I N T E R N A T I O N A L
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Justin Bieber arrives in Philippines
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013 World leaders, South Africans remember Mandela
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Tinkering and blunders put Benitez under pressure Page 8
Page 6
A farmer working in his field. Partisanship seriousness of Bali government in improving the welfare of farmers and agricultural development in Bali is questioned.
MANILA, Philippines — Teen heartthrob Justin Bieber arrived Tuesday in the Philippines, where he has launched a campaign to help victims of last month’s killer typhoon. Bieber, adored by young fans worldwide for hits like “Baby,” arrived on a special flight, Immigration officer Jerome Ollet said. Pictures on social media showed fans snapping photos of the star at Manila’s airport. Onodera and Australian Foreign Minister Julia Bishop flew to worst-hit Tacloban city Sunday to console survivors and pledge continuing aid. Grammy-winning singer Alicia Keys visited an air force base in Manila two weeks ago and distributed crayons and coloring books to children of families who arrived aboard mercy flights by the Philippine and U.S. military
from typhoon-ravaged provinces of Leyte and Samar. The R&B star was in Manila at the time for a concert. Bieber said donors get a chance to win a prize to hang out with him in a studio while he works on his upcoming album. “The moment I heard about the tragedy a few weeks back,” Bieber said, “I thought I can count on you guys to make a difference.”
MTV declares Miley Cyrus its artist of the year Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK — Here’s something to wag a tongue at: MTV says Miley Cyrus is the best artist of the year. The former child star twerked her way to the top. Her eye-popping duet with Robin Thicke on the MTV Video Music Awards was one of the year’s most talked about cultural events. MTV said Monday the VMA duet on “We Can’t Stop” and “Blurred Lines” was the year’s most watched video on its websites. Similarly, the MTV artist site devoted to Cyrus had more visits than any other artist’s. Besides “We Can’t Stop,” the song “Wrecking Ball” and album “Bangerz” were big hits for Cyrus, who also had notable appearances on “Saturday Night Live” and MTV’s European music awards show. MTV executives pick their top artist. One Direction won last year, and Katy Perry won the year before. This year, Cyrus was an easy choice, said Amy Doyle, head of MTV’s music and talent programming strategy. “She dominated the music charts and critics’ best-of lists while creating some of the year’s most memorable moments,” Doyle said. Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File
FILE - This Dec. 6, 2013 file photo shows Miley Cyrus performing during the KIIS-FM Jingle Ball concert at Staples Center in Los Angeles. MTV has declared that Miley Cyrus is the best artist of the year.
Thai Protesters Push for Eradication of Shinawatras From Politics Page 13 IBP/File Photo
Associated Press Writer
In a video posted on the fund-raising platform Prizeo, Bieber asked fans to help him support victims of Typhoon Haiyan, which left nearly 6,000 people dead and more than 1,700 others missing, and flattened entire towns and villages in the central Philippines. Bieber is one of the several foreign and local celebrities and VIPs who have helped out. Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori
16 Pages Number 237 5th year
Photo by Isaac Brekken/Invision/AP, File
FILE - In this Sept. 30, 2012 file photo, Justin Bieber performs at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Bieber arrived Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013, in the Philippines, where he has launched a campaign to help victims of last month’s killer typhoon.
Only 2 percent of regional budget
Government concerned over agricultural sector questioned Bali Post
DENPASAR - Partisanship seriousness of Bali government in improving the welfare of farmers and agricultural development in Bali is questioned. In terms of budget, it is considered inadequate for the agricultural sector. Based on the data in the book of Bali Regional Budget 2014, the total agricultural budget existing in the Bali Agriculture and Food Crop Agency is around IDR 76 billion. It means the budget for the agricultural sector is still less than 2 percent of the total Bali Regional Budget 2014 reaching IDR 4.3 trillion. The lack of agricultural budget is widely criticized by some legislators of the Bali House. “The attention of government is still minimal in the agricultural sector. With such a small budget, what can be done to improve the welfare of farmers? At least, the agricultural budget should be 10 percent of the Regional Budget so there is real concern to farmers,” said a member of Commission II of the Bali House, Gusti Putu Budiarta, in Denpasar, Monday (Dec 9). It was said the government’s attention was needed either through regulation or program when the agricultural sector of Bali was facing various threats, where the internal threat was like the land conversion, low competitiveness, lack of interest in working on the agricultural sector, while the external threats were free trade in which the agricultural product from outside would flood Bali and could displace local products. “The free market is a serious challenge for our farmers in Bali
whether we can survive or are even eroded. Here is where the government plays an important role on how to create strong and competitive farmers. There should be an improvement from the upstream to downstream. The agricultural infrastructure must also be addressed,” said the PDI-P politician from Denpasar. Another member of Commission II, Wayan Pinta Yadia, emphasized the importance of government to improve human resources of farmers in the face of free market competition. On that account, coaching and counseling to farmers should be conducted intensively through the field extension officers (PPL). Farmers should not be left to struggle alone and lack of information. “All this time, farmers get illegal information. In the future, it must be attempted in order the information come in from the government and academia. If possible, the government must provide a comparative study for farmers to outside the region to increase their knowledge,” he said.
The application of agricultural technology as well as the research and development in the agriculture should really be encouraged in society. “It is time for the agriculture of Bali to lead to commodity specialization according to the character of the land. Besides, Bali must have a clear farming zone. So far, the direction of agricultural development is unclear,” said the politician from Jembrana. Separately, the Head of Bali Agriculture Agency, Ida Bagus Wisnu Ardana, admitted the budget for the agricultural sector in 2014 in the Agriculture Agency only reached IDR 76 billion. The fund was allocated for several programs such as the welfare improvement of farmers worth IDR 7.141 billion consisting of the improvement of human resource quality and institution (IDR 143 million) as well as the strengthening and development of Simantri (IDR 6.9 billion), food security improvement program (IDR 4.8 billion), development and supervision of fertilizer program, pesticides and agricultural production tools (IDR 1.2 billion), agribusiness development program (IDR 1.4 billion), expenditure subsidy (IDR 10 billion), Simantri grant (IDR 22 billion), special allocation fund (IDR 4.9 billion) and other programs. Continued on page 6
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International
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Bali News
Tamblingan must be freed from any investment Singaraja (Bali Post)—
Lake Tamblingan at Munduk village, Banjar subdistrict, should be freed from any investment. It is carried out in order the lake area can remain sacred and uncontaminated by garbage. Such a hope was delivered by hamlet chief of Munduk Putu Ardana and a community leader of Munduk Nyoman Bagiarta when meeting with the Regent of Buleleng Putu Agus Suradnyana in the office of the regent, last week. According to Ardana, pursuant to the Buleleng Regional Spatial Plan, Munduk village was indeed designated as a tourism village. Nevertheless, it did not necessarily mean that all village areas at Munduk could be developed by investors. Lake Tamblingan region should be sterile at all from any investment. “The investment can come to other areas of Munduk village. Then, the investment must also be arranged so that Munduk village remains a green area,” he said. To that end, Ardana asked the Buleleng government to prepare the Detailed Spatial Plan (RDTR) carefully when it had something to do with Lake Tamblingan. In the RDTR, it should be explained that Lake Tamblingan was totally free from any investment and should remain sustainable and sacred. “We ask the RDTR must be arranged carefully in regulating the
Lake Tamblingan area,” he said. Regent Agus Suradnyana agreed with the expectation of Munduk customary village to always preserve the Lake Tamblingan region. “We’ll make a regional bylaw in order the Lake Tamblingan can remain sustainable so that Munduk area can become a tourism village staying to uphold the environmental value,” he said. The struggle to free Tamblingan from investment had actually been delivered repeatedly either to the executive of Buleleng County and to the Buleleng House. Previously, some prominent figures from four Dalem Tamblingan customary villages (Munduk, Gobleg, Umajero and Gesing) had come to the Special Committee of the Regional Spatial Plan in the Buleleng when the spatial plan was under the process of discussion. In the face of the Special Committee, the four village figures mentioned that the water in Lake Tamblingan had showed degradation both in terms of quality and quantity. It happened because of the rampant timber thefts in the protected forests and the shifting of protected
The amount of county minimum wage (UMK) of Jembrana 2014 agreed by tripartite and submitted to the province seems to be changing. It happens because the amount of provincial minimum wage (UMP) of Bali in 2013 is higher than the county minimum wage proposed. Thus, the county is urged to adjust it in order to exceed the provincial minimum wage. Chairman of the Indonesian
Labor Union (SPSI) of Jembrana, Sukirman, when met by reporters on Monday (Dec 9) said that based on the previous agreement, the county minimum wage of Jembrana was IDR 1,360,000. However, after getting certainty that Bali provincial minimum wage was higher at IDR 1,542,600, the county should follow it. “At least, it must be five percent higher than the provincial minimum wage,” he explained. According to him, the amount of
IBP
Tamblingan Lake forest boundaries with plantations in the vicinity. So, the number of trees in the forest decreased and the protected forest area dwindled. Another cause was the change in the farming system where farmers around the Lake Tamblingan formerly planted perennial plants such as coffee, but later farmers were planting flowers. As consequence, the water absorbability against
soil reduced. “This condition is compounded by the rampant land conversion into residential estate around the lake,” said Putu Ardana then. To that end, the leaders of four villages asked the government to take appropriate and integrated measures so as to address the environmental problems of the lake. One of them was including the
IBP/File
Tamblingan area in the sacred area in the regional bylaw of Buleleng Spatial Plan. In addition, the leaders also asked in order the residents of the four customary villages could be given the authority to maintain and manage the Tamblingan region. “Such an effort is taken because his role to make the region sacred seems to have been marginalized,” he said. (kmb15)
provincial minimum wage in 2014 had been set forth in the Gubernatorial Regulation No.51/2013. The amount was based on the consideration of the decent living needs (KHL) in Bali. As consequence, the county had no choice but complying with the amount of the provincial minimum wage and the recently proposed county minimum wage would automatically not be used. In the near future, his party with local government would
evaluate and make socialization related to the amount. According to him, it was a good thing and very welcomed by the SPSI because the provincial minimum wage followed the same decent living needs proposed by the SPSI. “Later on, the provincial minimum wage will become the basis of county minimum wage and sectoral wage, and the county minimum wage should be greater than the provincial minimum
wage,” he said. On the other hand, the Head of Jembrana Social Welfare and Labor Agency, I Ketut Wiaspada, confirmed if the provincial minimal wage had increased, where it was originally IDR 1,321,500 and after discussion it was revised into IDR 1,542,600. However, according to him, the local government, according to him, had not been able to follow up because the official letter had not been received. (kmb26)
Founder : K.Nadha, General Manager :Palgunadi Chief Editor: Diah Dewi Juniarti Editors: Gugiek Savindra,Alit Susrini, Alit Sumertha, Daniel Fajry, Mawa, Sri Hartini, Suana, Sueca, Sugiartha, Yudi Winanto Denpasar: Dira Arsana, Giriana Saputra, Subrata, Sumatika, Asmara Putra. Bangli: Suasrina, Buleleng: Adnyana, Gianyar: Agung Dharmada, Karangasem: Budana, Klungkung: Bagiarta. Jakarta: Nikson, Hardianto, Ade Irawan. NTB: Agus Talino, Izzul Khairi, Raka Akriyani. Surabaya: Bambang Wilianto. Development: Alit Purnata, Mas Ruscitadewi. 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
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
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Holiday Inn Resort Baruna
KUTA - Book your paradise break at Holiday Inn Resort Baruna Bali, an idyllic beach-front spa retreat, 10 minutes from Denpasar International Airport. The heavenly Holiday Inn Resort Baruna Bali is built in a traditional low-rise Balinese style, complementing its scenic setting. Order cocktails at the pool’s swim-up bar or dine on grilled specialties on the beach at ENVY, their chill-out restaurant, famous for its tagline; “food, cocktails, sunsets” apparently quite popular amongst the island’s jet-setters with its laid-back island feel. Admire blissful views of Kuta beach or the pool and tropical gardens from your Guest room’s private balcony. The 193 rooms are completed with wireless superior internet connectivity, 32’ flat screen satellite television, CD/DVD player, individually controlled air-conditioning, direct dial telephone, mini refrigerator, inroom safe, iron & ironing board, tea & coffee making facilities as well as radio & ipod dock. Stroll along the water’s edge to
downtown Kuta’s shops and restaurants, and catch Bali ‘s romantic multicolored sunsets from the sandy beach. There’s entertainment in the teens’ room and at Rascals kids’ club, so the kids can play while you indulge yourself with a soothing massage in ocean-facing Tea Tree Spa. Enjoy the resort’s evening entertainment, and lounge at the beach front bar listening to chill-out music. Browse the web with reliable wireless Internet throughout the hotel. Holiday Inn Resort Baruna Bali staff at the Meetings and Events Centre can organize events for 40-80 guests in one of 4 meeting rooms or in the 264-capacity ballroom. Holiday Inn Resort Baruna Bali has open-kitchen dining with an Asian twist at Palms Restaurant. Work out in the gym or sun yourself at the sloping man-made beach beside the landscaped pool.
IBP/File Photo
Calendar Event for November 2 through December 11, 2013
SPSI urges Jembrana minimum wage to adjust to Bali minimum wage Negara (Bali Post)—
Activities
International
2 Nov Saniscara Keliwon Kuningan. Pura Taman Pule di Mas-Ubud. Pura Ularan di Takmung-Klungkung. Pura Bukitjati di Gulingan-Kawan Bangli. 6 Nov Buda Wage Langkir. Pura Tanah Lot Kediri Tabanan. Pura Bucabe Mas Ubud. Pura Puseh Desa Ganggang-Canggi Batuan. Pura Pasek Pertukangan Kediri-Tabanan. Pura Pasek Bendesa Gulingan Mengwi. Pura Masceti Desa Sanding-Tampak Siring. Puru Luwur Batur Pucangan Buahan-Tabanan. Odalan Alit di Pura Dalem Takuran di Cemenggoan Sukawati. Odalan Ida Ratu Sundaring Jagat Penataran Agung Besakih. Mr. Pasek Gelgel Silakarang. Pura Dalem Bangun Sakti Kapal. Pura Dalem Bias Muntig Ped-Nusa Penida. 10 Nov Redite Pon Medangsia. Pura Agung Pentilan Kesiman-Denpasar. Pura Pasek Tohjiwa Kerambitan Tabanan. 11 Nov Soma Wage Medangsia. Pura Nataran Desa Getas Blahbatuh. Merajan Pasek Gelgel Aan-Klungkung. Pura Pasek Bakbakan Gianyar. 12 Nov Anggara Keliwon Medangsia. Pura Pesimpangan Geria Sakti Manuaba di Yogyakarta-Sumur Lampung Selatan. Pura Luwur Uluwatu Pecatu Kuta Selatan. Pura Penataran Agung Singakerta Ubud. Pura Andakasa Karangasem. Pura Gua Lawah Klungkung. Merajan Kawitan Arya Kubontubuh Gelgel Klungkung. Pura Taman Ayun Mengwi. Pura Suralaya Banda-Klungkung. Pura Dalem Senapati Bebalang-Bangli. Pura Gadung Blahbatuh Gianyar. Pura Pasek Lurah Tutuan. Pura Pasek Gadung Kerambitan Tabanan. Pura Dalem Tugu Gelgel Klungkung. Pura Dalem Banyuning Barat-Buleleng. Odalan Sepen di Pura Puseh. Pura Desa Cemenggaon-Sukawati. Pura Pusering Jagat Pejeng-Tampaksiring. Merajan Pasek Kubayan Mengwi. Merajan Pasek Tohjiwa Gegelang-Tabanan. Pura Geria Sakti (Dang Kahyangan) Tulikup Gianyar. Pura Dalem Dauh Ubud. 13 Nov Buda Umanis Medangsia. Pura Gede Perancak-Jembrana. Pura Dalem Dauma-Batuan Sukawati. Pura Nataran Kacangdawa-Klungkung.
Odalan Bhatara Gede Apol di Ubung Denpasar. Pura Puseh Brahmana Kamasan-Klungkung. Pura Kahyangan Jagat Dalem Purwa Denbantas Tabanan. Pura Dalem Sukehet Klungkung. Pura Dalem Muaspatih Guwang Sukawati. Pura Taman Tegalalang. Pura Desa Sanding-Tampaksiring. Merajan Pasek Tohjiwa-Batanbuah-Kesiman. Merajan Pasek Tohjiwa Basangkawan. Pura Sahab Nusa Penida. Merajan Agung Gorokgak Dalem Sukawati. 14 Nov Wraspati Paing Medangsia. Pura Ulun Swi Kediri Tabanan. Pura Panti Pasek Gelgel Bitra-Gianyar. 17 Nov Redite Keliwon Pujut. Merajan Pasek Tohjiwa Kekeran-Mengwi. 17 Nov Purnama Kelima. Aci-aci Penaung Bayu di Pura Batumadeg di Besakih. Pura Kentel Gumi di Batur Baangli. Pura Pedarman Agung, Satria Denpasar. Pura Pemerajan Agung - Pemecutan Denpasar. Ngusaba di Pura Kehen Bangli. Pura Desa Pemenang di Lombok. Pura Agung Pasek Gelgel di Sumerta Denpasar. Pura Pasek Gobleg di Kekeran Mengwi. Pura Suranadi di Lombok. Pura Puncak Bukit Tampak Siring. Pura Dalem Puri Agung Kintamani. Pura Dalem Agung Nongan Karangasem. Pura Dalem Ubung-Kupang Dukuh Penebel-Tabanan. Pura Dalem Balingkang Kintamani. Pr. Tampurhyang Pusat Kawitan Mahagota Catur Sanak di Songan Kintamani. Pura Dalem Pulasari Desa Bantas Sudaji Buleleng. Merajan Pasek Gelgel di Lebih. Merajan Pasek Gelgel di Tulamben. Pura Penyusungan Pasek Tohjiwa Selemadeg Tabanan. Pura Pasar Agung Besakih Sebudi Karangasem. Merajan Pasek Gelgel Tengkulak Kaja. Pura Suci Desa Tianyar Kubu Karangasem. Pura Bukit Mentik ring Gunung Lebah Desa Batur Kintamani. Pura Narmada di Lombok. Pura Segara di Ampenan Lombok. Pura Ularan di Seririt Buleleng. 24 Nov Redite Paing Pahang. Pura Pasek Tohjiwa Kekeran Mengwi. Pura Pasek Sandra Peguyangan Badung. 26 Nov Anggara Wage Pahang. Pura Batu Madeg (Meru Tumpang Sanga) di Besakih. Pura Hyang Tibha Batuan Sakah.
27 Nov Buda Keliwon Pahang. Pura Luhur Puncak Padang Dawa Baturiti Tabanan. Pura Silayukti Padangbai-Karangasem. Pura Aer Jeruk Sukawati. Pura Dangin Pasar Batuan-Sukawati. Pura Penataran di Batuyang-Batubulan. Pura Desa Lembeng Ketewel-Sukawati. Pura Pasek Bendesa Dukuh-Kediri-Tabanan. Pura Kawitan Dalem Sukawati Gianyar. Pura Kresek Banyuning-Buleleng. Pura Puseh di Bebandem-Karangasem. Merajan Pasek Kubayan-Gaji. Merajan pasek Gelgel Jeroan Abang-Songan. Merajan Pasek Subrata Temaga. Merajan Pasek Gelgel Bungbungan. Pura Sad Kahyangan Batu Medahu Swana Nusa Penida. Pura Buda Kliwon Penatih-Denpasar. Pura Penataran Dukuh Nagasari Bebandem Karangasem. Pura Pasek Bendesa Tagtag Paguyangan. Pura Pulasari Sibang Gede Abiansemal. Pura Batur Sari Ubud. Pura Penataran Agung Sukawati. 2 Dec Soma Keliwon Krulut. Pura Pasel Gelgel Kekeran Mengwi Badung. Merajan Pasek Subadra Kramas-Gianyar. 7 Dec Tumpek Krurut. Pura Pasek Gelgel Br Tengah Buleleng. Pura Dalem Pemuteran di Desa Jelantik Tojan Klungkung. Pura Pedarmaan Bhujangga Waisnawa di Besakih. Pura Taman Sari Desa Gunungsari Penebel - Tabanan. Pura Dalem Tarukan di Bebalang Bangli. Pura Benua Kangin Besakih. Pura Merajan Kanginan (Ida Betara Empu Beradah) di Besakih. 8 Dec Redite Umanis Merakih. Pura Parangan Tengah Banjar Ceningan Kangin Lembongan Nusa Penida. Pura Dalem Celuk Sukawati - Gianyar. 11 Dec Buda Wage Merakih. Pura Bendesa Mas Kepisah - Pedungan - Denpasar Selatan. Pura Natih Banjar Kalah - Batubulan. Pura Desa Silakarang - Singapadu. Pura dalem Petitenget - Kerobokan - Kuta. Pura Dalem Pulasari - Samplangan - Gianyar. Pura Kubayan - Kepisah - Pedungan - Denpasar - Selatan. Pura Pasek gelgel Banjar Tanahpegat - Tabanan. Pr. Paibon Banjar Bengkel - Sumerta - Denpasar. Pura Pasek Lumintang - Denpasar. Pr. Panti Penyarikan Medahan - Sanding - Tampaksiring. Pr. Pasar Agung Banjar Dauh Peken - Kaba-kaba - Tabanan.
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, December 11, 2013
Technology
International
Bali News
International
NSA spying on virtual worlds, online games
AP Photo/NASA
This Feb 3, 2013 image provided by NASA shows a self portrait of the Mars rover, Curiosity. NASA’s Curiosity rover has uncovered signs of an ancient freshwater lake on Mars that may have teemed with microbes for tens of millions of years, far longer than scientists had imagined, new research suggests.
NASA: Ancient Martian lake may have supported life Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES — NASA’s Curiosity rover has uncovered signs of an ancient freshwater lake on Mars that may have teemed with tiny organisms for tens of millions of years, far longer than scientists had imagined, new research suggests. The watering hole near the Martian equator existed about 3.5 billion years ago. Scientists say it was neither salty nor acidic, and contained nutrients — a perfect spot to support microbes. “This just looks like a pretty darn ordinary Earth-like lake in terms of its chemistry,” said project scientist John Grotzinger of the California Institute of Technology. “If you were desperate, you could have a drink of this stuff.” The lake likely was around for tens of thousands — perhaps hundreds of thousands — of years. Even when the lake dried up, scientists said microbes could have migrated underground, extending the timeframe for habitable conditions to potentially tens of millions of years. Curiosity, though, lacks the tools to search for any fossilized microbes. The findings were published online Monday in the journal Science and presented at the American Geophysical Union meeting in
San Francisco. “The new results definitely reinforce the idea that past life on Mars was possible,” planetary scientist David Paige at the University of California, Los Angeles said in an email. Paige, who is not part of the Curiosity team, added: “The question of whether life existed or exists on Mars today is still open.” Present-day Mars is dusty and harsh, with no signs of water on the surface. But the red planet wasn’t always a radiation-scarred frozen desert. Early in its history, Mars was more tropical, with streams and rivers. With water plentiful, scientists think it was a place where primitive life could have thrived by feeding on rocks and minerals similar to tiny organisms on Earth that hide in caves and underwater vents.
Around 3.5 billion years ago, Mars underwent a shift and raged with volcanic activity. NASA’s older rovers Spirit and Opportunity found geologic evidence that water flowed during this time, but it was highly acidic and considered too caustic for life. Scientists thought much of the planet had been awash in acidic water until Curiosity found signs of an old streambed near its landing site with a neutral pH. Analyzing a sedimentary rock known as a mudstone, the nuclearpowered rover next found evidence of a bigger body of water — the ancient lake — that was theoretically drinkable, harboring some of the key ingredients for life including carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen and phosphorus.
AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File
FILE - In this Friday, June 21, 2013, file photo, legendary “WarCraft 3” player, Manuel “Grubby” Schenkhuizen practices on a player vs. player match inside a special “isolation booth,” as eight of the world’s best “StarCraft II” video game players train at the Red Bull Training Grounds, at Red Bull North America headquarters in Santa Monica, Calif.
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Prevent growth of drugs in Bali
Socialize drug hazards from orientation of students
Associated Press Writer
LONDON — American and British intelligence operations have been spying on gamers across the world, media outlets reported, saying that the world’s most powerful espionage agencies sent undercover agents into virtual universes to monitor activity in online fantasy games such as “World of Warcraft.” Stories carried Monday by The New York Times, the Guardian, and ProPublica said U.S. and U.K. spies have spent years trawling online games for terrorists or informants. The stories, based on documents leaked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, offer an unusual take on America’s world-spanning surveillance campaign, suggesting that even the fantasy worlds popular with children, teens, and escapists of all ages aren’t beyond the attention of the NSA and its British counterpart, GCHQ. Virtual universes like “World of Warcraft” can be massively popular, drawing in millions of players who log months’ worth of real-world time competing with other players for online glory, virtual treasure, and magical loot. At its height, “World of Warcraft” boasted some 12 million paying subscribers, more than the population of Greece. Other virtual worlds, like Linden Labs’ “Second Life” or the various games hosted by Microsoft’s Xbox — home to the popular science fiction-themed shoot-em-up “Halo” — host millions more. Spy agencies have long worried that such games serve as a good cover for terrorists or other evildoers who could use in-game messaging systems to swap information. In one of the documents cited Monday by media outlets, the NSA warned that the games could give intelligence targets a place to “hide in plain sight.” Linden Labs and Microsoft Inc. did not immediately return messages seeking comment. In a statement, Blizzard Entertainment said that it is “unaware of any surveillance taking place. If it was, it would have been done without our knowledge or permission.” Microsoft issued a similar statement, saying it is “not aware of any surveillance activity. If it has occurred as reported, it certainly wasn’t done with our consent.” The 82-page-document, published on The New York Times’ website, also noted that opponents could use video games to recruit other users or carry out virtual weapons training — pointing to the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers as examples of terrorists who had used flight simulation software to hone their skills. Important details — such as how the agencies secured access to gamers’ data, how many players’ information was compromised, or whether Americans were swept up in the spying — were not clear, the Times and ProPublica said, but the reports point to a determined effort to infiltrate a world many people associate with adolescents and shut-ins. At the request of GCHQ, the NSA began extracting “World of Warcraft” data from its global intelligence haul, trying to tie specific accounts and characters to Islamic extremism and arms dealing efforts, the Guardian reported. Intelligence on the fantasy world could eventually translate to real-world espionage success, one of the documents suggested, noting that “World of Warcraft” subscribers included “telecom engineers, embassy drivers, scientists, the military and other intelligence agencies.”
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Bali Post
IBP/Ole
Assistance fund of central and local government for the arrangement of old villages or ancient buildings is fairly large. It is usually disbursed with the intention of preservation. Unfortunately, in reality the rehabilitation projects often destroy the historical values.
Arrangement of Julah village
Intention to preserve, even eliminates historical values Bali Post
BULELENG - Assistance fund of central and local government for the arrangement of old villages or ancient buildings is fairly large. It is usually disbursed with the intention of preservation. Unfortunately, in reality the rehabilitation projects often destroy the historical values. Such a thing seems to happen in the arrangement of the unique old buildings at Julah village, Tejakula subdistrict as in the arrangement of the angkul-angkul (entrance gates). Julah village is one of the old villages or Bali Aga villages in Bali. Since a few years ago, a number of old buildings with special characteristics have been rehabilitated with the funding from central government. Up to these days, the rehabilitation project has not accomplished. Though having not yet completed, the project has an indication to have deviated from its original intention. The buildings do not indicate any preservation, but have been created by featuring a more modern concept by using a lot of concrete mixture. Many building materials becoming the characteristics such as soil, brick and stone disappeared. More bizarrely, the buildings are completed with lighting poles as commonly found in urban areas. Apart from observers of old building, the Regent of Buleleng, Putu Agus Suradnyana, also expressed his
disappointment when making a visit to Julah village in conjunction with his working visit, Monday (Dec 9). According to him, the arrangement of traditional or historic settlement along with their facilities and infrastructure at Julah village, Tejakula subdistrict, was not appropriate with his expectation. The arrangement was even considered to have eliminated the historical values of the buildings known as typical buildings of Bali Aga at Julah village. According to the regent, the uniqueness of Julah village as a tourism village in Buleleng became one of the leading villages in attracting travelers with a great interest in heritage area. Even, Julah village had been included the regional bylaw on the regional spatial layout (RTRW) of Buleleng 2013 as one of the old villages to be preserved. “What makes travelers interested to come here is the historical values of the ancient buildings. If such values have been removed, it will no longer be attractive,” he said. To that end, the regent hoped the
arrangement to the ancient villages in Buleleng should be careful without eliminating the historical values of the tourist area. To that end, his party planned to summon the leading sectors for a meeting related to the arrangement of tourism villages retaining historical values in Buleleng. “We’ll have to gather again, so it will not have systematic impact on the tourism in Buleleng,” he said. Meanwhile, the Head of Buleleng Culture and Tourism Agency, Jero Ketut Warkadea, claimed not to obtain any detailed data about arrangement project of the traditional or historical settlement and the infrastructure project at Julah village, Tejakula subdistrict. From the information obtained, the arrangement project at Julah village was financed by central government through the state budget. And the implementation of the project was worked on by Bali Public Works. “The fund was from the state budget and implementation of the project was handled by Bali Public Works working unit,” he said. (kmb15)
DENPASAR - High drug use in the community, including students, is triggered by internal and external factors. By all means, teenagers often use drug as a form of escape from a variety of problems. Similarly, the external factors are also very influential. Many children are trapped into promiscuity. They make the drug as part of lifestyle or daily lifestyle. It was incorrect. Hence, it should be addressed together. Indeed, it was not easy to remove the drugs in total. However, what could be done was to prevent its growth. Community participation to prevent it was very necessary. It was expressed in the discussion about drugs at Warung 63 on Jalan Veteran, Denpasar, not long ago. I Wayan Supartha, a representative from the Denpasar Education Agency raised the question on the anticipation and counteraction against drug trafficking since early on. Many school children fell into the black valley, especially drugs. So, it was required anticipative measures in order that school children as the next generation would not be immersed in the circle of illicit goods. Supartha explained the drug problem had been worrying. Apparently, the users and addicts seemed to increase day by day. According to him, it was not only limited to prevention or eradication in the physical sense. Most importantly, it should be begun by the development of human mental and moral attitude to instill values or change their mindset to ‘say no to drug’ and provide for the anti-drug learning. “In the education sector, we’ve socialized it in the field so as to build character, especially for the development, and it has been carried out from the school. So, the moral message is one of them. Do not let them use alcohol or drugs. Of course, these messages cannot be done once or two times,” he said. It was not just limited to the world of education, he added, but also the participation of all parties. In this regard, Supartha also explained there was a program to prevent or inculcate in order they would not
fall into drugs. It should be required that every school organized the AIDS and drug care student group (KSPAN) activity. Later, it would be put into competition, integrated into the curriculum and included in the materials about drugs, HIV/AIDS and promiscuity. “It has been created a sort of syllabus and curriculum that can later on be included in the formal lessons in classroom,” he explained. Meanwhile, Principal of the SMAN 7 Denpasar high school, Ida Bagus Putra Suyasa, said the condition of school children was alarming. Moreover, there were a number of infants having been infected with HIV. “I have participated in the development on drugs, such as in Parung Bogor, Bandung and Jakarta in cooperation with the Jakarta Metro Police,” he explained. His party socialized the hazards of drugs from the orientation of students. Regarding the issue of narcotics, his party made cooperation related to the resistance of school with police authority. His party conditioned the school from discipline. In other words, the discipline started from the presence of learning. “Getting up earlier in morning can accustom the students to be discipline. In fact, such a way can make the discipline of student increase,” he said. In addition, his party also established the AIDS and drug care student group (KSPAN) as one of the branches of the extracurricular conducted every weeks and month. “We evaluate and the score is included in the report book. From this activity, they are trying to socialize with a variety of activities such as competitions and put up posters related to HIV and drug abusers,” he explained. Suyasa Putra also added that his party made cooperation with the provincial national drug agency (BNNP Bali) with socialization and urine tests to children. Some time ago, a total of 280 students of SMAN 7 Denpasar high school underwent a urine test and the results were all negative. “At school neighborhood, we also installed a board saying drug-free zone and smoke-free zone. We regularly conducted a raid, ranging from the administrators to the coaches of the internal student organization (OSIS),” he explained. (jay)
IBP/Eka Adhiyasa
Discussion about drugs held at Warung 63 on Jalan Veteran, Denpasar, not long ago.
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Thai Protesters Push for Eradication of Shinawatras From Politics Associated Press Writer
BANGKOK—Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s sudden decision to dissolve Parliament and call new elections has failed to resolve the spiraling political crisis playing out in the capital’s streets. More than 150,000 people rallied on Monday to demand that Ms. Yingluck and her brother, self-exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, remove themselves from politics entirely, underscoring the starkly diverging views within Thailand, a country the U.S. has seen as a model for democratic growth in a region where China’s influence is quickly gaining. Enlarge Image Masses of people carried Thai national flags across Bangkok on Monday, stepping up a monthlong protest campaign to oppose the Prime Minister Shinawatra’s politically powerful family. Reuters At the heart of the divide is the wealthy, populist Shinawatra political
IBP/File
The crime scene in Gianyar Government office
Revenue Service burglarized
Tens of millions of revenue and staff incentive vanish Gianyar (Bali Post)—
A gang of robbers came back to action in Gianyar. Unmitigatedly, their action targeted local government office located not far from the headquarters Gianyar Police. Tens of millions of rupiahs in the office of the Gianyar Revenue Service (Dispenda) vanished after the culprit broke a safety deposit box in the office. Losses due to the theft was estimated to reach IDR 42 million, denoting the proceeds of tax collection worth IDR 31,080,220 and staff incentive as much as IDR 10 million. The theft was first noticed by one of the employees in the other income room, AA Gede Lindura Putra, on the second floor of the office. When entering into the room, the door was indeed not locked. He was surprised on seeing the open safe on the floor. Actually, the safe containing money worth IDR 10 million was placed in a padlocked iron bars. The thief took out the safety deposit box and dismantled it. Afterward, the culprit took the money and some receipts in black plastic bags. The incident was then reported to the treasurer of Revenue Service. Having checked the truth, the case was then reported to police. Aside from in a room, the deposit box in other rooms also vanished and was found open in the potential room. The safe was also in damaged condition and the money inside worth IDR
31 million vanished as well. The employees coming to work in the morning were also surprised over the incident. From the results of police investigation, the thief was estimated to come in by prying the window on first floor, at northern side of the office made of aluminum. The culprits, as recorded by the office CCTVs office, amounted to four people. After picking the window, the culprit entered by jumping over the cashier table and went up to the second floor leading to the room with a safe deposit box. The incident was estimated to happen at 3:15 a.m. as seen in the CCTV footage. The actions committed by the culprits specially targeted the money in the safe whereas at some locations there were a number of laptops. The Head of Gianyar Revenue Service, I Gde Bhayangkara, said the office was guarded by a night watchman every night. However, at the time of incident, the watchman was in front guardhouse and overslept. There were three safes
dismantled, but two safes containing money were entirely taken away. Related to the loss of the taxpayer’s money and incentives of the employee, it should surely be replaced. But, it would be discussed first where the money would be taken from. Similar incident occurs in Ubud
Meanwhile, at Petulu Kelod hamlet, Petulu village, Ubud, Gianyar, similar theft also occurred at the home of Ni Made Wati, 53, around 10:00 p.m. Gold jewelry worth IDR 75 million was taken away. As information collected, the victim Wati was going out around 09:30 p.m. to purchase something. When going out, her house was empty and did not lock the room, but she only closed the door. Similarly, the cupboard where she stored gold jewelry was unlocked. When arriving home, the victim shocked as looking the door was opened. The belongings reported to vanish consisted of 1 gold necklace (50 gram), 1 pair of gold earrings (7
grams), 1 gold ring of boma style (20 grams), 1 gold bracelet (25 grams), 3 pieces of silver rings (30 grams) and imitated jewelry. Over
the incident, the victim reported the theft to police station. Now, police are still hunting down the culprits. (kmb16)
Gas explosion, three victims get injured Denpasar (Bali Post)—
Gas explosion incident causing three people to suffer burns occurred in one of the villas located at Ungasan, Jimbaran. The three victims were rushed to Sanglah Hospital, where two victims suffered quite extensive burns at the upper front body section. The three victims arrived at Sanglah Hospital delivered by ambulance around 2:00 p.m. and immediately got treatment at Emergency Room. According to one of the injured victims, Ketut Budiastrawan, 21, at the time he and four colleagues were repairing air conditioning in one of the villas at Ungasan. However, when performing the work, an electrical wire emitted sparks. Eventually, the sparks were getting bigger. When seeing the enlarging fire, Budi along with four colleagues tried to put out the fire with a cloth. Unluckily, beside the fire sat a small gas cylinder which eventually burst. The explosion afflicted Juliantara, 21, and Suparmawan, 21, who were the closest to the tube. Meanwhile, Budi was right behind the two colleagues. “Two other friends were a little away from the explosion, so they did not hurt,” said Budi who suffered burns at knee and his left arm. The victims Juliantara and Suparmawan suffered the most severe injuries. Front part of the body and face suffered burns. Until Monday, the two victims were still treated in Emergency Room, while the victim Budi had been allowed to go home after his knee and arm were treated. (san)
AP Photo/Manish Swarup
Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra pauses as she talks to media after attending a Cabinet ministers meeting, in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013. Shinawatra said Tuesday she would not resign ahead of national elections set for Feb. 2, despite opposition demands she step down as the caretaker head of government.
machine that arose out of Thailand’s economic boom over the past 30 years. Led by Mr. Thaksin, who ran the country until the army removed him in 2006, the Shinawatra clan has fundamentally challenged Thailand’s traditional military-aligned hierarchies and galvanized supporters of the old guard. Exacerbating the political crisis are widespread concerns about the health of Thailand’s revered constitutional monarch, 86-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Some question whether his heir, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, would be able to exert the same stabilizing influence as his father has during previous stress points in Thailand’s history. “There is a lot of what I call Thaksin-phobia among the people of Bangkok in particular,” said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a professor at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Kyoto University in Japan. “But it’s being magnified by the uncertainty about what a royal succession would bring. The anxiety levels have really been heightened.” Ms. Yingluck’s opponents, who have been on a monthlong campaign
to remove her from office, saw her call for fresh elections as a political tactic that would ultimately return her to power thanks to her party’s strong support base in Thailand’s rural communities. In Bangkok on Monday, masses of protesters streamed out of homes and offices carrying red-white-andblue national flags and royal yellow banners at the set hour of 9:39 a.m.— the number nine being considered especially lucky in Thailand—and marched toward the prime minister’s headquarters among the gilded temples and shady canals of downtown Bangkok. Many in the opposition accuse Ms. Yingluck of being her brother’s puppet, a charge amplified by her recent attempt to introduce amnesty legislation that would clear his corruption conviction and allow him to return home a free man from his base in Dubai. “This isn’t over yet,” said one, 45year-old Chadathon Viseskol. “She’s still prime minister, for now.” Another, Sontaya Worawong, 32, said Ms. Yingluck “should leave Thailand, too, just like her brother.”
Riot police storm opposition offices in Ukraine Associated Press Writer
KIEV, Ukraine — Heavily armed riot troops broke into the offices of a top Ukrainian opposition party in Kiev and seized its servers Monday, the party said, as anti-government protests crippled the capital for yet another day. Elsewhere police dismantled or blocked off several small protest tent camps set up near key national government buildings in the city. Tensions also rose as a double cordon of helmeted, shield-holding police deployed in the street near Kiev’s city administration building, which demonstrators had occupied and turned into a makeshift command post and dormitory. Early Tuesday, electricity to the building was cut off and occupiers began leaving, some carrying out blankets and other goods, expecting that police were preparing to storm the site. But a small crowd remained on the steps and in the street. About three hours later, the lights came back on and some of the protesters returned to occupy the building.
Also, many cellular phones in the area received a text message early Tuesday addressed to protesters reading in part “You are surrounded, there are no chances.” The number from which the message was sent rang to an unidentified voicemail. The moves came a day after hundreds of thousands of demonstrators crammed into Kiev, the biggest in three weeks of protests that started when Ukraine’s president backed away from signing a long -awaited pact to deepen ties with the 28-nation European Union. Protesters are angered not only by the thwarting of their desire to become closer to the West and spin out of Russia’s orbit, but also by police violence against the demonstrators. Club-swinging police have twice broken up protest rallies. Ostap Semerak, a member of the Fatherland Parry, told The Associated Press that troops broke into the party’s offices on Monday evening, some climbing in through its windows. “They are storming us. The images are insane,” he said
by telephone. The troops left after confiscating some computer equipment, he said. An Associated Press reporter later saw broken glass and smashed computers in the offices. Party member Marina Soroka also said the troops surrounded and blockaded several opposition-minded Ukrainian media outlets, making their and other media websites inaccessible. The party is headed by imprisoned former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, a longstanding foe of President Viktor Yanukovych, and is the largest opposition grouping in the parliament. Critics say Tymoshenko’s conviction on abuse of office charges was a case of political revenge. In a surprise move, Yanukovych announced he would sit down with three former Ukrainian presidents on Tuesday to discuss a way out of the crisis that has paralyzed the country. The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, also was heading to Ukraine to help defuse the tensions. Ukraine’s political standoff has been aggravated by its rapidly de-
AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko
A riot police officer breaks through a barricade while displacing proEuropean Union activists from the Ukrainian presidential administration building in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013.
teriorating finances. The economy has been in recession for more than a year, and the government is in desperate need of foreign funding to avoid a default. As talks stalled with the International Monetary Fund, Yanukovych has sought a bailout loan from Russia. This former Soviet republic of 46 million people is sharply divided over the prospects of drawing closer
to its powerful neighbor, Russia. Yanukovych’s stronghold in eastern Ukraine, the country’s industrial heartland, is dominated by Russian speakers who want closer ties to Russia, in contrast to Kiev’s students and residents in the west who see better EU ties as the way forward. Opinion polls, however, show that the EU is more popular among Ukrainians than Russia.
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
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US-led Pacific trade zone talks end without deal Agence France-Presse
SINGAPORE - Trade ministers meeting in Singapore said Tuesday that talks on a huge US-led Pacific trade pact will resume in January, missing a deadline to agree a deal this year. “We have decided to continue our intensive work in the coming weeks toward such an agreement,” the 12 ministers said in a joint statement on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). “Following additional work by negotiators, we intend to meet again next month,” they added after four days of secretive talks denounced by activists as a US attempt to railroad a deal. The TPP is being negotiated by Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam. They make up 40 percent of the global economy and other countries may join the pact later.
Nokia faces $3.4 billion tax claim in India Agence France-Presse
MUMBAI - Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia faces a tax bill of more than 210 billion rupees ($3.4 billion) in India from liabilities arising out of unpaid charges and penalties since 2006, a report said Tuesday. Indian tax authorities froze some of Nokia’s assets in October including its bank accounts and buildings over a dispute which has forced Nokia to approach the Indian courts seeking relief. Nokia has reportedly offered to pay about 30 billion rupees ($490 million), but the income tax department “has informed the Delhi High Court that Nokia India and its parent Nokia Corp have a tax liability adding up to 211.53 billion rupees”, the Times of India reported. The paper said the submission was made by the income tax department in its reply to Nokia’s plea for the unfreezing of its assets in India. Nokia’s Indian unit was not immediately available for comment
Tourism in Nusa Penida
The ministers had arrived in Singapore from the just-concluded World Trade Organisation talks in the Indonesian island of Bali. President Barack Obama has hailed the TPP as a centrepiece of renewed US engagement in Asia, saying it contains market-opening commitments that go well beyond those in other free-trade accords. But the complexity of the issues already caused negotiators to miss the original 2012 deadline set by Obama to reach a deal. TPP negotiators have been divided over a number of issues, including opening up Japan’s auto and farm markets and patent issues -- in particular on medicines.
on the report. The case is due to be heard in court on Tuesday. Nokia, which has one of its biggest plants worldwide in the southern Indian city of Chennai, is among a string of multinationals which face tax problems in India, including Cadbury, Royal Dutch Shell and Vodafone. The alleged tax evasion involves software royalty payments to Nokia’s parent, on which 10 percent tax should have been deducted and paid to Indian authorities, the income tax department claims. Nokia hopes that its Chennai manufacturing plant could be unfrozen ahead of its sale to Microsoft Corporation. Software giant Microsoft agreed in September to acquire Nokia’s devices and services business for $7.2 billion, with the Chennai factory part of the deal. The plant employs about 8,000 people and includes productions lines, maintenance assembly and testing operations.
Tourist arrival high, length of stay zero Bali Post
AP Photo/Koji Sasahara
Money traders at at a foreign exchange company in Tokyo work under a screen indicating the U.S. dollar is traded higher at 103.175 yen while Japan’s Nikkei 225 falls slightly to 15,588.72 Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013.
Dollar up in Asia
Agence France-Presse
TOKYO - The dollar edged up in Asia Tuesday, after big gains in New York as a Federal Reserve official hinted that the US central bank could announce a winding down of its stimulus programme as early as next week. The greenback turned up to 103.30 yen in afternoon trading, against 103.28 yen in New York and well up from the levels around 103 yen earlier Monday in Tokyo. The euro gained to $1.3756 from $1.3737 while it also rose to 142.08 yen from 141.89 yen in US trading. On Monday, James Bullard, the president of the Fed’s St. Louis branch, said in a speech that “a small taper” of the $85 billion a month asset-purchase programme might be a possi-
bility as policymakers wrestle with how to respond to signs of improvement in the world’s biggest economy. A strong third-quarter growth report and surprisingly upbeat November jobs data last week boosted speculation the Fed may start reeling in the scheme after a policy meeting that ends next Wednesday. The US unit has been rising for weeks on expectations of a pullback, which would reduce the number of dollars in the financial system, boosting demand. Strong Chinese economic data has helped boost confidence among investors who are looking to Thursday’s US retail sales report for November. The yen has been under pressure after weak Japanese growth data on Monday boosted expectations that the Bank of
Japan will launch another round of monetary easing to prop up the economy. The euro has been notching up gains after the European Central Bank last week held off any new interest rate cuts despite prolonged low inflation. That followed the ECB’s surprise cut last month of its central refinancing rate by a quarter-point to counter the threat of deflation. “The euro has gained a reputation as an unsellable currency, with the currency continuing to hold its ‘Teflon’ coating,” Credit Agricole said. However, it said an easier monetary policy at the ECB and soft economic growth compared with the United States suggested there would be some depreciation in the euro. The dollar was mixed against other Asia-Pacific currencies.
SEMARAPURA - The tourism area of Nusa Penida has become one of the favorite tourist destinations in Bali. Every day, approximately one thousand travelers are on vacation to Nusa Penida. Unfortunately, the high number of tourist arrival is not linear with the regionally generated revenue (PAD) of Klungkung. It happens because the area is merely a stopover, without length of stay. Actually, if there is a regulation requiring travelers to stay for a few days, Nusa Penida can boost the revenue from tourism. Regional Secretary of Klungkung, Ketut Janapria, said on Sunday (Dec 8) that such condition was the potential that had not been worked on by government for many years. Even, he admitted that tourist arrival in Nusa Penida in recent years was very high. Cruise ships such as Quicksilver Cruise, Bali Hai Cruise or Bounty Cruise could carry about 300 foreign travelers every day, not to mention the other vessels. It was estimated that every day there were a thousand travelers visiting Nusa Penida to enjoy the beauty of the underwater panorama of Nusa Penida, especially the Toya Pakeh waters, Lembongan and Ceningan. The Regional Secretary admitted that so far the government had slowly maximized the potential of tourism in Nusa Penida. Actually, Nusa Penida had been long declared to be a tourist area. So, there should be specific measures to be done as a breakthrough to build the tourism potential in Klungkung. “Do not be proud
of the arrival of many tourists if they only pass by. All this time, the length of stay of tourists in Nusa Penida is zero. At this rate, the party benefited by this condition is the cruise ship. If only they stay for two days, how many dollars are flowing into the community?” he said. Seeing the fact, Janapria admitted that local government was thinking about a regulation that required travelers to stay for a few days in Nusa Penida. His party claimed to be sure there were two points of opportunity. Aside from realizing a regulation, local government should also think about the future existence of growth center that should be built pursuant to the potential of tourist destinations existing in Nusa Penida. According to him, the effort could be preceded by the provision of ready-to-build lots (KSB). “Without the intention to underestimate the other tourist accommodation, this endeavor is important to be implemented as
a serious breakthrough to build tourism and to take side with the public, not only with investors,” he said.
According to the Regional Secretary, a number of villages could be used as a growth center such as the Suana and Sakti village. Thus, the Nusa Penida tourism had packages of different look to make travelers more comfortable in Nusa Penida, not only due to its marine tourism. In addition, the center of growth could also facilitate the investors to invest in the right place. In 2012, the
area of Nusa Penida was the second largest contributor to the regionally generated revenue (PAD) in tourism sector after Kertagosa amounting to IDR 332,757,458 of the total revenue reaching IDR 1.4 billion. He hoped this could become a serious agenda for the elected regent candidate and bring forth new programs so that tourism potential of Nusa Penida could be worked on maximally. (kmb31)
Enjoying Adventure by Horse Riding
IBP
CANGGU - Horseback riding while looking at Canggu Beach panorama is really absorbing. Accompanied by the four-legged animal, you can feel the unique ambience of the Island of the Gods. Terraced field planted with verdant paddy as well as graced with farmers’ activity becoming the essence of Balinese culture can be seen with naked eye. Activities of rural community always give peaceful and real views to the eye. Not to mention, the wild life of small animals such as lizards, dragonflies and birds will be able to make visi-
tors closer to nature and enrich the experience. All of these charms can only be enjoyed in the Canggu Horse Riding located in the area of Canggu tourist resort, precisely at Jalan Nelayan 29 Canggu Tua hamlet, Kuta - Badung. A total of 18 horses belonging to the age of 10-15 years will strongly deliver every rider around the village and beautiful beach area. There are at least three beaches that can be explored, starting from Batu Bolong Beach, Brawa to Petitenget Beach being crowded with surfing activities. Amazing sunset on the beach can be seen while enjoying the riding activity.
Canggu Horse Riding offers two package tours namely 1 hour and 1.5 hours package. Both packages equally offer the same routes featuring the verdant beauty of rice fields, villages and tranquil beach. Walking along the beach freely, turn at ease and passing on the estuary will become a very wonderful experience. For those having a hobby of this kind may take a round for five times. Travelers who frequently take the horse riding package are those from Australia, England, France and Singapore. However, during school holidays and feast days, the package is favored by domestic tourists.
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Venezuelan president faces first electoral test Associated Press Writer
AP Photo/Markus Schreiber
Heavy rain lashes down just before the memorial service for former South African president Nelson Mandela at the FNB Stadium in Soweto, near Johannesburg, South Africa, Tuesday Dec. 10, 2013.
World leaders, South Africans remember Mandela Associated Press Writer
JOHANNESBURG — Joyous, singing South Africans gathered in the rain Tuesday to honor Nelson Mandela at a massive memorial service that is expected to draw some 100 heads of state and other luminaries, united in tribute to a global symbol of reconciliation. Crowds converged on FNB Stadium in Soweto, the Johannesburg township that was a stronghold of support for the anti-apartheid struggle that Mandela embodied as a prisoner of white rule for 27 years and then during a peril-fraught transition to the all-race elections that made him president. However, steady rain kept many people away. Shortly before the start of the ceremony, there were some 20,000 people in the 95,000capacity stadium. Other area stadiums equipped with giant video screens for anticipated overflow crowds were largely empty. “I would not have the life I have today if it was not for him,” said Matlhogonolo Mothoagae, a postgraduate marketing student who arrived hours before the stadium gates opened. “He was jailed so we could have our freedom.” Rohan Laird, the 54-year-old CEO of a health insurance company, said he grew up during white rule in a “privileged position” as a white South African and that Mandela helped whites work through a burden of guilt. “His reconciliation allowed whites to be released themselves,” Lair said. “I honestly don’t think the world will see another leader like Nelson Mandela.” Workers were still welding at a VIP area as the first spectators arrived amid an enormous logistical challenge of organizing the memorial for Mandela, who died Dec. 5 in his Johannesburg home at the age of 95. U.S. President Barack Obama landed in South Africa early Tuesday. Besides Obama,
eulogies were to be delivered by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao and Cuban President Raul Castro. Other speakers include the presidents of Brazil, Namibia and India, as well as tributes from Mandela’s grandchildren. South African President Jacob Zuma was to give the keynote address. Mandela’s widow, Graca Machel, was at the stadium. So were actress Charlize Theron and singer Bono. Tuesday was the 20th anniversary of the day when Mandela and South Africa’s last apartheid-era president, F.W. de Klerk, received the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to bring peace to their country. Mandela said in his acceptance speech at the time: “We live with the hope that as she battles to remake herself, South Africa will be like a microcosm of the new world that is striving to be born.” The sounds of horns and cheering filled the stadium ahead of the ceremony, due to start at 11 a.m. (0900 GMT, 4 a.m. EST). Rain sent those who arrived early into the stadium’s covered upper deck, and many of the lower seats were empty. People blew on vuvuzelas, the plastic horn that
was widely used during the World Cup soccer tournament in 2010, and sang songs from the era of the antiapartheid struggle decades ago. “It is a moment of sadness celebrated by song and dance, which is what we South Africans do,” said Xolisa Madywabe, CEO of a South African investment firm. The 95,000capacity soccer venue was also the spot where Mandela made his last public appearance at the closing ceremony of the World Cup. After the memorial, his body will lie in state for three days at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, once the seat of white power, before burial Sunday in his rural childhood village of Qunu in Eastern Cape Province. Police promised tight security, locking down roads kilometers (miles) around the stadium. However, the first crowds entered the stadium without being searched. John Allen, a 48-year-old pastor from the U.S. state of Arkansas, said he once met Mandela at a shopping center in South Africa with his sons. “He joked with my youngest and asked if he had voted for Bill Clinton,” Allen said. “He just zeroed in on my 8-year-old for the three to five minutes we talked.”
CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelans cast ballots in municipal elections Sunday being watched as a gauge of popular support for President Nicolas Maduro, who was counting on a recent crackdown on businesses to prevail in his first electoral test since taking office eight months ago. The National Electoral Council said it expected to announce results three hours after all polling stations closed. Under Venezuela’s electoral law, polling stations had to stay open after their scheduled 6 p.m. closing time if voters were still in line, as commonly occurs. Voting went off in relative calm, with only minor disruptions and isolated acts of violence, but turnout seemed to be light, at least in the impoverished Petare neighborhood and some other districts of the capital. The vote for mayors and city councils in this deeply polarized country was bound to be competitive. Maduro defeated opposition leader Henrique Capriles by a razor-thin margin in the election held in April to choose Hugo Chavez’s successor following his death from cancer. Capriles has refused to recognize the results, alleging fraud Since then, Venezuela’s economic troubles have deepened, with inflation touching a two-decade high of 54 percent, and shortages of everything from toilet paper to milk spreading while the black market value of the currency plunges. Disapproval of Maduro’s rule has been rising, especially within the coalition of ideological leftists and members of the military that he inherited from Chavez. But the 51-year-old former bus driver has managed to regain momentum by going after groups and businesses he accuses of waging economic war against his socialist government. Among the most popular measures: the seizure of dozens of retailers and the slashing of prices on plasma TVs, refrigerators and other appliances. Local pollster Luis Vicente Leon said the offensive helped boost president’s approval rating from 41 percent in September to just over 50 percent, about the same level of support he garnered in the April election. “These elections are going to ratify what the government is doing against this fictitious inflation,” janitor Antonio Doria said as he stood in line to vote at a school in Petare. While the opposition claimed it’s the target of a campaign by Maduro to intimidate media that provide airtime to its events, pro-government candidates were helped by abundant coverage of almost-daily appearances by the president.
government... From page 1 “Total value of the agricultural budget in 2014 in the Agriculture Agency reaches IDR 76 billion, while last year amounted to IDR 61.5 billion. However, it is impossible for us to mention the percentage of fund allocated for the agricultural activities because the fund of the agricultural activity is scattered in other regional working units. For example, it existed in Public Work Agency related to the improvement of agricultural infrastructure that could reach tens of billions, in the Culture Agency related to subak, in the Agriculture Agency, Livestock Agency, while there were also some other funds from state budget and state-owned companies. Additionally, there are also national fertilizer subsidy and national seed program,” said Wisnu. Related to the free market, his party claimed to have anticipated and prepared farmers by various improvement programs for the capacity and quality of production and human resource development. “We need the improvement in the horticulture and fruit product quality. We’ve done it through the regional bylaw on the protection of local fruits. Besides, we also boost the rice production by providing a wide range of seed choices. Fertilizer and tractors are also available. In terms of marketing, it is also improved so during massive harvest the price will not drop,” he concluded. (kmb29)
International
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
INDONESIA Corruption remains main obstacle Antara
JAKARTA - Corruption is considered among the foremost factors hampering business development in Indonesia, in addition to inefficient bureaucracy and lack of infrastructure, Vice Minister of Transportation Bambang Susantono said on Tuesday. “A survey conducted by the World Economic Forum recently found that 19.3 percent of the respondents believed that corruption had disturbed business activities in Indonesia,” Bambang said. Further citing data from the survey, Bambang pointed out that 15 percent of the respondents had chosen bureaucratic inefficiency as the factor hampering business in Indonesia followed by 9.1 percent, who thought it was a lack of infrastructure. Another survey conducted by Berlin-based NGO Transparency International stated that Indonesia’s efforts to eradicate corruption from the country were progressing. The survey called the Corruption Perception Index 2013 was released last week on Tuesday and placed Indonesia at the 114th
position among the 177 countries being evaluated by the NGO. The latest ranking is a positive development, considering that Indonesia was ranked 118th last year. According to Transparency International Indonesia, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) had successfully uncovered corruption cases involving high ranking officials and parliament members during the past one year. However, more challenges are expected as Indonesia plans to hold a general election next year. Transparency International highlighted the need for transparency in the use of campaign funds and evaluating the track record of parliament members or candidates ahead of the election. The NGO also called on the Indonesian
people to be more active in ensuring a more transparent and accountable election in 2014. The global Corruption Perceptions Index 2013 adjudged Denmark and New Zealand as the least corrupt, while Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia were the worst performers this year. The Corruption Perception Index is based on experts’ opinions about public sector corruption in each country. Countries’ scores can be helped by allowing strong access to information systems and rules governing the behavior of those in public positions, while a lack of accountability across the public sector, coupled with ineffective public institutions can hurt these perceptions.
Court jails ex-Islamic party head for graft Agence France-Presse
JAKARTA - An Indonesian court has jailed the disgraced former head of the country’s biggest Islamic party for 16 years over a scandal in which bribe money was laundered as gifts for dozens of women, including an adult magazine model. The controversy, which erupted when an aide was discovered in a hotel room with a naked college student, has shattered the clean image of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), damaging its chances at polls next year. Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq, who was president of the PKS when the scandal emerged, was found guilty late Monday by the anti-corruption court in the capital Jakarta of accepting bribes from a meat import company. Anti-graft investigators seized 1.3 billion rupiah ($110,000) in bribe money as well as six luxury cars from Ishaaq during the investigation. The meat company, Indoguna Utama, had pledged to give him 40 billion rupiah in kickbacks to use his influence with the government to have its beef import quota raised, the court heard. “Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq was proven legally and convincingly guilty of conspiring in crimes of corruption and money laundering,” chief judge Gusrizal Lubis told the court. He was found guilty of corruption and money laundering and jailed for 16 years. He was also ordered to pay a one-billion-rupiah fine. Ishaaq said he did not accept the verdict
and would appeal.Two executives from Indoguna Utama were previously found guilty and jailed over the case. The scandal emerged in January when anti-corruption agents raided a hotel room and discovered Ishaaq’s aide, Ahmad Fathanah, with the naked student shortly after receiving bribe money.It snowballed into a huge controversy, even by the standards of graft-ridden Indonesia.Fathanah was found to be the main conduit for the bribe money. Evidence emerged he bought gifts for 45 women -- including an adult magazine model -- to launder the cash. He was jailed for 14 years in November
over the scandal. Ishaaq, the former head of a party that trumpeted its conservative Islamic credentials to win votes, was found to have lavish spending habits and evidence emerged he had multiple wives.The PKS was already facing a tough fight to win votes at elections next year as the popularity of Islamic parties wanes in Muslim-majority Indonesia. The case also comes as the coalition government -- of which the PKS is a member -- struggles to recover from a string of scandals that have hit President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party.
AP Photo
Former leader of the Prosperous Justice Party, Indonesia’s largest Islamic-based political party, Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq waves to reporters after his sentencing at the corruption court in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, Dec. 9, 2013.
11
KPK to auction seized goods to foster anticorruption spirit Antara
JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) plans to auction several of the goods it has seized during the past six months on Wednesday at the Gelora Bung Karno sports center in Central Jakarta, the Commission’s Director for Anti-Gratification Affairs Giri Supradiono announced on Tuesday. “There are 78 items that will be auctioned. All profits will go into the state account,” Giri stated. Among the goods that will be auctioned on Wednesday are watches, bags, shirts, cell phones, shopping vouchers and paintings. According to Giri, the goods that will be auctioned are not many because most corrupt officials used money as a tool of transaction. The anti-graft commission had seized a total of Rp2.5 billion (US$209,147) in cash in 2012, which was used for various purposes in the different cases being investigated. Giri further stated that the auction would be used as part of the government’s efforts to promote an anti-corruption spirit in the public.
Three asylum seekers die in boat sinking off Agence France-Presse
JAKARTA - Three asylum seekers including a toddler died when their Australia-bound boat sank in rough seas off Indonesia’s Java island but 29 others were rescued, police said Tuesday. Hundreds of asylum seekers have died trying to make the sea voyage to Australia in recent years, and Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said the sinking highlighted the dangers of people-smuggling. The vessel had been carrying 32 people -- including members of the Rohingya Muslim minority from Myanmar, Iranians and a Bangladeshi -- who wanted to reach the Australian territory of Christmas Island, police said. But the small, wooden vessel sank off West Java province early Monday after being battered by big waves, provincial police spokesman Martinus Sitompul told AFP. “Fishermen found the boat off Ciawi beach in Garut district,” he said. The Bangladeshi asylum seeker and two from Myanmar -- including the two-year-old -- drowned but the other 29 were rescued by the fishermen and handed over to immigration authorities, he said. Morrison said no request was or had been made for Australian assistance, by either passengers onboard the vessel or the Indonesian authorities involved in the rescue.
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Destinations
Sports
International
International
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
7
Walker lifts Bobcats past Curry, Warriors 115-111 Associated Press Writer
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Kemba Walker scored 27 of his 31 points in the second half as the Charlotte Bobcats overcame Stephen Curry’s 43 points to beat the Golden State Warriors 115-111 on Monday night. Playing in front of his hometown crowd, Curry scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to cut the Bobcats’ lead to 111-109 with 11 seconds left. But the Warriors couldn’t contain Walker, and the point guard hit four free throws in the final 11 seconds to seal the victory. Gerald Henderson had 24 points and Josh McRoberts had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Bobcats, who won their second straight game. The Sacramento Kings also won their second straight, beating the Dallas Mavericks 112-97, despite having only 10 players available after a seven-player trade with the Toronto Raptors was finalized. DeMarcus Cousins had 32 points and 19 rebounds and Derrick Williams scored a career-high 31 to pace the Kings, who will receive Rudy Gay and two reserves in exchange for point guard Greivis Vasquez and three other players. Monta Ellis had 21 points for the Mavericks, who had won three straight, including the last two on
Suluban Beach IBP
JIMBARAN - It is located a few kilometers northwards of Uluwatu, adjacent to Bingin and Labuan Sait surfing beach. The name Suluban is derived from a Balinese word meaning ‘to run or pass under something So, Suluban Beach signifies that visitors who want to visit the beach must go through a rock cave on the beach before finally reaching the broad and white sandy beach with pounding waves that will pamper the adrenaline of surfers. Its water is very clear and the waves are high enough. That’s why it is the best known beach among surfers of the world. Some tourism facilities such as restaurant, bar, surf equipment rental and repair shop are available here.
the road. The injury-plagued Los Angeles Clippers got 26 points from Blake Griffin and 25 points and 13 assists from Chris Paul to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 94-83. DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and a seasonhigh 21 rebounds, and Jared Dudley scored 10 points for the Clippers, who won their second straight on a seven-game road trip. Los Angeles played without J.J. Redick (injuries to right hand and wrist), Reggie Bullock (sprained left ankle), Maalik Wayns (left knee) and Matt Barnes (torn retina in left eye). Denver ’s Wilson Chandler scored 17 points, Nate Robinson added 16, and Kenneth Faried had
a key block and transition dunk with 33 seconds left to lift the Nuggets past the Washington Wizards 75-74. Washington had three possessions after Faried put Denver ahead, but John Wall missed a layup, Trevor Ariza missed a 3-pointer, Chandler blocked a layup try by Garrett Temple, and Robinson stripped the ball from Wall in the closing seconds. AP Photo/Nell Redmond
Charlotte Bobcats guard Kemba Walker (15) shoots over Atlanta Hawks guard Shelvin Mack in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Nov. 11, 2013.
Formula 1 drivers to get permanent numbers from 2014 IBP/File Photo
REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker
Mercedes Formula One driver Nico Rosberg (L) of Germany leads the pack at the second turn during the Brazilian F1 Grand Prix at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo November 24, 2013.
Permanent driver numbers will become a reality from the 2014 Formula 1 world championship, the FIA has confirmed. As AUTOSPORT revealed last month, the item was tabled for discussion for F1’s Strategy Group meeting on December 9. The group and Formula One Commission has approved the change, which becomes effective immediately and will therefore be implemented ahead of the 2014 season. The FIA gave the Strategy Group and Commission a one-off mandate to impose rule changes at its World Motor Sport Council meeting last week. While #1 will be reserved for the current world champion - should he choose to use it - every other driver will be asked to choose their race number, between #2 and #99. If more than one driver selects the same number, priority will be given on last year’s championship order. The changes therefore mean Sebastian Vettel will have the option of competing as #1 next year, with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso having the second pick of numbers. The new F1 system is similar to that used in motorcycle racing, where riders stick with numbers for a whole career, such as Valentino Rossi’s iconic #46, and can choose whether or not to switch to #1 when champions. In American motorsport, it is teams rather than drivers that usually run permanent numbers and champions switching to #1 has become a rarity.
8
International
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Sp rt
Tinkering and blunders put Benitez under pressure Reuters
Rafael Benitez is facing his first rumblings of discontent at Napoli where defensive blunders and his habit of tinkering with the team have upset the supporters. Napoli need to beat Arsenal at home in their Champions League clash on Wednesday to reach the last 16 for the second time in a row and even then they will depend on Borussia Dortmund’s result at Olympique Marseille. Arsenal need a draw to qualify for the round of 16 for the 14th season running and, having already won away to Borussia Dortmund in Group F, they are unlikely to be intimidated by the San Paolo stadium despite its fearsome reputation. If Napoli and Dortmund both win, they and Arsenal would all finish on 12 points, leaving the qualifiers to be decided on the results involving the three teams. This would in turn come down to goal difference, as all three sides would have nine points. Helped by the windfall they obtained from selling Edinson Cavani to Paris St Germain, Napoli were Serie A’s biggest spenders in the close season as they
splurged 37 million euros ($50.63 million) on Gonzalo Higuain alone. They started the season well with four league wins in a row but have now drifted eight points behind Serie A leaders Juventus. On Saturday, they threw away a two-goal lead in a 3-3 draw at home to Udinese which earned them a chorus of jeers from the home crowd, the first since Benitez replaced Walter Mazzarri as coach in the close season. “We have to do better in defence,” said the former Chelsea, Liverpool and Inter Milan coach. “We have committed individual mistakes that we cannot allow to happen. “Everyone expected Napoli to be playing the way we were at the start of the
championship and with more points in the bag. “I’m as unhappy about it as anyone else. Against Arsenal, we have to score two or three goals and play better in defence.” Benitez’s own selection policy is also in the spotlight. He has fielded 14 different lineups in Napoli’s 15 Serie A matches so far and the mistakes on Saturday were made by players he brought in under his rotation system. Defender Federico Fernandez let Udinese back into the game with an embarrassing own goal seconds before halftime and second choice goalkeeper Rafael misjudged a Bruno Fernandes shot to allow Udinese to make it 2-2. Napoli’s previous
Unlikely scorers as Swansea draw with Hull Reuters
Two unlikely goalscorers lifted a largely dull mid-table Premier League clash between Swansea City and Hull City who shared the points in a 1-1 draw at the Liberty Stadium on Monday. Hull striker Danny Graham’s first goal in almost a year put the visitors ahead after nine minutes, the former Swansea player side-footing home from close range following a rightwing cross by Egyptian international Ahmed Elmohamady. It was Graham’s first Premier League goal in 28 matches - the last one scored for Swansea in January. “Certainly it’s been a long-time com-
ing, we had to work hard, we knew it would be tough,” Graham told Sky Sports. “We hit them on counter-attack and that seemed to work. We are happy with a point.” Swansea, who welcomed back Spanish striker Michu after a five-week absence with an ankle injury, were frustrated by Hull in the first half but played with more pace after the break and levelled after 59 minutes. A short corner by Jonjo Shelvey came back to the former Liverpool midfielder and his driven cross hit Chico Flores and flew past Scotland keeper Allan McGregor for the Spanish defender’s first Premier League goal. Hull had a goal disallowed when David
Meyler was adjudged offside, then Yannick Sagbo’s shot from distance was saved at full stretch by Swansea goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel. The visitors might also have had a penalty when a back post-header from Alex Bruce struck Dwight Tiendalli on the arms. McGregor saved well with his feet from Michu in the dying minutes but a draw was a fair result. The point moved both teams up one place in the table, Swansea to 10th and Hull 12th. “It wasn’t a very good game to watch,” Swansea manager Michael Laudrup said.“First half, we played and played and played but much too slow, no pace on the ball so it was quite easy for Hull to defend,” the Dane added.
home game ended in a 1-0 defeat to mid-table Parma. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is baffled by the way the group has turned out, with Marseille losing all their matches and the other teams taking points off each other. “It’s the first time I’ve seen that (12 points is not enough) after 150 Champions League games,” he said after his team beat Marseille in their last match. “It’s unbelievable but it’s reality. It’s tricky but we have to finish the job. I will have to play a full-strength team against Napoli. I can’t take any risks.” “It would be a mistake to think we just don’t have to lose big,” added Wenger. “We have to play in a positive way and try to win the game, anything else will be a gamble.”
SAO PAULO — FIFA said Monday that football fans applied for more than 1.1 million tickets for the World Cup in Brazil in the first 24 hours after the latest sales phase opened. The new sales window, which opened Sunday, is the first to be held after the tournament draw and schedule were announced last week. It will remain open until
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
9
Ronaldo, Messi, Ribery up for Ballon d’Or Associated Press Writer
Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery are in the running for the Ballon d’Or. FIFA announced the shortlist Monday after voting rules changes made Ronaldo the favorite after helping Portugal qualify for the World Cup last month. FIFA gave voters — national team captains and coaches, plus selected journalists — two extra weeks to choose from 23 candidates, and even change preference. Ronaldo’s hat trick against Swe-
Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain celebrates after scoring during a Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Udinese, at the San Paolo stadium in Naples, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013. The match ended 3-3. AP Photo/Salvatore Laporta
Fans request 1.1 million World Cup tickets in day Associated Press Writer
International
Jan. 30. If demand surpasses the number of entrances available for certain matches, a random selection draw will be held for fans who have requested tickets. About 900,000 tickets were sold in the first stage of ticket sales earlier this year. Another 230,000 tickets were sold in the second phase in just seven hours. Football’s governing body said a total of about 3.3 million tickets will be sold for the tournament.
den helped lift his tally to 67 goals for Portugal and Real Madrid in 2013. Messi, who has won the last four player of the year awards, scored 45 goals for Argentina and Barcelona before being injured. Ribery was already named Europe’s best player for helping Bayern Munich win the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup last season. The award ceremony is Jan. 13. Ribery had been the favorite until FIFA’s surprising announcement to re-open voting the morning after Portugal’s playoff victory in Stock-
holm. Speculation about FIFA’s motives was fuelled by a bizarre public spat weeks earlier between Ronaldo and FIFA President Sepp Blatter. Blatter offended the 2008 award winner with comments and mimicry when addressing students at Oxford University in England. Contrasting Messi’s humble, low-key personality with Ronaldo’s apparent vanity, Blatter then stood to act out what he described as the Portugal winger’s “commander in the field” stature. Ronaldo responded in a barbed statement on his Facebook page and celebrated a goal in his next match with a mock military salute gesture. The Portuguese government got involved to defend its national hero, and the dispute seemed to confirm to Madrid fans and media that FIFA is biased toward Barcelona, even though Ballon d’Or ballots are cast independently. Messi has won the world player award each year since 2009, and three times Ronaldo has been runner-up. In the 2010 award, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta completed an all-Barcelona podium. In January 2012, Ronaldo and then-Madrid coach Jose Mourinho skipped the gala ceremony in Zurich despite being on the shortlists, citing a clash with preparation for a Copa del Rey match. Ronaldo attended last January and impressed with his gracious attitude despite losing again to Messi. Messi was runner-up when Ronaldo won his first and only award for 2008 after helping Manchester United win the Champions League title. Ronaldo did not win a trophy in 2013 despite an astonishing, prolific scoring rate of better than one goal per game. His World Cup playoff displays could be key, having scored all of Portugal’s goals in a 4-2 aggregate victory over Sweden. Messi scored 45 goals in 46 games but his playing year was ended by his third injury, a left hamstring problem sustained in a league match. The Ballon d’Or was created by France Football magazine in 1956 and, three years ago, merged with FIFA’s world player of the year award, which had been presented since 1991. The finalists for the women’s world player award are Abby Wambach of the United States, five-time winner Marta of Brazil and Nadine Angerer of Germany. The ceremony will also give awards to the best coaches in men’s and women’s football.
Manchester United’s manager David Moyes is seen as his team train at Carrington training ground in Manchester, Monday, Dec. 9, 2013. Manchester United will play Shakhtar Donetsk in a Champion’s League Group A soccer match on Tuesday.
AP Photo/Jon Super
I’m responsible for poor results, says Moyes Reuters
LONDON - David Moyes said Manchester United’s players are hurting after consecutive Premier League defeats at Old Trafford but he was “responsible” for the club’s poor start to the season. United languish in ninth place in the Premier League following 1-0 losses to Everton and Newcastle United in the space of four days and have made their worst start to a domestic season for 12 years. Despite having already qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League, Moyes will find himself under intense scrutiny when United host Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday needing a point to guarantee top spot in Group A. “The players are hurting because they are used to winning,” the United manager told a news conference on Monday. “When we don’t win that hurts. The expectancy is to win all the games. They’ll respond in the right way. “I take complete responsibilty for the results. “Fortunately they have been good in the Champions League but not so good in the Premier League and I will take responsibilty for them as well. “We’ve lacked a bit of good fortune which could have made all the difference.” United’s 5-0 defeat of Bayer Leverkusen two weeks ago sealed their progress from Group A but Shakhtar can join them with a victory at Old Trafford. Moyes has injury concerns over defenders Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra and Chris Smalling although Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa could be available after needing to have his stomach pumped because of illness after the defeat by Everton. “Shinji trained today and I think he’ll be okay tomorrow,” a tense-looking Moyes said. “We have got one or two injuries that I need to look at and that will come into consideration.”
8
International
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Sp rt
Tinkering and blunders put Benitez under pressure Reuters
Rafael Benitez is facing his first rumblings of discontent at Napoli where defensive blunders and his habit of tinkering with the team have upset the supporters. Napoli need to beat Arsenal at home in their Champions League clash on Wednesday to reach the last 16 for the second time in a row and even then they will depend on Borussia Dortmund’s result at Olympique Marseille. Arsenal need a draw to qualify for the round of 16 for the 14th season running and, having already won away to Borussia Dortmund in Group F, they are unlikely to be intimidated by the San Paolo stadium despite its fearsome reputation. If Napoli and Dortmund both win, they and Arsenal would all finish on 12 points, leaving the qualifiers to be decided on the results involving the three teams. This would in turn come down to goal difference, as all three sides would have nine points. Helped by the windfall they obtained from selling Edinson Cavani to Paris St Germain, Napoli were Serie A’s biggest spenders in the close season as they
splurged 37 million euros ($50.63 million) on Gonzalo Higuain alone. They started the season well with four league wins in a row but have now drifted eight points behind Serie A leaders Juventus. On Saturday, they threw away a two-goal lead in a 3-3 draw at home to Udinese which earned them a chorus of jeers from the home crowd, the first since Benitez replaced Walter Mazzarri as coach in the close season. “We have to do better in defence,” said the former Chelsea, Liverpool and Inter Milan coach. “We have committed individual mistakes that we cannot allow to happen. “Everyone expected Napoli to be playing the way we were at the start of the
championship and with more points in the bag. “I’m as unhappy about it as anyone else. Against Arsenal, we have to score two or three goals and play better in defence.” Benitez’s own selection policy is also in the spotlight. He has fielded 14 different lineups in Napoli’s 15 Serie A matches so far and the mistakes on Saturday were made by players he brought in under his rotation system. Defender Federico Fernandez let Udinese back into the game with an embarrassing own goal seconds before halftime and second choice goalkeeper Rafael misjudged a Bruno Fernandes shot to allow Udinese to make it 2-2. Napoli’s previous
Unlikely scorers as Swansea draw with Hull Reuters
Two unlikely goalscorers lifted a largely dull mid-table Premier League clash between Swansea City and Hull City who shared the points in a 1-1 draw at the Liberty Stadium on Monday. Hull striker Danny Graham’s first goal in almost a year put the visitors ahead after nine minutes, the former Swansea player side-footing home from close range following a rightwing cross by Egyptian international Ahmed Elmohamady. It was Graham’s first Premier League goal in 28 matches - the last one scored for Swansea in January. “Certainly it’s been a long-time com-
ing, we had to work hard, we knew it would be tough,” Graham told Sky Sports. “We hit them on counter-attack and that seemed to work. We are happy with a point.” Swansea, who welcomed back Spanish striker Michu after a five-week absence with an ankle injury, were frustrated by Hull in the first half but played with more pace after the break and levelled after 59 minutes. A short corner by Jonjo Shelvey came back to the former Liverpool midfielder and his driven cross hit Chico Flores and flew past Scotland keeper Allan McGregor for the Spanish defender’s first Premier League goal. Hull had a goal disallowed when David
Meyler was adjudged offside, then Yannick Sagbo’s shot from distance was saved at full stretch by Swansea goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel. The visitors might also have had a penalty when a back post-header from Alex Bruce struck Dwight Tiendalli on the arms. McGregor saved well with his feet from Michu in the dying minutes but a draw was a fair result. The point moved both teams up one place in the table, Swansea to 10th and Hull 12th. “It wasn’t a very good game to watch,” Swansea manager Michael Laudrup said.“First half, we played and played and played but much too slow, no pace on the ball so it was quite easy for Hull to defend,” the Dane added.
home game ended in a 1-0 defeat to mid-table Parma. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is baffled by the way the group has turned out, with Marseille losing all their matches and the other teams taking points off each other. “It’s the first time I’ve seen that (12 points is not enough) after 150 Champions League games,” he said after his team beat Marseille in their last match. “It’s unbelievable but it’s reality. It’s tricky but we have to finish the job. I will have to play a full-strength team against Napoli. I can’t take any risks.” “It would be a mistake to think we just don’t have to lose big,” added Wenger. “We have to play in a positive way and try to win the game, anything else will be a gamble.”
SAO PAULO — FIFA said Monday that football fans applied for more than 1.1 million tickets for the World Cup in Brazil in the first 24 hours after the latest sales phase opened. The new sales window, which opened Sunday, is the first to be held after the tournament draw and schedule were announced last week. It will remain open until
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
9
Ronaldo, Messi, Ribery up for Ballon d’Or Associated Press Writer
Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery are in the running for the Ballon d’Or. FIFA announced the shortlist Monday after voting rules changes made Ronaldo the favorite after helping Portugal qualify for the World Cup last month. FIFA gave voters — national team captains and coaches, plus selected journalists — two extra weeks to choose from 23 candidates, and even change preference. Ronaldo’s hat trick against Swe-
Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuain celebrates after scoring during a Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Udinese, at the San Paolo stadium in Naples, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013. The match ended 3-3. AP Photo/Salvatore Laporta
Fans request 1.1 million World Cup tickets in day Associated Press Writer
International
Jan. 30. If demand surpasses the number of entrances available for certain matches, a random selection draw will be held for fans who have requested tickets. About 900,000 tickets were sold in the first stage of ticket sales earlier this year. Another 230,000 tickets were sold in the second phase in just seven hours. Football’s governing body said a total of about 3.3 million tickets will be sold for the tournament.
den helped lift his tally to 67 goals for Portugal and Real Madrid in 2013. Messi, who has won the last four player of the year awards, scored 45 goals for Argentina and Barcelona before being injured. Ribery was already named Europe’s best player for helping Bayern Munich win the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup last season. The award ceremony is Jan. 13. Ribery had been the favorite until FIFA’s surprising announcement to re-open voting the morning after Portugal’s playoff victory in Stock-
holm. Speculation about FIFA’s motives was fuelled by a bizarre public spat weeks earlier between Ronaldo and FIFA President Sepp Blatter. Blatter offended the 2008 award winner with comments and mimicry when addressing students at Oxford University in England. Contrasting Messi’s humble, low-key personality with Ronaldo’s apparent vanity, Blatter then stood to act out what he described as the Portugal winger’s “commander in the field” stature. Ronaldo responded in a barbed statement on his Facebook page and celebrated a goal in his next match with a mock military salute gesture. The Portuguese government got involved to defend its national hero, and the dispute seemed to confirm to Madrid fans and media that FIFA is biased toward Barcelona, even though Ballon d’Or ballots are cast independently. Messi has won the world player award each year since 2009, and three times Ronaldo has been runner-up. In the 2010 award, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta completed an all-Barcelona podium. In January 2012, Ronaldo and then-Madrid coach Jose Mourinho skipped the gala ceremony in Zurich despite being on the shortlists, citing a clash with preparation for a Copa del Rey match. Ronaldo attended last January and impressed with his gracious attitude despite losing again to Messi. Messi was runner-up when Ronaldo won his first and only award for 2008 after helping Manchester United win the Champions League title. Ronaldo did not win a trophy in 2013 despite an astonishing, prolific scoring rate of better than one goal per game. His World Cup playoff displays could be key, having scored all of Portugal’s goals in a 4-2 aggregate victory over Sweden. Messi scored 45 goals in 46 games but his playing year was ended by his third injury, a left hamstring problem sustained in a league match. The Ballon d’Or was created by France Football magazine in 1956 and, three years ago, merged with FIFA’s world player of the year award, which had been presented since 1991. The finalists for the women’s world player award are Abby Wambach of the United States, five-time winner Marta of Brazil and Nadine Angerer of Germany. The ceremony will also give awards to the best coaches in men’s and women’s football.
Manchester United’s manager David Moyes is seen as his team train at Carrington training ground in Manchester, Monday, Dec. 9, 2013. Manchester United will play Shakhtar Donetsk in a Champion’s League Group A soccer match on Tuesday.
AP Photo/Jon Super
I’m responsible for poor results, says Moyes Reuters
LONDON - David Moyes said Manchester United’s players are hurting after consecutive Premier League defeats at Old Trafford but he was “responsible” for the club’s poor start to the season. United languish in ninth place in the Premier League following 1-0 losses to Everton and Newcastle United in the space of four days and have made their worst start to a domestic season for 12 years. Despite having already qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League, Moyes will find himself under intense scrutiny when United host Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday needing a point to guarantee top spot in Group A. “The players are hurting because they are used to winning,” the United manager told a news conference on Monday. “When we don’t win that hurts. The expectancy is to win all the games. They’ll respond in the right way. “I take complete responsibilty for the results. “Fortunately they have been good in the Champions League but not so good in the Premier League and I will take responsibilty for them as well. “We’ve lacked a bit of good fortune which could have made all the difference.” United’s 5-0 defeat of Bayer Leverkusen two weeks ago sealed their progress from Group A but Shakhtar can join them with a victory at Old Trafford. Moyes has injury concerns over defenders Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra and Chris Smalling although Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa could be available after needing to have his stomach pumped because of illness after the defeat by Everton. “Shinji trained today and I think he’ll be okay tomorrow,” a tense-looking Moyes said. “We have got one or two injuries that I need to look at and that will come into consideration.”
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International
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
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Walker lifts Bobcats past Curry, Warriors 115-111 Associated Press Writer
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Kemba Walker scored 27 of his 31 points in the second half as the Charlotte Bobcats overcame Stephen Curry’s 43 points to beat the Golden State Warriors 115-111 on Monday night. Playing in front of his hometown crowd, Curry scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to cut the Bobcats’ lead to 111-109 with 11 seconds left. But the Warriors couldn’t contain Walker, and the point guard hit four free throws in the final 11 seconds to seal the victory. Gerald Henderson had 24 points and Josh McRoberts had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Bobcats, who won their second straight game. The Sacramento Kings also won their second straight, beating the Dallas Mavericks 112-97, despite having only 10 players available after a seven-player trade with the Toronto Raptors was finalized. DeMarcus Cousins had 32 points and 19 rebounds and Derrick Williams scored a career-high 31 to pace the Kings, who will receive Rudy Gay and two reserves in exchange for point guard Greivis Vasquez and three other players. Monta Ellis had 21 points for the Mavericks, who had won three straight, including the last two on
Suluban Beach IBP
JIMBARAN - It is located a few kilometers northwards of Uluwatu, adjacent to Bingin and Labuan Sait surfing beach. The name Suluban is derived from a Balinese word meaning ‘to run or pass under something So, Suluban Beach signifies that visitors who want to visit the beach must go through a rock cave on the beach before finally reaching the broad and white sandy beach with pounding waves that will pamper the adrenaline of surfers. Its water is very clear and the waves are high enough. That’s why it is the best known beach among surfers of the world. Some tourism facilities such as restaurant, bar, surf equipment rental and repair shop are available here.
the road. The injury-plagued Los Angeles Clippers got 26 points from Blake Griffin and 25 points and 13 assists from Chris Paul to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 94-83. DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and a seasonhigh 21 rebounds, and Jared Dudley scored 10 points for the Clippers, who won their second straight on a seven-game road trip. Los Angeles played without J.J. Redick (injuries to right hand and wrist), Reggie Bullock (sprained left ankle), Maalik Wayns (left knee) and Matt Barnes (torn retina in left eye). Denver ’s Wilson Chandler scored 17 points, Nate Robinson added 16, and Kenneth Faried had
a key block and transition dunk with 33 seconds left to lift the Nuggets past the Washington Wizards 75-74. Washington had three possessions after Faried put Denver ahead, but John Wall missed a layup, Trevor Ariza missed a 3-pointer, Chandler blocked a layup try by Garrett Temple, and Robinson stripped the ball from Wall in the closing seconds. AP Photo/Nell Redmond
Charlotte Bobcats guard Kemba Walker (15) shoots over Atlanta Hawks guard Shelvin Mack in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Nov. 11, 2013.
Formula 1 drivers to get permanent numbers from 2014 IBP/File Photo
REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker
Mercedes Formula One driver Nico Rosberg (L) of Germany leads the pack at the second turn during the Brazilian F1 Grand Prix at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo November 24, 2013.
Permanent driver numbers will become a reality from the 2014 Formula 1 world championship, the FIA has confirmed. As AUTOSPORT revealed last month, the item was tabled for discussion for F1’s Strategy Group meeting on December 9. The group and Formula One Commission has approved the change, which becomes effective immediately and will therefore be implemented ahead of the 2014 season. The FIA gave the Strategy Group and Commission a one-off mandate to impose rule changes at its World Motor Sport Council meeting last week. While #1 will be reserved for the current world champion - should he choose to use it - every other driver will be asked to choose their race number, between #2 and #99. If more than one driver selects the same number, priority will be given on last year’s championship order. The changes therefore mean Sebastian Vettel will have the option of competing as #1 next year, with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso having the second pick of numbers. The new F1 system is similar to that used in motorcycle racing, where riders stick with numbers for a whole career, such as Valentino Rossi’s iconic #46, and can choose whether or not to switch to #1 when champions. In American motorsport, it is teams rather than drivers that usually run permanent numbers and champions switching to #1 has become a rarity.
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Venezuelan president faces first electoral test Associated Press Writer
AP Photo/Markus Schreiber
Heavy rain lashes down just before the memorial service for former South African president Nelson Mandela at the FNB Stadium in Soweto, near Johannesburg, South Africa, Tuesday Dec. 10, 2013.
World leaders, South Africans remember Mandela Associated Press Writer
JOHANNESBURG — Joyous, singing South Africans gathered in the rain Tuesday to honor Nelson Mandela at a massive memorial service that is expected to draw some 100 heads of state and other luminaries, united in tribute to a global symbol of reconciliation. Crowds converged on FNB Stadium in Soweto, the Johannesburg township that was a stronghold of support for the anti-apartheid struggle that Mandela embodied as a prisoner of white rule for 27 years and then during a peril-fraught transition to the all-race elections that made him president. However, steady rain kept many people away. Shortly before the start of the ceremony, there were some 20,000 people in the 95,000capacity stadium. Other area stadiums equipped with giant video screens for anticipated overflow crowds were largely empty. “I would not have the life I have today if it was not for him,” said Matlhogonolo Mothoagae, a postgraduate marketing student who arrived hours before the stadium gates opened. “He was jailed so we could have our freedom.” Rohan Laird, the 54-year-old CEO of a health insurance company, said he grew up during white rule in a “privileged position” as a white South African and that Mandela helped whites work through a burden of guilt. “His reconciliation allowed whites to be released themselves,” Lair said. “I honestly don’t think the world will see another leader like Nelson Mandela.” Workers were still welding at a VIP area as the first spectators arrived amid an enormous logistical challenge of organizing the memorial for Mandela, who died Dec. 5 in his Johannesburg home at the age of 95. U.S. President Barack Obama landed in South Africa early Tuesday. Besides Obama,
eulogies were to be delivered by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao and Cuban President Raul Castro. Other speakers include the presidents of Brazil, Namibia and India, as well as tributes from Mandela’s grandchildren. South African President Jacob Zuma was to give the keynote address. Mandela’s widow, Graca Machel, was at the stadium. So were actress Charlize Theron and singer Bono. Tuesday was the 20th anniversary of the day when Mandela and South Africa’s last apartheid-era president, F.W. de Klerk, received the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to bring peace to their country. Mandela said in his acceptance speech at the time: “We live with the hope that as she battles to remake herself, South Africa will be like a microcosm of the new world that is striving to be born.” The sounds of horns and cheering filled the stadium ahead of the ceremony, due to start at 11 a.m. (0900 GMT, 4 a.m. EST). Rain sent those who arrived early into the stadium’s covered upper deck, and many of the lower seats were empty. People blew on vuvuzelas, the plastic horn that
was widely used during the World Cup soccer tournament in 2010, and sang songs from the era of the antiapartheid struggle decades ago. “It is a moment of sadness celebrated by song and dance, which is what we South Africans do,” said Xolisa Madywabe, CEO of a South African investment firm. The 95,000capacity soccer venue was also the spot where Mandela made his last public appearance at the closing ceremony of the World Cup. After the memorial, his body will lie in state for three days at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, once the seat of white power, before burial Sunday in his rural childhood village of Qunu in Eastern Cape Province. Police promised tight security, locking down roads kilometers (miles) around the stadium. However, the first crowds entered the stadium without being searched. John Allen, a 48-year-old pastor from the U.S. state of Arkansas, said he once met Mandela at a shopping center in South Africa with his sons. “He joked with my youngest and asked if he had voted for Bill Clinton,” Allen said. “He just zeroed in on my 8-year-old for the three to five minutes we talked.”
CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelans cast ballots in municipal elections Sunday being watched as a gauge of popular support for President Nicolas Maduro, who was counting on a recent crackdown on businesses to prevail in his first electoral test since taking office eight months ago. The National Electoral Council said it expected to announce results three hours after all polling stations closed. Under Venezuela’s electoral law, polling stations had to stay open after their scheduled 6 p.m. closing time if voters were still in line, as commonly occurs. Voting went off in relative calm, with only minor disruptions and isolated acts of violence, but turnout seemed to be light, at least in the impoverished Petare neighborhood and some other districts of the capital. The vote for mayors and city councils in this deeply polarized country was bound to be competitive. Maduro defeated opposition leader Henrique Capriles by a razor-thin margin in the election held in April to choose Hugo Chavez’s successor following his death from cancer. Capriles has refused to recognize the results, alleging fraud Since then, Venezuela’s economic troubles have deepened, with inflation touching a two-decade high of 54 percent, and shortages of everything from toilet paper to milk spreading while the black market value of the currency plunges. Disapproval of Maduro’s rule has been rising, especially within the coalition of ideological leftists and members of the military that he inherited from Chavez. But the 51-year-old former bus driver has managed to regain momentum by going after groups and businesses he accuses of waging economic war against his socialist government. Among the most popular measures: the seizure of dozens of retailers and the slashing of prices on plasma TVs, refrigerators and other appliances. Local pollster Luis Vicente Leon said the offensive helped boost president’s approval rating from 41 percent in September to just over 50 percent, about the same level of support he garnered in the April election. “These elections are going to ratify what the government is doing against this fictitious inflation,” janitor Antonio Doria said as he stood in line to vote at a school in Petare. While the opposition claimed it’s the target of a campaign by Maduro to intimidate media that provide airtime to its events, pro-government candidates were helped by abundant coverage of almost-daily appearances by the president.
government... From page 1 “Total value of the agricultural budget in 2014 in the Agriculture Agency reaches IDR 76 billion, while last year amounted to IDR 61.5 billion. However, it is impossible for us to mention the percentage of fund allocated for the agricultural activities because the fund of the agricultural activity is scattered in other regional working units. For example, it existed in Public Work Agency related to the improvement of agricultural infrastructure that could reach tens of billions, in the Culture Agency related to subak, in the Agriculture Agency, Livestock Agency, while there were also some other funds from state budget and state-owned companies. Additionally, there are also national fertilizer subsidy and national seed program,” said Wisnu. Related to the free market, his party claimed to have anticipated and prepared farmers by various improvement programs for the capacity and quality of production and human resource development. “We need the improvement in the horticulture and fruit product quality. We’ve done it through the regional bylaw on the protection of local fruits. Besides, we also boost the rice production by providing a wide range of seed choices. Fertilizer and tractors are also available. In terms of marketing, it is also improved so during massive harvest the price will not drop,” he concluded. (kmb29)
International
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
INDONESIA Corruption remains main obstacle Antara
JAKARTA - Corruption is considered among the foremost factors hampering business development in Indonesia, in addition to inefficient bureaucracy and lack of infrastructure, Vice Minister of Transportation Bambang Susantono said on Tuesday. “A survey conducted by the World Economic Forum recently found that 19.3 percent of the respondents believed that corruption had disturbed business activities in Indonesia,” Bambang said. Further citing data from the survey, Bambang pointed out that 15 percent of the respondents had chosen bureaucratic inefficiency as the factor hampering business in Indonesia followed by 9.1 percent, who thought it was a lack of infrastructure. Another survey conducted by Berlin-based NGO Transparency International stated that Indonesia’s efforts to eradicate corruption from the country were progressing. The survey called the Corruption Perception Index 2013 was released last week on Tuesday and placed Indonesia at the 114th
position among the 177 countries being evaluated by the NGO. The latest ranking is a positive development, considering that Indonesia was ranked 118th last year. According to Transparency International Indonesia, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) had successfully uncovered corruption cases involving high ranking officials and parliament members during the past one year. However, more challenges are expected as Indonesia plans to hold a general election next year. Transparency International highlighted the need for transparency in the use of campaign funds and evaluating the track record of parliament members or candidates ahead of the election. The NGO also called on the Indonesian
people to be more active in ensuring a more transparent and accountable election in 2014. The global Corruption Perceptions Index 2013 adjudged Denmark and New Zealand as the least corrupt, while Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia were the worst performers this year. The Corruption Perception Index is based on experts’ opinions about public sector corruption in each country. Countries’ scores can be helped by allowing strong access to information systems and rules governing the behavior of those in public positions, while a lack of accountability across the public sector, coupled with ineffective public institutions can hurt these perceptions.
Court jails ex-Islamic party head for graft Agence France-Presse
JAKARTA - An Indonesian court has jailed the disgraced former head of the country’s biggest Islamic party for 16 years over a scandal in which bribe money was laundered as gifts for dozens of women, including an adult magazine model. The controversy, which erupted when an aide was discovered in a hotel room with a naked college student, has shattered the clean image of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), damaging its chances at polls next year. Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq, who was president of the PKS when the scandal emerged, was found guilty late Monday by the anti-corruption court in the capital Jakarta of accepting bribes from a meat import company. Anti-graft investigators seized 1.3 billion rupiah ($110,000) in bribe money as well as six luxury cars from Ishaaq during the investigation. The meat company, Indoguna Utama, had pledged to give him 40 billion rupiah in kickbacks to use his influence with the government to have its beef import quota raised, the court heard. “Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq was proven legally and convincingly guilty of conspiring in crimes of corruption and money laundering,” chief judge Gusrizal Lubis told the court. He was found guilty of corruption and money laundering and jailed for 16 years. He was also ordered to pay a one-billion-rupiah fine. Ishaaq said he did not accept the verdict
and would appeal.Two executives from Indoguna Utama were previously found guilty and jailed over the case. The scandal emerged in January when anti-corruption agents raided a hotel room and discovered Ishaaq’s aide, Ahmad Fathanah, with the naked student shortly after receiving bribe money.It snowballed into a huge controversy, even by the standards of graft-ridden Indonesia.Fathanah was found to be the main conduit for the bribe money. Evidence emerged he bought gifts for 45 women -- including an adult magazine model -- to launder the cash. He was jailed for 14 years in November
over the scandal. Ishaaq, the former head of a party that trumpeted its conservative Islamic credentials to win votes, was found to have lavish spending habits and evidence emerged he had multiple wives.The PKS was already facing a tough fight to win votes at elections next year as the popularity of Islamic parties wanes in Muslim-majority Indonesia. The case also comes as the coalition government -- of which the PKS is a member -- struggles to recover from a string of scandals that have hit President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party.
AP Photo
Former leader of the Prosperous Justice Party, Indonesia’s largest Islamic-based political party, Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq waves to reporters after his sentencing at the corruption court in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, Dec. 9, 2013.
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KPK to auction seized goods to foster anticorruption spirit Antara
JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) plans to auction several of the goods it has seized during the past six months on Wednesday at the Gelora Bung Karno sports center in Central Jakarta, the Commission’s Director for Anti-Gratification Affairs Giri Supradiono announced on Tuesday. “There are 78 items that will be auctioned. All profits will go into the state account,” Giri stated. Among the goods that will be auctioned on Wednesday are watches, bags, shirts, cell phones, shopping vouchers and paintings. According to Giri, the goods that will be auctioned are not many because most corrupt officials used money as a tool of transaction. The anti-graft commission had seized a total of Rp2.5 billion (US$209,147) in cash in 2012, which was used for various purposes in the different cases being investigated. Giri further stated that the auction would be used as part of the government’s efforts to promote an anti-corruption spirit in the public.
Three asylum seekers die in boat sinking off Agence France-Presse
JAKARTA - Three asylum seekers including a toddler died when their Australia-bound boat sank in rough seas off Indonesia’s Java island but 29 others were rescued, police said Tuesday. Hundreds of asylum seekers have died trying to make the sea voyage to Australia in recent years, and Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said the sinking highlighted the dangers of people-smuggling. The vessel had been carrying 32 people -- including members of the Rohingya Muslim minority from Myanmar, Iranians and a Bangladeshi -- who wanted to reach the Australian territory of Christmas Island, police said. But the small, wooden vessel sank off West Java province early Monday after being battered by big waves, provincial police spokesman Martinus Sitompul told AFP. “Fishermen found the boat off Ciawi beach in Garut district,” he said. The Bangladeshi asylum seeker and two from Myanmar -- including the two-year-old -- drowned but the other 29 were rescued by the fishermen and handed over to immigration authorities, he said. Morrison said no request was or had been made for Australian assistance, by either passengers onboard the vessel or the Indonesian authorities involved in the rescue.
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
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US-led Pacific trade zone talks end without deal Agence France-Presse
SINGAPORE - Trade ministers meeting in Singapore said Tuesday that talks on a huge US-led Pacific trade pact will resume in January, missing a deadline to agree a deal this year. “We have decided to continue our intensive work in the coming weeks toward such an agreement,” the 12 ministers said in a joint statement on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). “Following additional work by negotiators, we intend to meet again next month,” they added after four days of secretive talks denounced by activists as a US attempt to railroad a deal. The TPP is being negotiated by Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam. They make up 40 percent of the global economy and other countries may join the pact later.
Nokia faces $3.4 billion tax claim in India Agence France-Presse
MUMBAI - Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia faces a tax bill of more than 210 billion rupees ($3.4 billion) in India from liabilities arising out of unpaid charges and penalties since 2006, a report said Tuesday. Indian tax authorities froze some of Nokia’s assets in October including its bank accounts and buildings over a dispute which has forced Nokia to approach the Indian courts seeking relief. Nokia has reportedly offered to pay about 30 billion rupees ($490 million), but the income tax department “has informed the Delhi High Court that Nokia India and its parent Nokia Corp have a tax liability adding up to 211.53 billion rupees”, the Times of India reported. The paper said the submission was made by the income tax department in its reply to Nokia’s plea for the unfreezing of its assets in India. Nokia’s Indian unit was not immediately available for comment
Tourism in Nusa Penida
The ministers had arrived in Singapore from the just-concluded World Trade Organisation talks in the Indonesian island of Bali. President Barack Obama has hailed the TPP as a centrepiece of renewed US engagement in Asia, saying it contains market-opening commitments that go well beyond those in other free-trade accords. But the complexity of the issues already caused negotiators to miss the original 2012 deadline set by Obama to reach a deal. TPP negotiators have been divided over a number of issues, including opening up Japan’s auto and farm markets and patent issues -- in particular on medicines.
on the report. The case is due to be heard in court on Tuesday. Nokia, which has one of its biggest plants worldwide in the southern Indian city of Chennai, is among a string of multinationals which face tax problems in India, including Cadbury, Royal Dutch Shell and Vodafone. The alleged tax evasion involves software royalty payments to Nokia’s parent, on which 10 percent tax should have been deducted and paid to Indian authorities, the income tax department claims. Nokia hopes that its Chennai manufacturing plant could be unfrozen ahead of its sale to Microsoft Corporation. Software giant Microsoft agreed in September to acquire Nokia’s devices and services business for $7.2 billion, with the Chennai factory part of the deal. The plant employs about 8,000 people and includes productions lines, maintenance assembly and testing operations.
Tourist arrival high, length of stay zero Bali Post
AP Photo/Koji Sasahara
Money traders at at a foreign exchange company in Tokyo work under a screen indicating the U.S. dollar is traded higher at 103.175 yen while Japan’s Nikkei 225 falls slightly to 15,588.72 Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013.
Dollar up in Asia
Agence France-Presse
TOKYO - The dollar edged up in Asia Tuesday, after big gains in New York as a Federal Reserve official hinted that the US central bank could announce a winding down of its stimulus programme as early as next week. The greenback turned up to 103.30 yen in afternoon trading, against 103.28 yen in New York and well up from the levels around 103 yen earlier Monday in Tokyo. The euro gained to $1.3756 from $1.3737 while it also rose to 142.08 yen from 141.89 yen in US trading. On Monday, James Bullard, the president of the Fed’s St. Louis branch, said in a speech that “a small taper” of the $85 billion a month asset-purchase programme might be a possi-
bility as policymakers wrestle with how to respond to signs of improvement in the world’s biggest economy. A strong third-quarter growth report and surprisingly upbeat November jobs data last week boosted speculation the Fed may start reeling in the scheme after a policy meeting that ends next Wednesday. The US unit has been rising for weeks on expectations of a pullback, which would reduce the number of dollars in the financial system, boosting demand. Strong Chinese economic data has helped boost confidence among investors who are looking to Thursday’s US retail sales report for November. The yen has been under pressure after weak Japanese growth data on Monday boosted expectations that the Bank of
Japan will launch another round of monetary easing to prop up the economy. The euro has been notching up gains after the European Central Bank last week held off any new interest rate cuts despite prolonged low inflation. That followed the ECB’s surprise cut last month of its central refinancing rate by a quarter-point to counter the threat of deflation. “The euro has gained a reputation as an unsellable currency, with the currency continuing to hold its ‘Teflon’ coating,” Credit Agricole said. However, it said an easier monetary policy at the ECB and soft economic growth compared with the United States suggested there would be some depreciation in the euro. The dollar was mixed against other Asia-Pacific currencies.
SEMARAPURA - The tourism area of Nusa Penida has become one of the favorite tourist destinations in Bali. Every day, approximately one thousand travelers are on vacation to Nusa Penida. Unfortunately, the high number of tourist arrival is not linear with the regionally generated revenue (PAD) of Klungkung. It happens because the area is merely a stopover, without length of stay. Actually, if there is a regulation requiring travelers to stay for a few days, Nusa Penida can boost the revenue from tourism. Regional Secretary of Klungkung, Ketut Janapria, said on Sunday (Dec 8) that such condition was the potential that had not been worked on by government for many years. Even, he admitted that tourist arrival in Nusa Penida in recent years was very high. Cruise ships such as Quicksilver Cruise, Bali Hai Cruise or Bounty Cruise could carry about 300 foreign travelers every day, not to mention the other vessels. It was estimated that every day there were a thousand travelers visiting Nusa Penida to enjoy the beauty of the underwater panorama of Nusa Penida, especially the Toya Pakeh waters, Lembongan and Ceningan. The Regional Secretary admitted that so far the government had slowly maximized the potential of tourism in Nusa Penida. Actually, Nusa Penida had been long declared to be a tourist area. So, there should be specific measures to be done as a breakthrough to build the tourism potential in Klungkung. “Do not be proud
of the arrival of many tourists if they only pass by. All this time, the length of stay of tourists in Nusa Penida is zero. At this rate, the party benefited by this condition is the cruise ship. If only they stay for two days, how many dollars are flowing into the community?” he said. Seeing the fact, Janapria admitted that local government was thinking about a regulation that required travelers to stay for a few days in Nusa Penida. His party claimed to be sure there were two points of opportunity. Aside from realizing a regulation, local government should also think about the future existence of growth center that should be built pursuant to the potential of tourist destinations existing in Nusa Penida. According to him, the effort could be preceded by the provision of ready-to-build lots (KSB). “Without the intention to underestimate the other tourist accommodation, this endeavor is important to be implemented as
a serious breakthrough to build tourism and to take side with the public, not only with investors,” he said.
According to the Regional Secretary, a number of villages could be used as a growth center such as the Suana and Sakti village. Thus, the Nusa Penida tourism had packages of different look to make travelers more comfortable in Nusa Penida, not only due to its marine tourism. In addition, the center of growth could also facilitate the investors to invest in the right place. In 2012, the
area of Nusa Penida was the second largest contributor to the regionally generated revenue (PAD) in tourism sector after Kertagosa amounting to IDR 332,757,458 of the total revenue reaching IDR 1.4 billion. He hoped this could become a serious agenda for the elected regent candidate and bring forth new programs so that tourism potential of Nusa Penida could be worked on maximally. (kmb31)
Enjoying Adventure by Horse Riding
IBP
CANGGU - Horseback riding while looking at Canggu Beach panorama is really absorbing. Accompanied by the four-legged animal, you can feel the unique ambience of the Island of the Gods. Terraced field planted with verdant paddy as well as graced with farmers’ activity becoming the essence of Balinese culture can be seen with naked eye. Activities of rural community always give peaceful and real views to the eye. Not to mention, the wild life of small animals such as lizards, dragonflies and birds will be able to make visi-
tors closer to nature and enrich the experience. All of these charms can only be enjoyed in the Canggu Horse Riding located in the area of Canggu tourist resort, precisely at Jalan Nelayan 29 Canggu Tua hamlet, Kuta - Badung. A total of 18 horses belonging to the age of 10-15 years will strongly deliver every rider around the village and beautiful beach area. There are at least three beaches that can be explored, starting from Batu Bolong Beach, Brawa to Petitenget Beach being crowded with surfing activities. Amazing sunset on the beach can be seen while enjoying the riding activity.
Canggu Horse Riding offers two package tours namely 1 hour and 1.5 hours package. Both packages equally offer the same routes featuring the verdant beauty of rice fields, villages and tranquil beach. Walking along the beach freely, turn at ease and passing on the estuary will become a very wonderful experience. For those having a hobby of this kind may take a round for five times. Travelers who frequently take the horse riding package are those from Australia, England, France and Singapore. However, during school holidays and feast days, the package is favored by domestic tourists.
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Thai Protesters Push for Eradication of Shinawatras From Politics Associated Press Writer
BANGKOK—Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s sudden decision to dissolve Parliament and call new elections has failed to resolve the spiraling political crisis playing out in the capital’s streets. More than 150,000 people rallied on Monday to demand that Ms. Yingluck and her brother, self-exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, remove themselves from politics entirely, underscoring the starkly diverging views within Thailand, a country the U.S. has seen as a model for democratic growth in a region where China’s influence is quickly gaining. Enlarge Image Masses of people carried Thai national flags across Bangkok on Monday, stepping up a monthlong protest campaign to oppose the Prime Minister Shinawatra’s politically powerful family. Reuters At the heart of the divide is the wealthy, populist Shinawatra political
IBP/File
The crime scene in Gianyar Government office
Revenue Service burglarized
Tens of millions of revenue and staff incentive vanish Gianyar (Bali Post)—
A gang of robbers came back to action in Gianyar. Unmitigatedly, their action targeted local government office located not far from the headquarters Gianyar Police. Tens of millions of rupiahs in the office of the Gianyar Revenue Service (Dispenda) vanished after the culprit broke a safety deposit box in the office. Losses due to the theft was estimated to reach IDR 42 million, denoting the proceeds of tax collection worth IDR 31,080,220 and staff incentive as much as IDR 10 million. The theft was first noticed by one of the employees in the other income room, AA Gede Lindura Putra, on the second floor of the office. When entering into the room, the door was indeed not locked. He was surprised on seeing the open safe on the floor. Actually, the safe containing money worth IDR 10 million was placed in a padlocked iron bars. The thief took out the safety deposit box and dismantled it. Afterward, the culprit took the money and some receipts in black plastic bags. The incident was then reported to the treasurer of Revenue Service. Having checked the truth, the case was then reported to police. Aside from in a room, the deposit box in other rooms also vanished and was found open in the potential room. The safe was also in damaged condition and the money inside worth IDR
31 million vanished as well. The employees coming to work in the morning were also surprised over the incident. From the results of police investigation, the thief was estimated to come in by prying the window on first floor, at northern side of the office made of aluminum. The culprits, as recorded by the office CCTVs office, amounted to four people. After picking the window, the culprit entered by jumping over the cashier table and went up to the second floor leading to the room with a safe deposit box. The incident was estimated to happen at 3:15 a.m. as seen in the CCTV footage. The actions committed by the culprits specially targeted the money in the safe whereas at some locations there were a number of laptops. The Head of Gianyar Revenue Service, I Gde Bhayangkara, said the office was guarded by a night watchman every night. However, at the time of incident, the watchman was in front guardhouse and overslept. There were three safes
dismantled, but two safes containing money were entirely taken away. Related to the loss of the taxpayer’s money and incentives of the employee, it should surely be replaced. But, it would be discussed first where the money would be taken from. Similar incident occurs in Ubud
Meanwhile, at Petulu Kelod hamlet, Petulu village, Ubud, Gianyar, similar theft also occurred at the home of Ni Made Wati, 53, around 10:00 p.m. Gold jewelry worth IDR 75 million was taken away. As information collected, the victim Wati was going out around 09:30 p.m. to purchase something. When going out, her house was empty and did not lock the room, but she only closed the door. Similarly, the cupboard where she stored gold jewelry was unlocked. When arriving home, the victim shocked as looking the door was opened. The belongings reported to vanish consisted of 1 gold necklace (50 gram), 1 pair of gold earrings (7
grams), 1 gold ring of boma style (20 grams), 1 gold bracelet (25 grams), 3 pieces of silver rings (30 grams) and imitated jewelry. Over
the incident, the victim reported the theft to police station. Now, police are still hunting down the culprits. (kmb16)
Gas explosion, three victims get injured Denpasar (Bali Post)—
Gas explosion incident causing three people to suffer burns occurred in one of the villas located at Ungasan, Jimbaran. The three victims were rushed to Sanglah Hospital, where two victims suffered quite extensive burns at the upper front body section. The three victims arrived at Sanglah Hospital delivered by ambulance around 2:00 p.m. and immediately got treatment at Emergency Room. According to one of the injured victims, Ketut Budiastrawan, 21, at the time he and four colleagues were repairing air conditioning in one of the villas at Ungasan. However, when performing the work, an electrical wire emitted sparks. Eventually, the sparks were getting bigger. When seeing the enlarging fire, Budi along with four colleagues tried to put out the fire with a cloth. Unluckily, beside the fire sat a small gas cylinder which eventually burst. The explosion afflicted Juliantara, 21, and Suparmawan, 21, who were the closest to the tube. Meanwhile, Budi was right behind the two colleagues. “Two other friends were a little away from the explosion, so they did not hurt,” said Budi who suffered burns at knee and his left arm. The victims Juliantara and Suparmawan suffered the most severe injuries. Front part of the body and face suffered burns. Until Monday, the two victims were still treated in Emergency Room, while the victim Budi had been allowed to go home after his knee and arm were treated. (san)
AP Photo/Manish Swarup
Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra pauses as she talks to media after attending a Cabinet ministers meeting, in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013. Shinawatra said Tuesday she would not resign ahead of national elections set for Feb. 2, despite opposition demands she step down as the caretaker head of government.
machine that arose out of Thailand’s economic boom over the past 30 years. Led by Mr. Thaksin, who ran the country until the army removed him in 2006, the Shinawatra clan has fundamentally challenged Thailand’s traditional military-aligned hierarchies and galvanized supporters of the old guard. Exacerbating the political crisis are widespread concerns about the health of Thailand’s revered constitutional monarch, 86-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Some question whether his heir, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, would be able to exert the same stabilizing influence as his father has during previous stress points in Thailand’s history. “There is a lot of what I call Thaksin-phobia among the people of Bangkok in particular,” said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a professor at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Kyoto University in Japan. “But it’s being magnified by the uncertainty about what a royal succession would bring. The anxiety levels have really been heightened.” Ms. Yingluck’s opponents, who have been on a monthlong campaign
to remove her from office, saw her call for fresh elections as a political tactic that would ultimately return her to power thanks to her party’s strong support base in Thailand’s rural communities. In Bangkok on Monday, masses of protesters streamed out of homes and offices carrying red-white-andblue national flags and royal yellow banners at the set hour of 9:39 a.m.— the number nine being considered especially lucky in Thailand—and marched toward the prime minister’s headquarters among the gilded temples and shady canals of downtown Bangkok. Many in the opposition accuse Ms. Yingluck of being her brother’s puppet, a charge amplified by her recent attempt to introduce amnesty legislation that would clear his corruption conviction and allow him to return home a free man from his base in Dubai. “This isn’t over yet,” said one, 45year-old Chadathon Viseskol. “She’s still prime minister, for now.” Another, Sontaya Worawong, 32, said Ms. Yingluck “should leave Thailand, too, just like her brother.”
Riot police storm opposition offices in Ukraine Associated Press Writer
KIEV, Ukraine — Heavily armed riot troops broke into the offices of a top Ukrainian opposition party in Kiev and seized its servers Monday, the party said, as anti-government protests crippled the capital for yet another day. Elsewhere police dismantled or blocked off several small protest tent camps set up near key national government buildings in the city. Tensions also rose as a double cordon of helmeted, shield-holding police deployed in the street near Kiev’s city administration building, which demonstrators had occupied and turned into a makeshift command post and dormitory. Early Tuesday, electricity to the building was cut off and occupiers began leaving, some carrying out blankets and other goods, expecting that police were preparing to storm the site. But a small crowd remained on the steps and in the street. About three hours later, the lights came back on and some of the protesters returned to occupy the building.
Also, many cellular phones in the area received a text message early Tuesday addressed to protesters reading in part “You are surrounded, there are no chances.” The number from which the message was sent rang to an unidentified voicemail. The moves came a day after hundreds of thousands of demonstrators crammed into Kiev, the biggest in three weeks of protests that started when Ukraine’s president backed away from signing a long -awaited pact to deepen ties with the 28-nation European Union. Protesters are angered not only by the thwarting of their desire to become closer to the West and spin out of Russia’s orbit, but also by police violence against the demonstrators. Club-swinging police have twice broken up protest rallies. Ostap Semerak, a member of the Fatherland Parry, told The Associated Press that troops broke into the party’s offices on Monday evening, some climbing in through its windows. “They are storming us. The images are insane,” he said
by telephone. The troops left after confiscating some computer equipment, he said. An Associated Press reporter later saw broken glass and smashed computers in the offices. Party member Marina Soroka also said the troops surrounded and blockaded several opposition-minded Ukrainian media outlets, making their and other media websites inaccessible. The party is headed by imprisoned former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, a longstanding foe of President Viktor Yanukovych, and is the largest opposition grouping in the parliament. Critics say Tymoshenko’s conviction on abuse of office charges was a case of political revenge. In a surprise move, Yanukovych announced he would sit down with three former Ukrainian presidents on Tuesday to discuss a way out of the crisis that has paralyzed the country. The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, also was heading to Ukraine to help defuse the tensions. Ukraine’s political standoff has been aggravated by its rapidly de-
AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko
A riot police officer breaks through a barricade while displacing proEuropean Union activists from the Ukrainian presidential administration building in Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013.
teriorating finances. The economy has been in recession for more than a year, and the government is in desperate need of foreign funding to avoid a default. As talks stalled with the International Monetary Fund, Yanukovych has sought a bailout loan from Russia. This former Soviet republic of 46 million people is sharply divided over the prospects of drawing closer
to its powerful neighbor, Russia. Yanukovych’s stronghold in eastern Ukraine, the country’s industrial heartland, is dominated by Russian speakers who want closer ties to Russia, in contrast to Kiev’s students and residents in the west who see better EU ties as the way forward. Opinion polls, however, show that the EU is more popular among Ukrainians than Russia.
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Technology
International
Bali News
International
NSA spying on virtual worlds, online games
AP Photo/NASA
This Feb 3, 2013 image provided by NASA shows a self portrait of the Mars rover, Curiosity. NASA’s Curiosity rover has uncovered signs of an ancient freshwater lake on Mars that may have teemed with microbes for tens of millions of years, far longer than scientists had imagined, new research suggests.
NASA: Ancient Martian lake may have supported life Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES — NASA’s Curiosity rover has uncovered signs of an ancient freshwater lake on Mars that may have teemed with tiny organisms for tens of millions of years, far longer than scientists had imagined, new research suggests. The watering hole near the Martian equator existed about 3.5 billion years ago. Scientists say it was neither salty nor acidic, and contained nutrients — a perfect spot to support microbes. “This just looks like a pretty darn ordinary Earth-like lake in terms of its chemistry,” said project scientist John Grotzinger of the California Institute of Technology. “If you were desperate, you could have a drink of this stuff.” The lake likely was around for tens of thousands — perhaps hundreds of thousands — of years. Even when the lake dried up, scientists said microbes could have migrated underground, extending the timeframe for habitable conditions to potentially tens of millions of years. Curiosity, though, lacks the tools to search for any fossilized microbes. The findings were published online Monday in the journal Science and presented at the American Geophysical Union meeting in
San Francisco. “The new results definitely reinforce the idea that past life on Mars was possible,” planetary scientist David Paige at the University of California, Los Angeles said in an email. Paige, who is not part of the Curiosity team, added: “The question of whether life existed or exists on Mars today is still open.” Present-day Mars is dusty and harsh, with no signs of water on the surface. But the red planet wasn’t always a radiation-scarred frozen desert. Early in its history, Mars was more tropical, with streams and rivers. With water plentiful, scientists think it was a place where primitive life could have thrived by feeding on rocks and minerals similar to tiny organisms on Earth that hide in caves and underwater vents.
Around 3.5 billion years ago, Mars underwent a shift and raged with volcanic activity. NASA’s older rovers Spirit and Opportunity found geologic evidence that water flowed during this time, but it was highly acidic and considered too caustic for life. Scientists thought much of the planet had been awash in acidic water until Curiosity found signs of an old streambed near its landing site with a neutral pH. Analyzing a sedimentary rock known as a mudstone, the nuclearpowered rover next found evidence of a bigger body of water — the ancient lake — that was theoretically drinkable, harboring some of the key ingredients for life including carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen and phosphorus.
AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File
FILE - In this Friday, June 21, 2013, file photo, legendary “WarCraft 3” player, Manuel “Grubby” Schenkhuizen practices on a player vs. player match inside a special “isolation booth,” as eight of the world’s best “StarCraft II” video game players train at the Red Bull Training Grounds, at Red Bull North America headquarters in Santa Monica, Calif.
3
Prevent growth of drugs in Bali
Socialize drug hazards from orientation of students
Associated Press Writer
LONDON — American and British intelligence operations have been spying on gamers across the world, media outlets reported, saying that the world’s most powerful espionage agencies sent undercover agents into virtual universes to monitor activity in online fantasy games such as “World of Warcraft.” Stories carried Monday by The New York Times, the Guardian, and ProPublica said U.S. and U.K. spies have spent years trawling online games for terrorists or informants. The stories, based on documents leaked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, offer an unusual take on America’s world-spanning surveillance campaign, suggesting that even the fantasy worlds popular with children, teens, and escapists of all ages aren’t beyond the attention of the NSA and its British counterpart, GCHQ. Virtual universes like “World of Warcraft” can be massively popular, drawing in millions of players who log months’ worth of real-world time competing with other players for online glory, virtual treasure, and magical loot. At its height, “World of Warcraft” boasted some 12 million paying subscribers, more than the population of Greece. Other virtual worlds, like Linden Labs’ “Second Life” or the various games hosted by Microsoft’s Xbox — home to the popular science fiction-themed shoot-em-up “Halo” — host millions more. Spy agencies have long worried that such games serve as a good cover for terrorists or other evildoers who could use in-game messaging systems to swap information. In one of the documents cited Monday by media outlets, the NSA warned that the games could give intelligence targets a place to “hide in plain sight.” Linden Labs and Microsoft Inc. did not immediately return messages seeking comment. In a statement, Blizzard Entertainment said that it is “unaware of any surveillance taking place. If it was, it would have been done without our knowledge or permission.” Microsoft issued a similar statement, saying it is “not aware of any surveillance activity. If it has occurred as reported, it certainly wasn’t done with our consent.” The 82-page-document, published on The New York Times’ website, also noted that opponents could use video games to recruit other users or carry out virtual weapons training — pointing to the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers as examples of terrorists who had used flight simulation software to hone their skills. Important details — such as how the agencies secured access to gamers’ data, how many players’ information was compromised, or whether Americans were swept up in the spying — were not clear, the Times and ProPublica said, but the reports point to a determined effort to infiltrate a world many people associate with adolescents and shut-ins. At the request of GCHQ, the NSA began extracting “World of Warcraft” data from its global intelligence haul, trying to tie specific accounts and characters to Islamic extremism and arms dealing efforts, the Guardian reported. Intelligence on the fantasy world could eventually translate to real-world espionage success, one of the documents suggested, noting that “World of Warcraft” subscribers included “telecom engineers, embassy drivers, scientists, the military and other intelligence agencies.”
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Bali Post
IBP/Ole
Assistance fund of central and local government for the arrangement of old villages or ancient buildings is fairly large. It is usually disbursed with the intention of preservation. Unfortunately, in reality the rehabilitation projects often destroy the historical values.
Arrangement of Julah village
Intention to preserve, even eliminates historical values Bali Post
BULELENG - Assistance fund of central and local government for the arrangement of old villages or ancient buildings is fairly large. It is usually disbursed with the intention of preservation. Unfortunately, in reality the rehabilitation projects often destroy the historical values. Such a thing seems to happen in the arrangement of the unique old buildings at Julah village, Tejakula subdistrict as in the arrangement of the angkul-angkul (entrance gates). Julah village is one of the old villages or Bali Aga villages in Bali. Since a few years ago, a number of old buildings with special characteristics have been rehabilitated with the funding from central government. Up to these days, the rehabilitation project has not accomplished. Though having not yet completed, the project has an indication to have deviated from its original intention. The buildings do not indicate any preservation, but have been created by featuring a more modern concept by using a lot of concrete mixture. Many building materials becoming the characteristics such as soil, brick and stone disappeared. More bizarrely, the buildings are completed with lighting poles as commonly found in urban areas. Apart from observers of old building, the Regent of Buleleng, Putu Agus Suradnyana, also expressed his
disappointment when making a visit to Julah village in conjunction with his working visit, Monday (Dec 9). According to him, the arrangement of traditional or historic settlement along with their facilities and infrastructure at Julah village, Tejakula subdistrict, was not appropriate with his expectation. The arrangement was even considered to have eliminated the historical values of the buildings known as typical buildings of Bali Aga at Julah village. According to the regent, the uniqueness of Julah village as a tourism village in Buleleng became one of the leading villages in attracting travelers with a great interest in heritage area. Even, Julah village had been included the regional bylaw on the regional spatial layout (RTRW) of Buleleng 2013 as one of the old villages to be preserved. “What makes travelers interested to come here is the historical values of the ancient buildings. If such values have been removed, it will no longer be attractive,” he said. To that end, the regent hoped the
arrangement to the ancient villages in Buleleng should be careful without eliminating the historical values of the tourist area. To that end, his party planned to summon the leading sectors for a meeting related to the arrangement of tourism villages retaining historical values in Buleleng. “We’ll have to gather again, so it will not have systematic impact on the tourism in Buleleng,” he said. Meanwhile, the Head of Buleleng Culture and Tourism Agency, Jero Ketut Warkadea, claimed not to obtain any detailed data about arrangement project of the traditional or historical settlement and the infrastructure project at Julah village, Tejakula subdistrict. From the information obtained, the arrangement project at Julah village was financed by central government through the state budget. And the implementation of the project was worked on by Bali Public Works. “The fund was from the state budget and implementation of the project was handled by Bali Public Works working unit,” he said. (kmb15)
DENPASAR - High drug use in the community, including students, is triggered by internal and external factors. By all means, teenagers often use drug as a form of escape from a variety of problems. Similarly, the external factors are also very influential. Many children are trapped into promiscuity. They make the drug as part of lifestyle or daily lifestyle. It was incorrect. Hence, it should be addressed together. Indeed, it was not easy to remove the drugs in total. However, what could be done was to prevent its growth. Community participation to prevent it was very necessary. It was expressed in the discussion about drugs at Warung 63 on Jalan Veteran, Denpasar, not long ago. I Wayan Supartha, a representative from the Denpasar Education Agency raised the question on the anticipation and counteraction against drug trafficking since early on. Many school children fell into the black valley, especially drugs. So, it was required anticipative measures in order that school children as the next generation would not be immersed in the circle of illicit goods. Supartha explained the drug problem had been worrying. Apparently, the users and addicts seemed to increase day by day. According to him, it was not only limited to prevention or eradication in the physical sense. Most importantly, it should be begun by the development of human mental and moral attitude to instill values or change their mindset to ‘say no to drug’ and provide for the anti-drug learning. “In the education sector, we’ve socialized it in the field so as to build character, especially for the development, and it has been carried out from the school. So, the moral message is one of them. Do not let them use alcohol or drugs. Of course, these messages cannot be done once or two times,” he said. It was not just limited to the world of education, he added, but also the participation of all parties. In this regard, Supartha also explained there was a program to prevent or inculcate in order they would not
fall into drugs. It should be required that every school organized the AIDS and drug care student group (KSPAN) activity. Later, it would be put into competition, integrated into the curriculum and included in the materials about drugs, HIV/AIDS and promiscuity. “It has been created a sort of syllabus and curriculum that can later on be included in the formal lessons in classroom,” he explained. Meanwhile, Principal of the SMAN 7 Denpasar high school, Ida Bagus Putra Suyasa, said the condition of school children was alarming. Moreover, there were a number of infants having been infected with HIV. “I have participated in the development on drugs, such as in Parung Bogor, Bandung and Jakarta in cooperation with the Jakarta Metro Police,” he explained. His party socialized the hazards of drugs from the orientation of students. Regarding the issue of narcotics, his party made cooperation related to the resistance of school with police authority. His party conditioned the school from discipline. In other words, the discipline started from the presence of learning. “Getting up earlier in morning can accustom the students to be discipline. In fact, such a way can make the discipline of student increase,” he said. In addition, his party also established the AIDS and drug care student group (KSPAN) as one of the branches of the extracurricular conducted every weeks and month. “We evaluate and the score is included in the report book. From this activity, they are trying to socialize with a variety of activities such as competitions and put up posters related to HIV and drug abusers,” he explained. Suyasa Putra also added that his party made cooperation with the provincial national drug agency (BNNP Bali) with socialization and urine tests to children. Some time ago, a total of 280 students of SMAN 7 Denpasar high school underwent a urine test and the results were all negative. “At school neighborhood, we also installed a board saying drug-free zone and smoke-free zone. We regularly conducted a raid, ranging from the administrators to the coaches of the internal student organization (OSIS),” he explained. (jay)
IBP/Eka Adhiyasa
Discussion about drugs held at Warung 63 on Jalan Veteran, Denpasar, not long ago.
2
International
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Bali News
Tamblingan must be freed from any investment Singaraja (Bali Post)—
Lake Tamblingan at Munduk village, Banjar subdistrict, should be freed from any investment. It is carried out in order the lake area can remain sacred and uncontaminated by garbage. Such a hope was delivered by hamlet chief of Munduk Putu Ardana and a community leader of Munduk Nyoman Bagiarta when meeting with the Regent of Buleleng Putu Agus Suradnyana in the office of the regent, last week. According to Ardana, pursuant to the Buleleng Regional Spatial Plan, Munduk village was indeed designated as a tourism village. Nevertheless, it did not necessarily mean that all village areas at Munduk could be developed by investors. Lake Tamblingan region should be sterile at all from any investment. “The investment can come to other areas of Munduk village. Then, the investment must also be arranged so that Munduk village remains a green area,” he said. To that end, Ardana asked the Buleleng government to prepare the Detailed Spatial Plan (RDTR) carefully when it had something to do with Lake Tamblingan. In the RDTR, it should be explained that Lake Tamblingan was totally free from any investment and should remain sustainable and sacred. “We ask the RDTR must be arranged carefully in regulating the
Lake Tamblingan area,” he said. Regent Agus Suradnyana agreed with the expectation of Munduk customary village to always preserve the Lake Tamblingan region. “We’ll make a regional bylaw in order the Lake Tamblingan can remain sustainable so that Munduk area can become a tourism village staying to uphold the environmental value,” he said. The struggle to free Tamblingan from investment had actually been delivered repeatedly either to the executive of Buleleng County and to the Buleleng House. Previously, some prominent figures from four Dalem Tamblingan customary villages (Munduk, Gobleg, Umajero and Gesing) had come to the Special Committee of the Regional Spatial Plan in the Buleleng when the spatial plan was under the process of discussion. In the face of the Special Committee, the four village figures mentioned that the water in Lake Tamblingan had showed degradation both in terms of quality and quantity. It happened because of the rampant timber thefts in the protected forests and the shifting of protected
The amount of county minimum wage (UMK) of Jembrana 2014 agreed by tripartite and submitted to the province seems to be changing. It happens because the amount of provincial minimum wage (UMP) of Bali in 2013 is higher than the county minimum wage proposed. Thus, the county is urged to adjust it in order to exceed the provincial minimum wage. Chairman of the Indonesian
Labor Union (SPSI) of Jembrana, Sukirman, when met by reporters on Monday (Dec 9) said that based on the previous agreement, the county minimum wage of Jembrana was IDR 1,360,000. However, after getting certainty that Bali provincial minimum wage was higher at IDR 1,542,600, the county should follow it. “At least, it must be five percent higher than the provincial minimum wage,” he explained. According to him, the amount of
IBP
Tamblingan Lake forest boundaries with plantations in the vicinity. So, the number of trees in the forest decreased and the protected forest area dwindled. Another cause was the change in the farming system where farmers around the Lake Tamblingan formerly planted perennial plants such as coffee, but later farmers were planting flowers. As consequence, the water absorbability against
soil reduced. “This condition is compounded by the rampant land conversion into residential estate around the lake,” said Putu Ardana then. To that end, the leaders of four villages asked the government to take appropriate and integrated measures so as to address the environmental problems of the lake. One of them was including the
IBP/File
Tamblingan area in the sacred area in the regional bylaw of Buleleng Spatial Plan. In addition, the leaders also asked in order the residents of the four customary villages could be given the authority to maintain and manage the Tamblingan region. “Such an effort is taken because his role to make the region sacred seems to have been marginalized,” he said. (kmb15)
provincial minimum wage in 2014 had been set forth in the Gubernatorial Regulation No.51/2013. The amount was based on the consideration of the decent living needs (KHL) in Bali. As consequence, the county had no choice but complying with the amount of the provincial minimum wage and the recently proposed county minimum wage would automatically not be used. In the near future, his party with local government would
evaluate and make socialization related to the amount. According to him, it was a good thing and very welcomed by the SPSI because the provincial minimum wage followed the same decent living needs proposed by the SPSI. “Later on, the provincial minimum wage will become the basis of county minimum wage and sectoral wage, and the county minimum wage should be greater than the provincial minimum
wage,” he said. On the other hand, the Head of Jembrana Social Welfare and Labor Agency, I Ketut Wiaspada, confirmed if the provincial minimal wage had increased, where it was originally IDR 1,321,500 and after discussion it was revised into IDR 1,542,600. However, according to him, the local government, according to him, had not been able to follow up because the official letter had not been received. (kmb26)
Founder : K.Nadha, General Manager :Palgunadi Chief Editor: Diah Dewi Juniarti Editors: Gugiek Savindra,Alit Susrini, Alit Sumertha, Daniel Fajry, Mawa, Sri Hartini, Suana, Sueca, Sugiartha, Yudi Winanto Denpasar: Dira Arsana, Giriana Saputra, Subrata, Sumatika, Asmara Putra. Bangli: Suasrina, Buleleng: Adnyana, Gianyar: Agung Dharmada, Karangasem: Budana, Klungkung: Bagiarta. Jakarta: Nikson, Hardianto, Ade Irawan. NTB: Agus Talino, Izzul Khairi, Raka Akriyani. Surabaya: Bambang Wilianto. Development: Alit Purnata, Mas Ruscitadewi. 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
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
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Holiday Inn Resort Baruna
KUTA - Book your paradise break at Holiday Inn Resort Baruna Bali, an idyllic beach-front spa retreat, 10 minutes from Denpasar International Airport. The heavenly Holiday Inn Resort Baruna Bali is built in a traditional low-rise Balinese style, complementing its scenic setting. Order cocktails at the pool’s swim-up bar or dine on grilled specialties on the beach at ENVY, their chill-out restaurant, famous for its tagline; “food, cocktails, sunsets” apparently quite popular amongst the island’s jet-setters with its laid-back island feel. Admire blissful views of Kuta beach or the pool and tropical gardens from your Guest room’s private balcony. The 193 rooms are completed with wireless superior internet connectivity, 32’ flat screen satellite television, CD/DVD player, individually controlled air-conditioning, direct dial telephone, mini refrigerator, inroom safe, iron & ironing board, tea & coffee making facilities as well as radio & ipod dock. Stroll along the water’s edge to
downtown Kuta’s shops and restaurants, and catch Bali ‘s romantic multicolored sunsets from the sandy beach. There’s entertainment in the teens’ room and at Rascals kids’ club, so the kids can play while you indulge yourself with a soothing massage in ocean-facing Tea Tree Spa. Enjoy the resort’s evening entertainment, and lounge at the beach front bar listening to chill-out music. Browse the web with reliable wireless Internet throughout the hotel. Holiday Inn Resort Baruna Bali staff at the Meetings and Events Centre can organize events for 40-80 guests in one of 4 meeting rooms or in the 264-capacity ballroom. Holiday Inn Resort Baruna Bali has open-kitchen dining with an Asian twist at Palms Restaurant. Work out in the gym or sun yourself at the sloping man-made beach beside the landscaped pool.
IBP/File Photo
Calendar Event for November 2 through December 11, 2013
SPSI urges Jembrana minimum wage to adjust to Bali minimum wage Negara (Bali Post)—
Activities
International
2 Nov Saniscara Keliwon Kuningan. Pura Taman Pule di Mas-Ubud. Pura Ularan di Takmung-Klungkung. Pura Bukitjati di Gulingan-Kawan Bangli. 6 Nov Buda Wage Langkir. Pura Tanah Lot Kediri Tabanan. Pura Bucabe Mas Ubud. Pura Puseh Desa Ganggang-Canggi Batuan. Pura Pasek Pertukangan Kediri-Tabanan. Pura Pasek Bendesa Gulingan Mengwi. Pura Masceti Desa Sanding-Tampak Siring. Puru Luwur Batur Pucangan Buahan-Tabanan. Odalan Alit di Pura Dalem Takuran di Cemenggoan Sukawati. Odalan Ida Ratu Sundaring Jagat Penataran Agung Besakih. Mr. Pasek Gelgel Silakarang. Pura Dalem Bangun Sakti Kapal. Pura Dalem Bias Muntig Ped-Nusa Penida. 10 Nov Redite Pon Medangsia. Pura Agung Pentilan Kesiman-Denpasar. Pura Pasek Tohjiwa Kerambitan Tabanan. 11 Nov Soma Wage Medangsia. Pura Nataran Desa Getas Blahbatuh. Merajan Pasek Gelgel Aan-Klungkung. Pura Pasek Bakbakan Gianyar. 12 Nov Anggara Keliwon Medangsia. Pura Pesimpangan Geria Sakti Manuaba di Yogyakarta-Sumur Lampung Selatan. Pura Luwur Uluwatu Pecatu Kuta Selatan. Pura Penataran Agung Singakerta Ubud. Pura Andakasa Karangasem. Pura Gua Lawah Klungkung. Merajan Kawitan Arya Kubontubuh Gelgel Klungkung. Pura Taman Ayun Mengwi. Pura Suralaya Banda-Klungkung. Pura Dalem Senapati Bebalang-Bangli. Pura Gadung Blahbatuh Gianyar. Pura Pasek Lurah Tutuan. Pura Pasek Gadung Kerambitan Tabanan. Pura Dalem Tugu Gelgel Klungkung. Pura Dalem Banyuning Barat-Buleleng. Odalan Sepen di Pura Puseh. Pura Desa Cemenggaon-Sukawati. Pura Pusering Jagat Pejeng-Tampaksiring. Merajan Pasek Kubayan Mengwi. Merajan Pasek Tohjiwa Gegelang-Tabanan. Pura Geria Sakti (Dang Kahyangan) Tulikup Gianyar. Pura Dalem Dauh Ubud. 13 Nov Buda Umanis Medangsia. Pura Gede Perancak-Jembrana. Pura Dalem Dauma-Batuan Sukawati. Pura Nataran Kacangdawa-Klungkung.
Odalan Bhatara Gede Apol di Ubung Denpasar. Pura Puseh Brahmana Kamasan-Klungkung. Pura Kahyangan Jagat Dalem Purwa Denbantas Tabanan. Pura Dalem Sukehet Klungkung. Pura Dalem Muaspatih Guwang Sukawati. Pura Taman Tegalalang. Pura Desa Sanding-Tampaksiring. Merajan Pasek Tohjiwa-Batanbuah-Kesiman. Merajan Pasek Tohjiwa Basangkawan. Pura Sahab Nusa Penida. Merajan Agung Gorokgak Dalem Sukawati. 14 Nov Wraspati Paing Medangsia. Pura Ulun Swi Kediri Tabanan. Pura Panti Pasek Gelgel Bitra-Gianyar. 17 Nov Redite Keliwon Pujut. Merajan Pasek Tohjiwa Kekeran-Mengwi. 17 Nov Purnama Kelima. Aci-aci Penaung Bayu di Pura Batumadeg di Besakih. Pura Kentel Gumi di Batur Baangli. Pura Pedarman Agung, Satria Denpasar. Pura Pemerajan Agung - Pemecutan Denpasar. Ngusaba di Pura Kehen Bangli. Pura Desa Pemenang di Lombok. Pura Agung Pasek Gelgel di Sumerta Denpasar. Pura Pasek Gobleg di Kekeran Mengwi. Pura Suranadi di Lombok. Pura Puncak Bukit Tampak Siring. Pura Dalem Puri Agung Kintamani. Pura Dalem Agung Nongan Karangasem. Pura Dalem Ubung-Kupang Dukuh Penebel-Tabanan. Pura Dalem Balingkang Kintamani. Pr. Tampurhyang Pusat Kawitan Mahagota Catur Sanak di Songan Kintamani. Pura Dalem Pulasari Desa Bantas Sudaji Buleleng. Merajan Pasek Gelgel di Lebih. Merajan Pasek Gelgel di Tulamben. Pura Penyusungan Pasek Tohjiwa Selemadeg Tabanan. Pura Pasar Agung Besakih Sebudi Karangasem. Merajan Pasek Gelgel Tengkulak Kaja. Pura Suci Desa Tianyar Kubu Karangasem. Pura Bukit Mentik ring Gunung Lebah Desa Batur Kintamani. Pura Narmada di Lombok. Pura Segara di Ampenan Lombok. Pura Ularan di Seririt Buleleng. 24 Nov Redite Paing Pahang. Pura Pasek Tohjiwa Kekeran Mengwi. Pura Pasek Sandra Peguyangan Badung. 26 Nov Anggara Wage Pahang. Pura Batu Madeg (Meru Tumpang Sanga) di Besakih. Pura Hyang Tibha Batuan Sakah.
27 Nov Buda Keliwon Pahang. Pura Luhur Puncak Padang Dawa Baturiti Tabanan. Pura Silayukti Padangbai-Karangasem. Pura Aer Jeruk Sukawati. Pura Dangin Pasar Batuan-Sukawati. Pura Penataran di Batuyang-Batubulan. Pura Desa Lembeng Ketewel-Sukawati. Pura Pasek Bendesa Dukuh-Kediri-Tabanan. Pura Kawitan Dalem Sukawati Gianyar. Pura Kresek Banyuning-Buleleng. Pura Puseh di Bebandem-Karangasem. Merajan Pasek Kubayan-Gaji. Merajan pasek Gelgel Jeroan Abang-Songan. Merajan Pasek Subrata Temaga. Merajan Pasek Gelgel Bungbungan. Pura Sad Kahyangan Batu Medahu Swana Nusa Penida. Pura Buda Kliwon Penatih-Denpasar. Pura Penataran Dukuh Nagasari Bebandem Karangasem. Pura Pasek Bendesa Tagtag Paguyangan. Pura Pulasari Sibang Gede Abiansemal. Pura Batur Sari Ubud. Pura Penataran Agung Sukawati. 2 Dec Soma Keliwon Krulut. Pura Pasel Gelgel Kekeran Mengwi Badung. Merajan Pasek Subadra Kramas-Gianyar. 7 Dec Tumpek Krurut. Pura Pasek Gelgel Br Tengah Buleleng. Pura Dalem Pemuteran di Desa Jelantik Tojan Klungkung. Pura Pedarmaan Bhujangga Waisnawa di Besakih. Pura Taman Sari Desa Gunungsari Penebel - Tabanan. Pura Dalem Tarukan di Bebalang Bangli. Pura Benua Kangin Besakih. Pura Merajan Kanginan (Ida Betara Empu Beradah) di Besakih. 8 Dec Redite Umanis Merakih. Pura Parangan Tengah Banjar Ceningan Kangin Lembongan Nusa Penida. Pura Dalem Celuk Sukawati - Gianyar. 11 Dec Buda Wage Merakih. Pura Bendesa Mas Kepisah - Pedungan - Denpasar Selatan. Pura Natih Banjar Kalah - Batubulan. Pura Desa Silakarang - Singapadu. Pura dalem Petitenget - Kerobokan - Kuta. Pura Dalem Pulasari - Samplangan - Gianyar. Pura Kubayan - Kepisah - Pedungan - Denpasar - Selatan. Pura Pasek gelgel Banjar Tanahpegat - Tabanan. Pr. Paibon Banjar Bengkel - Sumerta - Denpasar. Pura Pasek Lumintang - Denpasar. Pr. Panti Penyarikan Medahan - Sanding - Tampaksiring. Pr. Pasar Agung Banjar Dauh Peken - Kaba-kaba - Tabanan.
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.
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Justin Bieber arrives in Philippines
Price: Rp 3.000,-
Entertainment
WEATHER FORECAST 23 - 32 Dps
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 World leaders, South Africans remember Mandela
e-mail: info_ibp@balipost.co.id online: http://www.internationalbalipost.com. http://epaper.internationalbalipost.com.
Tinkering and blunders put Benitez under pressure Page 8
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A farmer working in his field. Partisanship seriousness of Bali government in improving the welfare of farmers and agricultural development in Bali is questioned.
MANILA, Philippines — Teen heartthrob Justin Bieber arrived Tuesday in the Philippines, where he has launched a campaign to help victims of last month’s killer typhoon. Bieber, adored by young fans worldwide for hits like “Baby,” arrived on a special flight, Immigration officer Jerome Ollet said. Pictures on social media showed fans snapping photos of the star at Manila’s airport. Onodera and Australian Foreign Minister Julia Bishop flew to worst-hit Tacloban city Sunday to console survivors and pledge continuing aid. Grammy-winning singer Alicia Keys visited an air force base in Manila two weeks ago and distributed crayons and coloring books to children of families who arrived aboard mercy flights by the Philippine and U.S. military
from typhoon-ravaged provinces of Leyte and Samar. The R&B star was in Manila at the time for a concert. Bieber said donors get a chance to win a prize to hang out with him in a studio while he works on his upcoming album. “The moment I heard about the tragedy a few weeks back,” Bieber said, “I thought I can count on you guys to make a difference.”
MTV declares Miley Cyrus its artist of the year Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK — Here’s something to wag a tongue at: MTV says Miley Cyrus is the best artist of the year. The former child star twerked her way to the top. Her eye-popping duet with Robin Thicke on the MTV Video Music Awards was one of the year’s most talked about cultural events. MTV said Monday the VMA duet on “We Can’t Stop” and “Blurred Lines” was the year’s most watched video on its websites. Similarly, the MTV artist site devoted to Cyrus had more visits than any other artist’s. Besides “We Can’t Stop,” the song “Wrecking Ball” and album “Bangerz” were big hits for Cyrus, who also had notable appearances on “Saturday Night Live” and MTV’s European music awards show. MTV executives pick their top artist. One Direction won last year, and Katy Perry won the year before. This year, Cyrus was an easy choice, said Amy Doyle, head of MTV’s music and talent programming strategy. “She dominated the music charts and critics’ best-of lists while creating some of the year’s most memorable moments,” Doyle said. Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File
FILE - This Dec. 6, 2013 file photo shows Miley Cyrus performing during the KIIS-FM Jingle Ball concert at Staples Center in Los Angeles. MTV has declared that Miley Cyrus is the best artist of the year.
Thai Protesters Push for Eradication of Shinawatras From Politics Page 13 IBP/File Photo
Associated Press Writer
In a video posted on the fund-raising platform Prizeo, Bieber asked fans to help him support victims of Typhoon Haiyan, which left nearly 6,000 people dead and more than 1,700 others missing, and flattened entire towns and villages in the central Philippines. Bieber is one of the several foreign and local celebrities and VIPs who have helped out. Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori
16 Pages Number 237 5th year
Photo by Isaac Brekken/Invision/AP, File
FILE - In this Sept. 30, 2012 file photo, Justin Bieber performs at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Bieber arrived Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013, in the Philippines, where he has launched a campaign to help victims of last month’s killer typhoon.
Only 2 percent of regional budget
Government concerned over agricultural sector questioned Bali Post
DENPASAR - Partisanship seriousness of Bali government in improving the welfare of farmers and agricultural development in Bali is questioned. In terms of budget, it is considered inadequate for the agricultural sector. Based on the data in the book of Bali Regional Budget 2014, the total agricultural budget existing in the Bali Agriculture and Food Crop Agency is around IDR 76 billion. It means the budget for the agricultural sector is still less than 2 percent of the total Bali Regional Budget 2014 reaching IDR 4.3 trillion. The lack of agricultural budget is widely criticized by some legislators of the Bali House. “The attention of government is still minimal in the agricultural sector. With such a small budget, what can be done to improve the welfare of farmers? At least, the agricultural budget should be 10 percent of the Regional Budget so there is real concern to farmers,” said a member of Commission II of the Bali House, Gusti Putu Budiarta, in Denpasar, Monday (Dec 9). It was said the government’s attention was needed either through regulation or program when the agricultural sector of Bali was facing various threats, where the internal threat was like the land conversion, low competitiveness, lack of interest in working on the agricultural sector, while the external threats were free trade in which the agricultural product from outside would flood Bali and could displace local products. “The free market is a serious challenge for our farmers in Bali
whether we can survive or are even eroded. Here is where the government plays an important role on how to create strong and competitive farmers. There should be an improvement from the upstream to downstream. The agricultural infrastructure must also be addressed,” said the PDI-P politician from Denpasar. Another member of Commission II, Wayan Pinta Yadia, emphasized the importance of government to improve human resources of farmers in the face of free market competition. On that account, coaching and counseling to farmers should be conducted intensively through the field extension officers (PPL). Farmers should not be left to struggle alone and lack of information. “All this time, farmers get illegal information. In the future, it must be attempted in order the information come in from the government and academia. If possible, the government must provide a comparative study for farmers to outside the region to increase their knowledge,” he said.
The application of agricultural technology as well as the research and development in the agriculture should really be encouraged in society. “It is time for the agriculture of Bali to lead to commodity specialization according to the character of the land. Besides, Bali must have a clear farming zone. So far, the direction of agricultural development is unclear,” said the politician from Jembrana. Separately, the Head of Bali Agriculture Agency, Ida Bagus Wisnu Ardana, admitted the budget for the agricultural sector in 2014 in the Agriculture Agency only reached IDR 76 billion. The fund was allocated for several programs such as the welfare improvement of farmers worth IDR 7.141 billion consisting of the improvement of human resource quality and institution (IDR 143 million) as well as the strengthening and development of Simantri (IDR 6.9 billion), food security improvement program (IDR 4.8 billion), development and supervision of fertilizer program, pesticides and agricultural production tools (IDR 1.2 billion), agribusiness development program (IDR 1.4 billion), expenditure subsidy (IDR 10 billion), Simantri grant (IDR 22 billion), special allocation fund (IDR 4.9 billion) and other programs. Continued on page 6