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e-mail: info_ibp@balipost.co.id online: http://www.internationalbalipost.com. http://epaper.internationalbalipost.com.
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Hindus must become a constituent of Indonesia PAGE 8
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The ships that were participating in Sail Indonesia 2010. The government will organize the international marine event “Sail Indonesia 2011” in two locations, namely Wakatobi (Southeast Sulawesi) and Belitong (Bangka Belitung), Sumatra), a minister said.
Schwarzenegger, Shriver separating after 25 years PAGE 12
Sail Indonesia 2011 to be held in Wakatobi, Belitong Antara
Jakarta - The government will organize the international marine event “Sail Indonesia 2011” in two locations, namely Wakatobi (Southeast Sulawesi) and Belitong (Bangka Belitung), Sumatra), a minister said.
WEATHER FORECAST CITY
TEMPERATURE OC
DENPASAR
25 - 34
JAKARTA
23 - 32
BANDUNG
19 - 28
YOGYAKARTA
23 - 30
SURABAYA
22 - 31
SUNNY
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“Sail Indonesia will be held in two locations, namely Wakatobi, and Belitong,” Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Agung
Antara
HOTLINE 0361-225764
Bunaken, North Sulawesi, and Sail Indonesia 2010 in Banda, Maluku. “The objective of the event is to promote the economy and tourism in the host regions,” Minister Agung Laksono said. The Sail Indonesia 2011 will also feature ivities such as the Surya Bhaskara Jaya operation, civic missions, seminars and youth events. Continued on page 6
President leaves for working visit to Bali
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Laksono, said here Tuesday after chairing a coordinating meeting on Sail Wakatobi-Belitung. The meeting was also attended
by Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng, Social Affairs Minister Salim Segaf Al Jufrie, Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad, Southeast Sulawesi Governor Nur Alam, Bangka Belitung Governor Eko Maulana Ali, and representatives of the Navy. The Sail Indonesia 2011 is continuation of Sail Indonesia 2009 in
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Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Jakarta - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono makes a twoday working visit to Bali from Tuesday to Wednesday (May 10 and 11, 2011). In Bali the president will open a conference on “Shaping a New World: Combating Foreign Bribery in International Business Transactions” with G20 Working Groups on Anti-Corruption participating. Boarding special jetliner Boeing 737-800, the president and his en-
tourage will leave Halim Perdanakusuma airport at 9 am Tuesday for Denpasar‘s Ngurah Rai International Airport where the head of state will be greeted by Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika. President Yudhoyono is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the conference at 2.50 pm Central Indonesia Standard Time (Wita). According to Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Chairman Busyro Muqoddas, the conference “Shaping a New World: Com-
bating Foreign Bribery in International Business Transactions” and G20 Working Group on Anti-Corruption Meeting in Nusa Dua resort would be one of KPK`s agenda to connect G-20 countries bribery-free business enterprises. Busyro hoped that after the conference the participating countries would have reached a mutual understanding and anti corruption commitment to supporting democracy and human rights. Continued on page 6
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International
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Bali News
Price of raw material increases Silversmiths turn distraught Semarapura (Bali Post)—
Silversmiths in Klungkung, especially in the village of Kamasan, are distraught following the price hike of silver raw materials from IDR 6 million per kilogram six months ago to IDR 14 million per kilogram. The price upsurge of raw materials had been complained by silversmiths since a month ago. “At first, the increase was to IDR 11.5 million per kilogram. Frankly speaking, we find difficulties in the production process. The price is very expensive following the price of gold,” said Mangku Ketut Sukerta, one of the silversmiths from Sangging Hamlet, Kamasan, Klungkung.
IBP/Bali Putra
Silversmiths are working in their workshop in Klungkung Regency.
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Due to price hike in raw materials, many silversmiths finally bankrupted. As consequence, they had to change their profession such as to be farmer, carpenter or construction worker. “This condition is quite difficult for crafters. When the price of raw material increases, the output prices in the market are stagnant,” he said while mentioning if a number of crafters could remain to survive six months ago as the price of raw material was IDR 6-7 million per kilogram. Mangku Sukerta worked on one kilogram of silver for about a month. From the products made, he could only sell them at IDR 16 million. The products he made such as bowls weighing 15 ringgit. They were accomplished within two weeks and sold only at IDR 6 million. “In reality, craftsmen also have to pay production costs. So, the selling price of products is frequently not enough to cover the production costs,” he said. Additionally, it had not included the cost of electricity, asphalt and labor. Nevertheless, he still attempted hard to survive since it was a hereditary profession in the family. Meanwhile, a wide variety of products he made from silver consisted of bowls, rings, trays, bangles and other accessories. (kmb20)
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
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Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Badung Environment Agency denies if pollution from hotels Mangupura (Bali Post)—
Although the coastal pollution was alleged to have been caused by hotels disposing their waste, the Badung Environment Agency (BLH) had different opinion. The Head of Badung Environment Agency, Wayan Suteja, Monday (May 9), stated if the coastal pollution, especially on Kuta Beach, was mainly caused by deposition of garbage. “On Kuta Beach, the pollution is mainly caused by waste sediment and then they get decomposed into nitrate. For information, the garbage existing on Kuta Beach may come from outside the Badung region,” said Suteja According to him, it was the nitrate from waste sludge touted as waste by some circles. In this regard, Suteja denied if the pollution was caused by hotels. He argued if the Badung Environment Agency had conducted regular checks to hotel waste. The results indicated there was no hotel waste. “In our opinion, the data revealed in the media regarding to coastal pollution were those of 2010. Moreover, to determine the presence or absence of pollution at one point and another cannot be equated. So, the determination
of pollution should be based on sample taking at many locations,” he said. Not just checking, the Badung Regency Government had also regularly invited the hotels to sit down together to address the waste issues. Hotels had been given the understanding on the importance of good waste management. “We’ve been taking strategic measures to anticipate the waste disposal to the beach by hotels. And so far, we have not found violating hotels,” he affirmed. Nevertheless, he confirmed that his party would not keep silent against any contamination performed by hotels. If the source was indeed from hotels, one of the follow-ups taken by the Badung Environment Agency was to provide guidance. (kmb25)
IBP/ist
One of the hotel which is located near the beach.
Disposing wastewater into the sea Industry did it secretly so not visible by authorities Denpasar (Bali Post)—
Eco-friendly behavior in Bali increasingly fades. Bali Environment Agency (BLH) recorded at least 20 businessmen were caught polluting the environment by wastewater in 2010. Environment Agency also noted that 13 beaches in Bali were dominantly contaminated by perpetrators of industrial sector, hotels and restaurants although the Environment Agency has required the industries to report their waste quality standard once in 3 months to avoid contamination. “Bali as a tourist destination is particularly vulnerable to waste problem. There is an impression if those who disposed waste haphazardly did it secretly so they will not be known by the authorities,” said the Head of Bali Environment Agency, Anak Agung Alit Sastrawan in Denpasar, Monday (May 9). Sastrawan admitted the waste polluting the sea were mostly disposed by employers located on the coast. He also acknowledged if there were industrialists who made culverts directly connected to the sea. Allegedly, it was taken advantage to dispose the waste by stealth. “The owners of hotel or other business must be aware. What they do (throw waste into the sea—Ed)
is also detrimental to the tourism sector itself,” he said. Central and local governments have set up a legal instrument to protect the environment from the damage caused by human activities. The rules are stated in the Law No. 32/ 2009 on the environmental protection and management, Regional Regulation No. 4 on the control of pollution and environmental degradation and Regulation of Governor No. 8/2007 concerning with the environmental quality standards and standard criteria of environmental damage. The sanction imposed if the rules are violated is the suspension of business licenses and if any casualties affected by such contamination the perpetrator could be sentenced with imprisonment for 3-10 years with a fine worth IDR 3-10 billion. “Coordination Team of Environmental Pollution Control (TKP2LH) has come down to the field to check whether the wastewater quality has met the standards. In accordance with the Regional Regulation No.4/ 2005 there is waste that can be disposed to the environment,” he said. Nevertheless, the perpetrators of industry allowed to dispose garbage into the environment should have a permit issued by the Governor and
meet 13 criteria in accordance with the standard waste. “However, the industries having such permits so far are not more than 10 people. So, it can be made sure if many violations occur,” he said. Meanwhile, Chairman of the Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (PHRI) of Badung Chapter, IGN Rai Suryawijaya, also revealed previously that many environmental problems occurred such as improper waste disposal. Government should take action against the hotels that did not treat their wastewater by treatment plant (WWTP). In the future, the hotel wastewater problem would become a bad precedent for Bali tourism. “Indeed, there are some hotels, especially small hotels remaining to dispose their waste carelessly. But, the waste problem is not merely the responsibility of the industry, but also the society and government,” he said. The association overseeing 1,139 hotels and 800 villas hoped the hotel operators could comply with the regulations stipulated by government. At least, the hotel operators should have a wastewater treatment plant so there would be no violation in the handling of hotel wastewater. (par)
Dog bite cases in Tabanan remain high Tabanan (Bali Post)—
Rabies cases still haunt the Tabanan Regency because the number of dog bites in this region remains high. Every day, there are 1520 people affected by stray dog bites. They are spread over 10 subdistricts in Tabanan. The figures of dog bites are known from patients who received treatment in the rabies center owned by Tabanan Regency. Head of Tabanan Health Services, Ketut Sumiarta, through the Division Head of Disease Prevention and Environmental Health, Nyoman Suratmika, said the case of dog bites was quite hazardous. However, due to quick treatment, the cases did not until trigger rabies. “The figures of dog bites are still high, especially in rural areas,” he said on Monday (May 9). This man explained that people bitten by stray dogs were unnecessary to panic. If any resident was bitten by dog, he should be taken directly to rabies treatment unit. “We provide a treatment and antirabies vaccine (VAR),” said Suratmika. According to him, the VAR stock was still sufficient for handling rabies anticipation in Tabanan. In the rabies handling unit, he said, residents would be
given a treatment for the bite wound as well as VAR distributed free of charge. For residents living away from the rabies handling unit were recommended to request emergency treatment in the community health center. According to Suratmika, people who were bitten by dogs could also take simple handling. First of all, the dog bites were cleaned by soap and washed by running water. After that, they could be taken to the center of dog bites handling. “We do hope all residents to help suppress the number of rabies cases,” he said. Although no death tolls occurred, this official asked the residents to remain vigilant against rabies. Rabies cases in Tabanan were first discovered in 2009. The number of casualties was also quite high, namely reaching 18 people. The last death toll due to rabies appeared in Baturiti at the end of October 2010. According to him, the stray dogs remaining to roam around became a threat to the emergence of rabies cases because almost all cases were triggered by dog bites. “We urge residents to maintain their health and when affected by dog bite they should ask help to a health clinic or rabies center,” he concluded. (udi)
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News
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
International
Residents allowed first visits inside nuclear zone Associated Press Writer
TOKYO – About 100 evacuees were allowed into the exclusion zone around Japan’s troubled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant Tuesday for a brief visit to gather belonging from their homes. The excursion marked the first time the government has felt confident enough in the safety of the area to sanction even short trips there. Residents have been pushing hard for weeks for permission to check up on their homes. The evacuees — just a fraction of the tens of thousands forced to flee when the plant started leaking radiation after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami — boarded chartered government buses for the two-hour visit. They were provided with protective suits, goggles and face masks to wear while in the zone, and were issued plastic bags to put their belongings in. They were also given dosimeters to monitor radiation levels and walkie-talkies. All were to be screened for radiation contamination after leaving the 12-mile (20-kilometer) zone. More visits are planned in the months ahead, but residents fear
they may never be able to return for good. Many had been secretly sneaking back into the zone during the day, but the government — concerned over safety and the possibility of theft — began enforcing stricter road blocks and imposing fines on April 22. The official visits were seen as a compromise that took both safety and the wishes of the residents into consideration. Nine towns and villages are subject to the no-go zone order, and several more are on alert for a possible evacuation in the near future. Tens of thousands of residents from the area still live in evacuation shelters, though many have scattered to the homes of relatives or apartments in other locations across the country. Government officials and the Tokyo Electric Power Co., which runs the Dai-ichi facility, have said that it could be six to nine months before the residents might return to resume their lives. But they admit even that is a best-case scenario. Workers continue the battle to repair and stabilize the plant, but it remains highly radioactive in some areas, making progress slow and dangerous.
AP Photo/Junji Kurokawa
A woman pets a dog at a morning market near an area destroyed by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, Tuesday, May 10, 2011.
REUTERS/Social Media Website via Reuters TV
A fire-fighter attempts to put out a blaze at fuel storage tanks in Misrata in this still image taken from video uploaded on a social media website May 6, 2011.
NATO strikes target Gaddafi compound: witnesses Reuters
TRIPOLI – NATO carried out a number of missile strikes on targets in the Tripoli area on Tuesday that appeared to include Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s compound, witnesses said. Gaddafi has not appeared publicly since April 30 when a NATO air strike on a house in the capital killed his youngest son and three of his grandchildren. Libyan officials said four children were wounded, two of them seriously, by flying glass caused by blasts from NATO strikes in the Tripoli area overnight. Officials showed foreign journalists a hospital in the Libyan capital where some windows had been shattered, apparently due to the blast waves from a NATO strike that toppled a nearby telecommunications tower. The journalists were also taken to a government building housing the high commission for children that had been completely destroyed. The old
colonial building had been damaged before in what officials said was a NATO bombing on April 30. “The direction of at least one blast suggests Gaddafi’s compound has been targeted,” said one witness. No other information was immediately available. But the Tripoli blasts occurred against a backdrop of a stalemate in the insurgency to unseat Gaddafi and the resulting dilemma for Western powers over whether to offer covert aid to the rebels. On Monday, rebels said NATO bombed government arms depots four times during the day about 30 km (20 miles) southeast of Zintan, a town in the Western Mountains region near Tunisia where conflict is escalating. “The site has some 72 underground
hangars made of reinforced concrete. We don’t know how many were destroyed. But each time the aircraft struck we heard multiple explosions,” a rebel spokesman, who gave his name as Abdulrahman, said by telephone. Another rebel spokesman said the planes also struck around Tamina and Chantine, east of Misrata, where besieged rebels are clinging on in the last city they control in western Libya. Gaddafi’s forces have conducted a ferocious assault on Misrata and hundreds have been killed in weeks of fighting. Opposition newspaper Brnieq said Libyan rebels were leading an uprising in the suburbs of Tripoli after being supplied with light weapons by defecting security service officers. The report on the newspaper’s website could not be independently verified. A Reuters reporter said he could not hear any gunfire and a government official denied the report.
UN: 68 bodies found in soccer field in Ivory Coast Associated Press Writer
DAKAR, Senegal – U.N. investigators in Ivory Coast have determined there were at least 68 bodies spread out across 10 burial mounds in a mass grave recently discovered on a soccer field in Abidjan, the country’s commercial capital. Guillaume Ngefa, the deputy director of the human rights division of the U.N. mission in Ivory Coast, said Monday the victims were likely killed by proLaurent Gbagbo militias on April 12, the day after the strongman was arrested. Ngefa said in a telephone inter-
view that investigators visited the site Friday and photographed the 10 plots. They interviewed witnesses who described the killings as well as family members who identified the dead. Ngefa said the investigators spoke to two residents of the Yopougon neighborhood where the incident occurred who were conscripted by the militiamen and forced to bury the dead. The killings occurred on April 12, the day after Gbagbo was arrested by the army fighting to install the nation’s democratically elected leader, Alassane Ouattara. Yopougon, where the soccer field is located, is believed to be where
Gbagbo’s militias took cover after their leader’s fall. The area has historically been a Gbagbo stronghold, but it has pockets inhabited by the Djola and Baole, ethnic groups that voted for Ouattara in November’s divisive election. The victims were almost exclusively from these two groups, witnesses told The Associated Press. Ngefa said the largest grave is believed to hold 31 bodies; another has at least 21. The killings may have been in revenge for the arrest of several dozen militiamen who had taken cover inside a Baptist Church in Yopougon, said Ngefa.
AP Photo/ONUCI, Pelagie Kouame
In this Friday, May 6, 2011 photo released by the United Nations Operation in Ivory Coast (known by it’s french acronym ONUCI), U.N. investigators visit the site of an alleged mass grave in a recently pacified area of the Yopougon district, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
International
Activities
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
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Bali Tropic Resort & Spa awarded a pretigious award BALI Tropic Resort & Spa,awarded a pretigious award by ITS Travel, a big travel agent based in Germany, the award called Red Star, and given to the hotel who full fill the criteria : 1. big production from ITS travel agent, 2. good comment from ITS client who stay at the hotel, 3. No complaint from ITS client who stay at the hotel and the award is the second in row Red Star award for Bali Tropic Resort & Spa Shown in the picture : Mr.Nyoman Sudana , Executive Assistant Manager (in the midle with glasses) accompanied by department heads, pose together with ITS Red Star Award
Temple Ceremony Calendar Event forApril 27 through May 23, 2011 27 Apr Pagerwesi Day Laban Sindu Jiwa Temple Kedewatan Ubud Kehen Temple Bangli Wirabuana Temple Magelang Jawa Tengah Padang Sakti Tangtu Temple Denpasar Timur Jogan Agung Temple Ketewel Sukawati Gadung Pengiasan Temple Dauh Puri Denpasar Pasek Gelgel Temple Buruan Kaja Tabanan Pasek Gobleg Temple Kerambitan tabanan Pasek Gelgel Meliling Temple Tabanan Masceti Selasih Temple Sanding Tampak Siring Paek Gaduh Temple Buduk Dadia Pasek Gelgel Temple Kelabang Moding Merajan Pasek Gelgel Sekalan Marga - Tabanan
8 May Redite Umanis Ukir Sangah Gede Dukuh Segening Temple Tegal Tugu Gianyar
2 May Tilem Jiyestha Bhujangga Waisnawa Gumrih Temple Jembrana
17 May Anggar Kasih Kulantir Penataran Tangkas Temple Sukawati Dalem Lagan Temple Bebalang Bangli Puseh Lembeng Temple Ketewel Sukawati Pasek Gelgel Penulisan Temple Kerambitan Tabanan Gaduh Temple Sading Dalem Gandamayu Temple Klungkung Pura Sanghyang Tegal Temple Banjar Taro Kaja Tegalalang
7 May Tumpek Landep Day Pasek Gelgel Temple Pedungan South of Denpasar Agung Pasek Temple Tangun Titi kaler Tabanan Agung Pasek Silamadeg Temple Selamadeg Tabanan Pasek Tangkas Temple Kediri Tabanan Kerta Temple Banyuning Barat Buleleng Dalem Tenggaling Sengguan Tenggaling Sengguan Singapadu Kawitan Arya Wang Bang Pinatih Pinatih Peguyangan Singaraja Bhujangga Weisnawa Temple Tegalcangkring Jembrana Taman Desa Bubunan Temple Seririt Buleleng Penataran Pande Dalem Batur Jati Banjar Pandean Mengwi Dalem Pingit Temple Br, Taro Kaje Tegalalang Dadia Pasek Gelgel Gobleg Selat Village Sukasada Buleleng Batur Arya Warih Kepaon Cengolo Sudimara Tabanan Ida ratu Pande Temple Besakih - Karangasem Mr. Pasek Toh Jiwa Temple Toh Jiwa Tangungtiti Penataran Pande Kusamba Temple Klungkung Penataran Agung Pinatih Tulikup Temple Banjar Menak Desa Tulikup Gianyar
11 May Buda Wage Ukir Pasar Agung Temple Besakih - Karangasem Pasek Bendesa Pasar Badung Temple Legian Kuta Gede Gunung Agung Dukuh Temple Munggu Badung Hyang Agung Ibuwanasari Temple Tegal Puseh Village Temple Temple Bebalang Village Bangli Dalem Perancak Temple Badung Pasek Bendesa Hyang Selat Temple Kerobokan Badung Kekeran Langit Temple Sading Mengwi
18 May Buda Umanis Kulantir Pasek Tangkas kaler Temple Tabanan Gaduh Benoh Temple Ubung Denpasar 22 May Redite Keliwon Tolu Dalem Alas Harum Temple Kaba-kaba Kediri Tabanan 23 May Soma Umanis Tolu Puseh/Balai Agung Ubung Temple Kupang Penebel Tabanan Kawitan Sakula Gotra Temple Kepuh Kaba-kaba Kediri Tabanan Bhujangga Rsi-Tambak Bayuh Temple Bayuh Paibon Tangkas Kori Agung Temple Ceningan KanginNusa Penida Batu Madeg Temple Besakih - Karangasem Penataran Agung Penatih Temple Banjar Saba Penatih
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 “umbulumbul”, 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.
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Wednesday, May 11, 2011
News UK’s William and Kate off on honeymoon — at last Reuters
LONDON – Britain’s Prince William and his new wife Kate have set off for a delayed honeymoon following their wedding last month, St James’s Palace said on Tuesday. The couple flew out on Monday, a royal source said, but no details were given of their destination, other than that it was outside Britain. “They have left for their honeymoon and the couple have asked for their privacy to be respected ..,” a spokesman for William said. Press speculation about where the newly-weds would go has been rife, with Kenya and the Caribbean seen as possible destinations. The Daily Mirror said on Tuesday the couple had arrived in the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. Their wedding on April 29 attracted about a million well-wishers onto the streets of London and a global TV audience estimated by media to be as high as 2.4 billion. The couple, now officially known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, caused a surprise the day after their marriage when they said they were not leaving immediately on honeymoon. Instead William returned to work as a Royal Air Force search and rescue helicopter pilot and Kate was spotted pushing a shopping trolley in a supermarket car park near their home in Anglesey, Wales.
AP Photo/Mark Humphrey
Trash floats by flooded homes on Monday, May 9, 2011, in Memphis, Tenn. The swollen Mississippi River could crest as early as Monday night.
Flooding peaks in Memphis; downstream danger lurks Associated Press Writer AP Photo/ John Stillwell, pool
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – As the Mississippi reaches its high point in Memphis and attention turns to a time-consuming clean up, farmers downriver built homemade levees to protect their crops and engineers diverted water into a lake to ease the pressure on New Orleans levees. Inmates were evacuated to a prison on higher ground and officials contemplated whether to open another spillway north of Baton Rouge. The soaking in Memphis was isolated to low-lying neighborhoods, and forced hundreds of people from their homes, but no new serious flooding was expected. Officials trusted the levees would hold and protect the city’s world-famous musical landmarks, from Graceland to Beale Street. “It shouldn’t get any worse than it currently is,” said Elizabeth Burks of the Army Corps of Engineers, standing on a levee on the river ’s west bank. To the south, residents in the Mississippi Delta prepared for the worst. Scott Haynes, 46, estimated he
would spend more than $80,000 on contractors to build levees around his house and grain silos, which hold 200,000 bushels of rice that he can’t get out before the water comes. Heavy equipment has been mowing down his wheat fields to get to the dirt that is being used to build the levees, and he expected nearly all of his farmland to flood. “That wheat is going to be gone, anyway,” said Haynes, who lives in Carter, Miss., about 35 miles east of the Mississippi River. “We don’t know if we’re doing the right thing or not, but we can’t not do it.” He knows time is not on his side. “I’ve got to get back on that dozer,” he said, before walking away. Nearby, Ed Jordan (pronounced JER’-din) pointed to a high-water mark about 7-feet high in the
family’s old general store left by the deadly flood of 1927. Floods have taken crops since then, but the Mississippi River hasn’t swamped their homes in generations. He was afraid it will happen this time. “We have 400 acres of beautiful wheat that’s almost ready for harvest. We have about a thousand acres of corn that’s chest high and just waiting on a combine (to harvest it). That’s going to be gone,” Jordan said. “I don’t know what is going to happen to our houses.” Just down the road, relatives helped Jordan’s 87-year-old aunt, Katherine Jordan, pack up a house. They loaded furniture on a cotton trailer and prepared to head to higher ground. A tractor outside scrapped dirt from a wheat field to form a levee.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge walk hand in hand from Buckingham Palace in London Saturday April 30 2011, the day after their wedding.
Sail... From page 1 “We will also invite other ASEAN member countries to participate in the event,” he said. The event in Wakatobi will be organized in August and in
Belitong in October. “The peak event will be attended by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono or Vice President Boediono,” he said.
President... From page 1 Meanwhile, KPK deputy chairman for prevention field M Jasin said bribery cases were still rampant globally in both developed and developing countries. Jasin said the G-20 Working Group on Anti-corruption” was established after the leaders of the countries grouped in G-20 found it neces-
sary to promote clean business which was free from bribery. According to him, the establishment of G-20 was also motivated by global economic crisis in 1999. He said the rules in the World Trade Organization (WTO) were insufficient to stem corruption facing the business world.
International
Indonesia Today
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
7
RI forwards “package solution” approach for Thai-Cambodian conflict Antara
AFP PHOTO / PIKIRAN RAKYAT DAILY / RIRIN
Residents clean their houses after a landslide and flash floods triggered by heavy rain in Garut, on May 7, 2011. A landslide and flash floods triggered by heavy rain killed 17 people and inundated four villages on Indonesia’s Java island, a disaster management agency spokesman said on May 7.
Red cross distributes 400 blankets to flood victims Antara
Jakarta - The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) has distributed at lest 400 blankets and 80 packages of hygiene kits to victims of flash floods and landslide in Garut District, West Java. The relief aid was distributed in Pameungpeuk sub district, which was the worst hit by the natural disaster, PMI said in a press statement here Monday. Five sub districts, namely Pameungpeuk, Cisompet, Cikelet, Cibalong, and Mekarmukti, have been affected by the flash floods and landslide since Friday evening. PMI has dispatched 15 volunteers to help evacuation process of the victims, clean up roads and other public facilities from mud, and search for missing persons. The Indonesian Red Cross has also set up a command post at Cijambe village, Cikelet sub district, Garut District. A public kitchen has also been set up to supply food for flood and landslide victims. In the very near future, PMI will send 500 packages of hygiene kits
more, 200 packages of family kits, 500 units of emergency tents. The flash floods and landslide have killed 11 people and made three others missing in Garut District, West Java, over the weekend. Ten victims had been identified, and one was not known his identity, Sigit Udjwalaprana, head of the West Java disaster mitigation office, said at the Pameungpeuk district, here Monday. The 10 identified victims respectively were Yuningsih (30), Yoga (17), Heri (12), residents of Cigadog village, Cikelet subdistrict; Syaiful Hayat (47) of Sirnabakti village, Pameungpeuk subdistrict; Siti
Hasanah (42) of Cigadog village, Cikelet subdistrict; Rohmah (8), Ihsan (15 bulan), Dewi (7), and Yusuf (11), residents of Sawah Peuteuy village, Kertamukti, Cikelet sub district. One unidentified victim was found Santolo coast, Pameungpeuk sub district. Three residents were still missing, namely Risman (17) of Sawah Peuteuy village, Cikelet sub district; Ipin (55) and Ai (40) of Junti kampong, Linggamanik village, Cikelet sub district. Six people were seriously injured due to the floods and landslide. The natural disaster destroyed 118 houses, seriously damaged 443 houses, and slightly damaged 1775 others. Public infrastructures seriously damaged by the flash floods and landslide included 43 bridges, five school buildings, 35 mosques, 16 irrigation dams, three governments offices, 13559 hectares of farming areas.
No Presidential staff involved in Merpati plane purchase Antara
Jakarta - Special Presidential staff for information Heru Lelono denied that no presidential staff had been involved in a mark-up of a Merpati Nusantara Airlines plane purchase from China. “It`s almost certain that there is no single policy giving a presidential staff an authority to take a de-
cision on that matter (purchase of plane),” Heru said here on Tuesday. He said that since his appointment as a special presidential staff in 2004, he had never known a presidential staff by his initials “JW”. “It would be better for those who first disclosed this matter to explain who `JW” is,” he said referring to a report by an online media that a
presidential special staff known by his initials as JW had been involved in the mark-up of the MA-60 purchase by Merpati from an aircraft industry in China. An MA-50 aircraft belonging to Merpati crashed in Kaimana Bay, West Papua, during a flight from Sorong to Kaimana on Saturday, killing 27 passengers and crew members.
Jakarta - Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said a new approach would be taken to settle the Thailand-Cambodia conflict. He made the statement at a press conference after holding a trilateral meeting with Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya at his office here on Monday. “Indonesia has offered a way of settling the problem which was accepted by both countries at a foreign ministerial level, namely through a `package solution` approach,” Marty said. He said the approach does not require a party to step forward
quicker before the other catches up but offers settlement through a synergic process. “If we consider it a process the chance to make achievement is open wider,” he said while adding that the discussion had gone dynamically and interactively. Marty said settlement measures were identified and grouped into clusters which would be referred to the two countries for reaching the settlement of the case. He said the concept would be submitted by the foreign ministers concerned to their respective heads of state. “In short, we are now just waiting for an official response from the governments concerned,” he said. Thailand and Cambodia were recently involved in arms clashes recently over their border dispute.
Govt urged to ratify convention on protection of persons from forced disappearance Antara
Jakarta - A number of nongovernmental organizations have asked the government to immediately ratify UN Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Forced Disappearance. The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) and the Indonesian Association of Families of the Disappeared (Ikohi) said in a press statement on Monday the Law and Human Rights Ministry must take the initiative in an effort to ratify the convention. The NGOs also asked the ministry to convince the Indonesian president of the importance of ratifying the convention to
strengthen the national law system. The ratification could be started by preparing academic notes as a preliminary process of ratifying the convention and building intensive communication among relevant ministries, they said. Both Kontras and Ikohi lauded the step taken by Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa who signed the convention on September 27 last year. Unfortunately, the positive step was not followed up by ratifying the convention, they said. Noting that no Indonesian law firmly carried definition of forced disappearance, they said the effort to ratify the convention was needed to give legal certainty to the public so that they would not fall victim to forced disappearance. (*)
Demonstrators hold rally over Newmont divestment Antara
Jakarta - A crowd calling themselves the People‘s Coalition To Prosecute held a rally at the premise of the Ministry of Finance in protest against the government‘s decision to purchase seven percent stake in PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara. Field Coordinator of the People‘s Coalition to Prosecute, Ismail, said here Monday his coalition was of the view that the divestment stake must be offered to the regional government of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). The People‘s Coalition, which consists of among others the Anti Neo-liberalism Movement and the
People‘s Youth Movement, said the government should pay attention to the spirit of fiscal decentralization. “By offering the seven percent divestment shares to the region, it means that the government is supporting fiscal decentralization that becomes pillars for the implementation of regional autonomy and regional development,” said Ismail. Based on its work contract in 1986, PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (NNT) is required to divest 51 percent of its foreign stake ownership to the Indonesian side in March 2010 at the latest. NNT had been in the divestment process of its 51 percent stake since 2006 and the last phase of the divestment was to sell seven percent stake to the Indonesian side in 2010.
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Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Bali Today Foreign tourist visit increase in March 2011
IBP/File
The Hindus are praying on the Temple.Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik said the Hindus should become a constituent of the Indonesian nation.
Hindus must become a constituent of Indonesia Jakarta (Bali Post)—
Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik said the Hindus should become a constituent of the Indonesian nation. Therefore, the quality of Hindu human resources should be improved. “Hindus should become a constituent of the Indonesian nation in the dynamics of national building,” said Wacik when opening the workshop on the Hindu Dharma Council of Indonesia (PHDI) Empowerment in Jakarta, Sunday (May 8). Wacik ordered that Hindus should always think positively. Entire religious literatures should be revealed to advance the Hindus and their role in the life of the nation and state. “I need to put emphasis that Pancasila recently got a new challenge. Therefore, its potential values need to be actualized and discovered to improve ourselves,” said Wacik. To make the Hindus better, Wacik expected them to implement their Hindu teachings and they could be found in Upadesa book and then applied them consistently. For instance, Tri Hita Karana (three harmonious relations) should be practiced well and so should the Panca Sraddha (five basic faiths). “If all teachings can be well implemented, then the Hindu would be a good person,” he explained. According to Wacik, Pancasila should be a way of life. In other words, in daily life they had to be characterized by Pancasila, colored by Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity), 1945 Constitution, and take shelter in the Republic of In-
donesia. “So, the four pillars of nationality should be the final reference and not hesitate to do so,” added Wacik. Especially for the Hindus, Wacik reminded them to continuously maintain the harmony through the practice of these four pillars of nationality, chiefly Pancasila having relation to the deliberation and consensus. “Hamlet hall represents the nature of the Balinese people that always forward deliberation,” he explained. On that account, Wacik reminded the Hindus to always avoid any violence in responding to disagreement. “Resolve it by discussion. We have had a hamlet hall to do so,” he emphasized. Deliberation had contained togetherness. If anyone was considered wrong, he should be reminded politely. “Among the fellows, we must mutually respect and forgive for the common good,” said Wacik. On the occasion, Wacik expressed his disappointment as the implementation of workshop was judged to get less response from the people and Hindu leaders. He understood the
reality because the committee did not make coordination and pay less attention to national agendas. “Ideally, the committee should see first the national agenda as today there is an ASEAN Summit, so leaders of the police are surely unable to attend due their bustles to do pacification,” he said. Meanwhile, the Hindu leader I Nyoman Suwandha revealed that Hindu pluralism was very intense, but difficulties in arranging them into a mosaic of unity should be resolved. He said that history had proved that great civilization was only born out of diversity. Therefore, the former Chairman of the Central PHDI hoped that by such awareness devotees could always strive to develop a mutual respect, develop equality and would never think that majority could control and affect the existence of minority groups. The workshop presenting a number of Hindu leaders posed a part of endeavors to formulate the subject matter for the preparation of the tenth Mahasabha or General Assembly. (010)
DENPASAR - Foreign tourist arrival figures for Bali are now in hand showing that total foreign arrivals for that month equaled 201,833 – an increase of 3.8% over the same month in 2010. On a cumulative basis Q1 2011 foreign arrivals to Bali totaled 605,813 - an increase of 9.91% over Q1 2010. Were Bali able to sustain the current 9.91% rate of arrival growth through the end of 2011 it would end the year with a record 2.7 million foreign tourist visitors. Realistically, however, the softening in March arrivals, weaknesses in key European markets and the yet-to-be-measured downturn resulting from Japan’s tsunami all argue for a year in which the robust growth to which Bali has become accustomed to diminish as the year progresses. Australia continues to amaze, hogging a massive 25.74% market share of all foreign arrivals, while its nearest rival of Japan has a market share of only 8.77%. March arrivals from Australia hit 51,930 – increasing 18.16% as compared to March 2010 (43,949). Year-on-year Q1 performance for Australian visitors increased 27.95% totaling 155,943. Japan numbers continued their decline achieving only 17,288 visitors to Bali in March 2011, down 23.8% when compared to March 2010 (22,713). How much of this decline can be attributed to travel downturns following the March 11th tsunami remains unclear as the
Japanese travel market to Bali was already in steep decline prior to that natural disaster. On a year-on-year basis for Q1 2011 traffic from Japan to Bali is down 19.87%. Figures for the month of April (still unavailable) will better determine what effects the earthquake is going to have on medium term travel flows ex-Japan. Reduced flight capacities ex Japan suggest the drop in Japanese visitors will likely be significant. Russia - remains buoyant for Bali tourism. Now the 7th largest source of foreign visitors, 7,388 Russian tourists came to Bali in March 2011, an increase of 24.71%. Year-on-year Russian arrivals for Q1 2011 increased 24.04% (26,597). United Kingdom - arrivals dropped 1.23% in March 2011 as compared to the same month a year before. Cumulatively speaking, the U.K. performed somewhat better, increasing 3.06% in Q1 (21,755). German arrivals to Bali are also worrisome. Month-on-month, German tourists were 8.76% less than for March 2010. On a cumulative basis for Q1 2011, Germany arrivals are down 6.72% (14,280). There was across the board improvement in arrivals from all geographic areas. The strongest year-onyear growth occurred in ASEAN (up 40.59%); followed by the Americas (Up. 23.73%) and the Asia-Pacific up 6.96%. European arrivals have increase by only 2.23%
IBP/File
Foreign tourists are walking on Kuta Beach.
International
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Balinese Culture Exquisite Cepuk Clothes of Nusa Penida A cepuk craftsman at Karang Gede, Nusa Penida (BTN/KMB)Home industrial domain is not exclusively occupied by men. Women can also participate in it. Among others, the Cepuk and Keling weaving works start to move and pose the hallmark of household handicrafts in Nusa Penida Isles. Motivation is enormously needed because so far the female-run businesses in Nusa Penida can rarely develop flourishingly. Even, there is a tendency if such businesses are stagnant and infrequently go bankrupt. As consequence, women group of Nusa Penida turns traumatic. They are pessimistic to revive their businesses and continue to develop their efforts toward a better condition. It was revealed by Deputy Regent of Klungkung, Tjok Gede Agung on an occasion in Semarapura. As a matter of fact, Tjok Agung really expected the motivation was given in person by Minister of Women Empowerment of the RI, Linda Gumelar, on the Declaration of Aquatic Conservation Area (KKP) in Nusa Penida recently. Unfortunately, the dreams did not come true because the minister was not present in the event taking place at the Nusa Penida Pier not long ago. Craftswomen have indeed regained a spirit to live their business. However, they deal with various issues affecting their productivity delayed. It is in contrast to the endek craftsmen in the mainland Klungkung. The major issues faced by artisans in Nusa Penida is a matter of marketing other than lacking of knowledge concerning with design and style as demanded by market. According to Sudiarka Jaya, one of the weaving businessmen, there were two villages remaining to develop cepuk weaving handicraft business
with cagcag and ordinary motifs. The two villages were Tanglad and Pejukutan. Craftsmen in both villages utilized non-mechanical loom (ATBM). “The cepuk weaving clothes actually have revived at the moment. However, our craftsmen still have minimal understanding on how to develop their design and motif pursuant to the market demand. Having produced, our craftsmen do not have regular network to market their products,” added Sudiarka Jaya. He did hope that relevant agencies in the Klungkung Regency and Bali Province could give more attentions to overcome the difficulties faced by craftsmen, like a provision of skill trainings. Meanwhile, the Head of Klungkung Cooperatives, SMEs, Industry and Trade Services, Nengah Becik, said that his party had conducted a regular training for craftsmen. Especially for weaving craftsmen in Nusa Penida, he admitted to have provided training about the use of natural color, where the in-
gredients of color substance could be obtained at their surrounding area. Currently, there are 12 units of cepuk weaving business implementing cagcag method located at Pejukutan village, plus 20 units of cagcag weaving business and 9 units using non-mechanical loom at Tanglad Village. A weaver from Karang Gede Hamlet, Tanglad, Ni Wayan Jantes, claimed to have deeply involved in cagcag weaving works as a side job only. Her main livelihood was as a cow breeder. Within a day (about 5 working hours), Jantes admitted to produce one sheet of woven cloth measuring 2 meters. “I just work for an employer. For a single sheet of cloth, I receive a payment worth IDR 10,000,” she admitted. Meanwhile, the business owner sold the cepuk cloth between IDR 125,000 and IDR 200,000 per piece. “It highly depends on the quality, motif and type of cloth. Cagcag weaving cloth is more expensive than the ordinary ones,” added Jantes. (bal)
IBP/File
A woman is making the traditional cepuk clothes.
NASI GORENG (Fried Rice)
OVERVIEW: There are about as many different ways of preparing Nasi Goreng in Bali, as there are cooks. The only constant ingredient is rice; everything else is determined by the cook’s taste or the availability of ingredients. Please be certain to use only cold rice, as warm rice will stick to the wok. INGREDIENTS: 6 tbsp oil 6 shallots, peeled, halves length wise and sliced 6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced 200 gr (6 ½ oz) chicken meat, sliced 150 gr (5 oz) medium size shrimp, peeled ¼ small white cabbage, shredded 4 eggs, beaten 2 tbsp sambal tomat 700 gr (1 ½ lb) cold cooked rice 2 tsp salt 1 tsp sliced bird’s eye chilies 2 tbsp fried shallot PREPARATION: 1. Heat vegetable oil in wok or heavy fry pan until very hot. 2. Add shallots and garlic and fry for 1 minute until golden yellow. 3. Add chicken and shrimp and fry for 1 minute, and then add cabbage and fry for 1 minute. Add sambal and mix well. 4. Add eggs and continuously stir for 30 seconds before adding rice and salt. Increase to very high heat and fry for 3 more minute, stir continuously. 5. Add chilies, mix well and serve immediately, garnished with fried shallots. Note: Throughout Bali there are as many different ways of preparing Nasi Goreng as there are ingredients of chef’s.
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Destinations
International
Nungnung Waterfall NUNGNUNG is the name of a small village, 40 kilometers north of Denpasar with a height of 900 meters above sea level. This tourism object is located in Badung District evening. It lies about - about five miles before the bridge Tukad Bangkung known as the tallest bridge in Asia with a specific height of the pillars reached 71.14 meters. nungnung waterfallin this village there is a waterfall with a height of 50 meters with large water discharge. to reach the location of such waterfalls we must trace hilly rice fields about 2 miles from the highway. Nungnung waterfall is one tourist attraction that must be visited when we went to Bali especially for people who love trekking tour, because to get to the location of this waterfall down the stairs that we have quite a lot of numbers, so we can get down to the river valley and can see the waterfall from close range. ladder - steps to the waterfall is already available and adequate security, even in the valley which is closer to the cave, with leaves and moss-green atmosphere. after the satisfaction of seeing the waterfall the tourists can enjoy special food or simply unwind on the couch - the
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small bale provided along the path. Nungnung Waterfall is a tourist area which has a fairly extensive parking facilities and access roads to the great waterfall, there’s only a little derivative of the stairs - the stairs. scenery along the way is very green and refreshing. Also very cold air. and no place to rest can we visited. after walking about 20 minutes, we will arrive at the waterfall which has a fairly heavy discharge of water. discharge of heavy water and surrounded with bertebangan steam - water vapor that makes the atmosphere became so cool, refreshing and calming. when we are close to the waterfall we could see the long bridge that connects Bali to Kintamani route, ie Tukad Bangkung Bridge. This waterfall start promoted as tourist attractions since 1996. since this year, facilities condition Nungnung waterfall has undergone many changes, such as the existence of a range of facilities - other additional facilities to support this tourism object. because it is situated in rural areas, add to the beauty that makes this waterfall interesting to visit. once you visit here will be memorable and make memories that we want to always come to this place again.
... gets maximum benefits with minimum charge Denpasar : +62 361 22-5764 Jakarta : +62 21 535-6271
Jl. Kepundung 67 A, e-mail: info_ibp@balipost.co.id Jl. Palmerah Barat 21 F
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
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BUSINESS World stocks shrug off Greece woes to post gains Associated Press Writer
BANGKOK – World stock markets looked past Greece’s deepening debt crisis to post gains on Tuesday as commodity prices stabilized after big falls and expectations increased that China’s inflation problem is easing. Oil prices were down slightly to just below $102 a barrel after a big jump the day before as traders anticipated a further rise in weekly U.S. crude inventories. The dollar slipped against the euro but strengthened against the yen. European shares were higher in early trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.8 percent to 5,990.70 and Germany’s DAX was up 0.8 percent to 7,565.69. The CAC-40 in Paris added 0.9 percent to 4,043.27. Wall Street was poised for a higher opening, with Dow Jones industrial futures up 15 points and S&P 500 futures rising almost 2 points to 1,344.80. Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed up 0.3 percent to 9,818.76, with shares of Chubu Electric Power Co. rising 1.9 percent after the Japanese utility agreed to a government request to shutter three nuclear reactors at the Hamaoka coastal power plant while it builds a seawall and improves other tsunami defenses. The request came after Japan’s 54 reactors were checked for earthquake and tsunami vulnerability after the March 11 natural disasters that crippled the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in northeast Japan. The
Hamaoka facility sits above a major fault line and has long been considered Japan’s riskiest nuclear power plant. Shares of Toyota Motor Corp. rose 1.7 percent following a newspaper report that said the company’s global car production, disrupted by parts shortages after the earthquake and tsunami, will likely return to normal two to three months earlier than expected. Toyota declined to comment on the unsourced report by business daily Nikkei. In Europe on Monday, stock markets fell on worries that Greece will need more time or assistance from other EU countries to make payments on its debt, or worse, the country could partially default on the debt that it owes to bond investors. Standard & Poor’s downgraded Greece’s debt rating even further into junk status. Analysts said that all elements taken together paint an uncertain picture for riskier assets.
AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams
Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange discuss trading shares in the Washington Post Company on the one year anniversary of the ‘flash crash,’ Friday, May 6, 2011, in New York.
China’s trade surplus surges after unexpected import Reuters
BEIJING – China stormed back to post a hefty trade surplus in April as exports hit a record while imports
eased more than expected, weighed down by sustained monetary tightening and high commodity prices. The surplus of $11.4 billion, nearly four times greater than expected,
followed a small, rare trade deficit in the first quarter and could reignite criticism of Beijing’s policy of limiting currency appreciation. Exports were slightly stronger
REUTERS/Aly Song
than anticipated, growing 29.9 percent in April from a year earlier to $155.7 billion. Imports climbed at a lackluster 21.8 percent, well short of estimates. Analysts were at loggerheads over whether this should be read as a sign of surprising weakness in the Chinese economy or simply deferred purchases because of soaring commodity bills. “Exports are much stronger, that’s the basic thing. Global demand is still pretty strong, a bit stronger than many people feared,” said Tao Wang, economist with UBS in Beijing. “On the import side, we think that commodity exports had been very strongly up until February and there
A worker walks past containers at a port in Shanghai May 10, 2011. China posted its biggest trade surplus in four months in April, swinging from a trade deficit in the first quarter, as exports hit a record on stronger global demand despite initial signs of a pinch from Japan’s earthquake and nuclear crisis.
has been quite a bit of inventory buildup. So right now we think it’s going through some adjustment.” But Xu Biao, an economist with China Merchants Bank in Shenzhen, said the lower-than-expected imports might contain a much more serious warning. “Concerns about a slowdown have certainly intensified, and the risks of a worst-case scenario for the Chinese economy, namely a relatively low growth rate and a high inflation, are on the rise,” he said. The median forecast of economists polled by Reuters last week was for exports to rise 29.4 percent and imports to grow 28 percent, resulting in a trade surplus of $3 billion. On a seasonally adjusted basis, exports rose 35.1 percent in April from a year earlier and rose 12.3 percent from the previous month. Imports gained 27.4 percent year-onyear and 7.4 percent month-onmonth, the customs administration said. China’s trade numbers also registered an impact from Japan’s earthquake and subsequent nuclear crisis. Imports from Japan were $16 billion in April, down 14.9 percent from March, as production and shipments were interrupted.
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Entertainment
International
Schwarzenegger, Shriver separating after 25 years Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES – It was a storybook marriage in 1986 on a spring weekend on Cape Cod that united a princess of an American political dynasty, Maria Shriver, and the gap-toothed muscle-clad movie star famous enough to be known by one name, Arnold. In many ways, it was a pairing of opposites: Her uncle was a U.S. president; his father was an Austrian policeman. She was the rising star of a network TV news show; he was the potpuffing star of “Pumping Iron.” He was a Republican with a soft spot for Richard Nixon; her family was a pillar in the nation’s Democratic establishment. Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Shriver announced their separation late Monday, cleaving a sometimes-turbulent 25-year relationship after “a time of great personal and professional transition for each of us,” the couple said in a joint statement. The breakup comes about four months after Schwarzenegger ended a bumpy, two-term run as California governor, a job his wife never wanted him to pursue. Since then, Schwarzenegger, 63, has been fashioning a role as an international advocate for green energy, giving speeches and lining up work in Hollywood. Shriver, 55, has guestededited an edition of Oprah Winfrey’s magazine but also talked about the stress of changing roles after serving as California’s first lady. The joint statement, issued by a spokesman for Schwarzenegger, said
the two were working on the future of their relationship while living apart and they would continue to parent their four children together. “After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion, and prayer, we came to this decision together,” the statement said. It was not clear from the statement if either remained at their gated, canyon estate in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood, or whom the children were with. Schwarzenegger’s spokesman, Daniel Ketchell, said he wouldn’t answer questions beyond what was said in Monday’s statement. The former governor tweeted frequently during his recent travels to Brazil, Nigeria and France, but Shriver was not mentioned in his online updates from the road. Shriver, also active on social networks, posted three updates on her Twitter page on the day of their 25th wedding anniversary, April 26, but did not mention the milestone. About a month before the anniversary, Shriver wrote on her Facebook page that she was going through a transition in her life. “As you know, transitions are not easy. I’d love to get your advice on how you’ve handled transitions in your own life,” she said in a video posted on YouTube.
Jermaine Dupri sued over child support payments Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA – An Atlanta-area woman is suing music producer Jermaine Dupri over missed child
AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file
FILE - In this Dec. 3, 2008 file photo, Jermaine Dupri arrives at ‘The Grammy Nominations Concert Live’ in Los Angeles. Sarai Jones is suing music producer Jermaine Dupri over payments for child support after a judge recently ordered him to pay her.
support payments after a judge recently ordered him to pay her. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Margaret Dorsey told the Grammy-winning producer in March to pay $2,500 a month and an additional $7,500 to Sarai Jones, based on the results of a paternity test. Jones’ attorney, Randy Kessler, said Jones hopes that she and Dupri “can work together to co-parent their beautiful baby girl,” who is 7 months old. Dupri’s lawyer, James Kane, declined to comment. The lawsuit was filed at a time when Dupri is facing financial troubles. His mansion was up for foreclosure and set to be auctioned last week, but the sale was canceled at the last minute. WSB-TV obtained records from the Georgia Department of Revenue, saying that Dupri owes the state more than $493,000 in back taxes for 2007. Based off his 2006 income, Forbes.com said Dupri was one of hip-hop’s top earners, taking home $12 million. Dupri has produced hits for artists including Usher and Mariah Carey, and had a seven-year relationship with R&B singer Janet Jackson that ended a couple years ago. He lives in the Atlanta area.
AP Photo/file
FILE — In an April 25, 1986 file photo Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger poses with his bride Maria Shriver following their wedding ceremony in Hyannis, Mass. Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife of 25 years, Maria Shriver, announced Monday May 9, 2011, that they are separating.
Pacino plays mentor to ‘Dapper Don’ in Gotti film Associated Press Writer
CANNES, France – Al Pacino is telling a new mob family story, joining John Travolta for the crime saga “Gotti: Three Generations.” Pacino will play Gambino crime family underboss Neil Dellacroce, an associate and mentor to John Gotti Sr. (Travolta), says the film’s producer, Fiore Films. “Gotti” reunites Pacino with Levinson, who directed the actor in his role as Dr. Jack Kevorkian in last year’s TV movie “You Don’t Know Jack,” for which Pacino won an Emmy. Levinson also was a producer on Pacino’s 1997 crime drama “Donnie Brasco” and co-wrote his 1979 court saga “... And Justice for All.” The cast also includes Lindsay Lohan, Joe Pesci and Travolta’s wife, Kelly Preston. Levinson, the Academy Awardwinning director of 1988’s “Rain Man,” has brought his “Bugsy” collaborator James Toback on board to rework the script for “Gotti.” The revisions will put more emphasis on Gotti’s relationship with Dellacroce, who was something of a father figure to the
crime boss, Levinson said. “There’s this whole thing about fathers and sons that plays through this piece,” Levinson said of the film, based on the life story of Gotti’s son, John Gotti Jr. “You had a huge character in John Gotti, who’s basically old school and believed in the structure of that whole system, and the son at a certain point in time basically
begins to reject it and wants out of it. He says, `I can’t live my life this way,’ so I think that’s a real conflict,” said Levinson. Fiore Films, an independent production company, made the announcement Tuesday in Cannes, where the 64th Cannes Film Festival opens a day later. “Al Pacino is one of the finest actors of all time and will bring an unsurpassed level of reality and excitement to the film,” said Marc Fiore, the company’s CEO Pacino, 71, starred as mob leader Michael Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather” movies. He won a best-actor Oscar for 1992’s “Scent of a Woman.” The big casting question left is who will play Gotti Jr. “My guess is it’s going to be someone that we may not really know. I only say that because I don’t know now who’s out there as a name where you say, `Oh, yeah, he could be Gotti Jr.,’” Levinson said. “I’ve always worked with a lot of unknowns, people who hadn’t really established themselves, so I’ve got no reluctance about that whatsoever.”
Science
International
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
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Schools may ban chocolate milk over added sugar Associated Press Writer
AFP PHOTO/MIKE CLARKE
Children are paraded on floats during the Bun Festival on the outlying island of Cheung Chau in Hong Kong on May 10, 2011. Tens of thousands of people flocked to a tiny Hong Kong island for a bizarre ancient ritual known as “bun scrambling” at a colourful religious festival to celebrate victory over evil.
Hong Kong stages bizarre ‘bun scrambling’ festival Agence France Presse
HONG KONG – Tens of thousands of people flocked to a tiny Hong Kong island Tuesday for a bizarre ancient ritual known as “bun scrambling”, part of a religious festival to celebrate victory over evil. Huge crowds converged on Cheung Chau, a picturesque fishing village, for the annual “Bun Festival”, a celebration unique to the southern Chinese city. Legend has it that the event’s allimportant sweet buns bring good luck to the island’s fishermen, protecting them from the spirits of pirates that once lurked the region by satisfying hungry ghosts. The ceremony is also held in honour of Pak Tai, a Taoist god of the sea, said to drive away evil spirits. The festival’s centrepiece comes when the clock strikes midnight and a dozen contestants scramble up three towers studded with some 9,000 buns in a race to grab as many of the holy items as they can. The contestants, nine men and three
women, have three minutes to pull buns from the 14-metre (46 foot) tower, with pastries at the top bringing the most points. Another festival highlight is a “parade of floats” where local children, decked out in elaborate makeup and costumes depicting mythological figures and deities, pass through the quaint island’s narrow alleyways. “Every year about 60,000 people, locals and foreign tourists, take part in the festival. We expect the same crowd this year,” Eric Ho, the festival’s organising committee vice-chairman, told AFP.
“It is very important for us to keep this tradition because it showcases our culture.” In the past, hundreds of young men raced up the structure to snatch the lucky buns, until more than 100 people were injured when the two bamboo towers collapsed in 1978, prompting a ban on the event. It was revived in 2005 with bun towers made of steel, and limited to a small number of designated climbers. The steamed edible buns once used in the ritual have also been replaced with plastic replicas for hygiene reasons. Blessing-seekers can still buy the real buns, usually made of lotus paste and stamped with the Chinese character for “peace”, at shops on the island. But the festival has been hit with a bun shortage this year after health officials warned local shops to stop stamping buns outside their premises, prompting merchants to cut back their supply in protest.
LOS ANGELES – Chocolate milk has long been seen as the spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down, but the nation’s childhood obesity epidemic has a growing number of people wondering whether that’s wise. With schools under increasing pressure to offer healthier food, the staple on children’s cafeteria trays has come under attack over the very ingredient that made it so popular — sugar. Some school districts have gone as far as prohibiting flavored milk, and Florida considered a statewide ban in schools. Other districts have sought a middle ground by replacing flavored milks containing highfructose corn syrup with versions containing sugar, which some see as a more natural sweetener. Los Angeles Unified, the nation’s second-largest school district, is the latest district to tackle the issue. Superintendent John Deasy recently announced he would push this summer to remove chocolate and strawberry milk from school menus. But nutritionists — and parents — are split over whether bans make sense, especially when about 70 percent of milk consumed in schools is fla-
vored, mostly chocolate, according to the industry-backed Milk Processors Education Program. Many, including the School Nutrition Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Dietetic Association, American Heart Association, and National Medical Association, argue that the nutritional value of flavored low-fat or skim milk outweighs the harm of added sugar. Milk contains nine essential nutrients including calcium, vitamin D and protein. A joint statement from those groups points to studies that show kids who drink fat-free, flavored milk meet more of their nutrient needs and are not heavier than non-milk drinkers. “Chocolate milk has been unfairly pegged as one of the causes of obesity,” said Julie Buric, vice president of marketing for the Milk Processors Education Program. Others note the nation’s child obesity epidemic and say flavored milk simply needs to go. Eight ounces of white milk served in Los Angeles public schools contains 14 grams of natural sugar or lactose; fat-free chocolate milk has an extra six grams of sugar for a total of 20 grams, while fat-free strawberry milk has a total of 27 grams — the same as eight ounces of Coca-Cola.
AP Photo/Ann Jurgensen
This undated photo courtesy of Ann Jurgensen shows Jean Drulis, director of the Mother’s Milk Bank of Iowa and president of the milk banking association, as she holds a tray of pasteurized breast milk at a Mother’s Milk Bank of Iowa location in Coralville, Ia.
Sony to restore PlayStation Network by end of May Associated Press Writer
AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File
FILE - In this Jan. 27, 2011 photo, Sony Computer Entertainment President and CEO Kazuo Hirai speaks how to use its new PlayStation Portable ‘NGP’ at PlayStation Meeting 2011 in Tokyo.
TOKYO – Sony said Tuesday it aims to fully restore its PlayStation Network, shut down after a massive security breach affecting over 100 million online accounts, by the end of May. Sony also confirmed that personal data from 24.6 million user accounts was stolen in the hacker attack last month. Personal data, including credit card numbers, might have been stolen from another 77 million PlayStation accounts, said Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. spokes-
man Satoshi Fukuoka. He said Sony has not received any reports of illegal uses of stolen information, and the company is continuing its probe into the hacker attack. He declined to give details on the investigation. Sony shut down the PlayStation network, a system that links gamers worldwide in live play, on April 20 after discovering the security breach. The network also allows users to upgrade and download games and other content. Sony was under heavy criticism over its handling of the network in-
trusion. The company did not notify consumers of the breach until April 26 even though it began investigating unusual activity on the network since April 19. Last month, U.S. lawyers filed a lawsuit against Sony on behalf of lead plaintiff Kristopher Johns for negligent protection of personal data and failure to inform players in a timely fashion that their credit card information may have been stolen. The lawsuit seeks class-action status. Fukuoka declined to comment on the lawsuit.
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International
Chievo deal almost fatal blow to Juventus CL hopes Agence France Presse
AFP PHOTO/Carl de Souza
Liverpool’s Maxi Rodriguez celebrates after scoring the fourth goal of the match against Fulham during their premiership match at home to Fulham at Craven Cottage football stadium on May 9, 2011. Liverpool FC won 5-2.
Rodriguez treble boosts Liverpool’s Euro charge Agence France Presse
LONDON – Liverpool boosted their late challenge for a top four finish in the Premier League as Maxi Rodriguez’s hat-trick fired the Reds to a 5-2 victory against Fulham on Monday. Kenny Dalglish’s side romped into a three-goal lead within the first 16 minutes at Craven Cottage, with Rodriguez scoring twice before Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer allowed Dirk Kuyt’s weak shot to squirm into the net. Moussa Dembele got one back for Fulham but Rodriguez struck again for his second hat-trick in three games and Luis Suarez bagged the fifth goal to complete the demolition. Steve Sidwell’s late strike meant little to Fulham and Liverpool’s five-star display lifted them above Tottenham in fifth place and within four points of fourth placed Manchester City in the race for the final Champions League spot. With only two matches left, Liverpool are more likely to have to settle for Europa League qualification, but a slip by City in their game in hand against Tottenham on Tuesday will have the Anfield faithful dreaming of a return to Europe’s elite club competition. Whatever the outcome of their European charge, Dalglish has surely done enough to persuade Reds owner John W Henry to hand him the manager’s job on a permanent basis. Liverpool’s record signing Andy Carroll was missing again after suffering an injury in training, but the Reds arrived in west Lon-
don in fine form and took the lead in 31 seconds. Manchester United may be about to take Liverpool’s record of 18 league titles, but even Sir Alex Ferguson’s team haven’t scored such a fast goal this season. Suarez broke away down the left and the Uruguayan’s cross was miscued by Fulham defender Carlos Salcido towards Schwarzer. Schwarzer could only scramble the ball away from Kuyt and into the path of Rodriguez, who fired home emphatically. Liverpool captain Jamie Carragher couldn’t have wished for a more perfect start on his 666th appearance, an astonishing total that made him the club’s second highest appearance holder behind Ian Callaghan. It got even better for Carragher when Argentine midfielder Rodriguez struck again five minutes later. Lucas Leiva’s long pass picked out a surging run from Glen Johnson on the right wing and the England defender’s looping cross to the far post was met with a powerful volley from Rodriguez that flashed past Schwarzer. Dalglish’s men were pouring for-
ward in waves and they didn’t have to wait long for a third goal as Schwarzer blundered in the 16th minute. Kuyt’s low shot from the right side of the penalty area should have posed no problems for Schwarzer, yet the Australian somehow allowed the tame effort to trickle through his legs and into the net. Schwarzer hung his head in embarrassment as Dutch forward Kuyt celebrated his ninth goal in eight matches. After Raul Meireles was forced off early in the second half, Fulham scored in the 57th minute when substitute Bobby Zamora slipped a pass for Dembele to shoot past Jose Reina. But Liverpool had too much firepower for Fulham and Rodriguez sealed his treble in the 71st minute. Taking John Flanagan’s pass 30 yards from goal, Rodriguez advanced unopposed before blasting an unstoppable strike into the top corner. Liverpool hadn’t finished there. Suarez capped a fine display as he jinked round Schwarzer to slot in the fifth in the 75th minute and Sidwell’s superb 85th minute goal was no consolation for Fulham.
ROME – Juventus hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League were virtually erased on Monday after Chievo fought back from 2-0 down to force a 2-2 draw with the Turin side. The draw - which saw the Juventus players booed off the pitch by their home fans leaves the ‘Old Lady’ five points adrift of Udinese, who occupy the fourth and final Champions League spot with just two matches remaining. Juventus coach Luigi Delneri said his side had suffered a momentary blackout when they conceded the two goals in just over a minute. “We have paid a high price for a minute’s madness, there was a blackout,” said Delneri. “The boys played a good match, but were hit hard hard by the very rapid counterattacks of Chievo: such as the two occasions we conceded goals. “Luck really wasn’t with us, those shots that hit the post, or just the other side.” Delneri was philosophical about his chances of seeing out the year left on his contract. “I still have my pride, so I will do everything to my best abilities till the end of the season. Then the club will decide,” said
DelNeri, who was brought in at the beginning of this season to improve their fortunes after finishing seventh last term. Juventus had looked to be coasting to the three points after veteran Alessandro Del Piero scored from the penalty spot in the 13th minute, after Gennaro Sardo had fouled Simone Pepe. They doubled their lead 10 minutes into the second-half when Del Piero set up Alessandro Matri. However, Chievo refused to surrender and scored twice in a minute to level the match and all but assure themselves of another season in the elite. Both goals emanated in the same way as captain Sergio Pelissier twice hit the post only for his rebounds to be scrambled home by Luca Rigoni in the 68th minute, and the second by Sardo a minute later. Juventus pushed hard to get a third but twice they were denied by the woodwork, Giorgio Chiellini and former Italy international striker Luca Toni the unlucky parties. However, Fernando Uribe also missed a golden chance to give Chievo the three points as with Gianluigi Buffon out of his goal the Colombian had an empty net to put the ball into but instead hit a tame effort that went straight to Juventus defender Claudio Marchisio.
FIFA probes Malaysians over global match-fixing Agence France Presse
– Officials from football’s ruling body FIFA are expected to arrive in Malaysia next week as part of its global crackdown into match-fixing on three continents, a report said Tuesday. “We wrote to FIFA over the allegedly match-fixing scandal last week after reading about it,” Azzuddin Ahmad, general secretary of the Football Federation of Malaysia (FAM) was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times newspaper. “We will... assist FIFA in whatever way possible,” he added. FIFA is investigating claims that over 300 matches on three continents were influenced by match-fixers. The report said FIFA’s full investigation into match-fixing has led to two Malaysians, adding that Chris Eaton, FIFA?s head of security, will lead a team of investigators to interview several people here. Employees from at least six different national foot-
ball associations are under suspicion of assisting the criminal network, which is thought to work out of Singapore and Malaysia. FIFA suspects match officials were paid as little as $10,000 to help engineer specific results in international friendly matches and European club games, netting fixers hundreds of millions of dollars on Asian betting markets. “The threat from match-fixing to the integrity of the global game is significant,” Eaton, a former Interpol official said last week. FIFA fear the upcoming under-17 and under-20 World Championships are at risk. The newspaper said FIFA would also investigate two Malaysia-Zimbabwe friendly matches played in 2009. Malaysia won both matches but FIFA subsequently revoked the status of the games after it was determined that a Zimbabwean club side had taken the field rather than the national team.
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Wednesday, May 11, 2011
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Thunder tie series with Memphis with 3 OT thriller Associated Press Writer
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Trading comebacks and clutch shots, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies looked as if they might play all night. And considering how entertaining Game 4 of their Western Conference playoff series was, it’s doubtful anyone would have complained. In the end, though, Kevin Durant and the Thunder refused to let another overtime playoff game slip away and now the series is tied 2-2. Durant scored six of his 35 points in the third overtime, and the Thunder scored the final 10 points to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 133123 in a thriller that started Monday night and ended early Tuesday morning. It was the second straight overtime game in the series and the NBA’s first triple-overtime playoff game since Chicago downed Bos-
ton 128-127 on April 30, 2009. Durant summed it up best, calling it a game that will go down as one of the best in NBA history. “It was fun. It was something I can tell my kids that I played in a great game like this,” Durant said with a smile. Fans got on their feet late in regulation and stayed standing until the end, though many started trickling to the exits as the clock ticked well past midnight local time. With the victory, the Thunder regained home-court advantage and
tied this Western Conference semifinal at two games apiece by handing the Grizzlies their first loss in Memphis this postseason. Game 5 is on Wednesday night in Oklahoma City. The winner of the series will play the Dallas Mavericks in the conference finals. “We’ve got to keep fighting, though,” Durant said. “It’s tied up right now. We’re taking it back to our house. So we’ll see how we handle it.” The Thunder and Grizzlies went to overtime for the third time this season.
Klitschko wants 50th career knockout against Haye Reuters
HAMBURG, Germany – World heavyweight champion Vladimir Klitschko is confident he can unleash his 50th career knockout punch against WBA champion Briton David Haye in July. “I really want that 50th knockout. It is like a golden number,” Klitschko, who holds the WBO, IBF and IBO belts, said on Monday. “I really respect him. He is a great boxer with an impressive
record but I will be well prepared. David Haye is going to be my 50th knockout,” the Ukrainian added after refusing to shake hands with Haye during the joint press conference. Klitschko and his brother Vitaly, who holds the WBC belt, twice had fights with Haye called off in the past two years after they failed to agree on the details for the muchawaited unification fight. Haye has a career record of 25-1 with 23 knockouts with Vladimir Klitschko at 55-3 and 49 knockouts.
Klitschko could win the only remaining major belt that has eluded the two brothers while a victory for Haye would drive a wedge into the Klitschko careers, giving the Briton a shot at all five belts. The two fighters appeared at a press conference that had also been delayed for several days until contractual details for the July 2 bout in Hamburg were ironed out. Haye, who enjoyed a stare-down with Klitschko that lasted several minutes, accused his rival of being a
fraud. “I have seen his style and seen what he does in the ring and he is a fraud,” said the 30-year-old. “I know what he is about. Even when I was a cruiserweight I believed I could knock him out.”
Hewitt to play through pain at French Open Agence France Presse
REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer
Heavyweight boxers, WBA champion David Haye of Britain (R) and IBF and WBO titleholder Vladimir Klitschko of Ukraine (L) stand face to face during a news conference in Hamburg on May 9, 2011.
“He wears big shoulder pads in his gown and picks guys who suit him perfectly but I am not fooled,” said Haye who said he had no problem fighting in Germany, the base of the Klitschko brothers.
SYDNEY – Australia’s former world number one Lleyton Hewitt will play through the pain at this month’s French Open as he returns to tennis after surgery, his coach Tony Roche said on Monday. Hewitt, 30, is planning to contest the claycourt grand slam at Roland Garros which starts on May 17 despite not playing for more than two months. The two-time grand slam champion underwent foot surgery in March but the 66th-ranked Hewitt is once again prepared to play through the pain barrier. “I think he’s used to that. Look, he’d be the toughest competitor that I’ve seen,” Roche told reporters. “He’s had a lot of setbacks over the last couple of years but he keeps bouncing back. “He keeps wanting to improve and he’s so keen, which is great for Australian tennis because
we need him to hang in there.” Last year, Hewitt was sidelined for almost four months following a second round of hip surgery and a knee operation before upstaging Roger Federer on grass in the Halle final and then almost beating Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon. He reached the quarter-finals of the 2006 US Open despite a knee injury that threatened his participation. “It’s his first tournament back from his operation. It’s a big ask, but he could do it if he got the right draw,” Hewitt said. “Unfortunately, he’s not going to be seeded so you’ve got to rely on a good passage through that first week and not running into the top three or four guys. “But Lleyton is still as keen as ever. He feels in the grand slams, given the right opportunity, that he can still be competitive with the top guys.”
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Sport
Trulli: It is ‘the end of qualifying’ LOTUS driver Jarno Trulli says the Turkish Grand Prix marked what he believes is “the end of qualifying” in Formula 1. The degradation of Pirelli’s soft tyres meant several drivers decided to do just one run in qualifying in Turkey, with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa even deciding to not go for a second run despite failing to set a time in his first one.
AFP PHOTO / MUSTAFA OZER
Team Lotus’ Italian driver Jarno Trulli drives at Istanbul Park on May 5, 2011 in Istanbul during the practice session of the Turkish Formula One Grand Prix.
Yamaha buoyed by test breakthrough YAMAHA believes it will be in much better shape for the rest of the 2011 MotoGP season after a breakthrough in last week’s Estoril test. Although Jorge Lorenzo leads the championship standings and won in the damp at Jerez, on pure pace he has not been able to match the Hondas so far this year, and was overhauled by Dani Pedrosa in the closing stages of the most recent race at Estoril.
But team manager Wilco Zeelenberg said changes to the bike in testing would enable Lorenzo to get back to a more comfortable riding style from this weekend’s Le Mans event. “We had a fantastic test in Estoril, everybody was surprised with the good weather so we had the opportunity to try many things,” Zeelenberg said. “Hopefully we’ve found our way back from the test
AP Photo/ Francisco Seco
to an improved setting so Jorge can go back to his old riding style of fast corner entry which he was missing a little for the first three races. “We’ve given that back to him so were confident he can perform well in France and for the rest of the season.” Yamaha is chasing a fourth straight French GP victory, with the last two having gone to Lorenzo, so Zeelenberg expects both the Spaniard and his team-mate Ben Spies to show strong form. “Le Mans is a Yamaha track, it works well for us so it’s also a great place for Ben to come back and aim for the podium,” said Zeelenberg. But Lorenzo is keeping his goals modest for the time being, saying his priority is to be in front by his next home race at Barcelona a fortnight later. “We are on the top, but we should be focused on getting as many points as possible,” he said. “Our main goal is the podium, our fourth podium, and to be in front in Montmelo.”
MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo, from Spain, speeds up his Yamaha during the Portugal motorcycling Grand Prix Sunday, May 1, 2011 at the Estoril racetrack in Sintra, outside Lisbon.
Several other drivers decided to compromise their qualifying position in order to have a new set of tyres for the race. Trulli believes the evidence from Turkey suggests qualifying has changed completely. The Italian, writing in his column for Repubblica newspaper, also reckons the 2011 rules have had mixed effects, with the races being more spectacular but also more confusing. “Like everything in life, the 2011 changes in F1 have some pros and cons,” Trulli wrote. “The pros are more exciting and spectacular races, which the public seem to like; the cons are grands prix that are a bit less comprehensible and, since Istanbul, what I call ‘the end of qualifying.’ “For the first time this year we’ve seen that, once Q3 is reached, instead of trying to snatch pole position off the others like they always do, drivers and teams preferred to make their calculations and just be content. “The truth is that strategy this year has a more decisive role than usual. Here at Istanbul, for example, the race started before the race itself by saving tyres. As I’ve always said, everyone’s mission at this time is to learn the Pirellis. Well, after three races we finally have an initial and reliable measure of the level of tyre degradation. “So, whoever had the capability and the strength to save a set of tyres on Saturday did just that. This thing obviously involved the drivers that made the top ten. As soon as they made the Q2 cut, they started to make their calculations. For many the problem was whether to utilize or not the remaining set of tyres. The ones that got into Q3 by a whisker, the outsiders, didn’t even try. “The top guys set the laptime then stopped. The others, the ones who usually animate the fight, did one try and quit at the first mistake. Some feel a formula that worked has been ruined. I don’t want to say that. I simply observe that these are the rules and the drivers have adapted to them. “There are pros and cons, I repeat: the pros are better races decided in the last 10-15 laps depending on the strategies and the tyres, while the cons are that qualifying is less spectacular and more tactical.”