Edisi 01 Maret 2017 | Internasional Bali Post

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

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Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Oscars draw lowest U.S. audience since 2008 with 32.9 mln viewers

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Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Saudi King Salman bin Abulaziz Al-Saud attends the first Gulf Cooporative Council’s (GCC) “GCC British Summit”, in Sakhir Palace Bahrain, December 7, 2016.

LOS ANGELES - ABC’s Sunday night broadcast of the Academy Awards hosted by comic Jimmy Kimmel drew the smallest audience since 2008 despite a memorable ending that will go down in history.

Some 32.9 million U.S. viewers watched the ceremony, a 4 percent drop from the 2016 Oscars which drew 34.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen data released on Monday by ABC, a unit of Walt Disney Co. The 2008 Oscars averaged 32 million viewers.

The awards ceremony went a few minutes past midnight on the East Coast and ended in controversy when “La La Land” was mistakenly named best picture winner after presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were given the wrong envelope. The actual winner, announced minutes later, was “Moonlight.”

The chaotic and heart-stopping finale made for great television, but came too late to help ratings.

Viewership may have declined because “La La Land” had been a heavy favorite to sweep the awards, leaving little suspense for the TV audience, said Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co. “There was a foregone conclusion that ‘La La Land’ was going to sweep, and there’s not much

Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP

Scarlett Johansson, right, and Joe Machota arrive at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. intrigue to knowing the outcome,” Bock said. “Obviously, that was one of the most exciting endings in Hollywood history.”

He also noted that only two of the year’s 20 top-grossing films were nominated for best picture.

The biggest movies of 2016, such as “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and Marvel’s “Doctor Strange,” were left out of the top category.

“Moonlight” has a $22.3 million

domestic box office haul, making it the smallest-grossing best picture winner since “The Hurt Locker” won in 2010, and the second-lowest since at least 1978, according to Box Office Mojo.

The decline in viewership for the Oscars breaks the streak of higher ratings for award shows in 2017 after both the Grammys and Golden Globes showed gains over last year. (rtr)

Saudi king to work with Indonesia to combat Islamic State - ambassador Saudi King’s visit to Asia

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman kicked off a month-long Asian tour to build ties with the world’s fastest growing importers of Saudi oil and promote investment opportunities, including the sale of a stake in its giant state firm Aramco.

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Beijing* Mar. 16-20 JORDAN Date unavailable

CHINA

Tokyo Mar. 12-15

SAUDI ARABIA Kuala Lumpur Feb. 26- Mar. 1 MALAYSIA

Maldives Date unavailable Jakarta Mar. 1-4 Source: Reuters. *Tentative C. Inton, 28/02/2017

JAPAN

BRUNEI Mar. 4

INDONESIA Bali Mar. 4-12

JAKARTA - A pact to combat terrorism will be the centrepiece of up to 10 agreements that will be signed when Saudi Arabia’s king this week visits Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, the kingdom’s envoy to Indonesia said on Tuesday.

King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who on Sunday kicked off a month-long Asian tour, lands in Indonesia on Wednesday with an entourage that local officials have said could number up to 1,500.

Billed as a “mega trip”, it would be a Saudi king’s first visit to Indonesia in nearly five decades.

Apart from a side-trip of several hours to Brunei, King Salman will be in Indonesia until March 12, spending much of the time on the resort island of Bali, ambassador Osama Mohammad Abdullah Alshuaibi told Reuters in an interview.

“We know Indonesia has suffered from bombing and terrorism here,” he said, singling out the Islamic

State for its “different ideology” and disrespect for human life.

“We will cooperate with the Indonesians on this field. We can exchange data, we can exchange experience, and we can defeat these people.” Authorities in officially secular Indonesia have grown increasingly concerned after a series of attacks over the past year blamed on supporters of Islamic State.

Indonesian police killed a militant on Monday after he detonated a small bomb in the West Java city of Bandung. Security officials said they were investigating whether he had links to a radical network sympathetic to Islamic State.

Alshuaibi said Saudi and Indo-

nesian military officers are training in each other’s countries to counter Islamic State. Saudi Arabia is aiming to open more Islamic schools in Indonesia, which will teach religion using the Arabic language, and step up the number of scholarships for students, the envoy said.

The king’s visit to Indonesia comes as fringe Islamist groups grow in influence and Muslim leaders take an increasingly strict line on Islamic issues, which is at odds with Indonesia’s traditional brand of moderate “Islam Nusantara”.

Continued to page 6 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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Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Bali News

International

Denpasar determined to strengthen local competitiveness

The water of Lake Buyan is flooding the surrounding area

IBP/Sos

Water of Lake Buyan overflows

Hectares of farmland under threat of being submerged

SINGARAJA - Hectares of farmland at Buyan and Dasong hamlet, Pancasari, are threatened to be inundated by overflowing water of Lake Buyan.

It is inseparable from the water discharge that tends to increase.

Head of the Buleleng Agriculture Agency, I Nyoman Swatantra, said on Monday (Feb. 27) that based on the results of data collection made by the extension officers (PPL), the farmland area under threat of being submerged reaches five hectares. In details, there are 3 hectares at Buyan Hamlet and 2 hectares at Dasong hamlet.

The whole farmland is planted with strawberries. “The volume of groundwater coming out tends to increase. The farmland previously not submerged has now become to be threatened,” he said.

According to the last week’s data, the area of submerged farmland was at Buyan hamlet spreading across 15 hectares of strawberries, 2 hectares of tomatoes and 3 hectares of vegetables. Then, at Dasong hamlet there are 3 hectares of strawberry, 1 hectare of tomatoes and 1 hectare of vegetables. According to Swatantra, this season’s crop

potentially dropped from the previous one. “If the condition is like this, the production will potentially decline,” he explained.

The lake water is estimated to start receding in April in accordance with the beginning of dry season. “Well, it will usually recede after Nyepi or tenth month in Balinese calendar,” he added.

Earlier, a local farmer, I Gede Lantur, revealed that submerged farmlands cannot be avoided. It is very disrupting the fate of farmers. This condition is predicted to continue until next few weeks. “Probably, the water will keep emanating from the ground. If this happens, the submerged farmland will continuously expand. Farmers are quite worried. So far, they have suffered losses of hundreds of millions,” he said.

Another farmer, I Wayan Darmawan, revealed that to minimize losses, he was forced to pull out his strawberry plants approaching harvest season to be relocated to a safer land. “If they are left here, they will get submerged and result in total losses. The plants located close to the embankment of the lake have perished,” he explained. (kmb45)

DENPASAR - ‘The increase of local competitiveness to strengthen the smart city of Denpasar to a prosperous and happy community’ was chosen as the theme of the 229th anniversary of Denpasar. Selection of this theme is meant to prevent Denpasar from losing the moment in the current modernization era.

Human resources (HR) will become important in increasing the potential of the community later on.

It was stated by Mayor of Denpasar I.B. Rai Dharmawijaya Mantra, after leading the celebration of the 229th anniversary of the city of Denpasar at Lumintang Square on Monday (Feb. 27). Other than assembly, on the occasion Mayor Rai Mantra also had an exhibition of public service innovation, signed the inscription of Youth Park and launched the Damamaya Cyber Monitor.

Coinciding with the anniversary, Rai Mantra also gave an honorary award named the Satya Lencana Karya Satya to three civil servants for their devotion to the Republic of Indonesia.

The award given to I Made Poniman, Division Head of Regional Bylaw Enforcement of the Denpasar Municipal Police is the Satya Lencana Karya Satya of 30 years; Ni Ketut Dewi Ratih Purnamasari, Secretary to the Denpasar Investment and Integrated Services with the Satya Lencana Karya Satya of 20 years; and Komang Audi Brawijaya, Asset Division Head at the Denpasar Finance and Management Agency with the Satya Lencana Karya Satya of 10 years. (kmb12)

Irish tourist arrested as stealing motorcycle

DENPASAR - More and more foreign tourists are getting involved in crimes and detained at Kuta Police Station. On Saturday morning (Feb. 18), police arrested a tourist from Ireland, Paul Gerard Walsh, 30, on Jalan Tegal Wangi, Kuta.

He was involved in the theft of a motorcycle.

According to Chief of Kuta Police, Wayan Sumara, accompanied by Chief of Criminal Investigation Unit, Ario Seno, said on Monday (Feb. 27) that the case began when the victim, Fauzi Sahi, wanted to come to the Hotel Matahari Guest House on Jalan Tegal Wangi, Kuta, to look for Pie Legong at 23:30. At that time, he heard that his motorcycle was ignited.

“When returning to the parking lot, the victim saw the perpetrator taking away his motorcycle. The victim pursued the perpetrator by riding his friend’s motorcycle while shouting out at the thief,” he said.

The perpetrator immediately accelerated the motorcycle when he saw to have been pursued. On arrival at the intersection of Jalan Tegal Wangi, the suspect crashed on iron fence and fell down from his motorcycle. The suspect jumped up, ran away and left the stolen motorcycle. The suspect with high and big posture then hid at people’s home.

Operation team led by Chief of Criminal Investigation Unit, Budi Artama, flashed on the scene and saw a crowd of people at the location. Having been told there was a tourist running away after stealing a motorcycle, police immediately hunted.

Not long after, the suspect could be arrested.

“Since having neck injury due to being afflicted by iron, the suspect was taken to hospital. After his wound was treated, the suspect was taken to police station,” he said. (kmb36)

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Activities

International

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

A Helping Hand for Songan

By Bali Adventure Tours Bali Adventure Tours and all its subsidiary, includes Elephant Safari Park & Lodge, Ubud Adventure and Function Center, and Bali Adventure Rafting, dedicated one of their working days to visit three areas devastated by landslide in Kintamani of Bangli Regency.

Bali was shattered with the news of Songan Hamlet of Kintamani

Village in Bangli Regency struck by landslide and caused 7 persons dead. The next day the number of dead casualties went up as three other Hamlets got affected.

In Songan Hamlet, the team met Mr Wayan Wirtana who lost three of his family members, Mr Ketut Mertajaya whose wife died, and the family of Jero Penyarikan who

WEEKLY EVENTS and FARMERS MARKETS EVERY SATURDAY Meditation class by Mangku Budi Dharma 14-16:30 Bona, Blahbatuh meet at Ubud Cocomarket at 13:00 Saturday Market Oldman’s Cafe Canggu, Batu Bolong Beach, pottery fresh produce, clothing Sand Beach Club and Restaurant, Sanur Every second Saturday Biasa Art Space, Jl. Raya Seminyak 24, Seminyak, Fresh produce, potted plants, meat pie, sshie, coffee and more.

Every Saturday 9AM-2PM OrganIc Farmer’s Market Pizza Bagus (Jl. Pengosekan), Ubud EVERY SUNDAY Soul to soul spirituall dialogue Anand Ashram, Ubud Jl Sri Wedari KM 3 Mantra chanting 6-6:30pm Navaraha Arati 6:30-6:45pm Meditation, Satsang and celebration 6:45-8:30pm www.ubudashram.org SUNDAY MARKETS 10AM 1PM Sunday Market at Batu Jimbar Jl. Danau Tablingan , Sanur 10AM-4PM The Sands Beach Club and Restaurant Sunday MArket Jl. Danau Tamblingan, No 27, Sanur 9:30AM-1PM Sunday Market @ Warung Sopa Jl. Sugriwas no36, Padang Tegal, Ubud 9AM-2PM Samadi Sunday Market Jalan. Padang Linjong 39, Canggu, 9AM-2PM Wednesday and Sunday Ubud Organik Market Jl. Raya Pengosekan across from Zens Hotel Tebesaya, Ubud 12PM-10PM Sunday Food Festival & Bazaar Byrdhouse Beach Club, Sanur 10AM-6PM, Mercure,last sunday of every month, jl. ,Mertasari, Sanur, fashion food and and kids activities The Coffee Spot, Jalan Peigenet 888X,Seminyak, last Sunday of every month, garage sale clothing, books, and hand-made jewellery

lost three family members and two other members are hospitalised.

Meanwhile in Sukawana Hamlet, the relief aid was given to Wayan Gunawan and Kadek Artedana who both lost their family

member and their house ruined by the landslide. Another two families received basic needs aid and relief fund in Awan Hamlet, namely the family of Ni Kadek Rini and the family of I Gede Kembar.

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Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Technology

International

Bali News

International

Self-driving Nissan car takes to Europe’s streets for first time

REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk (R) unveils the Dragon V2 spacecraft in Hawthorne, California May 29, 2014.

SpaceX to send first paying tourists around moon next year

CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX plans to launch two paying passengers on a tourist trip around the moon next year using a spaceship under development for NASA astronauts and a heavy-lift rocket yet to be flown, the launch company announced on Monday.

The launch of the first privately funded tourist flight beyond the orbit of the International Space Station is tentatively targeted for late 2018, Space Exploration Technologies Chief Executive Elon Musk told reporters on a conference call.

Musk declined to identify the customers or say how much they would pay to fly on the weeklong mission, except to say that it is “nobody from Hollywood.”

He also said the two prospective space tourists, who know each other, have put down a “substantial” deposit and would undergo “extensive training before going on the mission.”

“I think there’s a market for one or two of these per year,” he said, estimating that space tourist fares charged by SpaceX could eventually contribute 10 to 20 percent of the company’s revenue.

Plans call for SpaceX’s two-person lunar venture to fly some 300,000 to 400,000 miles (480,000 to 640,000 km) from Earth past the moon before Earth’s gravity pulls the spacecraft back into the atmosphere for a parachute landing.

That trajectory would be similar to NASA’s 1968 Apollo 8 mission beyond the moon and back.

Musk also said that if NASA decides it wants to be first in line for a lunar flyby mission, the U.S. space agency would take priority.

At the behest of the Trump administration, NASA is conducting a study to assess safety risks, costs and potential benefits of letting astronauts fly on the debut test flight of its heavy-lift Space Launch System rocket

and Orion capsule.

That mission is currently planned to be uncrewed and scheduled to launch in late 2018.

Musk said the privately funded moon expedition would take place after his California-based company begins flying crew to the International Space Station for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

NASA is hoping those crew-ferrying flights begin by late 2018.

SpaceX’s own Falcon Heavy rocket, which Musk wants to use for the lunar tourist mission, is scheduled to make a debut test flight later this year.

Musk, also CEO of electric carmaker Tesla, said missions around the moon could provide practice for eventual human flights to Mars, the long-term goal of SpaceX. Except for needed communications upgrades, the Dragon spaceship in development for NASA astronauts is well suited for lunar flyby missions, Musk added.

The launch would require licensing by the Federal Aviation Administration.

SpaceX joins a growing list of companies developing commercial passenger spaceflight services.

Virgin Galactic, an offshoot of Richard Branson’s London-based Virgin Group, is testing a six-passenger, two-pilot spaceship to carry paying customers about 62 miles (100 km) above Earth, high enough to experience brief microgravity and see Earth’s curvature against the blackness of space.

Tickets to ride cost $250,000 each.

SpaceX has a $10 billion backlog of about 70 missions for NASA and commercial customers. The firm’s backers include Alphabet’s Google Inc and Fidelity Investments, which together have contributed $1 billion to Musk’s firm. (rtr)

LONDON - Guided by cameras and radars, and negotiating traffic and roundabouts, a self-driving Nissan car took to the streets of London on Monday for the Japanese company’s first European tests of an autonomous vehicle.

Travelling at up to 50 miles (80 km) per hour and moving from local streets to a major multi-lane road, the modified Nissan LEAF electric car showcased the kind of technology many hope to be the future of travel.

Britain has been wooing developers of autonomous vehicles, hoping to grab a slice of an industry it estimates could be worth 900 billion pounds ($1.1 trillion) worldwide by 2025.

It also recently announced changes to allow for a single insurance policy to cover motorists driving conventionally and in autonomous mode, as it tries to get regulations in place to encourage the uptake of driverless cars from 2020.

Britain’s flexible approach to testing autonomous vehicles helped Nissan pick London for its first European tests, the director of its research centre in Silicon Valley told Reuters.

“It’s not everywhere in Europe that we can go and drive on the road,” Maarten Sierhuis said.

“You don’t want to go to the most difficult parts of London when you start. The system has to be tested,” he said of the east of the capital where the trials are taking place near the ExCeL exhibition centre and London City Airport.

Nissan liaised with regulator

Transport for London and the police ahead of the trials, supplying details of its route and the rules it would follow, and was advised to keep a full log that it would share in the event of an incident, it said.

Inside the vehicle, the car switches from conventional to self-driving mode at the touch of the button ‘Enter’ and a screen identifies the nearest vehicles to the car in red and green, also showing the speed the car is travelling.

Nearly two dozen cameras, radars and lasers are fitted on the top and around the side of vehicle to guide its path.

A driverless car took to Britain’s streets for the first time in the southern English town of Milton Keynes in October last year but travelled at a much slower speed.

Global automakers are racing to catch up with the likes of Google and Tesla which have carried out several autopilot and self-driving tests in recent months in the United States and elsewhere.

Jaguar Land Rover is planning to test around 100 autonomous and internet-connected cars in Britain by 2020, while Volvo is also planning a test soon in London.

Nissan, which has already tested the self-driving LEAF in Tokyo and Silicon Valley, hopes to carry out similar trials in other European cities soon after this week’s London trials.

“We’re thinking of testing in the Netherlands and Paris. It’s not easy to go and test everywhere because we need to create maps, we need to get approval from the regulators and then it is expensive to set up a test,” Sierhuis said. (rtr)

IBP/net

The modified Nissan LEAF electric car showcased the kind of technology many hope to be the future of travel.

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

3

To overcome onslaught of accommodation

IBP/kmb31

In the event, people offered hundreds of oblations equipped with roasted suckling pigs at the local dalem temple.

Hundreds of roasted suckling pigs offered in usaba dalem

THE annual usaba dalem is always welcomed happily by the people of Timbrah customary village, Pertima, Karangasem.

Implementation of the ritual at this ancient village is far different from the usaba dalem at other villages in Bali as seen on Sunday (Feb. 26). In the event, people offered hundreds of oblations equipped with roasted suckling pigs at the local dalem temple.

The hereditary tradition becomes unique scenery that can only be seen once a year at the dalem temple of Timbrah customary village. Local people welcomed the tradition moment with joy on day before the usaba. Almost every corner of the field at the village looks busy with activities of preparing the roasted suckling pig. Besides, smoke is billowing in every corner of the village, house and highway.

Many people prepare their roasted suckling pig the day before because on the usaba day the four hamlets at local village are also busy with devotional works or ngayah pursuant to the task of every hamlet.

A community leader, Nengah Supartha, said that the roasted suckling pig is the primary means of offering of each family in the usaba dalem. There are a total of 840 families at the village. It means there are some 840 roasted suckling pigs. It does not include the residents having married to outside the village and the residents of other villages that will also offer roasted suckling pig. It is then offered to the deity abiding at dalem temple. Thus, the dalem temple located about 500 meters from the village center is filled with hundreds of roasted suckling pigs.

“The enthusiasm of our society is quite high. Both local residents and those living in diaspora will definitely come home. Moreover, there are residents presenting more than one roasted suckling pig,” said Supartha.

He asserted that the offerings with roasted suckling pig are an expression of gratitude of residents to God after obtaining sufficient sustenance having worked hard for a year. The offering of roasted suckling pig is also an expression of

Timbrah society for the prosperity after getting abundant crops where the majority of the people are farmers. “Indirectly, this tradition also makes our society encouraged to work diligently. By that way, they can offer roasted suckling pig together in the next usaba,” said the former chief of Timbrah customary village.

The tradition of offering roasted suckling pig at this ancient village is also loaded with philosophy of togetherness. Families that do not offer roasted suckling pig for some reasons (nyebel) or due to economic difficulties will get gift of the post-offering. Supartha asserted that it also represents emotional bond among families having been maintained through generations at the village. “Those preparing no roasted suckling pig are visible from the front of their house compound having no mesahagan. This information will quickly spread by word of mouth. So, sometimes they can even have more post-offering roasted suckling pig than the residents that offer due to receive many gifts,” he said.

The adequately high harmony among the family heads at Timbrah customary village is very well preserved until now. On the other hand, the people who receive the gifts due to economic reasons will then be motivated to work hard because they sometimes feel embarrassed. However, according to Supartha, it is positive to motivate people to work and to be responsible for their family. As a result, in the following year they can offer roasted suckling pig with other residents at dalem temple and no longer receive such gift.

This year, the implementation of usaba dalem looks more orderly.

This happens because the apparatus of Timbrah customary village has appealed to residents not to drive a motorcycle or a car when saying prayers to dalem temple. As a result, all the residents go to dalem temple on foot. As planned, this will be applied every usaba dalem to avoid crowdedness while at dalem temple or when returning home and carrying the offerings with the roasted suckling pig. (kmb31)

Tourism office boosts regulation to control accommodation

GIANYAR - Ubud being capable of attracting thousands of travelers every day goes hand in hand with the enormous appeal of investors to build accommodation at this tourist village.

As a result, so far the land conversion into villas, restaurants and hotels seems unstoppable.

Seeing this condition, the Gianyar Tourism Office has prepared a number of smart measures. One of which is beginning to promote the regent regulation on the arrangement and control of accommodation business.

As seen on Saturday (Feb. 25), Ubud area seems to no longer have paddy fields that were formerly often used as the object of painting. The green paddy fields formerly looked verdant have now been transformed into concrete building of the accommodation offering various tourism facilities.

Other than executing paddy fields, the growth of accommodation also eye riverbanks. As the observation along the Ayung River, right in the east of the river belonging to the area of Ubud, it has been widely established with tourist accommodation ranging from hotels to villas. In the meantime, in the western part of the river belonging to Badung region still looks beautiful and green. Other than in Ayung River, similar condition also occurs in a number of rivers in Ubud.

Based on the existing data of the Gianyar Tourism Office in 2015, of the seven subdistricts in Gianyar, the growth of accommodation is mostly recorded in

Ubud subdistrict. They consist of 12 star-rated hotels, 189 budget hotels, 737 cottages, 190 restaurants, 109 bars, 231 food outlets, 17 cycling tours, 125 tourist transport businesses and 9 rafting companies.

In the meantime, the Head of the Gianyar Tourism Office, A.A. Bagus Ari Brahmanta, explained that his office is currently cross-checking the database at hand with the field conditions. “We check the database because I just served as the office head. So, I’d like to make sure these data. If there are illegal businesses, they should be dealt with,” he said.

After checking the data, his office will also establish a controller team assigned to conduct regular checking.

However, since the office is filled with new personnel, his office is now preparing the human resources for the controller team.

To minimize the accommodation growth in Ubud, his office is now disseminating the Regent Regulation of 2016 regarding the arrangement and control of the accommodation business. Through this regent regulation, any submission of tourism business should not only get permit from district government, but must also get approval from customary village, Indonesia Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) and the Hindu Dharma Council of Indonesia (PHDI).

After the dissemination, this regent regulation will be encouraged.

“This regent regulation will be applied as soon as possible, so that the growth of the accommodation is really well organized,” he said. (kmb35)

IBP/eka

Ubud being capable of attracting thousands of travelers every day goes hand in hand with the enormous appeal of investors to build accommodation at this tourist village.

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Bali News

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

International

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

International

Thousands of bees trouble Aan villagers

Stateless Rohingya refugees sucked into booming Bangladesh drug trade

SEMARAPURA - Residents of Aan, Banjarangkan were made restless on Monday (Feb. 27). This happened following the presence of thousands of wild bees swarming and perching on a frangipani trunk, exactly in front of the meeting hall of Petapan hamlet and Subak Abian, Swelagiri hamlet, Aan. So far, there have been no residents stung by the bees. However, they do not dare to pass in front of the ‘temporary’ beehive for fear of being stung.

To repel the bees, last Monday the village authority came down to ask for the help of a resident known a bee tamer. The expulsion was carried out by using the smoke of burned dry coconut leaves. Before the expulsion, the residents held a notification ritual or atur piuning. The priest offered oblation at Paibon Temple owned by residents near the gathering bees.

This expulsion process took quite long time commenced around 13:00 and ended at 16:30.

The bee expulsion was not only witnessed by the headman of Aan, A.A. Ardika, but also by the subdistrict head of Banjarangkan, I.B. Mas Ananda. To anticipate undesirable things, the road section in front of the gathering bees was forced to be closed for residents. “Earlier, we have carried out the relocation by using burned dry coconut leaves,” said headman of Aan, A.A. Gde Rai Ardika.

According to A.A. Rai Ardika, the gathering wild bees were first known by residents in the frangipani tree trunk on Sunday (Feb. 26) around 18:00. At that time, residents did not dare to pass in front of them for fear of being stung. Village authority has asked for the assistance of the officers of the regional disaster mitigation agency (BPBD).

The BPBD suggested the residents to take psychical measure by offering oblations to drive away the bees.

The suggestion was then followed up by preparing the offerings, including notification ritual at Paibon Temple near the location of gathering bees. It was conducted before the expulsion by bee tamer by smoke of burned dry coconut leaves. “Before the expulsion, the local residents have done notification ritual and giving offerings at Paibon Temple near the location,” added subdistrict head I.B. Mas Ananda.

In the meantime, the bee expulsion by burning dry coconut leaves took place smoothly.

Thousands of the gathering bees once moved to papaya tree located 20 meters away from its original place. After that, the bees have gone to higher place and away from people’s residence.

“The wild bees could have been overcome. As seen, all the wild bees have moved to higher place away from the settlement,” added I.B. Ananda. (119)

REUTERS/Stringer

Paramilitary policemen stand in formation as they take part in an anti-terrorism oath-taking rally, in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China, February 27, 2017. Picture taken February 27, 2017.

China reacts with anger, threats after S.Korean missile defence decision

BEIJING - Chinese state media have reacted with anger and boycott threats after the board of an affiliate of South Korea’s Lotte Group approved a land swap with the government that allows authorities to deploy a U.S. missile defence system.

IBP/kmb

The local is trying to get rid of the bees.

Giant bamboo for jegog gamelan instrument hard to get

Jegog performance

IBP/Olo

NEGARA - The maker of jegog musical instrument has found difficulties in finding bamboo material since several years. Giant (petung) bamboo with large diameter is getting rare and even hard to be found in Jembrana, the origin of jegog musical instrument. As a result, the Jembrana artisans have to find it outside the region like in Tabanan and Karangasem.

A number of jegog artists met recently admitted that bamboo material used for the making of the gamelan instrument is indeed difficult to be obtained in Jembrana lately. Actually, in the past was very easy to find such bamboo at the forest outskirts in Jembrana.

“Nowadays, there are hardly such giant bamboos, so that people must look for in Tabanan or Gi-

13

anyar,” said Oka, a jegog player from Sangkaragung village. When the bamboo blade of the gamelan is broken, it will be difficult to get and the cost is quite large. Moreover, when the staging of jegog competition among the gamelan troupes, each troupe should prepare a reserve instrument in case the gamelan set is broken.

I Ketut Daton, a jegog artist from Kaliakah village, when met some time ago also acknowledged the difficulty of obtaining the giant bamboo material. Currently, such large size bamboo can no longer be obtained in Jembrana. It is only still available in Tabanan, but the quality is not as strong as in the past. However, the smaller size bamboo like the jajang or santang for suwir, kantil and barangan

instrument can still be obtained in the region.

Ketut Dernen, a gamelan tone setter from Pancardawa Jegog troupe, Pendem village, said that jegog gamelan instrument has distinctiveness. Bamboo in use must also be selected. In addition to having large size, typically the tone will change when the weather changes. For example, when the bamboo musical instrument is brought to highland region with cold temperature, the sounds will definitely change, too. This recipient of the Satya Dharma Kusuma award in 2013 hoped the jegog musical instrument can have the same position as other musical instruments though the instrument needs fairly extravagant space. (kmb26)

The government decided last year to deploy the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, in response to the North Korean missile threat, on land that is part of a golf course owned by Lotte in the Seongju region, southeast of Seoul.

The board of unlisted Lotte International Co Ltd approved the deal with the government on Monday.

China objects to the deployment in South Korea of the THAAD, which has a powerful radar capable of penetrating Chinese territory, with Beijing saying it is a threat to its security and will do nothing to ease tension with North Korea.

Lotte should be shown the door in China, the influential state-run Chinese tabloid the Global Times said in an editorial on Tuesday.

“We also propose that Chinese society should coordinate voluntarily in expanding restrictions on South Korean cultural goods and entertainment exports to China, and block them when necessary,” it said

in its English-language edition.

The paper’s Chinese version said South Korean cars and cellphones should be targeted as well.

“There are loads of substitutes for South Korean cars and cellphones,” it said.

China has already twice issued “solemn representations” to South Korea about the most recent THAAD-related developments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily briefing in Beijing.

But it welcomes foreign companies to operate in China, he said.

“Whether or not a foreign company can operate successfully in China, in the end is a decision for the Chinese market and consumer,” he added.

Late on Monday, the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily said cutting diplomatic ties should be considered.

“If THAAD is really deployed in South Korea, then China-South Korea relations will face the possibility of getting ready to cut off diplomatic

relations,” it said on the WeChat account of its overseas edition.

The official Xinhua news agency also said in a commentary late on Monday that China “did not welcome this kind of Lotte”.

“Chinese consumers can absolutely say no to this kind of company and their goods based on considerations of ‘national security’,” it said.

South Korea’s defence ministry said on Tuesday it had signed a land swap deal, with Lotte exchanging the golf course for military property.

A South Korean military official told Reuters the military would begin area patrols and install fences.

The Lotte Group said on Feb. 8 Chinese authorities had stopped construction at a multi-billion dollar real estate project in China after a fire inspection, fuelling concern in South Korea about damage to commercial ties with the world’s second-largest economy.

Asked if South Korea had demanded the Chinese government suspend any economic retaliation, South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-kyun said: “We have continuously persuaded China so far and will keep continuing efforts to do so.”. (rtr)

LEDA - Rohingya Muslim refugee Ali Hasan is desperately looking for a bride for his 14-year-old son, jailed last year in Bangladesh for carrying the popular drug ya ba.

He hopes the girl’s family would pay the $620 needed for Mohammed Hasan’s bail as dowry.

Police arrested Mohammed with 5,000 pills of ya ba, as methamphetamine is widely known in Asia, last June. His elder brother, Izzat Ali, was arrested a few months later with 200 pills and sent to prison.

Bangladesh says the influx of Rohingya fleeing Buddhist-majority Myanmar is partly to blame for soaring methamphetamine use in its cities. But many Rohingya say their young people are being pushed into crime because they cannot legally work or, in many cases, access aid.

Ali Hasan fled Myanmar three decades ago and his sons grew up in an unofficial camp in Leda, a 15-minute drive from the Naf river separating Bangladesh from Myanmar.

It is not uncommon for Rohingya families to arrange marriages while the couple are still in their mid-teens, and the 60-year-old does not think the fact Mohammed is in jail awaiting trial will be an issue, so common have such brushes with the law become among the refugees.

“We’re looking for a bride for him so that they can pay the dowry in advance,” he said. “People know that he was lured into it and he had no wrong intentions, so I don’t think getting a bride would be difficult.”

Rohingya Muslims have been fleeing apartheid-like conditions in northwestern Myanmar, where they are denied citizenship, since the early 1990s, and there are now more than 200,000 in Bangladesh.

More than 70,000 have flooded

across the border since October, escaping an army crackdown.

LOCAL RESENTMENT Consumption of ya ba - Thai for “crazy medicine” - is booming in Bangladesh. Seizures alone jumped more than 2,500 percent to 29.4 million pills last year compared with 2011 - and the business is worth an estimated $3 billion annually.

Police and government officials say the stateless Rohingya refugees, who cannot easily be traced, are the traffickers’ preferred mules.

The authorities have cited a growing drug problem as one reason for pushing ahead with a controversial scheme to move thousands of refugees from their border camps to an undeveloped island in the Bay of Bengal.

“Local population, local leaders are extremely unhappy about this influx,” H.T. Imam, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s political adviser, said in Dhaka. “They displace labourers by undercutting locals. Ya ba trade is flourishing due to them.”

He did not provide any data about the refugees’ involvement in the drug trade. Residents of Cox’s Bazar, the coastal district neighbouring Myanmar where most of the refugees live, are now holding public meetings and rallies in support of the refugee relocation plan.

Sanmaraz, a 35-year-old Rohingya woman living in Leda, arrived from Myanmar two decades ago. Her husband, Amanullah, is now in jail awaiting trial on charges of carrying ya ba. She says he was “framed” by local villagers.

“Bangladesh has given us shelter, but the local people don’t want us here,” she said. “They want to harm us; they want to chase us away.”(rtr)

REUTERS/Stringer

A Rohingya refugee family is seen at Kutupalang Unregistered Refugee Camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, February 27, 2017.

12

International

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

International

BUSINESS Samsung Group dismantles nerve centre as chief faces bribery charge amid scandal

SEOUL - South Korean prosecutors said on Tuesday they will charge Samsung Group chief Jay Y. Lee with bribery and embezzlement as the top conglomerate announced the dismantling of its corporate strategy office, the latest developments in a scandal that has rocked the country for months.

Jay Y. Lee, 48, was arrested on Feb. 17 over his alleged role in the corruption scandal involving impeached President Park Geunhye, dealing a fresh blow to the standard-bearer for Asia’s fourthlargest economy.

The special prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday, the last day of its investigation, that it would charge Lee, third-generation leader of the tech giant “chaebol”, and four other executives with bribery and embezzlement. It also said it would charge him with pledging bribes to a company and organisations tied to Park’s confidant, Choi Soon-sil, the woman at the centre of the scandal, to cement his control of the smartphones-to-biopharmaceuticals business empire.

“We apologize for the social controversy and distress we have caused,” Samsung Group Executive Vice President Lee June told reporters. The announcement came ahead of a Constitutional Court ruling on whether to uphold parliament’s December impeachment of Park.

That impeachment was triggered by accusations that she colluded with Choi to pressure big businesses, including Samsung, to donate to two foundations set up to back the president’s policy initiatives. The 65-year-old daughter of a former military strongman has had her powers suspended. The Constitutional Court’s ruling is expected sometime in March.

Should it uphold the impeachment, Park would become the country’s first democratically elected president to be thrown out of office. While a sitting president cannot be indicted, the special prosecutors nevertheless have classified her as a suspect.

They did not disclose specifics of the charges against Lee or other Samsung executives. Samsung

Bali News

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Action of Barong Ket at Bindu Tourism Village

The Bindu Barong Festival involving young artists of high school and college students looked good at dancing the barong ket. They are not only adept at adapting to the rhythm of gamelan music, but also able to give expression to the barong. Just imagine, the barong ket made of wood can be presented as living object. It happens because they have mastered the dance techniques in terms tetuek, tandang and pedum karang so that it became a very interesting spectacle.

Each dancer got the opportunity to make performance for 10-15 minutes consisting of the pepeson (preliminary), pengawak (core), ngintip jangkrik (improvisation with gamelan players) and pekaad (closing). Drum player and dancers were supposedly able to make improvisation, yet still referred to the pattern of Balinese dance. Well, when the barong dancers were capable to make improvisation with drum players, the audience applauded encouragingly.

The Bindu Barong Festival was opened by the Head of the Badung Culture Agency, Ida Bagus Anom Basma, representing the regent of Badung, Friday (Oct. 28) showed off the contest of barong dance and single drum playing. There were 30 participants making their appearance in turns for two days.

Each participant consisted of two barong dancers and one drum player. Although they were coalesced into a single team, they did not appear with their partner or came in free fighting.

The Bindu Barong Festival was held by (ST) Dharma Yowana customary youth club of Bindu hamlet, Bhuana Mekar, Abiansemal, Badung, at local Dalem Temple. Other than for commemorating the Youth Pledge Day, the competition also aimed to preserve Balinese arts and increase togetherness and creativity of the youth. “The event is also intended to support Bindu as a tourism village in Badung,” said committee chairman IGA Indra Mahendra.

The event was supported by Furama Villas & Spa. In addition to helping preserve the culture as the spirit of Bali tourism, the support is also meant to realize Bindu hamlet as a tourism village. “We strongly support this cultural activity. Moreover, it is organized by young people,” said Resort Manager, Wayan Sumandia. (kmb)

A flag bearing the logo of Samsung Electronics flatters at its office in Seoul, South Korea February 28, 2017.

Group, which has denied paying bribes to Park or seeking improper favours from her, declined to comment on the indictment.

Park, Choi and Lee have all denied wrongdoing. Based on the main charges levied against Lee, he could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

NERVE CENTRE SHUT Lee in December promised to shut Samsung’s corporate strategy office, a key nerve centre responsible for major initiatives such as investment in new businesses, amid accusations by politicians that it was a key organ for illicit lobbying efforts. Composed of around 200 employees hand-picked from various affiliates, the office did not exist as a legal entity but wielded enormous power as the instrument

of control for the founding Lee family.

Samsung said the chief executives and boards of the various affiliates such as Samsung Electronics and Samsung C&T Corp would set their own course going forward.

“It is a shock that Samsung completely dismantled the whole office, cutting the link between group affiliates as if it broke up a fleet,” Chung Sun-sup, chief executive of corporate research firm Chaebul. com, said. “This is a significant change to South Korea’s chaebol management style.”

A Samsung Group spokeswoman said it had not yet decided how the conglomerate would deal with group-level issues such as coordination among affiliates.

People familiar with the matter told Reuters in November that

Lee was already moving towards more board-centric management to improve governance. The executive became a board member of Samsung Electronics last year, which the sources said signalled a desire to bring the conglomerate’s management practices up to global standards.

On Tuesday, the special prosecutor’s office said it would also indict four others at Samsung on charges including bribery and hiding assets overseas: group Vice Chairman Choi Gee-sung, President Chang Choong-ki, Samsung Electronics President Park Sang-jin and Executive Vice President Hwang Sung-soo. Samsung Group said in its subsequent announcement that Choi, Chang and Park had resigned.

Samsung chief Lee is accused

REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

of pledging 43 billion won ($38 million) in bribes to a company and organisations backed by President Park’s confidant, Choi, to curry favour and cement his control of the conglomerate. The funding included sponsorship of the equestrian career of Choi’s daughter. Samsung Group also said on Tuesday that it would leave the Korean Equestrian Federation that it heads.

Special prosecution spokesman Lee Kyu-chul told reporters the case against Park would be handed over to regular prosecutors, while signalling other conglomerates may also become involved in the investigation. It was not immediately clear when Lee’s trial would begin.

The special prosecutor’s office will make an official announcement on the conclusion of its investigation on March 6.(rtr)

5

Bignay Salad Rich in Vitamin C Bignay salad can serve as tasty snack. Approximately in the 1980s, bignay salad was very popular in the community because it was easy to get the ingredients and prepare. Children did not need to prepare permanent ingredient, they were just enough to bring bamboo crusher and a bamboo blade to pound.

During fruit season, they always brought the crusher everywhere. When finding bignay trees, they would climb and then picked for the making of salad.

Although the bignay tree did not belong to their father, grandfather, or uncle, they still took it. Understandably, village life was still had high sense of brotherhood and mutual assistance, so as not to mind when people’s bignay fruit was picked.

Each child had a traditional tool used to make the bignay salad. When the fruit season ended, the tool would be kept tidily so that it could be used in the following season. The spices in used were very simple, namely, salt and chili only. Children were enough to bring salt because chili could be taken anywhere or people’s moor. It is different from the bignay salad on sale that applies complete sauces.

It is very rare to find a merchant serving bignay

fruit. If available, it will be sold by particular merchants. Besides, it is hard to get the fruits and this rare type of fruit is expensive. In addition, children of current generation rarely know this fruit. They do not know, so that not many of them choose this type of salad.

Bignay fruit has a rounded shape but is smaller that grape. When being ripe, it will turn blackish red.

But when young and green, it tastes sour. The red one tastes a bit sweet. When turning into blackish red, it means that it has been ripe, so that it will taste sweeter. As a seasonal fruit, it usually bears fruit at the beginning of the year.

READ l’Altitude Restaurant Offers World Class Cuisine Today, it is hard to find bignay. Its trees are rare because it has become extinct. If available, it will be located in the areas that are difficult to reach so that it is also rather difficult to pick. Probably some regions still have it but in restricted number. Actually this bignay fruit has many benefits as containing vitamin C functioned as an antioxidant and booster of immunity and digestion. (kmb)

6

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

W

RLD

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with his new National Security Adviser Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster after making the announcement at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida U.S. February 20, 2017.

Trump seeks ‘historic’ U.S. military spending boost, domestic cuts

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is seeking what he called a “historic” increase in defense spending, but ran into immediate opposition from Republicans in Congress who must approve his plan and said it was not enough to meet the military’s needs.

The proposed rise in the Pentagon budget to $603 billion comes as the United States has wound down major wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and remains the world’s strongest military power.

The plan came under fire from Democratic lawmakers, who said cuts being proposed to pay for the additional military spending would cripple important domestic programs such as environmental protection and education.

A White House budget official, who outlined the plan on a conference call with reporters, said the administration would propose “increasing defense by $54 billion or 10 percent.” That represents the magnitude of the increase over budget caps Congress put in place in 2011.

But Mick Mulvaney, the White House budget director, said the plan would bring the Pentagon’s budget to $603 billion in total, just 3 percent more than the $584 billion the agency spent in the most recent fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30, 2016.

The rise would be slightly higher than the country’s current 2.5 percent rate of inflation.

“President Trump intends to submit a defense budget that is a mere 3 percent above President (Barack) Obama’s defense budget, which has left our military underfunded, undersized, and unready to confront threats to our national security,” John McCain, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement.

The defense boost would be balanced by slashing the same amount from non-defense spending, including a large reduction in foreign aid, the White House budget official said.

Trump does not have the final say on federal spending. His plan for the military is part of a budget proposal to Congress, which, although it is controlled

by his fellow Republicans, will not necessarily follow his plans. Budget negotiations with lawmakers can take months.

McCain told reporters he would not vote for a budget with the slight military increase and thought it would face opposition in the Senate.

Trump told state governors at the White House his budget plan included a “historic increase in defense spending to rebuild the depleted military of the United States of America.”

He said his proposal was a “landmark event” and would send a message of “American strength, security and resolve” to other countries.

BIG CUTS TO STATE DEPARTMENT Officials familiar with Trump’s budget blueprint said the plan would call for cuts to agencies including the State Department and the Environmental Protection Agency.

One official familiar with discussions over State’s budget said the agency could see spending cut by as much as 30 percent, which would force a major department restructuring and elimination of programs.

The United States spends about $50 billion annually on the State Department and foreign assistance.

More than 120 retired U.S. generals and admirals urged Congress on Monday to fully fund U.S. diplomacy and foreign aid, saying such programs “are critical to keeping America safe.”

Trump has vowed to spare middle-class social programs such as Social Security and Medicare from any cuts.

Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, said Trump’s plan to slash funding for federal agencies to free up money for the Pentagon showed he was not putting American working families first.

“A $54 billion cut will do far-reaching and longlasting damage to our ability to meet the needs of the American people and win the jobs of the future,” Pelosi said. “The president is surrendering America’s leadership in innovation, education, science and clean energy.” (rtr)

International

International

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

France’s disillusioned farmers turn to Le Pen

PLESSE - France’s presidential pretenders will this week make mandatory campaign stops at the annual Paris farm fair as polls show farmers increasingly tempted by the far-right’s Marine Le Pen when they even bother to vote at all.

Though only a fraction of the population still works in the farm sector, voters remain attached to the country’s agrarian roots, making the annual agriculture fair a fixture of the political calendar.

“Lots of us farmers are pinning our hopes on Marine,” dairy and poultry farmer Mickael Thomas said as he set up for the nine-daylong show. “We see her with farmers more than other candidates.”

Polls now show Le Pen placing first in a first round of France’s presidential election in April and losing in the second round to a single candidate from the centreleft or centre-right.

But that race has tightened, raising the prospect that the National Front leader could become the first far-right politician to win power through the ballot box in Western Europe since World War Two. Le Pen was due on Tuesday to start the parade of politicians at the fair as the first major candidate to visit this year.

After years of crisis in the sector and perceived indifference from other candidates, Le Pen’s anti-EU anti-globalisation rhetoric strikes a chord with many farmers, once faithful voters for mainstream conservatives.

A Cevipof poll for Le Monde newspaper published on Feb. 16 showed that 35 percent of farmers who plan to vote will back Le Pen in the election, compared to 26 percent of the general population. Conservative Francois Fillon

and centrist Emmanuel Macron are both on 20 percent among farmers, close to their ratings overall.

The same poll also showed farmers are increasingly giving up on politicians altogether, with 51 percent of the 300 surveyed saying they would not vote.

“Farmers were always the French people who voted the most. They voted like they went to mass,” said sociologist Francois Purseigle. “What’s surprising about this survey is that they might not go.”

The mascot of this year’s farm show, a six-year-old dairy cow called “Fine”, hails from an organic farm in the western French town of Plesse -- historically Socialist territory.

But even here, the National Front is making inroads. The party’s vote more than tripled in December 2015 regional elections compared with the previous poll in 2010.

Dairy farming is vital to the local economy but has struggled since 2015 as plummeting prices, the end of EU quotas and Russian sanctions inspired by the Ukraine crisis hit hard.

“We don’t have faith anymore,” a representative for the FNSEA farmers’ union in the region, Yoann Vetu, said.

“We know a thing or two about crises and we can’t get out of them. So the politicians might talk about it, but they don’t act,” he said.

While Vetu believes Le Pen’s protectionist policies would hurt the sector, local FN representative and struggling dairy farmer Olivier du Gourlay said his friends were turning to the party in increasing numbers. (rtr)

Saudi king...

later this year, he said.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo is hoping the king’s visit will bring investment commitments worth up to $25 billion, Indonesian officials have previously said.

During his trip to Indonesia, the Saudi king will be accompanied by more than 900 people, including ministers, princes and service staff, Alshuaibi said.

Indonesian officials had earlier said the entourage could be up to 1,500 people.

The king will visit Jakarta, the state palace in Bogor, a city south of the capital, and spend the last leg of his Indonesian trip in Bali, Alshuaibi said. Indonesia will assign at least 9,000 security personnel to protect the king’s entourage, he added. (rtr)

From page 1

Underpinning that is a growing conservatism among Indonesians, which analysts say is partly the result of Saudi money being poured into the country over the past several decades to build mosques, schools and universities. The ambassador said the visit could also lay the foundation for developing oil and gas projects and promoting tourism.

$25 BILLION

Oil giant Saudi Aramco, which has an existing agreement with Indonesian state energy firm Pertamina for a $5 billion refinery upgrade in Central Java, may take on more projects offered by Pertamina

11

Jakarta remains flood alert until March

JAKARTA - Indonesias capital city of Jakarta is always flooded during peak rainy season annually and now is still prone to flooding.

Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan

ANTARA/Wahyu Putro A.

Minister mentions options for Freeport share divestment JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan has mentioned a number of options related to the purchase of 10.46 percent of share divestment of PT Freeport Indonesia.

“The state-owned enterprise can be one of the parties to purchase Freeport share divestment,” Luhut Binsar Panjaitan said, after attending a workshop on waste management, here on Monday.

The senior minister will hold a meeting with state-owned aluminum maker PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum) on Monday evening.

However, he did not explicitly point out if Inalum would procure shares of PT Freeport Indonesia.

The minister admitted that he would discuss the best option to purchase 10.64 percent of Freeport Indonesias shares.

Nevertheless, the discussion between the government and Freeport should be held properly.

“We are looking for a win-win solution. On the other hand, Indonesias interests should not be sacrificed,” he affirmed.

Earlier, the State Enterprises Ministry said on Thursday that it was awaiting the governments directives to procure 10.64 percent of Freeport Indonesias shares.

The ministry is focusing on

establishing a state-owned mining holding company to which the governments 9.36 percent stake in Freeport will be transferred, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, the special staff of the state enterprises ministry, stated at a discussion.

PT Freeport Indonesia had halted its production activities with effect from Feb 10, 2017, following the governments decision to have greater control on raw mineral resources.

The government had proposed that the Special Mining Operations Permit (IUPK) should be used in place of the existing Contract of Work.

PT Freeport was reluctant to agree to the governments proposal, especially since IUPK holders were obliged to divest up to 51 percent of the shares, which means they will no longer be in full control of the company.

Furthermore, Freeport is planning to sue the government in the International Court of Arbitration.

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ignasius Jonan had remarked on Feb 18 that PT Freeports plan to bring up the dispute in the International Court of Arbitration is legitimate, adding that the arbitration measure is far better than raising issues on the dismissal of employees as a tool to apply pressure on the government. (ant)

This year, extreme weather is forecast to bring heavy rainfall that could cause floods until March.

Widespread flooding hit at least 54 areas and submerged thousands of homes in the metropolitan city following incessant downpour on Feb 20 and 21, 2017.

Some 11 of the 54 flood-hit areas were in South Jakarta, 29 in East Jakarta, and 14 in North Jakarta.

Floodwaters reached up to 30 centimeters in height in Grogol; up to 1.5 meters in height in Gunung Sahari; and up to 2 meters in height in Cipinang Melayu. Flooding was also reported in Kelapa Gading, Kemang, Kebayoran Baru, and Cawang.

The flooding disrupted traffic and caused congestion on several roads, according to information from the Jakarta Polices Traffic Management Center.

In Cipinang Melayu, East Kalimantan, over 900 flood victims took refuge in Borobudur Universitys mosque.

A total of 304 schools located in Central, North, West, South, and East Jakarta were inundated on Feb 21, forcing their temporary shutdown.

In Central Jakarta, flooding affected 45 elementary schools, 12 junior high schools, 4 senior high schools, and 3 vocational high schools.

In North Jakarta, 1 kindergarten, 48 elementary schools, 16 junior high schools, 8 senior high schools, and 10 vocational high schools were inundated.

Flooding also submerged 1 kindergarten, 56 elementary schools, 18 junior high schools, 5 senior high schools, and 1 vocational high school in West Jakarta.

In South Jakarta, 21 elementary schools, 2 junior high schools, 3 senior high schools, and 3 vocational schools were flooded.

At least 35 elementary schools, 5 junior high schools, 5 senior high schools, and 2 vocational high schools were submerged by floods.

On Feb 22, Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama apologized to victims affected by flooding and promised to continue a project aimed at preventing it from happening again.

“I apologize to Jakarta residents, especially the elderly and children. We understand that it is hard to go through this,” he noted.

Indonesias National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB) stated that there were about 480 emergency reports received on Feb 21, mainly in East and South Jakarta.

BNPB Chief Willem Rampangilei pointed out that that the floods were caused by a combination of heavy rain and high tides, sedimentation, and man-made factors such as garbage thrown by squatters living along the river.

Besides, flooding occurred as nearly 80 percent of rain water turned into flood, while drainages and rivers could not accommodate the water.

Help came among other things from the Indonesian Air Force Operations Command (Koopsau) I which set up a task force team to assist the flood victims in Jakarta and its surrounding areas. (ant)

ANTARA/Atika Fauziyyah

This year, extreme weather is forecast to bring heavy rainfall that could cause floods until March.

10

Destination

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

International

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

International

Federer returns with easy win over Paire in Dubai

Toya Devasya Natural Hot Spring

Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas in action.

BANGLI - Toya Devasya Natural Hot Spring Kintamani Bali features 1 lakeside pool, 1 olympic-size pool and 3 plunge pools. All with natural hot spring water directly pumped from its geothermal source near the property. No additional heating machine is used as convenient hot temperature can be maintained at around 37-40 degree Celsius.

Toya Devasya Natural Hot Spring Kintamani Bali could be the best ones in Bali with its Mount Batur and Lake Batur backgrounds and also the most well-known with it’s odorless and colorless characteristics due to its substantially lower sulfur content. Yet, the miraculous healing power that comes from its rich minerals content was still believed to have therapeutic effects to fatigue, sore muscles, skin diseases and so on.

Toya Devasya Hot Spring has become a favorite spot in Kintamani for all type of travelers. It could be enjoyed with a short visit for its fun immersion experience or even longer for the health benefits. As to the adventurers, the pools would be perfect for a relaxing dip after a long day of Kintamani Adventure Tours such as hiking, trekking, canoeing or cycling.

Domestic as well as international guests have been considering Toya Devasya Natural Hot Spring as a celebrated landmark in the heart of Toya Bungkah village, and in greater Kintamani region.

As soon as you arrive, you will understand the appeal that this destination has earned for years. (IBP/net)

REUTERS/Albert Gea

Horner says new F1 cars let down by “shark fins”

Semarapura Market

BARCELONA - Formula One has put aerodynamics before aesthetics, with the new-look 2017 cars let down by “shark fins” resulting from a change in the rules, according to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

SEMARAPURA - Locally referred to as Pasar Klungkung (after the regency) and Pasar Semarapura (after the capital) interchangeably, this market is located right across from the major landmark of Klungkung: the Kertagosa ‘hall of justice’. The bustling scene of local shoppers sourcing their daily cooking ingredients at the different stalls is the common morning sight while, after 07:00, the many different shops open to reveal everything from batiks, locally-made jewellery, flowers and Balinese Hindu ceremonial items such as ornate bowls and wooden fruit offering stands. The Semarapura Market is considered the largest traditional market in the eastern Bali region, with the main building comprising three floors. (IBP/net)

Apart from being wider, lower and on fatter front and rear tyres, the new generation of cars stands out for having prominent fins emanating from the airbox behind the driver’s head.

Some are more brutal than others, with the Toro Rosso and Mercedes drawing rave reviews for their flowing lines while the likes of Williams and Force India have attracted less favourable comments.

“I think the cars look fantastic, the only thing that lets them down is the shark fins,” Horner told reporters on the first day of

pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya.

“It’s something that we raised at the Formula One strategy meeting last year to ask that all teams remove them, because it is pretty marginal the performance gain that they offer,” he added.

“In the interests of aesthetics, it was requested that they be removed. That went to the Formula One commission and unfortunately was immediately rejected by the majority of teams.”

The core Strategy Group incorporates the top teams only while all vote at the commission level.

Horner hoped something could be agreed for 2018 to make the fins a one-season wonder because the cars would be more attractive without them.

Red Bull have design ace Adrian Newey on their staff, a title-winner with three different teams and regarded as a master of aerodynamics.

That has traditionally been a strong point for the team, who managed to win two races last year despite their Renault engine offering considerably less power than that of the dominant Mercedes.

“I think it’s wrong to ignore the aesthetics on a car,” said Horner.

“Unfortunately this is a consequence of the rules but one that should have been able to be addressed quite quickly.” (rtr)

DUBAI - Roger Federer breezed back into action to reach the second round of the Dubai Open with a straightforward 6-1 6-3 win over erratic Frenchman Benoit Paire on Monday.

In his first match since memorably claiming his 18th grand slam title by beating Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open a month ago, the 35-year-old was immediately back in the old routine to give Paire the runaround.

There was precious little resistance from the Frenchman as Swiss maestro Federer, the seven-times champion and third seed, delighted a large Centre Court crowd with flashes of brilliance.

Paire was warned for unsportsmanlike behaviour at one point after hurling his racket and also needed treatment on a foot injury. Federer claimed victory in less than an hour.

“I think I returned very well for a first round. I was able to get my second serves in deep, was able to go into the offensive quickly,” Federer, who does much of his training in Dubai, told a news conference.

“Didn’t have to move that much. It was very quick rallies. So we’ll see how that’s going to turn out. But obviously couldn’t be a better first round for me here in Dubai.”

Top seed and world number one Andy Murray also returns after a lengthy layoff, which included a bout of shingles, when he takes on Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri on Tuesday. (rtr)

Roger Federer in action.

REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah

Haye, Bellew trade verbal blows before heavyweight clash

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LONDON - Former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye and Saturday’s opponent Tony Bellew traded verbal insults but thankfully no punches as they warmed up for their much-hyped contest.

The pair entered their pre-fight news conference from different corridors at a Liverpool hotel and had burly minders separating them as they engaged in some heated trash-talk.

Haye, 36, has fought twice since returning from a three-year absence while WBC cruiserweight champion Bellew, from Liverpool, has moved up two weights to take on the Londoner.

“Deep in all of your tiny minds you know this guy is getting drilled to the canvas pretty fast,” a rattled Haye said as the crowd heckled and drowned him out with chants.

There is clearly no love lost between the two fighters and at a previous news conference Haye threw a punch at Bellew.

Bellew, 34, described Haye as a “broken man”.

“I am going in with a man who was absolutely fantastic. When he was in his prime, an immense athlete - but the tank is very, very low and it does not last very

long.” he said.

“When the gas runs out, the big fat Scouser is going to steam through him.”

The heavyweight fight takes place at London’s O2 Arena.

Bellew has a record of 28 wins and a draw from 31 fights while Haye, who lost a heavyweight unification bout against Wladimir Klitschko in 2011, has 28 wins from 30 contests. (rtr)

8

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Sp rt Espanyol’s rise is fuelled by youngsters, not big names

BARCELONA - Chinese-owned Espanyol are pushing for a return to European football for the first time in a decade barely a year after being taken over and their rise has been fuelled by a new generation of homegrown talent rather than big-money signings.

When the Catalans, beaten UEFA Cup finalists in 2007, thrashed Osasuna 3-0 on Sunday to move to within four points of a Europa League spot there was extra satisfaction as six of the 11 players on the pitch had come through the club’s academy.

Defenders Marc Navarro and Aaron Martin and midfielders Marc Roca and Oscar Melendo featured together for the first time since making the leap from the reserve side, joining locally-born midfielder David Lopez and forward Gerard Moreno, who have returned since spells at Napoli and Villarreal respectively.

“These are players that came through on their own merit, they didn’t come in to plug a hole due to an injury, they’re going to have long careers in the top flight,” Angel Morales, head of Espanyol’s academy, told Reuters in an interview at the club’s Dani Jarque training complex.

REUTERS/ Albert Gea

Boys from the RCD Espanyol soccer academy listen to their coach during a training session at Dani Jarque training camp in Sant Adria de Besos, near Barcelona, Spain February 20, 2017. Picture taken February 20, 2017.

“We had two generations full of very good footballers who have just reached adulthood and it was only a matter of time before they emerged, so we’re bearing the fruit of lots of hard work in previous years.”

Framed pictures of Melendo, Roca, Martin and Navarro are the latest additions to the walls of the academy’s office which shows every player to have appeared for the first team, from Manchester United defender Eric Bailly to top scorer Raul Tamudo.

Like many Spanish clubs, Espanyol felt the knock-on effect of the country’s deep economic crisis in 2008 and were forced to sell their best players to avoid financial ruin.

Those pressures have eased since Chinese firm Rastar Group purchased a controlling 54 percent stake in the club in January 2016.

New president Chen Yansheng said he wanted to see the club qualify for Europe within two years but their transfer activities have so far been discreet. Last year they recruited La Liga mainstays Jose Antonio Reyes, Diego Lopez and Pablo Piatti, whose experience has been supplemented by the youthful energy of players such as Navarro and Melendo.

“He has transmitted his confidence in the academy and knows about its importance to the history of Espanyol,” Morales said of Chen.

“It’s nice to be able to keep working as we were before even after he has come in and invested a lot of money, that’s a good sign.”

The arrival of the new owner has also lead to an increase in the number of Chinese players emerging in the youth ranks, something youth coach David Fernandez welcomes as long as it does not compromise the quality of the teams.

“It’s difficult because our competitive level is very high and it’s hard to find the right players but we have a few in our teams and little by little there will be more,” Fernandez said. “We’re always trying to find exciting talent and if we can find that in Chinese players then that’s doubly good.”

HUGE APPRENTICESHIP

Espanyol coach Quique Sanchez Flores has followed Maurico Pochettino in embracing the club’s youth system but has a way to go before he eclipses the 23 academy players the current Tottenham Hotspur manager brought through. Morales believes the structure of Spanish football, which unlike English soccer pits reserve teams of topflight clubs against professional sides filled with hardened veterans, allows youngsters to flourish.

“In Segunda B and Tercera (Spain’s regional third and fourth tiers) you get players in their 30s competing against 19-year-olds and that’s a huge apprenticeship for the young players. You learn 50,000 things in every game,” he said. “We’ve seen players jump from under-18 level to Segunda B and become men within two seasons as they are competing against teams with different weapons. It means they are knocked into shape very quickly.”

Espanyol have long been cast to the shadows of the city they share with Barcelona, who have won six league titles and three Champions Leagues since Espanyol were last in Europe.

Barca’s La Masia academy has been hailed for producing players such as all-time top scorer Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique, although their production line has slowed in recent years.

Espanyol’s youth system is thriving, however, and Fernandez believes the success of its four latest graduates can drive the club’s resurgence. “When one player triumphs it opens the door for others, it gives stability to the club and generates identity and feeling and belonging,” he said.

“When I see an academy player make his debut it gives me an indescribable feeling. I remember them arriving as children and have watched them succeed. That’s something money can’t buy.” (rtr)

I’m among the best in the world, says Tottenham’s Kane Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane believes he is one of the best strikers in the world after his hat-trick in Sunday’s 4-0 win over Stoke City took him past 20 goals in all competitions for a third successive season.

Kane, who scored his second hat-trick in a week and third in nine games in Sunday’s match, is level with Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku on 17 goals as the top flight’s leading scorer this season as he seeks to retain the

golden boot.

“I feel that if you look at my stats, my goals, then I’m up there. If you guys want to print that (I’m one of the best in the world), I’m more than happy to have that,” Kane told British media.

Kane missed seven weeks with an ankle injury earlier this term, but the England international believes the time on the sidelines has put him in his best possible shape.

“Is this my best form ever? Yes I think so, I feel fresh, I feel sharp,

I feel in good shape. Of course that injury I had earlier in the season might have done me a bit of good, getting a bit more rest,” Kane said.

“I’ve had a good couple of months now so it’s important I continue that until the end of the season.”

Tottenham, who are second in the table and 10 points behind Chelsea with 12 games remaining, host seventh-placed Everton on Sunday. (rtr)

Action Images via Reuters / Peter Cziborra

Tottenham’s Harry Kane applauds the fans as he is substituted off

9

Mario Goetze out indefinitely with ‘metabolic disturbances’

DORTMUND — Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Goetze’s spell on the sidelines is set to continue because of “metabolic disturbances” diagnosed following recurring muscular problems.

“A comprehensive internal investigation into the possible causes” of Goetze’s muscular is-

sues revealed “metabolic disturbances, rendering it absolutely necessary to withdraw him from team training for the time being,” Dortmund said Monday.

The 24-year-old Germany international has endured a frustrating season on his return to Dortmund from Bundesliga rival Bayern Mu-

nich, completing only four games in 11 league appearances. His last appearance was in the 1-1 draw at Mainz on Jan. 31, when he was taken off in the 66th minute.

Goetze had muscle problems pre-season. He was most recently ailed by a thigh muscle issue.

Sporting director Michael Zorc said

Leicester beats Liverpool in its first match post-Ranieri

LEICESTER — Leicester began life without manager Claudio Ranieri by easing its English Premier League relegation fears after a stirring 3-1 home victory over Liverpool on Monday. In its first game since Ranieri was sacked last Thursday by the club’s Thai owners, Jamie Vardy scored twice for last season’s struggling champion.

Danny Drinkwater also netted with a superb long-range strike. It helped propel Leicester out of the relegation places and up to 15th, two points above the drop zone with 12 games remaining.

Vardy scored 24 league goals last season but the England international’s strikes in either half were just his sixth and seventh of this campaign. “We’ve come in for a lot of unfair stick with things that have been in the press, but you’ve seen that the lads wanted to react,” Vardy said.

“We needed to show that we’ve got that fight, and win or lose as long as the performance was right, we could hold our heads up high.”

LIVERPOOL which was out of sorts despite a warm-weather training break in Spain, could not match Leicester’s energy, intensity and commitment. It remains in fifth place.

Ranieri was dismissed nine months after masterminding one of the biggest sporting shocks of all time by leading the 5,000-1 outsider to league glory.

But Leicester has failed to replicate that form. Before facing Liverpool, it had won just five league games.

Five consecutive league defeats sent it spiraling down the standings.

There was a strong show of support for the former manager at the game, with fans donning Ranieri masks and

holding placards inside and outside King Power stadium. One banner held aloft said “Thank you Claudio for making our dreams come true.”

Leicester’s players, some of whom have denied any part in an alleged revolt that led to Ranieri’s sacking, had their names cheered by fans and appeared up for the highly charged occasion.

With Ranieri’s assistant, Craig Shakespeare, in interim charge, Leicester made a bright start. Shinji Okazaki forced LIVERPOOL goalkeeper Simon Mignolet into an early diving save. Center back Robert Huth wastefully headed over from a corner, and Mignolet blocked Vardy’s volley as Leicester showed plenty of attacking intent.

The home side’s pressure was rewarded when a through ball from Marc Albrighton sent Vardy away on goal and last season’s leading scorer calmly SLOTTED past Mignolet

to give Leicester the lead after 28 minutes.

Just 11 minutes later, Leicester fans were on their feet again to acclaim an outstanding goal from Drinkwater, the midfielder sending a dipping volley past Mignolet from fully 30 meters.

Vardy got his second on the hour when he headed in a Christian Fuchs cross and, although LIVERPOOL enjoyed its best spell after Philippe Coutinho pulled a goal back in the 68th, Leicester held firm.

Whether Leicester moves quickly to appoint a permanent successor to Ranieri or lets Shakespeare make his case to step up remains to be seen.

Nigel Pearson, sacked by Leicester in June 2015 after saving the club from relegation, a move which led to Ranieri’s appointment, is among the names linked with the job. Guus Hiddink, Roy Hodgson, Roberto Mancini, and Martin O’Neill are also in the frame. (ap)

Nick Potts/PA via AP

LEICESTER CITY’SJamie Vardy, left, celebrates scoring his side’s third goal goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester and Liverpool, at the King Power Stadium, in Leicester, England, Monday Feb. 27, 2017.

the club was happy to have found the root of his problems and will give him full support to recover.

Goetze said on Dortmund’s homepage that he was undergoing treatment and will do all in his power to be back in training and helping the team as soon as possible.

The latest injury-blow means Goetze will likely miss Germany’s friendly with England in Dortmund on March 22, despite national team coach Joachim Loew publicly backing the player last week.

Goetze’s extra-time goal against Argentina won the 2014 World Cup for Germany. (ap)

8

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Sp rt Espanyol’s rise is fuelled by youngsters, not big names

BARCELONA - Chinese-owned Espanyol are pushing for a return to European football for the first time in a decade barely a year after being taken over and their rise has been fuelled by a new generation of homegrown talent rather than big-money signings.

When the Catalans, beaten UEFA Cup finalists in 2007, thrashed Osasuna 3-0 on Sunday to move to within four points of a Europa League spot there was extra satisfaction as six of the 11 players on the pitch had come through the club’s academy.

Defenders Marc Navarro and Aaron Martin and midfielders Marc Roca and Oscar Melendo featured together for the first time since making the leap from the reserve side, joining locally-born midfielder David Lopez and forward Gerard Moreno, who have returned since spells at Napoli and Villarreal respectively.

“These are players that came through on their own merit, they didn’t come in to plug a hole due to an injury, they’re going to have long careers in the top flight,” Angel Morales, head of Espanyol’s academy, told Reuters in an interview at the club’s Dani Jarque training complex.

REUTERS/ Albert Gea

Boys from the RCD Espanyol soccer academy listen to their coach during a training session at Dani Jarque training camp in Sant Adria de Besos, near Barcelona, Spain February 20, 2017. Picture taken February 20, 2017.

“We had two generations full of very good footballers who have just reached adulthood and it was only a matter of time before they emerged, so we’re bearing the fruit of lots of hard work in previous years.”

Framed pictures of Melendo, Roca, Martin and Navarro are the latest additions to the walls of the academy’s office which shows every player to have appeared for the first team, from Manchester United defender Eric Bailly to top scorer Raul Tamudo.

Like many Spanish clubs, Espanyol felt the knock-on effect of the country’s deep economic crisis in 2008 and were forced to sell their best players to avoid financial ruin.

Those pressures have eased since Chinese firm Rastar Group purchased a controlling 54 percent stake in the club in January 2016.

New president Chen Yansheng said he wanted to see the club qualify for Europe within two years but their transfer activities have so far been discreet. Last year they recruited La Liga mainstays Jose Antonio Reyes, Diego Lopez and Pablo Piatti, whose experience has been supplemented by the youthful energy of players such as Navarro and Melendo.

“He has transmitted his confidence in the academy and knows about its importance to the history of Espanyol,” Morales said of Chen.

“It’s nice to be able to keep working as we were before even after he has come in and invested a lot of money, that’s a good sign.”

The arrival of the new owner has also lead to an increase in the number of Chinese players emerging in the youth ranks, something youth coach David Fernandez welcomes as long as it does not compromise the quality of the teams.

“It’s difficult because our competitive level is very high and it’s hard to find the right players but we have a few in our teams and little by little there will be more,” Fernandez said. “We’re always trying to find exciting talent and if we can find that in Chinese players then that’s doubly good.”

HUGE APPRENTICESHIP

Espanyol coach Quique Sanchez Flores has followed Maurico Pochettino in embracing the club’s youth system but has a way to go before he eclipses the 23 academy players the current Tottenham Hotspur manager brought through. Morales believes the structure of Spanish football, which unlike English soccer pits reserve teams of topflight clubs against professional sides filled with hardened veterans, allows youngsters to flourish.

“In Segunda B and Tercera (Spain’s regional third and fourth tiers) you get players in their 30s competing against 19-year-olds and that’s a huge apprenticeship for the young players. You learn 50,000 things in every game,” he said. “We’ve seen players jump from under-18 level to Segunda B and become men within two seasons as they are competing against teams with different weapons. It means they are knocked into shape very quickly.”

Espanyol have long been cast to the shadows of the city they share with Barcelona, who have won six league titles and three Champions Leagues since Espanyol were last in Europe.

Barca’s La Masia academy has been hailed for producing players such as all-time top scorer Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique, although their production line has slowed in recent years.

Espanyol’s youth system is thriving, however, and Fernandez believes the success of its four latest graduates can drive the club’s resurgence. “When one player triumphs it opens the door for others, it gives stability to the club and generates identity and feeling and belonging,” he said.

“When I see an academy player make his debut it gives me an indescribable feeling. I remember them arriving as children and have watched them succeed. That’s something money can’t buy.” (rtr)

I’m among the best in the world, says Tottenham’s Kane Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane believes he is one of the best strikers in the world after his hat-trick in Sunday’s 4-0 win over Stoke City took him past 20 goals in all competitions for a third successive season.

Kane, who scored his second hat-trick in a week and third in nine games in Sunday’s match, is level with Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku on 17 goals as the top flight’s leading scorer this season as he seeks to retain the

golden boot.

“I feel that if you look at my stats, my goals, then I’m up there. If you guys want to print that (I’m one of the best in the world), I’m more than happy to have that,” Kane told British media.

Kane missed seven weeks with an ankle injury earlier this term, but the England international believes the time on the sidelines has put him in his best possible shape.

“Is this my best form ever? Yes I think so, I feel fresh, I feel sharp,

I feel in good shape. Of course that injury I had earlier in the season might have done me a bit of good, getting a bit more rest,” Kane said.

“I’ve had a good couple of months now so it’s important I continue that until the end of the season.”

Tottenham, who are second in the table and 10 points behind Chelsea with 12 games remaining, host seventh-placed Everton on Sunday. (rtr)

Action Images via Reuters / Peter Cziborra

Tottenham’s Harry Kane applauds the fans as he is substituted off

9

Mario Goetze out indefinitely with ‘metabolic disturbances’

DORTMUND — Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Goetze’s spell on the sidelines is set to continue because of “metabolic disturbances” diagnosed following recurring muscular problems.

“A comprehensive internal investigation into the possible causes” of Goetze’s muscular is-

sues revealed “metabolic disturbances, rendering it absolutely necessary to withdraw him from team training for the time being,” Dortmund said Monday.

The 24-year-old Germany international has endured a frustrating season on his return to Dortmund from Bundesliga rival Bayern Mu-

nich, completing only four games in 11 league appearances. His last appearance was in the 1-1 draw at Mainz on Jan. 31, when he was taken off in the 66th minute.

Goetze had muscle problems pre-season. He was most recently ailed by a thigh muscle issue.

Sporting director Michael Zorc said

Leicester beats Liverpool in its first match post-Ranieri

LEICESTER — Leicester began life without manager Claudio Ranieri by easing its English Premier League relegation fears after a stirring 3-1 home victory over Liverpool on Monday. In its first game since Ranieri was sacked last Thursday by the club’s Thai owners, Jamie Vardy scored twice for last season’s struggling champion.

Danny Drinkwater also netted with a superb long-range strike. It helped propel Leicester out of the relegation places and up to 15th, two points above the drop zone with 12 games remaining.

Vardy scored 24 league goals last season but the England international’s strikes in either half were just his sixth and seventh of this campaign. “We’ve come in for a lot of unfair stick with things that have been in the press, but you’ve seen that the lads wanted to react,” Vardy said.

“We needed to show that we’ve got that fight, and win or lose as long as the performance was right, we could hold our heads up high.”

LIVERPOOL which was out of sorts despite a warm-weather training break in Spain, could not match Leicester’s energy, intensity and commitment. It remains in fifth place.

Ranieri was dismissed nine months after masterminding one of the biggest sporting shocks of all time by leading the 5,000-1 outsider to league glory.

But Leicester has failed to replicate that form. Before facing Liverpool, it had won just five league games.

Five consecutive league defeats sent it spiraling down the standings.

There was a strong show of support for the former manager at the game, with fans donning Ranieri masks and

holding placards inside and outside King Power stadium. One banner held aloft said “Thank you Claudio for making our dreams come true.”

Leicester’s players, some of whom have denied any part in an alleged revolt that led to Ranieri’s sacking, had their names cheered by fans and appeared up for the highly charged occasion.

With Ranieri’s assistant, Craig Shakespeare, in interim charge, Leicester made a bright start. Shinji Okazaki forced LIVERPOOL goalkeeper Simon Mignolet into an early diving save. Center back Robert Huth wastefully headed over from a corner, and Mignolet blocked Vardy’s volley as Leicester showed plenty of attacking intent.

The home side’s pressure was rewarded when a through ball from Marc Albrighton sent Vardy away on goal and last season’s leading scorer calmly SLOTTED past Mignolet

to give Leicester the lead after 28 minutes.

Just 11 minutes later, Leicester fans were on their feet again to acclaim an outstanding goal from Drinkwater, the midfielder sending a dipping volley past Mignolet from fully 30 meters.

Vardy got his second on the hour when he headed in a Christian Fuchs cross and, although LIVERPOOL enjoyed its best spell after Philippe Coutinho pulled a goal back in the 68th, Leicester held firm.

Whether Leicester moves quickly to appoint a permanent successor to Ranieri or lets Shakespeare make his case to step up remains to be seen.

Nigel Pearson, sacked by Leicester in June 2015 after saving the club from relegation, a move which led to Ranieri’s appointment, is among the names linked with the job. Guus Hiddink, Roy Hodgson, Roberto Mancini, and Martin O’Neill are also in the frame. (ap)

Nick Potts/PA via AP

LEICESTER CITY’SJamie Vardy, left, celebrates scoring his side’s third goal goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Leicester and Liverpool, at the King Power Stadium, in Leicester, England, Monday Feb. 27, 2017.

the club was happy to have found the root of his problems and will give him full support to recover.

Goetze said on Dortmund’s homepage that he was undergoing treatment and will do all in his power to be back in training and helping the team as soon as possible.

The latest injury-blow means Goetze will likely miss Germany’s friendly with England in Dortmund on March 22, despite national team coach Joachim Loew publicly backing the player last week.

Goetze’s extra-time goal against Argentina won the 2014 World Cup for Germany. (ap)

10

Destination

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

International

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

International

Federer returns with easy win over Paire in Dubai

Toya Devasya Natural Hot Spring

Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas in action.

BANGLI - Toya Devasya Natural Hot Spring Kintamani Bali features 1 lakeside pool, 1 olympic-size pool and 3 plunge pools. All with natural hot spring water directly pumped from its geothermal source near the property. No additional heating machine is used as convenient hot temperature can be maintained at around 37-40 degree Celsius.

Toya Devasya Natural Hot Spring Kintamani Bali could be the best ones in Bali with its Mount Batur and Lake Batur backgrounds and also the most well-known with it’s odorless and colorless characteristics due to its substantially lower sulfur content. Yet, the miraculous healing power that comes from its rich minerals content was still believed to have therapeutic effects to fatigue, sore muscles, skin diseases and so on.

Toya Devasya Hot Spring has become a favorite spot in Kintamani for all type of travelers. It could be enjoyed with a short visit for its fun immersion experience or even longer for the health benefits. As to the adventurers, the pools would be perfect for a relaxing dip after a long day of Kintamani Adventure Tours such as hiking, trekking, canoeing or cycling.

Domestic as well as international guests have been considering Toya Devasya Natural Hot Spring as a celebrated landmark in the heart of Toya Bungkah village, and in greater Kintamani region.

As soon as you arrive, you will understand the appeal that this destination has earned for years. (IBP/net)

REUTERS/Albert Gea

Horner says new F1 cars let down by “shark fins”

Semarapura Market

BARCELONA - Formula One has put aerodynamics before aesthetics, with the new-look 2017 cars let down by “shark fins” resulting from a change in the rules, according to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

SEMARAPURA - Locally referred to as Pasar Klungkung (after the regency) and Pasar Semarapura (after the capital) interchangeably, this market is located right across from the major landmark of Klungkung: the Kertagosa ‘hall of justice’. The bustling scene of local shoppers sourcing their daily cooking ingredients at the different stalls is the common morning sight while, after 07:00, the many different shops open to reveal everything from batiks, locally-made jewellery, flowers and Balinese Hindu ceremonial items such as ornate bowls and wooden fruit offering stands. The Semarapura Market is considered the largest traditional market in the eastern Bali region, with the main building comprising three floors. (IBP/net)

Apart from being wider, lower and on fatter front and rear tyres, the new generation of cars stands out for having prominent fins emanating from the airbox behind the driver’s head.

Some are more brutal than others, with the Toro Rosso and Mercedes drawing rave reviews for their flowing lines while the likes of Williams and Force India have attracted less favourable comments.

“I think the cars look fantastic, the only thing that lets them down is the shark fins,” Horner told reporters on the first day of

pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya.

“It’s something that we raised at the Formula One strategy meeting last year to ask that all teams remove them, because it is pretty marginal the performance gain that they offer,” he added.

“In the interests of aesthetics, it was requested that they be removed. That went to the Formula One commission and unfortunately was immediately rejected by the majority of teams.”

The core Strategy Group incorporates the top teams only while all vote at the commission level.

Horner hoped something could be agreed for 2018 to make the fins a one-season wonder because the cars would be more attractive without them.

Red Bull have design ace Adrian Newey on their staff, a title-winner with three different teams and regarded as a master of aerodynamics.

That has traditionally been a strong point for the team, who managed to win two races last year despite their Renault engine offering considerably less power than that of the dominant Mercedes.

“I think it’s wrong to ignore the aesthetics on a car,” said Horner.

“Unfortunately this is a consequence of the rules but one that should have been able to be addressed quite quickly.” (rtr)

DUBAI - Roger Federer breezed back into action to reach the second round of the Dubai Open with a straightforward 6-1 6-3 win over erratic Frenchman Benoit Paire on Monday.

In his first match since memorably claiming his 18th grand slam title by beating Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open a month ago, the 35-year-old was immediately back in the old routine to give Paire the runaround.

There was precious little resistance from the Frenchman as Swiss maestro Federer, the seven-times champion and third seed, delighted a large Centre Court crowd with flashes of brilliance.

Paire was warned for unsportsmanlike behaviour at one point after hurling his racket and also needed treatment on a foot injury. Federer claimed victory in less than an hour.

“I think I returned very well for a first round. I was able to get my second serves in deep, was able to go into the offensive quickly,” Federer, who does much of his training in Dubai, told a news conference.

“Didn’t have to move that much. It was very quick rallies. So we’ll see how that’s going to turn out. But obviously couldn’t be a better first round for me here in Dubai.”

Top seed and world number one Andy Murray also returns after a lengthy layoff, which included a bout of shingles, when he takes on Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri on Tuesday. (rtr)

Roger Federer in action.

REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah

Haye, Bellew trade verbal blows before heavyweight clash

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LONDON - Former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye and Saturday’s opponent Tony Bellew traded verbal insults but thankfully no punches as they warmed up for their much-hyped contest.

The pair entered their pre-fight news conference from different corridors at a Liverpool hotel and had burly minders separating them as they engaged in some heated trash-talk.

Haye, 36, has fought twice since returning from a three-year absence while WBC cruiserweight champion Bellew, from Liverpool, has moved up two weights to take on the Londoner.

“Deep in all of your tiny minds you know this guy is getting drilled to the canvas pretty fast,” a rattled Haye said as the crowd heckled and drowned him out with chants.

There is clearly no love lost between the two fighters and at a previous news conference Haye threw a punch at Bellew.

Bellew, 34, described Haye as a “broken man”.

“I am going in with a man who was absolutely fantastic. When he was in his prime, an immense athlete - but the tank is very, very low and it does not last very

long.” he said.

“When the gas runs out, the big fat Scouser is going to steam through him.”

The heavyweight fight takes place at London’s O2 Arena.

Bellew has a record of 28 wins and a draw from 31 fights while Haye, who lost a heavyweight unification bout against Wladimir Klitschko in 2011, has 28 wins from 30 contests. (rtr)

6

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

W

RLD

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with his new National Security Adviser Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster after making the announcement at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida U.S. February 20, 2017.

Trump seeks ‘historic’ U.S. military spending boost, domestic cuts

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is seeking what he called a “historic” increase in defense spending, but ran into immediate opposition from Republicans in Congress who must approve his plan and said it was not enough to meet the military’s needs.

The proposed rise in the Pentagon budget to $603 billion comes as the United States has wound down major wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and remains the world’s strongest military power.

The plan came under fire from Democratic lawmakers, who said cuts being proposed to pay for the additional military spending would cripple important domestic programs such as environmental protection and education.

A White House budget official, who outlined the plan on a conference call with reporters, said the administration would propose “increasing defense by $54 billion or 10 percent.” That represents the magnitude of the increase over budget caps Congress put in place in 2011.

But Mick Mulvaney, the White House budget director, said the plan would bring the Pentagon’s budget to $603 billion in total, just 3 percent more than the $584 billion the agency spent in the most recent fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30, 2016.

The rise would be slightly higher than the country’s current 2.5 percent rate of inflation.

“President Trump intends to submit a defense budget that is a mere 3 percent above President (Barack) Obama’s defense budget, which has left our military underfunded, undersized, and unready to confront threats to our national security,” John McCain, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement.

The defense boost would be balanced by slashing the same amount from non-defense spending, including a large reduction in foreign aid, the White House budget official said.

Trump does not have the final say on federal spending. His plan for the military is part of a budget proposal to Congress, which, although it is controlled

by his fellow Republicans, will not necessarily follow his plans. Budget negotiations with lawmakers can take months.

McCain told reporters he would not vote for a budget with the slight military increase and thought it would face opposition in the Senate.

Trump told state governors at the White House his budget plan included a “historic increase in defense spending to rebuild the depleted military of the United States of America.”

He said his proposal was a “landmark event” and would send a message of “American strength, security and resolve” to other countries.

BIG CUTS TO STATE DEPARTMENT Officials familiar with Trump’s budget blueprint said the plan would call for cuts to agencies including the State Department and the Environmental Protection Agency.

One official familiar with discussions over State’s budget said the agency could see spending cut by as much as 30 percent, which would force a major department restructuring and elimination of programs.

The United States spends about $50 billion annually on the State Department and foreign assistance.

More than 120 retired U.S. generals and admirals urged Congress on Monday to fully fund U.S. diplomacy and foreign aid, saying such programs “are critical to keeping America safe.”

Trump has vowed to spare middle-class social programs such as Social Security and Medicare from any cuts.

Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, said Trump’s plan to slash funding for federal agencies to free up money for the Pentagon showed he was not putting American working families first.

“A $54 billion cut will do far-reaching and longlasting damage to our ability to meet the needs of the American people and win the jobs of the future,” Pelosi said. “The president is surrendering America’s leadership in innovation, education, science and clean energy.” (rtr)

International

International

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

France’s disillusioned farmers turn to Le Pen

PLESSE - France’s presidential pretenders will this week make mandatory campaign stops at the annual Paris farm fair as polls show farmers increasingly tempted by the far-right’s Marine Le Pen when they even bother to vote at all.

Though only a fraction of the population still works in the farm sector, voters remain attached to the country’s agrarian roots, making the annual agriculture fair a fixture of the political calendar.

“Lots of us farmers are pinning our hopes on Marine,” dairy and poultry farmer Mickael Thomas said as he set up for the nine-daylong show. “We see her with farmers more than other candidates.”

Polls now show Le Pen placing first in a first round of France’s presidential election in April and losing in the second round to a single candidate from the centreleft or centre-right.

But that race has tightened, raising the prospect that the National Front leader could become the first far-right politician to win power through the ballot box in Western Europe since World War Two. Le Pen was due on Tuesday to start the parade of politicians at the fair as the first major candidate to visit this year.

After years of crisis in the sector and perceived indifference from other candidates, Le Pen’s anti-EU anti-globalisation rhetoric strikes a chord with many farmers, once faithful voters for mainstream conservatives.

A Cevipof poll for Le Monde newspaper published on Feb. 16 showed that 35 percent of farmers who plan to vote will back Le Pen in the election, compared to 26 percent of the general population. Conservative Francois Fillon

and centrist Emmanuel Macron are both on 20 percent among farmers, close to their ratings overall.

The same poll also showed farmers are increasingly giving up on politicians altogether, with 51 percent of the 300 surveyed saying they would not vote.

“Farmers were always the French people who voted the most. They voted like they went to mass,” said sociologist Francois Purseigle. “What’s surprising about this survey is that they might not go.”

The mascot of this year’s farm show, a six-year-old dairy cow called “Fine”, hails from an organic farm in the western French town of Plesse -- historically Socialist territory.

But even here, the National Front is making inroads. The party’s vote more than tripled in December 2015 regional elections compared with the previous poll in 2010.

Dairy farming is vital to the local economy but has struggled since 2015 as plummeting prices, the end of EU quotas and Russian sanctions inspired by the Ukraine crisis hit hard.

“We don’t have faith anymore,” a representative for the FNSEA farmers’ union in the region, Yoann Vetu, said.

“We know a thing or two about crises and we can’t get out of them. So the politicians might talk about it, but they don’t act,” he said.

While Vetu believes Le Pen’s protectionist policies would hurt the sector, local FN representative and struggling dairy farmer Olivier du Gourlay said his friends were turning to the party in increasing numbers. (rtr)

Saudi king...

later this year, he said.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo is hoping the king’s visit will bring investment commitments worth up to $25 billion, Indonesian officials have previously said.

During his trip to Indonesia, the Saudi king will be accompanied by more than 900 people, including ministers, princes and service staff, Alshuaibi said.

Indonesian officials had earlier said the entourage could be up to 1,500 people.

The king will visit Jakarta, the state palace in Bogor, a city south of the capital, and spend the last leg of his Indonesian trip in Bali, Alshuaibi said. Indonesia will assign at least 9,000 security personnel to protect the king’s entourage, he added. (rtr)

From page 1

Underpinning that is a growing conservatism among Indonesians, which analysts say is partly the result of Saudi money being poured into the country over the past several decades to build mosques, schools and universities. The ambassador said the visit could also lay the foundation for developing oil and gas projects and promoting tourism.

$25 BILLION

Oil giant Saudi Aramco, which has an existing agreement with Indonesian state energy firm Pertamina for a $5 billion refinery upgrade in Central Java, may take on more projects offered by Pertamina

11

Jakarta remains flood alert until March

JAKARTA - Indonesias capital city of Jakarta is always flooded during peak rainy season annually and now is still prone to flooding.

Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan

ANTARA/Wahyu Putro A.

Minister mentions options for Freeport share divestment JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan has mentioned a number of options related to the purchase of 10.46 percent of share divestment of PT Freeport Indonesia.

“The state-owned enterprise can be one of the parties to purchase Freeport share divestment,” Luhut Binsar Panjaitan said, after attending a workshop on waste management, here on Monday.

The senior minister will hold a meeting with state-owned aluminum maker PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum) on Monday evening.

However, he did not explicitly point out if Inalum would procure shares of PT Freeport Indonesia.

The minister admitted that he would discuss the best option to purchase 10.64 percent of Freeport Indonesias shares.

Nevertheless, the discussion between the government and Freeport should be held properly.

“We are looking for a win-win solution. On the other hand, Indonesias interests should not be sacrificed,” he affirmed.

Earlier, the State Enterprises Ministry said on Thursday that it was awaiting the governments directives to procure 10.64 percent of Freeport Indonesias shares.

The ministry is focusing on

establishing a state-owned mining holding company to which the governments 9.36 percent stake in Freeport will be transferred, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, the special staff of the state enterprises ministry, stated at a discussion.

PT Freeport Indonesia had halted its production activities with effect from Feb 10, 2017, following the governments decision to have greater control on raw mineral resources.

The government had proposed that the Special Mining Operations Permit (IUPK) should be used in place of the existing Contract of Work.

PT Freeport was reluctant to agree to the governments proposal, especially since IUPK holders were obliged to divest up to 51 percent of the shares, which means they will no longer be in full control of the company.

Furthermore, Freeport is planning to sue the government in the International Court of Arbitration.

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ignasius Jonan had remarked on Feb 18 that PT Freeports plan to bring up the dispute in the International Court of Arbitration is legitimate, adding that the arbitration measure is far better than raising issues on the dismissal of employees as a tool to apply pressure on the government. (ant)

This year, extreme weather is forecast to bring heavy rainfall that could cause floods until March.

Widespread flooding hit at least 54 areas and submerged thousands of homes in the metropolitan city following incessant downpour on Feb 20 and 21, 2017.

Some 11 of the 54 flood-hit areas were in South Jakarta, 29 in East Jakarta, and 14 in North Jakarta.

Floodwaters reached up to 30 centimeters in height in Grogol; up to 1.5 meters in height in Gunung Sahari; and up to 2 meters in height in Cipinang Melayu. Flooding was also reported in Kelapa Gading, Kemang, Kebayoran Baru, and Cawang.

The flooding disrupted traffic and caused congestion on several roads, according to information from the Jakarta Polices Traffic Management Center.

In Cipinang Melayu, East Kalimantan, over 900 flood victims took refuge in Borobudur Universitys mosque.

A total of 304 schools located in Central, North, West, South, and East Jakarta were inundated on Feb 21, forcing their temporary shutdown.

In Central Jakarta, flooding affected 45 elementary schools, 12 junior high schools, 4 senior high schools, and 3 vocational high schools.

In North Jakarta, 1 kindergarten, 48 elementary schools, 16 junior high schools, 8 senior high schools, and 10 vocational high schools were inundated.

Flooding also submerged 1 kindergarten, 56 elementary schools, 18 junior high schools, 5 senior high schools, and 1 vocational high school in West Jakarta.

In South Jakarta, 21 elementary schools, 2 junior high schools, 3 senior high schools, and 3 vocational schools were flooded.

At least 35 elementary schools, 5 junior high schools, 5 senior high schools, and 2 vocational high schools were submerged by floods.

On Feb 22, Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama apologized to victims affected by flooding and promised to continue a project aimed at preventing it from happening again.

“I apologize to Jakarta residents, especially the elderly and children. We understand that it is hard to go through this,” he noted.

Indonesias National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB) stated that there were about 480 emergency reports received on Feb 21, mainly in East and South Jakarta.

BNPB Chief Willem Rampangilei pointed out that that the floods were caused by a combination of heavy rain and high tides, sedimentation, and man-made factors such as garbage thrown by squatters living along the river.

Besides, flooding occurred as nearly 80 percent of rain water turned into flood, while drainages and rivers could not accommodate the water.

Help came among other things from the Indonesian Air Force Operations Command (Koopsau) I which set up a task force team to assist the flood victims in Jakarta and its surrounding areas. (ant)

ANTARA/Atika Fauziyyah

This year, extreme weather is forecast to bring heavy rainfall that could cause floods until March.

12

International

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

International

BUSINESS Samsung Group dismantles nerve centre as chief faces bribery charge amid scandal

SEOUL - South Korean prosecutors said on Tuesday they will charge Samsung Group chief Jay Y. Lee with bribery and embezzlement as the top conglomerate announced the dismantling of its corporate strategy office, the latest developments in a scandal that has rocked the country for months.

Jay Y. Lee, 48, was arrested on Feb. 17 over his alleged role in the corruption scandal involving impeached President Park Geunhye, dealing a fresh blow to the standard-bearer for Asia’s fourthlargest economy.

The special prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday, the last day of its investigation, that it would charge Lee, third-generation leader of the tech giant “chaebol”, and four other executives with bribery and embezzlement. It also said it would charge him with pledging bribes to a company and organisations tied to Park’s confidant, Choi Soon-sil, the woman at the centre of the scandal, to cement his control of the smartphones-to-biopharmaceuticals business empire.

“We apologize for the social controversy and distress we have caused,” Samsung Group Executive Vice President Lee June told reporters. The announcement came ahead of a Constitutional Court ruling on whether to uphold parliament’s December impeachment of Park.

That impeachment was triggered by accusations that she colluded with Choi to pressure big businesses, including Samsung, to donate to two foundations set up to back the president’s policy initiatives. The 65-year-old daughter of a former military strongman has had her powers suspended. The Constitutional Court’s ruling is expected sometime in March.

Should it uphold the impeachment, Park would become the country’s first democratically elected president to be thrown out of office. While a sitting president cannot be indicted, the special prosecutors nevertheless have classified her as a suspect.

They did not disclose specifics of the charges against Lee or other Samsung executives. Samsung

Bali News

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Action of Barong Ket at Bindu Tourism Village

The Bindu Barong Festival involving young artists of high school and college students looked good at dancing the barong ket. They are not only adept at adapting to the rhythm of gamelan music, but also able to give expression to the barong. Just imagine, the barong ket made of wood can be presented as living object. It happens because they have mastered the dance techniques in terms tetuek, tandang and pedum karang so that it became a very interesting spectacle.

Each dancer got the opportunity to make performance for 10-15 minutes consisting of the pepeson (preliminary), pengawak (core), ngintip jangkrik (improvisation with gamelan players) and pekaad (closing). Drum player and dancers were supposedly able to make improvisation, yet still referred to the pattern of Balinese dance. Well, when the barong dancers were capable to make improvisation with drum players, the audience applauded encouragingly.

The Bindu Barong Festival was opened by the Head of the Badung Culture Agency, Ida Bagus Anom Basma, representing the regent of Badung, Friday (Oct. 28) showed off the contest of barong dance and single drum playing. There were 30 participants making their appearance in turns for two days.

Each participant consisted of two barong dancers and one drum player. Although they were coalesced into a single team, they did not appear with their partner or came in free fighting.

The Bindu Barong Festival was held by (ST) Dharma Yowana customary youth club of Bindu hamlet, Bhuana Mekar, Abiansemal, Badung, at local Dalem Temple. Other than for commemorating the Youth Pledge Day, the competition also aimed to preserve Balinese arts and increase togetherness and creativity of the youth. “The event is also intended to support Bindu as a tourism village in Badung,” said committee chairman IGA Indra Mahendra.

The event was supported by Furama Villas & Spa. In addition to helping preserve the culture as the spirit of Bali tourism, the support is also meant to realize Bindu hamlet as a tourism village. “We strongly support this cultural activity. Moreover, it is organized by young people,” said Resort Manager, Wayan Sumandia. (kmb)

A flag bearing the logo of Samsung Electronics flatters at its office in Seoul, South Korea February 28, 2017.

Group, which has denied paying bribes to Park or seeking improper favours from her, declined to comment on the indictment.

Park, Choi and Lee have all denied wrongdoing. Based on the main charges levied against Lee, he could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

NERVE CENTRE SHUT Lee in December promised to shut Samsung’s corporate strategy office, a key nerve centre responsible for major initiatives such as investment in new businesses, amid accusations by politicians that it was a key organ for illicit lobbying efforts. Composed of around 200 employees hand-picked from various affiliates, the office did not exist as a legal entity but wielded enormous power as the instrument

of control for the founding Lee family.

Samsung said the chief executives and boards of the various affiliates such as Samsung Electronics and Samsung C&T Corp would set their own course going forward.

“It is a shock that Samsung completely dismantled the whole office, cutting the link between group affiliates as if it broke up a fleet,” Chung Sun-sup, chief executive of corporate research firm Chaebul. com, said. “This is a significant change to South Korea’s chaebol management style.”

A Samsung Group spokeswoman said it had not yet decided how the conglomerate would deal with group-level issues such as coordination among affiliates.

People familiar with the matter told Reuters in November that

Lee was already moving towards more board-centric management to improve governance. The executive became a board member of Samsung Electronics last year, which the sources said signalled a desire to bring the conglomerate’s management practices up to global standards.

On Tuesday, the special prosecutor’s office said it would also indict four others at Samsung on charges including bribery and hiding assets overseas: group Vice Chairman Choi Gee-sung, President Chang Choong-ki, Samsung Electronics President Park Sang-jin and Executive Vice President Hwang Sung-soo. Samsung Group said in its subsequent announcement that Choi, Chang and Park had resigned.

Samsung chief Lee is accused

REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

of pledging 43 billion won ($38 million) in bribes to a company and organisations backed by President Park’s confidant, Choi, to curry favour and cement his control of the conglomerate. The funding included sponsorship of the equestrian career of Choi’s daughter. Samsung Group also said on Tuesday that it would leave the Korean Equestrian Federation that it heads.

Special prosecution spokesman Lee Kyu-chul told reporters the case against Park would be handed over to regular prosecutors, while signalling other conglomerates may also become involved in the investigation. It was not immediately clear when Lee’s trial would begin.

The special prosecutor’s office will make an official announcement on the conclusion of its investigation on March 6.(rtr)

5

Bignay Salad Rich in Vitamin C Bignay salad can serve as tasty snack. Approximately in the 1980s, bignay salad was very popular in the community because it was easy to get the ingredients and prepare. Children did not need to prepare permanent ingredient, they were just enough to bring bamboo crusher and a bamboo blade to pound.

During fruit season, they always brought the crusher everywhere. When finding bignay trees, they would climb and then picked for the making of salad.

Although the bignay tree did not belong to their father, grandfather, or uncle, they still took it. Understandably, village life was still had high sense of brotherhood and mutual assistance, so as not to mind when people’s bignay fruit was picked.

Each child had a traditional tool used to make the bignay salad. When the fruit season ended, the tool would be kept tidily so that it could be used in the following season. The spices in used were very simple, namely, salt and chili only. Children were enough to bring salt because chili could be taken anywhere or people’s moor. It is different from the bignay salad on sale that applies complete sauces.

It is very rare to find a merchant serving bignay

fruit. If available, it will be sold by particular merchants. Besides, it is hard to get the fruits and this rare type of fruit is expensive. In addition, children of current generation rarely know this fruit. They do not know, so that not many of them choose this type of salad.

Bignay fruit has a rounded shape but is smaller that grape. When being ripe, it will turn blackish red.

But when young and green, it tastes sour. The red one tastes a bit sweet. When turning into blackish red, it means that it has been ripe, so that it will taste sweeter. As a seasonal fruit, it usually bears fruit at the beginning of the year.

READ l’Altitude Restaurant Offers World Class Cuisine Today, it is hard to find bignay. Its trees are rare because it has become extinct. If available, it will be located in the areas that are difficult to reach so that it is also rather difficult to pick. Probably some regions still have it but in restricted number. Actually this bignay fruit has many benefits as containing vitamin C functioned as an antioxidant and booster of immunity and digestion. (kmb)

4

Bali News

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

International

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

International

Thousands of bees trouble Aan villagers

Stateless Rohingya refugees sucked into booming Bangladesh drug trade

SEMARAPURA - Residents of Aan, Banjarangkan were made restless on Monday (Feb. 27). This happened following the presence of thousands of wild bees swarming and perching on a frangipani trunk, exactly in front of the meeting hall of Petapan hamlet and Subak Abian, Swelagiri hamlet, Aan. So far, there have been no residents stung by the bees. However, they do not dare to pass in front of the ‘temporary’ beehive for fear of being stung.

To repel the bees, last Monday the village authority came down to ask for the help of a resident known a bee tamer. The expulsion was carried out by using the smoke of burned dry coconut leaves. Before the expulsion, the residents held a notification ritual or atur piuning. The priest offered oblation at Paibon Temple owned by residents near the gathering bees.

This expulsion process took quite long time commenced around 13:00 and ended at 16:30.

The bee expulsion was not only witnessed by the headman of Aan, A.A. Ardika, but also by the subdistrict head of Banjarangkan, I.B. Mas Ananda. To anticipate undesirable things, the road section in front of the gathering bees was forced to be closed for residents. “Earlier, we have carried out the relocation by using burned dry coconut leaves,” said headman of Aan, A.A. Gde Rai Ardika.

According to A.A. Rai Ardika, the gathering wild bees were first known by residents in the frangipani tree trunk on Sunday (Feb. 26) around 18:00. At that time, residents did not dare to pass in front of them for fear of being stung. Village authority has asked for the assistance of the officers of the regional disaster mitigation agency (BPBD).

The BPBD suggested the residents to take psychical measure by offering oblations to drive away the bees.

The suggestion was then followed up by preparing the offerings, including notification ritual at Paibon Temple near the location of gathering bees. It was conducted before the expulsion by bee tamer by smoke of burned dry coconut leaves. “Before the expulsion, the local residents have done notification ritual and giving offerings at Paibon Temple near the location,” added subdistrict head I.B. Mas Ananda.

In the meantime, the bee expulsion by burning dry coconut leaves took place smoothly.

Thousands of the gathering bees once moved to papaya tree located 20 meters away from its original place. After that, the bees have gone to higher place and away from people’s residence.

“The wild bees could have been overcome. As seen, all the wild bees have moved to higher place away from the settlement,” added I.B. Ananda. (119)

REUTERS/Stringer

Paramilitary policemen stand in formation as they take part in an anti-terrorism oath-taking rally, in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China, February 27, 2017. Picture taken February 27, 2017.

China reacts with anger, threats after S.Korean missile defence decision

BEIJING - Chinese state media have reacted with anger and boycott threats after the board of an affiliate of South Korea’s Lotte Group approved a land swap with the government that allows authorities to deploy a U.S. missile defence system.

IBP/kmb

The local is trying to get rid of the bees.

Giant bamboo for jegog gamelan instrument hard to get

Jegog performance

IBP/Olo

NEGARA - The maker of jegog musical instrument has found difficulties in finding bamboo material since several years. Giant (petung) bamboo with large diameter is getting rare and even hard to be found in Jembrana, the origin of jegog musical instrument. As a result, the Jembrana artisans have to find it outside the region like in Tabanan and Karangasem.

A number of jegog artists met recently admitted that bamboo material used for the making of the gamelan instrument is indeed difficult to be obtained in Jembrana lately. Actually, in the past was very easy to find such bamboo at the forest outskirts in Jembrana.

“Nowadays, there are hardly such giant bamboos, so that people must look for in Tabanan or Gi-

13

anyar,” said Oka, a jegog player from Sangkaragung village. When the bamboo blade of the gamelan is broken, it will be difficult to get and the cost is quite large. Moreover, when the staging of jegog competition among the gamelan troupes, each troupe should prepare a reserve instrument in case the gamelan set is broken.

I Ketut Daton, a jegog artist from Kaliakah village, when met some time ago also acknowledged the difficulty of obtaining the giant bamboo material. Currently, such large size bamboo can no longer be obtained in Jembrana. It is only still available in Tabanan, but the quality is not as strong as in the past. However, the smaller size bamboo like the jajang or santang for suwir, kantil and barangan

instrument can still be obtained in the region.

Ketut Dernen, a gamelan tone setter from Pancardawa Jegog troupe, Pendem village, said that jegog gamelan instrument has distinctiveness. Bamboo in use must also be selected. In addition to having large size, typically the tone will change when the weather changes. For example, when the bamboo musical instrument is brought to highland region with cold temperature, the sounds will definitely change, too. This recipient of the Satya Dharma Kusuma award in 2013 hoped the jegog musical instrument can have the same position as other musical instruments though the instrument needs fairly extravagant space. (kmb26)

The government decided last year to deploy the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, in response to the North Korean missile threat, on land that is part of a golf course owned by Lotte in the Seongju region, southeast of Seoul.

The board of unlisted Lotte International Co Ltd approved the deal with the government on Monday.

China objects to the deployment in South Korea of the THAAD, which has a powerful radar capable of penetrating Chinese territory, with Beijing saying it is a threat to its security and will do nothing to ease tension with North Korea.

Lotte should be shown the door in China, the influential state-run Chinese tabloid the Global Times said in an editorial on Tuesday.

“We also propose that Chinese society should coordinate voluntarily in expanding restrictions on South Korean cultural goods and entertainment exports to China, and block them when necessary,” it said

in its English-language edition.

The paper’s Chinese version said South Korean cars and cellphones should be targeted as well.

“There are loads of substitutes for South Korean cars and cellphones,” it said.

China has already twice issued “solemn representations” to South Korea about the most recent THAAD-related developments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily briefing in Beijing.

But it welcomes foreign companies to operate in China, he said.

“Whether or not a foreign company can operate successfully in China, in the end is a decision for the Chinese market and consumer,” he added.

Late on Monday, the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily said cutting diplomatic ties should be considered.

“If THAAD is really deployed in South Korea, then China-South Korea relations will face the possibility of getting ready to cut off diplomatic

relations,” it said on the WeChat account of its overseas edition.

The official Xinhua news agency also said in a commentary late on Monday that China “did not welcome this kind of Lotte”.

“Chinese consumers can absolutely say no to this kind of company and their goods based on considerations of ‘national security’,” it said.

South Korea’s defence ministry said on Tuesday it had signed a land swap deal, with Lotte exchanging the golf course for military property.

A South Korean military official told Reuters the military would begin area patrols and install fences.

The Lotte Group said on Feb. 8 Chinese authorities had stopped construction at a multi-billion dollar real estate project in China after a fire inspection, fuelling concern in South Korea about damage to commercial ties with the world’s second-largest economy.

Asked if South Korea had demanded the Chinese government suspend any economic retaliation, South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-kyun said: “We have continuously persuaded China so far and will keep continuing efforts to do so.”. (rtr)

LEDA - Rohingya Muslim refugee Ali Hasan is desperately looking for a bride for his 14-year-old son, jailed last year in Bangladesh for carrying the popular drug ya ba.

He hopes the girl’s family would pay the $620 needed for Mohammed Hasan’s bail as dowry.

Police arrested Mohammed with 5,000 pills of ya ba, as methamphetamine is widely known in Asia, last June. His elder brother, Izzat Ali, was arrested a few months later with 200 pills and sent to prison.

Bangladesh says the influx of Rohingya fleeing Buddhist-majority Myanmar is partly to blame for soaring methamphetamine use in its cities. But many Rohingya say their young people are being pushed into crime because they cannot legally work or, in many cases, access aid.

Ali Hasan fled Myanmar three decades ago and his sons grew up in an unofficial camp in Leda, a 15-minute drive from the Naf river separating Bangladesh from Myanmar.

It is not uncommon for Rohingya families to arrange marriages while the couple are still in their mid-teens, and the 60-year-old does not think the fact Mohammed is in jail awaiting trial will be an issue, so common have such brushes with the law become among the refugees.

“We’re looking for a bride for him so that they can pay the dowry in advance,” he said. “People know that he was lured into it and he had no wrong intentions, so I don’t think getting a bride would be difficult.”

Rohingya Muslims have been fleeing apartheid-like conditions in northwestern Myanmar, where they are denied citizenship, since the early 1990s, and there are now more than 200,000 in Bangladesh.

More than 70,000 have flooded

across the border since October, escaping an army crackdown.

LOCAL RESENTMENT Consumption of ya ba - Thai for “crazy medicine” - is booming in Bangladesh. Seizures alone jumped more than 2,500 percent to 29.4 million pills last year compared with 2011 - and the business is worth an estimated $3 billion annually.

Police and government officials say the stateless Rohingya refugees, who cannot easily be traced, are the traffickers’ preferred mules.

The authorities have cited a growing drug problem as one reason for pushing ahead with a controversial scheme to move thousands of refugees from their border camps to an undeveloped island in the Bay of Bengal.

“Local population, local leaders are extremely unhappy about this influx,” H.T. Imam, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s political adviser, said in Dhaka. “They displace labourers by undercutting locals. Ya ba trade is flourishing due to them.”

He did not provide any data about the refugees’ involvement in the drug trade. Residents of Cox’s Bazar, the coastal district neighbouring Myanmar where most of the refugees live, are now holding public meetings and rallies in support of the refugee relocation plan.

Sanmaraz, a 35-year-old Rohingya woman living in Leda, arrived from Myanmar two decades ago. Her husband, Amanullah, is now in jail awaiting trial on charges of carrying ya ba. She says he was “framed” by local villagers.

“Bangladesh has given us shelter, but the local people don’t want us here,” she said. “They want to harm us; they want to chase us away.”(rtr)

REUTERS/Stringer

A Rohingya refugee family is seen at Kutupalang Unregistered Refugee Camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, February 27, 2017.

14

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Technology

International

Bali News

International

Self-driving Nissan car takes to Europe’s streets for first time

REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk (R) unveils the Dragon V2 spacecraft in Hawthorne, California May 29, 2014.

SpaceX to send first paying tourists around moon next year

CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX plans to launch two paying passengers on a tourist trip around the moon next year using a spaceship under development for NASA astronauts and a heavy-lift rocket yet to be flown, the launch company announced on Monday.

The launch of the first privately funded tourist flight beyond the orbit of the International Space Station is tentatively targeted for late 2018, Space Exploration Technologies Chief Executive Elon Musk told reporters on a conference call.

Musk declined to identify the customers or say how much they would pay to fly on the weeklong mission, except to say that it is “nobody from Hollywood.”

He also said the two prospective space tourists, who know each other, have put down a “substantial” deposit and would undergo “extensive training before going on the mission.”

“I think there’s a market for one or two of these per year,” he said, estimating that space tourist fares charged by SpaceX could eventually contribute 10 to 20 percent of the company’s revenue.

Plans call for SpaceX’s two-person lunar venture to fly some 300,000 to 400,000 miles (480,000 to 640,000 km) from Earth past the moon before Earth’s gravity pulls the spacecraft back into the atmosphere for a parachute landing.

That trajectory would be similar to NASA’s 1968 Apollo 8 mission beyond the moon and back.

Musk also said that if NASA decides it wants to be first in line for a lunar flyby mission, the U.S. space agency would take priority.

At the behest of the Trump administration, NASA is conducting a study to assess safety risks, costs and potential benefits of letting astronauts fly on the debut test flight of its heavy-lift Space Launch System rocket

and Orion capsule.

That mission is currently planned to be uncrewed and scheduled to launch in late 2018.

Musk said the privately funded moon expedition would take place after his California-based company begins flying crew to the International Space Station for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

NASA is hoping those crew-ferrying flights begin by late 2018.

SpaceX’s own Falcon Heavy rocket, which Musk wants to use for the lunar tourist mission, is scheduled to make a debut test flight later this year.

Musk, also CEO of electric carmaker Tesla, said missions around the moon could provide practice for eventual human flights to Mars, the long-term goal of SpaceX. Except for needed communications upgrades, the Dragon spaceship in development for NASA astronauts is well suited for lunar flyby missions, Musk added.

The launch would require licensing by the Federal Aviation Administration.

SpaceX joins a growing list of companies developing commercial passenger spaceflight services.

Virgin Galactic, an offshoot of Richard Branson’s London-based Virgin Group, is testing a six-passenger, two-pilot spaceship to carry paying customers about 62 miles (100 km) above Earth, high enough to experience brief microgravity and see Earth’s curvature against the blackness of space.

Tickets to ride cost $250,000 each.

SpaceX has a $10 billion backlog of about 70 missions for NASA and commercial customers. The firm’s backers include Alphabet’s Google Inc and Fidelity Investments, which together have contributed $1 billion to Musk’s firm. (rtr)

LONDON - Guided by cameras and radars, and negotiating traffic and roundabouts, a self-driving Nissan car took to the streets of London on Monday for the Japanese company’s first European tests of an autonomous vehicle.

Travelling at up to 50 miles (80 km) per hour and moving from local streets to a major multi-lane road, the modified Nissan LEAF electric car showcased the kind of technology many hope to be the future of travel.

Britain has been wooing developers of autonomous vehicles, hoping to grab a slice of an industry it estimates could be worth 900 billion pounds ($1.1 trillion) worldwide by 2025.

It also recently announced changes to allow for a single insurance policy to cover motorists driving conventionally and in autonomous mode, as it tries to get regulations in place to encourage the uptake of driverless cars from 2020.

Britain’s flexible approach to testing autonomous vehicles helped Nissan pick London for its first European tests, the director of its research centre in Silicon Valley told Reuters.

“It’s not everywhere in Europe that we can go and drive on the road,” Maarten Sierhuis said.

“You don’t want to go to the most difficult parts of London when you start. The system has to be tested,” he said of the east of the capital where the trials are taking place near the ExCeL exhibition centre and London City Airport.

Nissan liaised with regulator

Transport for London and the police ahead of the trials, supplying details of its route and the rules it would follow, and was advised to keep a full log that it would share in the event of an incident, it said.

Inside the vehicle, the car switches from conventional to self-driving mode at the touch of the button ‘Enter’ and a screen identifies the nearest vehicles to the car in red and green, also showing the speed the car is travelling.

Nearly two dozen cameras, radars and lasers are fitted on the top and around the side of vehicle to guide its path.

A driverless car took to Britain’s streets for the first time in the southern English town of Milton Keynes in October last year but travelled at a much slower speed.

Global automakers are racing to catch up with the likes of Google and Tesla which have carried out several autopilot and self-driving tests in recent months in the United States and elsewhere.

Jaguar Land Rover is planning to test around 100 autonomous and internet-connected cars in Britain by 2020, while Volvo is also planning a test soon in London.

Nissan, which has already tested the self-driving LEAF in Tokyo and Silicon Valley, hopes to carry out similar trials in other European cities soon after this week’s London trials.

“We’re thinking of testing in the Netherlands and Paris. It’s not easy to go and test everywhere because we need to create maps, we need to get approval from the regulators and then it is expensive to set up a test,” Sierhuis said. (rtr)

IBP/net

The modified Nissan LEAF electric car showcased the kind of technology many hope to be the future of travel.

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

3

To overcome onslaught of accommodation

IBP/kmb31

In the event, people offered hundreds of oblations equipped with roasted suckling pigs at the local dalem temple.

Hundreds of roasted suckling pigs offered in usaba dalem

THE annual usaba dalem is always welcomed happily by the people of Timbrah customary village, Pertima, Karangasem.

Implementation of the ritual at this ancient village is far different from the usaba dalem at other villages in Bali as seen on Sunday (Feb. 26). In the event, people offered hundreds of oblations equipped with roasted suckling pigs at the local dalem temple.

The hereditary tradition becomes unique scenery that can only be seen once a year at the dalem temple of Timbrah customary village. Local people welcomed the tradition moment with joy on day before the usaba. Almost every corner of the field at the village looks busy with activities of preparing the roasted suckling pig. Besides, smoke is billowing in every corner of the village, house and highway.

Many people prepare their roasted suckling pig the day before because on the usaba day the four hamlets at local village are also busy with devotional works or ngayah pursuant to the task of every hamlet.

A community leader, Nengah Supartha, said that the roasted suckling pig is the primary means of offering of each family in the usaba dalem. There are a total of 840 families at the village. It means there are some 840 roasted suckling pigs. It does not include the residents having married to outside the village and the residents of other villages that will also offer roasted suckling pig. It is then offered to the deity abiding at dalem temple. Thus, the dalem temple located about 500 meters from the village center is filled with hundreds of roasted suckling pigs.

“The enthusiasm of our society is quite high. Both local residents and those living in diaspora will definitely come home. Moreover, there are residents presenting more than one roasted suckling pig,” said Supartha.

He asserted that the offerings with roasted suckling pig are an expression of gratitude of residents to God after obtaining sufficient sustenance having worked hard for a year. The offering of roasted suckling pig is also an expression of

Timbrah society for the prosperity after getting abundant crops where the majority of the people are farmers. “Indirectly, this tradition also makes our society encouraged to work diligently. By that way, they can offer roasted suckling pig together in the next usaba,” said the former chief of Timbrah customary village.

The tradition of offering roasted suckling pig at this ancient village is also loaded with philosophy of togetherness. Families that do not offer roasted suckling pig for some reasons (nyebel) or due to economic difficulties will get gift of the post-offering. Supartha asserted that it also represents emotional bond among families having been maintained through generations at the village. “Those preparing no roasted suckling pig are visible from the front of their house compound having no mesahagan. This information will quickly spread by word of mouth. So, sometimes they can even have more post-offering roasted suckling pig than the residents that offer due to receive many gifts,” he said.

The adequately high harmony among the family heads at Timbrah customary village is very well preserved until now. On the other hand, the people who receive the gifts due to economic reasons will then be motivated to work hard because they sometimes feel embarrassed. However, according to Supartha, it is positive to motivate people to work and to be responsible for their family. As a result, in the following year they can offer roasted suckling pig with other residents at dalem temple and no longer receive such gift.

This year, the implementation of usaba dalem looks more orderly.

This happens because the apparatus of Timbrah customary village has appealed to residents not to drive a motorcycle or a car when saying prayers to dalem temple. As a result, all the residents go to dalem temple on foot. As planned, this will be applied every usaba dalem to avoid crowdedness while at dalem temple or when returning home and carrying the offerings with the roasted suckling pig. (kmb31)

Tourism office boosts regulation to control accommodation

GIANYAR - Ubud being capable of attracting thousands of travelers every day goes hand in hand with the enormous appeal of investors to build accommodation at this tourist village.

As a result, so far the land conversion into villas, restaurants and hotels seems unstoppable.

Seeing this condition, the Gianyar Tourism Office has prepared a number of smart measures. One of which is beginning to promote the regent regulation on the arrangement and control of accommodation business.

As seen on Saturday (Feb. 25), Ubud area seems to no longer have paddy fields that were formerly often used as the object of painting. The green paddy fields formerly looked verdant have now been transformed into concrete building of the accommodation offering various tourism facilities.

Other than executing paddy fields, the growth of accommodation also eye riverbanks. As the observation along the Ayung River, right in the east of the river belonging to the area of Ubud, it has been widely established with tourist accommodation ranging from hotels to villas. In the meantime, in the western part of the river belonging to Badung region still looks beautiful and green. Other than in Ayung River, similar condition also occurs in a number of rivers in Ubud.

Based on the existing data of the Gianyar Tourism Office in 2015, of the seven subdistricts in Gianyar, the growth of accommodation is mostly recorded in

Ubud subdistrict. They consist of 12 star-rated hotels, 189 budget hotels, 737 cottages, 190 restaurants, 109 bars, 231 food outlets, 17 cycling tours, 125 tourist transport businesses and 9 rafting companies.

In the meantime, the Head of the Gianyar Tourism Office, A.A. Bagus Ari Brahmanta, explained that his office is currently cross-checking the database at hand with the field conditions. “We check the database because I just served as the office head. So, I’d like to make sure these data. If there are illegal businesses, they should be dealt with,” he said.

After checking the data, his office will also establish a controller team assigned to conduct regular checking.

However, since the office is filled with new personnel, his office is now preparing the human resources for the controller team.

To minimize the accommodation growth in Ubud, his office is now disseminating the Regent Regulation of 2016 regarding the arrangement and control of the accommodation business. Through this regent regulation, any submission of tourism business should not only get permit from district government, but must also get approval from customary village, Indonesia Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) and the Hindu Dharma Council of Indonesia (PHDI).

After the dissemination, this regent regulation will be encouraged.

“This regent regulation will be applied as soon as possible, so that the growth of the accommodation is really well organized,” he said. (kmb35)

IBP/eka

Ubud being capable of attracting thousands of travelers every day goes hand in hand with the enormous appeal of investors to build accommodation at this tourist village.

2

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Bali News

International

Denpasar determined to strengthen local competitiveness

The water of Lake Buyan is flooding the surrounding area

IBP/Sos

Water of Lake Buyan overflows

Hectares of farmland under threat of being submerged

SINGARAJA - Hectares of farmland at Buyan and Dasong hamlet, Pancasari, are threatened to be inundated by overflowing water of Lake Buyan.

It is inseparable from the water discharge that tends to increase.

Head of the Buleleng Agriculture Agency, I Nyoman Swatantra, said on Monday (Feb. 27) that based on the results of data collection made by the extension officers (PPL), the farmland area under threat of being submerged reaches five hectares. In details, there are 3 hectares at Buyan Hamlet and 2 hectares at Dasong hamlet.

The whole farmland is planted with strawberries. “The volume of groundwater coming out tends to increase. The farmland previously not submerged has now become to be threatened,” he said.

According to the last week’s data, the area of submerged farmland was at Buyan hamlet spreading across 15 hectares of strawberries, 2 hectares of tomatoes and 3 hectares of vegetables. Then, at Dasong hamlet there are 3 hectares of strawberry, 1 hectare of tomatoes and 1 hectare of vegetables. According to Swatantra, this season’s crop

potentially dropped from the previous one. “If the condition is like this, the production will potentially decline,” he explained.

The lake water is estimated to start receding in April in accordance with the beginning of dry season. “Well, it will usually recede after Nyepi or tenth month in Balinese calendar,” he added.

Earlier, a local farmer, I Gede Lantur, revealed that submerged farmlands cannot be avoided. It is very disrupting the fate of farmers. This condition is predicted to continue until next few weeks. “Probably, the water will keep emanating from the ground. If this happens, the submerged farmland will continuously expand. Farmers are quite worried. So far, they have suffered losses of hundreds of millions,” he said.

Another farmer, I Wayan Darmawan, revealed that to minimize losses, he was forced to pull out his strawberry plants approaching harvest season to be relocated to a safer land. “If they are left here, they will get submerged and result in total losses. The plants located close to the embankment of the lake have perished,” he explained. (kmb45)

DENPASAR - ‘The increase of local competitiveness to strengthen the smart city of Denpasar to a prosperous and happy community’ was chosen as the theme of the 229th anniversary of Denpasar. Selection of this theme is meant to prevent Denpasar from losing the moment in the current modernization era.

Human resources (HR) will become important in increasing the potential of the community later on.

It was stated by Mayor of Denpasar I.B. Rai Dharmawijaya Mantra, after leading the celebration of the 229th anniversary of the city of Denpasar at Lumintang Square on Monday (Feb. 27). Other than assembly, on the occasion Mayor Rai Mantra also had an exhibition of public service innovation, signed the inscription of Youth Park and launched the Damamaya Cyber Monitor.

Coinciding with the anniversary, Rai Mantra also gave an honorary award named the Satya Lencana Karya Satya to three civil servants for their devotion to the Republic of Indonesia.

The award given to I Made Poniman, Division Head of Regional Bylaw Enforcement of the Denpasar Municipal Police is the Satya Lencana Karya Satya of 30 years; Ni Ketut Dewi Ratih Purnamasari, Secretary to the Denpasar Investment and Integrated Services with the Satya Lencana Karya Satya of 20 years; and Komang Audi Brawijaya, Asset Division Head at the Denpasar Finance and Management Agency with the Satya Lencana Karya Satya of 10 years. (kmb12)

Irish tourist arrested as stealing motorcycle

DENPASAR - More and more foreign tourists are getting involved in crimes and detained at Kuta Police Station. On Saturday morning (Feb. 18), police arrested a tourist from Ireland, Paul Gerard Walsh, 30, on Jalan Tegal Wangi, Kuta.

He was involved in the theft of a motorcycle.

According to Chief of Kuta Police, Wayan Sumara, accompanied by Chief of Criminal Investigation Unit, Ario Seno, said on Monday (Feb. 27) that the case began when the victim, Fauzi Sahi, wanted to come to the Hotel Matahari Guest House on Jalan Tegal Wangi, Kuta, to look for Pie Legong at 23:30. At that time, he heard that his motorcycle was ignited.

“When returning to the parking lot, the victim saw the perpetrator taking away his motorcycle. The victim pursued the perpetrator by riding his friend’s motorcycle while shouting out at the thief,” he said.

The perpetrator immediately accelerated the motorcycle when he saw to have been pursued. On arrival at the intersection of Jalan Tegal Wangi, the suspect crashed on iron fence and fell down from his motorcycle. The suspect jumped up, ran away and left the stolen motorcycle. The suspect with high and big posture then hid at people’s home.

Operation team led by Chief of Criminal Investigation Unit, Budi Artama, flashed on the scene and saw a crowd of people at the location. Having been told there was a tourist running away after stealing a motorcycle, police immediately hunted.

Not long after, the suspect could be arrested.

“Since having neck injury due to being afflicted by iron, the suspect was taken to hospital. After his wound was treated, the suspect was taken to police station,” he said. (kmb36)

 Founder : K.Nadha,  General Manager :Palgunadi Chief Editor: Gugiek Savindra  Editors:Agus Toni, Daniel Fajry, Mawa, Sueca, Sugiartha, Yudi Winanto Denpasar: Dira Arsana, Giriana Saputra, Subrata, Sumatika, Asmara Putra. Bangli: Suasrina, Buleleng: Dewa kusuma, Gianyar: Manik Astajaya, Karangasem: Budana, Klungkung: Dewa Farendra. Jakarta: Nikson, Hardianto, Ade Irawan. NTB: Agus Talino, Izzul Khairi, Raka Akriyani. Surabaya: Bambang Wilianto.  Office: Jalan Kepundung 67 A Denpasar 80232. Telephone (0361)225764, Facsimile: 227418, P.O.Box: 3010 Denpasar 80001. Bali Post Jakarta, Advertizing: Jl.Palmerah Barat 21F. Telp 021-5357602, Facsimile: 021-5357605 Jakarta Pusat. NTB: Jalam Bangau No. 15 Cakranegara Telp. (0370) 639543, Facsimile: (0370) 628257. Publisher: PT Bali Post

Activities

International

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

A Helping Hand for Songan

By Bali Adventure Tours Bali Adventure Tours and all its subsidiary, includes Elephant Safari Park & Lodge, Ubud Adventure and Function Center, and Bali Adventure Rafting, dedicated one of their working days to visit three areas devastated by landslide in Kintamani of Bangli Regency.

Bali was shattered with the news of Songan Hamlet of Kintamani

Village in Bangli Regency struck by landslide and caused 7 persons dead. The next day the number of dead casualties went up as three other Hamlets got affected.

In Songan Hamlet, the team met Mr Wayan Wirtana who lost three of his family members, Mr Ketut Mertajaya whose wife died, and the family of Jero Penyarikan who

WEEKLY EVENTS and FARMERS MARKETS EVERY SATURDAY Meditation class by Mangku Budi Dharma 14-16:30 Bona, Blahbatuh meet at Ubud Cocomarket at 13:00 Saturday Market Oldman’s Cafe Canggu, Batu Bolong Beach, pottery fresh produce, clothing Sand Beach Club and Restaurant, Sanur Every second Saturday Biasa Art Space, Jl. Raya Seminyak 24, Seminyak, Fresh produce, potted plants, meat pie, sshie, coffee and more.

Every Saturday 9AM-2PM OrganIc Farmer’s Market Pizza Bagus (Jl. Pengosekan), Ubud EVERY SUNDAY Soul to soul spirituall dialogue Anand Ashram, Ubud Jl Sri Wedari KM 3 Mantra chanting 6-6:30pm Navaraha Arati 6:30-6:45pm Meditation, Satsang and celebration 6:45-8:30pm www.ubudashram.org SUNDAY MARKETS 10AM 1PM Sunday Market at Batu Jimbar Jl. Danau Tablingan , Sanur 10AM-4PM The Sands Beach Club and Restaurant Sunday MArket Jl. Danau Tamblingan, No 27, Sanur 9:30AM-1PM Sunday Market @ Warung Sopa Jl. Sugriwas no36, Padang Tegal, Ubud 9AM-2PM Samadi Sunday Market Jalan. Padang Linjong 39, Canggu, 9AM-2PM Wednesday and Sunday Ubud Organik Market Jl. Raya Pengosekan across from Zens Hotel Tebesaya, Ubud 12PM-10PM Sunday Food Festival & Bazaar Byrdhouse Beach Club, Sanur 10AM-6PM, Mercure,last sunday of every month, jl. ,Mertasari, Sanur, fashion food and and kids activities The Coffee Spot, Jalan Peigenet 888X,Seminyak, last Sunday of every month, garage sale clothing, books, and hand-made jewellery

lost three family members and two other members are hospitalised.

Meanwhile in Sukawana Hamlet, the relief aid was given to Wayan Gunawan and Kadek Artedana who both lost their family

member and their house ruined by the landslide. Another two families received basic needs aid and relief fund in Awan Hamlet, namely the family of Ni Kadek Rini and the family of I Gede Kembar.

15

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

16 Pages Number 43 9th year

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

Price: Rp 3.000,-

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Oscars draw lowest U.S. audience since 2008 with 32.9 mln viewers

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

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Saudi King Salman bin Abulaziz Al-Saud attends the first Gulf Cooporative Council’s (GCC) “GCC British Summit”, in Sakhir Palace Bahrain, December 7, 2016.

LOS ANGELES - ABC’s Sunday night broadcast of the Academy Awards hosted by comic Jimmy Kimmel drew the smallest audience since 2008 despite a memorable ending that will go down in history.

Some 32.9 million U.S. viewers watched the ceremony, a 4 percent drop from the 2016 Oscars which drew 34.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen data released on Monday by ABC, a unit of Walt Disney Co. The 2008 Oscars averaged 32 million viewers.

The awards ceremony went a few minutes past midnight on the East Coast and ended in controversy when “La La Land” was mistakenly named best picture winner after presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were given the wrong envelope. The actual winner, announced minutes later, was “Moonlight.”

The chaotic and heart-stopping finale made for great television, but came too late to help ratings.

Viewership may have declined because “La La Land” had been a heavy favorite to sweep the awards, leaving little suspense for the TV audience, said Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co. “There was a foregone conclusion that ‘La La Land’ was going to sweep, and there’s not much

Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP

Scarlett Johansson, right, and Joe Machota arrive at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. intrigue to knowing the outcome,” Bock said. “Obviously, that was one of the most exciting endings in Hollywood history.”

He also noted that only two of the year’s 20 top-grossing films were nominated for best picture.

The biggest movies of 2016, such as “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and Marvel’s “Doctor Strange,” were left out of the top category.

“Moonlight” has a $22.3 million

domestic box office haul, making it the smallest-grossing best picture winner since “The Hurt Locker” won in 2010, and the second-lowest since at least 1978, according to Box Office Mojo.

The decline in viewership for the Oscars breaks the streak of higher ratings for award shows in 2017 after both the Grammys and Golden Globes showed gains over last year. (rtr)

Saudi king to work with Indonesia to combat Islamic State - ambassador Saudi King’s visit to Asia

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman kicked off a month-long Asian tour to build ties with the world’s fastest growing importers of Saudi oil and promote investment opportunities, including the sale of a stake in its giant state firm Aramco.

You can find International Bali Post at: 1 Kuta Beach Club Jl. Bakung Sari Kuta 2 Wen Dys Kuta the Coffe Bear Jl. Pantai Kuta 3 Seminyak Paradiso Bali Hotel Jl. Camplung Tanduk 4 Ramayana Resort&Spa Jl. Bakung Sari Kuta 5 The Lokha Legian Resort&Spa Jl. Padma Legian Kuta 6 66 Corner Live Sport Emtertaiment Jl. Doble Six/Werkudara 23 7 Leghawa Grill Jl. D.Tamblingan No. 51 8 Retno Barr dan Restoran Jl. D.Tamblingan No.126 A Sanur 9 Elkomedor Jl. D.Tamblingan 140 10 Malaika Scret Jl. D.Poso No 68 11 Snack Shack Jl. D.Poso No. 50D 12 Warung Lokal Jl. D.Poso No. 39 13 Cokro Cafee Jl. D.Poso Sanur 14 T.J.Bar Jl. D.Poso Sanur 15 J & N Kebab Jl. D.Poso Sanur 16 Goanna Bar Jl. D.Poso Sanur 17 Batu Jimbar Jl. D.Tamblingan Sanur

18 Ramayana Cafee Jl. D.Tamblingan 19 Smirnof Cafee Jl. D.Tamblingan Sanur 20 Legwa Hotel Jl. D.Tamblingan Sanur 21 Nu Laser Cafee Jl. D.Tamblingan Sanur 22 Ganesa Book Jl. D.Tamblingan Sanur 23 All For Daiving Jl. D.Tamblingan Sanur 24 Barocca Jl.Petitenget 17 DKerobokan 25 Lantern Jl.Petitenget 17E Kerobokan 26 Shearlock Jl.Petitenget 17C Kerobokan Klod 27 Cafe Degan Jl.Petitenget 9 Kerobokan Klod 28 Kopi Made Jl. Raya Puputan No. 106 Dps 29 Dimsum Manan Jl. Raya Niti Mandala Renon No 148 30 Furama Jl. Raya Niti Mandala No. 148 Renon 31 Warung Subah Renon Jl. Mohamad Yamin No.18 32 Ayam Betutu khas Gilimanuk Jl. Merdeka No.88 Renon 33 Bali Bakery Jl. Hayam Wuruk 184 Denpasar

Beijing* Mar. 16-20 JORDAN Date unavailable

CHINA

Tokyo Mar. 12-15

SAUDI ARABIA Kuala Lumpur Feb. 26- Mar. 1 MALAYSIA

Maldives Date unavailable Jakarta Mar. 1-4 Source: Reuters. *Tentative C. Inton, 28/02/2017

JAPAN

BRUNEI Mar. 4

INDONESIA Bali Mar. 4-12

JAKARTA - A pact to combat terrorism will be the centrepiece of up to 10 agreements that will be signed when Saudi Arabia’s king this week visits Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, the kingdom’s envoy to Indonesia said on Tuesday.

King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who on Sunday kicked off a month-long Asian tour, lands in Indonesia on Wednesday with an entourage that local officials have said could number up to 1,500.

Billed as a “mega trip”, it would be a Saudi king’s first visit to Indonesia in nearly five decades.

Apart from a side-trip of several hours to Brunei, King Salman will be in Indonesia until March 12, spending much of the time on the resort island of Bali, ambassador Osama Mohammad Abdullah Alshuaibi told Reuters in an interview.

“We know Indonesia has suffered from bombing and terrorism here,” he said, singling out the Islamic

State for its “different ideology” and disrespect for human life.

“We will cooperate with the Indonesians on this field. We can exchange data, we can exchange experience, and we can defeat these people.” Authorities in officially secular Indonesia have grown increasingly concerned after a series of attacks over the past year blamed on supporters of Islamic State.

Indonesian police killed a militant on Monday after he detonated a small bomb in the West Java city of Bandung. Security officials said they were investigating whether he had links to a radical network sympathetic to Islamic State.

Alshuaibi said Saudi and Indo-

nesian military officers are training in each other’s countries to counter Islamic State. Saudi Arabia is aiming to open more Islamic schools in Indonesia, which will teach religion using the Arabic language, and step up the number of scholarships for students, the envoy said.

The king’s visit to Indonesia comes as fringe Islamist groups grow in influence and Muslim leaders take an increasingly strict line on Islamic issues, which is at odds with Indonesia’s traditional brand of moderate “Islam Nusantara”.

Continued to page 6 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.