Edisi 09 September 2010 | International Bali Post

16 Pages Number 172 2st Year

Weeks of rains leave thousands homeless in Mexico PAGE 6

Price: Rp 3.000,-

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

Australian tourists to Bali usually ignore travel warnings PAGE 8

John Lennon’s killer is again denied parole in NY

FILE - In this April 21, 2010 file image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the off shore oil rig Deepwater Horizon.

PAGE 12

AP Photo/US Coast Guard, File

Not Published We, the International Bali Post would like to apologize in advance because we will not be published on Friday, September 11th 2010 due to the Idul Fitri day.

WEATHER FORECAST CITY

TEMPERATURE OC

DENPASAR

25 - 32

JAKARTA

25 - 34

BANDUNG

19 - 29

YOGYAKARTA

22 - 35

SURABAYA

24 - 35

BRIGHT/CLOUDY

Associated Press Writer NEW ORLEANS – Oil giant BP PLC on Wednesday planned to release the conclusions of its internal investigation into the rig explosion that killed 11 workers and led to the massive Gulf of Mexico spill.

BP was striking first with a detailed report about what it believes went wrong on the

Thank you

SUNNY

All eyes on BP report on Gulf oil spill disaster

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Deepwater Horizon on April 20.

It comes just days after a key piece of evidence in the explosion

was raised to the surface but has not yet been analyzed. It also comes as the blame game heats up in Washington and in the courtroom.

BP was unlikely to place too much onus on itself, given the hundreds of lawsuits and billions of dollars of liabilities it faces. In public hearings, the company has

tried to shift some blame to rig owner Transocean Ltd. and cement contractor Halliburton. BP was leasing the rig from Transocean and owned the well that blew out a mile under the Gulf surface, spewing some 206 million gallons of oil into the water over three months.

Continued on page 6

Philippine hostage probe inspects bullet-riddled bus Agence France Presse

MANILA - Philippine investigators on Wednesday inspected the bullet-riddled bus where eight Hong Kong tourists died in a hostage crisis, in a bid to establish who was to blame for the killings.

The inquiry board members, a Hong Kong government representative, and the driver of the illfated bus arrived at a police warehouse where the vehicle was stored after last month’s fiasco.

Spotlights shone on the bus, with long strands of twine protrud-

ing from holes to show bullet trajectories as Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and other officials played the roles of hostages in a two-hour re-enactment. “We can’t yet make that conclusion,” de Lima told reporters when asked if the panel now knew who had killed the hostages.

“That is a very important point and we have to be careful in making that conclusion,” she added. Sacked Manila policeman Rolando Mendoza hijacked the bus on August 23 in a desperate bid to get his job back and be cleared of extortion charges.

Continued on page 6

TOPSHOTS AFP PHOTO/NOEL CELIS

Filipino bus driver Alberto Lubang holds a rifle as he demonstrates how the hostage-taker, dismissed policeman Rolando Mendoza moved inside the tourist bus that was the scene of the deadly hostage incident in which eight Hong Kong residents were killed, during a inspection by the panel of investigators at a police camp where the bus was taken, in Manila on September 8, 2010.

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International

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Bali News In response to Indonesia-Malaysia conflict

Malaysian tourists act very rationally Jakarta (Bali Post)—

Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik ensured the target of foreign tourist visits from Malaysia would not fumble. The reason, the tourists from our neighboring country were very rational in dealing with the phenomena occurring in connection with the relations between the two countries.

“They are very rational, and impossible to cancel their visit plans to Indonesia,” said Wacik to Bali Post in Jakarta, last Tuesday (Sep 7).

Even if it declined at the moment, said Wacik, solely because the tourists of neighboring country especially those of Malays ethnic were conducting religious fasting, so there were slight declines of tourist activities in terms of quantity. But prior to Idul Fitri, Jero Wacik ensured that many Malaysian tourists came for shopping for the needs of Idul Fitri.

To know the existence of Malaysian tourists, Wacik suggested coming to the centers of textile industry because they were mostly shopping for the needs of Idul Fitri. “They generally do shopping for Idul Fitri, especially textiles and embroidery products,” explained Wacik.

In the meantime, Wacik also revealed, based on the recent experience, only few of them indeed cancelled the visit because of the demonstration reason. They did not respond rationally to the development of relations between the two countries. “Majority of them actually had no problem with such a condition because Indonesia has many

safe and comfortable destinations to visit,” he said.

Minister of Culture and Tourism had confidence that such demonstration would not have significant influence to the target of visit. Similarly, Wacik revealed that Malaysian market until last July occupied the top ranking as the largest contributor of tourists, particularly in the ASEAN region.

Meanwhile, the tourism officer of Visit Indonesia, Mohd Shafie Obet, ensured there was no shift in the target of foreign tourists visit from Malaysia. Even, he added that Bali,Yogyakarta and Medan had become a favorite destination for them. “They asked a lot of information associated with the three destinations,includingBandung,”saidObet.

Likewise, he revealed that previously there were some tourists that had paid various needs and would like to cancel their scheduled tours, especially for the destinations of Jakarta and Bandung. However, since there was no refund for the fare deposited, they finally departed and nothing happened to them. “They confessed to enjoy very much their tours in Jakarta and Bandung. Everything was okay,” said one of them.

He was truly grateful that response of both governments to convince their citizens that nothing happened to diplomatic relations of the two countries became a kind of guarantee for those still traveling to Indonesia. “I have already explained about everything happened in Indonesia to the agents in Malaysia. Essentially they could understand it all,” he said. (010)

Nusa Dua Fiesta 2010 Is Back “Green Tourism” As Theme Mangupura (Bali Post) –

As a yearly promotion, Bali Tourism Development Corporation (BTDC) this year is proudly presenting Nusa Dua Fiesta. As the previous year, the event held in Panisula, Nusa Dua, coming 15-19 October will show performance arts, cultures, sports, music and exhibitions.

The First Director of BTDC, Ir. I Made Mandra, in a press conference at Novotel Resorts, Nusa Dua, last Tuesday (7/9) stated, Green Tourism will be its theme this year as this theme will remind how important preserving the environment is for the tourism in Bali, “As the manager of the five stars hotels areal, BTDC have done a environment care action for a long time. This se-

riousness showed us with Green Globe 21 that we have got is because our commitment to the environment to reach a continuing tourism.”

This international event is not only for promoting Nusa Dua but also for Bali as one of the great destinations in the world. With the Tri Hita Karana (Three Harmonic Connection), the island of Gods can be promoted as a destination with no environment harming. To support this, BTDC also have successfully built a condotel and convention center above seven hectares of land as part of Bali’s infrastructure, “Through this event, we hoped to increase a positive name for Bali’s tourism for its people in general and tourists specially.” (par)

Governor insists on rejecting Bedugul geothermal project Denpasar (Bali Post)— The desire to resume the geothermal energy mega project at Bedugul was seriously responded in person by Governor of Bali, Made Mangku Pastika. This number one figure in Bali asserted that his party remained to commit to decisions made by previous government rejecting the Bedugul geothermal development project. No matter what the reason was such mega project could not be put on anymore. The affirmation of refusal was delivered

by Governor of Bali, Made Mangku Pastika, last Tuesday (Sep 7).

Mangku Pastika stated the passage of Java-Bali Crossing line development did not necessarily meant that Bedugul geothermal project could be passed again. Although acknowledged that Bali currently faced shortages of electrical energy, he reminded that the Java-Bali Crossing project was different from Bedugul geothermal development.

Java-Bali Crossing lines did not entirely use the extra high voltage aerial lines (SUTET), but it was only until Gilimanuk. “The Java-Bali Crossing is different and not the

whole line uses SUTET, but it applies the high voltage aerial lines (SUTT),” he said.

This former Chief of Bali Police added that the risks resulted in the Bedugul geothermal development was very different from the development of Java-Bali Crossing. It was affirmed, geothermal was potentially damaging the nature of Bali. Moreover, the process of drilling conducted in the sacred area and digging in geothermal development was also considered contrary to the concept of upstream and downstream in

Bali. “The project can affect more declining on the lake water discharge and potentially aggravating the damage to the environment,” he added.

Meanwhile, a member of the Regional Representative Council (DPD RI), Wayan Sudirta, said the reinstating of Bedugul Geothermal development meant to wake up a sleeping tiger. It was asserted, since the very beginning the Balinese had rejected the mega project. Such struggle was carried out as a member of DPD RI and the House of Representatives (DPR RI) from Bali by meeting directly the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) together with higher priest.

In essence, they asked the minister to cancel the geothermal mega project. “Balinese people certainly are not going to accept the project.

Especially in the area where there are temples made sacred by the Hindus in Bali,” he asserted. (kmb13)

Narcotics session of Iranian citizen, captured due to looking dapper Denpasar (Bali Post)—

Again, an Iranian citizen was dragged back to Denpasar District Court as alleged to get involved in the abuse of narcotics. It is now the turn of the defendant Rouhollah Serish Abadi bin Samad, 26, convened last Tuesday (Sep 7), who was charged with the importing of one kilogram of methamphetamine to Indonesia.

The trial led by Judge Amzar Simanjuntak was commenced by the agenda of hearing the indictment of prosecutor Made Tangkas. As a matter of fact, the trial was delayed for several times because of difficulties to get Persian language interpreter. After reading the indictment, the trial was resumed by hearing the testimony of some witnesses.

The witness Martinus Atamau from the Ngurah Rai Airport, Tuban, explained that he was involved in the bodily and goods inspection of defendant at the airport. Witness and a number of his colleagues confessed to suspect the

defendant because he looked different from the other passengers. As soon as getting down from Qatar Airways, the defendant had already shown suspicious indication. “He looked very dapper and put on tie as well,” explained the witness.

The defendant was also described as an anxious man. Another suspicion was the defendant brought a large suitcase that was almost empty because only contained few items. Then, from the flight schedule in the electronic ticket used by the defendant, he only made a transit at Ngurah Rai Airport.

“The defendant flew on the route Damascus-Doha-Denpasar and on the same day the defendant would return to his home country on the same route namely Bali-Doha-Damascus. Therefore, he planned to fly vice versa,” revealed the witness describing his suspicion on the defendant.

Furthermore, the witness also mentioned when passing through the X-ray monitor, the defendant’s suitcase indicated orange color meaning there were

organic substances inside. Later, the defendant was escorted to the examination desk of custom office to be further examined by using ionic scanning.

The results showed that defendant’s luggage contained narcotic substance.

Witnesses together with other colleagues then checked the luggage of defendant. As a result, three pieces of plastic containing methamphetamine with a total weight of 1.047 kilogram were successfully secured. In response to the testimony of witnesses, the defendant could not dodge.

To the panel of judges, defendants justified all testimonies of witnesses.

Meanwhile, the next session was adjourned and would be resumed on Tuesday (Sep 14). The session would remain to schedule the witness’ examination.

For his action, prosecutors trapped defendant with Article 113 paragraph 2 of Law of the RI No. 35/2009 and article 112 Paragraph 2 of Act of the RI No. 35/2009 concerning with narcotics with the threat of death penalty.

(015)

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Bali News

International

Head of Bali Police Interrogated Roberto and Two “Pratima” Stealing Plotter, Gianyar Police Capture One Robber Denpasar (Bali Post)

Head of Bali Police General Police Inspector Hadiatmoko have definitely given attention to the pratima (ceremonial statues) robbery cases. As Gianyar Police reported had captured another robber, Hadiatmoko then came straight away to accused Agung Aji alias Gung Aji, last Tuesday (8/9). Hadiatmoko even interrogated Roberto Gamba and the two plotters, Komang Oka Sukaya and IG Lanang Sidemen. So what was asked?

Hadiatmoko asked Roberto connecting to the process of collecting hundreds of pratima in his place including who is the seller.

Oka Sukaya and Sidemen was asked on how they did their business on stolen sacred items from temples in Bali, “From whom did you buy these pratima? Is there also from outside Bali?”

Roberto answer straightly that he had bought the antiques from accused Oka Sukaya and Sidemen. Those pratima are now confiscated by the police and some were coming from Cirebon, “I bought the Saraswati statue from Oka Sukaya IDR 20 Million. There are also other items.”

Meanwhile the Criminal Department of Gianyar Police managed to capture one stealer who has been robbing a number of pura in Gianyar last Tueday (7/ 9) morning. Gung Aji from Karangasem was captured in Rendang, Karangasem. This is done with the hard work of workers after three days surveyed the accused house.

Head of Gianyar Police, Great Adjunct Police Commissioner, Ahmad Nurwakhid mentioned, accused Gung Aji is still brought outside by investigators to proof over his acts, “We followed him for three days in his house. And on 3 am wita we captured him successfully.”

The former Head of Jembrana Police stated, the investigators just managed to dig a little statement form Gung Aji yet he admitted all the crime scenes in Gianyar, “There are four official reports on our table. Yet, accused admitted tens of crime scenes

also all pura that are robbed in Gianyar.”

Each pura robbed were all reported to the Gianyar Police which are Pura Yangapi in Banjar Kelingkung, Lodtunduh Village, Ubud, Pura Dalem Adat and Pura Dalem Pasung Grigis at Banjar Mas, Kemenuh Village, Sukawati, Pura Sekar Pule Samplangan, Ginayar, and Pura Yangapi Samplangan. All those four pura leaders have checked the evidence in Gianyar Police Department and all those pratima taken were there.

Nurwahid clarified, this robber is a syndicate that has a strong network. For example, Gung Aji is the picker for Oka Sukaya and Lanang Sidemen. Then Sukaya and Sidemen sold it to Roberto Gamba, “We are still developing this, there’s probably additional accused especially the pickers/ robbers.”

According Bali Post supervision in Gianyar Police Resort, the tens of pratima successfully confiscated is shown to Hadiatmoko and the Bali Police officials. the three accused (Roberto, Sukaya and Sidemen) were also there. The pratima shown were statues of garuda (hawk) bird, Goddess Saraswati, cow, lontar (manuscript on palm leaves), uang kepeng (flat holy coins), sokasi and paying (holy praying equipments) and more. the pratima has been clarified by each pura leader that have lost their pratima.

Meanwhile, Badung Police Resort have inspected two warehouse owned by Roberto last Monday (6/ 9) night where tens of sacred items confiscated. When raiding the one in Teuku Umar Street, Denpasar, police confiscated 24 pratima.

Then on the second one in Mertanadi Street, Seminyak, Kuta, the team controlled by Adjung Police Commissioner Soma Adnyana, confiscated many kinds of sacred items such as trisula kris, three preserved white peacocks, a kris handle rangda drawn, 12 red jewels, 8 green ones, 3 black ones, 11 white ones and one statue face, “This warehouse can be opened after one of workers family gave the key.” (jay/jep)

Thursday, September 9, 2010

3

Going Home Flow D-3, Less Crowded on Day Long Queues at Night Negara, DenPost

The going home flow Idul Fitri (Lebaran) Day minus 3 (D-3) last Tuesday (7/9) afternoon seemed quiet. Although on Monday (6/9) night there’s a quite long queue.

From the supervision in Gilimanuk Harbor, it is seen lots of vehicles been going there since the evening. As night approaches there were more and more motorcycles, cars, added with inter city inter province (AKAP) busses and goods vehicles. It is caused by night time is preferred as it is not hot anymore also most of them are private company workers who just got their holidays.

The condition is very different from previous years when both day and night many going homers kept piling up.

Around 11.40 pm the tail of the

queue on Monday night poured over to the maneuver parking space and its peak happened on Tuesday (7/9) at 1 am.

The queue reached 2 kilometers which almost until Gelung Kori, Penginuman, Gilimanuk. Meanwhile the motorcycles queue is until the tent in front of Gilimanuk Sea Areal Police Sector. To avoid the long queues, police and River, Lakea and Crossing Transport Board (ASDP) had to change routes for trucks to go through Pura (temple) Segara, Gilimanuk. Approximately from peak to the ship took around 3 to 4 hours. While last year it can take 8

to 12 hours. This fluent flow is because ASDP had operated 26 ships and trips are also added because there is no policy from Syahbandar on controlling the number of vehicles on the ship like last year.

Meanwhile, Operational Manager of ASDP Gilimanuk, Ospar Silaban, told besides the ships going fluently so the queues are not that long was also caused by those who were crossing were not all in the same time like last year.

Ospar predicted on D-2 there will be an increase and can cause longer queue. From D-3 to D-2 there will be 17.000 motorcycles, 5.500 cars and 61.000 walking passengers. The harbor is ready for it also now one boat called Marina Pratama has operated. If it’s very crowded the all 28 ships will be operating. (120)

(AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Indonesian girls sit on the back of motorcycles as they wait in a queue to enter a ferry boat to cross over to East Java at Gilimanuk port, west Bali, Indonesia, Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010. The mass exodus out of Bali island and other major cities in the country is underway as thousands are preparing to head home to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the holiday which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Denpasar Haunted by Residents Rising Denpasar (Bali Post) –

Denpasar has an area 127,98 Ha and now has been lived by at least 788.445 people based on this year’s census. Even though, those who have a National ID Card (KTP) until 6th September 2010 is only 614.512 if them. Statistics Board (BPS) noted the number of people lived in 1 kilometer is as much as 6.170 of them. These crowding residents in each sub districts, especially in

West Denpasar reaches 9.510 people.

Looking at this condition, Mayor of Denpasar IB Rai Dharmawijaya Mantra asked the head of villages and sub districts to increase coordination in controlling demography administration.

This was clarified during a coordinate meeting with the whole village chiefs in DEnpasar last Tuesday (7/9) at praja utama hall

at mayor’s office.

Rai Mantra said the number of Denpasar residents at this time is quite high. Moreover the increase could reach up to 4 percent per year and it is very worrying, “If this is ignored, it is worried to cause social problems.”

The son of the former Governor Bali hoped this coordination will happen as control over residents still need to be done so Denpasar can supervise their residents.

The worries were reasoned. As the data from Denpasar Demography and Civil Data Agency said Denpasar’s residents increased from 526.993 in 2007 to 576.425 in 2008 to 597.512 in 2009. The three village with highest number is Sesetan as much as 50.595, Pemogan with 46.056 and Pemecutan Kaja with 45.572.

Meanwhile the highest growth happened in Padangsambian kelod with 9.73 percent, Ubung

Kaja with 7,51 and Pemogan with 7,49 percent. This indicates that the urbanization level in those villages are high, “We asked a serious attention towards this problem to those who took care of these villages.”

It was said there has been complains received of demography problems. Following kaki lima (going around) traders, dengue, cleanliness, dirtiness, and lastly infrastructure problems. (kmb12)

4

News

Thursday, September 9, 2010

International

China’s Hu calls for stable ties with US Associated Press Writer

BEIJING – Trying to smooth over recently rocky relations before a visit to Washington, Chinese President Hu Jintao told American officials on Wednesday that he wants to see healthy and stable ties between the two countries.

The meeting between Hu and a White House economic policy official and deputy national security adviser was unusual because the Chinese president rarely meets with visitors ranked lower in diplomatic protocol. It underscored Hu’s desire to move ahead in relations after months of discord over trade imbalances, Chinese currency policies and U.S. arms sales and military maneuvers.

“China looks positively on the fresh progress made in China-U.S. relations, and we are willing to work together with the United States in promoting the advance of healthy and stable China-U.S. relations,” Hu told director of the U.S. National Economic Council, Lawrence Summers, and Deputy National Security Adviser Thomas Donilon.

Addressing the security and economic spats that have dragged down relations was at the heart of Summers’ and Donilon’s three days of meetings

in Beijing. With an anemic economy and his Democratic Party under pressure in upcoming congressional elections, President Barack Obama is hoping for concessions from Beijing on exchange rate policies that critics say keep the Chinese currency too low, thereby subsidizing Chinese exports and contributing to high U.S. unemployment.

Hu, in the meantime, is trying to strengthen his political hand ahead of a delicate Communist Party leadership transition and maintain the popularity of his government with people grown used to high rates of economic growth in part buoyed by trade with the United States.

The Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post reported Wednesday, citing unnamed Chinese diplomats, that the governments had agreed to resume military talks that Beijing suspended earlier this year in pique at U.S. weapons sales to Chinese rival Taiwan.

U.S. National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said Donilon and Summers had “productive, detailed, and wide-ranging discussions with Chinese officials” and that the visit, which concluded Wednesday, “advanced the goal of strengthening the U.S.China relationship.”

AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena

Sri Lankan opposition supporters are blocked by police during a protest in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010. Sri Lanka’s Parliament on Wednesday began debating a controversial amendment to the country’s constitution that would allow President Mahinda Rajapaksa to hold unlimited number of terms, a move critics say could lead to a dictatorship.

Sri Lanka debates ending term limits for president Agence France Presse

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka’s Parliament began debating a constitutional amendment on Wednesday that would allow the president to stay in office for an unlimited number of terms, a move critics say could lead to dictatorship.

AP Photo/Feng Li, Pool

U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Thomas Donilon, left, meets with Chinese President Hu Jintao, right, at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday September 8, 2010 in Beijing. Donilon and U.S. National Economic Council Chairman Larry Summers are currently visiting China.

The main opposition group, the United National Party, boycotted the debate and burned an effigy of President Mahinda Rajapaksa at a protest in the capital. However, the governing coalition has enough seats to secure the two-thirds majority required in the 225-member Parliament to change the charter.

The constitution currently limits the president to two six-year terms, so Rajapaksa’s term starting in November would be his last.

Prime Minister Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Jayaratne said there was nothing undemocratic in the

proposal.

He said the president would receive the same right as other elected representatives to seek office without restrictions. Rajapaksa is popular among the country’s Sinhalese majority for crushing a 25-year separatist insurgency by ethnic Tamil rebels. But critics say he has exploited that goodwill to consolidate power with the aim of setting up a family dynasty. Two of his brothers are senior ministers, another is defense secretary and his son is a lawmaker.

The proposed amendment also

would scrap a provision requiring the president to receive the approval of independent commissions in appointing officials to the judiciary, police, public service and the elections office.

“This bill threatens to finally nail the coffin in which the democracy of this country has been laid,” M.A. Sumanthiran, a lawmaker for the Tamil National Alliance, the largest party representing ethnic Tamils, told Parliament.

Opposition supporters held protests in some parts of capital, but were outnumbered by government supporters brought in from different parts of the country who held pictures of Rajapaksa to show solidarity with the government. The opposition UNP burned an effigy of Rajapaksa and carried a coffin symbolizing the death of democracy.

South Korea announces sanctions against Iran Agence France Presse

SEOUL – South Korea said Wednesday it would penalise a key Iranian bank and put all financial transactions with Tehran under strict government supervision as part of sanctions over its nuclear programme.

Foreign ministry spokesman Kim Young-Sun said the govern-

ment would impose a “heavy penalty” on the Seoul branch of Bank Mellat, which allegedly facilitated hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions for Iranian nuclear, missile and defence entities.

Kim did not elaborate but Yonhap news agency said the bank would likely face a two-month suspension.

The package of sanctions also includes the blackballing of 102 Ira-

nian entities including 14 other banks and 24 individuals, and the strengthening of inspection of cargoes related to Iran.

The measures also call for Seoul to restrict new investment in the Middle Eastern nation’s energy industry but do not ban oil imports.

A man walks past a signboard of Bank Mellat, an Iranian state-run commercial bank, outside its Seoul branch on September 8, 2010.

South Korea said it would penalise a key Iranian bank and put all financial transactions with Tehran under strict government supervision as part of sanctions over its nuclear programme.

AFP PHOTO/PARK JI-HWAN

Hotel Activities

International

Thursday, September 9, 2010

5

Maya Ubud’s a Spiritual Journey: an Enchanting, Healing, Loving Experience IBP

UBUD – Maya Ubud Resort & Spa’s special eight day package: A Spiritual Journey, has been an exceptional experience for its participants. See what they say about it.

Since the beginning of the year when first introduced, demand for this package has seen a steady increase by those wishing to discover the real essence of the life of the Balinese, and experience their unique culture and spirituality.

The Spiritual Journey package is a unique package that introduces and assists participants to better understand the spiritual aspects of Balinese life and customs, whilst creating a rejuvenating and healing experience for participants. The Spiritual Journey commences with a warm welcome from our caring staff, each one allocated to meet the needs of clients to ensure their stay is a memorable and enlightening one.

Each enlightening day commences with morning yoga and meditation sessions in a picturesque setting, followed on different days by exploring nearby temples and visiting a traditional Balinese healer (Balian), or even a spiritual consultation and priestly blessing. Another option is to learn with village ladies the art of making traditional temple offerings as our guide carefully explains the meaning of the

offerings, which can later be presented during the village temple visit. On another morning clients will be taken for a walk to a traditional village to be greeted by local village people and experience how they start a typical day.

Throughout the Spiritual Journey program, the designated resort guide will share with participants various aspects of the philosophy of the Balinese people, which will enlighten and help them better understand the unique practical, cultural and spiritual essence of Balinese life.

Each day is planned to ensure a relaxed pace with plenty of time in between scheduled activities to also enjoy free time . . . such as relaxing by one of the beautiful pools, taking the free shuttle bus to Ubud market, or simply being spoilt with one of several (all inclusive) spa pampering treatments that awaits you in the legendary riverside Spa at Maya.

Those who have participated in and experienced the Spiritual Journey package write only heartfelt comments following their stay.

Ubud has always had strong spiritual healing elements related to the confluence of the two sacred rivers, the Oos and the Pakusera and an abundance of natural healing plants and herbs that thrive in the area, as well as the numerous balians (natural healers) that practice here, not to mention its ancient temples, revered priests and mystics.

Temple Ceremony Calendar of Event (Sep 3- 23 2010) 4 h – “Tumpek Wayang”, day devoted to “Sanghyang Iswara”, the lord of puppeteers, when blessing ceremony is given to shadow – puppet play sets for proper function and magical power.

Temple Festival at: - Pr.aspahit, Jembrana.

- Pr. Panti Gelgel, Ds. Pangembungan, Sesetan, Badung.

- Pedharman Dalem Sri Aji Kresna Kepakisan, Besakih.

- Pedharman Dalem Sukawati, Besaih.

- Pedharman Kaba-Kaba , Besakih.

- Pedharman Dalem Bakas, Besakih.

- Pr. Pedharman Mengwi, Besakih.

- Pr. Penataran Giri Purwa, Ds. Kutarejo, Tegal Dalimo, Banyuwangi.

5th _ Temple Festival at: - Pr. Maospahit, Ds. Gerenceng Denpasar.

8th _ Temple Festival at: - Pr. Ulun Kulkul, Besakih.

- Pr. Melanting, Ds. Camenggaon, Sukawati.

- Pr. Penataran Agung, Teluk Padang, Karangasem.

- Pr. Pasek Gelgel, Ds. Pangembungan, Bongkasa, abiansemal.

- Pr. Pasek Bandesa, Ds. Riyang Gede, Penebel Tabanan.

- Pr. Pasek Banjar Jawa, Buleleng.

- Pr. Gaduhan Jagat, Ds. Singakerta, Ubud.

- Pr. Masceti Tengah, Ds. Mancawarna, Tampaksiring.

- Pr. Penataran Batulepang, Ds. Kamasan, Klungkung.

- Pr. Paibon Pasek Gobleg, Ds. Kedonganan, Kuta - Pr. Pasek Gelgel, Ds. Songan, Batur,

Kintamani.

- Pr. Pasanggerahan Agung, Ds. Bebandem, Karangasem.

- Pr. Penataran Dalem Peed, Nusa Penida.

- Mr.Pasek Perateka, Ds. Pekandelan, Sidemen, Karangasem.

- Mr.Pasek Perateka Taman Sari, Sukasada.

- Pr. Kawitan Jero Wenayu, Ds. Wenayu, Bedulu, Gianyar.

- Pr. Jati, Ubud.

- Pr. Gua, Besakih.

10th _ Temple Festival at: - Merajan Geriya Kebon – Tabanan.

- Pr. Candi Gora, Ds. Tianyar, Karangasem.

14th _ Temple Festival at: - Pr. Puseh Jagat Dalem Dukut, Nusa Penida.

- Pr. Dalem, Ds. Batuyang, Batubulan.

- Pr. Pasek Magending, Kediri, Tabanan.

- Pr. Pasek Undagi, Ds. Timpag, Kerambitan, Tabanan.

- Pr. Desa + Pura Pucak, Br. Taman Bedulu, Gianyar.

- Mr.Pasek Tangkas Kori Agung, Ds. Sulahan.

- Mr.Pasek Padang Rata, Ds. Padang, Karangasem.

- Pr. Telaga Sakti/Dalem Tarukan, Ds. Ambengan, Nusa Penida.

- Pr. Dalem, Ds. Padangan, Pupuan, Tabanan.

- Pr. Yogha, Br. Teba Jero, Kaba-Kaba, Kediri Tabanan.

- Pr. Dalem Purwa, Br. Kawan, Bangli.

15th _ Temple Festival at: - Pr. Agung Pasek Gelgel, Ds. Sibang Kaja, abiansemal.

- Pr. Dalem Samprangan, Gianyar.

- Pr. Ds. Galiran, Bhakti Seraga, Buleleng.

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

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

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

In front of important shrine one sees, besides these umbrellas soars, tridents and other weapons, the “umbul-umbul”, long flags, all these are prerogatives or attributes of Holiness. In front of the Temple gate put up “Penjor”, long bamboo poles, decorated beautifully ornaments of young coconut leaves, rice and other products of the land. Most beautiful to see are the girls in their colorful attire, carrying offerings, arrangements of all kinds fruits and colored cakes, to the Temple. Every visitor admires the grace with which the carry their load on their heads.

6

News

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Weeks of rains leave thousands homeless in Mexico Associated Press Writer

VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico – Tens of thousands of people have abandoned their homes across southern Mexico to escape flooding from weeks of torrential rains, and forecasts are predicting even more rainfall. The situation worsened for some areas Tuesday when authorities began releasing 2,000 cubic meters (71,000 cubic feet) of water every second from four dams whose reservoirs were filled to capacity. The surge caused several rivers to overflow.

(AP Photo/Ronald Zak)

The flooding has affected all four of Mexico’s southernmost states: Tabasco, Veracruz, Chiapas and Oaxaca. But despite the dangers, government pleas to evacuate were ignored by many people, who are accustomed to severe flooding every year.

Tens of thousands are sleeping on the roofs of their homes, refusing to abandon their possessions despite the rapid rise of rivers.

Hipolito Hernandez hauled many of his belongings onto his roof as the Rio Carrizal washed over its banks and flooded dozens of homes in the farming

community of Sauces in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco. Hernandez, 38, gave some of his possessions to relatives who went to shelters but he stayed put. In 2007, he lost everything when he left his home during flooding that submerged 1 million homes and killed 33 people. “We are waiting to see what happens, we can still withstand this flood,” Hernandez saidIn Tabasco state, the homes of more than 124,000 people have been severely flooded. More than 187,000 hectares (462,000 acres) of crops belonging to 20,000 people have been lost. But only 2,000 people in the

The book ‘3096 Tage’ (3096 days) by Natascha Kampusch who was kidnapped and imprisoned in a cellar for eight and a half years, are on display in a book shop as the sale of the book starts in Vienna, Austria, Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2010.

Austrian kidnap victim tells details of ordeal Associated Press Writer

VIENNA – An Austrian woman who was kidnapped at age 10 says she was repeatedly beaten, starved and forced to do housework halfnaked during her 8 1/2 years at the mercy of a man who admired Hitler and considered himself an Egyptian god.

Natascha Kampusch was snatched off a Vienna street on her way to school and held prisoner in

a dungeon until she fled in August 2006. Her abductor, Wolfgang Priklopil, committed suicide within hours of her escape. The case captivated Austria and sent shock waves around the world.

Kampusch also says in a new book titled “3,096 Days” that Priklopil shaved off all her hair and shackled her to him on his bed after she turned 14. The book will be officially launched at a book reading Thursday.

All eyes...

From page 1 BP’s report is far from the final word on possible causes of the explosion, as several divisions of the U.S. government, including the Justice Department, Coast Guard and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, are also investigating.

Also, a key piece of the puzzle — the blowout preventer that failed to stop the oil from leaking from the well off the Louisiana coast — was raised from the water on Saturday. As of Tuesday afternoon, it had not reached a NASA facility in New Orleans where government investigators planned to analyze it, so those conclusions will not be part of BP’s report.

Investigators know the explosion was triggered by a bubble of methane gas that

(AP Photo/America Rocio)

People use make-shift boats to cross a flooded avenue in Villahermosa in Mexico’s Tabasco state, Tuesday Sept. 7, 2010.

Weeks of torrential rains have unleashed flooding in huge swaths of southern Mexico, forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes.

escaped from the well and shot up the drill column, expanding quickly as it burst through several seals and barriers before igniting.

But they don’t know exactly how or why the gas escaped. And they don’t know why the blowout preventer didn’t seal the well pipe at the sea bottom after the eruption, as it was supposed to.

The details of BP’s internal report have been closely guarded — and only a short list of people saw it ahead of its release. Mark Bly, BP’s group head of safety and operations, compiled the report and said in May that there was a gas plume before the explosion.

“This was a pretty large plume of gas ... I think it was a large enough where there was a high likelihood it would have ignited,” he said.

There were other signs of problems, including an unexpected loss of

fluid from a pipe known as a riser five hours before the explosion that could have indicated a leak in the blowout preventer. Witness statements show that rig workers talked just minutes before the blowout about pressure problems in the well.

At first, nobody seemed too worried, workers have said. Then panic set in.

Workers called their bosses to report that the well was “coming in” and that they were “getting mud back.” The drilling supervisor, Jason Anderson, tried to shut down the well. It didn’t work. At least two explosions turned the rig into an inferno.

Members of Congress, industry experts and workers who survived the rig explosion have accused BP’s engineers of cutting corners to save time and money on a project that was 43 days and more than $20 million behind schedule at the time of the blast.

state are in shelters.

“They are refusing to leave their homes and they don’t want to go to shelters because they have a culture of living with water,” Tabasco Gov. Andres Granier said during a meeting with President Felipe Calderon, who flew over the affected areas Tuesday and walked through some flooded towns. Granier warned Calderon that the situation could become even worse than in 2007 because record rainfall is expected.

“What worries me is that the worst is yet to come for Tabasco,” Granier said.

“The state and these people cannot keep suffering these problems each year, or live in permanent uncertainty.”

Authorities said the region has already received twice the amount of rainfall that normally falls during the season, which does not officially end until November.

The government has dug relief ditches and taken other flood-control measures in recent years to ease the annual flooding in southern Mexico.

Calderon acknowledged more needs to be done, but said the flooding would be much worse this year without the government’s advances.

He pointed to emergency levees made of concrete and dirt that so far have protected the state capital, Villahermosa, from the swollen Grijalva. Even with the barriers, a few outlying neighborhoods were severely flooded.In neighboring Veracruz state, floods have forced 200,000 people from their homes in recent weeks, although some have started returning.

Philippine...

From page 1 After day-long negotiations failed, Mendoza and eight Hong Kong hostages were killed amid a bungled rescue aired live on global television. Seven other Hong Kong hostages were injured in an incident which chilled ties with Hong Kong and damaged the Philippines’ tourism industry.

Philippine police have insisted Mendoza killed the eight hostages before he himself was fatally shot by a police sniper. Forensics and ballistics experts are scheduled to brief De Lima’s panel later this week before it writes a report to be given to President Benigno Aquino.

She warned the effort will take time to complete, but would not give a timetable. At one point during the visit, an assault rifle with its bullet clip removed was brought onto the bus to show how Mendoza fired on his captives.

Later, some of the policemen who took part in the assault showed how they approached the bus and fired at the hostage-taker.

International

Indonesia Today Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman (R) shakes hands with his Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa after a meeting in Kota Kinabalu on September 6, 2010.

AFP PHOTO/STR

RI, Malaysian foreign ministers touch on workers protection Antara

KUALA LUMPUR - The Indonesian and Malaysian foreign ministers in their meeting in Kinabalu also discussed protection of Indonesian migrant workers (TKI) in Malaysia, besides territorial borders and the August 13 Bintan waters incident which had strained the bilateral relations.

“The discussions on TKI protection included Indonesia`s request that Malaysia reduced the death sentences it had imposed on Indonesian criminals,” Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said in a joint press conference with his Malaysian counterpart Anifah Aman in Kinabalu city on Monday.

“We still respect the law in Malaysia, but we are still wishing Malaysia would reduce the death sentences it had imposed on Indonesians for the crime that had committed in that country, and also considering the close relations between the two countries and on humanitarian consideratons,” he said.

“We will convey Indonesia`s request to Yang DiPertuan Agong and the Sultan for consideration,” Anifah

Aman said.

According to the Indonesian embassy, 177 Indonesian migrant workers are facing the death sentence imposed on them by the Malaysian court for their crimes, including drug trafficking, murder, or in illegal possession of arms.

Of the 177, only 70 had been sentenced to death, including 3 had been sentenced by the Malaysian supreme court. Only the pardon of the Malaysian Sultan and Yang Dipertuan Agung could save them from the death by hanging.

In addition, Anifah Aman said, Malaysia agreed to discuss the Indonesian request on mandatory consular notification (MCN) under which Malaysian law enforcement person-

nel are required to inform representatives or the Idonesian embassy of the arrest of Indonesians for their crime.

“We will coordinate with the Malaysian domestic affairs ministry and the police to give information to representatives or the Indonesian embassy of the arrest of their people for crime they had committed. Representatives will also be given the chance to meet their people being arrested,” Anifah said.

The two foreign ministers also agreed that the LoI on the recruitment and placement of Indonesian domestic helpers to Malaysia would soon be enhanced to MoU, which will give more protection to Indonesian house maids, because of the agreement including that one‘s passport will be held by the employee who will be given a day off every week.

“We hope the MoU would be signed soon and an Indonesian government decision to stop sending domestic helpers to Malaysia since June 26, 2009, could be revoked.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

7

Telkomsel mulling to issue bonds JAKARTA - Cellular phone operator PT Telkomsel is mulling to issue bonds to help finance its 2011 capital expenditure expected to reach Rp13 trillion or about the same as this year.

“The bonds can hopefully be issued in October 2011,” PT Telkomsel President Director Sarwoto Atmosutarno said here on Tuesday.

PT Telkomsel which is the subsidiary of state telecommunications operator PT Telkom was in the process of making preparations for the issuance of the bonds, he said.

“We hope there will be no obstacle now that the bonds issued

by Telkomsel so far have been on great demand in the market,” he said.

But he stopped short of revealing the amount of bonds to be is-

sued on the ground it was still under evaluation process.

Proceeds from the issuance of the bonds would be used to finance capital expenditure besides bank loans including vendor financing, he said.

“We can combine all the available options. However, we must try to find cheap financing source or low-cost but profitable financing sources,” he said.

He said only 54 percent of funds allocated for capital expenditure this year had been absorbed.

He said the company would also launch a strategic-term program next year as part of its business expansion.

As per August 2010, the number of Telkomsel subscribers reached 92 million. The figure is projected to reach 100 million at the end of this year.

MUI asks US government to prevent Quran burning JAKARTA - The Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) has asked the US government and religious leaders in that country to take action to prevent the planned burning of the Quran by a church community in Florida.

“MUI appeals to all parties, particularly the US government and religious leaders in the US, to prevent the action to avoid widespread inter-religious conflict in the world,” MUI associate chairman Ma`ruf Amin said at a press conference here on Tuesday.

A church in Florida has called for an “International Quran Burning Day” to mark the 9th anniversary of the attacks on the US Trade Center on September 11.

The provocative call was made by the non-denomination Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, through social networks Facebook and YouTube.

The MUI itself has already called on all Muslims in the country not to be provoked by the call as it was also opposed by Christians.

Religious leaders in the country have met to discuss the issue and agreed that the call needs not to be responded to.

They have also expressed their objections to the US government and asked the US to intervene to prevent inter-religious conflict that has been proven to always end in tragedies.

Jakarta police ban parades on end of fasting month JAKARTA - Jakarta Metropolitan Police ban car parades in the capital for the celebration of the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan later this week.

“A harsh action will be taken against motorists who violate the regulation,” the director of traffic, Senior Commissioner Condro Kirono said here on Tuesday.

To celebrate the end of Ramadhan, people used to go out in cars or motorcycles and often conduct a parade around the city.

He said the police would also act against motorbikers who did

not wear standard helmets.

He said the police made the decision with regard to avoiding traffic jams and to anticipating traffic accidents.

He said the Jakarta Metropolitan Police had ordered all resort police chiefs to help inform the public about it.

The Jakarta administration and

the police have made plans to assure security on the eve of Idul Fitri.

The Jakarta administration has also asked the police to be aware of the people from outside the capital who would come and conduct a parade in the city. This year‘s Idul Fitri is expected to fall on Friday but confirmation about the date still has yet to be made on Wednesday.

Hundreds of people board a train at the railway station in Jakarta on September 8, 2010 headed to their hometowns. Jakarta Metropolitan Police ban car parades in the capital for the celebration of the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan later this week.

AFP PHOTO / Bay ISMOYO

8

Internationa

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Bali Today Australian tourists to Bali usually ignore travel warnings Antara

Tourists enjoying their time at the Kuta Beach, Bali Island. The Australian government often issues a travel warning on Bali but such signals are usually ignored by tourists from the country “down-under”, a Bali tourism industry observer said.

DENPASAR - The Australian government often issues a travel warning on Bali but such signals are usually ignored by tourists from the country “down-under”, a Bali tourism industry observer said.

Ninety percent of Australians who come to Bali do so for vacationing, and their number is continuing to increase, Bali tourism observer Dewa Nyoman Putra said here Tuesday.

In the period January-July 2010, the number of Australian tourist arrivals in Bali increased 51.07 percent from 226.170 to 341.664.

Australian tourists have come to consider Bali as their “second home” because of a number of factors, Dewa Putra said. The factors were Bali’s geographical proximity, the existence of adequate air transportation facilities, Bali’s conducive security conditions, and comfortability as

a holiday resort.

Bali was categorized as an attractive place for holidaying not only by Australians but also by people in many other countries.

This was proven by the fact that in the first seven months of 2010 Bali was visited by about 1.4 million foreign tourists, he said.

In the period January-July 2010, Australians accounted for 23.81 percent of the overall number of foreign tourist arrivals in Bali.

In the same period, the number of Chinese tourists who came to Bali also increased, namely from 116,624 to 118,008 and that of British tourists from 48,029 to 51,491.

Idul Fitri Greeting Cards Business Sluggish Antara

DENPASAR - Approaching Idul Fitri celebration (10/9), sales of greeting cards at bookstore and shopping center in Denpasar and its surrounding had been sluggish, Ni Made Suartini, a salesman in Denpasar, said here Monday.

“The Lebaran cards used to be bought by people for sending their regards to friends and families, are not many seen these days,” she said.

“Sending cards has become rather old fashioned because there are other more sophisticated means to send messages and congratulations,” the people said.

“Modern people who can’t meet their partners prefer to send greetings and apologize by Short Message Service (SMS) or via Facebook these days,” he added.

Made said she keeps selling the old stock of cards since this year the new cards are no longer being printed.

Printing shops and silk screening business which used to get orders for religious greeting cards also find difficulties in obtaining greeting cards order because of the lack of customers.

The printing of cards during celebration day is almost non-existing, it is because cards are losing prestige and replaced by cellular phones and Facebook, Wayan Sadia, a printing shop businessman said in Denpasar.

Greeting happy holidays to relatives by using sophisticated means may be cheaper than printing cards, moreover paper and ink prices are increasing.

Small and medium businesses like printing offices are now hard to stay alive since the development of technology and also low of human resource and funds, said Wayan, who started the business ten years ago.

http://www.theglobal-review.com

Let There Be Light Stage lighting is no longer just a matter of turning on enough lamps so the actors can be seen. Fortunately this idea went away long ago.

Today, the lighting designer is part of the overall production concept and is expected to be a master of art, science, history, psychology and communications.

He must also understand the science of light, optics, vision, the psychology of perception and lighting technology.

Using these tools the lighting designer must learn to think, feel and create with his heart.

Ultimately the lighting designer must be an artist! He must understand style, composition, balance, aesthetics and human emotions.

Fortunately, Bali Agung, the first production to be staged in the new Bali Theatre at Bali Safari and Marine Park, has just such a person in Philip Lethlean, who has lit internationally acclaimed projects in countries across the world.

Having collaborated with the creative team on other projects, he understands the needs to highlight certain aspects of the story, costumes and sets to ensure that the production is suitably illuminated in all respects.

With more than 500 lights already in place and more arriving daily, Philip with have the tools he needs to add sparkle to this new production of a classic and authentic Balinese legend.

According to Philip, there is great satisfaction in designing the lighting for a production that fulfils the needs and objectives of the creative director and all the other designers that work together to put the show on.

“However there is even greater satisfaction in knowing that you have helped to move a whole audience emotionally through the controlled and planned use of light,” Philip said.

He explained that theatre producers learnt years ago, that they can spend ‘millions’ of dollars, on scenery, costumes, and performers and have it all wasted because of ‘bad’ lighting.

“Now theatrical people realize this and the lighting designer has become an important and integral member of each show and in the entertainment industry overall,” Philip explained.

“The lighting designer must be able to visualize the images the director has in mind, and ‘see’ the final lighting in his head, scene by scene, long before the production is finished. That’s where working with people you know and understand helps,” he added Philip said that lighting was one of the most rewarding professions around today but that it could also be one of the most frustrating professions if the team isn’t working as a whole.

“However, in this production,

BALI AGUNG, the whole teams understand each others needs and think as one.

“The story is a great one, the sets and costumes are fabulous and I believe the production is one people will talk about for years to come,” he said.

(Antara)

Courtesy of Bali Theatre

One of Bali Agung’s performance

al

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Balinese Culture

Ngurah Rai Airport Adds 81 Extra Fligths during Lebaran Antara

KUTA - Ngurah Rai international airport adds 81 extra flights during this year’s home coming season, the airport’s operation manager, Alex Pudjianto, said here on Monday.

In order to optimize flight services before, during, and after Idul Fitri 2010, said Pudjianto, the management of Ngurah Rai International Airport was operating a command post to serve home-

bound travelers.

“We have set up one command post at the domestic terminal,” he said adding that though the domestic terminal at the airport was being renovated, the quality of ser-

AFP PHOTO / SONNY TUMBELAKA

Hundreds of motorists arrive at the ferry terminal in Gilimanuk port, on the island of Bali to catch a ferry for Java island on September 8, 2010. Bali‘s Gilimanuk ferry port has put 24 of its 28 ferries into service to transport post-fasting month travelers whose number began to rise on Saturday, Operations manager of inland waterway firm PT ASDP for Gilimanuk, Ospar Silaban, said.

vices and procedures for all passengers remained the same.

The flow of post-fasting Idul Fitri or Lebaran holiday travelers started last Saturday (September 4) as millions of big city residents head to their home towns ot villages for annual family reunions during the holidays.

Bali‘s Gilimanuk ferry port has put 24 of its 28 ferries into service to transport post-fasting month travelers whose number began to rise on Saturday, Operations manager of inland waterway firm PT ASDP for Gilimanuk, Ospar Silaban, said.

Silaban said that although there was an increase in the number of vehicles, it did not create a long queue.

“There is no queue at present,” he said.

He said the increase also happened with private cars. He said that based on experience in previous years, Gilimanuk port would see the peak of activities one or two days before the Idul Fitri D-Day on Friday.

Ospar called on travelers to conduct their Idul Fitri trips before the peak days in an effort to avoid traffic jams and long queues.

During the Idul Fitri holiday season last year, the number of homebound travelers reached about 27.25 million, of which 16.2 million used various public transportation modes while the remaining 11.2 million used private cars and motorcycles.

Lawar Ayam (Green Bean Salad with Chicken) OVERVIEW: No big religious or private celebration would be held without serving this ritual dish. Only the eldest, and most experienced men are allowed to mix the many ingredients. Many versions incorporate raw pounded meat and fresh blood in the dressing. Chicken meat can be replaced with beef, pork, seafood, vegetables or young jackfruit.

INGREDIENTS: 3 cups blanched long bean cut in ½ cm slices ½ cups grated coconut, roasted 6 clove garlic, peeled, sliced and fried 6 - 8 shallots, peeled, sliced and fried 2 large red chilies, seeded and cut in fine strips 4 - 6 bird’s-eye chilies, finely sliced 3 tsp fried chili 2 tbsp chicken spice paste Fried shallots to garnish DRESSING: 250g boneless chicken, minced 2tbsp chicken spice paste 1tsp freshly squeezed limejuice 1tsp salt ½tsp black peppercorns, crushed Banana leaf cut in 30 cm (12 in) square PREPARATION: Combine beans, coconut, garlic, shallots, all the chilies and chicken spice paste in a large bowl and mix well.

To prepare the dressing, combine chicken mince with 2 tbsp of chicken spice paste and mix well. Place minced chicken lengthwise in center of banana leaf and roll up very tightly. Place banana leaf roll on aluminum foil and roll up again very tightly. Turn sides simultaneously in opposite directions to tighten the roll. Steam roll for 20 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and banana leaf; break up with fork to its original minced form.

Combine mince chicken with bean mixture; season to taste with salt pepper and limejuice. Garnish with crispy fried shallot. (www.baliguide.com/balifood)

C.045 ibp

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Thursday, September 9, 2010

Destinations

International

Nusa Lembongan IBP

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Nusa Lembongan is a small island of calcareous land.

The life of local people seems to give isolated impression considering there has no adequate transportation service.

A number of villas and hotels have been established on steep hills and the beach. Even, on the narrow roadside measuring 2.5 meters has already existed a number of art shops and Internet cafes.

To go to a number of objects on the island, we use tarpaulin-roofed pickups. After driving about five miles, we arrive at the center of seaweed village. At this place, we will find farmers who are cleaning the seaweed and also process it. An attractive place to visit here is the unique underground house located in the cave known as GalaGala house. To enter this house, we have to go down the stairs, because this house is located 10 meters under ground of limestone. The height of the cave varies from about 1 to 1.75 meters. Sometimes, we have to duck and crouch to reach the existing rooms.

Gala-Gala house was made in 1961 until 1976 by a village resident named Made Byasa who worked as a puppeteer. Such a unique work of Byasa was inspired by the life story of the Pandavas during their living in the forest. For 17 years Byasa had worked day and night to realize such monumental work. Since the age of 75 years, his old body kept on digging and when he was 93 years old he stopped, then he died at the age of 96 years.

Jl. Kepundung 67 A, e-mail: info_ibp@balipost.co.id Jl. Palmerah Barat 21 F

Thursday, September 9, 2010

11

BUSINESS Boeing slims down military aircraft business Associated Press Writer

ST. LOUIS - Boeing Co. is slimming down its military aircraft business and cutting workers as the U.S. tightens defense spending and profit margins shrink.

Boeing’s military division makes the wellknown Chinook transport helicopters, as well as the C-17 transport and the F/A-18 fighterbomber.

The job cuts will start with 10 percent of the group’s executives. Boeing didn’t say how many more workers will lose jobs. It will consolidate six divisions of the business into four.

Boeing said in July that layoffs were likely because of expected government spending cuts. The Pentagon has been looking for savings in weapons spending, including pressing for better prices on the C-17 and the F15E fighter.

The military aircraft unit provided about 20 percent of companywide revenue in the first half of this year, and its profit margins fell. Defense is about half of Boeing’s business, with commercial aircraft making up the other half.

The military aircraft unit earned $320 million during the first half of this year, up from $310 million during the first half of 2009.

Boeing is bidding on what would be a

major contract to make a new tanker for the Air Force. It’s competing with European defense contractor EADS, the parent of Airbus, to build 179 planes for the $35 billion program. Boeing has said it expects the Pentagon to pick a winner in November. The Boeing plan is based on its civilian 767 airliner.

Starting Oct. 1, the four new divisions will be St. Louis-based global strike; Ridley Park, Pa.-based mobility; Seattle-based surveillance and engagement; and St. Charles, Mo.-based missiles and unmanned airborne systems.

The company said the new structure is aimed at making the military aircraft business focus on capabilities instead of products.

“This reorganization, coupled with our productivity goals, will reduce organizational complexity and allow us to be more efficient,” Boeing Military Aircraft President Chris Chadwick said.

Shares of Chicago-based Boeing fell $1.22 to close at $63.42 on Tuesday. The defense division is based in St. Louis.

Agence France-Presse

pended after Communist deputies produced a petition.Prime Minister Francois Fillon said he was open to debate so the reform could pass as quickly as possible. “French citizens’ pensions can still be paid tomorrow. That won’t be the case if we stay where we are,” he warned.

This was dismissed by the Socialist leader in the assembly, Jean-Marc Ayrault, who accused the government of rushing through a half-baked reform that is “only costed to 2018” and leaves ordinary workers footing the bill.

Schools, the national rail network, some public services and domestic air services were severely disrupted, and passengers complained of long delays on commuter train services and metros into Paris.Bernhard Thibault, the head of the CGT union, told television station TF1 that the demonstration would force the government to rethink. “Millimetre by millimetre, things are moving,” he said.

“The government must give us a response,” Francois Chereque, head of the CFDT union, told channel France 2, adding that the demonstration was a day that “stood out”.

The government argues this could save 70 billion euros (90 billion dollars) by 2030 at a time when France’s public deficit — at around eight percent of GDP — is well above the eurozone target of three percent.At 62, the minimum retirement age would still be well under the average of around 64 in the OECD group of wealthy democracies, despite France having one of the world’s longest life expectancies.

But French workers also pay high social charges on their salaries, and on an hour-by-hour basis are among the worlds most productive.

Sarkozy has been weakened by a summer of scandal and his personal approval rating — around 34 percent according to several polls — is at an alltime low, two years before the 2012 presidential election.

AFP PHOTO / ROSLAN RAHMAN

A traveller pushes his luggage along the departure hall at Changi International Airport in Singapore on September 8, 2010. Boeing Co. is slimming down its military aircraft business and cutting workers as the U.S. tightens defense spending and profit margins shrink.

British house prices rise French workers stage mass in August: survey protest against pension reform PARIS – More than a million French workers took to the streets on Tuesday to challenge President Nicolas Sarkozy’s plan to rise the retirement age to 62, the centrepiece of his reform agenda.

The interior ministry reported the turnout at rallies across the country at 1.12 million, while labour leaders estimated it at more than 2.5 million, but either way the movement had grown since a similar protest in June.

Labour unions called the showdown over the pensions bill, which Sarkozy insists he will push through as an “absolute priority” and which was presented to a stormy session in parliament even as the marches continued.

Sarkozy told lawmakers from his majority UMP party they must remain “firm” in raising the retirement age from its current 60, a party official said.

The strikers built on a similar protest on June 24, when police said 800,000 marched and the unions two million.

The Paris march was so large that the colourful column of drumming and banner-wielding marchers was forced to split in two and take two parallel routes through the city.

Under a banner marked with the French republican slogan “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity,” a huge column of brightly dressed trade unionists and supporters marched from the Place de la Republique through the east of the capital.

In southern France, protesters braved heavy storms to turn out in large numbers, while in Paris and the north they marched in bright autumn sunshine, in a cheerful mood with no reports of serious crowd trouble.The mood inside parliament was darker, and the bill was greeted with angry exchanges between the opposition and Sarkozy’s right-wing support. The session was briefly sus-

Agence France-Presse

LONDON - British house prices rose further in August but at a slower pace compared with July, data showed on Wednesday, in marked contrast to a rival survey reporting that prices were in fact falling.

House prices rose by 0.2 percent in August after a gain of 0.6 percent in July, mortgage provider Halifax said in a statement.

“The improved economy, strengthening labour market and low interest rates are all supporting housing demand,” said Halifax economist Martin Ellis.

The data contrasts with figures from home loans provider Nationwide, which last week said British house prices fell for a second month running in August when they dropped 0.9 percent compared with July.

On Wednesday, Halifax added that the average house price in Britain stood at 167,953 pounds (204,385 euros, 259,648 dollars) in August. That is 16 percent below the peak seen in August 2007 ahead of the financial crisis.

Prices in August 2010 were meanwhile 4.6 percent higher compared with 12 months earlier, Halifax added.

Bank capital must be ‘reinforced:’ Trichet Agence France-Presse

WASHINGTON - Banks on both sides of the Atlantic must be better prepared for hard times, the head of the European Central Bank said Tuesday in the midst of renewed concerns about the health of Europe’s financial houses.

Stressing the need for a “more solid” and “more resilient” banking sector Jean-Claude Trichet told US television station CNBC there was a need for capital to be “reinforced.”

His comments, recorded at the weekend, were broadcast amid fears about the rigidity of recent European bank “stress tests” dominated global stock markets.

Market sentiment was ruffled by a report in the Wall Street Journal that “stress tests” carried out in July on European banks to assess their solvency “minimized their debt risks” and “un-

derstated some lenders’ holdings on potentially risky government debt.”

“An examination of the banks’ disclosures indicates that some banks didn’t provide as comprehensive a picture of their government-debt holdings as regulators claimed,” the paper said, citing its own analysis.

That spooked stock markets, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average finishing down 107 points or just over one percent for the day.

In London the FTSE 100 index shed over half a percentage point while in Paris the CAC 40 fell 1.1 percent. The Frankfurt DAX lost 0.6 percent and ended the day at 6,117.89 points.

Responding to a question about the strength of banks’ capitalization Trichet responded: “You know that the stress tests have shown on both sides of the Atlantic, I would say that in the medium term perspective, it has to be reinforced.”

12

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Entertainment

International

John Lennon’s killer is again denied parole in NY Associated Press Writer

AFP PHOTO/Leon Neal

Members of British group ‘’ The xx’’ Romy Madley Croft (C),Oliver Sim and Jamie Smith (R) stand with a trophy as they arrive at the Grosvenor House Hotel in central London ahead of the annual Mercury Prize awards on September 7, 2010.

The xx win Britain’s Mercury Prize for debut album Agence France Presse

LONDON - Electronic band The xx have scooped prestigious British music award the Mercury Prize for their debut album “xx”, beating off stiff competition from a host of top acts.

Judges handed the 20,000-pound (31,000-dollar, 24,000-euro) prize for best album of the past 12 months to the three-piece at a ceremony in central London late Tuesday. The London-based group, who formed in 2005 after attending the same school and released their debut in August last year, follow in the footsteps of other acts who have won the prize, including Klaxons, Arctic Monkeys and Elbow.

They triumphed over 11 other

shortlisted acts — including bookmakers’ favourite, veteran British rocker Paul Weller — to scoop the award, which will mean a guaranteed boost in sales.

“We’ve had the most incredible year and it’s just felt like every day we’ve woken up to something incredible we weren’t expecting,” said frontman Oliver Sim as he collected the gong.

Sim said he thought two other contenders for the award, band Wild Beasts or songstress Laura Marling, had been more likely to win as “they performed so incredibly”. Head of judges Simon Frith described their album as “a record of its time”. “It’s a very urban record, it is part of that urban soundscape when no one has any idea what is going to happen next.”

BUFFALO, N.Y. – John Lennon’s killer was again denied parole in New York, nearly 30 years after gunning down the ex-Beatle outside the musician’s New York City apartment building. A parole board decided not to release Mark David Chapman after interviewing him Tuesday by teleconference at Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York.

It was Chapman’s sixth appearance before the board since becoming eligible for parole in 2000. He will be eligible again in 2012.

Chapman, 55, had been scheduled to appear last month, but the hearing was postponed by parole officials, who said at the time they were awaiting additional information. They did not elaborate.

After Tuesday’s decision, the board wrote to Chapman that it remains concerned about “the disregard you displayed for the norms of our society and the sanctity of human life when, after careful planning, you travelled to New York for the sole purpose of killing John Lennon.”

The panel said “release remains inappropriate at this time and incompatible with the welfare of the community.” Among those who have opposed his release is Lennon’s now 77-year-old widow, Yoko Ono, who said last month that she believed Chapman is a potential threat to her family and perhaps himself.

A call seeking comment from a spokesman for Ono was not immediately returned. The former maintenance man from Hawaii was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison after firing five shots outside Lennon’s Manhattan building on Dec. 8, 1980, hitting Lennon four times in front of his wife and others. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

At his last parole hearing, in 2008, Chapman told the panel he was ashamed and sorry for what he had done and had since developed a deeper understanding of the value of a human life.

He said he had been seeking notoriety and fame to

AP Photo/Greg Lyuan, File

FILE - In this 1975 file photo, Mark David Chapman is seen at Fort Chaffee near Fort Smith, Ark. Chapman, John Lennon’s killer, is again up for parole in New York.

counter feelings of failure. After that interview, parole officials noted that Chapman had not been disciplined in prison since 1994 and said he had adjusted to his incarceration.

But they denied release “due to concern for the public safety and welfare,” according to the written decision.

Chapman was informed of the panel’s most recent finding a few hours after the hearing. The state Division of Parole is expected to release a transcript of the interview within the next several days. Lennon would have turned 70 this October.

Judge calls Nicollette Sheridan lawsuit “annoying” Clooney’s ‘American’ powers to top of box office Agence France Presse

Reuters

LOS ANGELES – ABC suffered a few pre-trial setbacks on Tuesday related to former “Desperate Housewives” actress Nicollette Sheridan’s $20 million wrongful-termination lawsuit against the network and series creator Marc Cherry.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Allen White denied the network’s attempt to knock out a claim based on deficiencies in the complaint. Sheridan sued ABC and

Cherry for assault and discrimination back in April claiming she was fired after she complained about Cherry striking her on the set.

ABC, which is vigorously defending the suit, argued that one of the causes of action was uncertain because it combined three distinct claims (discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation and age). The judge shot down that argument but took a slap (no pun intended) at the wording of Sheridan’s lawsuit.

“Although annoying, inconvenient and inconsiderate, the failure to separate the three distinct wrongs does not result in an inability to understand what is alleged,” White wrote in a tentative order.

She also denied ABC’s attempt to strike some language relating to the alleged harassment from the complaint. The case will now continue into the discovery phase.

Also at the hearing, ABC attorney Adam Levin told the judge that the two sides had not agreed to mediation. That means this dispute could unfold in public, inspiring courtroom theatrics worthy of a “Desperate Housewives” episode.

LOS ANGELES - “The American,” the spy thriller starring George Clooney, topped the North American box office this weekend beating gory action film “Machete,” final holiday break figures showed Tuesday.

“The American” earned 16.7 million dollars in US and Canadian theaters over the three-day Labor Day weekend, according to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations.

“Machete,” mixing violence with a campy tribute to 1970s exploitation movies from directors Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis, came in second with an estimated 14.1 million dollars over the Friday-Monday period.

Last week’s winner, “Takers,” starring Hayden Christensen, Idris Elba and singers Chris Brown and T.I., earned 13.5 million dollars and fell to third place

AP Photo/Focus Features, Giles Keyte

In this film publicity image released by Focus Features, George Clooney is shown in a scene from, “The American.”

in its second week of release.

Fourth place went to the gruesome documentary-style horror movie “The Last Exorcism,” which fell back from its runner-up spot last weekend, taking 8.8 million dollars. The movie, directed by Daniel Stamm and co-produced by Eli Roth, a director known for his bloody thrillers, follows a disillusioned minister supposedly filming his last exorcism for a documentary.

At number five was new release “Going the Distance,” a romantic comedy starring Drew Barrymore and Justin Long about a couple living on opposite US coasts who try to make their relationship work. It earned 8.5 million dollars in its opening weekend.

In sixth place was “The Expendables,” Sylvester Stallone’s film about a group of weathered mercenaries out to topple a South American dictator, which earned 8.3 million dollars in its fourth week in theaters. Falling to the seventh spot was “The Other Guys,” the latest Will Ferrell slapstick comedy, about two mismatched police officers paired on a high-profile crime investigation, which had a 6.7-million-dollar take at the box office.

“Eat, Pray, Love,” Ryan Murphy’s adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s novel about a divorcee’s jaunt to Italy, Indonesia and India, starring Julia Roberts, fell to the eighth position with a take of 6.2 million dollars.

Ninth was blockbuster “Inception” starring Leonardo DiCaprio as an expert infiltrator of people’s dreams, which took 5.9 million dollars.

“Nanny McPhee Returns,” the sequel to a popular kid’s film starring British actress Emma Thompson in the title role, rounded out the top 10 with 4.8 million dollars in box office receipts over the weekend.

Life Style

International

Thursday, September 9, 2010

13

Microsoft to launch Kinect in Japan in November Agence France Presse

TOKYO - Microsoft’s long-awaited Kinect motion-sensing system for the Xbox 360 videogame console will hit the Japanese market in November, the company said Wednesday, as competition in the sector heats up. Scheduled for a November 20 release, Kinect uses a 3D camera and motion recognition software to let people play videogames using natural body movements and voice commands, and does not require hand-held controllers.

The launch comes as rivals Microsoft and Sony look to close in on Japan’s Nintendo, which pioneered motion controls with its hit Wii consoles in 2006.

Boasting total lifetime sales of more than 70 million units, a record in Nintendo’s history, the Wii has easily outsold Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 since its 2006 launch. The Xbox 360 has sold 40 million units worldwide, Microsoft said.

Kinect was developed by Microsoft under the code name Project Natal and unveiled in June at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. It is expected to launch in the United States on November 4. Users can play driving games by simply moving their hands

as if turning a car steering wheel. Onscreen figures in sports or dance titles mimic the body movements of people in the real-world.

In Japan, Microsoft will sell the 4 gigabyte Xbox 360 and Kinect sensor in a 29,800 yen (357 dollar) package.

The standalone the Kinect Sensor will be available for 14,800 yen.

The company will also release six Kinect game titles, including “Kinect Adventure!” and “Kinect Sports”, while planning to launch four other family friendly gesture-sensing games by early 2011. Nintendo last September cut prices of the Wii for the first time in response to the tough competition from Sony and Microsoft in the multi-billion dollar industry.

Sony plans to launch its hotly anticipated motion-sensing Move control-

Vietnam maths star prefers life in the shadows Agence France Presse

HANOI - His work is incomprehensible to most people, but Ngo Bau Chau has been feted like a champion athlete or a pop star since last month when he won the Fields Medal, the mathematics version of the Nobel Prize. Returning to Hanoi, Chau was welcomed like a hero — an uncomfortable role for the French-educated academic who says he prefers life in the shadows, where mathematics had firmly kept him.

He met Vietnam’s President Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, while his story features prominently in the country’s media.

“When I go to buy cigarettes, people recognise me. It’s terrible,” Chau says in an interview with AFP. Official media AFP PHOTO / HOANG DINH Nam Ngo Bao Chau reported 3,000 people attended a ceremony to welcome him home. The prime minister said Chau, 38, had “brought fame to the nation”.

One reader of the popular VNExpress news website wrote that Chau is “like Pele of world football.” On Chau’s blog, another reader said that all the articles about the prizewinner seemed more like publicity “for an actor or a singer.” Chau received the award for his proof of a mathematical conundrum known as the fundamental lemma.

The International Congress of Mathematicians honoured his “profound and beautiful argument, built on insights mathematicians have contributed for over 30 years”.

On its website, the group said Chau’s breakthrough “removed one of the great impediments to a grand, decades-long program to uncover hidden connections between seemingly disparate areas of mathematics”. His achievement had already gained public recognition when Time magazine included it in a list of the top 10 scientific discoveries of 2009.

Chau’s face still looks young. But his hair is greying and he speaks carefully, fixing eyes on his questioner from above his spectacles.

He may have preferred working away from the limelight, but he tells AFP the prize has brought responsibilities and obligations to his homeland. “From now on I have a heavy responsibility because I will be listened to more,” he says at a coffee shop.

ler that it hopes will fuel new interest in its PlayStation 3 (PS3) console.

“Move” wands that synch with “Eye” cameras on the consoles will hit the market in time for the year-end holiday shopping season.

Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are expected to reveal rich line-ups of videogame titles they hope will win players to their motion-control systems. Competition in 3-D gaming is set to escalate in the coming months.

Upcoming Playstation titles will work with new 3D televisions that Sony unveiled early this year. A software update to existing PS3 consoles will allow them to run 3D videogames.

Nintendo is also due to launch its new generation DS handheld videogame system that lets people play in 3D without having to use special glasses.

AFP PHOTO/Toru YAMANAKA

A woman introduces Microsoft’s new gesture-sensing system for the Xbox 360 videogame console ‘Kinect’ (L/bottom) during a press preview in Tokyo on August 8, 2010. Microsoft will sell the “Xbox 360 4GB and Kinect Sensor” package beginning on November 20.

Teen radio show breaks taboos in Nepal Agence France Presse

KATHMANDU - In a Kathmandu recording studio, young workers sift through piles of letters from Nepalese teenagers seeking advice on everything from unrequited love and homosexuality to drug abuse and HIV. Two presenters in their early twenties talk animatedly into microphones as they record the latest episode of “Chatting with my Best Friend” or Saathi Sanga Manka Kura (SSMK), one of Nepal’s most listened-to radio shows.

The programme, a blend of discussion, drama and music, was launched nine years ago as part of a project funded by the UN children’s agency UNICEF to spread awareness among Nepalese teenagers about the dangers of HIV and AIDS. Since then it has become required listening for young people across Nepal, a deeply conservative, majority-Hindu country where teenage sex and drug abuse are usually taboo subjects. The show — the first to be produced by and for young Nepalese people — began as a half-hour slot on national radio, considered the most effective medium in a country where around a third of the population is illiterate.

Its no-holds-barred approach to sexual health quickly won it a loyal following among young people and within months, so many letters were coming in that it had to double its running time to an hour.

“Before SSMK started, there was no tradition of talking about such problems in Nepal,” said Kaustuv Pokhrel, a former presenter on the show who now works behind the scenes. “The show was designed in such a way that it felt like your friend talking to you in a non-judgemental way. The hosts talk about anything under the sun — sexual and reproductive health, career or study concerns, family problems, whatever.”

Now, SSMK draws six million listeners a week, is the winner of several international awards, and has even featured “Pirates of the Caribbean” star Orlando Bloom, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, in one of its dramas.

Gillian Mellsop, UNICEF’s Nepal representative, said the mainstream media gave little attention to the issues facing young people before SSMK came along. “This lack of guidance and information on issues that were important to young people left them feeling a little ne-

glected and also increased their vulnerability to risky behaviour,” she added.

But SSMK’s willingness to tackle any subject has also brought criticism and, on one occasion, the threat of removal from the airwaves after a particularly controversial early episode about masturbation.

“We were accused of putting out vulgar content on the radio, so we invited the station managers in to see the letters we received to show we were not making it up — this really was an issue that concerned young people.

“Eventually they were persuaded, but for a while we had to send them scripts for approval. They said we couldn’t use the word ‘condom’ on the radio, for example, which was problematic.”

The format of the show has barely changed over the years — two young presenters, the “best friends” of the show’s title, discuss listeners’ problems before introducing a short drama in which solutions are found.

But the content has evolved to reflect the changing concerns of its listeners, many of whom were caught up in the civil war between Maoist guerrillas and the state that ended in 2006. “After a couple of years we began receiving letters complaining that we were focusing on small issues when they country was in such a bad situation,” said Pokhrel.

AFP PHOTO/Prakash MATHEMA

This photo taken on February 24, 2010 shows Nepalese radio presenters taking part in a programme in Kathmandu.

14

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Sport

International

Rooney, France gain welcome relief Agence France Presse

PARIS - England striker Wayne Rooney and the French national side gained much needed boosts on the pitch in Tuesday’s latest round of Euro 2012 qualifiers.

Rooney, whose private life has been thrown into turmoil over allegations of him sleeping with a prostitute, scored the first goal in England’s impressive 3-1 away win over Switzerland to make it two wins from two matches and erase memories of their poor World Cup. France’s World Cup was even worse than England’s, returning after the first round and best remembered for the farcical goings on off it, but goals by Karim Benzema and Florent Malouda saw them to a fluent 2-0 away win against Bosnia only their second win in 11 matches.

However, it is a win that comes against the team coach Laurent Blanc considered the toughest in their group and with several key players suspended for varying lengths of time over their roles in the players strike in South Africa.

There were big wins for both Germany - 6-1 over former national coach Bertie Vogts’ Azerbaijan with Miroslav Klose’s insatiable appetite for goals seeing him score a brace and a new look Italy ran out 5-0 winners over the Faroe Islands.

World Cup finalists the Netherlands edged to a 2-1 win over Finland with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scoring a double but Portugal’s post World Cup woe continued as they followed a humiliating 4-4 home draw against Cyprus with a 1-0 defeat away to Norway.

The only good thing coach Carlos Queiroz - heavily criticised after their exit to eventual champions Spain at the World Cup - can take from it is that he is not responsible for the results as he is serving a six month suspension for insulting antidoping officials.

A 1-0 defeat by Norway - the

Scandinavian side’s first over their opponents in nine matches - was just about bearable but Scotland avoided what would have been even by their standards a new low in coming from behind to beat minnows Liechtenstein 2-1.

However, their winner came in the seventh minute of time added on at the end of the match through Stephen McManus - sending them top of their group.

Rooney will have some explaining to do to his wife Colleen over the stories but at least he will be returning on the flight a happier man having scored his first goal on the international stage in a year. England coach Fabio Capello, who saw Adam Johnson and Darren Bent score the others, paid tribute to Rooney’s resilience.

“You saw the game, no? I think he played well,” said the Italian, whose side suffered a double injury blow during the game as Theo Walcott and Jermain Defoe were stretchered off. “He was at the centre of the play, the centre of the movement. I think the pressure was strong for him but he played well.”

Both France’s goals came midway through the second-half, Benzema scoring his ninth goal in his 29th appearance with a finelytaken shot and Malouda, one of the few players to play anything like to his level in South Africa, adding a second. It left Blanc a delighted

man.

“Our use of the ball was very good and, contrary to what happened on Friday (against Belarus), we got forward quickly,” said Blanc, who had tasted defeat in his first two matches in charge. “The fact we played deeper allowed us to create space and we have players up front, like Karim, who like space. We produced a marvellous result tonight.”

Klose may have boosted his international tally to 55 making him joint second all-time scorer for his country alongside Joachim Streich, 12 behind Gerd Mueller, but he gave the team’s younger players a warning. “There was room for improvement, our conditioning let us down,” he said.

“We kept our shape tactically, but we have many young players and they need to make the next step up now and reach the next level.”

Similarly Italy coach Cesare Prandelli was not going overboard after his side’s win over the Faroes as he seeks to restore their battered image after a disastrous defence of their world title under Marcello Lippi which saw them come home after the first round.

“We’ve won two games, that’s the most important thing. We’re looking to develop our style of play, things are progressing slowly but these games are never easy, you still have to play them,” he said.

(AP Photo/Keystone/Peter Klaunzer)

England’s Wayne Rooney, center, scores his side’s first goal against Switzerland’s goalkeeper Diego Benaglio, during the Euro 2012 group G qualification soccer match between Switzerland and England at the St. Jakob-Park Stadium in Basel, Switzerland, Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2010.

AFP PHOTO / Juan Mabromata

Argentina’s forward Lionel Messi (C) vies for the ball with Spain’s defender Ignacio Monreal (L) and midfielder Sergio Busquets during a friendly football match at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, on September 7, 2010. Argentina won 4-1.

Spain smarting after Argentina reverse Agence France Presse

BUENOS AIRES - World champions Spain were licking their wounds after being on the wrong side of a 4-1 roasting against Argentina.

A Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina rebounded from their World Cup flop, the Barcelona star opening the scoring after just nine minutes and further goals from Gonzalo Higuain three minutes later and Carlos Tevez after 34 minutes gave the South Americans a stunning 3-0 lead at halftime.

The second half was a quieter affair with Fernando Llorente pulling one back for the Spaniards after 83 minutes before Sergio Aguero produced the final touch in injury time.

Spain were conceding four goals in a match for the first time in a decade and were suffering only their third defeat in 58 games stretching back to 2006.

After the reverse manager Vicente del Bosque said: “We didn’t tarnish the image of the national team, we lost with dignity, without ever giving up. “I’m not trying to devalue Argentina’s win however, it was justified. They’ve got very quick players up front, they move around well and it was normal they took control of the game.

“We can also learn from defeats like this. They hurt but they can also be beneficial for the side. We have to learn how to play the great

teams.”

Midfielder Cesc Fabregas reckoned the 2012 World Cup winners and reigning European champions did not deserve to lose by such a margin. Fabregas, who started in place of Barcelona’s Xavi, said: “Nobody likes to lose. We knew that it was a difficult game and, although there are excuses, we don’t want to make them.

“One day something like that had to happen. We need to applaud them because they had four chances and scored four goals. It’s true that it wasn’t our best game, but neither was it a 4-1.

“We hit the post three times and had more chances. I think the result was too emphatic.” Messi believed the key to the game was the way Argentina had come racing out of the blocks from kick-off.

“We did things well from the start, we killed off the match quickly.

As we were up against the world champions we tried to hold it together to the end, we produced a complete performance.”

The win was a huge boost for new coach Sergio Batista, who took over from the sacked Diego Maradona after Argentina crashed out of the World Cup losing 4-0 to Germany in the quarter-finals in South Africa.

Batista said: “This team deserved revenge to show people that they could have fought for the (2010) title - we had to come home early but these players could have also been crowned champions.”

Sport

International

Thursday, September 9, 2010

15

Lithuania, Argentina, complete quarter-final list Agence France Presse

ISTANBUL - Lithuania and Argentina grabbed the final two quarter-final spots at the world basketball championships here on Tuesday, defeating China and Brazil respectively. As expected Lithuania got up over China 78-67, while in a game too close to call Argentina were pushed hard for their 93-89 victory over Brazil.

(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Rafael Nadal of Spain, reacts during his fourth round match against Feliciano Lopez of Spain at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010.

Nadal rolls on as Wawrinka shatters home hopes Agence France Presse

NEW YORK - Rafael Nadal kept his perfect record intact at the US Open Tuesday as he powered past Spanish compatriot Feliciano Lopez into the quarter-finals. The top seed won 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 and in four outings to date he has yet to drop a set or even his serve.

Next up in his sights is old foe Fernando Verdasco, another Spaniard against whom Nadal has a perfect 100 win-loss record. “I was ready for the late start and the hardest thing was for the fans to be here,” he said.

“This year I am healthy and hope to continue to play well and have my chances.” Verdasco took four hours 23 minutes to see off compatriot David Ferrer in a typically gruelling Iberian clash that involved merciless, end-to-end tennis.

“I hope that it is going to give me big confidence, this match,” the eighth seed said. “And also I hope to be 100 percent physically after a tough match like today to play against a player like Nadal that you need to be like 100 percent to try to face him, to try to beat him.”

Home hopes, meanhile, were blown away by Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka when he outlasted Sam Querrey in a marathon fourth round tie.

The 7-6 (11/9), 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 46, 6-4 defeat means that there will be no US player in the men’s singles quarter-finals for the second year in a row. Last year was the first time that had happened in the Open era dating back to 1968.

The 20th-seeded Wawrinka joins Roger Federer in the last eight, making it the first time two Swiss players have reached the quarter-finals of a

Grand Slam in the Open era. The match, played in tough, windy conditions, lasted four hours 28 minutes.

“I think for sure the crowd was hoping that he can stay in the tournament. But if you watch the match they were very fair. For me it was great to play that kind of match with that crowd,” the 25-year-old Wawrinka said after reaching his first Grand Slam quarter-final.

His opponent for a place in the semi-finals will be 12th-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny, who defeated Tommy Robredo of Spain 75, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

The 22-year-old Querrey, also seeking to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final, said that the difference between winning and losing had been slight.

“Just a couple of points here and there, It was like every set was like that.

Just really a couple of points in every set that made the difference,” he said.

Wawrinka reached the fourth round by playing some of the best tennis of his life to defeat fourth seed Andy Murray of Britain in four sets, while all the pressure was on Querrey as the last US player left in the tournament.

The Swiss player let slip a golden chance of clamping a stranglehold on the match when he squandered four second set points before Querrey run off six points in a row from 0-3 down in the ensuing tie-break to level the match.

After sharing the third and fourth sets, both players looked leg weary going into the fifth set and another tiebreak looked on the cards until Wawrinka gathered his forces for one last push in the 10th game. He finally finished Querrey off with a chip and charge on his second match point

Lithuania had to overcome another slow start, finding themselves 11 points in arrears with the first quarter barely halfway through.

But as they did against Spain and France, Lithuania powered their way back into the game, mainly through the work of Linas Kleiza who led his team at both ends of the court, pulling down 11 defensive rebounds to go with his game-high 30 points.

Within the opening minutes of the second quarter Lithuania took the lead which they would not relinquish for the remainder of the evening, winning 78-67 Wei Lu top-scored for China with 21 points. Washington Wizards’ Jianlian Yi overcame injury to play for China, taking 12 rebounds and scoring 11 points.

Chinese coach Bob Donewald Jr. remarked following the game that Kleiza was the key difference between the two teams and that if it were not for him, China could have won.

Slow starts have become something of a common theme for coach Kestutis Kemura’s Lithuanian side

here in Turkey. Kemura admits that he is at loss of how to explain it or find a solution to it. “I know we start slow but I ask myself why? It is becoming a tradition and it worries me, it’s a bad tradition. But the good thing about this tradition is that we are winning at the end. But I do not want this habit to stay.”

Team member Martynas Pocious acknowledges that it is an issue that needs to be addressed before they take on Argentina on Thursday. Referring to the slow starts Pocious commented that: “Hopefully we can do something about that before the next game so we are not in a position when we are down 10-20 points and having to fight back.”

The round of 16 finished on Tuesday as it had begun on Saturday with another traditional encounter, this time between South American rivals Brazil and Argentina.

The last two days have given fans a number of one-sided games but early indications suggested that was to change as the teams finished the first quarter with scores fittingly tied at 25.

Throughout the second quarter it became no clearer who would prevail at the end of the game with a six point advantage gained by Argentina disappearing just as quickly as it had been gained with Marcelo Huertas of Brazil scoring the six final points of the quarter to hand his side back the lead at half-time 4846.

The second half would mirror the first as the lead continued to change hands on multiple occasions as neither team refused to give an inch.

The crucial moment came midway through the final quarter when the Argentine lead again snuck out to four points. Brazil more than once cut the lead back to two but with possession in Argentina’s favour, they were able to take control of the game to eventually prevail 93-89.

Luis Scola of the Houston Rockets completed the game as the matches’ top-scorer and rebounder, claiming 35 points and nine rebounds. Huertas was the best of the Brazilians with 32.

One of the key elements to Lithuanian victory will be shutting down Scola, the tournaments leading scorer. Scola himself recognises this, stressing his desire for other players on his team to score big: “We (have) a lot of guys who can score 20 points. I will be happy if I do not score one night and one of the other guy goes for 20 to 25 points.”

AFP PHOTO / ARIS MESSINIS

Argentina’s captain Luis Scola (L) vies with Brazil’s Tiago Splitter during the World Championship eighth of finals basketball match Argentina vs. Brazil, on September 7, 2010 in Istanbul.

Argentina won 93 to 89.

16

Thursday, September 9, 2010

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

Sport

Ferrari faces Formula One disciplinary hearing Associated Press Writer PARIS – Ferrari awaited a decision Wednesday on whether it will face further sanctions from Formula One for breaking rules on team orders at the German Grand Prix.

AP Photo/MTI, Imre Foeldi

Formula One driver Felipe Massa of Brazil drives his 2009 Ferrari during a show at the Hungaroring circuit in Mogyorod, northeast of Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2010.

Capirossi has surgery on hand injury LORIS Capirossi has had successful surgery to his right hand following his accident at Misano, but does not yet know if he will be fit for the next grand prix at Aragon.

The Suzuki rider required a 90minute operation to reconstruct the bone in his little finger and reattach a severed tendon following his first corner collision with Ducati’s Nicky Hayden in the San Marino Grand Prix.

The surgery was carried out in San Marino hospital by Dr Oliviero Soragni, and Capirossi has now returned home to recuperate. He is

currently unsure if he will make the forthcoming Aragon Grand Prix on 19 September.

“The operation went very well and I am very pleased with what Dr Soragni told me after I came out of surgery,” said Capirossi. “Dr [Claudio] Costa [MotoGP surgeon] was also present and he knows how the injury will heal and he will help me to make the right decision about when I can ride again.

“The bone has been reconstructed and I have been told I will get full movement back - which is great news

- but at the moment the finger is immobilised so I don’t cause any damage to the excellent work the surgeon has done.”

Capirossi also reiterated his sadness over the death of Moto2 rider Shoya Tomizawa in an accident during the San Marino GP weekend.

“Although I am in a bit of pain, this is still nothing compared to what happened at Misano on Sunday and once again I want to send my wishes and prayers to Tomizawa san’s family in their time of great sadness,” he said.

IBP/ist

Loris Capirossi crashes at the first corner at Misano.

Ferrari officials were appearing at a FIA World Motor Sport Council hearing after Brazilian driver Felipe Massa let teammate and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso overtake him to win the race on July 25. A ruling was expected later in the day.

The council has the power to expel Ferrari from the championship, but a fine or points deduction seems more likely. If Alonso is stripped of the race victory, he would fall 66 points behind current leader Lewis Hamilton in the drivers’ standings.

Ferrari was already fined $100,000 for the incident at Hockenheim, where race stewards didn’t overturn Ferrari’s 1-2 finish. Massa led for 49 of 67 laps before allowing Alonso to pass him following Ferrari radio messages.

With six races left in the season, including Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix in Monza, Alonso is 41 points behind Hamilton — who leads with 182 points. Alonso retains a small chance of winning the title, but the Spaniard would lose 25 points if he is stripped of his German Grand Prix win.

Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali and team lawyers were to attend the meeting in Paris, while Alonso and Massa could testify via video conference.

FIA president Jean Todt, who re-

placed Max Mosley last year, won’t chair the hearing to avoid any conflict of interest. The Frenchman is a former Ferrari CEO and served as team principal from 1993 to 2007. FIA wouldn’t confirm reports the hearing will be chaired by FIA deputy president for sport Graham Stoker.

Domenicali has maintained Ferrari didn’t give explicit orders to Massa at the German race, although the Brazilian driver received a message from race engineer Rob Smedley saying Alonso was faster than him.

The radio message was seen as a clear order to let his teammate pass him, but Massa said after the race it was his decision to slow down.

“In my opinion this was not a case of team orders: my engineer kept me constantly informed on what was going on behind me, especially when I was struggling a bit on the hard tires,” Massa said. “So I decided to do the best thing for the team.”

The FIA ban on team orders was introduced following the 2002 season after Ferrari ordered Rubens Barrichello to hand victory to Michael Schumacher in the Austrian Grand Prix. Reigning world champion Jenson Button told The Guardian that the team, and not the drivers, should be punished.