resources and special tool so that the proliferation does not damage the environment around the Lake Buyan. “To anticipate the water hyacinth, it can be done by dragging it to the edge of the lake and process into organic fertilizer,” she said.

Kartini assessed that Lake Buyan as the water source for people requires a collective awareness movement. Conservation measures, household waste processing, and planting trees around the lake area are necessary to maintain the water security of the lake and the ecosystem. “Conservation measure can be done by arranging the presence of cattle around the people’s settlement and then the cow dung is processed to produce biogas. After that, the household waste is processed, and doing land conservation through the making of terraces for tree planting as well as cultivating coffee plants around the area of Lake Buyan,” she said.

In the meantime, a local resident having profession as fishermen around the Lake Buyan, Winardi, 37, added that in recent months, dozens of fishermen claimed to be unable to catch fish because the surface of lake water is covered up by water hyacinths. As a result, the fishing nets are stuck and the fish easily escape from the catch. Another problem of water hyacinth is that it is easily drifted by winds, especially in the fish-filled waters. The wind flows from the west to the east. “For almost a week, I have not been able to catch fish due to so much water hyacinth. It happens because the fishing net cannot be installed at all, so that we are forced to take a break and do not work so far,” he added. (kmb34)

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BAGHDAD — Iraqi forces are on a westward push to retake Anbar, a sprawling Sunnidominated desert province captured by the Islamic State group in their offensive last year. But as the battles for Tikrit and Ramadi have shown, it will be a hard slog for a much-diminished Iraqi army — especially given Baghdad’s reticence to arm Sunni tribesmen and local fears of the Shiite militias backing government forces.

Park Chul-hong/Yonhap via AP

Lee Joon-seok, the captain of the sunken South Korean ferry Sewol, arrives for verdicts at Gwangju High Court in Gwangju, South Korea, Tuesday, April 28, 2015.

Captain of doomed S. Korea ferry sentenced to life in prison

SEOUL — The South Korean ferry captain responsible for last year’s disaster that killed more than 300 people, mostly schoolchildren, was given an increased sentence of life in prison Tuesday by an appellate court that convicted him of homicide.

A district court in November had sentenced Lee Joon-seok to 36 years in prison for negligence and abandoning passengers in need, but acquitted him of homicide. Victims’ relatives criticized the verdict at the time, saying it was too lenient.

Prosecutors earlier had demanded the death penalty for Lee. Lee’s sentence was increased because the Gwangju High Court convicted him of the homicide charges while upholding most of other charges that led to his November conviction, according to a court statement. Lee committed “homicide by willful negligence” because he fled the ship without making any evacuation order, though he, as a captain, is required by law to take some measures to rescue his passengers, the statement said.

“For whatever excuses, it’s difficult to forgive Lee Joon-seok’s action that caused a big tragedy,” the court statement cited the verdict as saying.

The appellate court sentenced 14 other navigation crew members to prison terms ranging from 18 months to 12 years, the statement said. In November, they had received sentences of five to 30 years

in prison.

Lee and the 14 crew members have been the subject of fierce public anger because they were among the first people rescued from the ship when it began badly listing on the day of the sinking in April last year. Most of the victims were teenagers who were en route to a southern island for a school trip.

Lee has said he issued an evacuation order. But many student survivors have said that they were repeatedly ordered over a loudspeaker to stay on the sinking ferry and that they didn’t remember any evacuation orders by crew members before they helped each other flee the ship.

In November, the Gwangju District Court supported Lee’s claim to have made an evacuation order and said there wasn’t proof that he knew his escape from the ship would cause a massive loss of life.

But the appellate court overturned that ruling, saying Lee didn’t take other necessary steps to save passengers that he should have taken if he indeed issued an evacuation order. The court also said two of the 14 navigation crew members acknowledged that there was no evacuation order and that there were loudspeaker broadcasts asking passengers to stay inside even while Lee was fleeing the ship. Court spokesman Jeon Ilho said prosecutors and the crew members have one week to appeal the verdicts. (ap)

Earlier this month, Iraqi forces captured the northern Sunnimajority city of Tikrit from the Islamic State group, but only with the backing from Iranian-trained and Iran-funded Shiite militias and U.S. airstrikes — methods that cannot work in Anbar province. The Islamic State is estimated to hold at least 65 percent of the vast province at this point.

The past weeks of seesaw battles in Anbar, with progress in areas like Garma east of Fallujah, a stalemate in the biggest city of Ramadi and an Iraqi rout near Lake Tharthar, show that the army still needs help. But relying on erstwhile Shiite militia allies may not be palatable to locals.

“The Iraqi soldiers fighting in Anbar are not well-trained enough for this battle. Many of the soldiers are there for the money, but the (Shiite militias), they are believers in this fight,” said an Iraqi brigadier general involved in the Anbar campaign. “There isn’t yet a clear plan to liberate Anbar because of the political and tribal disputes.”

Speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists, he said some tribes might be supportive but others were with the Islamic State group. He also lamented how soldiers would throw down their weapons and flee when hard-pressed.

On Friday, government reports of advances in Anbar were belied by an Islamic State attack on a water control system on a canal north of Islamic State-occupied Fallujah that killed a division commander and at least a dozen soldiers. In the past few years, Iraq’s army has been hollowed out by corrupt commanders siphoning off salaries and equipment and not training soldiers to do much more than man checkpoints.

A force that once numbered in the hundreds of thousands is now estimated by U.S. officials to be around 125,000 at best and probably a lot less, once all the so-called “ghost-soldiers” — non-existent names on the payroll — are purged.

Shiite leaders and parliamentarians

insisting that Anbar can only be retaken with the help of the militias.

The army has had some victories around Baghdad and in the eastern Diyala province with the help of Shiite militias. But if they were used in Anbar, it would only further alienate the Sunni population in the province, where the Islamic State group has been entrenched since January 2014.

Dhari al-Rishawi, a Sunni tribal leader in Anbar who helped form the Sunni militias known as Sahwa or Awakening Councils, which with the U.S. military drove al-Qaida out of the province in 2006, said people are terrified that the army will be bringing the Shiite militias.

“We know that if the militias are involved, there will be Iranian advisers and that would be a disaster because in this region there is a lot of sensitivity over Iranian interference,” al-Rishawi told The Associated Press. “The tribes of Anbar are ready to fight the Islamic State and eject them but on the condition that the state arms them.” (ap)

AP Photo

In this Sunday, April 26, 2015 photo, Iraqi security forces patrol during an operation against Islamic State group militants, to retake the water control station on a canal lost over the weekend, in the town of Garma, between Baghdad and the Islamic State-held city of Fallujah, Iraq. Defense Minister Khalid al-Obeidi said on Iraqi television that the army has achieved “90 percent” of its objectives in the town of Garma.

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International

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

BUSINESS Greek PM sees EU-IMF loan deal by early May

ATHENS - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday said he was confident that tough of privatisations.

Tsipras said the Greek state negotiations with his country’s EU-IMF creditors would reach a deal by early May. “Our goal... is to reach a first agreement this week if possible, or next week at the latest,” Tsipras said in a late night interview with Greece’s Star TV. “I believe we are close,” he said.

Greece has been trying to negotiate a deal that would unlock 7.2 billion euros ($7.8 billion) in remaining EU-IMF bailout money that the debtridden country needs to avoid default

and a possible exit from the euro.

But the Tsipras government, elected in January on an anti-austerity ticket, has resisted pressure to continue with a policy of cuts in return for the cash.

Tsipras said that if his government was pressured by Greece’s creditors into a deal conflicting with its electoral programme, he would put the issue to a referendum.

“If I end up with a deal beyond the limits (of my mandate), I have no other option, the people will decide,” he said.

“However, there will be no need for a referendum as there will be a deal... I am convinced we will not reach that point,” he argued.

By way of compromise, the PM on Tuesday said his government was prepared to consider a number

sought to enter partnership agreements for a number of key projects, including the management of the port of Piraeus which keenly interests China.

“These will be our concessions if there is a deal,” he said.

Tsipras on Monday reshuffled his negotiating team after another high-level meeting of European finance ministers in Riga ended in failure.

He said there was a need for “better coordination” with technical experts representing Greece’s international creditors, insisting that Athens had “nothing to hide.”

Tsipras defended his embattled Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, whose flamboyant style has reportedly irritated his European peers, calling him an “important asset” to the government.

But he noted that the negotiations “are always the responsibility of the prime minister.” (afp)

Apple profit soars on iPhone, China sales

NEW YORK - Apple on Mon- in an apparent concession to share- thorization to $140 billion from shares.

The board also approved an day reported a sharp rise in its quar- holders fearing the company is the $90 billion level announced last year. The buybacks increase 11-percent increase in quarterly terly profit, lifted by robust sales of stockpiling too much cash.

Apple said its board has in- value for shareholders by reduc- dividends to 52 cents per share. its iPhones and a jump in revenue creased its share repurchase au- ing the number of outstanding The moves will only modestly from China.

The California tech giant said profit rose 33 percent from a year ago to $13.6 billion, lifted by sales of 61 million iPhones in the first three months of the year.

Revenue increased 27 percent from the same period a year ago to $58.01 billion, Apple said.

A major contributor was the expansion of iPhone sales in China.

Revenue for “greater China” leapt 71 percent to $16.8 billion in the quarter, allowing the region to overtake Europe as Apple’s secondlargest market.

“We are thrilled by the continued strength of iPhone, Mac and the App Store, which drove our best March quarter results ever,” said chief executive Tim Cook.

“We’re seeing a higher rate of people switching to iPhone than we’ve experienced in previous cycles, and we’re off to an exciting start to the June quarter with the launch of Apple Watch.”

The results for the second fiscal quarter exclude the new Apple smartwatch, which began deliveries last week in nine countries.

Apple offered no figures for Apple Watch sales, but Cook said during a conference call that the response has been “overwhelmingly positive.”

“It’s been really great to see the reaction of customers since their watches arrived Friday,” he said.

AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File Apple said separately it was adding $50 billion to its share buyback In this May 11, 2012 file photo, travelers pass the Apple store at New York’s Grand Central Terprogram and boosting its dividend, minal. Apple reports quarterly financial results on Monday, April 27, 2015.

impact Apple’s cash reserves, which rose to over $193 billion in the past quarter.

“We believe Apple has a bright future ahead, and the unprecedented size of our capital return program reflects that strong confidence,” said Cook.

“While most of our program will focus on buying back shares, we know that the dividend is very important to many of our investors, so we’re raising it for the third time in less than three years.”

Apple, already the largest publicly traded company by market value, saw its shares rise in after-market trade by 1.5 percent to $134.61 after the better-than-expected results, pushing its capitalization to more than $770 billion.

Brian White, analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald, said the results were positive and suggest Apple is still growing at a healthy pace.

“Given the strength of this iPhone cycle, expanded cash distribution, and entry into the first new product category in five years with Apple Watch, we believe Apple remains early in this transformational cycle,” he said in a note to clients.

Apple’s results come after hugely successful launch last year of its large-screen iPhones, helping it regain market share lost to rivals like Samsung and others using the Google Android platform.

Apple’s report showed a 40 percent jump in iPhone sales compared with the same period a year ago.

But iPad sales slumped 23 percent from a year ago to 12.6 million units, with revenues down 29 percent. (afp)

International

Indonesia Today

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

SBY cancels trip to Australia

JAKARTA - Former Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has cancelled his plan to Fiesta Veloso from the Philipvisit Perth, Australia. He cited concern for security ahead of the execution of two Australian drug pines.

Moreover, French citizen Serge convicts on death row, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, as the reason for the cancellation.

SBY, as the former president is often called, was scheduled to be a keynote speaker at the “In the Zone” leadership forum on Friday, May 1, organized by the University of Western Australia (UWA).

“Dr. Yudhoyono has decided to cancel his visit to Perth, but will deliver his speech through a video recording,” Rector of UWA Professor Paul Johnson was quoted as saying on the official website of the university on Tuesday.

The “In the Zone” forum was

initiated to reinforce ideas and understanding of economic cooperation and diplomatic relations between Australia and its neighbors in the region, including Indonesia, Johnson pointed out.

“In the Zone” deepens the cooperation between policy stakeholders in Australia and various cities in Asia. The forum is a platform where Perth and Australia’s western states can share their vision for the AsiaPacific region.

This year, the event was held in

Singapore (on April 13) and will be held in Perth on May 1.

Sukumaran and Chan, who were leaders of the Bali Nine drug ring, are among the nine drug convicts to be executed soon.

The other convicts facing execution are Raheem Agbaje Salami, Silvester Obiekwe Nwaolise alias Mustofa, and Okwudili Oyatanze from Nigeria; Zainal Abidin from Indonesia; Rodrigo Gularte from Brazil; Martin Anderson alias Belo from Ghana; and Mary Jane

Areski Atlaoui has escaped the second round of executions as a judicial review of his case is ongoing at the State Administrative Court (PTUN).

Spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) Tony Tribagus Spontana stressed here on Monday that the delay in Atlaoui’s execution was not due to pressure from the French government.

“It is not because of pressure from the French president,” he affirmed.

Challenging his death sentence,

the Frenchman filed a review petition just before the April 23 deadline.

“He registered the review petition in the last minute, just before the deadline of 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 23,” Spontana stated.

As the AGO respects the legal process, it has decided to exclude Atlaoui from the list of convicts to be executed, he added. If the PTUN rejects his appeal, he will be executed as planned, he noted.

All the convicts have already been moved to the isolation rooms of the Nusakambangan prison in Central Java ahead of their execution. (ant)

Australian trafficker marries before execution

CILACAP - An Australian drug trafficker married his girlfriend Monday on the Indonesian prison island where he is set to be executed soon, his brother said, urging the country’s president to show compassion to the newlyweds.

Andrew Chan, 31, married his Indonesian girlfriend Febyanti Herewila in a ceremony on

Nusakambangan Island, home to several high-security prisons, his brother Michael said.

He could be put to death by firing squad as soon as Tuesday, along with seven other foreign drug convicts, after authorities at the weekend gave then formal notice of their executions.

“We’ve had a special day today,” Michael Chan said as

he announced the marriage after returning from a visit to Nusakambangan. “We’ve celebrated with some family and close friends.

“Hopefully the president will show some compassion, some m e r c y, s o t h e s e t w o y o u n g people can carry on with their lives. “ I t ’s i n t h e p r e s i d e n t ’s

hands.”

Chan met his future wife several years ago when Herewila, a pastor, began helping inmates in the jail where the Australian was imprisoned.

Chan and fellow Australian Myuran Sukumaran, both among the group facing imminent execution, are ringleaders of the so-called “Bali Nine” heroin-

smuggling gang and were sentenced to death in 2006.

Australia has mounted a diplomatic campaign to save the pair but President Joko Widodo has vowed there will be no clemency for drug traffickers on death row in Indonesia.

He says the country faces an emergency due to rising narcotics use. (afp)

Hospitals should give priority to BPJS patients JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo said that he will force all hospitals to provide services to patients holding Indonesia Health Cards (KIS).

“I will force all hospitals to receive patients with KIS, who are part of the Social Insurance Management Agency in the heath sector (BPJS Kesehatan). These people must be given priority,” the president stated while distributing the cards to workers of shipyard firm PT Dok and Perkapalan Koja Bahari Jakarta here on Tuesday.

Jokowi, as the president is popularly known, urged the BPJS Kesehatan to report to him hospitals that reject its patients.

“Just give me the list (of hospitals that reject these patients), and I will summon them one by one.

Hospital should not seek to earn profit only,” he remarked.

BPJS patients pay the costs incurred for treatment at hospitals using contributions or funds from the state budget, he added.

Moreover, the president gave his assurance that this week onwards, the government will begin to distribute KIS and Indonesia Smart Cards (KIP) till the end of

the year.

“As many as 88.2 million KIS and 20.3 million KIP will be distributed till the end of this year,” Jokowi affirmed.

He further noted that the distribution of the cards could be stared only now because the revised 2015 state budget was agreed upon by the parliament only in January 2015.

With regard to several parties’ rejection of the program, Jokowi pointed out that such a reaction was normal in the early phase of a project, and that it would be accepted after six months.

During the dialog with workers of PT Dok, he also asked people to maintain their health by following a good diet and exercising regularly.

In addition, Director of the BPJS Kesehatan Fachmi Idris said that all KIS holders can be admitted in any hospital for emergency cases.

“If a hospital refuses a patient in an emergency case, the matter could be taken to court,” he cautioned.

Regarding hospitals that have cooperated with the BPJS Kesehatan, he stated that their numbers have reached 600 of the 2,500 hospitals in Indonesia. (ant)

5

AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara

An activist holds a baby pangolin prior to its release into the wild with its mother, in Sibolangit, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, April 27, 2015. The baby anteater is part of dozens of live pangolins and around five tons (11,000 lbs) of pangolin meat ready to be shipped abroad confiscated in a police a raid last week.

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Wednesday, April 29, 2015

W

RLD

AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov

A family pulls a cart with boxes after receiving Red Cross humanitarian aid in a village under the control of pro-Russian separatists near Vuhlehirsk, eastern Ukraine, Friday, April 3, 2015.

Ukraine says rebels firing rocket launchers again

KIEV — Separatist rebels in the east of Ukraine have resumed the use of rocket launchers that should have been withdrawn under a February peace deal, Ukrainian military officials said Tuesday. The army said in a statement that rebels fired Grad rockets Monday evening at the government-held town of Avdiivka, which lies on the fringes of the main rebel stronghold of Donetsk.

There has been a recent uptick in clashes along the front separating government and rebel forces.

Speaking at an investor conference in Kiev, President Petro Poroshenko warned that the resumption of full-blown war is a perennial threat.

“War could start at any moment, but we are ready to do everything possible to dispel any room for doubts or retreats,” he said.

Oleksandr Motuzyanyk, military spokesman for the Ukrainian presidential administration, said one soldier had been killed and 14 injured during the past day’s unrest. He gave no details on where casualties had been sustained. “The geography of cease-fire violations by militia has broadened. For the first time this month, the enemy has deployed the Grad system against our servicemen,”Motuzyanyk said.

Eduard Basurin, the spokesman for separatist forces in Donetsk, in turn accused Ukrainian forces

of dozens of cease-fire violations.

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe observations on craters created by recent impacts in the rebel-held village of Nova Marivka confirmed that Ukrainians troops had been using 152-mm artillery shells, Basurin said.

More than 6,000 people have died and a million have been displaced by the conflict that has raged over the past year. A cease-fire tortuously negotiated by France, Germany and Russia in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, requires the warring sides to pull back their most powerful arms by distances over 50 kilometers (30 miles).

Responsibility for checking whether the deal is being implemented lies with the OSCE, but its special monitoring mission said late Monday that its monitors have been prevented by rebels from visiting a location where heavy arms have allegedly been deployed. For the

third time in four days, the rebels have prevented the mission “from freely accessing the eastern part of Shyrokyne,” the OSCE said in statement.

Shyrokyne lies directly on the front line and is a short distance east of the key industrial port city of Mariupol, which is in government hands. Fighting there has never entirely subsided despite the Minsk agreement, but clashes appear to have intensified in recent days.

The OSCE has said the clashes it saw Sunday in Shyrokyne were the worst it had seen since fighting began in the area in mid-February.

The mission said it observed dozens of tank shots and the deployment of plenty of other weapons proscribed under the peace deal. U.S. State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said in Washington that Russia has deployed more air defense systems into eastern Ukraine and positioned several near the front lines. (ap)

International

At least 52 dead in landslide in northeast KABUL — A massive landslide in a remote province in northeastern Afghanistan killed at least 52 people Tuesday, a provincial official said. The stricken area in Badakhshan province is cut off from the rest of the country, covered in snow and is only accessible from the air, significantly hampering any rescue efforts, said Shah Waliullah Adeeb, the provincial governor.

Badakhshan is one of the poorest and least-developed regions of Afghanistan. It regularly suffers huge landslides when snow begins to melt in the spring.

Tuesday’s landslide struck early in the morning in the province’s Khawahan district, near Afghanistan’s border with Tajikistan. The isolated area is located about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the provincial capital, Faizabad. There are no roads leading to it and “the only way to reach it is by helicopter,” Adeeb said. “We won’t be able to get there today. We are preparing to go to the area and are waiting for the choppers to take us there.”

The deputy head of Afghanistan’s National Disaster Management Au-

thority, Mohammad Islam Sayas, said initial reports suggest the avalanche struck only one village but it was likely to have been completely wiped out. “Our emergency team is trying to get to the scene, and have requested the Defense Ministry to provide us with choppers as that is the only way to get there,” Sayas said.

Badakhshan is in the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountain ranges.

Unchecked environmental degradation and deforestation across large parts of Afghanistan contribute to a growing problem of landslides when winter snows melt and seasonal rains begin.

Afghanistan has suffered through some three decades of war since the Soviet invasion in 1979. But natural disasters such as landslides, floods and avalanches have taken a toll on a country with little infrastructure or development outside of its major cities.

In May 2014, a massive landslide in Badakhshan province killed some 350 people in a remote region there. Another Afghan landslide in 2012 killed 71 people. (ap)

Indonesia...

From page 1 As they were mobbed a huge scrum of journalists, members of Sukumaran’s family screamed and cried out “mercy” as they walked in a slow procession to the port.

His sister Brintha wailed and called out her brother’s name, collapsing into the arms of family members who had to carry her.

Chan, who like Sukumaran is in his 30s, married his Indonesian girlfriend in a jailhouse ceremony with family and friends on Nusakambangan on Monday, his final wish.

Todung Mulya Lubis, a lawyer for the Australians, returned from Nusakambangan with paintings by Sukumaran, an accomplished artist, including one signed by all nine death row convicts as they counted down their final hours.

The painting -- entitled “One Heart, One Feeling, One Love” -- depicts a heart in bold colours.

“Jesus always love us until in the eternal life,” wrote Filipina prisoner Mary Jane Veloso, signed with a heart and with the words “keep smile” below the message.

The family of Veloso also arrived in Cilacap en route to Nusakambagan to pay a final visit, but raced past waiting reporters in a van.

As they got out of the vehicle, Filipino priest Father Harold Toledano gave them each a blessing before they headed to the island.

Death row convicts in Indonesia can request spiritual counsellors in

their final hours, but the Australian media said Chan and Sukumaran’s requests had been rejected, with Indonesian authorities instead choosing who they could see.

“Last bit of dignity denied,” Chan’s brother Michael told Fairfax Media in a text.

Australia has mounted a vigorous campaign to save its citizens, who have been on death row for almost a decade.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Monday the executions should be halted until a corruption investigation into judges who presided over the case is complete, but Widodo dismissed the request.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Monday also asked the Indonesian leader to show mercy, but Prasetyo said there would be no delay to Veloso’s execution.

In Australia, celebrities including Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush released a video Tuesday urging Prime Minister Tony Abbott to fly to Indonesia to help save the two men.

Protesters gathered outside the Indonesian embassy in Manila, where they have been holding regular candlelight vigils for Veloso, calling on Widodo to change his mind.

“He wants to portray himself as a strong leader but by executing an innocent woman, he will portray himself as an evil man,” said Sol Pillas, secretarygeneral of Filipino migrant workers’ advocacy group Migrante. (afp)

International

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

11

10

Destination

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

International

Bayung Gede Village

BANGLI - Bayung Gede village belongs to ancient village in Bali whose charms remain to be preserved to date. Then, Bayung Gede village was developed into a new tourism village approximately in 2010. According to an expert, Thomas A Reuters, Bayung Gede

poses an ancient village becoming the parent of a number of other ancient villages in Bangli like Penglipuran, Sekardadi, Bonyoh and several others.

There is a unique tradition preserved at this village. Residents who have just got married

are banned from entering into the home yard and not considered the residents of the Bayung Gede village before paying off the tumbakan (a kind of dowry) handed over to the village in the form of two cows and undergo asceticism (fasting). The brides are also re-

quired to conduct a Penyekeban procession by living in a small hut at the end of the village.

Not only that, Bayung Gede village also has a unique tradition in terms of burying the placenta (umbilical cord) of the newborns. If the baby’s umbilical cord is gener-

Sports

International

ally buried in the ground, residents at local village have a tradition to place it in coconut shell and hung on a tree at the special cemetery located behind the village. The tradition of treating placenta in the coconut shell has been going on for hundreds of years ago.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

7

Force India believes V8 engines can race with V6s in F1

Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley believes Formula 1 should consider letting smaller teams race with revised V8 engines alongside the current V6 power units. F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone reignited the debate about F1’s engine formula when he said F1 should ‘urgently’ return to its previous V8 engines with KERS to keep costs down.

Manufacturers insist that the aim should be about modifying the current V6s by boosting them to 1000bhp, which in turn will improve the speed and sound. But Fernley believes that the best solution could be allowing both types of engine to compete on the same grid.

“I think it is reasonably clear that the V6 hybrid is clearly the engine of choice for the manufacturers,” Fernley told AUTOSPORT. “It is going to be around and it is a great engine - we are showing that.

“However, I think that looking at an alternative parity engine, using maybe a V8 with KERS that is much more affordable for the independent teams, has a lot of

merit.” That could create a two-tier formula but Fernley says that can be avoided provided the regulations ensure parity.

“The manufacturers want to develop the hybrid engines,” he said. “They are doing a great job technically, they have got a great platform for doing it and they have got a great marketing opportunity.

“It doesn’t mean to say we have to go down that route.

“Ours is about cost control and I think as long as we can get reasonable parity, I think it is a very good initiative.” Fernley suggested that the idea would save customer teams half of the “significant” amount they are currently spending on engines.

“I think Formula 1 as a whole has helped then the manufacturers develop the V6 hybrid, but we need to look at the commercial aspects of it,” he said.

“And the commercial aspects are it is 50 per cent cheaper for an engine which gives the same performance. We are not there to market engines.” (net)

AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) scores over Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) as Joakim Noah (13) and Taj Gibson (22) watch during the second half in Game 5 of the NBA basketball playoffs Monday, April 27, 2015, in Chicago. The Bucks won 94-88.

Bucks avoid elimination again, beat Bulls 94-88 in Game 5

CHICAGO — Michael Carter-Williams made 22 points and eight assists, and Khris Middleton scored 21 points as the Milwaukee Bucks avoided elimination again with a 94-88 victory over the Chicago Bulls in Game 5 of their first-round NBA playoff series Monday. With a 3-2 lead, the Bulls will try to close it out again Thursday at Milwaukee. No team has ever rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win an NBA postseason series.

IBP/File Photo

Force India driver Sergio Perez

IBP/net

In other playoffs, the Brooklyn Nets beat the Atlanta Hawks 120-115 in overtime to level their series and the Portland Trail Blazers avoided elimination with a 99-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Bucks regrouped after a ninepoint lead dwindled to three, and they hung on again after a sevenpoint lead shrunk to four with just over a minute remaining.

Carter-Williams hit 10 of 15 shots while outplaying Derrick Rose. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 11 points and reserve O.J.

Mayo added 10 for the Bucks.

Pau Gasol had 25 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago but Rose and Jimmy Butler struggled.

Rose was 5 of 20 from the field and missed all seven 3-point attempts. He committed six of his team’s 13 turnovers. Butler scored 20 points but shot 5 of 21.

In New York, Deron Williams rebounded from two dismal games with 35 points as the Nets evened their series against the Hawks at two games each. The Nets, just 38-44 in the regular season, won the second

straight in the series and moved two victories from becoming the sixth No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 — only the fourth since the first round became best-of-seven.

Bojan Bogdanovic made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:25 left in overtime but the Nets never would have gotten there without Williams, whose 16 points in the fourth quarter were two fewer than he had total in the first three games of the series. Brook Lopez had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets. (ap)

silver medallist’s is free to return to the court on Friday after the backdated BWF eight month ban for having the non-performance enhancer dexamethasone in his system.

His game, built on expert retrieving and incredible reflexes may need little modification before next year’s Rio Games but his off-court practices require wholesale changes.

The banned anti-inflammatory was thought to been on the casing

of “one or more” of Lee’s cordyceps tablets, which he took two of each day from his teenage years after his mother thought it would be beneficial for his health.

Cordyseps, a natural food product, “is a fungus which grows parasitically on the larvae and pupae of insects in winter, leading to the formation of a fungal fruiting body in summers,” the panel determined.

When Lee moved to Kuala

Lumpur from his hometown of Perak in 2000, his mother would have the cordyseps crushed and put into gelatin capsules and sent to the promising shuttler, the BWF’ panel said in their 12-page decision.

That changed, though, around 2007 when the wife “of a very influential man in Malaysia” that Lee had befriended began sending the then reigning Commonwealth Games gold medallist cordyseps as a gift. (rtr)

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KUALA LUMPUR - For seven years, Lee Chong Wei, one of badminton’s finest athletes, took cordyceps tablets from unmarked containers on the advice of a mysterious friend without any knowledge of how they were capsulated or stored.

It was a risky practice, unheard of in most Olympic sports, that led to a positive test last year for the man who had spent almost 300 weeks as the world number one.

“From an athlete in such a prominent position the demands of caution to avoid negligence are expected to be very high. Even though he has been cautious, Lee Chong Wei has not met the required level, a 12-page Badminton World Federation report (BWF) said.

“Mr Lee exposed himself for a completely unnecessary risk of consuming illegal substance for many years.”

The 32-year-old twice Olympic

8

International

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

International

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

9

Sp rt

REUTERS/Michael Dalder

Bayern could face long-term challenge from Wolfsburg

IBP/net

Qatari Al Mohannadi

Qatari Al Mohannadi withdraws from FIFA Exco race

MANAMA - Qatar Football Association vice-president Saud Al Mohannadi has pulled out of elections for a place on the FIFA executive committee, saying West Asia should support one candidate. Olympic Council of Asia president Sheikh Ahmad AlFahad Al-Sabah of Kuwait, one of sport’s most influential powerbrokers in the world, is heavily expected to be voted on to FIFA’s decision-making board.

Al Mohannadi called on Sheikh Ahmad and

FRANKFURT — When their 25th Bundesliga title came, Bayern Munich’s players and coaches were most likely on their sofas, watching television. The team’s director, Matthias Sammer, was at a basketball game.

There was no celebration of the club’s record German championship on Sunday, no car parades through the Bavarian capital, no euphoria on the city’s main square. The lowkey acknowledgement of the title reflected the suspense-lacking season in which Bayern had opened a massive lead early on and the title was just a matter of time despite a series of injuries to key players.

It came with four matches to spare when third-place Borussia Moenchengladbach beat Wolfsburg 1-0 on a last-minute goal, which meant that second-place Wolfsburg remained 15 points behind and lost the mathematical chance of catching Bayern. Moenchengladbach is 19 points behind but the gap may be narrower than it looks. That match pitted Bayern’s most likely challengers for the future.

Although Bayern’s dominance of the Bundesliga is unlikely to end in the short term, Wolfsburg has the money and Moenchengladbach has the talent to become Bayern’s long-term rivals.

They are the only two Bundesliga teams to beat Bayern this season and Bayern was badly outplayed in both losses. Wolfsburg thrashed Bayern 4-1 at home and Moenchengladbach won 2-0 in Munich.

Backed by the financial clout of sponsor

Volkswagen, Wolfsburg already surprisingly won the Bundesliga title in 2009 and is all but sure to play in the Champions League next season. It has a competent, low-key coach in Dieter Hecking and an experienced director in Klaus Allofs, who has a good record of signing talented players.

Moenchengladbach lacks the financial means of Wolfsburg, but fosters talents into stars and has a clever tactician in coach Lucien Favre, a Swiss who knows how to get the best out his squad despite losing a top player nearly every season to richer clubs.

The club was close to relegation when he took over in 2011 but now looks headed for the Champions League, which will boost the budget.

Bayern, on the other hand, will have to rebuild the team in the not too distant future.

Philipp Lahm, Xabi Alonso, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben are 30 or older; Bastian Schweinsteiger will be 30 in August. All are Bayern stalwarts. Bayern coach Pep Guardiola has another season on his contract and has not indicated whether he intends to extend.

Borussia Dortmund, which won the last two championships before Bayern’s three consecutive titles, has had a difficult season but could still spoil Bayern’s hopes for a repeat

of the 2013 treble. Coach Juergen Klopp is leaving at the end of the season, to be replaced by the little tested Thomas Tuchel, who will likely need time to adjust.

Klopp would like nothing better but to leave on a winning note. Dortmund visits Munich in the German Cup semifinals and if Dortmund can repeat the performance of 2012, when it routed Bayern 5-2 in the final, Klopp could say goodbye with a title.

Guardiola insists that the Bundesliga title is the most important because it reflects the overall season. But ultimately he will be judged on his Champions League record — and he faces his old team Barcelona in the semifinals.

Guardiola led Bayern to a league and cup double in his first season after taking over from Jupp Heynckes, who had steered the side to the treble in 2013. “It’s not enough to be champion here. It’s not enough to win the cup here,” Guardiola said last week.

“Only the treble is enough.” (ap)

inside the far post in the 88th.

“We’re happy because our results at home are working out frankly quite well,” said Valencia captain Daniel Parejo. “It was a tough match because there was a lot at stake for Granada. But we focused on our objectives and if we maintain this, we’ll end up in the Champions League next season.” Granada is second to last, six points from safety, while Valencia is in fourth place, two points ahead of Sevilla.

Valencia increased the pressure on goalkeeper Roberto Fernandez after the first goal, forcing him to make a series of saves, although Granada could have equalized from

a corner in the 36th.

Granada defender Emanuel Insua was taken off on a stretcher in the 54th after twisting his right ankle badly while making a left-footed clearance. He was substituted by Luis Martins.

“We knew they were a very good team and we hung on for 25 minutes, but after their first goal we understood it was going to get much more difficult,” said Granada midfielder Daniel Candeias. “Now we have to think of our next match at home against Espanyol. We need to get the three points and win all our remaining games this season.” (ap)

Belgium under-21 international Gregory Mertens is critically ill in hospital after collapsing on the pitch during a reserve team match for Sporting Lokeren, his club said. The match against Genk was 15 minutes old when Mertens collapsed.

Belgian media said he had suffered cardiac arrest and received CPR on the pitch, leading to the match being abandoned.

“Our defender was immediately assisted by the medical team of Sporting Lokeren and KRC

Genk,” a statement read. “He was transferred to the hospital in Genk.

“Sporting Lokeren sympathises with the family and hopes for a positive outcome.” Club doctor Kris Peeters was quoted by website Nieuwsblad. be as saying the 24-year-old Mertens was in a critical condition.

“Everything points to a cardiac arrest,” Peeters said. “I am in constant communication with the treating physicians in Genk. The state of Gregory is still critical.” Chelsea’s Belgium international goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois offered his support on Twitter, along with other players.

“Keep fighting Gregory,” Courtois said. Mertens, 24, joined Lokeren last summer from Cercle Brugge for whom he made nearly 100 appearances. (ap)

Lokeren’s Mertens ‘critical’ after collapsing on pitch

Valencia beats lowly Granada 4-0 in Spanish league VALENCIA — Two goals in each half gave Valencia a 4-0 win over relegationthreatened Granada in the Spanish league on Monday. Granada had managed to slow the host’s pace in the first half until Javier Fuego rose to head in from a corner in the 26th minute.

Antonio Barragan earned a penalty for Valencia when he kicked the ball between Diego Mainz legs and was then obstructed by the Granada defender in the 38th. Daniel Parejo converted the penalty. Valencia kept attacking and Algeria midfielder Sofiane Feghouli fired in a hard shot in the 85th after an assist from Alvaro Negredo. Negredo headed the fourth

Oman’s Khalid Al Busaidi to settle on one candidate from West Asia. “I am grateful to the football fraternity for their

wholehearted support,” Al Mohannadi said in a statement. “I hope Asian football remains united and prospers as a powerful football body.”

The Qatari, who will be elected one of the Asian Football Confederation’s vice presidents on Thursday at the body’s congress in Bahrain, was one of seven candidates vying for the three places on FIFA’s all-powerful executive committee.

AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, who is standing unopposed for re-election in his hometown, will take up one spot after pushing through changes to ensure the head of Asian soccer was automatically on the board.

Incumbents Worawi Makudi of Thailand and China’s Zhang Jilong are also standing for re-election at the AFC Congress in Bahrain on Thursday along with Japan’s Kohzo Tashima, Chun-Mong-gyu of South Korean and Malaysian Prince Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah. (rtr)

Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski is challenged by Hertha Berlin’s goalkeeper Sascha Burchert (R) during their German Bundesliga first division soccer match in Munich April 25, 2015.

Jubilant Cherries turn thoughts to the top flight

BOURNEMOUTH, England While a battery of champagne corks continued popping into Tuesday, heralding Bournemouth’s promotion to the Premier League, the chairman of the tiny south-coast club turned his mind to more prosaic matters.

“We need to upgrade the press box,” a bleary-eyed Jeff Mostyn smiled.

“We need 100 seats hard-wired. We used to have one reporter from the Bournemouth Echo... last night the world’s media were here.”

With one match to go -- at Charlton Athletic -- only an unthinkable result can deprive the Cherries of a seat at the mega-rich top table of English soccer, a fact their hosts on Saturday acknowledged with a cheeky message on their Twitter feed. “Bournemouth celebrating like they’ve completely ruled out a 19-0 defeat at The Valley on Saturday. We’ll see...” read the Addicks’ tongue-in-cheek message.

Saturday’s match will rubberstamp an extraordinary rise which will see Bournemouth play in the elite tier for the first time in their 116-year history. Nothing could have been farther from their thoughts six years ago when the club almost went out of existence with crippling debts.

Since 2009, though, they have flourished under the investment of chairman Mostyn, Russian owner Maxim Demin and with 37-year-old manager Eddie Howe at the helm.

“His desire is to manage a Premier League club, and the miracle has happened,” Mostyn said of Howe.

“He’s been here since he was 10. Now that we are in the Premier League, subject to the final game, I think he will go from strength to strength and I can’t see him wanting to leave his club,” Mostyn added, before acknowledging “The more I’m bigging him up, the more desire others

will have to take him.”

As perhaps befits a man who helped drag a club from the edge of bankruptcy, Mostyn’s thoughts returned to the more basic realities of life at the top.

“We need to improve floodlights to make it suitable for high resolution cameras so there’s no flicker,” he said. “It is strange me using this terminology -- talking about worldwide coverage.

“For me this is achieving the impossible. For all football fans, this is the perfect story and hopefully it gives hope for every club that you can come back from oblivion and get to the Premier League.”

Promotion brings with it a cash boost of about 120 million pounds ($182.23 million), enough to soften any blow for the newest members of the footballing elite and their floodlight bill. (ap)

Chelsea midfielder Oscar out of hospital after head knock LONDON — Chelsea midfielder Oscar is out of the hospital following a heavy collision with an opponent during a Premier League game that left the Brazil international with a swollen face.

Oscar was injured about 15 minutes into the 0-0 draw at Arsenal on Sunday when goalkeeper David Ospina collided with him. The midfielder continued playing after

treatment, but was substituted at halftime and taken to the hospital to have some scans.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said Monday that Oscar “went immediately to his house yesterday night” from the hospital and slept at home. Oscar is expected at the club’s training ground on Monday.

Asked if Oscar had sustained

a concussion during the collision, Mourinho said: “I’m not sure of that. We saw his face was swelling at halftime, we don’t want to go for any risks. We made that decision.”

Mourinho said Oscar will be traveling with the rest of the Chelsea squad for Wednesday’s match at Leicester, but didn’t confirm whether he was available to play.(ap)

Reuters / Eddie Keogh Livepic

Chelsea’s Oscar collides with Arsenal’s David Ospina after shooting at goal

8

International

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

International

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

9

Sp rt

REUTERS/Michael Dalder

Bayern could face long-term challenge from Wolfsburg

IBP/net

Qatari Al Mohannadi

Qatari Al Mohannadi withdraws from FIFA Exco race

MANAMA - Qatar Football Association vice-president Saud Al Mohannadi has pulled out of elections for a place on the FIFA executive committee, saying West Asia should support one candidate. Olympic Council of Asia president Sheikh Ahmad AlFahad Al-Sabah of Kuwait, one of sport’s most influential powerbrokers in the world, is heavily expected to be voted on to FIFA’s decision-making board.

Al Mohannadi called on Sheikh Ahmad and

FRANKFURT — When their 25th Bundesliga title came, Bayern Munich’s players and coaches were most likely on their sofas, watching television. The team’s director, Matthias Sammer, was at a basketball game.

There was no celebration of the club’s record German championship on Sunday, no car parades through the Bavarian capital, no euphoria on the city’s main square. The lowkey acknowledgement of the title reflected the suspense-lacking season in which Bayern had opened a massive lead early on and the title was just a matter of time despite a series of injuries to key players.

It came with four matches to spare when third-place Borussia Moenchengladbach beat Wolfsburg 1-0 on a last-minute goal, which meant that second-place Wolfsburg remained 15 points behind and lost the mathematical chance of catching Bayern. Moenchengladbach is 19 points behind but the gap may be narrower than it looks. That match pitted Bayern’s most likely challengers for the future.

Although Bayern’s dominance of the Bundesliga is unlikely to end in the short term, Wolfsburg has the money and Moenchengladbach has the talent to become Bayern’s long-term rivals.

They are the only two Bundesliga teams to beat Bayern this season and Bayern was badly outplayed in both losses. Wolfsburg thrashed Bayern 4-1 at home and Moenchengladbach won 2-0 in Munich.

Backed by the financial clout of sponsor

Volkswagen, Wolfsburg already surprisingly won the Bundesliga title in 2009 and is all but sure to play in the Champions League next season. It has a competent, low-key coach in Dieter Hecking and an experienced director in Klaus Allofs, who has a good record of signing talented players.

Moenchengladbach lacks the financial means of Wolfsburg, but fosters talents into stars and has a clever tactician in coach Lucien Favre, a Swiss who knows how to get the best out his squad despite losing a top player nearly every season to richer clubs.

The club was close to relegation when he took over in 2011 but now looks headed for the Champions League, which will boost the budget.

Bayern, on the other hand, will have to rebuild the team in the not too distant future.

Philipp Lahm, Xabi Alonso, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben are 30 or older; Bastian Schweinsteiger will be 30 in August. All are Bayern stalwarts. Bayern coach Pep Guardiola has another season on his contract and has not indicated whether he intends to extend.

Borussia Dortmund, which won the last two championships before Bayern’s three consecutive titles, has had a difficult season but could still spoil Bayern’s hopes for a repeat

of the 2013 treble. Coach Juergen Klopp is leaving at the end of the season, to be replaced by the little tested Thomas Tuchel, who will likely need time to adjust.

Klopp would like nothing better but to leave on a winning note. Dortmund visits Munich in the German Cup semifinals and if Dortmund can repeat the performance of 2012, when it routed Bayern 5-2 in the final, Klopp could say goodbye with a title.

Guardiola insists that the Bundesliga title is the most important because it reflects the overall season. But ultimately he will be judged on his Champions League record — and he faces his old team Barcelona in the semifinals.

Guardiola led Bayern to a league and cup double in his first season after taking over from Jupp Heynckes, who had steered the side to the treble in 2013. “It’s not enough to be champion here. It’s not enough to win the cup here,” Guardiola said last week.

“Only the treble is enough.” (ap)

inside the far post in the 88th.

“We’re happy because our results at home are working out frankly quite well,” said Valencia captain Daniel Parejo. “It was a tough match because there was a lot at stake for Granada. But we focused on our objectives and if we maintain this, we’ll end up in the Champions League next season.” Granada is second to last, six points from safety, while Valencia is in fourth place, two points ahead of Sevilla.

Valencia increased the pressure on goalkeeper Roberto Fernandez after the first goal, forcing him to make a series of saves, although Granada could have equalized from

a corner in the 36th.

Granada defender Emanuel Insua was taken off on a stretcher in the 54th after twisting his right ankle badly while making a left-footed clearance. He was substituted by Luis Martins.

“We knew they were a very good team and we hung on for 25 minutes, but after their first goal we understood it was going to get much more difficult,” said Granada midfielder Daniel Candeias. “Now we have to think of our next match at home against Espanyol. We need to get the three points and win all our remaining games this season.” (ap)

Belgium under-21 international Gregory Mertens is critically ill in hospital after collapsing on the pitch during a reserve team match for Sporting Lokeren, his club said. The match against Genk was 15 minutes old when Mertens collapsed.

Belgian media said he had suffered cardiac arrest and received CPR on the pitch, leading to the match being abandoned.

“Our defender was immediately assisted by the medical team of Sporting Lokeren and KRC

Genk,” a statement read. “He was transferred to the hospital in Genk.

“Sporting Lokeren sympathises with the family and hopes for a positive outcome.” Club doctor Kris Peeters was quoted by website Nieuwsblad. be as saying the 24-year-old Mertens was in a critical condition.

“Everything points to a cardiac arrest,” Peeters said. “I am in constant communication with the treating physicians in Genk. The state of Gregory is still critical.” Chelsea’s Belgium international goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois offered his support on Twitter, along with other players.

“Keep fighting Gregory,” Courtois said. Mertens, 24, joined Lokeren last summer from Cercle Brugge for whom he made nearly 100 appearances. (ap)

Lokeren’s Mertens ‘critical’ after collapsing on pitch

Valencia beats lowly Granada 4-0 in Spanish league VALENCIA — Two goals in each half gave Valencia a 4-0 win over relegationthreatened Granada in the Spanish league on Monday. Granada had managed to slow the host’s pace in the first half until Javier Fuego rose to head in from a corner in the 26th minute.

Antonio Barragan earned a penalty for Valencia when he kicked the ball between Diego Mainz legs and was then obstructed by the Granada defender in the 38th. Daniel Parejo converted the penalty. Valencia kept attacking and Algeria midfielder Sofiane Feghouli fired in a hard shot in the 85th after an assist from Alvaro Negredo. Negredo headed the fourth

Oman’s Khalid Al Busaidi to settle on one candidate from West Asia. “I am grateful to the football fraternity for their

wholehearted support,” Al Mohannadi said in a statement. “I hope Asian football remains united and prospers as a powerful football body.”

The Qatari, who will be elected one of the Asian Football Confederation’s vice presidents on Thursday at the body’s congress in Bahrain, was one of seven candidates vying for the three places on FIFA’s all-powerful executive committee.

AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, who is standing unopposed for re-election in his hometown, will take up one spot after pushing through changes to ensure the head of Asian soccer was automatically on the board.

Incumbents Worawi Makudi of Thailand and China’s Zhang Jilong are also standing for re-election at the AFC Congress in Bahrain on Thursday along with Japan’s Kohzo Tashima, Chun-Mong-gyu of South Korean and Malaysian Prince Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah. (rtr)

Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski is challenged by Hertha Berlin’s goalkeeper Sascha Burchert (R) during their German Bundesliga first division soccer match in Munich April 25, 2015.

Jubilant Cherries turn thoughts to the top flight

BOURNEMOUTH, England While a battery of champagne corks continued popping into Tuesday, heralding Bournemouth’s promotion to the Premier League, the chairman of the tiny south-coast club turned his mind to more prosaic matters.

“We need to upgrade the press box,” a bleary-eyed Jeff Mostyn smiled.

“We need 100 seats hard-wired. We used to have one reporter from the Bournemouth Echo... last night the world’s media were here.”

With one match to go -- at Charlton Athletic -- only an unthinkable result can deprive the Cherries of a seat at the mega-rich top table of English soccer, a fact their hosts on Saturday acknowledged with a cheeky message on their Twitter feed. “Bournemouth celebrating like they’ve completely ruled out a 19-0 defeat at The Valley on Saturday. We’ll see...” read the Addicks’ tongue-in-cheek message.

Saturday’s match will rubberstamp an extraordinary rise which will see Bournemouth play in the elite tier for the first time in their 116-year history. Nothing could have been farther from their thoughts six years ago when the club almost went out of existence with crippling debts.

Since 2009, though, they have flourished under the investment of chairman Mostyn, Russian owner Maxim Demin and with 37-year-old manager Eddie Howe at the helm.

“His desire is to manage a Premier League club, and the miracle has happened,” Mostyn said of Howe.

“He’s been here since he was 10. Now that we are in the Premier League, subject to the final game, I think he will go from strength to strength and I can’t see him wanting to leave his club,” Mostyn added, before acknowledging “The more I’m bigging him up, the more desire others

will have to take him.”

As perhaps befits a man who helped drag a club from the edge of bankruptcy, Mostyn’s thoughts returned to the more basic realities of life at the top.

“We need to improve floodlights to make it suitable for high resolution cameras so there’s no flicker,” he said. “It is strange me using this terminology -- talking about worldwide coverage.

“For me this is achieving the impossible. For all football fans, this is the perfect story and hopefully it gives hope for every club that you can come back from oblivion and get to the Premier League.”

Promotion brings with it a cash boost of about 120 million pounds ($182.23 million), enough to soften any blow for the newest members of the footballing elite and their floodlight bill. (ap)

Chelsea midfielder Oscar out of hospital after head knock LONDON — Chelsea midfielder Oscar is out of the hospital following a heavy collision with an opponent during a Premier League game that left the Brazil international with a swollen face.

Oscar was injured about 15 minutes into the 0-0 draw at Arsenal on Sunday when goalkeeper David Ospina collided with him. The midfielder continued playing after

treatment, but was substituted at halftime and taken to the hospital to have some scans.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said Monday that Oscar “went immediately to his house yesterday night” from the hospital and slept at home. Oscar is expected at the club’s training ground on Monday.

Asked if Oscar had sustained

a concussion during the collision, Mourinho said: “I’m not sure of that. We saw his face was swelling at halftime, we don’t want to go for any risks. We made that decision.”

Mourinho said Oscar will be traveling with the rest of the Chelsea squad for Wednesday’s match at Leicester, but didn’t confirm whether he was available to play.(ap)

Reuters / Eddie Keogh Livepic

Chelsea’s Oscar collides with Arsenal’s David Ospina after shooting at goal

10

Destination

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

International

Bayung Gede Village

BANGLI - Bayung Gede village belongs to ancient village in Bali whose charms remain to be preserved to date. Then, Bayung Gede village was developed into a new tourism village approximately in 2010. According to an expert, Thomas A Reuters, Bayung Gede

poses an ancient village becoming the parent of a number of other ancient villages in Bangli like Penglipuran, Sekardadi, Bonyoh and several others.

There is a unique tradition preserved at this village. Residents who have just got married

are banned from entering into the home yard and not considered the residents of the Bayung Gede village before paying off the tumbakan (a kind of dowry) handed over to the village in the form of two cows and undergo asceticism (fasting). The brides are also re-

quired to conduct a Penyekeban procession by living in a small hut at the end of the village.

Not only that, Bayung Gede village also has a unique tradition in terms of burying the placenta (umbilical cord) of the newborns. If the baby’s umbilical cord is gener-

Sports

International

ally buried in the ground, residents at local village have a tradition to place it in coconut shell and hung on a tree at the special cemetery located behind the village. The tradition of treating placenta in the coconut shell has been going on for hundreds of years ago.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

7

Force India believes V8 engines can race with V6s in F1

Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley believes Formula 1 should consider letting smaller teams race with revised V8 engines alongside the current V6 power units. F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone reignited the debate about F1’s engine formula when he said F1 should ‘urgently’ return to its previous V8 engines with KERS to keep costs down.

Manufacturers insist that the aim should be about modifying the current V6s by boosting them to 1000bhp, which in turn will improve the speed and sound. But Fernley believes that the best solution could be allowing both types of engine to compete on the same grid.

“I think it is reasonably clear that the V6 hybrid is clearly the engine of choice for the manufacturers,” Fernley told AUTOSPORT. “It is going to be around and it is a great engine - we are showing that.

“However, I think that looking at an alternative parity engine, using maybe a V8 with KERS that is much more affordable for the independent teams, has a lot of

merit.” That could create a two-tier formula but Fernley says that can be avoided provided the regulations ensure parity.

“The manufacturers want to develop the hybrid engines,” he said. “They are doing a great job technically, they have got a great platform for doing it and they have got a great marketing opportunity.

“It doesn’t mean to say we have to go down that route.

“Ours is about cost control and I think as long as we can get reasonable parity, I think it is a very good initiative.” Fernley suggested that the idea would save customer teams half of the “significant” amount they are currently spending on engines.

“I think Formula 1 as a whole has helped then the manufacturers develop the V6 hybrid, but we need to look at the commercial aspects of it,” he said.

“And the commercial aspects are it is 50 per cent cheaper for an engine which gives the same performance. We are not there to market engines.” (net)

AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) scores over Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) as Joakim Noah (13) and Taj Gibson (22) watch during the second half in Game 5 of the NBA basketball playoffs Monday, April 27, 2015, in Chicago. The Bucks won 94-88.

Bucks avoid elimination again, beat Bulls 94-88 in Game 5

CHICAGO — Michael Carter-Williams made 22 points and eight assists, and Khris Middleton scored 21 points as the Milwaukee Bucks avoided elimination again with a 94-88 victory over the Chicago Bulls in Game 5 of their first-round NBA playoff series Monday. With a 3-2 lead, the Bulls will try to close it out again Thursday at Milwaukee. No team has ever rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win an NBA postseason series.

IBP/File Photo

Force India driver Sergio Perez

IBP/net

In other playoffs, the Brooklyn Nets beat the Atlanta Hawks 120-115 in overtime to level their series and the Portland Trail Blazers avoided elimination with a 99-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Bucks regrouped after a ninepoint lead dwindled to three, and they hung on again after a sevenpoint lead shrunk to four with just over a minute remaining.

Carter-Williams hit 10 of 15 shots while outplaying Derrick Rose. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 11 points and reserve O.J.

Mayo added 10 for the Bucks.

Pau Gasol had 25 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago but Rose and Jimmy Butler struggled.

Rose was 5 of 20 from the field and missed all seven 3-point attempts. He committed six of his team’s 13 turnovers. Butler scored 20 points but shot 5 of 21.

In New York, Deron Williams rebounded from two dismal games with 35 points as the Nets evened their series against the Hawks at two games each. The Nets, just 38-44 in the regular season, won the second

straight in the series and moved two victories from becoming the sixth No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 — only the fourth since the first round became best-of-seven.

Bojan Bogdanovic made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:25 left in overtime but the Nets never would have gotten there without Williams, whose 16 points in the fourth quarter were two fewer than he had total in the first three games of the series. Brook Lopez had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets. (ap)

silver medallist’s is free to return to the court on Friday after the backdated BWF eight month ban for having the non-performance enhancer dexamethasone in his system.

His game, built on expert retrieving and incredible reflexes may need little modification before next year’s Rio Games but his off-court practices require wholesale changes.

The banned anti-inflammatory was thought to been on the casing

of “one or more” of Lee’s cordyceps tablets, which he took two of each day from his teenage years after his mother thought it would be beneficial for his health.

Cordyseps, a natural food product, “is a fungus which grows parasitically on the larvae and pupae of insects in winter, leading to the formation of a fungal fruiting body in summers,” the panel determined.

When Lee moved to Kuala

Lumpur from his hometown of Perak in 2000, his mother would have the cordyseps crushed and put into gelatin capsules and sent to the promising shuttler, the BWF’ panel said in their 12-page decision.

That changed, though, around 2007 when the wife “of a very influential man in Malaysia” that Lee had befriended began sending the then reigning Commonwealth Games gold medallist cordyseps as a gift. (rtr)

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KUALA LUMPUR - For seven years, Lee Chong Wei, one of badminton’s finest athletes, took cordyceps tablets from unmarked containers on the advice of a mysterious friend without any knowledge of how they were capsulated or stored.

It was a risky practice, unheard of in most Olympic sports, that led to a positive test last year for the man who had spent almost 300 weeks as the world number one.

“From an athlete in such a prominent position the demands of caution to avoid negligence are expected to be very high. Even though he has been cautious, Lee Chong Wei has not met the required level, a 12-page Badminton World Federation report (BWF) said.

“Mr Lee exposed himself for a completely unnecessary risk of consuming illegal substance for many years.”

The 32-year-old twice Olympic

6

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

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RLD

AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov

A family pulls a cart with boxes after receiving Red Cross humanitarian aid in a village under the control of pro-Russian separatists near Vuhlehirsk, eastern Ukraine, Friday, April 3, 2015.

Ukraine says rebels firing rocket launchers again

KIEV — Separatist rebels in the east of Ukraine have resumed the use of rocket launchers that should have been withdrawn under a February peace deal, Ukrainian military officials said Tuesday. The army said in a statement that rebels fired Grad rockets Monday evening at the government-held town of Avdiivka, which lies on the fringes of the main rebel stronghold of Donetsk.

There has been a recent uptick in clashes along the front separating government and rebel forces.

Speaking at an investor conference in Kiev, President Petro Poroshenko warned that the resumption of full-blown war is a perennial threat.

“War could start at any moment, but we are ready to do everything possible to dispel any room for doubts or retreats,” he said.

Oleksandr Motuzyanyk, military spokesman for the Ukrainian presidential administration, said one soldier had been killed and 14 injured during the past day’s unrest. He gave no details on where casualties had been sustained. “The geography of cease-fire violations by militia has broadened. For the first time this month, the enemy has deployed the Grad system against our servicemen,”Motuzyanyk said.

Eduard Basurin, the spokesman for separatist forces in Donetsk, in turn accused Ukrainian forces

of dozens of cease-fire violations.

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe observations on craters created by recent impacts in the rebel-held village of Nova Marivka confirmed that Ukrainians troops had been using 152-mm artillery shells, Basurin said.

More than 6,000 people have died and a million have been displaced by the conflict that has raged over the past year. A cease-fire tortuously negotiated by France, Germany and Russia in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, requires the warring sides to pull back their most powerful arms by distances over 50 kilometers (30 miles).

Responsibility for checking whether the deal is being implemented lies with the OSCE, but its special monitoring mission said late Monday that its monitors have been prevented by rebels from visiting a location where heavy arms have allegedly been deployed. For the

third time in four days, the rebels have prevented the mission “from freely accessing the eastern part of Shyrokyne,” the OSCE said in statement.

Shyrokyne lies directly on the front line and is a short distance east of the key industrial port city of Mariupol, which is in government hands. Fighting there has never entirely subsided despite the Minsk agreement, but clashes appear to have intensified in recent days.

The OSCE has said the clashes it saw Sunday in Shyrokyne were the worst it had seen since fighting began in the area in mid-February.

The mission said it observed dozens of tank shots and the deployment of plenty of other weapons proscribed under the peace deal. U.S. State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said in Washington that Russia has deployed more air defense systems into eastern Ukraine and positioned several near the front lines. (ap)

International

At least 52 dead in landslide in northeast KABUL — A massive landslide in a remote province in northeastern Afghanistan killed at least 52 people Tuesday, a provincial official said. The stricken area in Badakhshan province is cut off from the rest of the country, covered in snow and is only accessible from the air, significantly hampering any rescue efforts, said Shah Waliullah Adeeb, the provincial governor.

Badakhshan is one of the poorest and least-developed regions of Afghanistan. It regularly suffers huge landslides when snow begins to melt in the spring.

Tuesday’s landslide struck early in the morning in the province’s Khawahan district, near Afghanistan’s border with Tajikistan. The isolated area is located about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the provincial capital, Faizabad. There are no roads leading to it and “the only way to reach it is by helicopter,” Adeeb said. “We won’t be able to get there today. We are preparing to go to the area and are waiting for the choppers to take us there.”

The deputy head of Afghanistan’s National Disaster Management Au-

thority, Mohammad Islam Sayas, said initial reports suggest the avalanche struck only one village but it was likely to have been completely wiped out. “Our emergency team is trying to get to the scene, and have requested the Defense Ministry to provide us with choppers as that is the only way to get there,” Sayas said.

Badakhshan is in the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountain ranges.

Unchecked environmental degradation and deforestation across large parts of Afghanistan contribute to a growing problem of landslides when winter snows melt and seasonal rains begin.

Afghanistan has suffered through some three decades of war since the Soviet invasion in 1979. But natural disasters such as landslides, floods and avalanches have taken a toll on a country with little infrastructure or development outside of its major cities.

In May 2014, a massive landslide in Badakhshan province killed some 350 people in a remote region there. Another Afghan landslide in 2012 killed 71 people. (ap)

Indonesia...

From page 1 As they were mobbed a huge scrum of journalists, members of Sukumaran’s family screamed and cried out “mercy” as they walked in a slow procession to the port.

His sister Brintha wailed and called out her brother’s name, collapsing into the arms of family members who had to carry her.

Chan, who like Sukumaran is in his 30s, married his Indonesian girlfriend in a jailhouse ceremony with family and friends on Nusakambangan on Monday, his final wish.

Todung Mulya Lubis, a lawyer for the Australians, returned from Nusakambangan with paintings by Sukumaran, an accomplished artist, including one signed by all nine death row convicts as they counted down their final hours.

The painting -- entitled “One Heart, One Feeling, One Love” -- depicts a heart in bold colours.

“Jesus always love us until in the eternal life,” wrote Filipina prisoner Mary Jane Veloso, signed with a heart and with the words “keep smile” below the message.

The family of Veloso also arrived in Cilacap en route to Nusakambagan to pay a final visit, but raced past waiting reporters in a van.

As they got out of the vehicle, Filipino priest Father Harold Toledano gave them each a blessing before they headed to the island.

Death row convicts in Indonesia can request spiritual counsellors in

their final hours, but the Australian media said Chan and Sukumaran’s requests had been rejected, with Indonesian authorities instead choosing who they could see.

“Last bit of dignity denied,” Chan’s brother Michael told Fairfax Media in a text.

Australia has mounted a vigorous campaign to save its citizens, who have been on death row for almost a decade.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Monday the executions should be halted until a corruption investigation into judges who presided over the case is complete, but Widodo dismissed the request.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Monday also asked the Indonesian leader to show mercy, but Prasetyo said there would be no delay to Veloso’s execution.

In Australia, celebrities including Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush released a video Tuesday urging Prime Minister Tony Abbott to fly to Indonesia to help save the two men.

Protesters gathered outside the Indonesian embassy in Manila, where they have been holding regular candlelight vigils for Veloso, calling on Widodo to change his mind.

“He wants to portray himself as a strong leader but by executing an innocent woman, he will portray himself as an evil man,” said Sol Pillas, secretarygeneral of Filipino migrant workers’ advocacy group Migrante. (afp)

International

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

11

12

International

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

BUSINESS Greek PM sees EU-IMF loan deal by early May

ATHENS - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday said he was confident that tough of privatisations.

Tsipras said the Greek state negotiations with his country’s EU-IMF creditors would reach a deal by early May. “Our goal... is to reach a first agreement this week if possible, or next week at the latest,” Tsipras said in a late night interview with Greece’s Star TV. “I believe we are close,” he said.

Greece has been trying to negotiate a deal that would unlock 7.2 billion euros ($7.8 billion) in remaining EU-IMF bailout money that the debtridden country needs to avoid default

and a possible exit from the euro.

But the Tsipras government, elected in January on an anti-austerity ticket, has resisted pressure to continue with a policy of cuts in return for the cash.

Tsipras said that if his government was pressured by Greece’s creditors into a deal conflicting with its electoral programme, he would put the issue to a referendum.

“If I end up with a deal beyond the limits (of my mandate), I have no other option, the people will decide,” he said.

“However, there will be no need for a referendum as there will be a deal... I am convinced we will not reach that point,” he argued.

By way of compromise, the PM on Tuesday said his government was prepared to consider a number

sought to enter partnership agreements for a number of key projects, including the management of the port of Piraeus which keenly interests China.

“These will be our concessions if there is a deal,” he said.

Tsipras on Monday reshuffled his negotiating team after another high-level meeting of European finance ministers in Riga ended in failure.

He said there was a need for “better coordination” with technical experts representing Greece’s international creditors, insisting that Athens had “nothing to hide.”

Tsipras defended his embattled Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, whose flamboyant style has reportedly irritated his European peers, calling him an “important asset” to the government.

But he noted that the negotiations “are always the responsibility of the prime minister.” (afp)

Apple profit soars on iPhone, China sales

NEW YORK - Apple on Mon- in an apparent concession to share- thorization to $140 billion from shares.

The board also approved an day reported a sharp rise in its quar- holders fearing the company is the $90 billion level announced last year. The buybacks increase 11-percent increase in quarterly terly profit, lifted by robust sales of stockpiling too much cash.

Apple said its board has in- value for shareholders by reduc- dividends to 52 cents per share. its iPhones and a jump in revenue creased its share repurchase au- ing the number of outstanding The moves will only modestly from China.

The California tech giant said profit rose 33 percent from a year ago to $13.6 billion, lifted by sales of 61 million iPhones in the first three months of the year.

Revenue increased 27 percent from the same period a year ago to $58.01 billion, Apple said.

A major contributor was the expansion of iPhone sales in China.

Revenue for “greater China” leapt 71 percent to $16.8 billion in the quarter, allowing the region to overtake Europe as Apple’s secondlargest market.

“We are thrilled by the continued strength of iPhone, Mac and the App Store, which drove our best March quarter results ever,” said chief executive Tim Cook.

“We’re seeing a higher rate of people switching to iPhone than we’ve experienced in previous cycles, and we’re off to an exciting start to the June quarter with the launch of Apple Watch.”

The results for the second fiscal quarter exclude the new Apple smartwatch, which began deliveries last week in nine countries.

Apple offered no figures for Apple Watch sales, but Cook said during a conference call that the response has been “overwhelmingly positive.”

“It’s been really great to see the reaction of customers since their watches arrived Friday,” he said.

AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File Apple said separately it was adding $50 billion to its share buyback In this May 11, 2012 file photo, travelers pass the Apple store at New York’s Grand Central Terprogram and boosting its dividend, minal. Apple reports quarterly financial results on Monday, April 27, 2015.

impact Apple’s cash reserves, which rose to over $193 billion in the past quarter.

“We believe Apple has a bright future ahead, and the unprecedented size of our capital return program reflects that strong confidence,” said Cook.

“While most of our program will focus on buying back shares, we know that the dividend is very important to many of our investors, so we’re raising it for the third time in less than three years.”

Apple, already the largest publicly traded company by market value, saw its shares rise in after-market trade by 1.5 percent to $134.61 after the better-than-expected results, pushing its capitalization to more than $770 billion.

Brian White, analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald, said the results were positive and suggest Apple is still growing at a healthy pace.

“Given the strength of this iPhone cycle, expanded cash distribution, and entry into the first new product category in five years with Apple Watch, we believe Apple remains early in this transformational cycle,” he said in a note to clients.

Apple’s results come after hugely successful launch last year of its large-screen iPhones, helping it regain market share lost to rivals like Samsung and others using the Google Android platform.

Apple’s report showed a 40 percent jump in iPhone sales compared with the same period a year ago.

But iPad sales slumped 23 percent from a year ago to 12.6 million units, with revenues down 29 percent. (afp)

International

Indonesia Today

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

SBY cancels trip to Australia

JAKARTA - Former Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has cancelled his plan to Fiesta Veloso from the Philipvisit Perth, Australia. He cited concern for security ahead of the execution of two Australian drug pines.

Moreover, French citizen Serge convicts on death row, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, as the reason for the cancellation.

SBY, as the former president is often called, was scheduled to be a keynote speaker at the “In the Zone” leadership forum on Friday, May 1, organized by the University of Western Australia (UWA).

“Dr. Yudhoyono has decided to cancel his visit to Perth, but will deliver his speech through a video recording,” Rector of UWA Professor Paul Johnson was quoted as saying on the official website of the university on Tuesday.

The “In the Zone” forum was

initiated to reinforce ideas and understanding of economic cooperation and diplomatic relations between Australia and its neighbors in the region, including Indonesia, Johnson pointed out.

“In the Zone” deepens the cooperation between policy stakeholders in Australia and various cities in Asia. The forum is a platform where Perth and Australia’s western states can share their vision for the AsiaPacific region.

This year, the event was held in

Singapore (on April 13) and will be held in Perth on May 1.

Sukumaran and Chan, who were leaders of the Bali Nine drug ring, are among the nine drug convicts to be executed soon.

The other convicts facing execution are Raheem Agbaje Salami, Silvester Obiekwe Nwaolise alias Mustofa, and Okwudili Oyatanze from Nigeria; Zainal Abidin from Indonesia; Rodrigo Gularte from Brazil; Martin Anderson alias Belo from Ghana; and Mary Jane

Areski Atlaoui has escaped the second round of executions as a judicial review of his case is ongoing at the State Administrative Court (PTUN).

Spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) Tony Tribagus Spontana stressed here on Monday that the delay in Atlaoui’s execution was not due to pressure from the French government.

“It is not because of pressure from the French president,” he affirmed.

Challenging his death sentence,

the Frenchman filed a review petition just before the April 23 deadline.

“He registered the review petition in the last minute, just before the deadline of 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 23,” Spontana stated.

As the AGO respects the legal process, it has decided to exclude Atlaoui from the list of convicts to be executed, he added. If the PTUN rejects his appeal, he will be executed as planned, he noted.

All the convicts have already been moved to the isolation rooms of the Nusakambangan prison in Central Java ahead of their execution. (ant)

Australian trafficker marries before execution

CILACAP - An Australian drug trafficker married his girlfriend Monday on the Indonesian prison island where he is set to be executed soon, his brother said, urging the country’s president to show compassion to the newlyweds.

Andrew Chan, 31, married his Indonesian girlfriend Febyanti Herewila in a ceremony on

Nusakambangan Island, home to several high-security prisons, his brother Michael said.

He could be put to death by firing squad as soon as Tuesday, along with seven other foreign drug convicts, after authorities at the weekend gave then formal notice of their executions.

“We’ve had a special day today,” Michael Chan said as

he announced the marriage after returning from a visit to Nusakambangan. “We’ve celebrated with some family and close friends.

“Hopefully the president will show some compassion, some m e r c y, s o t h e s e t w o y o u n g people can carry on with their lives. “ I t ’s i n t h e p r e s i d e n t ’s

hands.”

Chan met his future wife several years ago when Herewila, a pastor, began helping inmates in the jail where the Australian was imprisoned.

Chan and fellow Australian Myuran Sukumaran, both among the group facing imminent execution, are ringleaders of the so-called “Bali Nine” heroin-

smuggling gang and were sentenced to death in 2006.

Australia has mounted a diplomatic campaign to save the pair but President Joko Widodo has vowed there will be no clemency for drug traffickers on death row in Indonesia.

He says the country faces an emergency due to rising narcotics use. (afp)

Hospitals should give priority to BPJS patients JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo said that he will force all hospitals to provide services to patients holding Indonesia Health Cards (KIS).

“I will force all hospitals to receive patients with KIS, who are part of the Social Insurance Management Agency in the heath sector (BPJS Kesehatan). These people must be given priority,” the president stated while distributing the cards to workers of shipyard firm PT Dok and Perkapalan Koja Bahari Jakarta here on Tuesday.

Jokowi, as the president is popularly known, urged the BPJS Kesehatan to report to him hospitals that reject its patients.

“Just give me the list (of hospitals that reject these patients), and I will summon them one by one.

Hospital should not seek to earn profit only,” he remarked.

BPJS patients pay the costs incurred for treatment at hospitals using contributions or funds from the state budget, he added.

Moreover, the president gave his assurance that this week onwards, the government will begin to distribute KIS and Indonesia Smart Cards (KIP) till the end of

the year.

“As many as 88.2 million KIS and 20.3 million KIP will be distributed till the end of this year,” Jokowi affirmed.

He further noted that the distribution of the cards could be stared only now because the revised 2015 state budget was agreed upon by the parliament only in January 2015.

With regard to several parties’ rejection of the program, Jokowi pointed out that such a reaction was normal in the early phase of a project, and that it would be accepted after six months.

During the dialog with workers of PT Dok, he also asked people to maintain their health by following a good diet and exercising regularly.

In addition, Director of the BPJS Kesehatan Fachmi Idris said that all KIS holders can be admitted in any hospital for emergency cases.

“If a hospital refuses a patient in an emergency case, the matter could be taken to court,” he cautioned.

Regarding hospitals that have cooperated with the BPJS Kesehatan, he stated that their numbers have reached 600 of the 2,500 hospitals in Indonesia. (ant)

5

AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara

An activist holds a baby pangolin prior to its release into the wild with its mother, in Sibolangit, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, April 27, 2015. The baby anteater is part of dozens of live pangolins and around five tons (11,000 lbs) of pangolin meat ready to be shipped abroad confiscated in a police a raid last week.

4

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Bali News

International

Narmada Bali Raja Park to be managed by village

BANGLI - The Narmada Bali Raja Park located at Taman Bali village, Bangli, has long been abandoned and is unkempt. There is now a plan for the local community to take over management of the park -as disclosed by headman of Taman Bali, I Dewa Gd. Ngurah Oka, on Tuesday.

He said that the park has the potential to be developed into an ideal tourist destination. Previously, the government had promoted the park but nothing further was done. Since the park is located adjacent to other tourist attractions, such as the Bukit Jati and Taman Nusa Gianyar, the Narmada Bali Raja Park has a good chance of becoming a popular tourist destination. “I think this park has the potential to attract tourists, but we need to have a management plan,” he said.

When asked when renovations would begin, Ngurah Oka said that they will start immediately and will be equipped with park facilities such as gazebos and such, but the management plan still needs to be discussed with village and community leaders. “We need to communicate the management plan to the village apparatus before further measures can be taken” he explained.

The park, with an extensive pool, is in poor condition and looks dishevelled with weeds overrunning the place and nothing is left of the rest area by the pool exept for a few beams and a seat. The parks ticket booth has also collapsed.

Taman Bali resident, Pande Ketut Ar-

dana, said that the park has been completely abandoned for about ten years but: “many travellers still come to visit the park, but since it is abandoned like this, they immediately leave,” he said.

Ardana explained that the parking lot for the park was recently repaired but only because it was not known that the park itself was abandoned, so the parking lot has since being turned into a building materials store. “Parking spaces had been prepared, but we do not know why it was suddenly abandoned,” he added.

According to Ngurah Oka, the other potential tourist attractions to be developed are the Guliang Kangin waterfalls that shower 11 colors and Kuning waterfall located at Kuning hamlet. Both objects are found at Taman Bali village and have been managed by the local customary village. Nevertheless, the Kuning waterfall attraction also faces similar fate as the Narmada Bali Raja Park that was included in the promotional program but has not been managed properly.

Considering the great potential and lack of attention given by the government, at the beginning of this month, the Kuning waterfall started to be managed by the youth club

The Narmada Bali Raja Park

(sekaa taruna) of local customary village.

Chief of Kuning customary village, Taman Bali village, Ngakan Perasi Semarabawa, said that currently the Kuning 30 foot waterfall attraction has started to be visited by travellers. For the most part. these travellers are young people. “Many visitors are now starting to visit this attraction” he said.

Visitors to the waterfalls do not only get to see the swift water cascading down, but can also enjoy the fresh mountain water by taking dip in the pools below, or just take pictures. Although many visitors have come, Semarabawa admitted that no institution manages the waterfalls. “So far, there is no official management handling the waterfall attraction,” he explained.

Semarabawa revealed that the large number of visitors to the Kuning waterfall can provide additional income to the regionally generated revenue (PAD) from the tourism sector. “We will communicate this idea to the Culture and Tourism Agency, especially regarding supporting facilities,” he said. He added those visiting the waterfalls are not charged any particular amount, but are invited to make a sincere donation. (kmb45)

IBP/Sosiawan

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

International

Iraq faces huge challenges dislodging Islamic State in Anbar

Lake Buyan still overgrown by water hyacinth

SINGARAJA - One of the sources of water needs in Bali is the spring at Lake Buyan and Lake Tamblingan. Ecosystem preservation and sanitation of the area around the lake is a must, and cannot be neglected as such. Seriousness in the handling is still necessary considering if the lake is polluted it will have an impact on living creatures around it.

A researcher doubling as lecturer at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Udayana, Dr. Kartini, said on Tuesday that the ecosystem preservation of Lake Buyan and Lake Tamblingan must be maintained by Balinese people, especially from the threat of water hyacinth weed. The government of Buleleng has a difficult task to overcome the presence of water hyacinth, either in the environment of Lake Buyan or around Lake Tamblingan. “Now, on the outskirts of Lake Buyan, I have seen a lot of water hyacinth scattering. It should be quickly addressed considering the rapid growth of water hyacinth in waters of lake area,” said Kartini.

She revealed that the presence of water hyacinth in Lake Buyan can be used to produce organic fertilizer or compost.

The processing of water hyacinth into fertilizer needs human resources and special tool so that the proliferation does not damage the environment around the Lake Buyan. “To anticipate the water hyacinth, it can be done by dragging it to the edge of the lake and process into organic fertilizer,” she said.

Kartini assessed that Lake Buyan as the water source for people requires a collective awareness movement. Conservation measures, household waste processing, and planting trees around the lake area are necessary to maintain the water security of the lake and the ecosystem. “Conservation measure can be done by arranging the presence of cattle around the people’s settlement and then the cow dung is processed to produce biogas. After that, the household waste is processed, and doing land conservation through the making of terraces for tree planting as well as cultivating coffee plants around the area of Lake Buyan,” she said.

In the meantime, a local resident having profession as fishermen around the Lake Buyan, Winardi, 37, added that in recent months, dozens of fishermen claimed to be unable to catch fish because the surface of lake water is covered up by water hyacinths. As a result, the fishing nets are stuck and the fish easily escape from the catch. Another problem of water hyacinth is that it is easily drifted by winds, especially in the fish-filled waters. The wind flows from the west to the east. “For almost a week, I have not been able to catch fish due to so much water hyacinth. It happens because the fishing net cannot be installed at all, so that we are forced to take a break and do not work so far,” he added. (kmb34)

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BAGHDAD — Iraqi forces are on a westward push to retake Anbar, a sprawling Sunnidominated desert province captured by the Islamic State group in their offensive last year. But as the battles for Tikrit and Ramadi have shown, it will be a hard slog for a much-diminished Iraqi army — especially given Baghdad’s reticence to arm Sunni tribesmen and local fears of the Shiite militias backing government forces.

Park Chul-hong/Yonhap via AP

Lee Joon-seok, the captain of the sunken South Korean ferry Sewol, arrives for verdicts at Gwangju High Court in Gwangju, South Korea, Tuesday, April 28, 2015.

Captain of doomed S. Korea ferry sentenced to life in prison

SEOUL — The South Korean ferry captain responsible for last year’s disaster that killed more than 300 people, mostly schoolchildren, was given an increased sentence of life in prison Tuesday by an appellate court that convicted him of homicide.

A district court in November had sentenced Lee Joon-seok to 36 years in prison for negligence and abandoning passengers in need, but acquitted him of homicide. Victims’ relatives criticized the verdict at the time, saying it was too lenient.

Prosecutors earlier had demanded the death penalty for Lee. Lee’s sentence was increased because the Gwangju High Court convicted him of the homicide charges while upholding most of other charges that led to his November conviction, according to a court statement. Lee committed “homicide by willful negligence” because he fled the ship without making any evacuation order, though he, as a captain, is required by law to take some measures to rescue his passengers, the statement said.

“For whatever excuses, it’s difficult to forgive Lee Joon-seok’s action that caused a big tragedy,” the court statement cited the verdict as saying.

The appellate court sentenced 14 other navigation crew members to prison terms ranging from 18 months to 12 years, the statement said. In November, they had received sentences of five to 30 years

in prison.

Lee and the 14 crew members have been the subject of fierce public anger because they were among the first people rescued from the ship when it began badly listing on the day of the sinking in April last year. Most of the victims were teenagers who were en route to a southern island for a school trip.

Lee has said he issued an evacuation order. But many student survivors have said that they were repeatedly ordered over a loudspeaker to stay on the sinking ferry and that they didn’t remember any evacuation orders by crew members before they helped each other flee the ship.

In November, the Gwangju District Court supported Lee’s claim to have made an evacuation order and said there wasn’t proof that he knew his escape from the ship would cause a massive loss of life.

But the appellate court overturned that ruling, saying Lee didn’t take other necessary steps to save passengers that he should have taken if he indeed issued an evacuation order. The court also said two of the 14 navigation crew members acknowledged that there was no evacuation order and that there were loudspeaker broadcasts asking passengers to stay inside even while Lee was fleeing the ship. Court spokesman Jeon Ilho said prosecutors and the crew members have one week to appeal the verdicts. (ap)

Earlier this month, Iraqi forces captured the northern Sunnimajority city of Tikrit from the Islamic State group, but only with the backing from Iranian-trained and Iran-funded Shiite militias and U.S. airstrikes — methods that cannot work in Anbar province. The Islamic State is estimated to hold at least 65 percent of the vast province at this point.

The past weeks of seesaw battles in Anbar, with progress in areas like Garma east of Fallujah, a stalemate in the biggest city of Ramadi and an Iraqi rout near Lake Tharthar, show that the army still needs help. But relying on erstwhile Shiite militia allies may not be palatable to locals.

“The Iraqi soldiers fighting in Anbar are not well-trained enough for this battle. Many of the soldiers are there for the money, but the (Shiite militias), they are believers in this fight,” said an Iraqi brigadier general involved in the Anbar campaign. “There isn’t yet a clear plan to liberate Anbar because of the political and tribal disputes.”

Speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists, he said some tribes might be supportive but others were with the Islamic State group. He also lamented how soldiers would throw down their weapons and flee when hard-pressed.

On Friday, government reports of advances in Anbar were belied by an Islamic State attack on a water control system on a canal north of Islamic State-occupied Fallujah that killed a division commander and at least a dozen soldiers. In the past few years, Iraq’s army has been hollowed out by corrupt commanders siphoning off salaries and equipment and not training soldiers to do much more than man checkpoints.

A force that once numbered in the hundreds of thousands is now estimated by U.S. officials to be around 125,000 at best and probably a lot less, once all the so-called “ghost-soldiers” — non-existent names on the payroll — are purged.

Shiite leaders and parliamentarians

insisting that Anbar can only be retaken with the help of the militias.

The army has had some victories around Baghdad and in the eastern Diyala province with the help of Shiite militias. But if they were used in Anbar, it would only further alienate the Sunni population in the province, where the Islamic State group has been entrenched since January 2014.

Dhari al-Rishawi, a Sunni tribal leader in Anbar who helped form the Sunni militias known as Sahwa or Awakening Councils, which with the U.S. military drove al-Qaida out of the province in 2006, said people are terrified that the army will be bringing the Shiite militias.

“We know that if the militias are involved, there will be Iranian advisers and that would be a disaster because in this region there is a lot of sensitivity over Iranian interference,” al-Rishawi told The Associated Press. “The tribes of Anbar are ready to fight the Islamic State and eject them but on the condition that the state arms them.” (ap)

AP Photo

In this Sunday, April 26, 2015 photo, Iraqi security forces patrol during an operation against Islamic State group militants, to retake the water control station on a canal lost over the weekend, in the town of Garma, between Baghdad and the Islamic State-held city of Fallujah, Iraq. Defense Minister Khalid al-Obeidi said on Iraqi television that the army has achieved “90 percent” of its objectives in the town of Garma.

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Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Technology

International

Yahoo unveils new online video series

NEW YORK - US Internet giant Yahoo said Monday it was expanding its online offerings, unveiling 18 new video series with which it hopes to attract a larger audience and advertisers.

Of these, 14 will be featured in Yahoo’s digital magazines, which focus on beauty, show business and finance.

“I Am Naomi,” starring model Naomi Campbell, and “Riding Shotgun with Michelle Rodriguez,” which will feature actress Michelle Rodriguez driving cars,

are among the new offerings.

Music will be another big focus for the company as it courts millennials. It will be extending a deal with Live Nation to broadcast music festivals, and will join iHeartMedia to broadcast other music events.

Electronic dance music will

be the theme of “Ultimate DJ,” produced by Simon Cowell.

And Yahoo unveiled a new long-form series: a comedy called “The Pursuit” aimed at millennials in the digital age.

Chief executive Marissa Mayer is trying to get Yahoo back on the growth track.

“Yahoo is amidst a multiyear transformation to return an iconic company to greatness,” Mayer said in an earnings statement last week.

“This quarter, we saw encouraging revenue growth of eight percent, with display revenue growing a modest two percent and search growing 20 percent.”

Yahoo has been under pres-

sure from activist shareholders to deliver more value with lower costs and a narrower focus.

Mayer spent more than $1 billion to acquire the blogging platform Tumblr to reach a younger market segment and has made a push to focus more on mobile content and search.

But Yahoo remains far behind search market leader Google, based on market surveys. (afp)

Starbucks breakdown shows how registers have evolved

NEW YORK — A glitch that disabled registers at thousands of Starbucks stores Friday was a reminder of the invisible systems restaurants rely on to run increasingly sophisticated operations.

Registers that once merely rang up tabs and stored cash have evolved into hubs that can collect enormous volumes of data and carry out many tasks.

They process credit cards, send orders to computer screens in kitchens and help run loyalty programs.

In the industry, they’re called pointof-sale, or POS, systems, and vary greatly in what they can do.

The register malfunction that forced Starbucks to close stores last week was surprisingly large; it affected all company-owned stores in the U.S. and Canada, or more than 60 percent of roughly 13,500 locations.

“I have never heard of anything on a national scale like this,” said Blaine Hurst, chief transformation and growth officer at Panera Bread Co. Starbucks said the outage was the result of an “internal failure during a daily system refresh,” and declined to provide further details.

Regardless of the shutdown’s cause, modern-day registers have become an essential tool for helping restaurants with: The transactions recorded through registers can give companies insight on everything from how many chicken wings were sold in a particular week to whether a new iced coffee is faring well in warmer regions of the country.

“Data is the holy grail of retail,” said Craig Bahner, former chief marketing officer for Wendy’s. “We always thought of the POS system as a tool to be able to get to know your customer.”

Bahner noted that loyalty programs can provide another level of data by connecting purchases to specific individuals. That allows companies to better tailor promotions and offers.

Beyond helping companies understand customer tastes, sales data can help chains run tighter ships. It can let managers better predict how many beef patties they’ll need in the

coming week, or plan how many workers they’ll need to schedule.

It’s one of the reasons that Sonic Corp. began asking franchisees to convert to one of two new POS systems last year. Claudia San Pedro, chief financial officer for the chain of drive-in restaurants, said the systems can use sales data to help manage supplies and worker schedules, with the aim of boosting the bottom line.

Restaurant chains are always shaking up their menus or dangling limited-time offers to attract customers; think of the McRib at

McDonald’s or the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks. That means chains need to regularly update their menus, and may have to adjust registers as well.

Earlier this month, for instance, Boston Market offered a “Buy One, Get One” promotion for Tax Day that required a special button to be programmed into registers.

Given the chaos that could ensue if registers were to malfunction, Boston Market has an “IT Lab” where it tests upgrades on about a dozen machines, said Gregory Uhing, the chain’s chief financial

officer, who also oversees technology.

“We try to see if we can break it,” Uhing said.

When things go wrong with the chain’s POS systems, Uhing said it’s often because of minor, unrelated snafus related to the multiple services interacting together in one machine.

The technology that companies use to program their registers varies.

For instance, Panera’s Hurst said he previously reviewed a program

by Micros called Simphony that

updates menus and prices on registers by loading the information into a cloud. If the data in the cloud were to be wiped out for whatever reason, that would theoretically leave registers unable to function, Hurst said.

A representative for Micros, which announced Starbucks as a client for its POS system in 2011, was not available for comment.

Registers are usually hooked up to Internet connections for a variety of reason, including making sure credit cards are authorized before accepting them as payment. (ap)

Bali News

International

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Thousands of UNUD students and faculty protest at courthouse DENPASAR - Thousands of students, faculties and staff from Udayana University (UNUD) joined with others to protest the use of 2.76 hectares of disputed land on Jalan Uluwatu, Jimbaran, Badung, on Monday (Apr. 27). The demonstration was attended by the Rector of Udayana University, Prof. Dr. Ketut Suastika, along with the deputy rector and a number of officials.

In essence, the protesters coordinated by Arta Dana, and President of the student, Klara Listyadewi, demanded that the execution of a project on disputed land be suspended given that Udayana University has yet to submit their review of the project to the courts.

The Udayana students who were escorted by hundreds of police led by the Chief of Denpasar Police, A.A. Made Sudana, said in a speech that they suspected that there was a conspiracy afoot by those wishing to possess the disputed land including one investor in particular.. So, the students carried banners that read ‘Reject the Execution,’ ‘Grant Review of Court,’ ‘Save Udayana,’ ‘Bring Back the State Land’ and ‘Do Not Forfeit Education for Money,’ and a number of other demands.

Orations blasted over loudspeakers from a pickup truck with the enthusiastic support of the students who held clenched fists in the air yelling: “Reject the Execution”.

This loud chanting was followed by the singing of songs led by the field coordinator, one such song was entitled: ‘Reject the Execution Right Now.’ All of this took place in front of the Denpasar District Court on Jalan Sudirman, Denpasar, from morning until noon on Monday. There was also shouting about the fact that the disputed land is now estimated to be worth IDR 500 million per 100 square meters. “The price of land is IDR 500 million per 100 square meters. Who does not have an intention to own this land? We suspect that the party that claims to want to own this land is (allegedly) backed

up by investors. Do you accept this my friends?” said the students in their speech. Thousands of people who gathered from various sectors including the academic community shouted back “Noooooooooo.”

The students loudly voiced their suspicions that Udayana University is being mocked by those who have their eyes on 2.76 hectares of disputed land.

The Rector of Udayana University, Prof. Ketut Suastika also got up onto the podium on the pickup truck to encourage his students.

Prof. Suastika chronologically outlined the details of the case with plaintiff Ni Wayan Kepreg and Nyoman Swastika, in the Denpasar District Court and High Court that had been won by Udayana University. However, the appeal to the Supreme Court was won by Ni Wayan Kepreg and Nyoman Swastika who were declared the rightful owners of the disputed land based on their land title (pipil) and property tax bill (SPPT).

After the speeches, escorted by Agung Sudana, the rector and deputy rector were received by the Denpasar District Court, represented by Deputy Chief Dr. Made Suweda and Spokesperson Hasoloan Sianturi.

For approximately one hour, on the second floor of the Denpasar District Court, they discussed the issue. After the meeting, the rector said that there are two things that support the suspension of the execution, namely the realm of law and security. “We are now applying the review of court, and indeed the review of court does not delay the execution. We are waiting and talk-

Thousands of students, faculties and staff from Udayana University (UNUD) joined with others to protest the use of 2.76 hectares of disputed land on Jalan Uluwatu, Jimbaran, Badung, on Monday (Apr. 27). ing about legal process. We will ask the students to withdraw to let the court get back to work” explained Prof. Suastika. As for the results of the meeting, the rector said that the Chief of the Denpasar District Court, Sugeng Riyono, said that in terms of legality the execution cannot be delayed. “Theoretically, the execution team will proceed,” he said.

Is there any commitment from the District Court to delay operations? Prof. Suastika said that the execution of the plan will continue.

Spokesperson for the Denpasar District Court, Hasoloan Sianturi, said that the verdict of the case was read out by the Supreme Court on

May 7, 2014. In essence, the Supreme Court received and granted the plaintiff’s claim in its entirety.

The plaintiff is legally valid as the owner of the land on behalf of (the late) I Ripuh; the defendant’s act is against the law. Over the Supreme Court decision, the plaintiff invoked an execution and has issued reprimand twice but the defendant of the execution was not present, so according to procedure a letter of execution was then issued. Hasoloan said that the execution was finally held on Monday (Apr. 27, 2015) at the location of the object of the case. The execution on Monday made a fool of Udayana University because while the demonstration was being held at the Denpasar

GIANYAR - A 1,000 meters long canvas was recently painted on Jalan Dharmagiri Gianyar by hundreds of artists from Gianyar as part of the celebrations of the town of Gianyar’s 244th anniversary. The stretch of canvas was partially painted before being mounted, the other 50 percent of the painting was then finished on location by the painters who made it into a master work. A 1,000 meter long painting begs

the question of where it can be displayed or stored. The results of the group painting were on display for 3 days and in fact drew many interested people. Approximately 12 of the painters sold their paintings on the spot, while the remaining paintings were taken home by their artists.

Committee chairman of the 1,000 meter painting activity, I Nyoman Arjawa, said that some 552 Ganyarese painters par-

ticipated in the event. After being displayed for three days, the paintings were relinquished to their respective artist. “Indeed, some paintings were sold and the money was immediately accepted by the painters,” said Arjawa.

The canvas itself was provided by the government, as was food and transportation for the artists. This was the first time that Gianyar organized a 1,000 meter painting activity which aimed at

giving painters an opportunity to showcase their talent. Until now, the government has only focused on showcasing the talent of dancers and gamelan players.

The anniversary of Gianyar was an opportunity to hold this unique event which will be immortalized in a book. Arjawa added that the paintings that were created during this event can be borrowed from the respective artists when needed. (dar)

IBP/Yudi Karnaedi

1,000 meter long painting

AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File

In this Dec. 6, 2010 file photo, a customer pays for a coffee beverage at Starbucks in the SoHo neighborhood of New York. A glitch that disabled registers at thousands of Starbucks stores on Friday, April 24, 2015 was a reminder of the invisible systems restaurants rely on to run increasingly sophisticated operations.

3

District Court, the executors of the Denpasar District Court led by Komang Bayu Wirawan proceeded smoothly with the execution at the location of the disputed land. (kmb37)

2

International

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Bali News

International

Activities

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

15

Enjoying unique tea experience at Table8

Illegal Water sport at Banyualit

NUSA DUA - If you want to enjoy a unique experience while drinking your tea, you should add Table8 at Mulia Resort and Villas, Nusa Dua in your check list. The new Table8 at Mulia Resort’s promenade level includes popular delicacies from China’s two regions, Canton and Sichuan. Consequently, Table8 brings in tea masters to complement the authentic oriental dining experience. The tea master learns the kung fu moves from China intensively for a couple of months and a year of practice before performing live in the restaurant.

Municipal Police threaten to forcibly dismantle facilities

The tea is served in a unique way. It is not an easy thing to do as each tea master must learn kung fu moves that requires physical and mental strength to perform the artistic ritual.

Firstly, a round-shaped bundle of tea (Hua Cha Shuang Xi Lin Men, or in short – flower tea) is presented on the table in a long glass. This customized, hand woven creation consists of two types of Chrysanthemum flowers – symbolizing happiness, Jasmine flowers and Green Tea leaves from Fujian province in China.

A tea master then will stop by your table with a long nosed brass kettle pouring hot water from afar with an artistic movement as if shown by a kung fu master. The bundle, with a touch of hot water then will slowly bloom into a beautiful flower and ready to be enjoyed. Table8 serves various Chinese tea leaves, from green tea, white tea, oolong to Chinese black tea, Pu-er.

SINGARAJA - The construction of a water sports facility on the beach of Banyualit hamlet, Lovina, was undertaken without a permit from the local government. For this violation, the Buleleng Municipal Police threatened to dismantle the facilities within 14 days if the owner does not submit a request for the permit. Other than the water sport facilities themselves, other buildings onsite also have no building permit (IMB). The owner, who is a foreigner from Australia, intentionally built the facility before requesting a permit.

These facts were revealed when the Buleleng Municipal Police inspected the construction site of the water sports facilities on Banyualit Beach on Monday afternoon (Apr. 27). The inspection team was led by the Chief of the Buleleng Municipal Police, I Made Budi Astawa. The inspection also involved the Head of the Buleleng Environment Agency (BLH), Nyoman Surya Temaja, the Head of Culture and Tourism Agency, Gede Suyasa, and headman of Kalibukbuk I Ketut Suka.

The entourage originally wanted to meet the owner of the water sports facility. Unfortunately, the owner was on site, but they were received by the project coordinator, I Gede Wenten. Apart from asking for an explanation from the coordinator, Municipal Police also had a closer look at the construction of the tourist facilities by the sea. When Municipal Police asked to Wenten to present the permit documents, he stated that his boss has not submitted a request for the permit yet.

Chief of the Buleleng Municipal Police, I Made Budi Astawa, said the business owner has committed a vio-

lation. According to the explanation of the project coordinator, the owner that has started to build and install the water sport facilities by the sea had deliberately not submitted a request for a permit.

For the violation, the Municipal Police issued a reprimand letter and stopped the construction of the water sports project. The owner was given 14 days to submit the licensing documents. If the owner has not down so within before the deadline, the Municiple Police threatened to forcibly dismantle the water sports facilities.

“Our inspection has revealed that the water sports facility in fact has not permit so we have issued a cease and decist order for the construction workers. If after 14 days the owner has not submitted the request for the permits, we will dismantle these facilities,” he said.

Responding to the reprimand, the project coordinator, I Gede Wenten, stated that he will immediately inform his boss Mr. Robmuir, 47, a foreign national from Australia. Wenten promised to immediately submit a request for the permit after receiving the go-ahead from his business partner

in Australia. When the installation of the water sports facility began, village authorities invited Robmuir to present his plan. Based on this plan, the adjacent hotels objected to the project on the beach of Banyualit. In response to these objections, the project was changed into a water park that would not be using motorized boats or Jetski. With the change in the type of business, village authorities said they were prepared to provide support, which is when the construction started.

However, Wenten said that he didn’t think that the installation of the ecofriendly tourism facilities required a permit. After receiving the reprimand from the Municipal Police, Wenten promised to submit the documents for the permits according to applicable regulations.

“I will definitely submit the documents required to request the permits and will address this issue as soon as possible because this business is being built in cooperation with a foreigner from Australia,” he said.

Wenten also said that the tourism facilities are not actually for water sports, but are meant to be used as a water park. The equipment that has

The officers of Buleleng Government are inspecting the water sport facilities in Banyualit, Buleleng

NEGARA - Aside from pest attack, farmers in Jembrana are anxious due to bad weather conditions during harvest season. Strong winds accompanied with rain have caused the ready-forharvest paddy to fall and kindles the selling price of grain to slump. Under this condition, the paddy middlemen determine the price.

The paddy of a number of subak areas that have been ready to harvest fell and even was under water. The fallen paddy has expanded so that makes the farmers concerned. “If the condition is like this, the price will go down though

having been given upfront payment by grain middlemen,” complained one of the farmers whose paddy fell met at Pohsanten. The middlemen are reluctant to pay according to the initial agreement because the quality of grain is down. Other than in subak area, the paddy plots owned by the demonstration plot of Auxiliary Seed Agency (BBP) at Pohsanten also looked to have collapsed.

Deputy Chairman of the Jembrana House, I Wayan Wardana, also claimed to often find such a condition. Under that condition, farmers

resigned to accept a renegotiation despite being given upfront payment because their paddy has fallen.

“Grain middlemen are willing not to revoke the upfront payment, but the price will be decreased from initial agreement. I often mediate to make an agreement so that it will not be detrimental to farmers,” said the legislator who has been long involved in farmer cooperatives. When harvest arrives, it is indeed difficult to distinguish grain middlemen because they simultaneously come down and are overwhelmed due to the lack of har-

vesting labor. As a result, the harvest is then made gradually.

On the other hand, the Head of Jembrana Agriculture Agency, I Ketut Wiratma, admitted that the quite troublesome problem faced by farmers today is the fallen paddy. Though it will not interfere with the production, certainly the quality of grain will decline and it has an impact on the selling price. “What we worry about is actually the pest, but it has been only a little and promptly addressed. Now, the fallen paddy becomes a threat,” said Wiratma. According to him, the

Balinese Temple Ceremony

IBP/file

been installed in the ocean was accidentally brought in from overseas and classified as an eco-friendly facility. It resembles a sofa that can be moved if no tourists rent the facility or if the marine weather conditions are not favorable. As for the supporting facilities, Wenten admitted that they intended to have a reception building, a kitchen and a cashier’s office.

The buildings are being constructed on contracted land owned by a local resident who has leased the land for

for a period of five years.

As reported earlier, local residents and hotel owners suspected that the installation of the water tourism facility out to sea was illegal. The construction can be clearly seen from shore as it lies just 100 meters out to sea. To prevent the facility from drifting, it has been anchored to the sea bed. There is concern that the anchor could harm sprouting coral reef which are a main attraction for divers visiting Lovina. (kmb38)

More and more paddy plants fall, price of grain drops

issue cannot be predicted because it depends on natural factors.

The Agriculture Agency has not made data collection on the fallen paddy, but it is ascertained to happen evenly in some subak areas, while at the others occurred sporadically. “It occurs sporadically and unevenly in one plot. It is the will of nature, so that we cannot predict. We urge farmers to immediately harvest it,” said Wiratma.

Some shorter rice varieties are also tested in the demonstration plots as planted at Pohsanten, but in fact they also fall. (kmb26)

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Every Temple and Shrine has a special date for it annual Ceremony, or “ Odalan “, every 210 days according to Balinese calendar, including the smaller ancestral shrine which each family possesses. Because of this practically every few days a ceremony of festival of some kind takes place in some Village in Bali. There are also times when the entire island celebrated the same Holiday, such as at Galungan, Kuningan, Nyepi day, Saraswati day, Tumpek Landep day, Pagerwesi day, Tumpek Wayang day etc.

The dedication or inauguration day of a Temple is considered its birth day and celebration always takes place on the same day if the wuku or 210 day calendar is used. When new moon is used then the celebration always happens on new moon or full moon. The day of course can differ the religious celebration of a temple lasts at least one full day with some temple celebrating for three days while the celebration of Besakih temple, the Mother Temple, is never less than 7 days and most of the time it lasts for 11 days, depending on the importance of the occasion.

The celebration is very colorful. The shrine are dressed with pieces of cloths and sometimes with brocade, sailings, decorations of carved wood and sometimes painted with gold and Chinese coins, very beautifully arranged, are hung in the four corners of the shrine. In front of shrine are placed red, white or black umbrellas depending which Gods are worshipped in the shrines.

In front of important shrine one sees, besides these umbrellas soars, tridents and other weapons, the “umbulumbul”, long flags, all these are prerogatives or attributes of Holiness. In front of the Temple gate put up “Penjor”, long bamboo poles, decorated beautifully ornaments of young coconut leaves, rice and other products of the land.

Most beautiful to see are the girls in their colorful attire, carrying offerings, arrangements of all kinds fruits and colored cakes, to the Temple. Every visitor admires the grace with which the carry their load on their heads.

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

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

16 Pages Number 94 7th year

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Wednesday, April 29, 2015

WEATHER FORECAST 23 - 32 Dps

‘Age of Ultron’ is an Avengers overdose

It will surely stand as one of the most peculiar and possibly ironic entries in a director’s filmography that in between Joss Whedon’s two “Avengers” films there reads “Much Ado About Nothing”: a low-budget, black-and-white Shakespeare adaption sandwiched between two of the most gargantuan blockbusters ever made.

In “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” there is definitely aplenty ado-ing.

Too much, certainly, but then again, we come to the Avengers for their clown-car excess of superheroes, their colorful coterie of capes. What binds Whedon’s spectacles with his Shakespeare are the quips, which sail in iambic pentameter in one and zigzag between explosions in the others. The original 2012 “Avengers” should have had more of them, and there’s even less room in the massive — and massively overstuffed — sequel for Whedon’s dry, self-referential wit.

As a sequel, “Age of Ultron” pushes further into emotionality and complexity, adding up to a full but not particularly satisfying meal of franchise building, and leaving only a bread-crumb trail of Whedon’s banter to follow through the rubble.

The action starts predictably with the Avengers assaulting a remote HYDRA base in the fictional Eastern European republic of Sokovia. They are a weaving force: Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, Chris Evans’s Captain America, Scarlett

Johansson’s Black Widow and Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye.

Their powers are as various (supernatural, technological, mythological) as their flaws (Iron Man’s narcissism, the Hulk’s rage, the Black Widow’s regrets). Downey’s glib Tony Stark/ Iron Man is the lead-singer equivalent of this super group and, I suspect, the one Whedon likes writing for the most. “I’ve had a long day,” he sighs.

“Eugene O’Neill long.”

What “Age of Ultron” has going for it, as such references prove, is a sense of fun, a lack of self-seriousness that persists even when things start going kablooey — something not always evident in other faux-serious superhero films. (See: “Man of Steel,” or rather, don’t.)

In Sokovia, they encounter duplicitous twins: the quick-footed Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and the mystical Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). The real villain, though, is the titular Ultron, an artificial intelligence that the Scarlet Witch slyly leads Stark to create, birthing not the global protection system he hopes, but a maniacal Frankenstein born, thankfully, with some of his creator’s drollness.

Ultron (James Spader) builds himself a muscular metallic body and begins amassing a robot army to rid the planet of human life. Spader plays Ultron who is too similar to other mechanical monsters to equal Tom Hiddleston’s great Loki, the nemesis of the last “Avengers” film. But Spader’s

jocular menace adds plenty. He wickedly hums Pinocchio melodies: “There are no strings on me.”

But the drama of “Age of Ultron” lies only partly in the battle with Ultron. The film is really focused on the fraying dysfunction of the Avengers and their existential quandaries as proficient killers now untethered from the dismantled S.H.I.E.L.D. agency.

There’s not a wrong note in the cast; just about anything with the likes of Spader, Ruffalo, Johansson, Hemsworth and Downey can’t help but entertain. But the dive into the vulnerability of the Avengers doesn’t add much depth (is the home life of an arrow slinger named Hawkeye important?) and saps the film’s zip.

All the character arcs — the Avengers, the bad guys and the new characters — are simply too much to tackle, even for a master juggler like Whedon.

The movie’s hefty machinery — the action sequences, the sequel baiting — suck up much of the movie’s oxygen.

In the relentless march forward of the Marvel juggernaut, “Age of Ultron” feels like a movie trying to stay light on its feet but gets swallowed up by a larger power: The Franchise.

“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” a Walt Disney release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for “intense sequences of sci-fi action, violence and destruction.”

Running time: 141 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four. (ap)

Disney/Marvel via AP

This photo provided by Disney/Marvel shows, from left, Cobie Smulders, seated, Chris Evans, Don Cheadle, Claudia Kim, Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo and Scarlett Johansson in the film, “Avengers: Age Of Ultron.” The movie releases in U.S. theaters on May 1, 2015.

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Mariah Carey makes grand entrance for Vegas show

AP Photo/Claude Paris, File

LAS VEGAS — Mariah Carey arrived to cheering screams at Caesars Palace Monday night in a classic 1936 pink convertible trailing behind 18 mobile billboards bearing the titles of her number one hits including “Always be my baby” from 1996 and “Heartbreaker” from 1999. The gladiator-clad men took it from there, carrying Carey through the casino on a platform fit for Cleopatra.

The grand entrance marked her Las Vegas Strip arrival that will bring her chart-topping hits to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace starting May 6 with performances through July.

Called “Mariah #1 to Infinity,” the show is timed with the debut of Carey’s newest breakup single and music video dubbed “Infinity.”

Carey sang along to the new song on a stage inside, at one point filming herself and the crowd with an iPhone.

“I can’t wait to sing all the hits for you guys,” she told the crowd.

Devin Cole, 28, can’t wait to hear them. The Queens resident with a Carey collage on his phone

hopped a flight to Las Vegas for the weekend when he heard about the Caesars event. Cole credited Carey’s songs for keeping him alive as he battled depression at 16 years old.

“She’s a lyrical goddess,” he said.

The Grammy winner is among the best-selling female solo artists of all time and joins the ranks of Celine Dion, Elton John, Rod Stewart and Shania Twain, who have all taken up residency at The Colosseum. Across the Strip, pop star Britney Spears calls a Planet Hollywood stage home.

Tickets for Carey’s show are priced from $55 to $250. (ap)

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

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

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Indonesia gears up for executions as families wail in grief

CILACAP - Indonesia made final preparations Tuesday to execute eight foreigners by firing squad, as family members wailed in grief during last visits to their loved ones and ambulances carrying white coffins arrived at the drug convicts’ prison.

Relatives of Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, the Australian ringleaders of the so-called “Bali Nine” heroin trafficking group, arrived at Nusakambangan prison calling for mercy for their loved ones, with Sukumaran’s sister collapsing in grief, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

Chan and Sukumaran are among nine prisoners -- eight of whom are foreign and one Indonesian -- facing death after authorities gave them final notice of their executions at the weekend.

The families have been asked to say their final goodbyes by Tuesday afternoon as signs indicated the death sentences would be carried out by early the next day.

Australian media have published photos of crosses that will be used for the coffins, inscribed with Wednesday’s date, 29.04.2015.

An AFP reporter at Nusakambangan, the high-security prison where the convicts are awaiting their sentence, said ambulances carrying the empty white coffins had arrived.

The convicts, who have been held in isolation cells since the weekend, also include nationals from Brazil, the Philippines and Nigeria.

President Joko Widodo, who believes Indonesia is facing an emergency due to rising drugs use, has signalled his determination to push on with the executions despite mounting international condemnation led by UN Secre-

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atan Syuflana

AP Photo/T tary General Ban Ki-moon.

Myuran Sukuof s ter nter, sis Indonesian Attorney-General Muival Brintha Sukumaran, ce ath row, cries upon arr hammad Prasetyo told AFP the authoriran, an Australian on de of d ma an isl n so ss to the pri ties will not announce a date before the jayapura ferry port to cro ntral Java, Indonesia, Wi at executions. acap, Ce Nusakambangan, in Cil .

15 20 , 28 ril Tuesday, Ap

Screaming for mercy

The families of Chan and Sukumaran, who have been visiting them frequently in recent days, were unable to control their emotion as they arrived at Cilacap, the town that serves as the gateway to Nusakambangan.

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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AP Photo/Tatan Syuflan

an, an brother of Andrew Ch at WiMichael Chan, center, l iva arr row, walks upon d of Australian on death an isl n iso pr cross to the es jayapura ferry port to on ia, acap, Central Java, Ind Nusakambangan, in Cil .

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

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AP Photo/Tatan Syuflan

Jane rk Darren, sons of Mary WiMark Daniel, left, and Ma at ive arr , row ath de n on of Veloso, a Filipino woma d an isl cross to the prison AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana ia, jayapura ferry port to es on Ind , va ntral Ja Armed police officers and security personnel stand guard as a ferry carrying ambulances prepares to Nusakambangan, in Cilacap, Ce .

15 20 , 28 set off for Nusakambangan island in Cilacap, Central Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, April 28, 2015.

Tuesday, April