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Monday, March 26, 2012
Sport
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Fernando Alonso win sensational Malaysian Grand Prix
Fernando Alonso held off Sergio Perez to take victory in a remarkable Malaysian Grand Prix, that saw changing weather, a long red flag, and a sensational lead battle between two unlikely contenders. Alonso’s victory took the Ferrari driver into the world championship lead, despite the team’s tough start to the season, but only a late error prevented Perez passing the double champion to take what would have been one of Formula 1’s most surprising wins ever for Sauber. Lewis Hamilton completed the podium, with his McLaren team-mate Jenson Button outside the points after a disastrous race. Sebastian Vettel also failed to score due to a clash in traffic, though his Red Bull teammate Mark Webber claimed fourth ahead of Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) and Bruno Senna (Williams). Most of the field used intermediates for the start, which took place on a track dry in some parts but extremely wet in others. The McLarens held their grid formation into the first corner, as Romain Grosjean and Michael Schumacher battled for third until making contact and both spinning as the
Lotus slid into the Mercedes, allowing the Red Bulls of Mark Webber and Vettel into third and fourth, ahead of Alonso. Grosjean would put the Lotus into the gravel for good on lap three. Already the rain was beginning to increase, and it was here that Sauber opted for the masterstroke of putting Perez straight onto extreme wet tyres - a choice nearly everyone would have to follow over the ensuing laps as the circuit became ever-more sodden. By lap four, Perez was lapping three seconds quicker than the leaders, and that pace meant that by the time everyone had made the switch to wets, the Sauber was up to third behind the two McLarens. Webber, Alonso and Vettel were next up, the Ferrari having split the Red Bulls by taking wets a lap earlier than Vettel. The storm then increased to the point that a red flag was inevitable, and the field would spend nearly an hour halted on the grid. Particularly notable performances at this stage were Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne getting up to seventh by virtue of hanging on with intermediates in the deluge, and Narain Karthikeyan appearing in 10th for HRT having started on wets.
Fernando Alonso, right, of Spain sprays champagne at third placed McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain as they celebrate on the podium the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, Malaysia, Sunday, March 25, 2012.
Fewer tourists visit Kuta Beach after Nyepi
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Monday, March 26, 2012
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Aretha Franklin celebrates 70th, talks new music
AP Photo/Mark Baker
Bali was quiet and deserted on Friday, as its mostly Hindu population of 3.89 million was observing Seclusion Day. The photo shows situation at Ground Zero, the popular site in Kuta, that usually packed with tourists.
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Bali quiet and deserted on Seclusion Day
IBP/Eka Adhiyasa
Webber says stint on intermediate tyres cost him Mark Webber admitted that he took too long to get up to speed on intermediate tyres after only finishing fourth in the Malaysian Grand Prix. Red Bull was unable to fight for victory at Sepang, with Webber only moving up to fourth when his team-mate Sebastian Vettel relinquished the position late on having sustained a puncture in contact with Narain Karthikeyan’s HRT. Webber said he did not think that the result meant Red Bull was fundamentally off the pace, more that its set-up had not been quite right to instil confidence in the drivers on the slippery track. “I think when it’s mixed like that, on intermediates especially, it’s down to how you have the balance, how the pressures are, the feeling and the confidence of the driver in those conditions,” he said. “I felt more confident before the red flag, and then after, on the restart, we went to the inters pretty quickly. Everyone decided to do that and it was the right thing to do. “But it took me too long to get comfortAP Photo/Mark Baker able with the car on the intermediates, and Red Bull Formula One driver Mark Webber of Australia steers his that a very, very long stint - it was not very car into turn two during the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix at Formula 1 driving around with that little Sepang, Malaysia, Sunday, March 25, 2012. grip.
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Antara/Bali Post
DENPASAR - Bali was quiet and deserted on Friday, as its mostly Hindu population of 3.89 million was observing Seclusion Day.
WEATHER FORECAST
City
temperature oC
Denpasar
24 - 33
Jakarta
23 - 33
bandung
22 - 31
yogyakarta
23 - 32
surabaya
26 - 34
The usually crowded tourist spots and economic centers in Denpasar, the capital of the province, were empty and quiet. To mark the Hindu New Year, the Hindus were observing Seclusion Day from 6 am on Friday to 6 am the next day, during which they did not work, light a fire or switch on electric lights, did not
BRIGHT/Cloudy
rain
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clusion Day. Only emergency flights were allowed to take off and land. Like a ghost town
Sanur tourist resort usually bustling on weekdays, Friday (Mar 23) was almost like a ghost town. By and large, the implementation of Nyepi in Sanur was running smoothly and orderly. Interfaith tolerance was also showed by local community. Muslim community performing Friday prayers could carry out their obligation flourishingly. Continued on page 6
Bali attack plot shows Indonesia terror threat evolving Reuters
sunNy
travel or have fun. Visitors to Bali were also requested to respect the day by not going out, lighting a fire or switching on lights, traveling or having fun. However, Muslims were allowed to walk to nearby mosques for Friday prayers. Those living far from the mosques could orga-
nize prayers at their homes. Nahdlatul Ulama leader KH Said Aqil Sirjo appreciated the Hindus’ decision to allow Muslims to carry out their religious duties on Seclusion Day. “Personally, as well as on behalf of the NU organization, I thank them. We really appreciate it. This is a good example of communal harmony in a country with different religions,” he said after holding Friday prayers in Jakarta. Just as the previous years, no flight arrivals and departures were allowed at Ngurah Rai airport on Se-
JAKARTA/KUALA LUMPUR - A foiled plot by suspected Islamic militants to attack and bomb targets in Bali, including a bar popular with tourists, marks an escalation of the violent threat in Indonesia as authorities race to stay ahead of rapidly evolving
armed groups. Five men were shot dead in police raids on Sunday on the island where nightclub bombings in 2002 killed 202 people - mostly foreign tourists - and forced the world’s largest Muslim country to confront violent Islamist groups on its soil. Pictures of a villa where some of the men were shot dead, show-
ing pools of blood on the floor of a garden hut, starkly illustrated the return of violence to the mostly Hindu island where militants last launched deadly bomb attacks in 2005. Ansyaad Mbai, head of Indonesia’s National Counter Terrorism Agency, said the men had plans to bomb targets on the island, including the beach-front “La Vida
Loca” bar. Police initially said the suspects were planning armed raids on money changers, jewelers and the bar, partly to raise money for future attacks. “This group was planning not only armed attacks against those targets but also bombings,” Mbai said. Continued on page 6