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16 Pages Number 115 3st Year Price: Rp 3.000,-
e-mail: info_ibp@balipost.co.id online: http://www.internationalbalipost.com. http://epaper.internationalbalipost.com.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
PAGE 8
Craftsmen finishing their wooden handicrafts. Export of Bali’s typical handicraft, chiefly wooden handicraft made by Balinese artisans, remains to dominate the foreign exchange earnings of the Island of the Gods.
Bear Hugs and Big Smiles at the “Kung Fu Panda 2” Premiere PAGE 12
IBP/Net
Wooden handicraft exports contribute to Bali’s income Bali Post
WEATHER FORECAST
DENPASAR - Export of Bali’s typical handicraft, chiefly wooden handicraft made by Balinese artisans, remains to dominate the foreign exchange earnings of the Island of the Gods. The data on handicraft export realization issued by Bali Industry and Trade Services (Disperindag) in March 2011 indicated the export of wooden crafts ranked first with foreign exchange earnings reaching USD 5 million with the sales volume of 3,600,020 pieces.
In the second place, furniture handicraft contributed foreign exchange worth USD 2.3 million, and in the third position was silverwork reaching USD 1.6 million with the volume reaching 328,135 pieces. Meanwhile, other crafts such as rock stone craft valued at USD 1.4 million, bamboo handicraft (USD 1.3 million), rattan craft (USD 1 million), and metal crafts (USD 1.1 million).
In the meantime, the smallest amount of export value was musical instrument craft that only reached USD 385 with a volume of 356 pieces. However, if compared to the realization of export in the period of January to March 2011, the export of Bali’s wooden crafts declined 21.56 percent compared to the same period from January to March 2010. Continued on page 6
CITY
TEMPERATURE OC
DENPASAR
25 - 33
JAKARTA
25 - 34
BANDUNG
21 - 31
NAM senior officials discuss political, economic, social issues
YOGYAKARTA
24 - 33
Antara
SURABAYA
26 - 37
NUSA DUA - Senior officials of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) on the second day of their meeting here, Tuesday, discussed political, economic and social issues of the member countries. According to the agenda issued by the Indonesian foreign affairs ministry, as the host of the ongoing NAM Senior Officials‘ Meeting (SOM), May 23-24, and the 16th NAM Ministerial Meeting,
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Indonesian police patrol a beach near the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) conference in Nusa Dua, on Bali island, on May 24, 2011. NAM, made up of 118 developing countries, is holding a ministerial conference and commemorative meeting from May 23-27 on the Indonesia resort island of Bali.
May 25-27, a plenary meeting of the NAM Senior Officials will be organized in the afternoon. In the evening, Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa will host a dinner reception for NAM foreign ministers at Nusa Dua. In the minister meeting, NAM is expected to official accept Fiji and Azerbaijan as its new members, bringing the total number of NAM member countries into 120. Continued on page 6
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International
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Bali News
Drowning while rafting, a Chinese tourist dies Semarapura (Bali Post)—
Disaster afflicted a group of tourists from China when they were enjoying rafting adventure on Melangit River, Banjarangkan (Bakas Levi Rafting), Monday (May 23). One of the rafts carrying the guests keeled over. Four Chinese tourists with a rafting guide consequently drowned. One of the guests, Liu Yuan Yuan, 32, died in the accident, while another, Zhang Jun Hua, 34, was referred to Sanglah Hospital to get intensive care. Meanwhile, two others and the rafting guide survived. Information at location mentioned the group of Chinese tourists amounted to 38 people. They booked a ticket for rafting from the morning. They were expected to start or go down to the river at 10:00 a.m. and divided into nine rafts. As planned, they would cover a challenge along six kilometers with a travel time of less than two hours. At that time, the victim joined in the raft number six. “Based on information I got from the officers, the boat overturned. Since it was the first time, passengers might be panicstricken whilst under the boat and drowned. When drowning, the river water was possibly ingested so it was hard for the victim to rise to the surface. Perhaps, the victim also had a history of diseases such as heart attack,” said the owner of Bakas Levi Rafting, Nyoman Levi Suweta. Obviously, he said, when the
group of Chinese tourists went down to the river, the weather condition was very conducive. Similarly, condition of the water stream was small. Other than the group, there were also many other tourist groups taking rafting adventure then. The rafting guide had followed the standards such as reminding tourists to put on the safety helmet, buoy jacket and other equipments. It also included the standard instructions. “Probably, it was the victim’s (Liu Yuan Yuan—Ed) bad luck,” added the marketing officer of Bakas Levi Rafting, Nyoman Merta. Allegedly, the victim died as having difficulty to rise to the surface due to overweight. A number of paramedics in the Emergency Room of Klungkung Hospital mentioned Liu Yuan Yuan had died when arriving in the Klungkung Hospital at 1:30 p.m. Meanwhile, Zhang Jun Hua was still alive but unconscious. “The victims Zhang Jun Hua needed more intensive treatment because the water had entered through the lungs. So, the victim was then referred to Sanglah Hospital,” said one of the paramedics. Meanwhile, a number of police officers also appeared at scene to identify the victim’s body. “We still have to collect the data in advance to confirm the exact cause of the victim’s death,” said Chief of Banjarangkan Police, AKP Ketut Suastika. (kmb20)
Sidatapa Resident Robbed Cash and Gold Taken Singaraja (Bali Post) –
Sidatapa Village, Banjar, resident Luh Budiasih (34) reported to have been robbed to the Banjar Police last Monday (23/5) as Head of Banjar Police, APC Burhanudin, confirmed. It was stated the robbery caused IDR 2 million loss to victim. It was explained that her room door was knocked while she was asleep on Sunday (22/5) early morning. She thought it’s her husband but then it was someone unknown which straight away covered her mouth with scarf and asked cash from victim. As victim felt scared, victim gave IDR 150,000 then to the robber another IDR 250,000 as the robber demanded more. Besides that, a gold necklace and a gold ring was also given to the robber. The robber then left victim still tied up. Burhanudin stated the case is still investigated and have commanded officers to go to victim’s house also get witnesses statements. (kmb15)
IBP/File
The crowded parking is seen on Badung Market.
As for private sector to build central parking Prepare rules, apply progressive rates Denpasar (Bali Post)—
Lacking of interest among the private sector to build parking facility, such as central parking in Denpasar, was responded by the ranks of Denpasar House. Moreover, so far the fund sourcing from Denpasar Regional Budget to build parking facilities was still quite minimal. As a result, the endeavor to build a central parking in Denpasar was inhibited. Yet, on the other side the demand for a central parking in this culture-based city was very urgent. Secretary of Democratic Party Faction in the Denpasar House, AA Susruta Ngurah Putra, said in his office on Monday (May 23) that his party understood what sighed by the Head of Denpasar Spatial Planning and Housing Services (DTRP), Kusuma Diputra. Previously, Kusuma Diputra recognized the low interest of private sector to build a central parking. As a result, the development plan of central parking in Denpasar had to wait for the fund from the regional budget. Susruta assessed the low interest of private sector to build infrastructure in the area of parking was due to unclear rules. If only there were clear rules in the management of parking services in Denpasar, his party had confidence that many people would be willing to invest in this field. He said such reluctance was inseparable from the implementation of flat or fixed rates. Supposedly, some points should apply a progressive rate pattern or charges on hourly basis.
When this could be applied, his party was sure that many investors would be interested to build the parking facilities. It was said the weakness of flat parking rate was that many shop owners around it would park their vehicle in the parking lot. As a result, visitors would have difficulty to find a parking space. “If applying a progressive rate, the longer visitor parks, the more charges will be. Of course, this
will trigger people not put their vehicle in the parking lot for a longer time,” explained Susruta. To implement the policy, it should be commenced by preparing a clear regulation. At the very least, the regional regulation should be made first. This could be prepared by the executive or based on the initiative of the House,” said representative of the people of West Denpasar electoral district. (kmb12)
C.05338-rmk
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Bali News
International
Obtaining permit from Central Govt, land of BIP triggers polemic Mangupura (Bali Post)—
Highlight of the Head of Bali House, AAN Oka Ratmadi, regarding to one of the strategic projects supporting the APEC Summit namely the Bali International Park (BIP) at Jimbaran was quite reasonable. Actually, the project had obtained a permit from the President and was followed up through a decree of Minister of Culture and Tourism. It was mentioned, the project estimated to cost trillions of rupiahs should be completed in September 2013. Unfortunately, until now there are still pros and cons in the community, especially regarding to land to be used. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had issued Presidential Decree No. 29/2010 concerning with the establishment of the National Organizing Committee for the High-Level Conference on the Asia-Pacific Economic Corporation XXI in 2013 and determination of Bali Province as the venue of the conference. The decree was then followed up by the issuance of the Decree of Minister of Culture and Tourism No. KM.6/ UM.001/MKP/2011 dated January 11, 2011, concerning with Determination of Venue and Facilities Development for the APEC Summit XXI in 2013. In the Decree of Minister of Culture and Tourism was decided the area of Bali International Park (BIP) was the venue for the APEC Summit at Jimbaran, South Kuta area with the extent of 250 hectares. The decision also set forth PT Jimbaran Hijau as the developer to build the entire facility with the total development budget charged to the developer. For information, the land allocated for BIP was the land belonging to PT Citra Tama Selaras (CTS), where its current utilization was still causing pros and cons. The Village Chief of Jimbaran, I Made Tarip Widarta, said on Monday (May 23), that Jimbaran community urged to realize the development plan of BIP. They really hoped the development could be carried out to absorb the local labor. Similar opinion was disclosed by Chief of Jimbaran Customary Village, Made Budiasa. He said the local residents were very supportive and even urged the project could be realized soon. Budiasa also stated if it was not displaced land, so there was no problem if the project would be worked on. In response to polemic afflicting the land of BIP, Tarip Widarta re-emphasized that PT CTS had owned the building rights on land (HGB) on 171 hectares of land at Jimbaran. Then, there was a small portion of land disputed by a number of residents, whereas it had been clear if the land still belonged
to PT CTS. He said CTS was actually ready to relocate those residents by giving land compensation to each of them. “Go ahead if there is one claiming to be the holder of authority. That’s fine it does not matter for us. But, what we deplore is the holder of the authority even did not inform the farmers if the land was not their right. I do not take sides in investors. However, if the legal fact shows the land belongs to investors, why is our society encouraged to take the land that do not belong to them?” he asked. On the other hand, I Nengah Netra that held the authority of the sharecropping farmers of the disputed land affirmed that HGB owned by PT CTS had already aborted under Government Regulation No. 11/2010 on the Control and Efficiency of Displaced Land. Even, his party stated if the National Land Agency (BPN) of Bali Province was verifying and coming down to location because indicated if the land was displaced. “At the moment, the status of the land is just waiting determination from central BPN,” he said. Netra responded by accusing the statement of Village Head of Jimbaran and community figures concerning with disputed land was only a message of investors. “What they said is wrong. I am the holder of authority of the Dompa Farmers Community, Jimbaran. Our member amounts to more than 200 people,” he said. Meanwhile, a legislator of Badung House, I Wayan Puspa Negara, also spoke about the disputed land of CTS. He emphasized that his capacity in the sharecropping farmers that protested not long ago was just to ensure in order the rights of farmers could be fulfilled by PT CTS transparently. As a representative of the people, he did not want if the fate of sharecroppers was suspended or marginalized. Puspa Negara explained his party only performed data validation through community inventory or sharecropping farmers on the land of CTS. Verification needed carrying out carefully, so that no farmers would be harmed due to relocation. If there was any indication that some sharecroppers did not get their rights, his party hoped it could be resolved as soon as possible. In addition, Puspa Negara denied if his party stated the land owned by CTS was displaced land. According to him, the land with the extent of hundreds of hectares was identified as displaced land because so far it was not exploited. “I did not call it displaced land. It was just indicated as displaced land. And it surely needs to be verified further,” said the legislator from Legian, Kuta. (kmb25)
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
3
Buildings Filled City’s Green Open Space Denpasar (Bali Post) –
Denpasar City government commitment to keep 30 percent area to be green open space (RTHK) seemed difficult to make it happen as most of them are now filled with buildings as seen at Suradipa Street, Peguayangan Kaja, North Denpasar also Tukad Balian Street, Renon. This violence has been going on for a long time and buildings still built in the forbidden places. Head of Denpasar House of Representatives Commission B, Ir. Eko Supriadi, admitted that the violence will keep on going as besides land owner’s understanding it is also caused by the limited control from workers of con-
nected institute as there are only five people working in quite huge four sub districts. “These are important people and there should be more,” he exclaimed. To him ideally 20 workers is a minimum. However, when confirmed last
Monday (23/5) Head of Spatial Space and Housing for Denpasar City, Ir. Made Kusuma Diputra, MT, admitted to have not received any neither reports nor complains. “We will check it first,” he stated. (kmb12)
IBP/file
One of the green open space in Denpasar is being used for a shop
Denpasar Population Exploded Clean Water Only Covers 52 % Denpasar (Bali Post)
Clean water supplies in Denpasar City still became a crucial problem until now as the Municipal Waterworks (PDAM) service is still low. PDAM only can give services to 67,000 people or around 52 percent of the population as there’s a shortage on water source, as stated by Denpasar PDAM Director, I Putu Gede Maha Putra, when contacted by Bali Post on Monday (23/5). Now the Sarbagitaku Project of the government’s is asked to be realised by PDAM. As promised before. The project was found by former Bali Governor, Dewa Made Beratha, where clean water supplies for South Bali will be using Unda River in Klungkung. According to Maha Putra, if this is not done then to fulfil 100 percent will be much more difficult as Denpasar population will keep on increasing. (bit)
IBP/file
An elderly woman is filling her bucket with water. Clean water supplies in Denpasar City still became a crucial problem until now as the Municipal Waterworks (PDAM) service is still low
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News
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
International
NATO airstrikes hit Tripoli, heaviest bombing yet Associated Press Writer
TRIPOLI, Libya – NATO warplanes bombarded targets in Tripoli with more than 20 airstrikes early Tuesday, striking around Moammar Gadhafi’s residential compound in what appeared to be the heaviest night of bombing of the Libyan capital since the Western alliance launched its air campaign against his forces. The rapid string of strikes, all within less than half an hour, set off thunderous booms that rattled windows, sent heavy, acridsmelling plumes of smoke over the city, including from an area close to Gadhafi’s sprawling Bab al-Aziziya compound. Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said at least three people were killed and dozens wounded in NATO strikes that targeted what he described as buildings used by volunteer units of the Libyan army. NATO said in a statement that a number of the strikes hit a vehicle storage facility adjacent to Bab al-Aziziya that has been used in supplying regime forces “conducting attacks on civilians.” It was not immediately clear if the facility was the only target hit in the barrage. Bab al-Aziziya, which includes a number of military facilities, has been pounded repeatedly by NATO strikes. The military aircraft whooshed low over the city during the night, the strikes coming in series of three loud booms, a pause of minutes punctuated by the hissing sound of low-flying jets, then more shaking, shud-
dering strikes, shaking windows miles away from Bab al-Aziziya. The sound of other more distant explosions could also be heard. Pro-Gadhafi loyalists beeped their car horns and fired guns, shouting their support for the Libyan leader. Armed men sprayed the night sky with gunfire in response. Men screamed and shouted outside the hotel where journalists were staying, declaring their loyalty to Gadhafi. Observers described the bombing as the heaviest attack on the Libyan capital since NATO began its air campaign on March 19 after the passage of a U.N. Security Council resolution to protect civilians after Gadhafi responded to the public uprising against his rule by unleashing his military and his militias. In one room of the Tripoli Central Hospital, the bodies of three mangled men in their twenties lay on stretchers, their clothing ripped and their faces partially blown away and dusty. A nurse, Ahmad Shara, told reporters taken on a government-escorted visit to the facility soon after the strikes that the men were standing outside their homes when they were killed, presumably by shrapnel.
REUTERS/Louafi Larbi
Smoke rises above buildings in Tripoli early May 24, 2011. Heavy explosions were heard in the Libyan capital Tripoli early on Tuesday and a government spokesman said NATO airstrikes had killed three people and wounded 150.
Japan’s TEPCO admits further reactor meltdowns Agence France Presse
TOKYO – Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power Company said Tuesday it believed most of the fuel had melted at two more reactors at its tsunamistricken nuclear power plant. TEPCO had previously said fuel rods inside reactor one had been fully exposed to the air and had mostly melted. It
AP Photo/Kyodo News
said reactors two and three could be in a similar condition. “It is highly possible that meltdowns have occurred at reactors two and three,” a TEPCO spokesman said as the firm released its latest analysis of data from the Fukushima Daiichi plant after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. “Most of the fuel is believed to
A villager wearing protective suits holds flowers to offer at a grave site as he prepares for a return to his house located near the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, in Tamura, Fukushima prefecture, northern Japan, Sunday, May 22, 2011.
have fallen to the bottom (of pressure vessels that contain fuel rods) as has happened in reactor one,” he said. The announcement Tuesday means all three active reactors are believed to have experienced meltdowns but the TEPCO spokesman added: “They are now being cooled and are in stable conditions.” Japan’s March 11 disaster left nearly 25,000 people dead or missing. Cooling systems at the Fukushima plant were disabled, leading reactors to overheat, triggering the worst nuclear incident since Chernobyl 25 years ago.
UN envoy: Myanmar does little to stop rights abuse Associated Press Writer
BANGKOK – The United Nations’ human rights envoy to Myanmar said the country’s nascent civilian government has done little to address widespread abuses, including forced labor and extrajudicial killings, since replacing the ruling junta in March. Elections last year for a new parliament and the installation of civilian leaders were hailed by Myanmar’s military leaders as the final steps on as their “roadmap to democracy.” But U.N. envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana told reporters Monday in Bangkok that “democracy requires much more.” Myanmar’s government is cur-
rently refusing to allow Quintana to visit the Southeast Asian nation. The envoy spoke after a weeklong trip to Thailand to talk with refugees from Myanmar. Thailand is home to more than 100,000 people who have fled the neighboring country. Quintana said violence continues along Myanmar’s eastern border region, and ethnic minority groups there are victims of “land confiscation, forced labor, internal displacement, extrajudicial killings and sexual violence.” These abuses “are widespread, they continue today, and they remain essentially unaddressed by the authorities,” Quintana said. In Myanmar’s eastern Kayah state,
for example, both men and women have fled out of fear of being conscripted into the military, he said. There is such a deficit of schools there that some parents send their children to refugee camps in Thailand for basic education, he added. Ethnic groups living in the eastern and northern border areas have sought more autonomy since Myanmar’s independence in 1948, and the government maintains uneasy cease-fires with most armed groups in those regions but faces low-level rebellions by others. Human rights organizations have long accused the military of forcing civilians into forced labor, particularly as porters.
AFP PHOTO/Soe Than WIN
Deputy US assistant secretary for East Asia and Pacific affairs Joseph Yun (C) talks to reporters after his meeting with Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi (l), at Suu Kyi’s house in Yangon on May 19, 2011.
International
Activities
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
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Another prestigious award for Bali Tropic Resort & Spa HolidayCheck.com is a famous international tourism internet portal, based in Germany awarded Bali Tropic Resort & Spa as Top Hotel 2011 recently. The award given base on good comment quantity from the customer to HolidayCheck.com. The Portal also mention that Bali Tropic Resort & Spa is one of the most popular hotels in the region. shown in the picture : Mr.Nyoman Sudana,Executive Assistant Manager (midle with glasses) pose with the placat, accompanied by all department heads
Temple Ceremony Calendar Event for May 25 through July 8, 2011 25 May Buda Pon Tolu Catur Temple Buwana Sanding Tampaksiring 26 May Wraspati Wage Tolu Peninjoan Temple Besakih - Karangasem 1 Jun Buda Keliwon Gumbreg Pasek Gelgel Kukuh Marga Tabanan Pasek Gelgel Dukuh Selemadeg Tabanan Puseh Guwang Village Sukawati Merajan Pasek Ketewel Ketewel Merajan Pangeran Tangkas Kuro Agung Jeroan Sading Dalem Setra Batu Nunggul Swana Nusa Penida 8 Jun Buda Paing Wariga Merajan Pasek Gaduh Kayubihi Bangli 11 Jun Tumpek Uduh/Pengatag Puseh / Village Temple Batuan Sukawati Pasek Bendesa Kekeran Mengwi Manik Mas Besakih - Karangasem 15 Jun Buda Wage Warigadean Kepisah Sumerta Denpasar Pasek Gelgel Gerih Abiansemal Badung Puncaksari Penarukan Peninjoan Bangli Bangun Sakti Besakih - Karangasem Antegsari Kaba-Kaba Kediri Tabanan Pesimpangan Batur Pande Kaba-Kaba Kediri Tabanan 17 Jun Sukra Umanis Warigadean Odalan Ida Ratu di Penataran Agung Besakih - Karangasem Odalan Ida Ratu Puraus Merajan Salonding Besakih 19 Jun Redite Pon Julungwangi Panti Pasek Gelgel Gobleg Banjar - Singaraja 21 Jun Anggar Kasih Julungwangi Tirtaharum Tegalwangi Bangli Pasek Tohjiwa Wanasari Tabanan Pasek Tangguntiti Jakatebel Tabanan Pasek Bendesa Sangsit Sangsit Buleleng Dalem Waturenggong Taro Tegalalang
Ibu (Pura Kaja) Wanasari Selemadeg Tabanan Pasek Gelgel Tulikup - Gianyar Manik Bingin Sidemen - Karangasem 22 Jun Buda Umanis Julungwangi Penetaran Gana Bebalang Bangli Dalem Gede Banjar Pande Bangli Puncaksari Sangeh Abiansemal - Badung Dadia Agung Pasek Sanak Sapta Resi Gianyar Merajan Pasek Tohjiwa Tohjiwa Jakatebel Merajan Pasek Prateka Batusesa Mr. Jeroan Dauh Cemenggon Puseh Penegil Darma Kubutambahan Singaraja 30 Jun Wraspati Wage Sungsang Kawitan Tangkas Kori Agung Desa Tangkas Klungkung Siang Kangin Tampuagan Tembuku Bangli Odalan Ida Ratu Mas Penataran Agung Besakih Merajan Pasek Gelgel Petemon Odalan Ida Bhatara Bang Tulus Dewa Besakih - Karangasem 6 Jul Buda Keliwon Dunggulan Wakika Temple Kupang, NTT Agung Girinatha Temple Sumbawa Besar NTB Dukuh Sakti Temple Dukuh Kediri-Tabanan Atambuananta Temple Kutamba NTT Webananta Temple Kupang, NTT Giripati Mulawarman Temple Pontianak Mustika Dharma Temple Cijantung I Jakarta Timur Mustika Dharma Kompleks Kopassus Cijantung Jakarta Timur 7 Jul Wraspati Umanis Dunggulan Watukaru Temple Tabanan Lempuyang Luhur Temple Karangasem Kentel Gumi Temple Klungkung Pasek Gaduh Temple Umadesa Kediri Tabanan Pasek Kubayan Temple Wangaya Gede Penebel Tabanan Merajan Pasek Temple Tohjiwa Tiyingan - Klungkung Merajan Pasek Gaduh Temple Umadesa 8 Jul Sukra Paing Dunggulan Ulun Suwi Temple Jimbaran - Badung Luhur Temple Cemenggon, Sukawati - Gianyar Pasek Ubung Temple Ubung - Denpasar
Balinese Temple Ceremony EVERY Temple and Shrine has a special date for it annual Ceremony, or “ Odalan “, every 210 days according to Balinese calendar, including the smaller ancestral shrine which each family possesses. Because of this practically every few days a ceremony of festival of some kind takes place in some Village in Bali. There are also times when the entire island celebrated the same Holiday, such as at Galungan, Kuningan, Nyepi day, Saraswati day, Tumpek Landep day, Pagerwesi day, Tumpek Wayang day etc. The dedication or inauguration day of a Temple is considered its birth day and celebration always takes place on the same day if the wuku or 210 day calendar is used. When new moon is used then the celebration always happens on new moon or full moon. The day of course can differ the religious celebration of a temple lasts at least one full day with some temple celebrating for three days while the celebration of Besakih temple, the Mother Temple, is never less than 7 days and most of the time it lasts for 11 days, depending on the importance of the occasion. The celebration is very colorful. The shrine are dressed with pieces of cloths and sometimes with brocade, sailings, decorations of carved wood and sometimes painted with gold and Chinese coins, very beautifully arranged, are hung in the four corners of the shrine. In front of shrine are placed red, white or black umbrellas depending which Gods are worshipped in the shrines. In front of important shrine one sees, besides these umbrellas soars, tridents and other weapons, the “umbulumbul”, long flags, all these are prerogatives or attributes of Holiness. In front of the Temple gate put up “Penjor”, long bamboo poles, decorated beautifully ornaments of young coconut leaves, rice and other products of the land. Most beautiful to see are the girls in their colorful attire, carrying offerings, arrangements of all kinds fruits and colored cakes, to the Temple. Every visitor admires the grace with which the carry their load on their heads.
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Wednesday, May 25, 2011
7 tombs in New Kingdom Cemetery open Associated Press Writer
CAIRO – The tombs of seven men, including several who served King Tutankhamen and his father, the pharaoh Akhenaten, were opened to tourists on Monday after restoration. Egypt’s minister of antiquities, Zahi Hawass, told reporters that the tombs in the New Kingdom Cemetery could draw more visitors to the site in South Saqqara, which is better known for its pyramids, including the Step Pyramid of Djoser. The area served as the necropolis for the ancient Egyptian capital at Memphis. Hawass noted that two of the men who built tombs for themselves — Maya, the treasurer of King Tutankhamen, also known as King Tut — and Horemheb, a general under King Tut who later became king himself, “were very important men during one of Egypt’s most tumultuous periods.”Akhenaten, who lived some 3,300 years ago, closed down the temples where Egyptians worshipped in Luxor and moved his capital to a site in the desert known as Amara. After he died, King Tut tried to restore
order in Egypt by moving the religious capital back to Luxor and re-establishing worship of the traditional god, Amun.Under King Tut, “Maya was responsible for restoring order in Egypt, while his colleague Horemheb restored order abroad,” the antiquities ministry said in a statement. A tomb built for Meryneith, who was temple steward under Akhenaten, was of mudbrick encased in limestone blocks. A scene on a rear wall shows metal workers plying their trade. Other tombs were built for Ptahemwia, who was the royal butler to both Akhenaten and King Tut; Tia, a top official under Ramses II who ruled from 1303-1213 B.C.; and Pay and his son, Raia. Pay was the overseer of the harem under King Tut, and Raia was a soldier who later took over his father’s post. Some of these tombs were first discovered in 1843 by German explorer Richard Lepsius, but were not fully excavated until an Anglo-Dutch mission began excavating there in 1975. Now a Dutch team from Leiden University excavates at the site and has been restoring the tombs.
Wary of wider defiance, Saudis arrest woman driver Associated Press Writer
CAIRO – A Saudi woman was arrested for a second time for driving her car in what women’s activists said Monday was a move by the rulers of the ultraconservative kingdom to suppress an Internet campaign encouraging women to defy a ban on female driving. Manal al-Sherif and a group of other women started a Facebook page called “Teach me how to drive so I can protect myself,” urging authorities to lift the ban and posted a video clip last week of al-Sherif behind the wheel in the eastern city of Khobar. The page was removed after more than 12,000 people indicated their
News
Gun fired at Hawaii school, 1 student injured Associated Press Writer
PEARL CITY, Hawaii – A loaded handgun brought to a Hawaii middle school by a student was fired on campus before school started Monday, narrowly missing one student and leaving another with minor injuries, police said. The .45-caliber Glock went off after the student carrying the handgun pointed it at another student, and the second student pushed the gun away, Honolulu police Capt. Lester Hite said. The bullet ricocheted off a lava rock wall and went through the jacket of the boy who batted the weapon away. The bullet didn’t touch the boy’s body. The bullet is believed to have ricocheted a second time before hitting another student’s right hand and thigh. Scratches to his finger and thigh were treated with bandages, Hite said. “When he saw the boy pull out the gun, he said, `I’m out of here,’” Hite said. “He did exactly what we want all kids to do. He was getting away from that area when the
round went off.” It was the first time on record of a gun being discharged on a public school campus in Hawaii, Department of Education spokeswoman Sandy Goya said. Before the gun was fired, a group of students that included the boy who brought the gun were gathered at the bottom of a stairway near the campus’ outdoor basketball courts. The boy had unloaded the magazine, but a bullet remained in the gun’s chamber, Hite said. “He was showing it to a friend,” Hite said. “It’s unclear if they were playing around.” The 14-year-old who brought the gun to Highlands Intermediate School in Pearl City was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder,
police said. The gun was registered in the name of someone who has a different last name from the 14-yearold, Hite said. It was unclear how he obtained the gun. The campus remained open while police investigated, but some nervous parents chose to pull their children out of school. “It could’ve been a lot worse,” said Venus Acker, the mother of a seventh-grader. “I’m good now that I have my baby.” Her daughter, 12-year-old Tiffany Acker, said she was in the cafeteria when a friend spotted an ambulance. She walked to the basketball courts where a crowd had gathered and she saw a boy with one hand wrapped.
support for its call for women drivers to take to the streets in a mass drive on June 17. The campaign’s Twitter account also was deactivated. Al-Sherif, a 32-year-old IT expert, was arrested at dawn on Sunday and accused of “violating public order,” according to a security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. She was ordered held for five days while the case was investigated; her brother, Mohammed al-Sherif, who was in the car while she was driving, also was taken into custody. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that bans women — both Saudi and foreign — from driving. AP Photo/Marco Garcia
Wooden handicraft...
Police detectives investigate a campus shooting at Highlands Intermediate School May 23, 2011 in Pearl City, Hawaii. Honolulu police say a handgun brought to school by a Hawaii middle school student was fired on campus, leaving one student with minor injuries.
From page 1 In the first quarter, the export of wooden handicraft to various countries reached USD 19.13 million with the volume of 8,318,396 pieces. Foreign exchange of Bali dropped from the first quarter in 2010 reaching USD 17.8 million with the volume of 12.7 million pieces. One of the businesspeople of Bali’s typical handicrafts met by Bali Post last Monday at Kumbasari Art Market, Wardani, said the type of wooden craft and miniature of sculpture were still dominating the products in demand among foreign tourists, especially from the United States, France,
Italy, Australia and Singapore. Admittedly, the wooden crafts made by Balinese artisans had superiority in terms of carving, ornamental style, and low prices. Additionally, Balinese handicrafts had been famous around the world so the products purchased by customers would be re-sold in their home country. “For the first quarter in 2011, the market situation indeed declines because it does not enter holiday season and sluggish global economic condition. Moreover, the rising price of world crude oil causes many customers reduce their orders,” she said. (bit)
NAM... From page 1 The senior officials meeting will be followed by a Commemorative Meeting expected to produce a Bali Commemorative Declaration (BCD) to mark the 50th anniversary of NAM. Egypt is the current chairman of NAM. The theme of the 16th NAM ministerial meeting and the Commemorative meeting is “Shared Vision on the Contribution of NAM for The next 50 years.”
The meeting will review the NAM progress since the Summit in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt, in July 2009. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to officially open the 16th NAM Ministerial Meeting in Nusa Dua, Wednesday (May 25). At present, almost 60 percent of the United Nations (UN) members are NAM members. The NAM meeting‘s organizing committee has invited 118 member countries, Fiji and Azerbaijan as the new members, 18 observer countries (such as Argentine, Bosnia,
Brazil, China, Serbia, Mexico and Ukraine), 10 observer organizations (among others the African Union, the United Nations, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference - OIC), 26 guest countries (such as the United States, Japan, and Russia), and 23 guest organizations (among others UNIDO, UNESCAP, and ICRC). NAM was founded in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in September 1961, to forge solidarity, boost confidence and unite visions of 25 developing countries joining the Belgrade meeting.
International
Indonesia Today
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
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Pertamina lost US$30 million by Cilacap tank fires Antara
JAKARTA - The losses suffered by state-owned oil and gas firm PT Pertamina in its Central Java‘s Cilacap oil tank fires early last month reached US$30 million, a Pertamina official said.
AFP PHOTO / ROMEO GACAD
A cigarette vendor sits beside a tray containing various local tobacco brands at a Jakarta sidewalk on May 19, 2011. Cigarettes cost about one dollar for a pack of 20, yet they are often the second biggest item of household expenditure after food for Indonesia’s poorest families. The country of some 240 million people is one of the last lightly-regulated major tobacco markets in the world and is paying the price in terms of growing rates of addiction, especially among women and children. Cigarette consumption in Indonesia soared 47 percent in the 1990s, according to the World Health Organisation.
University rectors invited to formulate fisheries curriculum Antara
JAKARTA - Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammand will invite the rectors of a number of higher learning institutes to discuss the inclusion of maritime and fisheries-related subjects in their teaching programs to make them more compatible with the needs of the labor market.
“I will invite the university rectors to formulate curriculum which are adjusted to the labor market`s needs,” the minister said here on Monday. He said that there were complaints at present the subjects taught in universities were often not fit to the needs for a graduate to face employment. Adjustment to employment is important for university graduates
so that their classifications would meet the need of various companies seeking workers. “We will invite the rectors on Wednesday to discuss this matter,” he said adding that the central board of statistics pointed out there was a total of 8.1 unemployed people. Some of the unemployed people are within the productive age between 20 and 40 years, he said.
Education minister urged to oversee Pancasila education Antara
JAKARTA - National Education Minister M.Nuh should seriously oversee the reintroduction of Pancasila (Indonesia‘s state ideology) instruction at schools, a legislator said here on Monday. “The overseeing must be done from the planning until the implementation stage (of Pancasila education), and (the minister) is also expected to listen to suggestions and considerations from the House CommissionX,” said Ferdiansyah, a member of the House commission-X. He made the remarks regarding the demand from several quarters, that Pancasila education be reimplemented in all levels of national education. The need for Pancasila educa-
tion relating to the rampant growth of fundamentalist ideology, radicalism and liberalism which can trigger the development of anarchist actions to terrorism, he said. According to Ferdiansyah, in efforts to make Pancasila education concrete and clear, the government should revise the government regulation (PP) No.19 on national education standards. The revision of the government regulation (PP) No.19 is aimed to emphasize the categories and classification structure of the curriculum and the basic framework of the curriculum, he said. Previously, Constitutional Court (MK) Chairman Mahfud MD said on Monday the heads of state institutions will meet at the MK office here on Tuesday (May 24) to discuss the In-
donesian state ideology of Pancasila. The discussion forum on Pancasila would be attended by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Vice President Boediono, the heads of the People‘s Consultative Assembly (MPR) , House of Representatives, Regional Representatives Council (DPD), State Audit Agency (BPK), the Attorney General‘s Office , Judicial Commission (KY) and the Constitutional Court (MK). Pancasila comprises the five principles of the Republic of Indonesia‘s state ideology, namely belief in God Almighty, humanity that is just and civilized, the unity of Indonesia, democracy guided by the wisdom of representative deliberation, and social justice for all Indonesians.
“Now we are still in the process of claiming the insurance compensation,” acting Pertamina director for processing affairs Rukmi Hadihartini told a hearing with the House of Representatives (DPR)`s Commission VII for energy affairs, here on Monday. Pertamina is under the insurance protection service of PT Tugu Pratama, which is also a subsidiary of the state-owned firm. She said that of the losses about 20 million dollars were derived from the fires on the tanks and one million dollars from the expense used for putting out the fire.
Rukmi said that after passing through an investigation process, Pertamina discharged four managers in connection with the fire, namely managers for refineries, for production, for maintenance and for technical affairs. However, the investigation also revealed that the fire did not have impact on the next operations. The fire was caused by a technical error. On April 2-3, 2011 three fuel oil tanks of Pertamina in Cilacap, Central Java, caught fires. The fire was put under control on April 6, 2011.
Democrat party fires its treasurer Antara
JAKARTA - The advisory board of the ruling Democrat Party fired its general treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin following negative reports about him so far. The secretary of the party‘s advisory board, Amir Syamsuddin said when announcing the decision here on Monday evening that the decision was taken to curb the negative reporting. “The negative reporting on Muhammad Nazaruddin in the past few weeks has placed the Democrat Party in an unfavorable position and hindered Muhammad Nazaruddin`s work,” he said. Amir was accompanied by advisory board members EE Mangindaan and Jero Wacik when making the announcement. Nazaruddin hurting Democrat Party Negative reports about Muhammad Nazaruddin in the past few weeks have put the ruling Democrat Party in an unfavorable position, Amir Syamsuddin, secretary of the party‘s honors council, said. Therefore, the party had finally taken the decision to fire Muhammad Nazaruddin as the party‘s general treasurer, he said when announcing the decision at
a press conference at the office of the Democrat Party Executive Board on Jalan Kramat VII here on Monday evening. He said the decision was taken with a view to neutralizing the negative reports. Speaking in the company of party Honors Council members EE Mangindaan and Jero Wacik, Amir said the decision was taken in a meeting of the council led by its chairman, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. who is also the president at Yudhoyono‘s private residence in Puri Cikeas, Bogor, West Java, Monday morning. The meeting was also attended by deputy chairman of the council, Anas Urbaningrum, who is also the party‘s general chairman. “The decision of the board is firing Muhammad Nazaruddin or suspend him from his post as general treasurer,” Amir said. Other points in the decision read out by Amir at the press conference were about alleged cases faced by Muhammad Nazaruddin which are linked to money and the state budget. “If Muhammad Nazaruddin remains in his post as a general treasurer it will have a bad impact on the person concerned or the Democrat Party,” he said.
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International
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Bali Today Let’s Spend Holidays at Village When school holiday season arrives, villages can become one of the good inspirations to spend holidays with family. Villages are free from pollution and inversely proportional to the noisy atmosphere of the city. Having been busy getting in touch with books and lessons in school, children also need to refresh their mind. Thus, the PKK Team Leader of Bali Province Mrs. Ayu Pastika revealed recently. According to her, it would be very good if the opportunity of school holiday was taken advantage to enjoy the village’s life. Though school had taught a variety of cultures and arts, but when making a visit to village, it would be found interesting the differences of culture and art of one village from other villages. She truly realized if the urban children were currently made quite busy with the extraordinary advances in technology. “Now, it’s time for parents to guide their children to balance the modernity and tradition,” she said while adding that on the one hand, technology had become a part of the development of time and supported the education domain, but on the other hand, children should not be dissolved along with the technology itself. Furthermore, Mrs. Ayu Pastika said that village was usually replete with the comfort to relieve fatigue and tiredness touching the mind. Children would be able to see friendliness of the people, enjoy the natural atmosphere and beauty of nature making them fresher. “At village, children can also watch how some people remain to cook by using firewood. This includes a training of patience and courage. It will be a pity if they miss them,” she said while adding the charm of experience when passing through a winding route, up and down through rural roads that would make our adrenalin more active, especially when trying to ride motorcycle taxi. Having a closer look at local culture, seeing the uniqueness of each corner of the village along with its rice terrace and the beauty of snaky river would give a memorable experience. Meanwhile, verdant hill up to traditional market with all typical dishes could become a special attraction. “In the evening, people will be probably able to enjoy the singing of crickets, frogs, night birds, and ornaments of fireflies in the darkness of the night making the holidays more peaceful,” said the consort of Governor of Bali Mangku Pastika. In addition, she said the family could introduce the nature and culture all at once. “Do not forget to look at the life of our brothers in
the village. Nothing wrong if at the same time we also raise the social life and sense of caring. For example, parents can take foster children, make children have a foster brother or sister in the village,” she continued. If so far there were schools that had undertaken so and felt the positive value, it should be followed by the others. “It seems there’s no reason for parents not to take their children on holiday to village. For children, try to see the splendor of our villages as done by foreign tourists deliberately coming here for the sake of looking at our village. It will be funny if we live here but do not care and even do not know about the beauty of the village itself,” he said. (BTN/ard)
IBP/Net
Domestic tourists riding cars in the countryside of Bali Island.
Bali is home to some world class swim athletes IBP CANGGU - Organized by Bali Renang, the Canggu Community School and sponsored by the Canggu Club, will see some water splashing around former Indonesian Champion and Olympic Swimmer Andy Wibowo, multiple Indonesian champions Sammy Preston While and Ketut Tadeus Max Nurcahya and other Indonesian swim stars like Intan Cahaya Pertiwi, Putu Gede Panji Wisrawan and Wyn Aryanata Meiyana. Squad swimmers from a number of International Schools in Bali and Surabaya will be competing in what promises to be a tough event. For the second year now, the Canggu club hosts the Canggu Club Swimming Academy (CCSA) Individual Swim Meet for Age Groups, a friendly swim meet and this year sees some very inspiring swim action from a number of senior Indonesian top swimmers. The main objective of the meet is to provide a chance for expat and Balinese kids who have been training increasingly intensively with clubs like Bali Renang, Telaga Biru, and Bali Aqua Stars to meet and test their skills and
speed with other swim athletes living in Bali and from Surabaya. “This event is a opportunity for swimmers to swim and brings the sport to people and swimmers that may not have had the chance to swim with the more professional athletes, hopefully this inspires others” says Chris Drapes, well known initiator of the Bali Renang swim club, where many little kids learn to swim and many of Bali’s novice swimmer learn proper techniques and several expat kids have been taught critical important techniques to competitive swimming. Competitive swimming is a sport that has a lot of practitioners in Indonesia and indeed throughout Asia. Clubs as Telaga Biru in Bali have raised several national level top swimmers over the years, and some of Indonesia’s national swim talent scores very high in Asia Pacific swim competitions. Says Andy Wibowo, coach of Bali Aqua Stars, and former team member for Indonesia to the World Championships in 2005 and 2007, the 2009 Olympics and Sea Games Medalist: “The quality of Indonesia’s youth is extremely high, but as they grow older, the swim and other train-
ing facilities in Indonesia are less conducive to spur that talent on to become medalists at the world stage. I was selected by the Indonesian swim federation to train in Australia at that time, and I am keen to see facilities in Bali improve. My international swim friends all say they would come to training camps in Bali if it had a proper 50 m pool”. Bali has a lot to offer, and this swim meet can hopefully inspire more people to join the swimming or to sign their kids up for professional swim training. The British International School from Jakarta also wanted to come and join this meet but had another event for exactly the same weekend, but their swim coach promised to come with a big group of swimming students next year. “Not only is my daughter very fit, she also seems much more organized now that she swims intensively with a club. She is much energized, eats very well, and is really motivated to do her homework in time. It almost seems that even though she spends so much time in the pool, she has more time left to do other things than before she joined the swimming club. Of course, she now spends less time behind the TV and computer”, says Jasmin Abd Rabbo, a swim
mum at CCS.” Aside from competitive swimming, more adults have joined the morning swim trainings of their kids, and Geoffrey Muldoon, who will swim in one of the races also on Saturday says: “well, of course I have no real illusions to win against these seriously trained Indonesian top swimmers, but growing up in Australia as a swimmer, training every day for years, it’s great to have an opportunity like this in Bali. I now come to the pool just to stay fit, it’s not so tough on the joints as running, it has increased my fitness and swimming in Bali is so obviously the choice for an all year around sport and you can do it till your 100 years of age”. “The Canggu Club is very proud to host this outstanding swimming competition. It’s a great day for the swimmers, family and friends alike. We invite everyone to come out to support the kids and enjoy the club,” says John Donner, general manager at the Canggu club. So come see the small and senior swimmers on Saturday May 28 at the Canggu Club. Its starts at 8 am with warming up, and the races will run all day through to about 16 PM.
International
Wednesday, May 25 2011
Balinese Culture
RI, Timor Leste FM meet in Bali Antara
NUSA DUA - Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa met with his Timor Leste counterpart Zacarias Albano da Costa on the sidelines of the 16th Non-Aligned Movement ministerial conference here on Monday. The meeting was held at around 6.15pm local time behind closed doors. Marty was accompanied by foreign ministry spokesman Michael Tene and director general for Asia Pacific and African regions, Hamzah Thayeb, ANTARA News learned here on Monday. The 16th NAM ministerial conference meanwhile would last from May 23 to 27, opened with senior official meetings on Monday and Tuesday. The ministerial conference is scheduled to be officially opened by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday. The ministerial conference this time was special because it happened in concurrence with the 50th anniversary of the NAM. The conference this time carries a theme of “Shared Vision on the Contribution of NAM for the Next 50 Years.” The NAM has invited foreign ministers from 118 member countries and two new member countries namely
Fiji and Azerbaijan to the conference. Observers from countries and organizations will also attend the event. The conference will produce a final statement which is an update of the results of NAM Summit in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt and declaration on Palestine. In addition it will also issue
a “Bali Commemorative Declaration.” Indonesia hopes the NAM as a developing countries‘ movement will continue to become the country‘s foreign policy forum especially as a multilateral forum for building solidarity among developing nations to meet international challenges.
Nasi Goreng OVERVIEW: There are about as many different ways of preparing Nasi Goreng in Bali, as there are cooks. The only constant ingredient is rice; everything else is determined by the cook’s taste or the availability of ingredients. Please be certain to use only cold rice, as warm rice will stick to the wok.
IBP/File
A farmer is working on a rice field. Farming is not developing properly especially in Bali so the farmer is not getting enough benefit from their profession.
INGREDIENTS: 6 tbsp oil 6 shallots, peeled, halves length wise and sliced 6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced 200 gr (6 ½ oz) chicken meat, sliced 150 gr (5 oz) medium size shrimp, peeled ¼ small white cabbage, shredded 4 eggs, beaten 2 tbsp sambal tomat 700 gr (1 ½ lb) cold cooked rice 2 tsp salt 1 tsp sliced bird’s eye chilies 2 tbsp fried shallot PREPARATION: 1. Heat vegetable oil in wok or heavy fry pan until very hot. 2. Add shallots and garlic and fry for 1 minute until golden yellow. 3. Add chicken and shrimp and fry for 1 minute, and then add cabbage and fry for 1 minute. Add sambal and mix well. 4. Add eggs and continuously stir for 30 seconds before adding rice and salt. Increase to very high heat and fry for 3 more minute, stir continuously. 5. Add chilies, mix well and serve immediately, garnished with fried shallots. Note: Throughout Bali there are as many different ways of preparing Nasi Goreng as there are ingredients of chef’s. (www.baliguide.com/balifood)
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Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Destinations
International
Pulaki Temple IBP
Pulaki Temple or Pura Pulaki is a Hindu shrine located in the hill bank and in front of the beautiful beach in north part of Bali. It is one of the biggest Hindu temples in Bali situated in the coastal side west part of Singaraja town or 1 hour drive to the west from the town. This temple is set on the flat land with stone hill bank as a back drop meanwhile the blue ocean is just in front of the temple. Pulaki Temple is a famous temple among the Hindu people in Bali located in Singaraja regency, north part of Bali. There are the group of monkeys dwell the hill forest around the temple and it usually standing around the temple in the day time. The beautiful beach with black sand and calm seawater is one of the fascinations to visitor to come to this temple. We can find the beautiful hill bank and beaches along the coastal road. It is located in Pulaki Village, Seririt Sub District, Singaraja Regency, north part of Bali. It is just 3 hours drive from Bali’s International Airport or 1 hour drive from Singaraja town. It is strategically set in the main road from Singaraja to Gilimanuk with the group of monkeys as the identity for the traveler who wants to visit this temple.
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Wednesday, May 25, 2011
11
BUSINESS China’s current account surplus down 18% in Q1 Agence France-Presse
BEIJING – China’s current account surplus fell 18 percent in the first quarter of 2011 from the same period last year, official data showed Tuesday. The current account surplus — the broadest measure of trade with the world — reached $29.8 billion in the first three months of the year, the State Administration for Foreign Exchange (SAFE) said in a statement. That was markedly lower than the $102.1 billion seen in the fourth quarter of last year, according to revised SAFE data. Net inflow of direct invest-
ment into China, the world’s second-largest economy, totalled $42.6 billion in the first quarter compared with $39.1 billion in the last three months of last year. In 2010, China’s current account surplus surged 17 percent on year to $305.4 billion, according to the revised data, as US and European demand for Chinese exports recovered after the global financial crisis. While rising demand for Chinese goods boosts growth, it also means the central bank has to work harder to control the value of the Yuan and to stem the flood of liquidity, which has been fuelling inflation. AFP PHOTO / LOUISA GOULIAMAKI
Employees gather outside the Hellenic Postbank headquarters, one of Greece’s best-capitalised lenders , during an occupation by employees to protest against privatisation on May 23, 2011.
AFP PHOTO
This photo taken on May 22, 2011 shows a worker laying out gold necklaces at a gold shop in Huaibei, east China’s Anhui province. China’s current account surplus fell 18 percent in the first quarter of 2011 from the same period last year, official data showed Tuesday.
April business borrowing, credit quality improve Reuters
NEW YORK – A key measure of U.S. business activity rose in April and credit quality improved as the economy slowly gathered steam, a lender group said on Monday. U.S. businesses originated $5.1 billion of loans, leases and lines of credit in April, 10 percent more than a year ago, although 18 percent below March’s $6.2 billion, the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) said. “We’re still seeing a steady recovery, albeit slow, and some sectors are still continuing to perform and some sectors are still continuing to underperform,” ELFA Chief Executive William Sutton said in an interview. It is not uncommon to have a monthly dip in the first month of each quarter, he said. Construction and trucking remain the largest underperforming sectors, according to ELFA. “If you look at the cumulative data for this year to date, we’re still seeing an increase of 27 percent compared with the same four months of last year,” said Sutton. That bounce comes off of depressed levels a year ago, he said, when the businesses were more reticent to expand and purchase new equipment.
Greek default would hit others in euro zone, banks Reuters
ATHENS – A Greek debt default would hurt other peripheral euro zone states, Moody’s said in a statement on Tuesday, becoming the last of the three major rating agencies to say any kind of restructuring would constitute default. “Moody’s believes that a default is likely to have adverse credit rating implications for Greece, possibly some other stressed European sovereigns, and the Greek banks, regardless of the efforts made to achieve an ‘orderly’ outcome,” it said in a statement. Markets piled pressure on heavily indebted euro zone countries at the start of the week as investors worried not just about Greece but also about heightened risks in Spain, where the government was drubbed in regional elections, and ratings agencies’ warnings for Italy and Belgium. S&P cut its outlook to “negative” from “stable” on Italy, which has the euro zone’s biggest debt pile in absolute terms, and Fitch said it may downgrade Belgium’s AA+ credit rating. The country has not had a proper government since elections last June but is enjoying an economic boom. “As for other stressed Euro-
pean sovereigns, Moody’s believes that their ratings will invariably be affected, regardless of the myriad forms that a default by Greece could take,” the statement said. “This would in turn lead to increasingly polarized sovereign ratings in Europe, with stronger countries retaining high or very high ratings, and weaker countries struggling to remain in investment grade.” Greece announced on Monday six billion euros worth of new, emergency fiscal measures to shrink its budget hole and jump start privatizations to convince lenders it can pay down debt without a restructuring. Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou said Greece would not be able to honor its obligations if it does not get the next tranche of a bailout loan and the IMF has made clear it cannot disburse the money if Greece’s 2012 EU funding is not assured. Moody’s said a Greek default
might take many forms, including changes in the terms and conditions or a selective reprofiling, adding that it would consider all of these as distressed exchanges. The statement also said the Greek banking sector would need recapitalization in case of a sovereign default, as well as continued liquidity support from the European Central Bank. It warned that a sovereign default was likely to be accompanied by some form of default on bank debt. Fitch cut Greece’s credit rating by three notches on Friday, pushing the country deeper into junk territory, and warned that any kind of debt restructuring would amount to default. “The longer the current state of uncertainty affecting Greece persists, the greater the temptation on the part of both the Greek and the euro area authorities to try to undertake some form of debt restructuring,” Moody’s said.
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Entertainment
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
International
Lady Gaga album demand overwhelms Amazon servers Associated Press Writer
SAN FRANCISCO – Much like the caller in the Lady Gaga hit song “Telephone,” some visitors to Amazon’s site received a busy signal Monday when they tried to download the digital version of the artist’s latest album, “Born This Way,” which the online retailer was selling for 99 cents on its release date. Spokeswoman Sally Fouts said Amazon experienced a high volume of traffic that caused delays for those downloading the album — echoing a posting on the album’s product page on Amazon.com. Customers who ordered the MP3 version of “Born This Way” on Monday will get it for 99 cents, she said. An early evening attempt to buy the album on Amazon and use its new server-based storage system went seamlessly. The album appeared instantly on Amazon Cloud Drive and could be streamed online right away. The album downloaded in a few minutes to a computer. The user’s storage space also registered the promotional 20 gigabytes of cloud storage that came with the album. Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, is known for her pop music and outre fashion sense. Customer reviews gave the album an average three out of five stars.
AP Photo/Matt Sayles
Cast members Seth Rogen, left, and Danny McBride arrive at the premiere of “Kung Fu Panda 2” in Los Angeles, Sunday, May 22, 2011. The film opens May 26, 2011.
Bear Hugs and Big Smiles at the “Kung Fu Panda 2” Premiere Los Angeles – A beaming Angelina Jolie held hands with Brad Pitt and led the celebrity charge down the long red carpet on Hollywood Boulevard early on May 22. It was a bit overcast in Los Angeles on Sunday morning, but that didn’t stop Jolie and Pitt from delighting in the spectacle of the “Kung Fu Panda 2” premiere, appropriately held at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.
AP Photo/Interscope Records, File
FILE - In this file CD cover image released by Interscope Records, the latest release by Lady Gaga, “Born This Way”, is shown.
The sequel to the 2008 animated hit that is set in ancient China brings back much of the star-studded vocal cast from the first film, from Jack Black to Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, Dustin Hoffman and James Hong, and they all joined their leading lady for the celebration. Asian acrobats wowed the huge crowd of fans massed behind barricades, a huge paper dragon danced the length of the carpet and massive brightly colored Chinese lanterns
lined the walkway while two giant Po pandas handed out big bear hugs. Other famous fans of the lazy panda turned kung fu expert that came out for the premiere festivities included Camryn Manheim and her kids, Marcia Gay Harden with her family, Danny McBride, Nancy O’Dell and Cedric the Entertainer. But it was Jolie, Pitt, Black and Hoffman who jumped right into the
adoring crowd, signing autographs and posing for photos, then greeted the new vocal talent to “Kung Fu Panda 2,” including Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dennis Haysbert. It’s a routine the leading actors have been repeating a lot lately, as Jolie, Black, and Hoffman also premiered the new comedy last week in France at the Cannes Film Festival. It was there that Jolie explained the simple reason she’s been ready and willing to lend her voice to the character of Tigress in the films. “At the end of the day, we’re all just big kids and we love to do these movies, it’s a great deal of fun,” she said. Plus, having six children “from ages two to ten” didn’t hurt, either. “In so many ways, I did it for them.”
“Idol” creator Simon Fuller gets Hollywood star Reuters
LOS ANGELES – Simon Fuller, the British creator of hit TV show “American Idol,” received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday surrounded by some of the real-life stars he has helped to create. “Whenever I see that star, I won’t see my name, I’ll see all names of the people I’ve worked (with) and all those amazing artists and people that have helped me achieve this stuff,” Fuller said as his
star was unveiled. Over a 25-year career, Fuller has managed singers Annie Lennox, The Spice Girls and Amy Winehouse, English soccer player David Beckham, tennis player Andy Murray, racing driver Lewis Hamilton and a trio of “American Idol” champions, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and David Cook. Former “Spice Girl” Victoria Beckham, “Idol” judges Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson, Underwood, Clarkson and the current “American Idol” finalists all
joined Fuller for the ceremony. Fuller recalled that when he and entrepreneur Simon Cowell first tried to sell “American Idol” in the United States, “we had that show turned down by every single network” with the exception of Fox, on which the ratings juggernaut airs. Created first in Britain as “Pop Idol” in 2001, the format has since been sold to more than 120 other countries and created a multi-billion-dollar global recording, TV and merchandising franchise.
Fuller also created the Fox dance contest series, “So You Think You Can Dance”. Fuller received his star on the eve of the two-part finale in Los Angeles of the 10th season of “American Idol”, which has been the mostwatched show on U.S. television for seven consecutive years. Producer Simon Fuller poses on his star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California May 23, 2011.
REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
Science
International
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
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Plan in works for 500-foot, $100M Las Vegas wheel Associated Press Writer
LAS VEGAS – A developer is rolling out plans to build a 500-foot viewing wheel on the Las Vegas Strip that would be higher than the London Eye and give visitors an unparalleled view of Sin City. Developer Howard Bulloch of Compass Investments released details of the project Monday to reporters, local lawmakers and business leaders at the site across Las Vegas Boulevard from the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino. Bulloch wants the Skyvue Las Vegas Super Wheel to open in 2013 as part of a $100 million privately funded project also including a roller coaster and 200,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space. A rendering of the Ferris-style wheel shows its rotation perpendicular to the Strip. That means unobstructed views of the city’s casino row from the 40 gondolas. “Skyvue Las Vegas will complement both the hospitality and entertainment industries,” Bulloch said in a statement. “This world class attraction fills a niche in our economic recovery, creating jobs and offering a new and unique entertainment offering for the tourist base.” Workers were to begin clearing the nearly 11-acre site on Monday, officials said. The project will re-
quire demolition of a motel that was built in the 1950s. The 40 gondolas will each hold up to 25 passengers and they will be available to be rented out for private parties with catering and drinks, developers said. The main bearings for the wheel, on display Monday, are being provided by the same German manufacturer that supplied the bearings for the London Eye. In announcing the project, its developers cited the success of the London Eye as a reason the similar project might be successful in Sin City. The wheel in London attracts 3.5 million visitors per year, they said. Federal Aviation Administration officials were reviewing plans for the wheel and its height to determine if it might hamper operations at nearby McCarran International Airport, agency spokesman Ian Gregor said. No FAA recommendation has been made. Casino company Caesars Entertainment Corp. also plans a tall viewing wheel as part of its Linq project behind several of its Las Vegas Strip casinos.
AP Photo/ Compass Investments
This artist’s rendering provided by Compass Investments, Monday, May 23, 2011, shows plans for the Skyvue Las Vegas Super Wheel on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip.
In this photo taken on Thursday, May 19, 2011, a dog nurses two liger cubs at a zoo in Weihai in east China’s Shandong province.
AP Photo
Dog nurses ligers after tiger mom refuses Associated Press Writer
BEIJING – A Chinese zoo official says two rare cubs born to a male lion and a female tiger are being nursed by a dog after they were abandoned by their mother. Cong Wen of Xixiakou Wildlife Zoo in eastern China says four cubs called ligers were born to the lion and tiger earlier this month. She said Tuesday the tiger mother
fed the ligers for four days but then abandoned them for unknown reasons. Two died of weakness. Cong said staff at the zoo in Shandong province found a dog who had just given birth to feed the surviving cubs. She said the two cubs had trouble at first drinking milk from the dog but are now used to it. Ligers are very rare and are sometimes bred in zoos by mistake.
Leaping roach, ‘T-rex’ leech among new species Agence France Presse
WASHINGTON – A jumping cockroach, a glow-in-the-dark fungus, a rust-eating bacterium and a leech named “T-rex” were among the top 10 new species discovered in the world last year, US scientists said Monday. The creatures were uncovered in Brazil, Madagascar, South Africa, Peru, the Philippines, West Africa, the US state of Oregon, the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the North Atlantic Ocean. The top 10 list is compiled by global experts and released annually by the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University. The leech named after a ferocious meateating dinosaur was removed from a man’s nose in Peru. While it measures less than five centimeters (two inches) long, its powerful jaw and massive teeth earned it the name Tyrannobdella rex, which means “tyrant leech king.” Scientists in Canada and Spain identified the iron-oxide munching bacterium from a section of the Titanic which in 1912 sank deep into the Atlantic Ocean after striking an iceberg. “Researchers believe this bacterium could be useful in the disposal of old ships and oil rigs that lie deep in the ocean,” the
IISE said in a statement. Minuscule mushrooms in the forests of Sao Paulo, Brazil were found to “glow constantly, emitting a bright, yellowish-green light,” it said, becoming one of the around 70 species of fungi in the world known to be bioluminescent. A cockroach that mimics a grasshopper in its jumping ability was detected in South Africa. The saltoblattella montistabularis has legs are specially made for jumping, a stabilizing antenna and round eyes at the sides of its head. A raspy cricket, glomeremus orchidophilus, found in the Mascarene Archipelago in the Indian Ocean was discovered to be the only creature that pollinates a rare orchid, Angraecum cadetii. Scientists in the northwestern state of Oregon found an unusual mushroom thriving under the chilly waters of the Rogue River. And a spider that can weave its web — with silk twice as strong as any spider known to man — across the entire width of a river was discovered in Madagascar. “The webs of Darwin’s Bark Spider have been found spanning rivers, streams and lakes, and in one instance, a web stretched 82 feet (25 meters) across a Madagascar river with at least 30 insects trapped in it,” the IISE said.
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International
Arsenal to tour Malaysia, China in July Agence France Presse
LONDON – Premier League giants Arsenal announced Tuesday they will play pre-season matches in Malaysia and China in July. The team will play two games, the first in Kuala Lumpur before moving on to China. The Gunners will arrive in Kuala Lumpur on July 11 and play a Malaysia XI in the Bukit Jalil Stadium two days later. They will then face Chinese Super League side Hangzhou GreenTown on July 16 in Yiwu City. Arsenal Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis told Arsenal’s official website: “Everyone at Arsenal Football Club is excited to be visiting both Malaysia and China. “The club has a tradition of playing in Malaysia going back to
the 1960s. This will be our fourth visit to Malaysia, having last visited Kuala Lumpur in 1999. We are also looking forward to returning to China, where we last played a pre-season friendly in Beijing in 1995. “It will also be a wonderful experience for the club and our players, many of whom will be visiting Malaysia and China for the first time.” The Malaysian organisers expect fans from neighbouring Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam to buy tickets. Arsenal finished fourth in the Premier League in the just-completed 2010-2011 season. Arsene Wenger’s side will also host the Emirates Cup on July 3031 which this year features New York Red Bulls, Paris St Germain and Boca Juniors.
AP Photo/Manu Fernandez
FC Barcelona’s coach Pep Guardiola, right, Lionel Messi, from Argentina, second left, and Carles Puyol, second right, attend a training session at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, May 23, 2011. FC Barcelona will play against Manchester United in the final of the Champions League at Wembley stadium in London on May 28.
Messi dismisses talk of Aguero says he wants Man Utd lacking quality AFP PHOTO / ADRIAN DENNIS
Arsenal’s Alex Song (top) goes over the top of Arsenal’s English player Kieran Gibbs (bottom) against Aston Villa during the Premiership football match at the Emirates Stadium in London on May 15, 2011.
to leave Atletico
Agence France Presse
MADRID – Argentine star Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero has announced he wants to leave Atletico Madrid, and some of Europe’s top clubs are reportedly lining up to snatch him. “I said long ago that when I wanted to go, I would say so publicly. And the time has come. So I have kept my word and here I am,” the 22-year-old striker said in a statement posted on his website late Monday. “I find it hard to leave Atletico. It hurts me and saddens me. But I don’t find it hard to explain why I am doing it. “I’ve thought about it for a long time and I’m convinced that I must be true to myself. I think that I should not rule out the possibility to keep learning, to keep growing.”
Aguero, who is married to Diego Maradona’s daughter, moved to Spain from Independiente of Argentina in 2006. His decision to leave Atletico, which finished seventh in the Spanish league last season, has reportedly left a number of top European clubs eagerly eyeing the striker. The president of Italian club Juventus, Andrea Agnelli, and its sporting director Guiseppe Marotta were in talks with Aguero’s agent on Tuesday, according to Italian news agency Ansa. Spanish sports daily Marca said the player’s agents also plans to meet with Real Madrid officials this week. Another sports paper, AS, said Real would have to fork out 75 million euros for the player. Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester City are also reportedly interested.
Agence France Presse
BARCELONA, Spain – Barcelona’s two-time world player of the year Lionel Messi has dismissed suggestions that Manchester United lack the quality of previous squads ahead of the two sides’ Champions League final on Saturday in London. The match will be a repeat of the 2009 final in Rome when Barcelona beat Manchester United 2-0, with Messi scoring the second goal. Some in the English media have suggested Manchester United were crowned champions for a record 19th time earlier this month despite lacking the sparkle of past squads but Messi said he did not think the team was any weaker than in 2009. “They won the English championship and they are in the Champions League final. They can’t be very weak if they have achieved all that,” said the 23year-old. “It is a final, it is a special
match given what is at stake. The good memory of Rome is behind us. This will be a totally different match. We are facing a very strong adversary, which has very good players.” After a bruising Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, Lionel Messi believes that Manchester United’s style of attacking football will make it an attractive final. Messi is hopeful that Manchester will play their usual attacking game rather than stopping Barca from playing. “Manchester like to have the ball and pass so if they do the same against us then it will be an open match,” he said. “We always go out and try to play good foot-
ball and I can’t say if Manchester will do the same but that is their usual style.” Messi, who scored two delightful goals in the first leg of the semi-final against Real, said that one moment of individual brilliance could settle the match. Messi, who is yet to hit similar heights at international level, highlighted three players he felt could damage Barcelona. “They have a good team with Chicharito (Hernandez), (Wayne) Rooney and (Antonio) Valencia and so it will be very tough, I don’t know if it will be easier or harder than last time. Valencia is fast down the right wing and sets up a lot of goals,” said Messi.
Sport
International
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
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Mavs come from 15 down, stun Thunder 112-105 in OT Associated Press Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY – A decade’s worth of playoff experience has taught Dirk Nowitzki plenty about hardship. Jason Kidd knows it well, too. Now, it’s starting to look as if the tide has turned for the Dallas Mavericks. Nowitzki scored 40 points, Kidd hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 40 seconds left in overtime and the Mavericks rallied from a 15-point deficit in the final 5 minutes of regulation to stun the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-105 on Monday night and take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals. “It’s just a bunch of veterans with a lot of unique stories. A lot of guys have been through a lot in this league and have been around forever,” Nowitzki said. “A bunch of guys have been to the finals. ... Ultimately, we have one goal and we came together and fought through some stuff.” Already with an improbable sweep over the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers under their belts, the Mavericks came back from a 99-84 deficit with 5 minutes left in regulation to move within one win of the NBA finals. They handed the Thunder their first consecutive losses of the postseason and first back-to-back home losses in six months to earn a chance to clinch the series on
their home court in Game 5 Wednesday night in Dallas. “We worked really hard these two games to win, and none of that guarantees anything for Game 5. We know that,” said coach Rick Carlisle. The Mavs have won at least 50 games in 11 straight seasons with no titles and only one trip to the NBA finals to show for it. “All of us involved with this team have been through a lot of these wars,” Carlisle added. “We understand our position that we’re in. We respect it. We’re very humble about it. We’ve got to get ourselves revved up and ready for Wednesday, because that’s an opportunity.” Dallas didn’t lead until Nowitzki hit two free throws 16 seconds into overtime, and the Mavericks never let the Thunder — who were one win shy of tying an NBA record with eight OT wins in the regular season — go ahead after that. Kevin Durant, the league’s scoring champion the past two seasons, missed a 3-point attempt on Oklahoma City’s opening possession of overtime, then didn’t
Bin Hammam urges English FA to re-consider vote abstention Reuters
DOHA - The English FA should reconsider their abstention from the FIFA presidential vote as they were forfeiting their right to affect change from within, candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam said on Tuesday. The FA last week said they would abstain from the June 1 vote, which pits Asia confederation chief Bin Hammam against 13-year incumbent Sepp Blatter, days after former chairman David Triesman told a UK parliamentary inquiry the World Cup bid process was blighted by corruption. Writing in a post on his personal website (www.mohamedbinhammam.com), Bin Hammam said he was surprised and disappointed by the FA’s decision.“The football family is vast and diverse - perhaps more so than any of us can truly comprehend - and that is one of our sport’s greatest strengths,” he said. “So it is always disappointing when someone opts not to engage with the rest, when one of our national associations takes the decision not to try to affect change from the inside. “The FA, with its status as the oldest association in the world and England’s position as the birthplace of the modern game, is one of the most important institutions in world football.”The FA’s 2018 World Cup bid failed dismally, drawing only two votes, with bid officials complaining that the voting system was flawed and that FIFA executive committee members had lied to them. Russia won the hosting rights. The parliamentary inquiry also heard that Qatar’s successful bid to host the 2022 tournament, backed by Bin Hammam, a Qatari, was also marred by allegations of wrongdoing [ID:nB161389].FIFA, who suspended two executive committee members from voting on the 2018 and 2022 World Cups following earlier allegations that they had offered to sell their votes, has said it will investigate the allegations. Qatar released a statement on Monday denying all the allegations against them
get another shot until he missed from long range off the front of the rim in the final 10 seconds with the Thunder down by five. Durant finished with 29 points and 15 rebounds, and Serge Ibaka had 18 points and 10 boards for Oklahoma City. Russell Westbrook added 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Only two teams in NBA history have come back from 3-1 deficits without the benefit of home-court advantage in Game 7 — Houston in the 1995 West semifinals and Boston in the 1968 East finals.
Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki (41) of Germany makes an off-balanced shot over Oklahoma City Thunder’s Nick Collison, right, in the second half of Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference finals basketball series Monday, May 23, 2011, in Oklahoma City.
AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki
Djokovic, Federer off to winning starts at French Open Agence France Presse
PARIS – Novak Djokovic took his unbeaten record in 2011 to 38 wins on Monday before Grand Slam king Roger Federer demonstrated to the unstoppable Serb that he is still a French Open force. Second seed Djokovic enjoyed a 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 dismissal of hapless Dutchman Thiemo De Bakker in the first round before 16-time Grand Slam title-winner Federer romped to a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) win over Spain’s Feliciano Lopez. Also going through on a sweltering day at Roland Garros was former US Open champion, and 2009 semifinalist here, Juan Martin del Potro, a winner in four sets against Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic. But sixth seed Czech Tomas Berdych, a semi-finalist last year, wilted in the heat, losing in five sets to French qualifier Stephane Robert, the world number 140. One day after his 24th birthday, the red-hot, world number two Djokovic comfortably saw off the 71st-ranked De
AFP PHOTO / MIGUEL MEDINA
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic returns the ball to Netherland’s Thiemo De Bakker during their Men’s first round match in the French Open tennis championship at the Roland Garros stadium, on May 23, 2011, in Paris. Bakker in just 92 minutes. Djokovic, who is likely to depose
Rafael Nadal as world number one by the end of the tournament, is also favourite to snatch the Spaniard’s French Open title, having seen off his rival in the Madrid and Rome claycourt finals. His win on Monday took him to within four victories of equalling John McEnroe’s 1984 record for a winning season start of 42 triumphs. “It’s my favourite Grand Slam, even though I haven’t won it yet,” said Djokovic, a semi-finalist in 2007 and 2008. “I’ve been playing really well on clay. I’ve won three (claycourt) tournaments (Belgrade, Madrid and Rome) in the last few weeks, so I’m trying to build on that confidence,” added Djokovic, whose complete winning streak has now reached 40 matches, stretching back to Serbia’s Davis Cup triumph in December. Djokovic, the Australian Open champion, who has seven titles under his belt already this year, will play either French wild card Benoit Paire or Romania’s Victor Hanescu for a place in the last 32.
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
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Renault aims to fight for win in Monaco Renault aims to fight for win in MonacoRenault boss Eric Boullier says his team is setting its sights on taking the fight to Red Bull Racing in this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix. At Monaco last year, Robert Kubica put his Renault on the front row of the grid and battled hard for a podium finish with Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.
AFP PHOTO / DIMITAR DILKOFF
Lotus Renault GP’s German driver Nick Heidfeld’s car is pushed into the pits after a fire at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 21, 2011 in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona during third practice session of the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix.
Hamilton: Tyres key to Monaco passing LEWIS Hamilton is confident that Formula 1’s new action-packed nature will continue in Monaco even though the circuit traditionally allows little scope for overtaking. But he is sceptical about whether the DRS wing will make any difference around the streets of Monte Carlo, and thinks that most of the entertainment will be generated by the varying performance of Pirelli’s tyres. “I’m really looking forward to Monaco this year because I think we’ll see a different race from previous years. I think a combination of DRS, KERS hybrid and the tyres will really make the racing come alive, and I’d love to see some over-
taking action and some hard racing this year,” said Hamilton. “I think the DRS zone at Monaco is only around 300 metres, so it’s pretty short, and not really long enough to enable us to really get enough of a launch on the car ahead. “I think the aerodynamics will only really start working properly once we’ve reached the braking zone for Ste Devote, so I don’t think we’ll see too many DRS-assisted overtaking moves next weekend. “However, I think the tyres will probably give us the greatest scope for excitement and the best chance of passing.” Hamilton played down fears that tyre wear will be unmanageable as
Pirelli’s super-soft is used for the first time, and thinks that the tyres will just create scope for more entertainment. “While I don’t think the supersoft and soft compounds will be as critical around Monaco as they were at a place like Turkey, I still think the drop-off we encounter as the tyres go off should create opportunities for overtaking,” he said. “And I don’t think the marbles will be as bad as people fear, because they tend to occur at the exits of high-speed corners, and Monaco is generally quite a low-speed track, so I don’t think we’ll see the build-up that we saw at somewhere like Turkey’s Turn 8, for example.”
McLaren Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton drives at the Circuit de Catalunya on May 22, 2011 in Montmelo on the outskirts of Barcelona during the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix. AFP PHOTO / PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU
And well aware that the R31 has similar strengths to last year’s car, Boullier says Renault’s ambitions are being raised for the Monaco weekend. “I hope we can do it,” Boullier told AUTOSPORT. “If the car is good then there is no reason why we should not be fighting from the front. Let’s see. “I think it will be crucial though, like at any race track but especially at Monaco, to qualify at the front. Let’s see how we manage the traffic, but I am pretty sure our car will be fast in Monaco.” Boullier is convinced the Renault is much better than its recent results suggest - which he thinks bodes very well for Monaco. “We were surprised to be honest about the lap of Vitaly in Q3 in Spain,” explained the Frenchman. “He had a small mis-
take with the paddle shift, but he could have clearly ended up in the middle of the top guys. “So I think Monaco, the way we designed the car, it should be better for there, so we should be closer to the front.” F1 teams are bracing themselves for a strategic nightmare in Monaco – with the possibility that the super soft tyre could lead to a chaotic race because its degradation is so high. Speaking about the tyre situation, Boullier said: “Nobody knows what will happen. There is the super soft, there are the marbles. “Depending on the timing of when you will be pitting, you can end up being stuck behind cars – and that will change completely the order of the race. I think it will be more a gamble than we are used to.”