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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Rumba, the dance of seduction running through Cubans’ veins

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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

HAVANA - Born among black slaves on sugar plantations, Cuba’s rumba has since become a national icon almost as renown as its cigars or amateur boxers and two years ago was designated by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage.

Set to a five-stroke rhythm and the beat of hollow claves and African drums, Cubans take to the streets of Havana every year in August to celebrate their dance of seduction.

And while rumba has expanded and traveled to grace the great dance halls of Europe, its essence is conserved in the blood of Cubans who keep the rhythm alive in their everyday movements.

“It’s an expression of the joy of life, created during the slavery period in the sugar plantations, in the neighborhoods, in the ports, on the railway lines,” said Miguel Barnet, president of Cuba’s writers and artists guild.

“Wherever the slave worked, he needed his spiritual and liturgical songs, for salvation and healing.”

- Clave rhythm It developed from the end of the 18th century through the 19th. Men, usually dressed all in white, wearing a hat and sometimes carrying a cane, move elegantly as women’s

wide, brightly colored skirts flutter to their steps. The man follows and woos the woman as both move their hips and slide their arms and legs to the clave rhythm. It’s not just a performance to watch, though, as spectators often join in and allow their bodies to be swept along by the African drumbeat.

To the outsider, it might look sexual, and not without reason. The man at times produces a pelvic thrust known as the “vacunao” that betrays the rumba’s roots as an African fertility dance.

“For me, rumba is Cuba and I’m a loyal conservationist of the tradition,” said 31year-old Yanaisis Ordonez who graduated from the National School of Art in 2004.

“It feels like it belongs to me. I carry it in my blood.”

In the La Maravilla courtyard in front of the Belen convent that once owned a sugar plantation with more than 300 slaves, children watch and try to imitate the dancers’ steps.

A shirtless man collecting buckets of water

Cubans dance Rumba in a street of Havana, on August 22, 2018. passes by; occasionally a youngster listening to reggaeton on a speaker comes into earshot, perhaps unaware that the beat he’s listening

YAMIL LAGE / AFP

to shares the same Bantu cultural influence and African roots as rumba, according to music critic Pedro de la Hoz. (afp)

YouTube bout earns millions as boxing keeps distance

IBP/net

A boxing bout between YouTube celebrities Logan Paul (L) and KSI has appalled aficionados of the noble art but left the two protagonists laughing all the way to the bank.

SAN FRANCISCO - A boxing bout between YouTube celebrities Logan Paul and KSI has appalled aficionados of the noble art but left the two protagonists laughing all the way to the bank.

More than 15,000 fans crowded into Britain’s Manchester Arena on Saturday to watch boxing novices Paul and KSI -- real name Olatunji Olajide -- clamber into the ring for a six-round contest.

A further 773,000 fans were reported to have paid $10 each to watch a stream on YouTube, numbers that make it likely Paul and KSI stand to earn millions from a fight that ended in a “majority

draw” for KSI. With a further 1.2 million fans estimated to have watched the contest on pirated streams, a rematch between the two men, who have 37 million YouTube subscribers between them, is a question of when, not if. The interest in the spectacle comes solely from Paul and KSI’s outsized, and frequently obnoxious, Internet personas.

Paul, a video blogger, has regularly courted controversy since he rose to prominence on the Vine social media platform in 2012.

In December, he triggered outrage after uploading video to his YouTube channel showing the

corpse of a young man at a notorious suicide spot in Japan.

He later posted an apology and pledged $1 million to suicide prevention charities.

KSI meanwhile faced repeated criticism earlier in his online career for his attitudes toward women, standing accused of trivializing rape and showing misogynistic attitudes in video interviews.

Paul and KSI spotted the commercial possibilities of a boxing bout after KSI fought fellow British YouTube personality Joe Weller in London in February, attracting around 1.6 million viewers online. (afp)

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Gold medallist Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie celebrates during the awards ceremony for the men’s singles badminton event at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta on August 28, 2018.

Christie, ‘Minions’ all gold at Asian Games

Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie stunned Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen for Asian Games badminton gold as a home pair affectionately dubbed the “Minions” won the men’s doubles at a rocking Jakarta arena on Tuesday.

Christie said he’d never dreamed of being crowned Asian Games champion on home soil after his thrilling 21-18, 20-22, 21-15 against the world number six -- his first title of the year.

Later, Taiwan’s world number one beat PV Sindhu 21-13, 21-16 in 34 minutes -- the fifth final defeat in a row for the much-endorsed Indian, who is listed as the world’s seventh richest female athlete.

The delighted Christie ripped off his shirt as fans roared after his

win over Chou, which made him Indonesia’s first men’s singles gold medallist since former Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat in 2006.

The world number 15 overcame nerves to edge the first game but after faltering in the second, he regained his composure in the decisive final game.

It capped a memorable run for Indonesia’s men after Anthony Sinisuka Ginting knocked out world champion Kento Momota and Olympic gold-medallist Chen

Long en route to bronze.

“I did not expect that I can win a gold at the Asian Games. Actually there are a lot of good players here and I never expected that I could come out as a winner,” said Christie.

“But now I have to look ahead. It doesn’t stop here. A day’s rest and I will start preparing for the next tournament.”

The shuttler began his campaign with a shock win over China’s world number two Shi Yuqi in the opening round -- and he felt the

omens were good for the final.

“From the first time I shook hands with Chou at the toss, his hands were cold and I felt he was nervous. But he played a good game,” said Christie.

Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon, nicknamed the “Minions” owing to their stature, won an all-Indonesian final against Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto 13-21, 21-18, 24-22.

In a celebratory atmosphere at the badminton stadium, Sukamuljo and Gideon collapsed to the floor as their opponents’ final shot went wide to settle a gripping final game.

The women’s final was far more onesided as Tai, who beat India’s Saina Nehwal in the semi-finals, improved her record against Sindhu to 10-3.

“She did not play as good as before,” Tai told reporters. “It is very good, what I have done. But I’ll keep going and train better.” (afp) News can also be heard in “Bali Image” at Global Radio FM 96.5 from 9.30 until 10.00 am. Listen to Global Radio FM at http:// globalfmbali.listen2myradio.com or live video streaming at http:// radioglobalfmbali.com and http:// ustream.tv/channel/global-fm-bali.

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Bali News

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

International

Jumbo-sized Baris Dancer sculpture

GIANYAR - A giant woven bamboo sculpture of a Baris dancer is currently being worked on in in the Kelodan hamlet, Tampaksiring. The art-work that will stand 6.5 meter high with a width of 8.5 meter is being created by local artist Gusti Arya Udianata for a music festival in Denpasar.

Met at his workshop, Rahman as he is known, explained that the woven statue requires some 300 bamboo poles and he has been working on it for almost a month. “A fellow sculptor has a friend who works in festival management. He asked me to sketch a Baris dancer sculpture and then asked me to create it”, said Rahman who is married to Luh Putu Devi Gangga.

Although based on the sketch, Rahman explained that he uses his instinct and imagination to actually build the giant Baris dancer “The sketch is based on the classic baris dancer that I was asked to create in jumbo size. Once it is finished it will look roughly like this”, he said..

A total of seven people are involved in creating this monumental piece. “The sketch team consists of Aswinoaji and Kadek Agus Mediana, while the Dita is in charge of management. The sculpting is assisted by Kadek Baskara, Edi Karisma, Akang, Sofia, Bebi, Andy and Bli Rahde”, he explained.

Everyone has their respective duties. The most important thing is to make the piece look alive. The assembling of the klakat (bamboo frames) must fit perfectly with the wire, said Rahman who added that he did not want to comment on the cost as it was the role of the manager to deal with that. “I just do the creating of the piece while the materials are provided by the committee. I believe artists are best at making art”, he said.

As far as Rahman knows, the statue will be placed at the artist camp area of GWK for about 10 days. “As far as I know, the artist camp is a rest area for the performers”, he said.

After the event, the Baris Dancer statue will be returned

to its hometown at Tampaksiring, but Rahman admitted that he did not know exactly what to do with the jumbo art-work.

“If anyone is interested they can buy it. I have not found a place to store it- there is not enough room here”, he said.

Rahman estimated that the woven bamboo ill last about 1 month if left outdoors but up to a year or more if it is indoors and polished with varnish. “Right now it is a purely bamboo cane work with no additional varnish or paint, so it

remains natural”, revealed this graduate of SMAN 1 Ubud high school.

Admittedly, quite a lot people from Gianyar have stopped by to see the creation process of this giant art work, including foreign. “Yes people have been coming by to have a look and most say they are impressed and take a selfie. I am happy to see people enthusiastic about coming here to see this art work”, he added. (kmb35)

IBP/Manik Astajaya

Reclamation of Benoa Bay fails

ForBALI announces victory for Balinese community DENPASAR - The Balinese People’s Forum to Reject Benoa Bay Reclamation (ForBALI) announced the victory of the Balinese people over the proposed project in Benoa Bay at the WALHI Bali Secretariat on Monday (Aug. 27). The announcement was made following the failure of PT Tirta Wahana Bali International (TWBI) to reclaim 700-hectares in Benoa Bay because the location permit obtained by TWBI from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries already expired on August 25. Even before the permit had expired, the environmental impact analysis (AMDAL) has also not been declared feasible by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

ForBALI Coordinator, I Wayan ‘Gendo’ Suardana, said the first location permit was issued on August 25, 2014.

Then, it was extended once in 2016 and valid until August 25, 2018 because every location permit is valid for 2 years.

As long as the location permit is still valid, the AMDAL can be processed and be assessed. However, on several occasions, Siti Nurbaya conveyed in the media that the AMDAL document compiled by the TWBI could not be declared feasible because it remained unable to overcome the issue of socio-cultural impacts.

“In other words, PT TWBI ‘s AMDAL is not feasible because there has been massive rejection of the project by Balinese people including customary villages coalesced into the Pasubayan, communities, community institutions and individuals who expressed their opposition to the reclamation

plan through protests and also in writing”, he said.

Just before the location permit extension expired, Gendo had communicated with various relevant parties, including the Minister of Environment and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya, and her staff and the location permit expired as of August 26, 2018 at 00:00 West Indonesia Time. Right up until the permit the AMDAL was still declared unfeasible. Minister Siti Nurbaya stated that she was still overseas from August 14 until yesterday, and did not know the latest progress.

“Her staff also provided information about the fact that the recommendation was the same : the minister had not issued an Environmental Feasibility Decree and has not issued an environmental permit because the amendment is unable to overcome the socio-cultural impact that was unfavourable.

Automatically, PT TWBI’s plan to reclamation 700 hectares of the waters of Benoa Bay failed”, said coordinator of ForBALI. Gendo asserted that 5-year struggle of the Balinese people to reject the Benoa Bay reclamation finally ended in victory.

This victory, he said is expected to be serve as inspiration for all communities to continuously criticize unfair development plans. It also serves as a lesson to authorities and entrepreneurs wanting to invest in Bali that this cannot be done arbitrarily and all development projects but take into consideration the interests of the natural and social environment as a whole. ForBALI is especially grateful to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) for objectively

Activities

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carrying out the environmental impact assessment process based on regulations, procedures and guidelines for AMDAL assessment.

“To the whole community, we hope this victory does not quell our critical attitude because we still have work to do to ensure that Presidential Regulation No.51/2014 is repelled or the president issues a new law that ensures that the status of Benoa Bay is returned to being a conservation area”, he explained.

Gendo added that Presidential Regulation Number 51 will still be a concern for ForBALI after this victory and should remain concern of all parties including officials and politicians who can ensure that reclamation cannot be carried out and that want to restore the status of Benoa Bay as a conservation area. The opportunity for investors to reclaim Benoa Bay for the interests of a new business project will be completely closed to possibility if the president revokes this Presidential Regulation.

Presidential Regulation Number 51, explained Gendo is a limited change or partial change to Presidential Regulation No.45/2011 concerning the Spatial Plan of Sarbagita (Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar and Tabanan) area. The regulation only changes the designation of Benoa Bay from a conservation area into cultivation area. So, there is no connection to other regions in Bali let alone other regions in Indonesia as elected Governor of Bali Wayan Koster previously mentioned as a reason not to revoke the regulation. (kmb32)

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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

The opening of Cau Chocolates Food and Gift

CAU Chocolate Food and Gift, a modern and homey restaurant located on Jalan Kartika Plaza in Kuta area, was opened on …….. by Kadek Surya, CEO of Cau Chocolates Food and Gift, a subsidiary of PT. Cau Chocolates Bali.

This restaurant offers various types of dishes with Asian and European menus as well as pastry and coffee. Aside from offering delicious food and drinks, this restaurant also offers a wide selection of snack souvenir made from 100 percent of organic chocolate and cocoa powder with attractive packaging and affordable prices while the flavors range from vanilla, coffee, original, mocha and other unique flavors processed at the local factory located Cau village, Tabanan.

Kadek Surya, a young entrepreneur behind the success of this business, conveyed the history of the establishment of PT Cau Chocolates Bali and Cau Chocolate Food and Gift. Cau Chocolates Bali Factory & Agro tourism was established in 2014 by a child of cacao farmer and poses a company dedicated to improving the welfare of farmers.

Purchasing agricultural products, especially cacao, at more expensive price than the market prices is intended to make cacao

farmers want to improve the quality and quantity of their products.

Cau Chocolates Bali Factory & Agro tourism spreads across the area of 10,000 square meters which consisting of restaurants, chocolate workshops, paddy fields and cacao estate where in Cau Chocolate visitors can get to know the agriculture more closely, both rice agriculture and cacao processed into chocolate so as to be ready for consumption.

The company has the mission to introduce cacao farming to general public as well as to develop and love the agrarian culture, especially the cacao cultivation and subak (irrigation cooperative) culture in Bali.

What is organic chocolate? Organic chocolate is made through organic processes, both in the garden (the use of organic fertilizer) and the processing that is made without the use of chemicals, added Kadek Surya.

Organic chocolate is very good for health, good for maintaining the health of our heart and very good as an anti aging substance.

“The process of organic chocolate ranging from the garden to the workshop can be seen directly at Cau Chocolates Bali Factory & Agro Tourism located on Jalan Raya Marga, Tua, Apuan, Tabanan,” explained Surya.

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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Toyota pours $500 mn into driverless car tieup with Uber

Technology

International

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

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Agrotourism development can be a magnet to bring in tourists

MANGUPURA — Although having barren condition, the Pecatu area has been an agrotourism that can become one of the tourist attractions in Badung especially in South Kuta. In addition to serving as attraction, the products yielded at the agro-tourism can be distributed to star-rated hotels in the South Kuta and surrounding areas. Moreover, the attraction is in the form of organic products becoming the target of tourists.

SAN FRANCISCO - Toyota will pump about $500 million into Uber as part of a deal to work together on mass-producing self-driving vehicles, the Japanese car giant said on Tuesday.

The deal, which reportedly values Uber at about $72 billion, aims at “advancing and bringing to market autonomous ride-sharing as a mobility service at scale,” Toyota said in a statement.

Technology from both companies will be integrated into purpose-built Toyota vehicles and deployed on Uber’s ride-sharing platform, with the first pilot rollout set for 2021.

“The deal is the first of its kind for Uber and signals our commitment to bringing world-class technologies to the Uber network,” said CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.

The agreement came as the smartphone-summoned ride service is throttling back its solo effort to develop autonomous vehicle technology.

Uber suspended its self-driving car program after a crash killed a woman pushing a bicycle in a street in Arizona in March.

Last month, the San-Francisco-based firm took a tentative step toward restarting the program, putting self-driving cars back on the road in “manual mode,” with a driver at the wheel at all times.

The testing will enable Uber to gather data on different scenarios that will be recreated in computer simulations, and also develop more accurate mapping for the vehicles.

Uber is among a number of technology and car companies racing toward what some say is an inevitable future in which vehicles drive themselves.

The statement said the “mass-produced autonomous vehicles” would be owned and operated by “mutually agreed-upon third-party autonomous fleet operators.” (afp)

Bali News

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IBP/net

Toyota will pump about $500 million into Uber as part of a deal to work together on massproducing self-driving vehicles.

“When viewed at this time, many star-rated hotels have been established in South Kuta, Badung. Of course, this opportunity must be taken advantage, and the products of the agrotourism must enter the hotels.

Besides, the commodities planted are organic. And I think tourists will be very happy with the organic products,” said the subdistrict head of South Kuta, Made Widiana, amid the opening of the Malini Agro Park.

The owner of the Malini Agro Park tourism object, Wayan Tana, said that tourists visiting the destination will get interested and like the natural environment.

Moreover, the products yielded are also organic. Surely, they can be processed and enjoyed by tourists. “I am confident, the agriculture-based tourism business will be sought after in the future and even bring out universal love,” he said.

Not only that, the existence of agro tourism will be able to offer healthy tourism for local and foreign tourists because the products are organic. “In addition to giving good prospects, the agro tourism can be definitely a healthy tour offered to every tourist spending holiday in Bali, both local and foreign tourists,” he concluded.

Currently, Tana said that children to adults including local and foreign tourists almost entirely like the agro tourist object as it can make them get in touch with the surrounding natural atmosphere. “This can be used as a means for children to get to know more about what is eaten. Besides, it also introduces organic agricultural products,” he added. (kmb23)

IBP/kmb

Although having barren condition, the Pecatu area has been an agrotourism that can become one of the tourist attractions in Badung especially in South Kuta.

15 percent of plastic waste at Mandung landfill unmanaged

Startup delivers groceries in self-driving cars

IBP/net

Startup AutoX on Monday announced the Silicon Valley debut of a service that will turn selfdriving cars into mobile grocery shops summoned with a touch of a smartphone application.

SAN FRANCISCO - Startup AutoX on Monday announced the Silicon Valley debut of a service that will turn self-driving cars into mobile grocery shops summoned with a touch of a smartphone application.

The service will kick off this month in parts of the California city of San Jose in a partnership with e-commerce company GrubMarket.com which sources food from producers as well as retail shops such as Amazon-owned Whole Foods.

“We’re very excited to launch the first autonomous grocery delivery and mobile store service in the heart of Silicon Valley with selfdriving vehicles on the road,” said AutoX founder and chief executive Jianxiong Xiao.

“We believe self-driving car technologies will fundamentally

change people’s daily lives for the better.”

The AutoX application can be used to place grocery orders to be delivered in cars designed to keep produce chilled, according to the startup.

Customers uncertain of what they want in advance will also be able to have cars pull up and open windows so they can browse selections, AutoX said. A human back-up driver will be on board as required by local regulations.

AutoX vehicles rely on highresolution camera gear instead of more costly sensors and laser arrays for navigation.

The grocery delivery and mobile store pilot program will roll out in San Jose, then expand to Google’s home city Mountain View and Palo Alto, where Stanford University is located. (afp)

IBP/kmb

The inorganic waste consists of various types of plastic, paper and cans.

TABANAN — Every day the waste entering the Mandung landfill reaches 250-300 cubic meters.

Of this number, 65 percent belongs to organic waste and 35 percent to inorganic waste. The inorganic waste consists of various types of plastic, paper and cans. To handle this inorganic waste, Mandung landfill collaborates with 12 scavengers that sort out the inorganic waste at the landfill. Even though it has been sorted out, around 15 percent of plastic waste from the total inorganic waste has not yet managed and wasted.

Head of the Mandung Landfill, Ni Luh Sukartini, stated on Sunday (Aug. 26) that on average of two tons of inorganic waste are collected in a month. This inorganic waste consists of plastic cups, plas-

tic bottles and clear plastic. “On average, the total inorganic plastic waste sorted out in a month reaches 1.5 tons. Then, inorganic waste belonging to paper type is averagely 500 kilograms per month and 500 kilograms of can,” said Sukartini.

He continued that around 10 to 15 percent of plastic waste is not sorted yet because it is damaged or dirty. However, with the collaboration with regional enterprise, in this case the Dharma Santika (PDDS) this dirty plastic can also be absorbed. “So far, scavengers that sort out the waste in the landfill sell it to collectors in Denpasar. But the plastic waste requested must be clean. If containing a little dirty waste, it will be rejected. Meanwhile, regional enterprise will accept both the clean and dirty one,”

said Sukartini.

Therefore, the Mandung Landfill encourages scavengers to sort out plastic waste and sell it to the regional enterprise. Hopefully, the dirty plastic that was not taken by scavengers can be sorted and finally reduce the amount of plastic waste and reduce the piles of waste in the Mandung landfill.

In addition to the sorting of inorganic waste to reduce the height of waste in the Mandung landfill, the landfill management also processes the organic waste into fertilizer. On average, it can process five to eight cubic meters per day. “Within a day, all the waste going into the landfill can only be managed about 30 to 35 percent. The rest is discarded to disposal site,” said Sukartini. (kmb24)

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Bali News

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

International

Seaweed farmers at Suana village

PARIS - President Emmanuel Macron suffered a major political blow Tuesday as his popular environment minister resigned live on radio -- without informing the French leader beforehand.

FARMERS at Semaya hamlet, Suana, Nusa Penida, Klungkung, that already stopped cultivating seaweed have now revived. Their smile is still hard to cheer. They still have to fight against crisis.

IBP/kmb

Seaweed farmers at Suana village the rocks that when stepped on can make their feet hurt.

The seaweed remained to be tied to a rope. After that, farmers released little by little. One of the local farmers, Wayan Tokal, did such activities. He muttered and complained about the harvest yields. It is not according to his expectations. Lots of his seaweed yellowed and perished. “The results are not good. A lot of them are rotten,” he said, recently.

He said it happens due to unfriendly weather. Sometimes the

weather is hot, sometimes it rains.

As a result, he is unable to handle it, but can only surrender. “To avoid much damaged, we are forced to harvest early,” he said.

Each plot can only harvest 50 kilograms. It is different when the weather is fine, where the range can reach 200 kilograms. Amid such condition, the selling price is not too expensive. In wet condition it can be sold for IDR 6,000 per kilo while the dry one is IDR 10,000.

“The results drop. This happens due to big waves,” said the farmer

whose hair has turned white while adding that he is still haunted by the difficulty of getting seeds. “The current seeds are the rest of the previous ones,” he added.

Another farmer, Wayan Sukerni, is also frustrated. She said that farmers actually just revived a few months ago where they just started the new cultivation. “I used not to plant seaweed, but was then resumed to cultivate. Unfortunately, the results are not good,” he explained.

He also told the past time of this agriculture. It was mostly pursued by

the coastal communities. There were no empty spaces on the beach area.

Besides, the yields were abundant.

It was not only sold at home but had also been exported. “Right now, there are indeed collectors, but they sell it to Denpasar and Surabaya,” he said.

To boost income, farmers must think hard. Their seaweed is processed into various products, such as crackers and toffee. The products were successfully marketed. “The production is smooth so it brings in additional results,” he concluded. (sos)

Pupuan ‘sells’ natural potentials

I Putu A. Hendra Manik

IBP/kmb

TABANAN - Tabanan district has ten subdistricts with their respective regional potential. If a number of subdistricts have tourism potential becoming the source of revenue potential such as Kediri subdistrict with the Tanah Lot, Baturiti with the Ulundanu Beratan and Penebel with the Jatiluwih, Pupuan is now striving to develop its natural potential to improve surrounding people’s welfare.

Subdistrict head of Pupuan, I Putu A. Hendra Manik, stated that of the 14 villages in Pupuan, 9 villages have got the Regent Decree regarding the tourism village. “Five of them have been included in the tourism village bill, but the progress at lower level still runs slowly. Nevertheless, this will continue to be boosted,” he said on Sunday (Aug. 26).

For villages having got the decree of tourism village will be continuously improved and developed so that they can bring in tour-

ists. “We at Pupuan are trying to ‘sell’ the nature, whether it is the view of hilly paddy fields or various plantations such as coffee, snakefruit and other natural potentials like waterfall. We hope these natural potentials can become one of the destinations in the future with the innovations we try to build with the local community,” he explained.

Not only that, he also claimed that one of the breakthroughs being initiated is the existence of tourism hamlet by choosing Asah hamlet at Bantiran village. “At least, we can make like Penglipuran village in Bangli district because the hamlet is a deadend area, and the community also supports this idea,” he said.

And to further solidify the idea, he has continued to coordinate with relevant village apparatus, the community and the Tabanan Tourism Office. More interestingly, the idea

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Blow for France’s Macron as star minister quits

Should fight to go out of crisis and gain happiness

It was three o’clock in the afternoon when the seawater in this area seemed to have receded. It looked bluish with small waves deep inside. At that time, from a height, there were very many lots looking like cages. Each spreads with the length of 10 meters and width of 5 meters. It is made of wood plugged in. Due to consisting of many numbers, they gave a solid impression. Inside it contained the net covering small rocks that were no longer submerged in water. The area is utilized for seaweed cultivation. It also has a rope to tie.

Sunlight was no longer stinging.

A number of farmers arrived. Most of them were old. They were walking slowly to the cultivation area. Some carried tools like crowbars. It would be used to gouge small rocks firmly plugged under green seaweed. It is meant to make the water stagnate.

Some others carried bamboo baskets sizing quite large. Slowly but surely, they immediately squatted and harvested. It took a long time to fill in the container. Then, the harvested seaweed was put onto a floating tube. The size is also quite large. After getting lot harvest yield, it was pulled ashore. It was then taken to a drying place by upholding.

Some people also shouldered. They looked strong and did not care about

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

International

of tourism hamlet at the initial stage will be using the budget obtained from the contribution of local residents through mutual cooperation.

“We are contributing with the community to buy entrance gate set or angkul-angkul denoting the characteristic of Tabanan that we want to realize. So, we go ahead first, if there is a budget from the local government, of course it can be used for further development,” he explained.

Of course, this dream is based on the development of the Agricultural Technology Park (TTP) which serves as a place to implement innovation and encourage the advancement of agriculture in the food barn of the Island of the Gods at Sanda village, Pupuan. “In my opinion, if this park has been operated in 2020, of course Pupuan will have an extraordinary potential,” he said. (bit)

LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron reviews troops upon his arrival for a wreath-laying ceremony with Crown Prince of Denmark at the monument for fallen soldiers at the Citadel in Copenhagen, Denmark on August 28, 2018.

Nicolas Hulot, one of the most respected members of the cabinet among the French public, took even his interviewers by surprise on the France Inter radio station when announcing his move.

“I am taking the decision to leave the government,” Hulot said, adding that he felt “all alone” on

environmental issues within the government.

The 62-year-old TV celebrity, who made his name as an environmental campaigner, was lured into government last year by Macron, but has repeatedly clashed with his cabinet colleagues over policy.

“We’re taking little steps, and

France is doing a lot more than other countries, but are little steps enough?... the answer is no,” he added.

Hulot, whose future in the government has been a subject of speculation for months, said he had not informed Macron or Prime Minister Edouard Philippe of his

CARACAS - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered banks to adopt the petro cryptocurrency as a unit of account Monday, as the country struggles to emerge from a severe political and economic crisis.

Public and private banks must now reflect all financial information in bolivars and petros, according to a resolution of the Sudeban banking regulator.

The move is part of Maduro’s desperate attempts to steer out of five years of recession and inflation the International Monetary Fund predicts will reach one million percent this year. More than two million people have fled the coun-

try in the wake of the crisis.

Venezuela has also drastically devalued the bolivar currency, issued banknotes stripped of five zeroes in new “sovereign bolivars.”

The economic plan also includes a 3,400 percent increase in the minimum wage and a hike in gasoline taxes, which for years have been the world’s cheapest.

The socialist president, elected for another six-year term in May elections rejected by much of the international community as fraudulent, has fixed the currency to the country’s widely-discredited cryptocurrency, the petro, which is in turn linked to the price of a barrel of Venezuelan oil (about $60).

The value-added tax, or VAT, is also climbing from 12 percent to 16 percent.

Maduro separately launched an offer of bonds backed by small gold bullion, he said would promote savings among Venezuelans, who see the local currency evaporating with hyperinflation.

“No one can say that gold loses its value,” Maduro said on state TV, while showing two cards with the central bank emblem’s and some golden rectangles that he called “lingoticos” (little ingots).

The emission, backed in pieces of 1.5 and 2.5 grams (0.05 and 0.09 ounces) of gold, will begin September 11. (afp)

plans to resign.

“It’s an honest and responsible decision,” he added.

His departure adds to mounting problems for 40-year-old centrist Macron, who swept to power in May last year promising to solve decades of low growth and high unemployment in France and reform the European Union.

Due to slowing economic growth, his government is having difficulties drawing up the 2019 budget which saw Prime Minister Philippe announce at the weekend that he was dropping targets for reducing the deficit.

At the diplomatic level, Macron is struggling to convince his European partners of the need for a more integrated EU as nationalist governments make gains across the continent.

Over the summer, the former banker also suffered the first major political scandal of his 15-month term when his former bodyguard and senior security aide was filmed manhandling protesters while appearing to impersonate a policeman.

- Anger in government Hulot’s announcement is likely to be received bitterly by Macron, who was starting a trip to Denmark to sell his EU agenda on Tuesday.

“The most basic of courtesies would have been to warn the president of the republic and the prime minister,” government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux told the BFM news channel.

Hulot was formerly the star presenter of the hit Ushuaia environmental TV programme in France and had repeatedly turned down offers to enter government by

previous French presidents.

He was widely reported to be close to quitting in February after media reports that the granddaughter of former French president Francois Mitterrand had accused him of rape in the 1990s.

Hulot furiously denied the claims and said they had been extremely hurtful for him and his family.

He had also faced criticism from fellow green campaigners, who accused him of failing to influence the Macron government sufficiently after he lost battles with his colleagues in the agriculture and economy ministries.

Hulot was left disappointed when the government backtracked on a target to reduce the share of nuclear power in the country’s energy mix to 50 percent by 2025, while EU negotiations on pesticides were another source of frustration.

On Monday, the cost of a hunting licence was cut in half to 200 euros -- another bitter pill for the vegetarian.

“Do you do an environmental revolution in one year? The response is no,” government spokesman Griveaux added. “I prefer little steps to not moving.”

Macron’s record on the environment is mixed.

He has made the battle against global warming one of his foreign policy priorities, organising a major conference in Paris last year in an effort to compensate for Trump’s scepticism about climate change.

He also led efforts at the EU level to reduce the use of the controversial weedkiller chemical glyphosate and he scrapped a proposed airport in western France, partly on environmental grounds. (afp)

Venezuela orders banks to adopt cryptocurrency

FEDERICO PARRA / AFP

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro

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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Bali News

International

BUSINESS

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

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Turkish lira weakens as markets reopen at end of holiday

ANKARA - The Turkish currency has again weakened against the dollar, as Turkey’s markets resumed trading after a week-long religious holiday.

The Turkish lira was down some 3.5 percent on Monday, trading at around 6.22

against the dollar.

The currency has seen a sharp fall in value this year amid investor concerns over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s economic policies and an on-going diplomatic and trade dispute with the United

States.

The United States has slapped sanctions on two Turkish Cabinet ministers and doubled tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum imports over the continued detention in Turkey of American pastor Andrew

Brunson. Turkey retaliated by increasing tariffs on certain U.S. imports.

The pastor is accused of espionage and terror-related charges and faces a maximum 35 years in prison if convicted. (ap)

Iran lawmakers reject Rouhani answers on economic woes

Iran’s parliament declared its dissatisfaction with President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday, voting to reject his answers after grilling him over the deteriorating economy.

It was the first time Rouhani had been summoned by parliament in his five years in power, and MPs demanded answers on unemployment, rising prices and the sharp depreciation of the rial, which has lost more than half of its value since April.

The lawmakers, who have already impeached his labour and economy ministers this month, were unimpressed.

In votes at the end of the session, they expressed dissatisfaction with Rouhani’s responses to four of their five questions on the economy, which will now be referred to the judiciary for review.

The economy has been battered by the return of US sanctions following President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

Rouhani trod a difficult line, seeking to acknowledge the problems facing ordinary Iranians without admitting to a full-blown crisis.

“It should not be said we are facing a crisis. There is no crisis.

If we say there is, it will become a problem for society and then a threat,” he told parliament.

As usual, Rouhani offered no concrete policy proposals, instead saying the answer lay in showing a united front.

“You may talk about employment, foreign currency, recession, smuggling... I think the problem is in people’s view of the future,” he said.

“The people are not afraid of the United States, they are afraid of our disagreements. If the people see we are united, they will realise the problems will be resolved.”

Mecakcakan Tradition at Sambirenteng Village

But Rouhani’s government -- which staked everything on its bid to attract foreign investment through a more “moderate” approach to relations with the West -- has been badly weakened by the return of sanctions.

Most foreign firms have abandoned investment projects in Iran, and the next phase of renewed US sanctions in November will hit the crucial oil sector.

- ‘Palace of wishes’ “We will not allow a bunch of anti-Iranians who have gathered in the White House to conspire against us,” Rouhani vowed. But most Iranians blame the government for failing to capitalise on the nuclear deal.

“You created a palace of wishes called the JCPOA,” said Mojtaba Zolnour, an MP for the religious centre of Qom, using the technical name for the nuclear deal.

“With one kick from Trump, this palace was demolished, and you didn’t have an alternative,” he said.

Despite the impeachment of two of his ministers, Rouhani himself is protected by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said recently that removing the president would “play into the hands of the enemy”.

That may explain the soft line taken by several speakers, with one conservative MP, Hossein Naghavi-Hosseini, emphasising: “We will stand by your government for the sake of protecting the system of the Islamic republic.”

But when it came to the votes, lawmakers accepted only one of Rouhani’s answers -- related to international banking sanctions,

Sambirenteng customary village in Tejakula, Buleleng, organized mecakcakan tradition.

This heritage tradition is better known as cockfighting in the shrine of Sambirenteng village.

This unique ritual took place solemnly and festively attended by all local villagers.

Chief of Sambirenteng customary village, Jro Bendesa Nengah Mas, said that the mecakcakan is a tradition having been carried out from generation to generation.

Actually this ceremony is a series

of pecaruan (animal sacrifice) at local village. The whole customary villagers are required to submit a rooster to the committee. If villagers do not submit a fighting rooster, it can be replaced with money. Af-

ter that, the roosters of customary villagers are then pitted in the area of the village shrine.

Uniqueness of this ritual lies in the cockfighting where watching people are not allowed to bet, so that

this ritual is free from the impression of gambling. The losing rooster is slaughtered and cooked together to fill in the ritual oblations. The remaining will be enjoyed together through megibung in the area of the Bale Agung temple. “This ritual is a heritage we’ve received and shall be held every year,” he said.

According to Mas, from his pre-

decessors the Mecakcakan ritual is held every entering the new moon in the seventh month of Balinese calendar (January). This ritual signifies the devotion of people to God having bestowed prosperity to universe, especially to Sambirenteng village.

Besides, it also aims to maintain natural balance from various negative influences. (kmb)

Jembong Waterfall, Cheap and Fun Nature Tourism

Generally when making a trip to waterfall, tourists must step down hundreds of stairs first. However, it is different when visiting Jembong waterfall where you just need to climb dozens of stairs. Within ATTA KENARE / AFP

Members of the Iranian Parliament gesture as President Hassan Rouhani (not pictured) speaks in the capital Tehran, on August 28, 2018. It was the first time Rouhani had been summoned by parliament in his five years in power, with MPs demanding answers on unemployment, rising prices and the collapsing value of the rial, which has lost more than half its value since April. which they agreed were beyond his government’s control.

Even after the nuclear deal, major foreign banks continued to refuse to work with Iran, fearing the lack of transparency in its financial sector could lead them into legal trouble. The only previous time a president has been questioned was in 2012 when parliament summoned Rouhani’s controversial predecessor Mahmoud Ah-

madinejad, whose erratic, populist style had alienated him from the establishment and further damaged Iran’s international standing.

It was after that session that MPs decided they should vote on the president’s answers, deputy speaker Ali Motahari explained to ISNA news agency this week, because Ahmadinejad’s responses were so “strange” and unconvincing.

Rouhani has even lost sup-

port among reformists who had supported him as the best option after their own leaders were either locked up or barred from standing for office.

“What have we done with this nation? We made them miserable and wretched,” said leading reformist MP Elias Hazrati as he voted in favour of impeaching economy minister Masoud Karbasian on Sunday. (afp)

three minutes, you can take selfie with the background of fascinating Jembong waterfall.

Armed with the capital of IDR 5,000, tourists can have enjoyed the allurement of Jembong waterfall.

However, if you only want to swim, you only need to pay as much as IDR 5,000 for adult and IDR 3,000 for child.

There are three fairly large pools with very clear water. Each has the depth of 110 cm for adult, while two children pools have varied depths, namely 80 cm and 60 cm. The water purely comes from Jembong waterfall having been filtered.

If you want to take selfie with an instragrammable background, you can pose on the bridge with a distance of about five meters from the waterfall. Verdant trees in combination with the beautiful waterfall will make your photos more interesting.

Jembong waterfall located at Ambengan village, Sukasada, Buleleng, also provides a challenging adrenaline attraction, namely

flying fox. There are several tracks, such as flying fox of track A with the price set at IDR 15,000; track B at IDR 25,000; and track A & B at IDR 30,000.

Some other activities that can still be enjoyed by tourists here include the trekking and wet rappelling. This tourist attraction is managed by Banten Sari tourism awareness group (Pokdarwis) where it can draw the visit up to 500 people each day.

Pokdarwis leader, Made Suneka, said the attraction was officially opened in 2013. “Tourists making a visit here do not only domestic, but also foreign ones,” he said recently.

He added that tourist visits are usually crowded during holidays.

Similar opinion was also revealed by one of Pokdarwis staff, Wayan Surung. He said although the flying fox was just officially

opened two months ago, it has been widely demanded. Moreover, there are about 60 students of Ganesha University of Education Singaraja that have tried the excitement of flying fox.

One of the visitors, Sumiasih, expressed her excitement at the Jembong waterfall. She claimed to spend her time to swim and soak.

“Water of the pools here directly flows from Jembong waterfall, so it is fresh and very cool,” said the student who is currently studying at the STAHN Mpu Kuturan, Singaraja.

If visitors are hungry and thirsty, the operator has provided with a stall and some gazebos to rest for a moment. In addition, for visitors wishing to do melukat or purificatory rite, the operator has also provided a place to do it located near the waterfall. (kmb)

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After driving ban ends, Saudi women taste thrill of speed

RIYADH - Donning a helmet inside a pearl silver sports sedan, Rana Almimoni skids and drifts around a Riyadh park, engine roaring, tyres screeching and clouds of dust billowing from the back.

For Saudi women, such adrenaline rushes were unimaginable just weeks ago.

Speed-crazed women drivers are bound to turn heads in the deeply conservative desert kingdom, which overturned the world’s only ban on female motorists in June as part of a muchhyped liberalisation drive led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Almimoni, 30 and a motor racing enthusiast, is defying the perception –- or sexist misconception, depending on who you ask –- that only dainty cars in bright colours are popular with women drivers.

“I adore speed. I love speed... My dream car is more than 500 horsepower,” said Almimoni, slamming the accelerator of her silvery sleek Kia Stinger inside Riyadh’s Dirab motor park.

“It’s a myth... that Saudi women only choose pink and cute cars.”

Almimoni said she was awaiting an expected government decision that would permit women to obtain a “racing licence”, which would allow her to hone her passion in motor-sport competitions.

That includes drifting –- oversteering the car to slip and skid or even spin, and other high-speed daredevilry -- which is illegal in public but tolerated in the controlled environment of Dirab park, whose private owners insist on safety.

first female member of the kingdom’s national motor federation, who got behind the wheel of a Formula One car in France in June to mark the end of the driving ban.

Clad in skinny jeans and Harley-Davidson T-shirts, a handful of women are also training to ride motorbikes at a Riyadh driving school, a scene that is still a stunning anomaly in the conservative petro-state.

Transport authorities have rolled out racing simulators to help first-time women drivers get a feel of being behind the wheel.

As a male traffic official demonstrated the importance of seatbelts by buckling up inside a car tethered to a flat platform and upturning the vehicle, some women zipped around twisted tracks in toy cars.

Another sat down behind the wheel of a simulator and instantly floored the accelerator, sending the speedometer soaring.

“I don’t feel I’m in Saudi Arabia anymore,” said Nagwa Mousa, a 57-year-old university professor in Riyadh.

“But I don’t expect to see many women in Saudi Arabia overtaking and speeding in the streets anytime soon.”

The driving reform is said to be transformative for women, freeing them from dependence on private chauffeurs or male relatives, but many are keeping off the streets.

“Congratulate me, finally saw a female driving! Although she is Bahraini but it counts as she is driving in Saudi land,” comedian Yaser Bakr said on Twitter after the ban was lifted.

- No ‘free speech’ -

For now, most women drivers appear to be those who have swapped foreign licences for Saudi ones after undergoing a practical test. Many complain that driving courses cost several times more than those available to men and that women instructors are in short supply.

While no overt incidents of street harassment have been reported publicly, many women are also wary of pervasive sexism and aggression from male drivers despite warnings from authorities.

Also testing nerves is the government’s sweeping crackdown on women activists who long opposed the driving ban and a long-vilified system of male “guardians” -- fathers, husbands or other male relatives, whose permission is required to travel or get married.

“The Saudi government is expanding entertainment options for Saudi women but eliminating space for political expression,” said Kristin Diwan, of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

“Lady drifters can feel the speed but not free speech.”

At least 12 leading human rights activists, including eight women, have been arrested in Saudi Arabia since May, according to Amnesty International.

The crackdown triggered a diplomatic brawl with Canada after Ottawa demanded the “immediate release” of those detained.

“It’s a dubious advancement in gender parity: women are now coming under arrest for their rights activism just like the men,” said Diwan. (afp)

- Need for speed -

Author Pascal Menoret’s acclaimed book “Joyriding in Riyadh” described the high-octane Saudi obsession for drifting, long seen as a symbol of revolt among legions of restless youth, as all “about being a real man”.

Now newly mobile Saudi women are embracing what was previously deemed a male entitlement -- speed.

“Most of our enquiries (from women) are about drifting -- how to learn drifting, which cars can they train on, how long will it take them” to drift, said instructor Falah al-Jarba as he watched Almimoni zip around the park.

Auto showrooms tapping new women clients have rolled out a line-up of cherry red Mini Coopers, but sales professionals say many exhibit an appetite for muscle cars like the Camaro or the Mustang convertible.

Many new drivers seek inspiration from Aseel al-Hamad, the

FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP

Rana Almimoni, a 30-year-old Saudi motor racing enthusiast, poses with her helmet next to her car on the track in Dirab motor park, on the southern outskirts of the capital Riyadh, on July 19, 2018.

‘Save me’: Kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirl pleads for freedom KANO - A Nigerian Christian schoolgirl abducted by Boko Haram jihadists has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to secure her release, local media said Tuesday, citing a purported audio recording of the hostage.

Leah Sharibu, 15, was among more than 100 schoolgirls abducted from their hostel in the town of Dapchi in the restive northeast on February 19.

The only Christian among the hostages, she remains in captivity months after all the other girls were released.

In an unverified recording Boko Haram sent to local media late Monday, Sharibu begged Buhari to work for her freedom.

“I plead with... the government and the president to have pity for me and save me from my situation,” Sharibu said in Hausa, a language widely spoken in the north.

Sharibu faltered and repeated herself in the recording, suggesting she was reading from a prepared text.

If verified, it would be the first evidence that Sharibu was alive since she was kidnapped.

The audio was accompanied by a picture of Sharibu clad

in a light brown hijab revealing only her face, sitting on a mat in an undisclosed location.

“The secret service is analysing the voice. Our reaction will follow the outcome of the investigation,” Buhari’s spokesman Garba Shehu said on Twitter.

“For President Buhari, nothing will be spared in bringing all our girls home. He will not rest until all of them are freed.”

Nathan Sharibu, Leah’s father told AFP Tuesday, “The voice in the audio is no doubt that of Leah.

“As her father I can’t mistake her voice. I’m delighted to have heard her voice because it proved beyond doubt that my daughter is still alive,” he said.

“The government has not contacted me to verify if the voice is indeed that of Leah,” he said, urging the authorities to secure her release.

Fighters believed to be loyal to an IS-affiliated Boko Haram faction led by Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi abducted the girls after storming the Government Girls Science and Technical College in Dapchi in Yobe state.

The incident evoked memories of the April 2014 kidnap-

ping of 276 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in neighbouring Borno state.

Although more than 100 Chibok girls have been freed or rescued, some 112 are still missing.

The jihadists returned 110 Dapchi girls to the town on March 21, following negotiations with the government.

Both the government and the jihadists claimed no ransom was paid, but a UN report this month said Nigeria paid huge sums for the girls’ release.

Some of the released girls said five schoolmates died in captivity while Sharibu was retained for refusing to forsake Christianity for Islam.

Sharibu’s case has stoked tensions among Christians, who have accused the government of failing to do enough to secure her release.

Nigeria is roughly evenly divided between Muslims and Christians and religious tensions lead to occasional flareups.

Sharibu’s captivity has become a political issue with Buhari seeking a second term in office in February elections. (afp)

str / AFP

This photo taken on August 22, 2018 shows a tree trunk still burning at a burnout forest in Ibul Besar, a few kilometres from the Asian Games in Palembang.

4 killed in Indonesia forest fires; police arrest suspects

PONTIANAK — Police in the Indonesian part of Borneo island have arrested more than a dozen people suspected of starting forest fires that have killed four people in the past month.

West Kalimantan police chief Didi Haryono said Tuesday that two of the 27 people wanted by police died in blazes they started to clear land for planting. He said 14 people have been arrested so far.

They could be prosecuted under an environmental protection law that allows a maximum 10-year prison sentence for setting fires to clear land.

The national disaster agency says four people have died in West Kalimantan’s forest fires in the past month, includ-

ing two suspects.

Millions of hectares burned in Indonesia during annual dry season fires in 2015 that spread a health-damaging haze across the region for weeks.

The disaster, estimated by the World Bank to have caused losses of $16 billion, was exacerbated by the practice of draining swampy peatland forests for industrial plantations, making them highly combustible. Indonesia’s government imposed a moratorium on peatland development in 2016 but has made little progress with plans to restore such wetlands to their original condition.

Officials said the recent haze in West Kalimantan has diminished due to fire-fighting efforts.

Sahat Irawan Manik, an official with a local fire unit,

said Monday that conditions had especially improved in the provincial capital, Pontianak, and around the airport.

“There are still some fires in five districts but there are water bombing teams by the Disaster Mitigation Agency, which has deployed 10 helicopters to help extinguish the fires,” Manik said. About 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres) of fires have been extinguished across the province, he said.

Raffles Brotestes Panjaitan, director of investigation and forest protection at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, said the number of “hotspots” in West Kalimantan had dropped to 21 on Monday from 60 on Sunday.

Panjaitan said that so far this year, 71,959 hectares of land have burned in forest fires compared with 165,464 hectares from January to July last year. (ap)

Quake 6.2 on richter scale hits East Nusa Tenggara

KUPANG - A major earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 on the Richter scale rocked the district of Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara sending people to run out of buildings.

The quake hit at 15:08 local time on Tuesday afternoon with epicenter in the sea at a depth of 10 kilometers 124.16 degrees east longitude and 10.96 degrees south latitude or 111 kilometers southeast of the southern coast of the Kupang district .

The quake caused great panic as only early this month a succession of devastating quakes hit Lombok in neighboring province of West Nusa Tenggara leaving more than 550 people dead.

“The jolt was strong that in panic we rushed out of working office for safety,” spokeswoman of the Kupang district

administration Martha Magdalena Para Ede said.

A coordination meeting of Kupang district leaders was taking place seeking to discuss communal conflict between East Timorese and local people in the border area when the quake hit, Martha said.

She said the tremors lasted for several seconds only but everybody rushed out of the meeting room in the second floor of the administration building .

The meeting headed by deputy district head Korinus Masneno attended by district police chief Adj. Sr.Com Indera Gunawan was resumed later in the official house of the deputy regent.

No report yet about any casualty or damage to property

caused by the quake. “No report yet received from lower district areas about the quake,” Martha said.

Lombok has been hit by a succession of major quakes first being on July 29 with a magnitude of 6.4 on the Richter scale followed by a bigger quake 7 on the Richter scale on Aug 5 with last big quake 6.9 on the Richter scale on Aug 19.

The Central government and the provincial administration involving the military and police are still busy helping the process of reconstruction of the tourist island just across Bali, the country`s main tourist destination.

Many foreign tourists were in Lombok when the first major quake hit on July 30 but all of them were safely evacuated to Bali. (ant)

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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

International

Three things that have gone wrong for Manchester United

MANCHESTER - Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho suffered the heaviest home defeat of his coaching career as Tottenham Hotspur won 3-0 at Old Trafford on Monday to deepen an early-season crisis for the Red Devils.

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As its name suggests, Pyramid Club Bali takes on an Egyptian-inspired theme, most noticeable from the sphinx head that looms over its main entrance, together with its interior that is pleasantly riddled with more inspired motifs, from Anubis statues, hieroglyphs to tall Egyptian wall murals. The DJ booth is slightly raised, with great sound systems feeding heavy thumping bass, and its iconic pyramid insignia beaming lasers overhead. The usual crowd is a good mix that drove in to the weekly line-up of good beats, from modern, techno to house and its hybrids. The resident DJ roster includes Nathan and Shammui Masjudi from Indonesia, together with international DJs from Singapore, Greece, Spain and the UK, while guest DJs flown in include well seasoned players from Brazil, France, Holland and Japan. Their events are also quirkily named fol-

lowing its Egyptian theme, such as ‘Cleopatra’, ‘October Sphinx’ and ‘Knight of Anubis’, which usually start from 23:00 onwards with free entry and amazing late bottle promotions through 02:00 in the morning. Nicknamed the ‘Beat Room’, the main venue sometimes also highlights rock n’ roll nights with live bands taking to the stage.Best deals on boozes include two bottles of Absolut Vodka with four 500ml carafes of mixers of your own choice, at IDR 1,900,000 every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Drinks are reasonably priced and best served with friends.

Some nights can get really sexy at Pyramid Club Bali, with girls in bikinis, roaming neon stilt walkers, and sexy dancers doing their thing on the bar, not to mention wild and crazy costumes thrown in during its themed nights. It’s one of the best places in Bali to party hard into the crack of dawn. (afp)

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Mourinho is at the front of the firing line, with odds on him being the first Premier League manager to lose his job this season being slashed after two consecutive defeats.

However, the Portuguese is far from the only culprit, with United’s slide on the field dating back to Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.

Here, AFP Sports looks at three things that have gone wrong for the 20-time English champions.

Not so special anymore Mourinho introduced himself to English football as “the special one” when taking charge of Chelsea for the first time 14 years ago.

He backed up that bravado by delivering back-to-back Premier League titles. Mourinho’s aura and tactical discipline also inspired a title win in his second spell at Stamford Bridge and a treble at Inter Milan. When at the helm at Real Madrid he broke Barcelona’s La Liga hegemony under Pep Guardiola.

Yet his third seasons second time round at Chelsea and at Madrid ended acrimoniously and a third campaign at United already looks as though it is heading the same way.

In contrast to the exciting brand of football offered by Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea under Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Mauricio Pochettino and Maurizio Sarri, Mourinho’s conser-

vative tactics seem outdated and at odds with United’s tradition under Ferguson.

Moreover, whereas Mourinho used to staunchly defend his players, at United he has routinely criticised his squad in public.

Spurs fans goaded Mourinho with cries of “You’re not special anymore” and his rant at the media as he stormed out of his post-match press conference demanding respect for his record of winning three Premier League titles did little to quell the feeling he is living off past glories.

United only in name Mourinho’s sour mood has not been reserved just for his players, but also the club’s executive vicechairman Ed Woodward over a perceived lack of backing in the transfer window.

Woodward decided there was not value in the market for a host of centre-back targets identified by Mourinho and questioned whether they were any better than the five already in United’s squad.

It effectively means a former banker is overruling an experienced manager on football matters and United are investigating the possibility of appointing a director of football as a middle man for the first time.

Woodward also insisted neither Paul Pogba nor Anthony Martial were for sale despite a troubled relationship between the manager and both players.

Oli SCARFF / AFP

Manchester United’s Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho gestures from the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on August 27, 2018.

Pogba, who cost United a then world record £89 million ($115 million) in 2016, claimed he would be fined for revealing his true feelings after the first game of the season as his agent Mino Raiola appears to be agitating for a move, with Barcelona apparently interested.

Martial was fined by Mourinho for not returning to the club’s preseason tour of the United States after the birth of his second child and did not even make the bench for Monday’s defeat.

Misspent fortune Woodward has been accused of having divided loyalties after United’s share price hit a record high last week despite the club’s on-field troubles.

Yet, while American owners the Glazer family remain unpopular among many fans, United have spent lavishly in the transfer market in recent years.

The problem is a reported £700 million investment in transfer fees alone since Fer-

guson retired has been largely wasted.

Big-money signings Angel d i M a r i a , M e m p h i s D e p a y, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are no longer with the club.

Luke Shaw, Juan Mata, Martial, Pogba and Alexis Sanchez have also failed to hit the standards they showed at previous clubs to spark United’s interest in the first place. (afp)

Serena attitude diffused dress code row says French Open director

PARIS - French Open director Guy Forget says Serena Williams’ attitude diffused a potential row over an up-coming dress code that he insists will be far less strict than the one at Wimbledon, French sports daily L’Equipe reported on Tuesday.

The idea he said would be to establish a certain level of elegance or as he put it “a Roland Garros style”.

The move comes hot on the heels of a furore following French tennis federation chief Bernard Giudicelli EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ / AFP describing the “Black Panther” catSerena Williams of the US hits a return to Magda Linette suit American star Williams wore at (out of frame) of Poland during their 2018 US Open Wom- the French Open in May as “going en’s Singles match at the USTA Billie Jean King National too far”.

Williams at the time took the anTennis Center in New York on August 27, 2018.

nouncement in her stride, describing her relationship with the French Open organisers as wonderful.

“He’s (Guidicelli) been so easy to talk to,” Williams said. “My whole team is basically French so, yeah, we have a wonderful relationship.”

Forget congratulated Williams on her attitude.

“With social media everything goes viral these days,” Forget said.

“Serena was perfect, defusing any budding controversy,” he explained.

“The idea with the dress code will be much more flexible than the one at Wimbledon, which has hardened over time,” he said.

Wimbledon has a strict all white

dress code for it’s June lawn tennis tournament.

“Our current regulations allow for anything and with no framework some feel certain players are a bit too out there,” he said.

“Why not reconcile elegance without harming the creativity of designers,” he suggested.

“We have a new stadium renovation and new outfits would reconcile elegance, modernity and practicality,” he said.

Forget went on to say that perhaps the completion of the new look Roland Garros site in 2021 might be the perfect time to introduce the dress code. (afp)

8

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

9

ASIAN GAMES 2018 Jakarta Palembang

The billionaire bridge player who holds all the cards

As one of Indonesia’s two richest men, Michael Bambang Hartono wants for little -- and especially now that he has an Asian Games medal in his favourite pastime, bridge. The tobacco and banking multi-billionaire was instrumental in persuading organisers to include the card game, slightly incongruously, in the regional Olympics for the first time.

At the Jakarta bridge venue, the 78-year-old tycoon is comfortably equipped, as befits his status as one of the vast Southeast Asian country’s most powerful men.

Hartono has his own guarded VIP area where he can receive guests and conduct interviews, with its own meeting room, a flat-screen TV and a bed where he can take a nap. “We are equal. So no privilege at all,” he said.

Special treatment or not, Hartono, who is also Indonesia’s oldest competitor at the Games, is now the proud owner of an Asian Games bronze medal in the supermixed team event.

Along with his brother Robert, Hartono has been named Indonesia’s richest man by Forbes magazine which also ranked him the 75th wealthiest in the world.

- ‘Bridge is like business’ -

Hartono has amassed an estimated net worth of about $11.8 billion from tobacco, banking and communications -- using, he says, similar skills to those he employs for bridge.

“Bridge is like business. First you get the data, the

information. You analyse the information, and then you make a decision. So business, real life and bridge are the same. Decision-making is the same,” he said.

“If you want to be a good leader, and you want to be a successful man, business man, play bridge. Never quit, never give up,” he added.

Hartono has been playing bridge since he was six and he loves the challenge the game has to offer, but he says it’s not his top priority.

“Number one priority is of course family. Number two is business. And if I have time I play bridge as a hobby. And also another hobby is music,” said Hartono, who also enjoys tai chi.

Hartono isn’t the only Indonesian business figure involved in the Games -- Erick Thohir, the media tycoon who is president of Inter Milan, is head of the organising committee.

He’s also not the oldest at the Games: in a bridge competition studded with senior citizens, Kong Te Yang of the Philippines takes that honour at the age of 85.

Walking slowly with a tetrapod support to the competition table, ‘KT’ says he’s still fascinated by bridge, which he’s been playing since his twenties.

“You must be coordinated, you must be careful, there are things you don’t expect. You must know what’s possible, yet sometimes impossible become possible,” he said.

“When you grow old, you still know what needs to be done, but the reflex sometimes doesn’t allow you to do. You cannot react as fast,” he confided. (afp)

ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP

Billionaire tobacco tycoon Michael Bambang Hartono, 78, who is competing in bridge for Indonesia at the 2018 Asian Games, speaks at a press conference at the Jakarta International Expo in Jakarta on August 22, 2018.

Son dares to dream after penalty sends Koreans into Asia semis Tottenham forward Son Heung-min helped South Korea reach the Asian Games semi-finals as the defending champions beat Uzbekistan 4-3 in an extra-time cliffhanger on Monday.

The World Cup star, who is in Indonesia chasing a gold medal that would spare him a career-threatening spell of military service, produced a pair of smart assists for hat-trick hero Hwang Ui-jo before a late Hwang Hee-chan penalty sent the Koreans through.

While Spurs prepared to visit Manchester United in the Premier League some 7,000 miles away, Son was the driving force as the Koreans advanced to face Vietnam in the last four.

The Korea captain revealed that he was supposed to take the pen-

alty kick but that substitute Hwang Hee-chan had demanded to take it -- and Son couldn’t bear to watch.

“Hee-chan said he wanted it and was confident,” he told reporters.

“I told him to take the kick. I didn’t see where he put the penalty but I’m proud of him.”

The 26-year-old Son provided a superb assist after just five minutes in Bekasi, near Jakarta.

It was the tournament’s top scorer Hwang Ui-jo who hit the opener, tucking away his sixth goal of the Games after a brilliant run from Son. But Jaloliddin Masharipov pounced on South Korea’s defensive hesitation to equalise with a sharp finish after 17 minutes.

Japan-based Hwang smashed in his seventh of the competition with

a dipping shot from long distance to restore his side’s advantage 10 minutes before the break.

- ‘We needed to end the match’ -

However, Korean hopes of advancing to the semi-finals almost evaporated in the space of two calamitous second-half minutes.

Ikromjon Alibaev fired Uzbekistan level in the 53rd minute after finding himself unmarked at the back post.

Moments later, the midfielder tried his luck from range and got a huge slice of luck as the ball took a wicked deflection off Hwang Hyun-soo and trickled into the net.

Hwang Ui-jo -- like Son hoping for exemption from military service -- struck back, latching on to a Son through-ball to complete his hat-

Jewel SAMAD / AFP

Gold medallist India’s Neeraj Chopra celebrates during the victory ceremony for the men’s javelin throw athletics event during the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta on August 27, 2018.

Farmer’s son Chopra reaps Asian javelin gold for India Neeraj Chopra skewered India’s first-ever Asian Games javelin gold medal on Monday after recently learning of the death of his former coach.

A farmer’s son from a village outside of Delhi, the 20-year-old favourite was never seriously threatened in Jakarta as he won with an Indian record of 88.05 metres to follow up the Commonwealth title he won in Australia earlier this year.

“That wasn’t easy,” Chopra told reporters. “I wanted to break the Asian Games record but it’s still a national one.

“I can still throw further,” added the Olympic hopeful, who used to dabble in cricket as a child.

“But everything has to come together perfectly for a successful throw. That only happens when the technique and speed are perfect -like on my third attempt.” Chopra revealed his heartache at hearing last week that his former Australian coach Gary Calvert, who led him to a junior world title in 2016,

had died.

“He had told me we would meet here at the Asian Games,” said Chopra, who now trains under former world record holder Uwe Hohn. “I was in Finland when I heard he had died. It was a real shock to me.”

His gold is India’s third Asian Games javelin medal and first since Gurtej Singh’s bronze in 1982. It was also India’s eighth gold medal of the 2018 Asian Games.

Chopra, whose boyish looks and ultra-bright smile have made him something of a sex symbol in India, limbered up with a throw of 83.46 before unleashing his best effort of 88.05 on his third attempt to effectively end the conversation.

China’s Liu Qizhen finished with silver after a personal best of 82.22, with Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem taking bronze with a throw of 80.75.

Taiwan’s Cheng Chao-tsun, who holds the Asian record of 91.36, failed to clear 80 metres as he placed fifth. (afp)

AAMIR QURESHI / AFP

South Korea’s captain Son Heung-min (L) controls the ball past Iran’s Seyed Abolfazl Rezaghpoor during the men’s football round of 16 match between Iran and South Korea at the 2018 Asian Games in Cikarang on August 23, 2018.

trick with aplomb after 75 minutes.

Son then let fly with a ferocious left-foot shot that whistled past the post as the Koreans went in search of a winner in normal time.

Already booked, Alibaev was sent off for a shove early in the first period of extra time before hat-trick man Hwang missed a sitter from point-blank range.

Both teams looked out on their feet after going toe-to-toe in sapping humidity but as a penalty

shootout loomed, Hwang Hee-chan triggered ecstatic scenes from the Koreans as he stepped up to blast home from the spot after a foul on Hwang Ui-jo.

“When we got to extra time, I told Son Heung-min we needed to end the match before it went to penalties,” said Hwang. “I’m happy that we did.”

Vietnam edged Syria 1-0 thanks to bleach-blond striker Van Toan Nguyen’s extra time tap-in. (afp)

Asian Games 2018 Medal Tally No. Countries

Gold

Silver Bronze

Total

1 China 2 Japan 3 Republic of Korea 4 Indonesia 5 IR Iran 6 Chinese Taipei 7 DPR Korea 8 Thailand 9 India 10 Kazakhstan

90 43 32 24 17 13 12 9 8 8

63 38 38 19 15 13 7 10 16 8

198 140 114 72 47 45 26 52 45 45

45 59 44 29 15 19 7 33 21 29

8

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

9

ASIAN GAMES 2018 Jakarta Palembang

The billionaire bridge player who holds all the cards

As one of Indonesia’s two richest men, Michael Bambang Hartono wants for little -- and especially now that he has an Asian Games medal in his favourite pastime, bridge. The tobacco and banking multi-billionaire was instrumental in persuading organisers to include the card game, slightly incongruously, in the regional Olympics for the first time.

At the Jakarta bridge venue, the 78-year-old tycoon is comfortably equipped, as befits his status as one of the vast Southeast Asian country’s most powerful men.

Hartono has his own guarded VIP area where he can receive guests and conduct interviews, with its own meeting room, a flat-screen TV and a bed where he can take a nap. “We are equal. So no privilege at all,” he said.

Special treatment or not, Hartono, who is also Indonesia’s oldest competitor at the Games, is now the proud owner of an Asian Games bronze medal in the supermixed team event.

Along with his brother Robert, Hartono has been named Indonesia’s richest man by Forbes magazine which also ranked him the 75th wealthiest in the world.

- ‘Bridge is like business’ -

Hartono has amassed an estimated net worth of about $11.8 billion from tobacco, banking and communications -- using, he says, similar skills to those he employs for bridge.

“Bridge is like business. First you get the data, the

information. You analyse the information, and then you make a decision. So business, real life and bridge are the same. Decision-making is the same,” he said.

“If you want to be a good leader, and you want to be a successful man, business man, play bridge. Never quit, never give up,” he added.

Hartono has been playing bridge since he was six and he loves the challenge the game has to offer, but he says it’s not his top priority.

“Number one priority is of course family. Number two is business. And if I have time I play bridge as a hobby. And also another hobby is music,” said Hartono, who also enjoys tai chi.

Hartono isn’t the only Indonesian business figure involved in the Games -- Erick Thohir, the media tycoon who is president of Inter Milan, is head of the organising committee.

He’s also not the oldest at the Games: in a bridge competition studded with senior citizens, Kong Te Yang of the Philippines takes that honour at the age of 85.

Walking slowly with a tetrapod support to the competition table, ‘KT’ says he’s still fascinated by bridge, which he’s been playing since his twenties.

“You must be coordinated, you must be careful, there are things you don’t expect. You must know what’s possible, yet sometimes impossible become possible,” he said.

“When you grow old, you still know what needs to be done, but the reflex sometimes doesn’t allow you to do. You cannot react as fast,” he confided. (afp)

ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP

Billionaire tobacco tycoon Michael Bambang Hartono, 78, who is competing in bridge for Indonesia at the 2018 Asian Games, speaks at a press conference at the Jakarta International Expo in Jakarta on August 22, 2018.

Son dares to dream after penalty sends Koreans into Asia semis Tottenham forward Son Heung-min helped South Korea reach the Asian Games semi-finals as the defending champions beat Uzbekistan 4-3 in an extra-time cliffhanger on Monday.

The World Cup star, who is in Indonesia chasing a gold medal that would spare him a career-threatening spell of military service, produced a pair of smart assists for hat-trick hero Hwang Ui-jo before a late Hwang Hee-chan penalty sent the Koreans through.

While Spurs prepared to visit Manchester United in the Premier League some 7,000 miles away, Son was the driving force as the Koreans advanced to face Vietnam in the last four.

The Korea captain revealed that he was supposed to take the pen-

alty kick but that substitute Hwang Hee-chan had demanded to take it -- and Son couldn’t bear to watch.

“Hee-chan said he wanted it and was confident,” he told reporters.

“I told him to take the kick. I didn’t see where he put the penalty but I’m proud of him.”

The 26-year-old Son provided a superb assist after just five minutes in Bekasi, near Jakarta.

It was the tournament’s top scorer Hwang Ui-jo who hit the opener, tucking away his sixth goal of the Games after a brilliant run from Son. But Jaloliddin Masharipov pounced on South Korea’s defensive hesitation to equalise with a sharp finish after 17 minutes.

Japan-based Hwang smashed in his seventh of the competition with

a dipping shot from long distance to restore his side’s advantage 10 minutes before the break.

- ‘We needed to end the match’ -

However, Korean hopes of advancing to the semi-finals almost evaporated in the space of two calamitous second-half minutes.

Ikromjon Alibaev fired Uzbekistan level in the 53rd minute after finding himself unmarked at the back post.

Moments later, the midfielder tried his luck from range and got a huge slice of luck as the ball took a wicked deflection off Hwang Hyun-soo and trickled into the net.

Hwang Ui-jo -- like Son hoping for exemption from military service -- struck back, latching on to a Son through-ball to complete his hat-

Jewel SAMAD / AFP

Gold medallist India’s Neeraj Chopra celebrates during the victory ceremony for the men’s javelin throw athletics event during the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta on August 27, 2018.

Farmer’s son Chopra reaps Asian javelin gold for India Neeraj Chopra skewered India’s first-ever Asian Games javelin gold medal on Monday after recently learning of the death of his former coach.

A farmer’s son from a village outside of Delhi, the 20-year-old favourite was never seriously threatened in Jakarta as he won with an Indian record of 88.05 metres to follow up the Commonwealth title he won in Australia earlier this year.

“That wasn’t easy,” Chopra told reporters. “I wanted to break the Asian Games record but it’s still a national one.

“I can still throw further,” added the Olympic hopeful, who used to dabble in cricket as a child.

“But everything has to come together perfectly for a successful throw. That only happens when the technique and speed are perfect -like on my third attempt.” Chopra revealed his heartache at hearing last week that his former Australian coach Gary Calvert, who led him to a junior world title in 2016,

had died.

“He had told me we would meet here at the Asian Games,” said Chopra, who now trains under former world record holder Uwe Hohn. “I was in Finland when I heard he had died. It was a real shock to me.”

His gold is India’s third Asian Games javelin medal and first since Gurtej Singh’s bronze in 1982. It was also India’s eighth gold medal of the 2018 Asian Games.

Chopra, whose boyish looks and ultra-bright smile have made him something of a sex symbol in India, limbered up with a throw of 83.46 before unleashing his best effort of 88.05 on his third attempt to effectively end the conversation.

China’s Liu Qizhen finished with silver after a personal best of 82.22, with Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem taking bronze with a throw of 80.75.

Taiwan’s Cheng Chao-tsun, who holds the Asian record of 91.36, failed to clear 80 metres as he placed fifth. (afp)

AAMIR QURESHI / AFP

South Korea’s captain Son Heung-min (L) controls the ball past Iran’s Seyed Abolfazl Rezaghpoor during the men’s football round of 16 match between Iran and South Korea at the 2018 Asian Games in Cikarang on August 23, 2018.

trick with aplomb after 75 minutes.

Son then let fly with a ferocious left-foot shot that whistled past the post as the Koreans went in search of a winner in normal time.

Already booked, Alibaev was sent off for a shove early in the first period of extra time before hat-trick man Hwang missed a sitter from point-blank range.

Both teams looked out on their feet after going toe-to-toe in sapping humidity but as a penalty

shootout loomed, Hwang Hee-chan triggered ecstatic scenes from the Koreans as he stepped up to blast home from the spot after a foul on Hwang Ui-jo.

“When we got to extra time, I told Son Heung-min we needed to end the match before it went to penalties,” said Hwang. “I’m happy that we did.”

Vietnam edged Syria 1-0 thanks to bleach-blond striker Van Toan Nguyen’s extra time tap-in. (afp)

Asian Games 2018 Medal Tally No. Countries

Gold

Silver Bronze

Total

1 China 2 Japan 3 Republic of Korea 4 Indonesia 5 IR Iran 6 Chinese Taipei 7 DPR Korea 8 Thailand 9 India 10 Kazakhstan

90 43 32 24 17 13 12 9 8 8

63 38 38 19 15 13 7 10 16 8

198 140 114 72 47 45 26 52 45 45

45 59 44 29 15 19 7 33 21 29

10

Destination

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

International

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

International

Three things that have gone wrong for Manchester United

MANCHESTER - Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho suffered the heaviest home defeat of his coaching career as Tottenham Hotspur won 3-0 at Old Trafford on Monday to deepen an early-season crisis for the Red Devils.

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lowing its Egyptian theme, such as ‘Cleopatra’, ‘October Sphinx’ and ‘Knight of Anubis’, which usually start from 23:00 onwards with free entry and amazing late bottle promotions through 02:00 in the morning. Nicknamed the ‘Beat Room’, the main venue sometimes also highlights rock n’ roll nights with live bands taking to the stage.Best deals on boozes include two bottles of Absolut Vodka with four 500ml carafes of mixers of your own choice, at IDR 1,900,000 every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Drinks are reasonably priced and best served with friends.

Some nights can get really sexy at Pyramid Club Bali, with girls in bikinis, roaming neon stilt walkers, and sexy dancers doing their thing on the bar, not to mention wild and crazy costumes thrown in during its themed nights. It’s one of the best places in Bali to party hard into the crack of dawn. (afp)

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Mourinho is at the front of the firing line, with odds on him being the first Premier League manager to lose his job this season being slashed after two consecutive defeats.

However, the Portuguese is far from the only culprit, with United’s slide on the field dating back to Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.

Here, AFP Sports looks at three things that have gone wrong for the 20-time English champions.

Not so special anymore Mourinho introduced himself to English football as “the special one” when taking charge of Chelsea for the first time 14 years ago.

He backed up that bravado by delivering back-to-back Premier League titles. Mourinho’s aura and tactical discipline also inspired a title win in his second spell at Stamford Bridge and a treble at Inter Milan. When at the helm at Real Madrid he broke Barcelona’s La Liga hegemony under Pep Guardiola.

Yet his third seasons second time round at Chelsea and at Madrid ended acrimoniously and a third campaign at United already looks as though it is heading the same way.

In contrast to the exciting brand of football offered by Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea under Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Mauricio Pochettino and Maurizio Sarri, Mourinho’s conser-

vative tactics seem outdated and at odds with United’s tradition under Ferguson.

Moreover, whereas Mourinho used to staunchly defend his players, at United he has routinely criticised his squad in public.

Spurs fans goaded Mourinho with cries of “You’re not special anymore” and his rant at the media as he stormed out of his post-match press conference demanding respect for his record of winning three Premier League titles did little to quell the feeling he is living off past glories.

United only in name Mourinho’s sour mood has not been reserved just for his players, but also the club’s executive vicechairman Ed Woodward over a perceived lack of backing in the transfer window.

Woodward decided there was not value in the market for a host of centre-back targets identified by Mourinho and questioned whether they were any better than the five already in United’s squad.

It effectively means a former banker is overruling an experienced manager on football matters and United are investigating the possibility of appointing a director of football as a middle man for the first time.

Woodward also insisted neither Paul Pogba nor Anthony Martial were for sale despite a troubled relationship between the manager and both players.

Oli SCARFF / AFP

Manchester United’s Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho gestures from the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on August 27, 2018.

Pogba, who cost United a then world record £89 million ($115 million) in 2016, claimed he would be fined for revealing his true feelings after the first game of the season as his agent Mino Raiola appears to be agitating for a move, with Barcelona apparently interested.

Martial was fined by Mourinho for not returning to the club’s preseason tour of the United States after the birth of his second child and did not even make the bench for Monday’s defeat.

Misspent fortune Woodward has been accused of having divided loyalties after United’s share price hit a record high last week despite the club’s on-field troubles.

Yet, while American owners the Glazer family remain unpopular among many fans, United have spent lavishly in the transfer market in recent years.

The problem is a reported £700 million investment in transfer fees alone since Fer-

guson retired has been largely wasted.

Big-money signings Angel d i M a r i a , M e m p h i s D e p a y, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are no longer with the club.

Luke Shaw, Juan Mata, Martial, Pogba and Alexis Sanchez have also failed to hit the standards they showed at previous clubs to spark United’s interest in the first place. (afp)

Serena attitude diffused dress code row says French Open director

PARIS - French Open director Guy Forget says Serena Williams’ attitude diffused a potential row over an up-coming dress code that he insists will be far less strict than the one at Wimbledon, French sports daily L’Equipe reported on Tuesday.

The idea he said would be to establish a certain level of elegance or as he put it “a Roland Garros style”.

The move comes hot on the heels of a furore following French tennis federation chief Bernard Giudicelli EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ / AFP describing the “Black Panther” catSerena Williams of the US hits a return to Magda Linette suit American star Williams wore at (out of frame) of Poland during their 2018 US Open Wom- the French Open in May as “going en’s Singles match at the USTA Billie Jean King National too far”.

Williams at the time took the anTennis Center in New York on August 27, 2018.

nouncement in her stride, describing her relationship with the French Open organisers as wonderful.

“He’s (Guidicelli) been so easy to talk to,” Williams said. “My whole team is basically French so, yeah, we have a wonderful relationship.”

Forget congratulated Williams on her attitude.

“With social media everything goes viral these days,” Forget said.

“Serena was perfect, defusing any budding controversy,” he explained.

“The idea with the dress code will be much more flexible than the one at Wimbledon, which has hardened over time,” he said.

Wimbledon has a strict all white

dress code for it’s June lawn tennis tournament.

“Our current regulations allow for anything and with no framework some feel certain players are a bit too out there,” he said.

“Why not reconcile elegance without harming the creativity of designers,” he suggested.

“We have a new stadium renovation and new outfits would reconcile elegance, modernity and practicality,” he said.

Forget went on to say that perhaps the completion of the new look Roland Garros site in 2021 might be the perfect time to introduce the dress code. (afp)

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After driving ban ends, Saudi women taste thrill of speed

RIYADH - Donning a helmet inside a pearl silver sports sedan, Rana Almimoni skids and drifts around a Riyadh park, engine roaring, tyres screeching and clouds of dust billowing from the back.

For Saudi women, such adrenaline rushes were unimaginable just weeks ago.

Speed-crazed women drivers are bound to turn heads in the deeply conservative desert kingdom, which overturned the world’s only ban on female motorists in June as part of a muchhyped liberalisation drive led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Almimoni, 30 and a motor racing enthusiast, is defying the perception –- or sexist misconception, depending on who you ask –- that only dainty cars in bright colours are popular with women drivers.

“I adore speed. I love speed... My dream car is more than 500 horsepower,” said Almimoni, slamming the accelerator of her silvery sleek Kia Stinger inside Riyadh’s Dirab motor park.

“It’s a myth... that Saudi women only choose pink and cute cars.”

Almimoni said she was awaiting an expected government decision that would permit women to obtain a “racing licence”, which would allow her to hone her passion in motor-sport competitions.

That includes drifting –- oversteering the car to slip and skid or even spin, and other high-speed daredevilry -- which is illegal in public but tolerated in the controlled environment of Dirab park, whose private owners insist on safety.

first female member of the kingdom’s national motor federation, who got behind the wheel of a Formula One car in France in June to mark the end of the driving ban.

Clad in skinny jeans and Harley-Davidson T-shirts, a handful of women are also training to ride motorbikes at a Riyadh driving school, a scene that is still a stunning anomaly in the conservative petro-state.

Transport authorities have rolled out racing simulators to help first-time women drivers get a feel of being behind the wheel.

As a male traffic official demonstrated the importance of seatbelts by buckling up inside a car tethered to a flat platform and upturning the vehicle, some women zipped around twisted tracks in toy cars.

Another sat down behind the wheel of a simulator and instantly floored the accelerator, sending the speedometer soaring.

“I don’t feel I’m in Saudi Arabia anymore,” said Nagwa Mousa, a 57-year-old university professor in Riyadh.

“But I don’t expect to see many women in Saudi Arabia overtaking and speeding in the streets anytime soon.”

The driving reform is said to be transformative for women, freeing them from dependence on private chauffeurs or male relatives, but many are keeping off the streets.

“Congratulate me, finally saw a female driving! Although she is Bahraini but it counts as she is driving in Saudi land,” comedian Yaser Bakr said on Twitter after the ban was lifted.

- No ‘free speech’ -

For now, most women drivers appear to be those who have swapped foreign licences for Saudi ones after undergoing a practical test. Many complain that driving courses cost several times more than those available to men and that women instructors are in short supply.

While no overt incidents of street harassment have been reported publicly, many women are also wary of pervasive sexism and aggression from male drivers despite warnings from authorities.

Also testing nerves is the government’s sweeping crackdown on women activists who long opposed the driving ban and a long-vilified system of male “guardians” -- fathers, husbands or other male relatives, whose permission is required to travel or get married.

“The Saudi government is expanding entertainment options for Saudi women but eliminating space for political expression,” said Kristin Diwan, of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

“Lady drifters can feel the speed but not free speech.”

At least 12 leading human rights activists, including eight women, have been arrested in Saudi Arabia since May, according to Amnesty International.

The crackdown triggered a diplomatic brawl with Canada after Ottawa demanded the “immediate release” of those detained.

“It’s a dubious advancement in gender parity: women are now coming under arrest for their rights activism just like the men,” said Diwan. (afp)

- Need for speed -

Author Pascal Menoret’s acclaimed book “Joyriding in Riyadh” described the high-octane Saudi obsession for drifting, long seen as a symbol of revolt among legions of restless youth, as all “about being a real man”.

Now newly mobile Saudi women are embracing what was previously deemed a male entitlement -- speed.

“Most of our enquiries (from women) are about drifting -- how to learn drifting, which cars can they train on, how long will it take them” to drift, said instructor Falah al-Jarba as he watched Almimoni zip around the park.

Auto showrooms tapping new women clients have rolled out a line-up of cherry red Mini Coopers, but sales professionals say many exhibit an appetite for muscle cars like the Camaro or the Mustang convertible.

Many new drivers seek inspiration from Aseel al-Hamad, the

FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP

Rana Almimoni, a 30-year-old Saudi motor racing enthusiast, poses with her helmet next to her car on the track in Dirab motor park, on the southern outskirts of the capital Riyadh, on July 19, 2018.

‘Save me’: Kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirl pleads for freedom KANO - A Nigerian Christian schoolgirl abducted by Boko Haram jihadists has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to secure her release, local media said Tuesday, citing a purported audio recording of the hostage.

Leah Sharibu, 15, was among more than 100 schoolgirls abducted from their hostel in the town of Dapchi in the restive northeast on February 19.

The only Christian among the hostages, she remains in captivity months after all the other girls were released.

In an unverified recording Boko Haram sent to local media late Monday, Sharibu begged Buhari to work for her freedom.

“I plead with... the government and the president to have pity for me and save me from my situation,” Sharibu said in Hausa, a language widely spoken in the north.

Sharibu faltered and repeated herself in the recording, suggesting she was reading from a prepared text.

If verified, it would be the first evidence that Sharibu was alive since she was kidnapped.

The audio was accompanied by a picture of Sharibu clad

in a light brown hijab revealing only her face, sitting on a mat in an undisclosed location.

“The secret service is analysing the voice. Our reaction will follow the outcome of the investigation,” Buhari’s spokesman Garba Shehu said on Twitter.

“For President Buhari, nothing will be spared in bringing all our girls home. He will not rest until all of them are freed.”

Nathan Sharibu, Leah’s father told AFP Tuesday, “The voice in the audio is no doubt that of Leah.

“As her father I can’t mistake her voice. I’m delighted to have heard her voice because it proved beyond doubt that my daughter is still alive,” he said.

“The government has not contacted me to verify if the voice is indeed that of Leah,” he said, urging the authorities to secure her release.

Fighters believed to be loyal to an IS-affiliated Boko Haram faction led by Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi abducted the girls after storming the Government Girls Science and Technical College in Dapchi in Yobe state.

The incident evoked memories of the April 2014 kidnap-

ping of 276 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in neighbouring Borno state.

Although more than 100 Chibok girls have been freed or rescued, some 112 are still missing.

The jihadists returned 110 Dapchi girls to the town on March 21, following negotiations with the government.

Both the government and the jihadists claimed no ransom was paid, but a UN report this month said Nigeria paid huge sums for the girls’ release.

Some of the released girls said five schoolmates died in captivity while Sharibu was retained for refusing to forsake Christianity for Islam.

Sharibu’s case has stoked tensions among Christians, who have accused the government of failing to do enough to secure her release.

Nigeria is roughly evenly divided between Muslims and Christians and religious tensions lead to occasional flareups.

Sharibu’s captivity has become a political issue with Buhari seeking a second term in office in February elections. (afp)

str / AFP

This photo taken on August 22, 2018 shows a tree trunk still burning at a burnout forest in Ibul Besar, a few kilometres from the Asian Games in Palembang.

4 killed in Indonesia forest fires; police arrest suspects

PONTIANAK — Police in the Indonesian part of Borneo island have arrested more than a dozen people suspected of starting forest fires that have killed four people in the past month.

West Kalimantan police chief Didi Haryono said Tuesday that two of the 27 people wanted by police died in blazes they started to clear land for planting. He said 14 people have been arrested so far.

They could be prosecuted under an environmental protection law that allows a maximum 10-year prison sentence for setting fires to clear land.

The national disaster agency says four people have died in West Kalimantan’s forest fires in the past month, includ-

ing two suspects.

Millions of hectares burned in Indonesia during annual dry season fires in 2015 that spread a health-damaging haze across the region for weeks.

The disaster, estimated by the World Bank to have caused losses of $16 billion, was exacerbated by the practice of draining swampy peatland forests for industrial plantations, making them highly combustible. Indonesia’s government imposed a moratorium on peatland development in 2016 but has made little progress with plans to restore such wetlands to their original condition.

Officials said the recent haze in West Kalimantan has diminished due to fire-fighting efforts.

Sahat Irawan Manik, an official with a local fire unit,

said Monday that conditions had especially improved in the provincial capital, Pontianak, and around the airport.

“There are still some fires in five districts but there are water bombing teams by the Disaster Mitigation Agency, which has deployed 10 helicopters to help extinguish the fires,” Manik said. About 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres) of fires have been extinguished across the province, he said.

Raffles Brotestes Panjaitan, director of investigation and forest protection at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, said the number of “hotspots” in West Kalimantan had dropped to 21 on Monday from 60 on Sunday.

Panjaitan said that so far this year, 71,959 hectares of land have burned in forest fires compared with 165,464 hectares from January to July last year. (ap)

Quake 6.2 on richter scale hits East Nusa Tenggara

KUPANG - A major earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 on the Richter scale rocked the district of Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara sending people to run out of buildings.

The quake hit at 15:08 local time on Tuesday afternoon with epicenter in the sea at a depth of 10 kilometers 124.16 degrees east longitude and 10.96 degrees south latitude or 111 kilometers southeast of the southern coast of the Kupang district .

The quake caused great panic as only early this month a succession of devastating quakes hit Lombok in neighboring province of West Nusa Tenggara leaving more than 550 people dead.

“The jolt was strong that in panic we rushed out of working office for safety,” spokeswoman of the Kupang district

administration Martha Magdalena Para Ede said.

A coordination meeting of Kupang district leaders was taking place seeking to discuss communal conflict between East Timorese and local people in the border area when the quake hit, Martha said.

She said the tremors lasted for several seconds only but everybody rushed out of the meeting room in the second floor of the administration building .

The meeting headed by deputy district head Korinus Masneno attended by district police chief Adj. Sr.Com Indera Gunawan was resumed later in the official house of the deputy regent.

No report yet about any casualty or damage to property

caused by the quake. “No report yet received from lower district areas about the quake,” Martha said.

Lombok has been hit by a succession of major quakes first being on July 29 with a magnitude of 6.4 on the Richter scale followed by a bigger quake 7 on the Richter scale on Aug 5 with last big quake 6.9 on the Richter scale on Aug 19.

The Central government and the provincial administration involving the military and police are still busy helping the process of reconstruction of the tourist island just across Bali, the country`s main tourist destination.

Many foreign tourists were in Lombok when the first major quake hit on July 30 but all of them were safely evacuated to Bali. (ant)

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Turkish lira weakens as markets reopen at end of holiday

ANKARA - The Turkish currency has again weakened against the dollar, as Turkey’s markets resumed trading after a week-long religious holiday.

The Turkish lira was down some 3.5 percent on Monday, trading at around 6.22

against the dollar.

The currency has seen a sharp fall in value this year amid investor concerns over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s economic policies and an on-going diplomatic and trade dispute with the United

States.

The United States has slapped sanctions on two Turkish Cabinet ministers and doubled tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum imports over the continued detention in Turkey of American pastor Andrew

Brunson. Turkey retaliated by increasing tariffs on certain U.S. imports.

The pastor is accused of espionage and terror-related charges and faces a maximum 35 years in prison if convicted. (ap)

Iran lawmakers reject Rouhani answers on economic woes

Iran’s parliament declared its dissatisfaction with President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday, voting to reject his answers after grilling him over the deteriorating economy.

It was the first time Rouhani had been summoned by parliament in his five years in power, and MPs demanded answers on unemployment, rising prices and the sharp depreciation of the rial, which has lost more than half of its value since April.

The lawmakers, who have already impeached his labour and economy ministers this month, were unimpressed.

In votes at the end of the session, they expressed dissatisfaction with Rouhani’s responses to four of their five questions on the economy, which will now be referred to the judiciary for review.

The economy has been battered by the return of US sanctions following President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

Rouhani trod a difficult line, seeking to acknowledge the problems facing ordinary Iranians without admitting to a full-blown crisis.

“It should not be said we are facing a crisis. There is no crisis.

If we say there is, it will become a problem for society and then a threat,” he told parliament.

As usual, Rouhani offered no concrete policy proposals, instead saying the answer lay in showing a united front.

“You may talk about employment, foreign currency, recession, smuggling... I think the problem is in people’s view of the future,” he said.

“The people are not afraid of the United States, they are afraid of our disagreements. If the people see we are united, they will realise the problems will be resolved.”

Mecakcakan Tradition at Sambirenteng Village

But Rouhani’s government -- which staked everything on its bid to attract foreign investment through a more “moderate” approach to relations with the West -- has been badly weakened by the return of sanctions.

Most foreign firms have abandoned investment projects in Iran, and the next phase of renewed US sanctions in November will hit the crucial oil sector.

- ‘Palace of wishes’ “We will not allow a bunch of anti-Iranians who have gathered in the White House to conspire against us,” Rouhani vowed. But most Iranians blame the government for failing to capitalise on the nuclear deal.

“You created a palace of wishes called the JCPOA,” said Mojtaba Zolnour, an MP for the religious centre of Qom, using the technical name for the nuclear deal.

“With one kick from Trump, this palace was demolished, and you didn’t have an alternative,” he said.

Despite the impeachment of two of his ministers, Rouhani himself is protected by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said recently that removing the president would “play into the hands of the enemy”.

That may explain the soft line taken by several speakers, with one conservative MP, Hossein Naghavi-Hosseini, emphasising: “We will stand by your government for the sake of protecting the system of the Islamic republic.”

But when it came to the votes, lawmakers accepted only one of Rouhani’s answers -- related to international banking sanctions,

Sambirenteng customary village in Tejakula, Buleleng, organized mecakcakan tradition.

This heritage tradition is better known as cockfighting in the shrine of Sambirenteng village.

This unique ritual took place solemnly and festively attended by all local villagers.

Chief of Sambirenteng customary village, Jro Bendesa Nengah Mas, said that the mecakcakan is a tradition having been carried out from generation to generation.

Actually this ceremony is a series

of pecaruan (animal sacrifice) at local village. The whole customary villagers are required to submit a rooster to the committee. If villagers do not submit a fighting rooster, it can be replaced with money. Af-

ter that, the roosters of customary villagers are then pitted in the area of the village shrine.

Uniqueness of this ritual lies in the cockfighting where watching people are not allowed to bet, so that

this ritual is free from the impression of gambling. The losing rooster is slaughtered and cooked together to fill in the ritual oblations. The remaining will be enjoyed together through megibung in the area of the Bale Agung temple. “This ritual is a heritage we’ve received and shall be held every year,” he said.

According to Mas, from his pre-

decessors the Mecakcakan ritual is held every entering the new moon in the seventh month of Balinese calendar (January). This ritual signifies the devotion of people to God having bestowed prosperity to universe, especially to Sambirenteng village.

Besides, it also aims to maintain natural balance from various negative influences. (kmb)

Jembong Waterfall, Cheap and Fun Nature Tourism

Generally when making a trip to waterfall, tourists must step down hundreds of stairs first. However, it is different when visiting Jembong waterfall where you just need to climb dozens of stairs. Within ATTA KENARE / AFP

Members of the Iranian Parliament gesture as President Hassan Rouhani (not pictured) speaks in the capital Tehran, on August 28, 2018. It was the first time Rouhani had been summoned by parliament in his five years in power, with MPs demanding answers on unemployment, rising prices and the collapsing value of the rial, which has lost more than half its value since April. which they agreed were beyond his government’s control.

Even after the nuclear deal, major foreign banks continued to refuse to work with Iran, fearing the lack of transparency in its financial sector could lead them into legal trouble. The only previous time a president has been questioned was in 2012 when parliament summoned Rouhani’s controversial predecessor Mahmoud Ah-

madinejad, whose erratic, populist style had alienated him from the establishment and further damaged Iran’s international standing.

It was after that session that MPs decided they should vote on the president’s answers, deputy speaker Ali Motahari explained to ISNA news agency this week, because Ahmadinejad’s responses were so “strange” and unconvincing.

Rouhani has even lost sup-

port among reformists who had supported him as the best option after their own leaders were either locked up or barred from standing for office.

“What have we done with this nation? We made them miserable and wretched,” said leading reformist MP Elias Hazrati as he voted in favour of impeaching economy minister Masoud Karbasian on Sunday. (afp)

three minutes, you can take selfie with the background of fascinating Jembong waterfall.

Armed with the capital of IDR 5,000, tourists can have enjoyed the allurement of Jembong waterfall.

However, if you only want to swim, you only need to pay as much as IDR 5,000 for adult and IDR 3,000 for child.

There are three fairly large pools with very clear water. Each has the depth of 110 cm for adult, while two children pools have varied depths, namely 80 cm and 60 cm. The water purely comes from Jembong waterfall having been filtered.

If you want to take selfie with an instragrammable background, you can pose on the bridge with a distance of about five meters from the waterfall. Verdant trees in combination with the beautiful waterfall will make your photos more interesting.

Jembong waterfall located at Ambengan village, Sukasada, Buleleng, also provides a challenging adrenaline attraction, namely

flying fox. There are several tracks, such as flying fox of track A with the price set at IDR 15,000; track B at IDR 25,000; and track A & B at IDR 30,000.

Some other activities that can still be enjoyed by tourists here include the trekking and wet rappelling. This tourist attraction is managed by Banten Sari tourism awareness group (Pokdarwis) where it can draw the visit up to 500 people each day.

Pokdarwis leader, Made Suneka, said the attraction was officially opened in 2013. “Tourists making a visit here do not only domestic, but also foreign ones,” he said recently.

He added that tourist visits are usually crowded during holidays.

Similar opinion was also revealed by one of Pokdarwis staff, Wayan Surung. He said although the flying fox was just officially

opened two months ago, it has been widely demanded. Moreover, there are about 60 students of Ganesha University of Education Singaraja that have tried the excitement of flying fox.

One of the visitors, Sumiasih, expressed her excitement at the Jembong waterfall. She claimed to spend her time to swim and soak.

“Water of the pools here directly flows from Jembong waterfall, so it is fresh and very cool,” said the student who is currently studying at the STAHN Mpu Kuturan, Singaraja.

If visitors are hungry and thirsty, the operator has provided with a stall and some gazebos to rest for a moment. In addition, for visitors wishing to do melukat or purificatory rite, the operator has also provided a place to do it located near the waterfall. (kmb)

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Seaweed farmers at Suana village

PARIS - President Emmanuel Macron suffered a major political blow Tuesday as his popular environment minister resigned live on radio -- without informing the French leader beforehand.

FARMERS at Semaya hamlet, Suana, Nusa Penida, Klungkung, that already stopped cultivating seaweed have now revived. Their smile is still hard to cheer. They still have to fight against crisis.

IBP/kmb

Seaweed farmers at Suana village the rocks that when stepped on can make their feet hurt.

The seaweed remained to be tied to a rope. After that, farmers released little by little. One of the local farmers, Wayan Tokal, did such activities. He muttered and complained about the harvest yields. It is not according to his expectations. Lots of his seaweed yellowed and perished. “The results are not good. A lot of them are rotten,” he said, recently.

He said it happens due to unfriendly weather. Sometimes the

weather is hot, sometimes it rains.

As a result, he is unable to handle it, but can only surrender. “To avoid much damaged, we are forced to harvest early,” he said.

Each plot can only harvest 50 kilograms. It is different when the weather is fine, where the range can reach 200 kilograms. Amid such condition, the selling price is not too expensive. In wet condition it can be sold for IDR 6,000 per kilo while the dry one is IDR 10,000.

“The results drop. This happens due to big waves,” said the farmer

whose hair has turned white while adding that he is still haunted by the difficulty of getting seeds. “The current seeds are the rest of the previous ones,” he added.

Another farmer, Wayan Sukerni, is also frustrated. She said that farmers actually just revived a few months ago where they just started the new cultivation. “I used not to plant seaweed, but was then resumed to cultivate. Unfortunately, the results are not good,” he explained.

He also told the past time of this agriculture. It was mostly pursued by

the coastal communities. There were no empty spaces on the beach area.

Besides, the yields were abundant.

It was not only sold at home but had also been exported. “Right now, there are indeed collectors, but they sell it to Denpasar and Surabaya,” he said.

To boost income, farmers must think hard. Their seaweed is processed into various products, such as crackers and toffee. The products were successfully marketed. “The production is smooth so it brings in additional results,” he concluded. (sos)

Pupuan ‘sells’ natural potentials

I Putu A. Hendra Manik

IBP/kmb

TABANAN - Tabanan district has ten subdistricts with their respective regional potential. If a number of subdistricts have tourism potential becoming the source of revenue potential such as Kediri subdistrict with the Tanah Lot, Baturiti with the Ulundanu Beratan and Penebel with the Jatiluwih, Pupuan is now striving to develop its natural potential to improve surrounding people’s welfare.

Subdistrict head of Pupuan, I Putu A. Hendra Manik, stated that of the 14 villages in Pupuan, 9 villages have got the Regent Decree regarding the tourism village. “Five of them have been included in the tourism village bill, but the progress at lower level still runs slowly. Nevertheless, this will continue to be boosted,” he said on Sunday (Aug. 26).

For villages having got the decree of tourism village will be continuously improved and developed so that they can bring in tour-

ists. “We at Pupuan are trying to ‘sell’ the nature, whether it is the view of hilly paddy fields or various plantations such as coffee, snakefruit and other natural potentials like waterfall. We hope these natural potentials can become one of the destinations in the future with the innovations we try to build with the local community,” he explained.

Not only that, he also claimed that one of the breakthroughs being initiated is the existence of tourism hamlet by choosing Asah hamlet at Bantiran village. “At least, we can make like Penglipuran village in Bangli district because the hamlet is a deadend area, and the community also supports this idea,” he said.

And to further solidify the idea, he has continued to coordinate with relevant village apparatus, the community and the Tabanan Tourism Office. More interestingly, the idea

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Blow for France’s Macron as star minister quits

Should fight to go out of crisis and gain happiness

It was three o’clock in the afternoon when the seawater in this area seemed to have receded. It looked bluish with small waves deep inside. At that time, from a height, there were very many lots looking like cages. Each spreads with the length of 10 meters and width of 5 meters. It is made of wood plugged in. Due to consisting of many numbers, they gave a solid impression. Inside it contained the net covering small rocks that were no longer submerged in water. The area is utilized for seaweed cultivation. It also has a rope to tie.

Sunlight was no longer stinging.

A number of farmers arrived. Most of them were old. They were walking slowly to the cultivation area. Some carried tools like crowbars. It would be used to gouge small rocks firmly plugged under green seaweed. It is meant to make the water stagnate.

Some others carried bamboo baskets sizing quite large. Slowly but surely, they immediately squatted and harvested. It took a long time to fill in the container. Then, the harvested seaweed was put onto a floating tube. The size is also quite large. After getting lot harvest yield, it was pulled ashore. It was then taken to a drying place by upholding.

Some people also shouldered. They looked strong and did not care about

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

International

of tourism hamlet at the initial stage will be using the budget obtained from the contribution of local residents through mutual cooperation.

“We are contributing with the community to buy entrance gate set or angkul-angkul denoting the characteristic of Tabanan that we want to realize. So, we go ahead first, if there is a budget from the local government, of course it can be used for further development,” he explained.

Of course, this dream is based on the development of the Agricultural Technology Park (TTP) which serves as a place to implement innovation and encourage the advancement of agriculture in the food barn of the Island of the Gods at Sanda village, Pupuan. “In my opinion, if this park has been operated in 2020, of course Pupuan will have an extraordinary potential,” he said. (bit)

LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron reviews troops upon his arrival for a wreath-laying ceremony with Crown Prince of Denmark at the monument for fallen soldiers at the Citadel in Copenhagen, Denmark on August 28, 2018.

Nicolas Hulot, one of the most respected members of the cabinet among the French public, took even his interviewers by surprise on the France Inter radio station when announcing his move.

“I am taking the decision to leave the government,” Hulot said, adding that he felt “all alone” on

environmental issues within the government.

The 62-year-old TV celebrity, who made his name as an environmental campaigner, was lured into government last year by Macron, but has repeatedly clashed with his cabinet colleagues over policy.

“We’re taking little steps, and

France is doing a lot more than other countries, but are little steps enough?... the answer is no,” he added.

Hulot, whose future in the government has been a subject of speculation for months, said he had not informed Macron or Prime Minister Edouard Philippe of his

CARACAS - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered banks to adopt the petro cryptocurrency as a unit of account Monday, as the country struggles to emerge from a severe political and economic crisis.

Public and private banks must now reflect all financial information in bolivars and petros, according to a resolution of the Sudeban banking regulator.

The move is part of Maduro’s desperate attempts to steer out of five years of recession and inflation the International Monetary Fund predicts will reach one million percent this year. More than two million people have fled the coun-

try in the wake of the crisis.

Venezuela has also drastically devalued the bolivar currency, issued banknotes stripped of five zeroes in new “sovereign bolivars.”

The economic plan also includes a 3,400 percent increase in the minimum wage and a hike in gasoline taxes, which for years have been the world’s cheapest.

The socialist president, elected for another six-year term in May elections rejected by much of the international community as fraudulent, has fixed the currency to the country’s widely-discredited cryptocurrency, the petro, which is in turn linked to the price of a barrel of Venezuelan oil (about $60).

The value-added tax, or VAT, is also climbing from 12 percent to 16 percent.

Maduro separately launched an offer of bonds backed by small gold bullion, he said would promote savings among Venezuelans, who see the local currency evaporating with hyperinflation.

“No one can say that gold loses its value,” Maduro said on state TV, while showing two cards with the central bank emblem’s and some golden rectangles that he called “lingoticos” (little ingots).

The emission, backed in pieces of 1.5 and 2.5 grams (0.05 and 0.09 ounces) of gold, will begin September 11. (afp)

plans to resign.

“It’s an honest and responsible decision,” he added.

His departure adds to mounting problems for 40-year-old centrist Macron, who swept to power in May last year promising to solve decades of low growth and high unemployment in France and reform the European Union.

Due to slowing economic growth, his government is having difficulties drawing up the 2019 budget which saw Prime Minister Philippe announce at the weekend that he was dropping targets for reducing the deficit.

At the diplomatic level, Macron is struggling to convince his European partners of the need for a more integrated EU as nationalist governments make gains across the continent.

Over the summer, the former banker also suffered the first major political scandal of his 15-month term when his former bodyguard and senior security aide was filmed manhandling protesters while appearing to impersonate a policeman.

- Anger in government Hulot’s announcement is likely to be received bitterly by Macron, who was starting a trip to Denmark to sell his EU agenda on Tuesday.

“The most basic of courtesies would have been to warn the president of the republic and the prime minister,” government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux told the BFM news channel.

Hulot was formerly the star presenter of the hit Ushuaia environmental TV programme in France and had repeatedly turned down offers to enter government by

previous French presidents.

He was widely reported to be close to quitting in February after media reports that the granddaughter of former French president Francois Mitterrand had accused him of rape in the 1990s.

Hulot furiously denied the claims and said they had been extremely hurtful for him and his family.

He had also faced criticism from fellow green campaigners, who accused him of failing to influence the Macron government sufficiently after he lost battles with his colleagues in the agriculture and economy ministries.

Hulot was left disappointed when the government backtracked on a target to reduce the share of nuclear power in the country’s energy mix to 50 percent by 2025, while EU negotiations on pesticides were another source of frustration.

On Monday, the cost of a hunting licence was cut in half to 200 euros -- another bitter pill for the vegetarian.

“Do you do an environmental revolution in one year? The response is no,” government spokesman Griveaux added. “I prefer little steps to not moving.”

Macron’s record on the environment is mixed.

He has made the battle against global warming one of his foreign policy priorities, organising a major conference in Paris last year in an effort to compensate for Trump’s scepticism about climate change.

He also led efforts at the EU level to reduce the use of the controversial weedkiller chemical glyphosate and he scrapped a proposed airport in western France, partly on environmental grounds. (afp)

Venezuela orders banks to adopt cryptocurrency

FEDERICO PARRA / AFP

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro

14

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Toyota pours $500 mn into driverless car tieup with Uber

Technology

International

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

3

Agrotourism development can be a magnet to bring in tourists

MANGUPURA — Although having barren condition, the Pecatu area has been an agrotourism that can become one of the tourist attractions in Badung especially in South Kuta. In addition to serving as attraction, the products yielded at the agro-tourism can be distributed to star-rated hotels in the South Kuta and surrounding areas. Moreover, the attraction is in the form of organic products becoming the target of tourists.

SAN FRANCISCO - Toyota will pump about $500 million into Uber as part of a deal to work together on mass-producing self-driving vehicles, the Japanese car giant said on Tuesday.

The deal, which reportedly values Uber at about $72 billion, aims at “advancing and bringing to market autonomous ride-sharing as a mobility service at scale,” Toyota said in a statement.

Technology from both companies will be integrated into purpose-built Toyota vehicles and deployed on Uber’s ride-sharing platform, with the first pilot rollout set for 2021.

“The deal is the first of its kind for Uber and signals our commitment to bringing world-class technologies to the Uber network,” said CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.

The agreement came as the smartphone-summoned ride service is throttling back its solo effort to develop autonomous vehicle technology.

Uber suspended its self-driving car program after a crash killed a woman pushing a bicycle in a street in Arizona in March.

Last month, the San-Francisco-based firm took a tentative step toward restarting the program, putting self-driving cars back on the road in “manual mode,” with a driver at the wheel at all times.

The testing will enable Uber to gather data on different scenarios that will be recreated in computer simulations, and also develop more accurate mapping for the vehicles.

Uber is among a number of technology and car companies racing toward what some say is an inevitable future in which vehicles drive themselves.

The statement said the “mass-produced autonomous vehicles” would be owned and operated by “mutually agreed-upon third-party autonomous fleet operators.” (afp)

Bali News

International

IBP/net

Toyota will pump about $500 million into Uber as part of a deal to work together on massproducing self-driving vehicles.

“When viewed at this time, many star-rated hotels have been established in South Kuta, Badung. Of course, this opportunity must be taken advantage, and the products of the agrotourism must enter the hotels.

Besides, the commodities planted are organic. And I think tourists will be very happy with the organic products,” said the subdistrict head of South Kuta, Made Widiana, amid the opening of the Malini Agro Park.

The owner of the Malini Agro Park tourism object, Wayan Tana, said that tourists visiting the destination will get interested and like the natural environment.

Moreover, the products yielded are also organic. Surely, they can be processed and enjoyed by tourists. “I am confident, the agriculture-based tourism business will be sought after in the future and even bring out universal love,” he said.

Not only that, the existence of agro tourism will be able to offer healthy tourism for local and foreign tourists because the products are organic. “In addition to giving good prospects, the agro tourism can be definitely a healthy tour offered to every tourist spending holiday in Bali, both local and foreign tourists,” he concluded.

Currently, Tana said that children to adults including local and foreign tourists almost entirely like the agro tourist object as it can make them get in touch with the surrounding natural atmosphere. “This can be used as a means for children to get to know more about what is eaten. Besides, it also introduces organic agricultural products,” he added. (kmb23)

IBP/kmb

Although having barren condition, the Pecatu area has been an agrotourism that can become one of the tourist attractions in Badung especially in South Kuta.

15 percent of plastic waste at Mandung landfill unmanaged

Startup delivers groceries in self-driving cars

IBP/net

Startup AutoX on Monday announced the Silicon Valley debut of a service that will turn selfdriving cars into mobile grocery shops summoned with a touch of a smartphone application.

SAN FRANCISCO - Startup AutoX on Monday announced the Silicon Valley debut of a service that will turn self-driving cars into mobile grocery shops summoned with a touch of a smartphone application.

The service will kick off this month in parts of the California city of San Jose in a partnership with e-commerce company GrubMarket.com which sources food from producers as well as retail shops such as Amazon-owned Whole Foods.

“We’re very excited to launch the first autonomous grocery delivery and mobile store service in the heart of Silicon Valley with selfdriving vehicles on the road,” said AutoX founder and chief executive Jianxiong Xiao.

“We believe self-driving car technologies will fundamentally

change people’s daily lives for the better.”

The AutoX application can be used to place grocery orders to be delivered in cars designed to keep produce chilled, according to the startup.

Customers uncertain of what they want in advance will also be able to have cars pull up and open windows so they can browse selections, AutoX said. A human back-up driver will be on board as required by local regulations.

AutoX vehicles rely on highresolution camera gear instead of more costly sensors and laser arrays for navigation.

The grocery delivery and mobile store pilot program will roll out in San Jose, then expand to Google’s home city Mountain View and Palo Alto, where Stanford University is located. (afp)

IBP/kmb

The inorganic waste consists of various types of plastic, paper and cans.

TABANAN — Every day the waste entering the Mandung landfill reaches 250-300 cubic meters.

Of this number, 65 percent belongs to organic waste and 35 percent to inorganic waste. The inorganic waste consists of various types of plastic, paper and cans. To handle this inorganic waste, Mandung landfill collaborates with 12 scavengers that sort out the inorganic waste at the landfill. Even though it has been sorted out, around 15 percent of plastic waste from the total inorganic waste has not yet managed and wasted.

Head of the Mandung Landfill, Ni Luh Sukartini, stated on Sunday (Aug. 26) that on average of two tons of inorganic waste are collected in a month. This inorganic waste consists of plastic cups, plas-

tic bottles and clear plastic. “On average, the total inorganic plastic waste sorted out in a month reaches 1.5 tons. Then, inorganic waste belonging to paper type is averagely 500 kilograms per month and 500 kilograms of can,” said Sukartini.

He continued that around 10 to 15 percent of plastic waste is not sorted yet because it is damaged or dirty. However, with the collaboration with regional enterprise, in this case the Dharma Santika (PDDS) this dirty plastic can also be absorbed. “So far, scavengers that sort out the waste in the landfill sell it to collectors in Denpasar. But the plastic waste requested must be clean. If containing a little dirty waste, it will be rejected. Meanwhile, regional enterprise will accept both the clean and dirty one,”

said Sukartini.

Therefore, the Mandung Landfill encourages scavengers to sort out plastic waste and sell it to the regional enterprise. Hopefully, the dirty plastic that was not taken by scavengers can be sorted and finally reduce the amount of plastic waste and reduce the piles of waste in the Mandung landfill.

In addition to the sorting of inorganic waste to reduce the height of waste in the Mandung landfill, the landfill management also processes the organic waste into fertilizer. On average, it can process five to eight cubic meters per day. “Within a day, all the waste going into the landfill can only be managed about 30 to 35 percent. The rest is discarded to disposal site,” said Sukartini. (kmb24)

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Bali News

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

International

Jumbo-sized Baris Dancer sculpture

GIANYAR - A giant woven bamboo sculpture of a Baris dancer is currently being worked on in in the Kelodan hamlet, Tampaksiring. The art-work that will stand 6.5 meter high with a width of 8.5 meter is being created by local artist Gusti Arya Udianata for a music festival in Denpasar.

Met at his workshop, Rahman as he is known, explained that the woven statue requires some 300 bamboo poles and he has been working on it for almost a month. “A fellow sculptor has a friend who works in festival management. He asked me to sketch a Baris dancer sculpture and then asked me to create it”, said Rahman who is married to Luh Putu Devi Gangga.

Although based on the sketch, Rahman explained that he uses his instinct and imagination to actually build the giant Baris dancer “The sketch is based on the classic baris dancer that I was asked to create in jumbo size. Once it is finished it will look roughly like this”, he said..

A total of seven people are involved in creating this monumental piece. “The sketch team consists of Aswinoaji and Kadek Agus Mediana, while the Dita is in charge of management. The sculpting is assisted by Kadek Baskara, Edi Karisma, Akang, Sofia, Bebi, Andy and Bli Rahde”, he explained.

Everyone has their respective duties. The most important thing is to make the piece look alive. The assembling of the klakat (bamboo frames) must fit perfectly with the wire, said Rahman who added that he did not want to comment on the cost as it was the role of the manager to deal with that. “I just do the creating of the piece while the materials are provided by the committee. I believe artists are best at making art”, he said.

As far as Rahman knows, the statue will be placed at the artist camp area of GWK for about 10 days. “As far as I know, the artist camp is a rest area for the performers”, he said.

After the event, the Baris Dancer statue will be returned

to its hometown at Tampaksiring, but Rahman admitted that he did not know exactly what to do with the jumbo art-work.

“If anyone is interested they can buy it. I have not found a place to store it- there is not enough room here”, he said.

Rahman estimated that the woven bamboo ill last about 1 month if left outdoors but up to a year or more if it is indoors and polished with varnish. “Right now it is a purely bamboo cane work with no additional varnish or paint, so it

remains natural”, revealed this graduate of SMAN 1 Ubud high school.

Admittedly, quite a lot people from Gianyar have stopped by to see the creation process of this giant art work, including foreign. “Yes people have been coming by to have a look and most say they are impressed and take a selfie. I am happy to see people enthusiastic about coming here to see this art work”, he added. (kmb35)

IBP/Manik Astajaya

Reclamation of Benoa Bay fails

ForBALI announces victory for Balinese community DENPASAR - The Balinese People’s Forum to Reject Benoa Bay Reclamation (ForBALI) announced the victory of the Balinese people over the proposed project in Benoa Bay at the WALHI Bali Secretariat on Monday (Aug. 27). The announcement was made following the failure of PT Tirta Wahana Bali International (TWBI) to reclaim 700-hectares in Benoa Bay because the location permit obtained by TWBI from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries already expired on August 25. Even before the permit had expired, the environmental impact analysis (AMDAL) has also not been declared feasible by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

ForBALI Coordinator, I Wayan ‘Gendo’ Suardana, said the first location permit was issued on August 25, 2014.

Then, it was extended once in 2016 and valid until August 25, 2018 because every location permit is valid for 2 years.

As long as the location permit is still valid, the AMDAL can be processed and be assessed. However, on several occasions, Siti Nurbaya conveyed in the media that the AMDAL document compiled by the TWBI could not be declared feasible because it remained unable to overcome the issue of socio-cultural impacts.

“In other words, PT TWBI ‘s AMDAL is not feasible because there has been massive rejection of the project by Balinese people including customary villages coalesced into the Pasubayan, communities, community institutions and individuals who expressed their opposition to the reclamation

plan through protests and also in writing”, he said.

Just before the location permit extension expired, Gendo had communicated with various relevant parties, including the Minister of Environment and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya, and her staff and the location permit expired as of August 26, 2018 at 00:00 West Indonesia Time. Right up until the permit the AMDAL was still declared unfeasible. Minister Siti Nurbaya stated that she was still overseas from August 14 until yesterday, and did not know the latest progress.

“Her staff also provided information about the fact that the recommendation was the same : the minister had not issued an Environmental Feasibility Decree and has not issued an environmental permit because the amendment is unable to overcome the socio-cultural impact that was unfavourable.

Automatically, PT TWBI’s plan to reclamation 700 hectares of the waters of Benoa Bay failed”, said coordinator of ForBALI. Gendo asserted that 5-year struggle of the Balinese people to reject the Benoa Bay reclamation finally ended in victory.

This victory, he said is expected to be serve as inspiration for all communities to continuously criticize unfair development plans. It also serves as a lesson to authorities and entrepreneurs wanting to invest in Bali that this cannot be done arbitrarily and all development projects but take into consideration the interests of the natural and social environment as a whole. ForBALI is especially grateful to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) for objectively

Activities

International

carrying out the environmental impact assessment process based on regulations, procedures and guidelines for AMDAL assessment.

“To the whole community, we hope this victory does not quell our critical attitude because we still have work to do to ensure that Presidential Regulation No.51/2014 is repelled or the president issues a new law that ensures that the status of Benoa Bay is returned to being a conservation area”, he explained.

Gendo added that Presidential Regulation Number 51 will still be a concern for ForBALI after this victory and should remain concern of all parties including officials and politicians who can ensure that reclamation cannot be carried out and that want to restore the status of Benoa Bay as a conservation area. The opportunity for investors to reclaim Benoa Bay for the interests of a new business project will be completely closed to possibility if the president revokes this Presidential Regulation.

Presidential Regulation Number 51, explained Gendo is a limited change or partial change to Presidential Regulation No.45/2011 concerning the Spatial Plan of Sarbagita (Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar and Tabanan) area. The regulation only changes the designation of Benoa Bay from a conservation area into cultivation area. So, there is no connection to other regions in Bali let alone other regions in Indonesia as elected Governor of Bali Wayan Koster previously mentioned as a reason not to revoke the regulation. (kmb32)

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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

The opening of Cau Chocolates Food and Gift

CAU Chocolate Food and Gift, a modern and homey restaurant located on Jalan Kartika Plaza in Kuta area, was opened on …….. by Kadek Surya, CEO of Cau Chocolates Food and Gift, a subsidiary of PT. Cau Chocolates Bali.

This restaurant offers various types of dishes with Asian and European menus as well as pastry and coffee. Aside from offering delicious food and drinks, this restaurant also offers a wide selection of snack souvenir made from 100 percent of organic chocolate and cocoa powder with attractive packaging and affordable prices while the flavors range from vanilla, coffee, original, mocha and other unique flavors processed at the local factory located Cau village, Tabanan.

Kadek Surya, a young entrepreneur behind the success of this business, conveyed the history of the establishment of PT Cau Chocolates Bali and Cau Chocolate Food and Gift. Cau Chocolates Bali Factory & Agro tourism was established in 2014 by a child of cacao farmer and poses a company dedicated to improving the welfare of farmers.

Purchasing agricultural products, especially cacao, at more expensive price than the market prices is intended to make cacao

farmers want to improve the quality and quantity of their products.

Cau Chocolates Bali Factory & Agro tourism spreads across the area of 10,000 square meters which consisting of restaurants, chocolate workshops, paddy fields and cacao estate where in Cau Chocolate visitors can get to know the agriculture more closely, both rice agriculture and cacao processed into chocolate so as to be ready for consumption.

The company has the mission to introduce cacao farming to general public as well as to develop and love the agrarian culture, especially the cacao cultivation and subak (irrigation cooperative) culture in Bali.

What is organic chocolate? Organic chocolate is made through organic processes, both in the garden (the use of organic fertilizer) and the processing that is made without the use of chemicals, added Kadek Surya.

Organic chocolate is very good for health, good for maintaining the health of our heart and very good as an anti aging substance.

“The process of organic chocolate ranging from the garden to the workshop can be seen directly at Cau Chocolates Bali Factory & Agro Tourism located on Jalan Raya Marga, Tua, Apuan, Tabanan,” explained Surya.

15

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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Rumba, the dance of seduction running through Cubans’ veins

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

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

HAVANA - Born among black slaves on sugar plantations, Cuba’s rumba has since become a national icon almost as renown as its cigars or amateur boxers and two years ago was designated by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage.

Set to a five-stroke rhythm and the beat of hollow claves and African drums, Cubans take to the streets of Havana every year in August to celebrate their dance of seduction.

And while rumba has expanded and traveled to grace the great dance halls of Europe, its essence is conserved in the blood of Cubans who keep the rhythm alive in their everyday movements.

“It’s an expression of the joy of life, created during the slavery period in the sugar plantations, in the neighborhoods, in the ports, on the railway lines,” said Miguel Barnet, president of Cuba’s writers and artists guild.

“Wherever the slave worked, he needed his spiritual and liturgical songs, for salvation and healing.”

- Clave rhythm It developed from the end of the 18th century through the 19th. Men, usually dressed all in white, wearing a hat and sometimes carrying a cane, move elegantly as women’s

wide, brightly colored skirts flutter to their steps. The man follows and woos the woman as both move their hips and slide their arms and legs to the clave rhythm. It’s not just a performance to watch, though, as spectators often join in and allow their bodies to be swept along by the African drumbeat.

To the outsider, it might look sexual, and not without reason. The man at times produces a pelvic thrust known as the “vacunao” that betrays the rumba’s roots as an African fertility dance.

“For me, rumba is Cuba and I’m a loyal conservationist of the tradition,” said 31year-old Yanaisis Ordonez who graduated from the National School of Art in 2004.

“It feels like it belongs to me. I carry it in my blood.”

In the La Maravilla courtyard in front of the Belen convent that once owned a sugar plantation with more than 300 slaves, children watch and try to imitate the dancers’ steps.

A shirtless man collecting buckets of water

Cubans dance Rumba in a street of Havana, on August 22, 2018. passes by; occasionally a youngster listening to reggaeton on a speaker comes into earshot, perhaps unaware that the beat he’s listening

YAMIL LAGE / AFP

to shares the same Bantu cultural influence and African roots as rumba, according to music critic Pedro de la Hoz. (afp)

YouTube bout earns millions as boxing keeps distance

IBP/net

A boxing bout between YouTube celebrities Logan Paul (L) and KSI has appalled aficionados of the noble art but left the two protagonists laughing all the way to the bank.

SAN FRANCISCO - A boxing bout between YouTube celebrities Logan Paul and KSI has appalled aficionados of the noble art but left the two protagonists laughing all the way to the bank.

More than 15,000 fans crowded into Britain’s Manchester Arena on Saturday to watch boxing novices Paul and KSI -- real name Olatunji Olajide -- clamber into the ring for a six-round contest.

A further 773,000 fans were reported to have paid $10 each to watch a stream on YouTube, numbers that make it likely Paul and KSI stand to earn millions from a fight that ended in a “majority

draw” for KSI. With a further 1.2 million fans estimated to have watched the contest on pirated streams, a rematch between the two men, who have 37 million YouTube subscribers between them, is a question of when, not if. The interest in the spectacle comes solely from Paul and KSI’s outsized, and frequently obnoxious, Internet personas.

Paul, a video blogger, has regularly courted controversy since he rose to prominence on the Vine social media platform in 2012.

In December, he triggered outrage after uploading video to his YouTube channel showing the

corpse of a young man at a notorious suicide spot in Japan.

He later posted an apology and pledged $1 million to suicide prevention charities.

KSI meanwhile faced repeated criticism earlier in his online career for his attitudes toward women, standing accused of trivializing rape and showing misogynistic attitudes in video interviews.

Paul and KSI spotted the commercial possibilities of a boxing bout after KSI fought fellow British YouTube personality Joe Weller in London in February, attracting around 1.6 million viewers online. (afp)

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Gold medallist Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie celebrates during the awards ceremony for the men’s singles badminton event at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta on August 28, 2018.

Christie, ‘Minions’ all gold at Asian Games

Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie stunned Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen for Asian Games badminton gold as a home pair affectionately dubbed the “Minions” won the men’s doubles at a rocking Jakarta arena on Tuesday.

Christie said he’d never dreamed of being crowned Asian Games champion on home soil after his thrilling 21-18, 20-22, 21-15 against the world number six -- his first title of the year.

Later, Taiwan’s world number one beat PV Sindhu 21-13, 21-16 in 34 minutes -- the fifth final defeat in a row for the much-endorsed Indian, who is listed as the world’s seventh richest female athlete.

The delighted Christie ripped off his shirt as fans roared after his

win over Chou, which made him Indonesia’s first men’s singles gold medallist since former Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat in 2006.

The world number 15 overcame nerves to edge the first game but after faltering in the second, he regained his composure in the decisive final game.

It capped a memorable run for Indonesia’s men after Anthony Sinisuka Ginting knocked out world champion Kento Momota and Olympic gold-medallist Chen

Long en route to bronze.

“I did not expect that I can win a gold at the Asian Games. Actually there are a lot of good players here and I never expected that I could come out as a winner,” said Christie.

“But now I have to look ahead. It doesn’t stop here. A day’s rest and I will start preparing for the next tournament.”

The shuttler began his campaign with a shock win over China’s world number two Shi Yuqi in the opening round -- and he felt the

omens were good for the final.

“From the first time I shook hands with Chou at the toss, his hands were cold and I felt he was nervous. But he played a good game,” said Christie.

Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Marcus Fernaldi Gideon, nicknamed the “Minions” owing to their stature, won an all-Indonesian final against Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto 13-21, 21-18, 24-22.

In a celebratory atmosphere at the badminton stadium, Sukamuljo and Gideon collapsed to the floor as their opponents’ final shot went wide to settle a gripping final game.

The women’s final was far more onesided as Tai, who beat India’s Saina Nehwal in the semi-finals, improved her record against Sindhu to 10-3.

“She did not play as good as before,” Tai told reporters. “It is very good, what I have done. But I’ll keep going and train better.” (afp) News can also be heard in “Bali Image” at Global Radio FM 96.5 from 9.30 until 10.00 am. Listen to Global Radio FM at http:// globalfmbali.listen2myradio.com or live video streaming at http:// radioglobalfmbali.com and http:// ustream.tv/channel/global-fm-bali.