Edisi 13 Januari 2011 | International Bali Post

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Four killed, 29 wounded in Kabul suicide attack PAGE 6

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Major winter storm wallops U.S. Northeast Reuters

Dolphins stranded on Denpasar shore PAGE 8

Bond is back: 007 film revived after MGM crisis PAGE 12

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Northeast was hit by its second major winter storm of the season, which was expected to dump up to a foot of snow on New York City by Wednesday evening and create chaos for commuters and travelers. Airlines pre-emptively canceled hundreds of flights and companies were advising some employees to work from home, while oil prices jumped 2 percent on expectations the cold weather would boost demand for heating oil.

The storm could give New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg a chance to make up for his muchcriticized response to the blizzard that paralyzed New York less than two weeks ago.

He declared a weather emergency late Tuesday that urged the public to avoid driving, granted authorities the right to tow cars blocking snow plows and allowed emergency services to “take all appropriate and necessary steps” to ensure safety. “We didn’t do the job that New Yorkers rightly expect of us in the last storm and we intend to make sure that that does not happen again,” Bloomberg told a news conference.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning, with forecasters predicting 8 to 12 inches

of snow in New York starting on Tuesday evening and continuing through Wednesday afternoon. It predicted 12 to 16 inches in Boston and 4 to 8 inches in Philadelphia.

Wind gusts from the northwest of up to 25 miles per hour throughout the region were expected to cause blowing and drifting snow and sharply reduce visibility.

The previous storm — the sixth largest in city history — dumped 20 inches on New York’s Central Park over 17 hours on December 26 and 27.

National Weather Service forecaster Michael Eckert said that while this storm will not be as strong and widespread, “for a major metropolitan area, this is still a lot of snow and will cause some disruption.”

Continued on page 6

Snow falls in this view from a downtown hotel of the Annunciation Greek Orhodox Church on January 11, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. A large storm that has affected the South will merge with a midwestern storm to threaten the northeast.

AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA

WEATHER FORECAST CITY

TEMPERATURE OC

DENPASAR

23 - 32

JAKARTA

23 - 32

BANDUNG

20 - 28

YOGYAKARTA

23 - 32

SURABAYA

24 - 31

SUNNY

BRIGHT/CLOUDY

Russia blames Polish crew in Kaczynski air crash Associated Press Writer

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AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev

Tatyana Anodina, head of the Interstate Aviation Committee, speaks in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011.

MOSCOW – Russian officials investigating the plane crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski placed the blame squarely on the Poles on Wednesday, saying the crew was pressured to land in bad weather by an air force commander who had been drinking.

Kaczynski and 95 others, including his wife, died in April 2010 when their plane crashed while trying to land in Smolensk, Russia.

There were no survivors.

Officials of the Interstate Aviation Committee, which investigates crashes in much of the former Soviet Union, said Wednesday that the pilots were pressured to land by Poland’s air force commander, Gen. Andrzej Blasik, who was in the cockpit. They said he had a bloodalcohol level of about 0.06 percent, enough to impair reasoning.

Blasik’s presence in the cockpit “had a psychological influence on the commander’s decision to rake an unjustified risk by continuing the descent with the predominant goal of landing against the odds,” com-

mittee chairwoman Tatiana Anodina told a news conference announcing the final results of the investigation. The report found no fault with Russian air traffic controllers.

That is likely to anger Polish officials, who have complained that previous drafts of Russia’s report should have questioned whether controllers should have allowed the plane to land in poor visibility. In December, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused the Russian investigators of negligence and mistakes.

Continued on page 6

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International

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Bali News 2011, Denpasar targets tax revenue at IDR 216.5 billion Denpasar (Bali Post)—

Denpasar Municipality targeted the regionally generated revenue contributed to the Regional Budget Plan (APBD) earned from the taxation would be around IDR 216.5 billion in the period of 2011. The tax revenue was sourced from the hotel tax at IDR 76 billion, restaurant tax at IDR 29 billion, entertainment tax at IDR 6 billion, advertisement tax at IDR 12.750 billion, street lighting tax at IDR 31 billion, ground water tax at IDR 6.750 billion and acquisition levy of rights to land and buildings at IDR 5 billion.

The Head of Denpasar Revenue Office, Ida Bagus Subrata, expressed his optimism that the targeted figures could be achieved. Tax in 2010 was greater than tax revenue in 2009 primarily derived from the charges associated with the acquisition levy of rights to land and buildings.

“Although this year the world economy is estimated not to experience significant growth,” said Subrata while adding that there were no tax payers embezzling their duties other than late tax payments.

Regarding to sanctions imposed to employers who paid their taxes late, according to him, it would be conform with the provisions in force, ranging from the coaching to severe sanctions. He said, so far the awareness of taxpayers in the city of Denpasar to meet their obligation was pretty good.

“Therefore, in the future, we will strive to improve the quality of our services to taxpayers,” he said.

Denpasar Revenue Office (Dispenda) targeted that within next two years, all tax payers of the underground water domiciling in the capital city of Bali Province should have a waste water treatment. At the moment, out of 950 taxpayers, only 268 of them who had had a waste water treatment.

“This applies to taxpayers whose business belongs to the large scale ones such as hotels and restaurants,” he said. Implementation on the provision of waste water treatment in the business premises of taxpayers who did not have it would be undertaken gradually, but the government hoped all should have it within two years.

“One of the benefits of waste water treatment is that the processed water can be reused for various other purposes, without resulting in hazardous ecological impacts,” he added. (par)

Hotel occupancy rate in Bali gradually comes down Mangupura (Bali Post)—

Backflow of visitors celebrating their long yearend holidays in Bali also affected the room occupancy rate of a number of hotels in tourist resorts. After the celebration ended, the hotel room occupancy that previously reached 90-100 percent had now been gradually coming down.

Secretary of the Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (PHRI) of Bali Chapter, Ferry Markus, stated that such condition commonly occurred each year, both in boutique hotels and five-star hotels. “Currently the hotel occupancy reaches on average of 45-55 percent. Their arrival was slightly down, so it’s natural if the hotel room occupancy also comes down compared to the previous days,” Ferry said at his office on Tuesday (Jan 11).

According to him, based on experience in the previous years, every beginning of each year the number of leisure tourist, especially to Bali, was a little bit. Nevertheless, the extreme weather condition engulfing several regions in Europe and America had a positive impact on tourist visits to Bali, although it only lasted temporarily.

“The floods overwhelming Australia, for instance, also affected the level of their visit to Bali. Evidently, until earlier this year their number is still dominating,” he added. The period of famine visit, said Ferry, only occurred

during some periods, but hotel occupancy would jump back at the beginning of March to December. However, for the activities of Meeting, Incentive, Convention, Exhibition (MICE) of the government institutions, state-owned enterprises and private companies in the hotel remained stable.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Bali Government Tourism Office, Ida Bagus Subhiksu, also admitted that after the New Year celebration the room occupancy decreased if compared to the previous period. This condition was strongly felt by the circle of hoteliers beyond the Southern Bali.

“Bali Provincial Government will continue to work toward the equitable concept of tourism in the nine regencies across Bali. Therefore, we consider developing the tourism development of Bali in the one single-island tourism management,” he said.

So far, the development of Bali tourism tended to run unevenly, where only the southern part of Bali

underwent the rapid growth of tourism industry. This condition occurred as long as the tourism management was controlled by respective regency as the implementation of regional autonomy at the regency level.

“Since the tourist destinations or attractions lie in the regency and as the result of implementation of the regional autonomy, it needs a single-island management policy to balance the development,” he explained.

According to him, equitable tourism development needed to be carried out because the number of tourists visiting Bali would continue to rise. Out of the 10 major tourism market shares, it was recorded that four ancillary markets of the tourism growth in 2010 included Australia rising by 48.31 percent, Singapore (64.83 percent), United Kingdom (13.51 percent), and Germany (12.82 percent). Meanwhile, some markets undergoing decline consisted of Japan dropping by 24.01 percent, France (4.87 percent) and South Korea (1.29 percent). (par)

Bad weather, online service of one-stop administration center disturbed Denpasar (Bali Post)— Four units of technical implementer (UPT) handling the online services for one-stop administration center (Samsat) in some regions such as Badung, Denpasar, Kuta and Mengwi were disrupted due to technical problems after the bad weather. Queue of people who would like to pay the vehicle tax was crowded. Even, the process should be delayed for 20 minutes up to several hours.

The Head of Bali Revenue Office (Kadispenda), I Ketut Sudira, acknowledged the existence of such extreme weather causing technical problems in four offices that have implemented online system.

“We are experiencing technical problems due to bad weather condition. Services of the connection system implementing the Internet channels get disturbed so it could not send the data to the central data optimally,” said Sudira, Tuesday (Jan 11).

According to him, such disturbance occurred because the speed of the Internet connection of the service providers had decreased dramatically as strong winds occurred last Monday evening. “As a result, the Internet connection was down and the service provision automatically slowed down,” he said.

Despite the slowing service, Sudira expressed the service in the four regions were still running. He said to have called the technician to resolve the technical problems. “We do hope people to be patient. Likewise, we also have sent technicians so the problem can be resolved immediately,” he said. (par)

IBP/ist

One of the hotels in Nusa Dua area.

z Founder : K.Nadha, z General Manager :Palgunadi Chief Editor: Diah Dewi Juniarti z Editors: Gugiek Savindra,Alit Susrini, Alit Sumertha, Daniel Fajry, Mawa, Sri Hartini, Suana, Sueca, Sugiartha, Wirya, Yudi Winanto zDenpasar: Dira Arsana, Giriana Saputra, Subagiadnya, Subrata, Suentra, Sumatika, Asmara Putra. Bangli: Pujawan, Buleleng: Adnyana, Gianyar: Agung Dharmada, Karangasem: Budana, Klungkung: Bali Putra Ariawan,Jakarta: Nikson, Hardianto, Ade Irawan,. NTB: Agus Talino, Syamsudin Karim, Izzul Khairi, Raka Akriyani. Surabaya: Bambang Wilianto. z Development: Alit Purnata, Mas Ruscitadewi. z Office: Jalan Kepundung 67 A Denpasar 80232. Telephone (0361)225764, Facsimile: 227418, P.O.Box: 3010 Denpasar 80001. Bali Post Jakarta, Advertizing: Jl.Palmerah Barat 21F. Telp 021-5357602, Facsimile: 021-5357605 Jakarta Pusat. NTB: Jalam Bangau No. 15 Cakranegara Telp. (0370) 639543, Facsimile: (0370) 628257. Publisher: PT Bali Post

Bali News

International

Thursday, January 13, 2011

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Masked Robbers Haunted Denpasar One Hour, Two Houses Victimized Denpasar (Bali Post) –

The situation is no longer safe this time in Denpasar City as robbers seem to come back haunting. This was seen from the two cases victimizing two residents houses last Monday (10/1) early morning. The event happened in an hour and they were armed also masked robbers. They also threaten the victims while trying to stop them.

The victims were I Wayan Sudarma at Singasari Street, Banjar Tagtag Kaja, Denpasar and I Gde Kinten (45) at Subak Dalem Street No.6, Denpasar. Each victim admitted they have loss million or rupiah as the robbers successfully took a number of jewelries, cell phones and cash.

From what’s received on Tuesday (11/1), the first robbery was at Sudarma’s. At that time, he and

his family were sleeping yet all of a sudden three unknown men were inside his house at 2.30 am. They brought weapons of machete, spear and sickle also closed their faces with masks. Victim then tried to go closer, yet he also his family was threatened. The robbers then raided the house to find valuable items around. “The robbers came in the house easily as the doors were unlocked,” a police source stated.

The items taken were four cell phones, IDR 400 thousand and a 5 gram gold bracelet. If it’s totaled, the loss reached IDR 5 million. The robbers then left after the items they want were collected, “Victim couldn’t do much.

Besides threaten, victim was also going to be killed if victim fights back or shout.”

Ironically, an hour later, Kinten also experienced the same thing.

There were three masked robbers inside the house at 3.30 am with the same weapons. It is strongly suspected the robbers are the same, “The robbers came in easily as well here as the victim’s house doesn’t have a door.”

It is stated that at that time, victim and family were going to the market. Victim always wakes up this time to bring his wife to the market as she is a seller there. Before that, he saw the three robbers inside already while he was going to the toilet. Then robbers threaten victim and the family then did the same thing. They managed to take five cell phones

with varied brands and a 5 gram gold necklace. The loss was totaled to IDR 5 million.

The cases were then reported to West Denpasar Police Sector.

Even police have investigated the crime scenes and witnesses, yet nothing can be found yet, “Police are still investigating this case.”

Meanwhile Head of West Denpasar Police Sector AKP Andi Prihastomo confirmed the events, “From victims’ statements, it is suspected the robbers are the same. This can be seen from its physical characteristic. Yet we are still investigating it. Hopefully it’ll be revealed soon.” (kmb21)

Problems With Pengasahan Traditions, Canadian Escaped to Kuta Tabanan, DenPost

Canadian Michael Chesney (40) who’s been living with his wife Ni Nyoman Latri (36) at Pondok Wisata Pitaya on Balian Beach, Dusun Pengasahan, Lalanglinggah Village, Selemadeg, at last chose to escape from their problems with the local people last Tuesday (11/1). Without confirming where they will be going, Michael did mention will find a safe place at Kuta, Sanur or Denpasar, “Basically we want to escape and never come back again.”

Michael reasoned his escape because the village is dangerous, not knowingly why. Yet for sure he and his wife will never come back and will sell their assets as much as IDR 5 billion valued.Meanwhile on Monday (10/1) evening around 8 pm, the bale bengong (meeting place) nearby Pondok Wisata Pitaya was being damaged by unknown people. Apparently this part of land is owned by the government. Michael and his wife admitted that they built the bale bengong with its seating places and flowers for public use. In other hand, the local people think Michael and his wife takes too many actions and has broken the traditional laws (awig-awig). According to Traditional Village Head, I Made Sukarta, accompanied by Customary Village Head Ketut Warta, former Traditional Village Head I Nyoman Syardana and Nyoman Adnyana, also public figures Wayan Sukadana and Wayan Agus Swastika, the problem was accumulated from the many long going problems here, “Actually Michael and his wife know what the awig-awig is and we have reminded them what should not be done. About the incident on Monday, it actually did not take place in Pondok Wisata Pitaya areal so there’s no reason to protest. What happened was they had many problems and many violated the laws when actually we are very welcome to investors.” (121)

Punished Five Years, Former Money Changer Worker Cried Denpasar (Bali Post)-

Accused Yulina Firdaus only could bite her nails hearing the judges verdict at Denpasar District Court last Tuesday (11/1). A five years jail and fine IDR 1 billion subsiding 4 months jail was then received after proven to have kept and owned 0,19 gram of methamphetamine.

For that, the former Money Changer worker couldn’t help but crying, “I am a poor person, I don’t have money to take care of my case.” The beautiful girl then stated her involvement with accused Gede Nukarja (accused on a different file) who luckily only got 6 months jail even though his acts were the same.

Legal Counselor Andreas Sulaiman Manalu also couldn’t help to kepp his anger. The lawyer thinks that the judges are ignoring justice, “Yulina was proven to be a courier, the same thing done by other convicts. Now why does Nukarja only have 6 months, while Yulina got 5 years.”Judges led by Sigit Sutanto agreed to the accused acts as stated by the prosecutor. Accused was proven to have violated section 114 paragraph (1) Indonesia Republic Law No.35 year 2009 on Narcotics. In other words accused could sell, buy, receive and a distributor in buy and sell, or giving this 1st type narcotic. Yet judges disagree to the punishment that Prosecutor asked to be given to accused.(015)

IBP/Edi

A tree is falling down in Denpasar. The officers are working hard to clear the road from the fallen trees.

Windy Rainy Day, Tens of Trees Fell Denpasar (Bali Post) –

The extreme weather affect was felt from the high intensity of pouring rain in Denpasar. Besides rain, there were strong winds, causing trees and billboards falling last Monday (10/1).

Based on the information received from Cleanness and Garden Agency (DKP) of Denpasar City, there are around 16 trees victimized around East and South Denpasar.

While for billboards they were size 4x6 meters. Head of the Agency, I Ketut Wisada confirmed these incidents last Tuesday (11/1). According to him, the trees that fell were

on resident’s land that was not on the perompesan program. Yet there were also trees falling down on the sides of Puputan Raya Street as the soils to it have been unstable. Other roads victimized were at Sesetan, Sanur, Sidakarya, Sedap Malam Street, Nangka Street and Soka Street. The huge tree at Soka Street did not fall but its branches fell in huge capacity, “The biggest incident was the one at Soka Street where a banyan tree branches fell down to the ground.”

Wisada stated the kind of trees that fell varied yet most were spatudea and angsana. Besides that

a mango tree owned by a resident fell at Sanur. To manage this disaster, his side has directed tens of workers and around seven armada, “The longest consuming time would be the one in Soka Street as the broken tree is quite huge.”

A number of small trees falling were also found at Kusuma Atmaja Street, in front of Bali House of Representatives Office, South Nangka Street in front of Tirta Hening Hotel, Drupadi Street with a 80 cm diameter tree falling, Moh. Yamin Street in front of Bumbu Desa Restaurant, also Letda Tantular Street in front of the Office Units. (kmb12)

4

News

Thursday, January 13, 2011

International

Violent unrest breaks out in Tunisian capital Reuters

TUNIS – Police fired into the air to disperse a crowd ransacking buildings in a Tunis suburb on Tuesday, the first time a wave of violent unrest that officials say has killed 23 civilians has hit the capital.

People taking part in the weeks of clashes rocking Tunisia say they want jobs and better living conditions, but the authorities say the protests have been hijacked by a minority of violent extremists armed with petrol bombs and clubs.

In the strongest U.S. statement on the violence to date, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Washington was “deeply concerned by reports of the use of excessive force by the government of Tunisia.” A Reuters reporter in the working-class Ettadamen neighborhood of Tunis said he saw hundreds of youths, who had earlier blocked roads with burning tires and hurled stones at police, try to attack a local government building.

Police fired warning shots into the air and also fired teargas grenades to try to force people back from the building, the reporter said. “We are not afraid, we are not

afraid, we are afraid only of God,” the crowds chanted.

The main body of the crowd later dispersed and police were pursuing small groups of people through side streets near the scene of the earlier stand-off. A witness reported that large numbers of police reinforcements had been brought in and were being kept on standby a few blocks away. There was no sign of any disturbances in other parts of the city.

The unrest is the worst in decades. Officials said the civilian deaths — almost all of them in clashes in provincial towns at the weekend — came about when police fired on rioters in legitimate self-defense.

Reports of the clashes in Tunis emerged minutes after the government raised the death toll from the unrest by three, but dismissed human rights groups’ estimates of a higher number.

Until Tuesday evening there had been no reports of major new clashes after the army was deployed in the most restive towns, schools and universities were shut indefinitely and police with loudhailers ordered people in at least one town not to gather in the streets.

Reuters

A passenger in a car waves for assistance as a flash flood sweeps across an intersection in Toowoomba

Australia floods inundate Brisbane, 67 missing Reuters

BRISBANE, Australia – Massive floods shut down the center of Australia’s third-largest city, sent thousands fleeing from their homes and sparked panic buying of food on Wednesday as rescuers searched desperately for nearly 70 people missing in floodwaters.

The biggest floods in a century have so far killed 16 people since starting their march across the northern mining state of Queensland last month, crippling the coking coal industry, destroying infrastructure, putting a brake on the economy and sending the local currency to four-week lows.

The flood surge is expected to peak in Brisbane, a riverine city of two million people, before sunrise on Thursday and last for days. However, the peak will arrive within the next few hours in Ipswich, a satellite town to the west. “The water is rising and swallowing up the city.

It’s really heartbreaking,” said Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale.

Brisbane residents on Wednes-

day pushed food-laden shopping carts through drowned streets, others waded in shoulder-high water to rescue possessions, while boats and pontoons were ripped from moorings in the Brisbane River and smashed into bridges as the muddy brown tide gathered strength.

At flooded intersections people paddled surfboards through floodwaters, balancing their possessions on the deck of the boards, while boats ferried evacuees to dry ground. “I am feeling a sense of horror and awe at the power of the river. Sadly in coming hours we will see bits of people’s homes float down the river,” Brisbane Mayor Campbell Newman said, warning the torrent could take three to four days to subside.

Rescue crews took advantage of some rare sunshine to look for 67 people still missing from tsunami-like flash floods that tore through townships west of the city this week. “We can take no comfort from that blue sky,” Queensland state Premier Anna Bligh told reporters, predicting almost 20,000 homes could be flooded at the river’s peak in what she called Queensland’s worst natural disaster.

“The water and the rain have already done their damage. This is a deeply serious natural disaster.” The worsening floods are forcing economists to raise estimates of the economic impact, with one central bank board member on Wednesday saying the disaster could cut 1 percent off growth — equal to almost $13 billion, double the previous highest estimate.

The Australian dollar sank to a fresh four-week low of $0.9803 on the comments from Warwick McKibbin, an academic and a member of the central bank’s policymaking board.

Reuters

A view of the site where protestors clashed with police near Sidi Bouzid in Tunis January 10, 2011

Haitians yearn for change after year in “hell” Reuters

‘Biden in Islamabad for anti-terror talks’ Agence France Presse

ISLAMABAD – US Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Islamabad Wednesday for counterterrorism talks with Pakistan’s top leaders and senior military officials, a US official said.

“While here, he will meet with President (Asif Ali) Zardari and Prime Minister (Yousuf Raza) Gilani to discuss the US-Pakistan bilateral relationship and how our two countries can work together towards peace and stability in the region,” the official said.

“Vice President Biden will also meet with members of Pakistan?s military leadership to discuss our shared efforts to fight terrorism and extremism.”

PORT-AU-PRINCE – As Haitians mark the anniversary on Wednesday of the earthquake that flattened much of the capital Portau-Prince, hopes that a better nation could rise from the rubble have given way to a crushing sense of bitterness and despair.

Reconstruction work has barely begun despite billions of dollars in pledged aid, profiteering by Haiti’s tiny and notoriously corrupt elite has reached epic proportions, and a national cholera epidemic has added to the misery of a country where the quake killed about 250,000 people and left more than a million homeless.

Haiti, the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country, was in bad shape before the quake. But promises from the international community to “build Haiti back better” now ring hollow to many of the country’s most vulnerable.

Banks, schools and government offices were ordered closed for the anniversary and a national day of mourning was to kick off with a service offered by the papal envoy to Haiti at the quake-shattered remains of the National Cathedral in downtown Port-au-Prince.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, the special U.N. envoy for Haiti who heads its main disaster management body, was due to attend the service along with a host of offi-

cials including outgoing Haitian President Rene Preval.

But in Champs Mars, Port-auPrince’s central plaza where thousands of families made homeless by the quake live in a sweltering tent city, residents said the official ceremonies and renewed pledges of aid and progress for Haiti from foreign officials, were like something taking place in another world.

Hundreds of thousands are still living in such camps and are falling victim to the cholera that has already taken some 3,750 lives since midOctober.

A political impasse since a disputed presidential election on November 28 has fueled further instability in the Caribbean country.

Activities

International

Thursday, January 13, 2011

5

Ayana Launches New Family Holiday Packages Extends Eat Pray Love Promotion IBP

JIMBARAN - Ayana Resort and Spa Bali has launched a new Family Holiday Package while extending an existing Eat Pray Love promotion due to popular demand, as the property prepares for continued strong bookings into 2011.

Ayana’s ‘Eat Pray Love Bali’ package has proved popular following the release of the Hollywood blockbuster starring Julia Roberts, and quickly became the resort’s #1 selling package on its website. As a result, Ayana has extended the travel deadline from December 2010, until 30 June 2011.

The rates remain unchanged, with rooms starting at US$298++ per night and villas at US$580++.

“Many travelers have been inspired by the book and movie to create their own ‘Eat Pray Love’ experience in Bali,” said General Manager Charles de Foucault. “Our package combines spa, yoga, romantic dining and a tour to Ubud, to bring elements of this story to life for our guests.

We are delighted with the response and the positive exposure this film has produced for Bali’s unique culture and attraction as a holiday destination.”

Meanwhile, Ayana has also created the perfect family holiday: recreation for the kids; relaxation for the grownups. Enjoy spa pampering, gourmet dining and the opportunity to relax poolside, content in the knowledge that the little ‘uns are being entertained, stimulated and having the time of their lives with cultural and craft activities, yoga, and a 77-hectare resort to explore.

Temple Ceremony Calendar Event forJanuary 3 through January 26, 2011 04 January Special Event at Tenganan Pegringsingan Usaba Sadha Main ritual of twelfth month commanced with temple annyversary celebration of Pura Accompanied by Gambang orchestra at 18.00 pm.

Temple anniversary celebration at Pura Dalem Puri,Pura Ulun Kulkul, Pura Kiduling Kreteg, Pura Benua Kawan,Besakih complex,districk of Rendang,Karangasem regency 05 January Special Event at Tenganan Pegringsingan Usaba Sadha Main Ceremony held at Pura Jero when the whole temple adherents go praying to the temple in their finest traditional dress while Gambang orchestra cheeras the atmosphere at 17.00 pm.

06 January Special Event at Tenganan Pegringsingan Usaba Sadha Last ritual held at Pura Jero ended with procession of Deities back to Subak Pemaksan (the agricultural temple) at 18.00 pm. Followed by special event held for the elderly people of the village.

12 January Temple anniversary celebration at: * Pura Luhur Pucak Padang Dawa, Bangli village,distict of Baturiti, Tabanan Regency * Pura Silayukti,Padangbai village, district of manggis,Karangasem Regency * Pura Air Jeruk,South Beach of Sukawati Village,Gianyar Regency * Pura Dangin Pasar,Batuan Village, District of Sukawati.Gianyar regensy

* Pura Desa Lembeng,Ketewel village, District of Sukawati.Gianyar regency * Pura Penataran,Batuyang Village, District of Sukawati.Gianyar regency * Pura Budha Kliwon,Penatih Village, east of denpasar 19 January Temple anniversary celebrations at: * Pura Ratu Pasek Besakih (the mother temple) complex,distric of Rendang, Karangasem Regency * Pura Dalem Batur Village, distric of kintamani,Bangli regency 22 January Temple anniversary celebrations at: * Pura Dalem Tarukan,Bebalang village, South oe the town of bangli. * Pura Benua Kangin,Besakih (the mother temple complex)Karngasem Regensy * Pura Dalem,Pemuteran,Jelantik tojan Village,Klungkung regensy * Pura Pucak Sari,Gunung Sari Village,district of Penebel,Tabanan Regency.

26 January Temple anniversary celebrations at: * Pura Bandesa Mas Kepisah,Pedungan village, south of denpasar * Pura Pasar agung,Kaba-kaba village, district of kediri,Tabanan regency * Pura Dalem Petinget, Kerobokan village, district of kuta,Badung regency * Pura Dalem Pulasari,samprangan village, district of blahbatuh,Gianyar regency * Pura Natih,Banjar kalan,Batuan Village, District of Sukawati,Gianyar regency

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, January 13, 2011

Vietnam’s Party Congress opens amid tight security HANOI, Vietnam – Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party opened a meeting Wednesday to pick new leaders and set the country’s direction for the next five years as human rights groups criticized recent crackdowns on political dissidents in the one-party state.

The country’s top four leaders are expected to be decided during the secretive party congress amid tight security over the next eight days. Regardless of the outcome, no major changes in government policies are expected during the country’s most important meeting, held every five years.

Vietnam’s propaganda machine was revved up, with Communist hammer-and sickle monuments erected in traffic circles along with thousands of red banners along the capital’s streets proclaiming “Long Live the Glorious Communist Party of Vietnam!”

Despite all the hoopla, the event is largely ignored by most ordinary Vietnamese who are struggling with double-digit inflation as food prices soar.

During his opening statement, outgoing Communist Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh praised Vietnam’s economic development over the past five years but warned that its high growth rate — averaging 7.2 percent over the last decade — remains unsustainable.

“Quality, efficiency and competitiveness remain low,” he said. “Bureaucracy, corruption, wastefulness, social vices, moral and lifestyle degradation have not been prevented.”

Security was tight outside the meeting hall, with armed riot police standing guard.

U.S.-based Human Rights Watch says intense crackdowns on political dissidents occurred in the weeks leading to the event.

The government does not tolerate any challenge to its one-party rule, and is regularly criticized by the U.S. and other Western countries for silencing criticism.

Vietnam routinely accuses the U.S. and other countries of seeking to sabotage Communist rule by promoting democratic reforms in hopes of sparking discontent.

AFP

Afghan investigators inspect the site of a suicide bomb attack in Kabul.

Four killed, 29 wounded in Kabul suicide attack KABUL (AFP) – At least four people were killed and 29 wounded on Wednesday in a suicide motorcycle blast in Kabul that was claimed by the Taliban, who said it targeted a minibus carrying Afghan spy agency employees.

AP

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, bottom right, delivers speech at the opening ceremony of the Vietnam’s Party Congress

The attacker detonated his explosives-laden vehicle in an area of the Afghan capital close to government ministries, parliament and the offices of foreign companies, officials and witnesses said.

“The number of casualties that police have taken to hospital is four

martyred,” interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary told AFP. Health ministry spokesman Ghulam Sakhi Nuroghli said that 29 wounded had been registered by a hospital close to the scene of the blast.

“And one of the wounded is in a critical condition,” Nuroghli told

Major winter storm...

From page 1 By 4:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, around 6 inches of snow had fallen in and around New York City, the NWS reported on its website (http://www.weather.gov/). Continental Airlines said it had canceled 244 flights, mainly from its hub at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, for Tuesday evening. JetBlue said it has canceled 109 flights for Tuesday night and 137 Wednesday across the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic region.

American Airlines had so far canceled 350 flights at airports between Boston and Washington overnight and into Wednesday morning. American Airlines spokesman Ed Martelle said the airline does not expect any international cancellations.

The New York Stock Exchange expects to be open for business as usual on Wednesday. Financial markets were likely to be largely unaffected by the storm, though trading volume could take a small hit, traders said. The last storm occurred in the traditionally light-volume holiday period.

“For the most part, we’ve become a mobile and remoteaccess business,” said Joseph Greco, managing director at

AFP. Witnesses reported seeing fragments of a motorcycle and human body parts likely to be from a suicide attacker, while an AFP photographer saw pools of blood on the road and the shattered windows of several vehicles nearby.

Russia...

From page 1

Meridian Equity Partners in New York. “Investors can get in pretty easily and feel secure trading online.”

The storm began a day after the New York City Council held hearings on the city’s snow response and Bloomberg issued a 15-point action plan aimed at correcting the mistakes. In the previous storm, 600 buses got stuck in the snow, and ambulances were unable to get through. Entire neighborhoods were cut off for days.

Bloomberg said on Tuesday the city had 365 salt spreaders and 1,700 plows ready to tackle the storm, with sanitation crews on hand to work 12-hour shifts. Snow and ice carpeted much of the U.S. South on Monday, killing at least three people in traffic accidents, cutting off power to thousands and closing countless roads.

Winter storm warnings or weather advisories were also in effect throughout much of the Northeast, Midwest, central and northern Appalachian and lower Great Lakes regions. Frigid conditions were expected to persist until the weekend, keeping travel conditions hazardous in many places. Unusually, there was snow or ice on the ground in every state except Florida.

Kaczynski and his delegation were on their way to attend a ceremony commemorating the victims of the 1940 Katyn massacre, in which 20,000 Polish officers and other prisoners of war were killed by the Soviet secret police.

Efforts to cover up responsibility for the massacre have long been a significant irritant in relations between Poland and Russia. But in recent years Russia has attempted to overcome the tensions by releasing thick dossiers of documents and saying the killings were ordered by dictator Josef Stalin.

The symbolic importance of Kaczynski’s planned visit apparently increased the pressure to land the aircraft despite the poor conditions. But the head of the committee’s technical commission, Alexei Morozov, said there was no “concrete command” from Kaczynski to land.

The blood-alcohol content found in Blasik was lower than what is generally considered outright intoxication. But the professional pilots and physicians group http:// www.flightphysical.com says “the number of serious errors committed by pilots dramatically increases at or above concentrations of 0.04 percent,” lower than Blasik’s level.

International

Indonesia Today

Thursday, January 13, 2011

7

RI‘s 112 bird species threatened by shrinking habitats Antara

AFP PHOTO / ALTAMIRA

A general view shows a village is covered by mud flow from mount Merapi in Yogyakarta on January 10, 2011. Indonesia’s most active volcano, Mount Merapi in central Java, has killed more than 350 people in a series of violent eruptions which started in late October.

BOGOR - Out Of a total of 1,594 bird species existing in Indonesia, 112 are on the brink of extinction and included in the Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

“Indonesia is a country hosting a very diverse bird population. Of the world`s 10,000 bird species, 1,594 are to be found in Indonesia, making it the world`s fifth richest country in terms of fowl possession,” Ria Saryanthi, conservation program manager of BirdLife Indonesia. said in a press statement here Tuesday.

Of Indonesia‘s 112 endangered bird species, 18 were in critical condition, 31 endangered, and 73 others prone, he said.

Most of the threatened bird species in Indonesia live in their habitats. They are being threatened because of hunting, illegal trade and pressures on their habitat due to

illegal logging and forest area conversions, she said.

“Human activities which have converted forests into agricultural areas, plantations and infrastructure development for industry, have caused the bird habitats to shrink,” she said.

Wood pigeon (Columba sp.), uncal (Macropygia sp.), delimukan (Chalcopaps sp. and Gallicolumba sp. ), pergam (Ducula sp.), and walik (Ptilinopus sp.) are pigeon families which are highly depending on their forest habitat.

“It is no surprise that of the total of 112 threatened bird species, 12 are from the Collumbidae families,” he said.

The increase in human population, economic development policies have also affected the wildlife and ecosystem, she said, adding that the press release was issued on the occasion of the commemoration of One Million Tree Day on January 10.

REDD implementation challenged by industry lobbyists Antara

JAKARTA - The implementation of REDD Plus (Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) has often faced challenges from vested-interest industry lobbyists, an official said.

“Our moves have been closely watched by lobbyists of industries such as mining and oilpalm plantations,” Kuntoro Mangkusubroto , chief of the REDD Plus Task Force, said at the opening of a national workshop on REDD activities here Tuesday.

However, discussions on REDD Plus activities, in fact, have also involved the private sector including industries as one of the stakeholders, he said.

He urged all stakeholders to respect and implement logging mora-

torium. Kuncoro disagreed with an idea that tree logging could be done as long as it would be followed by tree planting.

“Once a forest area, it must remain forest area,” he said.

Kuncoro said as the REDD Plus Task Force chief, he would make sure the success of the implementation of REDD Plus and that all stakeholders have a common goal.

The REDD Plus Task Force was established in September 2010

RI-India trade in 2011 expected to repeat last year‘s success Antara

JAKARTA - Trade between Indonesia and India in 2011 is expected to be as successsful as last year and reach the value three times that in 2005, according to Indian Ambassador to Indonesia Biren Nanda.

“We expect to repeat last year`s success which was three times as high as in 2005,” Biren said in an interview with ANTARA here Tuesday.

Indonesia-India trade in 2010 reached a value of 12 billion US dollars after dropping to 9.6 billion US dollars in 2009 due to the global economic crisis, he said.

In 2005, Indonesia‘s exports to India reached 2.9 billion US dollars and last August they increased by

about 64.7 percent.

Trade between the two countries was increasing day by day, especially after the visit of Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu to India last December.

“I hope also our partnership will be further strengthened by President Yudhoyono when he makes a working visit to India on January 24. He will among other things attend the Republic Day in India on January 26,” Biren said.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will visit India, Indonesia‘s fastest growing export destination after China, to observe Republic Day on January 26.

He will conduct a state visit to India, upon the invitation of the government of India to become a prime

guest at the Republic Day on January 26.

President Yudhoyono is also scheduled to witness the signing of a number of cooperation agreements including on extradition and in the fields of science, economy and trade.

India commemorates Republic Day on every January 26 to mark the implementation of the Indian Constitution to replace the Indian government law of 1935 as a document that governed India as of January 26 of 1950.

It has chosen January 26 in respect of the declaration of independence of 1930. That is one of the three national holidays of India. The Republic Day is marked with a parade in Rajpath, New Delhi, attended by the president of India.

based on the presidential decree no.

19/2010, to follow up the IndonesianNorwegian partnership program.

The government of Indonesia and Norway signed a Letter of Intent on the two countries‘ partnership in Oslo, May 2010. Under the partnership agreement, Norway would provide one billion US dollar to Indonesia for emission reduction from deforestation and forest degradation activities.

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation

(REDD) is an effort to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development.

REDD Plus goes beyond deforestation and forest degradation, and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.

RI, Australia mulling prisoner exchange Antara

JAKARTA - The Indonesian and Australian governments are mulling a convicted prisoners‘ swap under which Indonesia would release two Australians currently serving jail sentences for smuggling drugs, namely Schapelle Corby and Ranae Lawrence, an Attorney General‘s Office (AGO) spokesman said.

The AGO‘s spokesman, Babul Khoir Harahap, said here Tuesday the idea was discussed by the secretary to the Australian Attorney General, Roger Wilkins, and Indonesian Attorney General Basrief Arief at a meeting here Tuesday.

Also present at the meeting was Indonesian Deputy Attorney General Darmono and Junior Attorney Gen-

eral for Special Crimes M. Amari.

Babul said the Indonesian and Australian officials discussed the idea of signing a bilateral agreement to exchange prisoners.

“There are now 12,000 Indonesian prisoners in Australia. They were sentenced to jail terms of up to five years. The Australian government asked for the release of among others Schapelle Corby,” he said.

Responding to the request, he added, the Attorney General would further discuss the idea with the Law and Human Rights Ministry.

Schapelle Leigh Corby and Renae Lawrence who were sentenced to 20 years in prison had obtained a remission of one and a half month on the occasion of Christmas last year,

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International

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Bali Today A Journey into the History and Mystery of Bali Undeniably, bliss or happiness has become a dream and destination of most people. Career and material achievement are the bridge to reach it. However, when arriving at the height of these, sometimes people encounters there is something lost. Ultimately, they travel to several parts of the world to look for a satisfying answer of this matter.

Many favorite destinations of the world now offer the combination of leisure and spirituality as if these two words had become new mantra in travel trend. Traveling for this purpose is focused on the experience and journey. It digs out self-potential and human achievement in the past, chiefly on self-realization and his relation to nature and the Creator. This kind of tourism is appropriate for those wishing to pursue the answer above.

In the journey of time, local history records that the Balinese community has a bright achievement in spiritual development. Some footprints can be encountered through the heritage at favorite destinations. Gunung Kawi sanctuary, for instance, becomes a proof of spiritual activity established during the administration of the King Anak Wungsu (11th century). Next to the cave temples occurs a series of meditation cells. The rock was cut to make some cloisters and meditation cells. At this location, ancient people can practice their meditation. It is a truly tranquil place situated at the Petanu riverside.

Another important location is nestled at the Elephant Cave or Goa Gajah, Gianyar. It is estimated to have been founded during the reign of Warmadeva Dynasty (10th century). The sanctuary is known as Kunjarapada where Kunjara (Sanskrit) means elephant and pada means location. In the mass, this name represents that it became the last destination of Maharishi Agastya in providing his spiritual enlightenment in Bali.

Today, visitors can trace back and enjoy a variety of experiences in spiritual travel, ranging from visiting great temples to ancient sanctuaries used to practice yoga. Even, yoga class has now been offered at several hotels, villas and yoga centers at main destinations of Bali. Meanwhile, for relaxation and rejuvenation visitors can try some spa treatments in the combination of traditional method and ingredients with modern technique. These are often promoted through illustrious catchphrases mentioning as product of mind, body and soul. To sum up, by visiting Bali you can enrich your experience related to spiritual and wellness. Though the tradition has been created hundreds of years ago, its practice and benefits remain relevant to modern life today.

More than that, Bali as a tourist destination also implements the concept of indigenous wisdom called Tri Hita Karana (THK). It stands for an integrated application of social, environmental and spiritual aspect in tourism development and practices. Approximately one hundred hotels or villas and tourist objects throughout Bali participate in the annual competition of THK Awards. It is intended to implement and preserve this sublime concept in their business practices. By doing so, it is expected they could give the best satisfaction to customer, surrounding community and the operator going hand in hand with the conservation of nature.

Ultimately, inspired by Hinduism, indigenous wisdom and local tradition, the island has a variety of treasures, endless activities and ‘mystery’ to explore. They have become integrated part of Balinese life. Many visitors come and go. Some get interested to join the ceremony, to roam pristine villages, or even to stay at ashrams for weeks. Hopefully, one of the activities above can become an answer for those wishing to balance their life with any achievement at hand. (BTN/punia)

FOTO ANTARA/Nyoman Budhiana

A staff from Bali’s conservation agency measure the size of the stranded dolphin.

Dolphins stranded on Denpasar shore Antara

Denpasar – A pair of bottle nose dolphin or “delphinus capensis” was found dead near the forest on Serangan Beach, Denpasar. The dolphins were found on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 morning.

The poor animals were found by the local fishermen who directly reported their finding to the Resources Conservation Department (BKSDA) office. The dolphins then brought to the BKSDA office to be examined and taken the DNA sample by the team for Animal Health faculty in Udayana University.

There will be a laboratory test to determine the cause of death of those animals. The head of Conservation Division in BKSDA Bali,

Sumarsono, said “from the preliminary investigation, the cause of the death is they run out of oxygen because the can not get back to deep water. The remains will be buried immediately.”

He explained that dolphin is quite rare on the southern coastal area of Bali. Most of the stranded animals on the area is whales. Dolphin can be found in the northern part of Bali such as in Lovina beach, Buleleng.

“This is a new phenomenon.

There hasn’t been any dolphin stranded on the southern area in the past few years. So this is the first case,” Sumarsono said.

Meanwhile, the local fisherman said that he saw a group of dolphins on Tuesday, January 11, 2010. He suspected that the two dead one were a part of the group. Sumarsono said that the department will increase their patrol due to the incident. They hope to rescue as many as possible if there are other stranded animals.

Bali needs living museum Antara

DENPASAR - The Hindus‘ customs and religious traditions in Bali should be supported by a ‘living museum‘, an area which collects various species of trees for religious rituals, an academician said here Tuesday.“The plan is considered to be very strategic and urgent, as the local people and the Hindus in Bali remain carrying out rituals, but the materials for the rituals are increasingly difficult to

obtain,” head of the tour guide study program of Hindu Dharma Negeri Institute (IHDN) Denpasar, Dr.I Ketut Sumadi, said.

He said the development of the living museum which is arranged beautifully in a wide area can be a new attraction which may interest foreign tourists who enjoy holidays in Bali.

Such an effort should be made soon, considering the urgent need of such ceremonial stuffs as coconut leaves, coconut, flowers,

leaves or bamboo which have been brought from other areas.

Such a condition makes the people and Hindus in Bali dependent on supplies from outside causing the ceremonies to become very expensive, Dr. Ketut Sumadi added.

He said every traditional village in Bali can build a living museum by utilizing the land of “pura laba”, a plot of land jointly owned by residents in their respective areas so it can sustain the rituals of the

people of the villages.

If the development can be realized, the Hindus will be able to perform the rituals with a practical and cheaper way.

The ancestors of Hindus in Bali had actually taught the concept of building a living museum through the ritual “Tumpek Bubuh”, a ritual to honor the various species of vegetation.

According to Dr. Ketut Sumadi, the “Tumpek Bubuh” ritual is only to create new offerings hence its

universal meaning and the practical matters for religious life have not been maximally applied.

However, there are few people with their own awareness making their land for raising medicinal plants, including trees for Hindu religious rituals.

Dr. Ketut Sumadi saw the government programs of making Bali a green and clean province could also be done by developing various kinds of trees for ritual purposes.

International

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Balinese Culture

Rim held international conference in Bali Antara

Nusa Dua – The BlackBerry is very important to the around the world including Indonesia and it make the country become a potential market for the gadget. Research In Motion (RIM), the producer of BlackBerry is aware of that and decided to held a Blackberry and developers confrence in Nusa Dua, Bali.

The first BlackBerry developer conference held outside Nort Amerika as well as in Asia entitled BlackBerry DEVCONAsia 2011 App. The conference it self is held on January 13 through January 14, 2011.

BlackBerry Developer Conference Asia 2011 is presenting more than 40 speakers during the 2 days conference.

It is the second biggest conference after the similar one in North America.

The event is attended by world class application developers, BlackBerry experts and RIM’s partners throughout the world. Tenth of session is held

to discuss various topics such as the development of BlackBerry playbook and study on BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK for Adobe AIR and the use of Adobe Flash Builder The senior director of Research and Development in RIM, Christopher Smith, is one of the key speakers on the conference. During his time in RIM, he involved in Developer Tools, Java Platforms, Web Platforms, and the program with RIM partner such as IBM, Lotus, facebook, TicketMaster, and others.

Other great speaker is the Senior Director of RIM, George Staikos, the man behind the high download speed of BlackBerry. He also designed the efficiency of the network use of BlackBerry.RIM, a Canadian based company had a developer from Indonesia, 7langit, to make the application for the conference. 7Langit is an experience developer which already made several applications for BlackBerry and already on the BlackBerry Elite Alli-

ance Member early this year.

Few days ago, Indonesian Communication and Informatics Minister, Tifatul Sembiring, give and ultimatum to RIM regarding the rules applied for BlackBerry in Indonesia. Many people thought the ultimatum is only about blocking the porn sites on BlackBerry but actually, the Ministry has seven demands which must be fulfilled before January 21, 2011.

The demands are RIM must obey all rules about telecommunication and information, Rim must open their office in Indonesia and also service center to handle the customers in the country which now already up to 2 million people. Then, the government want Rim must recruit Indonesian workers and use local tools as many as possible in the product, they must blocked all porn sites and RIM must establish a server or repeater in Indonesia in order to make it easier for the authorities to investigate cases happen through the use of BlackBerry.

Government Move to Check Rising Food Costs Bali - In an urgent step to curb inflationary food prices the Indonesian government will abolish value-added taxes and import duties on a number of food products.

The report stated that the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Hatta Rajasa, is concerned at the effect rapidly rising world food prices in the fourth-quarter of 2010 is having

on the cost of food in Indonesia.

As a result, the Minister will take steps to stabilize prices of basic food items through the application of financial instruments. Explained Hatta: “Yes, as regards fiscal measures, for example, value-added taxes and import duties, will be suspended to stop prices from rising.”

He told the press that the gov-

ernment is still waiting for recommendations on which commodities should be exempted from import duties.

Those recommendations are scheduled to be in hand on Monday, January 10, 2011 with a regulation from listing the items to be exempted from import taxes to be published one or two days later by the Minister of Finance.

SIAP MEGORENG: (Fried Chicken)

This is one of Bali’s most traditional dishes and plays an important role in many ceremonies.

INGREDIENTS: 4 baby chickens, each 400 gr (13 oz) 1 cup chicken spice paste 2½ cup coconut milk 3¼ cups chicken stock 4 stalks lemon grass, bruised 4 salam leaves 2 lemon leaves 1 tbsp salt 1 tbsp black peppercorns, crushed PREPARATION: Cut along the backbone of chicken, open butterfly style and flatten. Heat heavy saucepan, add spice paste and sauté for 2 minute over low heat.

Add, chicken stock, lemon grass, salam leaves, lemon leaves and bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add coconut cream, bring to boild, season with salt and pepper.

Add chickens and simmer until three-quarters cooked, turning chicken frequently.

Remove from fire and cool chicken in the sauce to room temperature. Remove chicken from sauce and dry well in open airy place for 30 minutes. Grill over charcoal until dark golden brown. Grilled chicken tastes best when served with peanut sauce, steamed rice and vegetables.

Helpful hints : The chickens can be simmered in coconut milk and then deep-frozen until required. Be sure to dry them thoroughly after defrosting, either in an airy place or in front of a fan, before frying. (www.baliguide.com/balifood)

JUKUT ARES (Chicken Soup with Banana Stems) OVERVIEW: The tender center of young banana palms is used for this dish in Bali, these can be replaced by round cabbage, although this needs to be salted for only 10 minutes.

INGREDIENTS: 600 gr (1¼ lb) young banana palm stem 6 tbsp salt ½ cup basic spice paste 1.5 lt (6 cups) duck stock 2 salam leaves 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised salt to taste ½ tbsp black peppercorn, crushed fried shallots to garnish PREPARATION: Peel off hard outside layers of the banana stem, cut in half lengthwise and place flat side on carving board. With a sharp knife cut in thin slices. Sprinkle a flat tray with salt, place sliced banana stem on it and sprinkle generously with salt again. Marinade for 45 minutes. Place slices on top of each and press by hand to extract the juice. Repeat process until stems are very dry and soft. Rinse stems thoroughly under running water. Strain and dry well. Combine duck stock and spice paste and bring to boil. Add salam leaves and lemongrass. Simmer for 5 minutes then add shredded banana stem and bring back to boil. Simmer for one hour until stems are soft, but still crunchy. If using cabbage, the cooking time will be much shorter. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with fried shallots. (www.baliguide.com/balifood)

C.045 ibp

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Thursday, January 13, 2011

Destinations

International

Marine Adventures IBP

Diving is an exciting experience to explore the beautiful underwater life where we can see a real fantastic panorama of coral and colorful fishes. Bali has many choices of the dive venue which are very famous in all over the world like: Tulamben, Amed, Padang Bay, Menjangan Island, Nusa Penida, Lembongan Island and Nusa Dua. All of them have been supported by complete diving facilities. Diving in Bali will get unforgettable experience and this under water adventure is the most attractive and always looked for by the people. Enjoy the experience under the blue sea water with a minimum of wave, colorful coral and fishes and see the real of under water life in Bali. It’s very fantastic and don’t miss it.

Nusa Dua Diving

Nusa Dua have a beautiful underwater panorama with a lot of fishes, coral grow from 3 ( tree ) meters slope down to max depth of 18 meters. beautiful barrier reef is extremely accessible to visitors due to its nearby location and shallow

depths. Nusa dua dive site is perfect for all divers and also ideal for diver training. Nusa Dua is a great choise for divers who want to dive without traveling far.

Tulamben Diving – Ship Wreck

Tulamben is one of popular dive site in Bali and located in East Bali. its about 2 and half hours driver from Nusa Dua and Kuta area. Tulamben is beach entry dive and the ship as the dive site is about 40 meters from the beach. The American ship USAT Liberty built in 1915 and was destroyed by Japanese submarine on Jan 11, 1942 (World War II). It sank on sand floor at depth of 5 meters and slope down to max depth of 35 meters. Night diving on this ship wreck is very popular. Bali’s best wreck dive with bump-head parrot fish, napoleon wrasse and barracuda are regularly spotted around the wreck. Beside Ship Wreck, Tulamben also have many good sites for dive like: Tulamben Drop Off, Coral Garden, etc.

Amed Diving

Amed is located in East Bali, Karangasem Regency and it’s about

2 hours and 45 minutes from Denpasar or Kuta Area and then need more about 5 minutes to Amed dive site. Coral grow 2 meters and slope down to 30 meters. Napoleon wrasses and Reef Sharks often seen in Amed water. Along the wall you will find beautiful and colorful corals (hard and soft) and a breeding area with thousands of small fish.

The maximum depth is +/- 26 m.

Sometimes there can be a current.

Amed is also good site for night dive.

Dive Amed area: Jemeluk, Bunutan, Japanese shipwreck and Gili Selang.

Menjangan Island Diving

Menjangan Island is a small island which is located in North West Bali Island; this island is reached by a 30 minutes boat ride from Labuan Lalang. Menjangan Island is well known for its magnificent underwater world, have a beautiful corals and fishes. Menjangan Island has many good dive sites. If you want to explore all of that is need about 2 until 3 day. Even large pelagics are sometimes seen at Menjangan. Occasionally sightings of Whales, Whale sharks and Manta rays have been reported. Drift diving is usual, but

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Nusa Penida Diving – Drift Dive

Nusa Penida Island is a part of Klungkung Regency. Located in south east Bali Island, it’s about 1 hours by bout from Tanjung Benoa harbour.

Nusa Penida has 2 meters coral grow and slope down to max depth 50 meters, Wonderful barrel sponges and

gorgonians can be seen in the deeper waters, and sea snakes can be seen on almost every dive. Occasional manta rays and schools of chevron barracuda add to the rich variety of smaller fish which seem to prefer the calmer waters. the big attraction here is that this area is a favourite spot for mola mola, Manta and Sharks. Nusa Penida Dive site: Crystal Bay, Blue Point, Manta Point and Ped.

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Thursday, January 13, 2011

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BUSINESS Two Fed banks wanted discount rate hike Reuters

WASHINGTON – Directors of Federal Reserve banks in Dallas and Kansas City again requested, unsuccessfully, a 0.25 percent rise in the rate charged to banks for emergency loans, minutes of Fed meetings in November and December showed on Tuesday.

The other 10 regional Fed banks wanted no change in the discount rate. The U.S. central bank’s board sided with them, keeping the discount rate steady at 0.75 percent in meetings ahead of its December 14 policy decision.

“Federal Reserve Bank directors noted positive developments that indicated the recovery was continuing, but given ongoing uncertainties, directors remained cautious about the outlook and expected growth to be modest going forward,” the Federal Reserve Board said in the minutes.

The directors noted somewhat stronger-than-anticipated consumer spending and expanding manufacturing activity, but also pointed to continued weakness in housing prices and the weak labor market.

The Fed said regional bank directors commented that uncertainty over U.S. fiscal and regulatory policies, the fiscal condition of state and local governments and financial developments abroad were weighing on hiring and capital spending decisions.

They generally expected inflation to remain quite low, despite recent rises in food and metals prices.

Against this backdrop, most directors recommended that the current accommodative stance of monetary policy be maintained.”

Those in favor of raising the discount rate described it as a “another step toward restoring a pre-crisis discount rate structure” that would result in a 75-basis-point-spread between the discount rate and the upper end of the Federal Open Market Committee’s target rate for the federal funds rate, the main policy tool.

“These directors favored a move toward normalization of the primary credit rate in light of the monetary stimulus already in place,” the minutes said.

At its December 14 meeting, the FOMC reaffirmed its commitment to buy an additional $600 billion in longer-term U.S. Treasury debt by mid-2011, offering only a cautious nod to the economy’s improving prospects. It offered no policy shift, saying the recovery was still not strong enough to bring down unemployment significantly.

Europe launches new era of economic coordination Agence France-Presse

BRUSSELS – Europe on Wednesday opens a crucial chapter in its efforts to end the deficits and debts plaguing the euro, with national budgets in the future to come under EU scrutiny before coming into effect.

Drawing from the costly lessons of the eurozone debt crisis, now endangering Portugal and Spain, the European Union agreed on a series of steps in the past several months to reassure nervous markets.

Among them is the first ever “European semester,” a programme kicking off Wednesday to coordinate economic and budgetary policy in the wake of fiscal disasters that led to bailouts of Greece and Ireland last year.

The initiative brings the EU closer to the elusive goal of economic governance between 27 vastly different countries, ranging from export-driven Germany to farm-heavy France and formerly communist Poland.

“Last year ’s developments have confirmed that piecemeal solutions are not enough: we need a comprehensive response,” said European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, who described the new system as a “revolution.”

“Europe can only be strong if it is able to act in a coordinated manner, with strong institutions, with a common governance, with stronger economic coordination,” he said last week.

After years of loose book-

keeping, Greece shook the euro to its core last year when it revealed a larger public deficit than previously reported, sparking a crisis that led to a 110-billion-euro EUIMF bailout.

Ireland followed suit last month with a 67-billion-euro financial lifeline after the government pumped billions into struggling banks, pushing the deficit to 32 percent of national output, 10 times over the limit set in EU rules.

In a signal to markets that it would shield the euro for the long run, the EU has agreed to change its core treaty in order to create a permanent financial safety net to help any country in trouble under tough conditions, replacing a temporary 750-billion-euro fund expiring in 2013.

But to avoid being forced into shelling out more cash for spendthrift member states, the EU decided to raise the threat of sanctions against countries that run excessive deficits and debts.

Under the Union’s Stability and Growth Pact, countries must keep their public deficits under 3.0 percent of gross domestic product but most countries currently exceed the limit.

The EU will now get to review

national budgets before they are adopted by legislatures.

The European semester’s sixmonth cycle begins Wednesday when the European Commission unveils an “Annual Growth Survey” on the impact of the crisis on the economy, employment, public debt and growth prospects.

The report will be used in March by the European Council, the body representing the 27 EU states, to provide policy advice to individual countries.

National governments will then have to present their medium-term budgetary strategies in April. In June and July, the council and commission will issue recommendations before states finalise their budgets for the following year.

The reform was formally adopted in September after overcoming concerns from reluctant countries, including Britain, worried about keeping their fiscal sovereignty intact.

“To me, this exercise will lead to a colossal transfer of responsibilities,” Italian Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti told French financial daily Les Echos.

“With a common currency, we no longer can lead 27 different budgetary policies,” he said.

Wealthy treated themselves during the holidays Associated Press Writer NEW YORK – The rich treated themselves like royalty this holiday season. That spun the holidays into gold for Tiffany & Co. and other high-end retailers.

Wealthier shoppers traded up to more expensive gold and diamond jewelry from silver charms. Designer clothing and purses were back.

The splurges are good news for the economy, because the richest 5 percent of Americans, those making at least $207,000 annually, account for about 14 percent of all spending. And consumer spending makes up about 70 percent of the economy.

They weren’t just buying gifts — well, not just for others.

Ariane Sommer, 33, a model and author from Los Angeles,

bought herself a $3,000 diamond ring at the pricey Italian jeweler Damiani in December.

“I am not only going to treat my friends and family, but I’m also going to treat myself,” she said, adding she hadn’t bought herself anything special in more than two years.

The splurges reached a head the week before Christmas. Average daily spending reported by upper-income shoppers rose 45 percent to $183 during the week ending Dec. 26, according to a Gallup Poll. For all shoppers, the figure rose only 18 percent to $85 that week.

Six months ago, wealthy Americans got spooked by a stock market slide and cut back spending.

Now, they are trading back up to higher-status brands as the stock market bounces back. The rich in booming Asian economies, especially, are ramping up spending.

On Tuesday, Tiffany & Co. raised its profit outlook for the year because of better-than-expected holiday sales, and noted particular strength in more expensive fine jewelry and diamond rings. Silver jewelry, which had propped up Tiffany’s business when its customers hit the brakes on spending in the recession, was weaker.

Revenue at stores open at least a year rose 7 percent in the U.S. in November and December and was even stronger in Asia, rising 15 percent. That’s a key measure

of a retailer’s health because it excludes the effects of stores that open or close during the year.

The jeweler’s report backs up strong December sales reports last week from pricey department stores Saks Inc., Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. All said revenue at stores open at least a year rose significantly in December compared with a year earlier.

Among retailers at all price ranges, sales gains were solid but less spectacular, averaging 3.8 percent for November and December, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Luxury spending still isn’t quite back to the heights seen before the recession, but it spiked

8.5 percent Nov. 28-Jan. 1 over the same period last year, according to MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse. For jewelry, the rise was 10.4 percent.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average has risen 19 percent since the beginning of July. That and the return of bonuses on Wall Street and elsewhere have helped the wealthy feel better about more conspicuous consumption, said John Lonski, chief economist of Moody’s Capital Markets Research Group.

“Financially speaking, wealthy Americans much better withstood the latest downturn than have lower-income Americans,” he said. “There was a drop-off there for a while, but it seems as though they’ve rebounded quite nicely.”

12

Entertainment

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Hugh Hefner’s ex not happy about his engagement Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK – Hugh Hefner’s ex-girlfriend Holly Madison tells Life & Style magazine she’s not OK with his engagement plans. She says the 84-year-old Playboy magazine founder is “making a hasty decision” by getting engaged to 24year-old Playmate Crystal Harris.

Madison tells Life & Style she arranged a meeting with the couple after reading on Twitter that Hefner had proposed. The meeting was

filmed for her “Holly’s World” reality show on the E! cable television channel. She says it was “definitely awkward.”

Madison says she wished the couple the best but told them Harris had better not do Hefner wrong or she’ll “kick her butt.” The 31-yearold Madison and Hefner dated for six years until their breakup in 2008 because she wanted to get married and he didn’t. This would be the third marriage for Hefner. He divorced another Playmate last year.

AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file

FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2008 file photo, Holly Madison, left, and Hugh Hefner arrive at the Fox Reality Channel Really Awards in Los Angeles.

International

Bond is back: 007 film revived after MGM crisis Agence France Presse

LOS ANGELES – Filming on the latest James Bond movie will start later this year for release in November 2012, its producers said after debt-ridden studio giant MGM was saved from financial oblivion. The project, starring Daniel Craig as 007, was put on ice last April after Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was offered for sale to resolve its debt problems and stave off bankruptcy.

But the legendary studio, with a catalogue that includes the Bond franchise as well as the “Pink Panther” and “Rocky” series, announced a debt-restructuring rescue deal late last year, paving the way for Bond’s return.

With the working title of Bond 23 — the 23rd instalment in the mega-grossing franchise formerly embodied by stars such as Sean Connery and Roger Moore — the new movie will be directed by British filmmaker Sam Mendes.

The film “will commence production in late 2011 for a worldwide release on November 9, 2012,” said Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions and Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum of MGM in a statement. “Daniel Craig will be returning as the legendary British secret agent, with Sam Mendes directing a screenplay written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan,” it added.

MGM — famous for its trademark roaring lion logo — announced in October thats creditors had approved a reorganization plan with US firm Spyglass Entertainment.

Spyglass was favored over a rival offer from billionaire Carl Icahn, who reportedly owns about 800 million dollars of MGM?s debt, to merge the studio with film producer Lionsgate in which he is the largest shareholder.

The studio has a 4,000-title strong back catalogue that also includes “The Wizard of Oz” and “Singin’ in the Rain.”

AP Photo/Sony

FILE - In this undated film publicity image released

by Sony, Daniel Craig is shown in a scene from the James Bond film, “Quantum of Solace”.

Actor David Nelson of Placido Domingo: performing at 70 ‘a marvel’ famous TV family dies at 7 Agence France Presse

MADRID – Spanish tenor Placido Domingo, who underwent surgery last year to remove cancerous polyp from his colon, Wednesday described performing at his age as a “marvel” as he turns 70 this month. “To be in Madrid singing, with my family and friends, on such an important day for me is part of my birthday present,” he told a news conference ahead of a special birthday performance in the Spanish capital.

“The biggest gift which I could receive on this birthday is to say that I can still continue singing for a few more years. At this stage every day I marvel at being able to sing.”

Domingo will perform the role of Oreste in Christoph Willibald Gluck’s opera “Iphigenie en Tauride” at Madrid’s opera house Teatro Real on his birthday on January 21.

The opera will open on Thursday and run until January 27 and the performance on Domingo’s birthday will feature a special concert involving singers from around the world.

Domingo, well known to popular music audiences for his “Three Tenors” performances with Jose Carreras and the late Luciano Pavarotti, made his operatic debut in a leading role as Alfredo in Verdi’s

“La Traviata” in Monterrery in Mexico nearly five decades ago.

The Grammy-winner’s repertoire encompasses 130 stage roles — a number unmatched by any other celebrated tenor in history. Since December 2009, the Madrid opera house has been led by avantgarde Belgian director Gerard Mortier, the former head of the Opera National de Paris. He has promised to turn the Teatro Real into one of Europe’s top opera houses.

AFP PHOTO/ JAVIER SORIANO

Spanish tenor Placido Domingo gestures prior to giving a press conference to present ‘Iphigenie en Tauride’ at the Royal Theatre in Madrid on January 11, 2011.

Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES – David Nelson, who starred on his parents’ popular television show “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” died Tuesday, a family spokesman said. He was 74. Nelson died at his home in the Century City area of Los Angeles after battling complications of colon cancer, said family spokesman and longtime Hollywood publicist Dale Olson.

Nelson was the last remaining member of the Nelsons TV family, which included actor/ bandleader Ozzie, his singer wife, Harriet Hilliard and his teen idol brother Rick. The show originated on radio in 1952 as “Here Come the Nelsons,” then ran for 320 episodes on TV from 1952 to 1966 as “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” with some of the story lines taken from the stars’ own lives. David Nelson also directed and produced numerous episodes of the show throughout its run.

The show was shot in the Nelson family home in the Hollywood foothills, which remains a popular attraction for visitors on Hollywood celebrity bus tours. Born in New York City, David attended Hollywood High School and the University of Southern California.

His film credits included “Peyton Place,” “The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker,” “The Big Circus,” “Day of the Outlaw,” “30,””The Big Show,” `Love and Kisses and “Swing Out, Sweet Land.” In 1976, he costarred with his mother in “Smash-Up on Interstate 5.”

His television credits included “Up In Smoke,” “The Love Boat,” “High School USA,” and “A Family For Joe.” Directing credits included “O.K. Crackerby,” “Childish Things,” “Easy To Be Free,” “Ozzie’s Girls,” “Death Screams,” “Last Plane Out,” “Goodnight Beantown” and “A Rare Breed.” Nelson also was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

He is survived by his wife, Yvonne; four sons and a daughter; and seven grandchildren. A service will be held Thursday at Pierce Brothers Westwood Mortuary.

AP Photo/Nick Ut, File

FILE - This file photo taken May 9, 1996, on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles actor and director David Nelson poses with his grandson Michael Woolery and family friend Ashley Holt .

Life Style

International

Thursday, January 13, 2011

13

New Products

AFP/HO

These images courtesy of Conservation International shows Top Row L-R: Hispaniolan Ventriloquial Frog, Mozart’s Frog and the La Hotte Glanded Frog. Bottom Row L-R:Macaya Breast-spot Frog, Hispaniola Crowned Frog and the Macaya Burrowing Frog.

Six species of Haiti’s ‘lost frogs’ are found Agence France Presse

WASHINGTON – Conservationists say they have found six rare frog species that are unique to the Caribbean nation of Haiti and have not been seen in about two decades. The discovery, which came despite heavy deforestation and widespread damage from last year’s deadly quake, was made during an expedition in October to search for frogs that are rarely seen and could be on the verge of extinction.

Among the unusual frogs researchers found were a whistling frog named after composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and a “ventriloquist” frog that can throw its voice to send predators in the wrong direction.

They also found in the mountains of southwest Haiti a burrowing, black-eyed frog with orange hind legs and a speckled frog with dazzling sapphire eyes.

The team, led by Conservation International scientist Robin

AP Photo/Paul Sancya

The Mercedes-Benz Aesthetics No 2 is shown at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011.

Moore and Blair Hedges of Pennsylvania State University, embarked on the search in order to find the elusive La Selle Grass frog (E. glanduliferoides), unseen in over 25 years.

They didn’t find that frog, but uncovered tantalizing glimpses of a handful of Haiti’s other 48 native species of amphibians.

“We went in looking for one missing species and found a treasure trove of others,” said Moore.

“That, to me, represents a welcome dose of resilience and hope for the people and wildlife of Haiti.”

China’s pandas need old forests to thrive: study Reuters

HONG KONG – China’s giant pandas need not only bamboo, but also ancient forests to thrive in the wild, a study in western China has found.

The Chinese researchers hunted for panda grounds in forests in Sichuan province and marked out 1,116 habitats after finding the animals’ faeces and foraging sites.

They analysed common traits in these habitats and found that they were mostly located in forests that were at least 100 years old.

“Previously, we thought slope was a very important factor, but from this study, forest age emerged as the most important reason, as important as the presence of bamboo,” said Fuwen Wei, deputy director of the Institute of Zoology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.

Wei and colleagues, who published their findings in The Royal Society journal Biology on Wednesday, believe pandas use large trees as “maternity dens”. “Old forests offer many maternity dens which are necessary for panda reproduction.

Where big trees are felled, there are no more maternity dens,” Wei said in a telephone interview.

A 2004 census by the Worldwide Fund for Nature revealed there were 1,600 pandas in the wild.

Considered a national treasure, the panda is seen as having come back from the brink of extinction while remaining under threat from logging, agriculture and China’s increasing human population.

AFP PHOTO / Yoshikazu TSUNO

A model displays NTT Docomo’s new electronic book reader SH-07C produced by Japanese electronics company Sharp in Tokyo on January 11, 2011. NTT Docomo and Japan’s largest printer Dai Nippon Printing (DNP) announced a joint e-book service as electronics makers have launched a wave of tablet computers and e-readers.

AP Photo/Paul Sancya

A model poses with the Ferrari 458 Italia at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011.

14

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Sport

International

Beating Iraq ‘very special’, says Iran coach Agence France Presse

DOHA – Three-times champions Iran basked in glory on Wednesday, after defeating holders and great rivals Iraq at the Asian Cup. Iraq’s German coach Wolfgang Sidka had attempted to suggest the 2-1 defeat was simply losing three points, but his counterpart thought differently.

“When these two teams play each other there’s so much rivalry and history, so it’s very difficult to get the players to concentrate and focus on football and it becomes a fighting game,” said Afshin Ghotbi. “I was very happy my players were able to concentrate and could get this very special three points.”

Iran, traditionally one of the major powers in the region, have not lifted the Asian Cup since 1976 and the pressure is firmly on the 46-year-old Ghotbi to bring that long barren run to an end.

But they started their title assault Tuesday poorly, nearly going behind at the Al-Rayyan Stadium after just four minutes when Iraq striker Younis Mahmoud was smartly denied by goalkeeper Mahdi Rahmati. When Mahmoud did score nine minutes later, Iran looked in deep trouble. But they soon worked their way back into an entertaining match, the nimble-footed Gholamreza Rezai netting the leveller three minutes from the break.

And just as the game looked as if it was heading towards stalemate, Iman Mobali’s free-kick somehow crept in six minutes from time.

“The game was complicated for us because of the rivalry between the two sides and also it was the first match of the tournament, while Iraq are the defending champions,” said Ghotbi, who is moving to Japan’s J-League next month. Ghotbi, who cut his coaching teeth in the United States, will take over at Shimizu S-Pulse, becoming the first Iranian to manage in Japan.

“After going one down, I was confident that we could come back,” he said. “I have experience of playing against Iraq and they are the masters of killing time, so I thought that if we score before the halftime then we have a chance to win.

“We started the game a little stressed and that had something to do with the mistakes that we made. Then the game became more organised and I’m sure we can play even better football in the next game.” Iran face North Korea on Saturday in Group D, while Iraq take on United Arab Emirates.

Europe’s clubs rack up record losses: UEFA Agence France Presse

NYON, Switzerland – More than half of Europe’s top football clubs are still in the red, with a record 1.2 billion euro losses about a year before UEFA’s new financial rules kick in, officials said Tuesday. “Two years ago almost 70 percent of clubs were in the red,” said Gianni Infantino, secretary general of European football’s governing body.

“At present there are still 56 percent - that means more than half of all professional football clubs are in the red,” Infantino told journalists as UEFA unveiled its club licensing report for 2009.

The 655 top division clubs scrutinised by footballing officials collectively reaped 11.7 billion euros in revenue in 2009, an increase of 4.8 percent despite the economic crisis. “However, the figures demonstrate that we were right to ask for more financial discipline because the reported costs were 12.9 billion euros, an increase of 9.3 percent,” said Infantino.

That brought collective club losses up to nearly 1.18 billion euros, an 85 percent increase or “almost double the previous record”, UEFA said in its report. European Club Association chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said its 197 members backed the new rules.

“I think it is now time to slow down a little, to step on the brakes and introduce a little more reason into football,” said Rummenigge, who is also executive chairman of Bayern Munich.

Top division clubs in Europe racked up 800 million euros in transfer fees over a year, while staff costs — mainly for player wages — reached seven billion euros in 2009.

UEFA’s complex new financial fair play rules, broadly demanding that clubs break even over time, are due to apply from the 2012 financial year.

AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill

Iran’s player Iman Mobali, center bottom, is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal against Iraq during their AFC Asian Cup group D soccer match at Al Rayyan Stadium, in Doha, Qatar, Tuesday Jan. 11, 2011. Iran won the match 2-1.

Beckham trains at Spurs as loan talks continue Agence France Presse

LONDON – David Beckham trained with Tottenham for the first time on Tuesday as Spurs boss Harry Redknapp expressed his hopes that a loan deal for the midfielder could yet be agreed.

The former England captain smiled and joked with Spurs players as he took part in a light session at the club’s training ground in Essex.

Redknapp said Spurs were still hopeful that the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder could be signed on a short-term deal before returning to the United States for the start of the Major League Soccer season in March.

“There is nothing at the moment, but we will see what happens, who knows?” Redknapp told Sky Sports News. “I am not dealing with that side, but it is good to have him here.

“David is a top player and a fantastic boy. “Everyone respects David and looks up to him so it was good to have him here today.”

Redknapp’s assistant coach Joe Jordan meanwhile told BBC Radio that the mere presence of Beckham in the Spurs dressing room would be a positive influence as the club prepared for challenges in the Champions League and Premiership.

“David has a wealth of experience and no matter how well you are playing, when you go into the second half of the season and you have got Champions League and Premier League, which is a bit new for us in the same season, I think you need

that little bit of nuance,” Jordan said.

“To put that in your dressing room, whether the player starts or not, is vital and if we are lucky enough to get David Beckham on a short-term basis, it would be great value.”

AFP/POOL/Paul Childs

English footballer David Beckham (C) trains with Tottenham Hotspur at their Spurs Lodge training complex in Chigwell, east of London. Beckham trained with Tottenham for the first time on Tuesday as Spurs boss Harry Redknapp expressed his hopes that a loan deal for the midfielder could yet be agreed.

Sport

International

Thursday, January 13, 2011

15

Lakers crush Cavs 112-57 in best defensive effort Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers humiliated the Cleveland Cavaliers while sending them to their 11th straight loss, rolling to a 112-57 victory on Tuesday night in their best defensive performance in the shot clock era.

AFP PHOTO/William WEST

Lleyton Hewitt of Australia hits a backhand return to Mikhail Youzhny of Russia on the first day of the Kooyong Classic tennis tournament in Melbourne, on January 12, 2011. Eight male players ranked in the top fifteen are using the invitational, round-robin event as preparation for the Australian Open which begins on January 17.

Hewitt triumphs in Melbourne tennis Agence France Presse

MELBOURNE – Lleyton Hewitt said he was feeling fresh ahead of his 15th Australian Open after notching a rain-interrupted 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 win over Mikhail Youzhny at the Kooyong Classic Wednesday. With the flood tragedy unfolding thousands of kilometres to the north in Queensland, poor weather was also affecting Melbourne.

Hewitt’s match was delayed by 90 minutes in the second set before the former world number one returned to court to earn a victory at the eight-man tune-up for the Open, which starts Monday.

The 29-year-old has never played the Kooyong Classic, preferring ATP events as warm ups prior to the first major of the season. “I knew I’d get three good matches here, it’s a good field,” he said. “You can’t buy matches like the one I just had. This is how you get match-tough and that’s what you have to be for the Open.

“I feel I can compete with most guys now, I had hard weeks of training after my (elbow) injury in September. I’m fresh and feel pretty good. That’s a good sign at age 29.”

Frenchman Gael Monfils also began his season on a positive note with his third straight win over Spain’s Fernando Verdasco to open the four-day event. Monfils, whose last competitive outing came as a losing Davis Cup finalist last month against Serbia, pulled back from the brink after dropping the opening set to win 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.

“It was good, it was the first match of the season, I’m pretty happy,” said the 12th-ranked Monfils, who said his off-season preparation consisted of “a lot of running and some gym work” as he stayed away from tennis after a long 2010 campaign. “It was a tough start to the match, but once I found my rhythm, I was moving well. I was the aggressor on the court.”

Monfils has never lost to the ninth-ranked Verdasco, beating him in the Paris indoor third round two months ago and at Monte Carlo on clay in 2008.

Verdasco won the Kooyong special event a year ago over France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, whose opener against Austrian Jurgen Melzer was put back to Thursday after the rain. Monfils plays the winner of that match. Monfils, watched by his Australian coach Roger Rasheed, showed good early conditioning as he mounted a comeback in an encounter lasting 2hr 52min.

The athletic Frenchman, who lost the Paris Bercy Masters 1000 final to Robin Soderling last November, came through for his first-round victory on a third match point. Monfils struck gold with a drop shot for a third match point and took the victory as Verdasco ploughed a return into the net.

Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum each scored 15 points, while Pau Gasol had 13 points and 14 rebounds. Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and Shannon Brown also scored 13 points for the defending NBA champion Lakers, who led the league’s worst team by 32 points at halftime on their way to winning their fifth in a row.

Reserves Alonzo Gee scored 12 points and Ramon Sessions 10.

Cleveland’s point total was a record low by a Lakers opponent. The Cavs shot 30 percent, were outscored 52-28 in the paint and committed 19 turnovers in losing for the 21st time in their last 22 games. They fell to 8-30 overall, 3-18 on the road and 1-5 against the Western Conference.

Brown hit a 3-pointer from just inside halfcourt to end the third quarter and give Los Angeles a 92-41 lead, the first time an NBA team has led by that many after three since Nov. 8, 2001, when Chicago was ahead of Minnesota.

Since LeBron James’ offseason departure, the Cavaliers have gone from being a perennial playoff team that went 7-3 against the Lakers in their previous 10 meetings to a team struggling with injuries and mounting losses.

And after their acrimonious parting, James seems to be taking delight in his former team’s embarrassing performance. While it wasn’t clear what he was referring to on Twitter, he posted this while the game was getting out of hand: “Crazy. Karma is a b.. Gets you every time. Its not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!”

The Cavs were without starting center Anderson Varejao, who tore his right ankle in a routine conditioning drill.

Also missing were missing Joey Graham (right quad strain), Daniel Gibson (left ankle sprain), Leon Powe (right torn meniscus) and Anthony Parker (lower back strain).

AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, top, gets a rebound against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mo Williams during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011.

Ortega agrees deal with All Boys River Plate legend Ariel Ortega will leave the club after being told he is not part of their future plans - to join All Boys after agreeing a deal. Ortega, who has been with the side since 2006, confirmed on Tuesday that he has held talks with club president Daniel Passarella and will be moving on to pastures new.

“There are details to fix but the overall picture is that I will go to another club because I am not part of River’s plans and I feel I can play football still,” he said. “River have given me the freedom to negotiate with who I want and I will sit down and talk to everyone. My only limit is Boca Juniors, I would never go there.”

All Boys admitted they were keen on securing his signature and club president Roberto Bugarin claimed that a deal had already been agreed.

“I’m happy. Today we close everything and hopefully tomorrow [Wednesday] we will sign the contract, which may be of six months or a year. That will depend on Ortega” he said.

16

Sport

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

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Sainz takes fifth Dakar stage win Spanish driver Carlos Sainz has closed the gap on Volkswagen team-mate Nasser Al-Attiyah after winning Tuesday’s stage of the Dakar Rally.

AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko

Volkswagen’s driver Carlos Sainz and co-driver Lucas Cruz, both from Spain, race in the 9th stage of the 2011 Argentina-Chile Dakar Rally in Copiapo, Chile, Tuesday Jan. 11, 2011.

Overall standings: Pos 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Driver Nasser Al-Attiyah Carlos Sainz Giniel de Villiers Stephane Peterhansel Mark Miller

Car Volkswagen Volkswagen Volkswagen BMW Volkswagen

Time/Gap 30h56m25s + 03m18s + 55m51s + 1h42m48s + 2h45m19s

MotoGP aims for Delhi and Austin MOTOGP supremo Carmelo Ezpeleta has confirmed that the new Formula 1 venues in Delhi and Austin are in talks to host grand prix motorcycle racing from 2012 and 2013 respectively.

Both were listed along with Singapore and Abu Dhabi as potential future targets for MotoGP last year, and Ezpeleta said he was keen to get India on the schedule for next season if a deal could be concluded before June, when the 2012 calendar will be finalised.

“They are working right now.

The FIM has visited Delhi to decide regarding the safety measures,”

he said. “We are awaiting the answer from them, but for now to be honest the Delhi people are so concentrated on finishing the circuit for Formula 1 this year, which is a lot of work.

We have time until June to know exactly what the situation is.”

Ezpeleta said discussions with the Austin group were at an earlier stage, amid suggestions that the track could replace Indianapolis as MotoGP’s second United States venue. The MotoGP rights-holder underlined that he would let the Texas organisers focus on their inaugural F1 grand prix initially.

“We are talking with Austin also,

but just talking,” said Ezpeleta. “It’s one of the circuits we are in discussions with. It’s a nice project. Again, they need to have 2012 for Formula 1.”

He believes the level of interest from potential MotoGP venues is a key indicator of the championship’s health despite continuing tough economic conditions.

“Regarding the sponsorship and the health of the championship, it’s going well,” Ezpeleta said. “We have a lot of requests from many countries for grands prix. We are discussing those. But in principle, we are okay.”

Al-Attiyah, last year’s runner-up behind Sainz, took the lead of the event on Monday after his Spanish team-mate hit trouble in the dunes.

The former world rally champion, however, charged back on today’s ninth stage - a 235-km special in Copiapo, Chile - to take his fifth win of the event this year, and the 22nd on his career, and reduce the gap to Al-Attiyah by over two minutes.

“I’m happy with my day, especially since dunes, desert and offtrack terrain aren’t my favourite type,” said Sainz. “We drove a good special. After 100 km we caught up with then overtook Nasser. “He had a puncture, but afterwards he clawed back a bit of time on us.

Tomorrow it will be me opening the way and the roles will be reversed.”

Sainz is still in second place in the standings, three minutes and 18

seconds behind the Qatari driver, second today ahead of the third Volkswagen of 2009 winner Giniel de Villiers.

“We had a puncture and we lost time, but afterwards we came back again and caught Carlos, finishing in front of him,” Al-Attiyah said. “I’m quite happy to finish today without any problems.

“The car is working very well.

Tomorrow it will be very interesting because we start in second position.

As the first car, you always lose time.

I am sure tomorrow will be better for us and we will try our best. We’ll follow Carlos, just follow...”

Stephane Peterhansel, driving XRaid’s BMW, finished in fourth ahead of another VW, that of American Mark Miller, losing over 11 and over 14 minutes to Sainz respectively in the standings.

Stage nine results: Pos 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Driver Carlos Sainz Nasser Al-Attiyah Giniel de Villiers Stephane Peterhansel Mark Miller

Car Volkswagen Volkswagen Volkswagen BMW Volkswagen

Time/Gap 2h14m39s + 01m56s + 09m02s + 11m14s + 14m52s