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Thursday, August 20, 2009
Honda boosted by test progress Brno- Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso declared themselves pleased with the progress the team made during Monday’s test day at Brno. Pedrosa finished the day third fastest, behind Yamaha riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, while Dovizioso was fifth behind Loris Capirossi’s Suzuki. Despite the day’s meaningful running being liminted by rain in the afternoon, the pair sampled several new parts and expect the developments to help them make a push to catch Yamaha in the remaining races this year. “It was a useful test session today, even though the rain tried to mess with our plans, and I hope that what we’ve learnt can help us for the next races,” said Pedrosa. “In the morning we worked on some set-up improvements from the race weekend and we were able to find some more speed. After lunch we were set to try some new suspension components, which we managed to do when the track
dried after the rain. “Of course it takes time to perfect the set-up when you try new things, but our pace was quite good and the feeling was promising. Overall, this was a worthwhile test.” Dovizioso was encouraged after testing development suspension parts for the first time and was also happy with the gains. “It was good to get some testing time today because the new rules mean any extra track time is very valuable,” he said. “It was an interesting day because we tried quite a few set-up options including some different suspension parts, and this was a first for me. “Because of the limited time, we couldn’t evaluate their full potential, but the initial feedback was positive. We also continued to work with the set-up for the new swingarm we used this weekend and managed to improve our speed. “Honda is working very hard for the remaining races and also for next year, and the team is fully committed.”
AUTOSPORT understands that Kovalainen’s option for next year with McLaren has now lapsed, although the team has not ruled out retaining the Finn. Team principal Martin Whitmarsh has made it clear however that Kovalainen needs to deliver more in the next few races than he has shown so far this season - and the Finn was informed of the situation during a factory visit on Wednesday. “Heikki is doing, as a team player, a fantastic job in this team,” Whitmarsh said in a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes ‘Phone-In’ media call. “On his own evaluation he has not raced as well as he would have liked and we would have liked him to this year.
“I was frankly just talking to him on the subject a few minutes before this call. He is working hard... “A lot of us want to see Heikki get some good results this year, and that will ensure that he remains with us. That is certainly our wish. His goal going into Valencia this weekend is to win - and he is capable of winning the race this weekend. “He has been a good qualifier, he has done some good qualifying times, and he is capable of qualifying well and winning this race. So that is what he is going to focus on, and I’ve just had that conversation with him. Then on Sunday evening he will start thinking about Spa, and that is what we want
16 Pages Number 439 1st Year
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Hotels Association: hotels managements must be aware of terrorism act PAGE 8
AP Photo/Eckehard Schulz
Spain’s Dani Pedrosa rides his Honda during the MotoGP test session at the Brno circuit in Brno, Czech Republic, on Monday, Aug. 17, 2009.
Kovalainen told to raise his game Germany - Heikki Kovalainen has been told that he needs to raise his game over the remainder of the season if he is to have any chance of keeping hold of his seat at McLaren in 2010.
British exhibition marks 70th anniversary of WWII outbreak
him to focus on - not all the speculation.” In a boost to Kovalainen’s situation, McLaren is adamant it has not begun discussions with any other driver yet about a seat in 2010, despite fresh rumours linking Nico Rosberg with the outfit now that the German’s previous likely destination BMW Sauber is out of F1. “Speculation is normal,” said Whitmarsh. “We are not commenting on it, but I can confirm that contrary to some of the speculation we are not in discussions with any other drivers outside this team at the moment.” And, denying any talk that McLaren was under pressure to take a German driver to appease engine partner Mercedes-Benz, Whitmarsh said: “In terms of nationality, obviously some nationalities from a marketing perspective are more convenient.
AFP PHOTO/HO/MALAYSIAN POLICE DEPARTMENT
Mozart may have died from strep throat: study
In a picture released by the Malaysian Police department Malaysian firefighter vessel sprays water onto a burning oil tanker, MT Formosa Product Brick, near the coast of Port Dickson, 50km south of Kuala Lumpur, on August 19, 2009, after it collided with another vessel. Fire crews on August 19 battled a blaze aboard a Taiwanese oil tanker carrying 58,000 tonnes of naphtha fuel in the Malacca Strait after it collided with another ship, Malaysian police said. Nine Chinese crew members were missing after the tanker collided with a Greek-managed bulk carrier vessel on the vital Asian shipping route.
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Stricken Taiwan tanker ablaze in Malacca Strait: police Agence France Presse
KUALA LUMPUR - Fire crews on Wednesday battled a blaze aboard a Taiwanese oil tanker carrying 58,000 tonnes of naphtha fuel in the Malacca Strait after it collided with another ship, Malaysian police said.
WEATHER FORECAST CITY
TEMPERATURE OC
DENPASAR
19 - 31
JAKARTA
25 - 33
BANDUNG
18 - 29
YOGYAKARTA
21 - 33
SURABAYA
23 - 32
SUNNY
BRIGHT/CLOUDY
Nine Chinese crew members were missing after the tanker collided with a Greek-managed bulk carrier vessel on the vital Asian shipping route.
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Rizal Ramli told AFP. “The collision happened last night in clear weather off Port Dickson. We have rescued 16 crew
Continued on page 6
Warhol portrait of Michael Jackson auctioned for ‘millions’ Agence France-Presse
RAIN
HOTLINE
“The MT Formosa Product Brick is on fire and is now listing on its left side. We fear it may sink,” local marine police chief
members, mainly of Chinese nationality,” he said, adding that two of the rescued crew were Taiwanese. The police chief of the southern state of Negeri Sembilan, Osman Saleh, told AFP the ship was loaded with 58,000 tonnes of naphtha and was heading for South Korea via Singapore.
AFP PHOTO/VARED GALLERY/HANDOUT
This handout image courtesy of Vared Gallery in NewYork shows a 1984 synthetic 30-inch by 26inch polymer painting of Michael Jackson by Andy Warhol.
NEW YORK - A 1984 Michael Jackson portrait by iconoclastic US artist Andy Warhol was auctioned for “millions” of dollars in New York on Tuesday, less than two months after the pop icon’s tragic death. “The auction was quite successful,” Janet Lehr, owner of Long Island’s Vered Art Gallery, told AFP. “We can’t talk about price. We don’t report price. It’s in the range of millions.”
The gallery earlier estimated that the portrait, which measures 30 by 26 inches (76.2 by 66 centimeters), could fetch 10 million dollars. The deal, Lehr said, was a good one for both the buyer and the seller. “A speculator outdid the art collectors,” she said, without revealing the buyer’s identity. “He took advantage of the situation.” The portrait was purchased for 278,500 dollars in May at the Sotheby’s auction house, and the buyer decided to sell it after
Jackson’s sudden death on June 25 shocked the world and sparked renewed interest in the tragic life of the “King of Pop.” The auction was to conclude on July 12, but Vered Art stopped the sale after receiving a massive amount of inquiries. The gallery had received offers online and by telephone. In recent years, other Warhol portraits of Jackson have found no buyers, including one put on the auction block in London in 2008.
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International
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Sport
International
News WORLD NEWS
Agence France Presse
SUNDERLAND - Carlo Ancelotti believes Chelsea’s 3-1 win at Sunderland gave an indication that his stars are determined to fight for the Premier League title.
LONDON - As if being the only British matador did not make him enough of an unlikely figure in the Spanish bullring, former butcher Frank Evans is returning to fight again at the age of 67.
NEW YORK - In 2005, an Israeli man flew to New York to give up a kidney to save an American businessman. Nick Rosen says he was paid $20,000, which appeared in a brown envelope on his hospital bed after the operation. The case gives resonance to claims that a black market for kidneys has thrived in the U.S.
Salvador Allende RIO DE JANEIRO The daughter of overthrown Chilean President Salvador Allende requests via Twitter that Brazil open any secret archives that could shed light on any role it played in the 1973 coup that killed her father.
Hildegard Behrens TOKYO - Soprano Hildegard Behrens, one of the finest Wagnerian performers of her generation, has died while traveling in Japan. She was 72
Source: ap
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Ancelotti impressed by resilient Chelsea Lone British bullfighter still risking life and limb at 67 Agence France-Presse
Black market kidneys
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Evans made made his farewell appearance in 2005 in the southern Spanish coastal town of Benalmadena, a serious knee injury from his early days playing rugby having caught up with him. But after reconstructive surgery — not to mention a quadruple heart bypass — “El Ingles”, who turned 67 on Tuesday, is ready to do battle again and makes his official comeback on August 30 in Benalmadena. “Inside, I am 25,” joked the man stepping back into an arena now dominated by glamorous, athletic young bullfighters. “I keep myself very fit and as long as I can cope with it I’m going to carry on,” he told AFP. The matador, who lives in Marbella, near Benalmadena, is not fazed by being an Englishman in the deeply Hispanic culture of bullfighting. “The bull doesn’t ask to see my birth certificate, so it’s the same for all of us,” he said during a trip back to his homeland. Evans reckons his unusual origins may have even helped him in his unlikely choice of career. “People maybe would buy a ticket just to see what I can do, because they can’t imagine what an Englishman can do with a muleta in his hand,” he said, referring to the matador’s cape. Just how did a man from Salford in Manchester, northwest England, end up
in a Spanish bullring? Evans recounts his remarkable journey in “The Last British Bullfighter”, his autobiography which hit the shelves this month. His fascination with bullfighting was triggered by a trip to Spain in 1963. But it was reading the 1950s autobiography of Vincent Hitchcock, the first British bullfighter, which inspired him to give it a go himself. “It suddenly occurred to me that it was possible for an Englishman to become a matador. It began to dawn on me that, if he could do it, then so could I”, Evans wrote in his memoirs. At the age of 22, Evans left Manchester and work in his father’s butcher’s shop to start on his quest in Spain. However, becoming a fullyfledged matador would be a long and difficult adventure. After two years in a bullfighting school in Valencia, he made his debut in 1966 in Montpellier in southern France. “It was a success. I killed the bull quickly,” he said. Despite his promising start, a shortage of money, equipment and honest promoters caused Evans to throw in the towel at the end of the 1960s. He returned to England to find work and settled down with his wife Margaret and their two children. But becoming a successful business-
AFP PHOTO
This handout picture obtained on August 14, 2009 shows British matador Frank Evans. As if being the only British matador did not make him enough of an unlikely figure in the Spanish bullring, former butcher Frank Evans is returning to fight again at the age of 67. Evans made made his farewell appearance in 2005 in the southern Spanish coastal town of Benalmadena, a serious knee injury from his early days playing rugby having caught up with him. man did not dampen his passion for bullfighting, so in 1979 he returned to Spain and seized every opportunity to get into the bullring. “I’m not a bullfighter for financial purposes,” he explained. “I do it because I have a vocation for it. I love doing it, the people involved in it, I love all the travelling you do, the training; I just love the whole thing.” His efforts finally paid off in 1991, when, at the age of 49, he took the “alternativa” — earning the right to fight mature bulls as a fully-fledged matador.
After his “alternativa”, Evans spent another 10 hard years struggling to make his name, until he received a call from a promoter who offered him a contract in Benalmadena. Although he was well into his fifties, it was the springboard for his career, with fights in Spain, France and Mexico. “Most people would have stopped fighting by then, and all of a sudden I was given my opportunity and after 40 years I became an overnight success,” he said, adding that he reached a career-high ranking of 63 in 2003.
Just as they did against Hull on Saturday, Chelsea showed admirable resilience on Tuesday to recover after Sunderland poured forward in the opening 45 minutes at the Stadium of Light and took a surprise lead through Darren Bent. Ancelotti insisted that he was not worried at any stage of the first half, although his gestures on the touchline occasionally suggested otherwise. But, eventually, Chelsea proved that class usually comes out on top in Premier League as goals from Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard and Deco sealed the points. Ancelotti said: “I am very happy. I thought we played very well in the second half. I know we went behind, but we had control of the match and good possession. “There wasn’t a lot of shooting from us, but we had control of them. Sunderland were strong in defence in the first half and applied pressure. “They ran a lot and they were tired, which made it more difficult for them to control us.” Chelsea have now gone behind in all three of their matches this season, including the Community Shield against Manchester United, but
Ancelotti said: “I am not concerned about coming from behind. “It can happen in football and what’s important is to show a good reaction and not be afraid when you do go behind. “We have been behind in three matches, but still showed good control.” There was much to admire in the way Sunderland played, but Sunderland boss Steve Bruce reserved most of his praise for the west London club who are certain to be challenging for the title again. Bruce said: “Sometimes you just have to admit you’ve been well beaten by a very good team. It seemed at times that we’d had a man sent off. “We gave everything we could give, but couldn’t cope with the way they moved the ball. It was a very difficult evening for us. “We all aspire to be the best but when you see a performance like that you can see why they will be there or thereabouts in every competition.” Chelsea took control of the second half and Ballack equalised before Lampard’s penalty and Deco’s strike erased the memory of their first half difficulties. “Darren got a wonderful goal and
we were very pleased at half time,” said Bruce. “But Chelsea were terrific and played to their maximum. They’re the real deal and that’s why they are top of the tree. Anybody who beats them will win the league.” Ancelotti made four changes to the
team that beat Hull and the former AC Milan coach added: “I changed it because I have very good quality players and I want to use them because we have a lot of matches. I want to keep them fresh and in good condition.” He also ruled out any chance of
selling Deco, who was outstanding. “He doesn’t want to change and we don’t want him to change,” Ancelotti said. “Deco is working very well now. This is a very important year for him before the World Cup. He played very well - for himself and for the team.”
Champions League play-off round here on Tuesday. The Italians will now be favourites to progress to the competition group stage following
next week’s second leg in Florence. The visitors took an early lead when Juan Vargas lashed home a low shot from outside the area.
Alberto Gilardino had crossed from the right and the Peruvian took the ball on his chest, bundled through a weak tackle and sent home a strike on six minutes that Rui Patricio got a hand to but couldn’t keep out. Fiorentina were lucky not to have a man sent off, though, when Alessandro Gamberini tangled with Sporting’s Brazilian forward Liedson. Gamberini appeared to lash out with his hand in Liedson’s neck but was only shown a yellow card, as was Sporting’s Montenegro striker Simon Vukcevic, who shoved the Italian in the chest following the original fracas. That was followed by a spell of home dominance with Everton target Joao Moutinho forcing French goalkeeper Sebastien Frey into a sprawling low save. Former Tottenham forward Helder Postiga went close again in first half stoppage time but curled his effort just past the upright. The Portuguese predictably came out firing at the start of the second period and deservedly drew level on 58 minutes when
Vukcevic pounced on a kind deflection in the box to slide home past Frey. However, the Montenegran then stupidly removed his shirt in celebration and was promptly shown a second yellow card and sent to the stands. Even so, the hosts extended their lead on 66 minutes as Miguel Veloso thrashed home an unstoppable shot into the top corner from outside the box. That opened up the game with Fiorentina pushing forward for an equaliser and Sporting looking to hit them on the counter. Riccardo Montolivo came close to restoring parity as he ran through two tackles but then shot too close to Patricio. However he then fashioned La Viola’s stunning leveller as Gilardino took his chip into the box on his chest before prodding home a volley with the outside of his right boot. Substitute Stevan Jovetic almost snatched a winner for the visitors three minutes from time but after leaving two men on the seat of their pants in the box, he shot straight at Patricio.
AP Photo/Scott Heppell
Chelsea’s Frank Lampard, right, has a shot toward’s goal past Sunderland’s Phil Bardsley, left, during their English Premier League soccer match at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland, England, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2009.
Ten-man Sporting hold Fiorentina
Agence France Presse
LISBON - Fiorentina earned a vital 2-2 draw away from home at 10-man Sporting Lisbon in the
Hurricane Bill strengthens to Category Three status Agence France-Presse
MIAMI - Hurricane Bill, the first of the Atlantic storm season, strengthened late Tuesday to a major Category Three status with wind speeds near 125 miles (205 kilometers) per hour, the National Hurricane Center said. The hurricane was moving in a north-westerly direction, and on its current track is projected to turn north and largely miss the US coastline. An Air Force reserve hurricane hunter plane that flew into the Atlantic storm indicated “that Bill has strengthened and maximum sus-
tained winds have increased to near 125 MPH,” the center said in an interim advisory. That made Bill “a Category 3 Hurricane on the (five-level) Saffir/ Simpson hurricane scale,” it said in a brief statement. The Miami-based Hurricane Center said earlier that at 2100 GMT Tuesday, the hurricane was located about 635 miles (1,025 kilometers) east of the Leeward Islands and heading westnorthwestward toward the US mainland at nearly 16 mph (26 kph). “West-northwest motion is expected to continue for tonight followed by a turn toward the northwest on Wednes-
day,” forecasters said. The hurricane’s projected track is in the Atlantic, “well to the northeast” of the Caribbean’s Leeward Islands. The Hurricane Center’s extended forecast puts the far northeastern US coastline on the eastern edge of Bill’s broad “cone of uncertainty” by Sunday. Tropical Storm Claudette, which blew up in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday and lashed Florida resorts with strong winds and heavy rain, weakened Monday to a tropical depression as it moved across the southern United States. Tropical Storm Ana, the first named storm of the season, also lost
its punch as it moved quickly at maximum winds of 34 mph (55 kph) across the Caribbean, with all tropical storm watches discontinued in the region. In the Pacific, Tropical Storm Guillermo was moving northwest at about 20 mph (33 kph) at 0200 GMT Wednesday. A day after weakening rapidly from a hurricane, the storm was 570 miles (917 km) northeast of Hilo, Hawaii, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. The Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and ends on November 30.
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Fiorentina’s Alberto Gilardino (L) kicks the ball to score 2-2 against Sporting during their first-leg Champions League play-off football match at Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon on August 18, 2009.
AFP PHOTO/ FRANCISCO LEONG
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Thursday, August 20, 2009
News
International
International
Dibaba deals Ethiopia medal blow, Robles struggles
Agence France-Presse
BERLIN - Ethiopian world medal hopes were dealt a further blow Wednesday when Olympic champion and world recorder holder Tirunesh Dibaba pulled out of the women’s 5000m here. mates - Sentayeju Ejigu, Meselech Melkamu and Genzebe Dibaba. Kenyans Vivian Cheruiyot, Sylvia Kibet and Iness Chenonge all also looked comfortable while progressing at a sun-baked Olympic Stadium. There looked like being an upset brewing in the 110m hurdles when Robles found himself in sixth place at the halfway mark of his heat. Robles, sporting a bandaged left thigh under his singlet, fairly laboured over the first five hurdles with his lead left leg failing to snap out over the hurdle. But he somehow managed to find the reserves to pull through the field and sneak into third in 13.67sec. “I feel pain in my left thigh,” Robles admitted. “I don’t know what’s going on. I thought it was only a small problem but now I know that I really have a problem. “I cannot say that I’ll continue to run or not. I’ll talk with the physiotherapist and doctor, and we’ll see. “I promised Fidel Castro to bring home the gold medal for him and I want to keep my promise. I am a warrior and I will fight.” There was also not a good start to the day for Robles’ fellow Cuban
Leonel Suarez in the decathlon. The Olympic bronze medallist and firm favourite for the 10-sport, two-day event in the absence of American Olympic champion Bryan Clay, only managed 11.13sec in the 100m and 7.24m in the long jump, ranking 23rd out of the 38 starting competitors. American Trey Hardee ran a very decent 10.45sec and jumped a best of 7.80m to lead the overall standings after two events. There was also heartbreak for reigning world silver medallist Maurice Smith of Jamaica who pulled up during the 100m with what looked like a hamstring injury. In qualification for the women’s discus throw, Olympic champion Stephanie Brown Trafton failed to hit the minimum standard of 61.50m, managing a best of 61.23m but progressing as one of the top 12 finishers. “This will hopefully stimulate me to my best in the final because I consider myself as an underdog,” the American said. The opening heats of the women’s 200m were cancelled because of the low number of entrants and those entered will now go straight into the quarter-finals in the evening session later Wednesday.
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
President Barack Obama leans in to talk with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2009, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.
AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus
Cuba’s Dayron Robles competes in a Men’s 110m Hurdles first round heat during the World Athletics Championships in Berlin on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009.
Seeds Venus, Kuznetsova ousted in Canada Raptors send Delfino to Bucks in NBA deal Agence France Presse
TORONTO - Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine upset third-ranked Venus Williams 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the second round of a two million-dollar WTA hardcourt tournament here on Tuesday. Williams, who enjoyed a first-round bye, roared to a quick victory in the opening set but by the finish had fallen to 0-3 all-time in the Canadian WTA event, the final major tuneup for many players ahead of the US Open. “I was definitely expecting to play well and to go very far in the tournament,” Williams said. “It’s disappointing.” Williams was not the only seed sent packing.
AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn
Venus Williams of the United States, reacts during her 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 loss to Kateryna Bondarenko of the Ukraine during the Rogers Cup tennis tournament in Toronto on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2009.
Australian Samantha Stosur defeated Russian sixth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-3. The Aussie will next face either France’s Virginie Razzano or Italy’s Flavia Pennetta. Williams saw a silver lining in the loss, knowing she had almost two weeks to rest before the year’s final Grand Slam event starts at Flushing Meadows. “I have to take it as a positive,” Williams said. “Now it’ll give me a chance to rest. It has been a really busy summer for me.” Bondarenko, ranked 64th, will face either Hungary’s Agnes Szavay or Poland’s Agnieska Radwanska in the third round. “It’s big because it was against Venus,” Bondarenko said. “I was playing really good. The first set, I didn’t know what to do with her power. The rest of the time, I just tried to keep the ball in play.” Serbian standout Ana Ivanovic advanced to the second round by rallying to defeat Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. Ivanovic, the 21-year-old world number 11 still seeking her first WTA title of the year, made seven double faults but outlasted her 47th-ranked rival. “My movement, my shots, everything was working well, but I was trying to play a little too safe,” Ivanovic said. “She’s a good player and she was playing really aggressive and dominant.” Ivanovic’s next opponent will be Czech Lucie Safarova, who defeated Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi 6-4, 7-6 (7/3). China’s Zheng Jie ousted Russia’s Elena Vesnina 6-3, 62, and could face Kim Cljisters, making a comeback after taking a two-year break to start a family, in a second-round match. Israel’s Shahar Peer took more than 2 1/2 hours but finally advanced past Romania’s Monica Niculescu 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4).
Agence France Presse
TORONTO - Carlos Delfino, a guard from Argentina who spent last season playing in Russia, was traded Tuesday by the Toronto Raptors to the Milwaukee Bucks in a four-player NBA deal. The Raptors obtained forward Amir Johnson and swingman Sonny Weems while the Bucks received Delfino and Croatian guard Roko Ukic. “Carlos made it clear he would prefer to play elsewhere if he were to return to the NBA,” Raptors president Bryan Colangelo said. “There were limited sign and trade scenarios available, but acquiring Amir Johnson in this deal gives us another long, talented young big man whose best basketball is ahead of him.” Delfino averaged 9.0 points and 4.4 rebounds for Toronto in the 2007-2008 season while Ukic, who played six seasons in Europe before reaching the NBA last season, averaged 4.2 points, 2.1 assists and 12.4 minutes in 72 games. Johnson, who played four sea-
Mubarak firm on final status push in Obama talks
Agence France-Presse
WASHINGTON - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told US President Barack Obama Tuesday that final status talks and not a “temporary solution” suggested by Israel represented the sole route to Middle East peace.
sons for Detroit before being traded to the Bucks in June, led the Pistons with a 59.5 percent shooting accuracy rate while averaging 3.5 points and 3.7 rebounds. Weems played in 14 games as a rookie with Denver last season.
BP/doc
Carlos Delfino
3
Honduras regime breaks ties with Argentina
Agence France Presse
Cuba’s Olympic champion and world record holder Dayron Robles was also left uncertain for the semifinals of the 110m hurdles after battling through his heat with an injured left lead leg to eventually clock the slowest time of all qualifiers. Dibaba, a two-time world champion over the 5000m (2003 and 2005) who is also the Olympic 10,000m champion, had already pulled out of the longer race last weekend after suffering from an ankle injury all season. Turkey’s Ethiopian-born double Olympic silver medallist Elvan Abeylegesse, who pulled up during the 10,000m race, also failed to start the 5000m. It was instead Dibaba’s arch-rival and compatriot Meseret Defar, the reigning world champion, who set the fastest qualifying time, winning her heat in 15min 15.45sec. “I pushed the pace because I’ve been a little bit sick and I wanted to see how my body would respond,” said Defar. “I feel okay. I’m pleased I qualified because I really want to win the final.” She will be accompanied in Saturday’s final by a trio of team-
Thursday, August 20, 2009
But Obama praised Israel for curtailing new tenders for settlements in the West Bank and urged Arab states and Palestinians to join the Jewish state in taking “risks” to pull the stalled peace process out of a rut. Mubarak, in his first presidential summit in the United States in five years, argued that rows over issues like settlements and proposals for piecemeal Arab concessions to Israel were bogging the process down. “We need to move to the final status solution and level,” Mubarak told reporters as he sat with Obama in the Oval Office. “I have contacted the Israelis and they said ‘perhaps we can talk about a temporary solution,’ but I told them ‘No’, I told them ‘forget about the temporary solution, forget about temporary borders.’” Final status talks would tackle the most intractable issues in the Middle East, including the status of Jerusalem in perpetuity, the borders of a final Palestinian state and the right of return for Palestinian refugees. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told US lawmakers last week that pushing for a fast-track deal over the next year would not work and proposed concentrating on security and Palestinian economic conditions. Obama, throwing himself deeper into
the mire of Middle East peacemaking which has confounded his predecessors, was optimistic, despite little progress so far for his peace effort. “If all sides are willing to move off of the rut that we’re in currently, then I think there is an extraordinary opportunity to make real progress, but we are not there yet.” The US president also praised the Israeli government for deciding not to issue new tenders for settlement construction in the occupied West Bank until early 2010. “There has been movement in the right direction,” Obama said, saying the Israeli government was taking its talks with Washington seriously amid a rare public showdown between the two allies. “My hope is that we are going to see not just movement from the Israelis, but also from the Palestinians around issues of incitement and security, from Arab states that show their willingness to engage Israel.” But Palestinians and other critics dismissed the Israeli move as insignificant, pointing out that construction continues on the ground in a number of settlements in Palestinian territory. Obama has been pushing Arab states to make small concessions to Israel to unlock stalled peace moves and has called on the Jewish state to halt settlement expansion.
But Mubarak told Obama he would not offer concessions until Israel took its own “concrete steps,” his spokesman Soliman Awaad said, adding that Arab states believed Netanyahu deliberately slowed peace efforts during his first spell as Israeli leader. “It’s like an egg and chicken situation,” Awaad said. “He told him it won’t fly. He reminded him that this was a deja vu situation.” Awaad also told reporters the US president hoped to unveil a comprehensive Middle East peace plan at around the time of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) next month. “Today, Mr. Obama said that hopefully after (Obama’s Middle East peace envoy George) Mitchell and Netanyahu meet next week, the peace blueprint should be there in the course of next month, in September,” Awaad said. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs denied any knowledge of such a plan, though he said the UNGA would be an important chance to forge progress. The US State Department confirmed plans for Mitchell to meet Netanyahu before the end of the month. During his first White House talks with Obama, Mubarak poured praise on the US president over his historic address to the Muslim world in Cairo in June.
TEGUCIGALPA - Interim leaders in Honduras who backed the June 28 ouster of President Manuel Zelaya on Tuesday broke off diplomatic ties with Argentina, which has made a strong push to return the deposed leader. The de facto leaders said they were breaking off relations on the basis of “strict reciprocity” after Argentina last week expelled the Honduran ambassador over her support for the military coup. Diplomatic relations would now pass through the Israeli embassy in Argentina, they said in a statement. Argentina’s diplomatic chief responded in Mexico that his country’s diplomats had no plans to leave their embassy in Honduras. “Argentina’s diplomatic staff is in Tegucigalpa and they don’t have a (leaving) date at all,” Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana said. The interim Honduran leadership headed by Roberto Micheletti has already told Venezuela’s envoys to leave, but they have refused. Argentina last Thursday expelled the Honduran ambassador to Buenos Aires, Carmen Eleonora Ortez Williams, and President Cristina Kirchner has been among the staunchest defenders of Zelaya’s right to return to power. Taiana — part of a delegation from the Organization of American States (OAS) due to travel shortly to Honduras — earlier told AFP that other countries should do more to help resolve the political crisis in the impoverished Central American country. Dozens of Hondurans meanwhile met with members of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, who are on a mission to investigate alleged rights violations by the interim government.
US Catholic bishops in Cuba seeking improved ties
Agence France-Presse
HAVANA - A delegation of senior US Roman Catholic clergy called here Tuesday for closer ties between Washington and Havana following moves by President Barack Obama to improve ties with the communist island. Ties between the Cold-War foes have thawed since Obama became president in January, with US nationals of Cuban descent now more easily travelling and sending money to Cuba. However there are no signs yet that the US trade embargo on the island, in place since 1962, could be lifted. “The important thing is not to lose the opportunity of increased closeness and understanding between our two governments,” said Thomas Wenski, the bishop of Orlando, Florida. “I believe that the church, here and there, should advocate for this,” said Wenski, speaking in Spanish at a Havana press conference Tuesday. Wenski is part of a delegation of bishops that began a fourday visit to the island on Monday. The delegation includes Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley and the auxiliary bishop of San Antonio, Texas, Oscar Cantu. Wenski said that the Obama administration has been reviewing Washington’s policy towards Cuba “step by step, which may be a slow process.” Senior Cuban and US clergy “are trying to influence the polices” of both governments, said Wenski, who spoke after a meeting with Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega. “We should encourage them for there to be freedom of travel as well as a lifting of the embargo,” Wenski said. O’Malley, who said he has visited Cuba several times over the past 20 years, said there has been a “notable improvement” of ties between Havana and the church since Pope John Paul II’s visit in January 1998. The head of the Cuban Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Dionisio Garcia, told AFP that the visit of US clergy is part of the pope’s appeal to increase Cuba’s openness to the world. In April, Obama acknowledged that Washington’s policies toward Cuba, including a decades-old embargo, had failed, but said that issues such as political prisoners, freedom of speech and democracy in Cuba could not be brushed aside in any new approach toward the country.
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Thursday, August 20, 2009
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International
Taiwan minister resigns as typhoon political storm grows
AFP PHOTO / Sam YEH
Taiwan Defence Minister Chen Chao-min Agence France-Presse
TAIPEI - Taiwan’s political storm surrounding Typhoon Morakot gained force Wednesday as the defence minister and cabinet secretary offered to resign over the government’s slow emergency response. A new poll suggested 46 percent of people had no confidence in the government’s ability to handle reconstruction efforts as President Ma Ying-jeou’s approval rating dropped to a near record low of 29 percent. The number of confirmed dead meanwhile rose to 136, but Ma has warned the death toll could climb to more than 500, with 380 people feared buried by mudslides in the southern village of Hsiaolin alone. Angry survivors surrounded the president during a visit Wednesday to Hsiaolin. Ma burned incense sticks and bowed before a muddy plain that 12 days earlier was a tidy village. “President, you’ve come way too late,” a woman shouted at Ma in footage broadcast on cable news
channels. He tried to comfort a woman in a traditional Taiwanese funeral robe, who was performing a Taoist ritual to summon the spirits of her relatives whose bodies have yet to be found. Defence Minister Chen Chaomin and Cabinet Secretary General Hsueh Hsiang-chuan, in charge of coordination between ministries, offered to step down, a cabinet official said on condition of anonymity. The first political casualty was vice-foreign minister Andrew Hsia Li-yan, who tendered his resignation on Tuesday — for refusing overseas aid. Premier Liu Chao-shiuan has received their resignations and was considering them, the official said. Lin Hou-wang, a Ma adviser and National Taiwan University philosophy professor, said the prime minister and others should also consider resigning. “The cabinet needs an overall reshuffle for letting the society down,” Lin told AFP. The cabinet secretary faced personal criticism after angrily justifying himself for dining with his family at a five-star hotel on August 8, the day Morakot struck, saying it was Father’s Day in Taiwan and “not out of line”. The defense ministry has been under fire for deploying too few troops during the initial rescue operation, with only 2,100 sent on August 9 before the number was dramatically increased to 43,300 five days later. Ma and senior officials began a news conference on Tuesday by bowing in a symbolic apology to the Taiwanese people for not recognising the magnitude of the disaster fast enough. He promised an investigation into mistakes made after the typhoon and vowed to punish officials found to have been negligent, once the probe’s results are published next month.
Srilanka to maintain defence budget despite rebel defeat Agence France-Presse
COLOMBO - The Sri Lankan government plans to keep up record defence spending despite its recent victory over Tamil rebels that ended nearly four decades of fighting, a senior official said. Defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said the military needed to be modernised and payments made on hardware bought on credit. Sri Lanka raised its defence budget to a record 1.6 billion dollars in 2009, and finally crushed the Tamil Tigers separatists in May after months of intense battles. “I don’t see an immediate need to reduce the defence spending next year,” Rajapakse told AFP on the sidelines of a meeting on Tuesday.
“We have cut down on our ammunition purchases. But we need to bring in new technology to upgrade our military capacity.” Sri Lanka relied heavily on mortar bombs and ammunition purchased from China and Pakistan during the ethnic conflict. After routing the Tamil Tigers, the government scrapped a 200million dollar ammunition order from China. Rajapakse added that nearly 30,000 government forces were killed and 10,000 disabled in the decades of fighting, with 6,000 killed in the last three months of warfare. The Sri Lankan army intends to recruit tens of thousands of new troops to be deployed in areas previously under rebel control.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
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New Products A new PlayStation 3 is on display at a news conference in Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. Sony Corp. has cut the price in Japan for PlayStation 3 to 29,980 yen ($317). It said Wednesday that the remodeled version of PlayStation 3 will go on sale in Japan on Sept. 3.
AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye TOPSHOTS AFP PHOTO/PEDRO UGARTE
An Afghan policeman aims his weapon at photojournalists Paula Bronstein (2L) and Kevin Frayer (L) as he prevents them from approaching the area where three gunmen stormed a bank in Kabul on August 19, 2009. The Afghan government came under severe criticism for attempting to ban media coverage of escalating Taliban violence in case it deters people from voting in Thursday’s elections.
Kabul attacks escalate on Afghan election eve Agence France-Presse
KABUL - Fresh attacks hit Kabul as Taliban gunmen stormed a bank building and fought pitched battles with police Wednesday on the eve of Afghanistan’s second presidential election. Security forces fanned out on high alert in a bid to protect the capital from a spike in Taliban violence that has unleashed two suicide attacks and rocket strikes on the relatively peaceful city just days before the vote. The Taliban said Wednesday’s siege was part of a series of attacks planned
for the eve of elections after the insurgent militia threatened to accelerate its bid to derail the polls that bolster Western-backed moves to democracy. Armed police forced their way into the bank after the building was stormed by at least three gunmen. Loud bursts of gunfire echoed as
dozens of security forces and intelligence agents gathered outside, said an AFP reporter. “We have killed three of the attackers inside the bank,” Kabul criminal investigation police chief Sayed Abdul Ghafar Sayedzada told AFP. “They were Taliban,” he said. The attack was likely to increase the fears of Afghans about it being safe to go out to vote despite reassurances from authorities and after US and allied forces have stepped up their anti-insurgency offensive.
South Korea postpones rocket launch minutes before blast-off Agence France-Presse
SEOUL - South Korea Wednesday postponed the launch of its first space rocket just eight minutes before the scheduled blast-off, due to an unspecified technical fault. Mission controllers suspended the launch at 4.52 pm (0752 GMT) and began dumping fuel, the science ministry said. It was the seventh time since 2002 that the project, operated in partnership with Russia, has been delayed. The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1, which was due to put a satellite into orbit, was reattached to the launch pad. “There was a problem in the automatic launch sequence that caused the
launch to be called off,” said Korea Aerospace Research Institute head Lee Joo-Jin, without giving details. He told Yonhap news agency a new date would be set after consultation with experts from Russia, which manufactured the rocket’s first stage. A successful launch would make South Korea the tenth country to put a satellite into orbit using its own rocket. Seoul has invested 502.5 billion won (419 million dollars) and much national pride in the 33-metre (108foot) rocket, whose second stage was built by local engineers. Seoul also built the 100-kilogram (220-pound) scientific research satellite atop the rocket at the Naro Space Centre at Goheung, 475
kilometres (300 miles) south of Seoul. North Korea, smarting over UN Security Council censure of its own rocket launch in April, had said it would watch closely to see whether world powers also refer the South Korean launch to the Council. Pyongyang insists it was unfairly punished for its April 5 launch, saying it merely put a peaceful communications satellite into orbit. Washington and its allies say no satellite was detected in orbit and the North’s launch was a disguised test of a Taepodong-2 missile. Seoul has bristled at any comparisons with its neighbour’s operation, insisting its own launch is purely for scientific purposes.
AFP PHOTO/TANG CHHIN SOTHY
Cambodian hip hop trainer Tuy Sobil (L) trains a girl in hip hop dance at his club in Phnom Penh on June 12, 2009. Established a few years ago by the former US gang member deported after being convicted of armed robbery, the Tiny Toones centre also teaches disc jockey skills and rapping to nearly 400 children. Besides helping bring hip hop culture to Cambodia, Tiny Toones and its founder Tuy Sobil, better known as Kay Kay, have won accolades for helping drug addicts and poor street kids transform their lives.
Rejected US Cambodian brings hip hop home Agence France Presse
PHNOM PENH - A slim boy with curly hair spins on his head to hip hop music at a house down a crowded and dusty road in the Cambodian capital. The dancer, 11-year-old Soeurn Nhanh, says he had a hopeless existence as a shoeshine boy until he discovered Cambodia’s first and only breakdancing and hip hop school. “When I grow up, I want to be a breakdancing teacher and earn money to support myself and my family,” he says, grinning. Established a few years ago by a former US gang member deported after being convicted of armed robbery, the Tiny Toones centre also teaches disc jockey skills and rapping to nearly 400 children. Besides helping bring hip hop culture to Cambodia, Tiny Toones and its founder Tuy Sobil, better known as Kay Kay, have won accolades for helping drug addicts and poor street kids transform their lives. “Our [centre] doesn’t judge where the kids come from. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the rich, poor, or orphans, sex workers or drug kids...we just make everybody equal here,” Kay Kay says. “I’m happy to tell them that one day they will get better,” he adds. The centre now also teaches English, Khmer and computers. Kay Kay, 32, brings lessons from his own life to the job. He is one of some 200 Cambodi-
ans ejected from the United States over the past several years under a law which deports felons who do not have American citizenship. Kay Kay had never been back to Cambodia, which he left as a baby when his family emigrated to the US. His parents neglected to complete US citizenship documents when they arrived in California and after being jailed for armed robbery at 18 he was deported, leaving his family and young son behind. “For Kay Kay, deportation is a very sensitive thing to talk about,” says Ho Lisa, Tiny Toones’ administration director. When he arrived in Cambodia, Kay Kay seemed to leave his old life far behind, working as a counsellor for drug addicts. But in almost every way, Kay Kay is American. He named his centre “Tiny Toones” for the classic US children’s cartoon programmes, and although his students mimic his baggy trousers and colourful over-sized t-shirts, he still draws attention around Phnom Penh. “With tied-up long hair and a heavily-tattooed body, I get a bad impression from people. I might look like I’m very violent but I’m not,” Kay Kay says.
Many Cambodians fear or find it hard to accept deportees like Kay Kay, who were initially expected to bring a crime wave with them to the country. “Depending on their jobs, some of them (deportees) still face stigma,” says Ong Klung, head of the Returnee Integration Support Program. “Some find it hard to function.” Taing Phoeuk, director of Korsang, an HIV education organisation which is staffed by many deportees, says the vast majority are not involved in any criminal behaviour. “Many work in non-governmental organisations, companies or have gone to live with their families throughout Cambodia. But a few others are still abusing drugs,” says Taing Phoeuk, a deportee himself. For his part, Kay Kay says his students inspire him to live well, although there is also irony in the attention he has had from founding Tiny Toones. When he gave a performance at a Clinton Global Initiative meeting in Hong Kong last year, Kay Kay danced in front of former US president Bill Clinton — the man who passed the law which banished him. He also could not accompany his students as they went on a performance tour of the US early this year. Kay Kay says he is slowly being accepted into Cambodian society now and hopes he will be completely welcome someday.
The Hope Diamond is placed on a mirror at the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum in Washington. Starting in September 2009 the diamond will be exhibited as a standalone gem with no setting while a new setting is designed by New York jeweler Harry Winston.
AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File
AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, file
FILE - In this April 8, 2009 file photo, Jim Press, deputy CEO of Chrysler, introduces a Fiat 500 at the 2009 New York International Auto Show in New York. Chrysler Group LLC is planning to build the Fiat 500 small car at a plant in Mexico, according to a report published Monday, Aug. 17, 2009.
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Thursday, August 20, 2009
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Mozart may have died from strep throat: study Agence France Presse
WASHINGTON - A Dutch study published Tuesday concludes that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose death at 35 has long been the subject of speculation, may have been a victim of complications stemming from strep throat.
BP/ist
The picture of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Theories about the prolific composer’s untimely death have ranged from poisoning to kidney failure to trichinosis, a parasitic disease that comes from eating raw or undercooked pork. But Richard Zegers of the University of Amsterdam concluded that the legendary composer fell victim to a “minor epidemic” of strep throat infection in Vienna, where Mozart died in December 1791. Zegers and his colleagues based their study, which was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, on
data from death records in the Austrian capital ranging between November 1791 and January 1972. According to his death certificate, Mozart died from “hitziges Frieselfieber,” a kind of fever that is accompanied by a rash. But the researchers said the diagnosis was more likely a description of symptoms than of a disease. Witness accounts also said Mozart, who composed more than 600 works during his short life, fell ill of an “inflammatory fever,” which the study noted was consistent with strep throat.
He eventually developed severe swelling, cramps, fever and a rash, also consistent with a strep throat infection leading to glomerulonephritis, an acute kidney inflammation. The swelling was so severe, his sister-in-law Sophie Haibel recalled three decades later, that Mozart could not turn in bed but was conscious and in sound mental condition until his dying breath. Mozart may also have died from scarlet fever, the researchers said, while noting this was “a less likely possibility.” The illness was short-lived, lasting only two weeks. The last months of his life were brimming with productivity, and saw Mozart complete the score of the opera “The Magic Flute,” conduct its premiere, visit a spa town, compose his clarinet concerto and begin writing his never completed “Requiem.”
France’s Annaud to direct Redford to direct Lincoln assassination film ‘Wolf Totem’ in China Agence France Presse
Agence France Presse
BEIJING - French director Jean-Jacques Annaud on Tuesday unveiled his plans to film the screen adaptation of the award-winning best-seller “Wolf Totem” in China, his first project in the giant Asian nation. Annaud, best known for films such as “Two Brothers”, “The Bear”, “The Lover” and “The Name of the Rose”, just returned from Inner Mongolia and Mongolia proper, where he scouted film sites with the book’s author Jiang Rong. “Wolf Totem”, which won the Asian equivalent of the Booker Prize in 2007, is a fictional account of life in the 1970s in the remote China-Mongolia border region, and the struggle between tradition and modernity. “My interest in the relationship between humans and animals is magnificently described by this book,” Annaud told reporters. “It’s the story of a young man who discovers a civilisation — that has been the theme in many of my films.” The novel has been a massive hit in China, with more than 2.6 million official copies — and more than 17 million pirated copies — sold since 2004. The book has been translated into several foreign languages including English. Jiang Rong is a pseudonym, as the author is a former Chinese political prisoner jailed for taking part in the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy protests. Annaud said he was approached by a Chinese production house, Beijing Forbidden City Corp, to work on the project. He has just begun writing the script and said he hopes to begin filming in 2011. “It’s a difficult script to write, I’ll need at least six months,” he said. The French filmmaker said he was looking forward to working in China, and said the criticism he received from authorities over “Seven Years in Tibet”, which offered a sympathetic portrayal of the Dalai Lama, was in the past. “I told them right away that I had done that film, but they told me that the situation had changed, that mentalities had evolved, that it was in the past,” he said.
AFP PHOTO/LIU Jin
French film director JeanJacques Annaud simulates the sound of wolf howling as he holds a poster of the film “Wolf Totem” at a press conference in Beijing on August 18, 2009. Annaud will direct the film version of the Chinese novel.
BP/ist
Robert Redford
LOS ANGELES - Hollywood legend Robert Redford has signed up to direct a historical drama about the assassination of US president Abraham Lincoln, The Hollywood Reporter said Tuesday. Lincoln, whose presidential tenure took place during the 1861-1865 US civil war, emancipated slaves and was mortally shot by a southern sympathizer in Washington as he was watching a play just weeks after the fighting ended. Redford’s “The Conspirator” plans to focus on the role of Mary Surratt, a Washington tavern owner who sympathized with the Confederacy in the south and was allegedly
linked to the assassination plot. The script was written by James Solomon, known for penning the TV series “The Bronx is Burning,” while actor James McAvoy is being considered for one of the lead roles, the Reporter said. Surratt allegedly supplied Lincoln’s killer, John Wilkes Booth, and accomplice David Herold, with weapons. She was convicted and hanged for her role in the plot despite doubts over her guilt, the Reporter said. The status of two other movies about Lincoln — a biography to be directed by Steven Spielberg, and a story on the chase for Lincoln’s killers that was to star Harrison Ford — remains uncertain.
Canadian singer Celine Dion pregnant with second child Agence France Presse
OTTAWA - Canadian singer Celine Dion, 41, is pregnant with her second child, her spokeswoman told AFP Tuesday. Dion and her husband Rene Angelil, director of the French-language reality-television show “Star Academie,” are “both very happy,” the spokeswoman added. According to the French-language daily Le Journal de Montreal, which was first to report the story, the singer resorted to medical help to conceive. Dion, who is from Quebec, is expected to give birth in May 2010. In March, Dion announced an 18-month career hiatus in order to spend time with her family and have a second child. Married almost 15 years, Dion currently has one son, Rene-Charles, born on January 25, 2001. He is to start his first day of school on Tuesday in Florida, Dion’s spokeswoman said.
(FILES) Photo dated May 22, 2008 shows Canadian singer Celine Dion arriving at the Elysee Palace in Paris to be made Knight in the order of The Legion of Honour by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
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Malaysian model accepts punishment for drinking beer Agence France-Presse
AP Photo/Andy Wong
Children affected by lead poisoning from the Dongling Lead and Zinc Smelting Co. plant receive medical treatment at a hospital in Fengxiang county, West of Xi’an, China, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. Dozens of police and plainclothes officers guarded the Chinese smelting plant in central Shaanxi on Wednesday, days after hundreds of villagers stormed the factory because more than 600 children from two nearby villages had been sickened by lead poisoning.
China factory under guard after lead poisoning Associated Press Writer
CHANGQING - Dozens of police and plainclothes officers guarded a Chinese smelting plant in central Shaanxi on Wednesday, days after hundreds of villagers stormed the factory because more than 600 children from two nearby villages had been sickened by lead poisoning. The roads leading to the plant were lined with a heavy security presence. On one stretch, 75 to 100 officers patrolled the streets as small groups of parents gathered. However, when parents tried to talk to visiting journalists about their concerns over health, the security officers tried to break up the interviews. At least 615 of 731 children in two villages near the Dongling Lead and Zinc Smelting Co. plant in Shaanxi province’s Changqing
town have tested positive for lead poisoning. Some had lead levels 10 times the level China considers safe. At the nearby Fengxiang County Hospital, 80 children had been admitted as of Wednesday for observation and treatment of lead poisoning. Zha Xiaofang, 41, from Madaokou village, said her 8-yearold daughter has lead levels considered mid- to high-level poisoning. Her daughter has had abdominal pain and memory problems for some
time. “We are anxious because we don’t know what will happen next and we don’t have any guarantees for the future,” she said, standing just outside the children’s ward where her daughter was being treated. Children could be seen lying on hospital beds with their parents hovering nearby, many of them on IV drips. Police and plainclothes officers in the hospital followed journalists around and tried to prevent them from conducting interviews. The other village affected is Sunjianantou. Parents of a few hundred children were waiting for the results of tests Tuesday for lead poisoning in a third village, Luobosi.
Suspect ordered to trial in death of porn model Associated Press Writer
AFP PHOTO/FILES/Patrick HERTZOG
Thursday, August 20, 2009
EL DORADO - A man accused of killing a Kansas college student who led a secret life as an Internet pornography model pleaded not guilty to her murder Tuesday. The attorney for Israel Mireles, 26, entered the plea after Judge David Ricke ruled that prosecutors had enough evidence to try him on charges of capital murder, rape and aggravated criminal sodomy in the death of 18year-old Emily Sander. The trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 2. Ricke’s ruling followed a daylong preliminary hearing in Butler County District Court in which prosecutors laid out their case
against Mireles, portraying a night of underage drinking that ended with Sander’s brutal slaying. Kansas Attorney General Steve Six told the judge the capital murder charge was justified because the testimony showed she was alive while she was being tortured, raped and sodomized. His defense attorney, Melanie Freeman-Johnson, probed details of witness testimony but offered no hint of her trial strategy and presented no witnesses. She declined to comment after the hearing. Evidence presented by prosecutors included testimony from friends and witnesses who said they saw Sander leave a southeast Kansas bar
with the suspect the night of Nov. 23, 2007. Her battered, nude body was found six days later off a highway about 50 miles (80 kilometers) away. She died after being repeatedly stabbed, strangled and beaten, according to testimony. Investigators recovered the knife they believe was used in the crime from a trash bin in Baxter Springs where Mireles picked up his pregnant girlfriend before fleeing to Mexico, according to testimony. The trash bin also contained bloodstained clothing, including a pair of boxer shorts that had both her blood and his semen, investigators said. His semen was also found on her body, according to testimony.
KUALA LUMPUR - A Muslim model sentenced to six strokes of the cane for drinking beer will be the first woman in Malaysia to be caned under Islamic law, her lawyer said Wednesday. Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 32, was sentenced to a caning and a fine of 5,000 ringgit (1,414 dollars) last month after she pleaded guilty to drinking alcohol at a hotel nightclub in the eastern state of Pahang last year. The Malaysian mother of two, who lives in Singapore, told AFP that she was willing to receive the punishment after the Sharia High Court in Pahang on Tuesday issued a warrant for her arrest. “I received a message from my dad yesterday. So I come back to Perak (from Singapore),” she said. “I accept the punishment. I am not afraid because because I was ready to be punished from day one. They (authorities) hope to use my case as a way to educate the Muslims. So go ahead. I want to move
on with my life. “I am not worried at all nor do I want to avoid the punishment because I accept the punishment,” she added. Kartika’s lawyer, Mohamad Zuki Che Muhamad Ghani, said his client would be jailed on August 24 for one week before the caning. “The warrant of arrest was issued to facilitate the caning,” he told AFP. “She has to be jailed first and undergo health check-up to determine whether she is fit to be caned. She will be the first woman in the country to be caned under the religious laws,” Mohamad added. Kartika’s father, Shukarno Mutalib, told AFP that the family accepted the court’s decision. “We are not feeling sad. We are Muslims and I agree she has to be caned. She has already pleaded guilty. We will follow the rules,” Shukarno said.Mohamad said Kartika had lived in Singapore for 15 years after marrying a citizen of the city state. Malaysia, which has large Chinese and Indian minorities, has a dualtracked legal system. Sharia courts can try Muslims for religious offences.
At stricken Russian dam, relatives vent fury over missing Agence France-Presse
CHERYOMUSHKY - “Why is there so little information? There can’t just be 12 dead!” screamed a voice. “Why has no-one else been found in the last 20 hours?” shouted another. Many loved ones of those still missing say they have yet to be told the whole truth by the authorities about the accident this week at Russia’s biggest hydroelectric power station. Sixty-two employees of the Sayano-Shushenskaya plant in southern Siberia are still missing, over two days after a tragedy that is already confirmed to have killed 12 people. But rescuers have insisted they have not given up hope of finding them alive in the flooded wreckage of the turbine hall that was shattered after being engulfed by a flood of water.
Dozens of relatives met with officials from the emergencies ministry at a nearby cultural centre, in an encounter marked by anger, frustration and fears that there may no longer be reason to hope. “We don’t want secrets! If my son is dead then fine, tell me. I went to the morgue last night and they wouldn’t tell me anything,” said a man who gave his name as Viktor. “I know my husband is still alive. There is a cushion of air there where he could be. Why haven’t you drained the water there?” demanded Lena Petrovna, wife of one of the missing at the plant. Alexander Kresan, head of the ministry of emergency sitiuations search teams for Siberia, sought to explain that all would be done for as long as there was a chance of finding anyone alive.
AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER NEMENOV
Relatives of people who died in an accident at the SayanoShushenskaya hydroelectric power station cry at a funeral in the nearby village of Maina on August 19, 2009.
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Thursday, August 20, 2009
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Thursday, August 20, 2009
Five users sue Facebook for being too social a network
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BUSINESS
Agence France-Presse
AFP PHOTO/SHAUN CURRY
Historical material and personal memorabilia are displayed during the press view of the exhibition ‘Outbreak 1939’ at the Imperial War Museum in south London, on August 18, 2009. Seventy years after the announcement that signified the start of the Second World War the exhibition explores how being a nation at war shaped the lives of ordinary men and women as well as those who were actively involved in the political negotiations and their aftermath. The exhibition runs from August 20, 2009 to September 6, 2010.
British exhibition marks 70th anniversary of WWII outbreak
SAN FRANCISCO - Five Facebook users are suing the social network for doing what made it an online superstar — letting members share aspects of their lives on the Web. A lawsuit filed Monday in a southern California court accuses Facebook of being a data-mining operation that does not deliver on promises to give users strict control of data uploaded to profile pages. Facebook has dismissed the lawsuit as being without merit and promised a legal battle. The suit asks for unspecified cash damages. One of the parties to the suit is a woman who joined Facebook in an early phase when membership was limited to the college crowd. Then-Harvard University student Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook in 2004 as a way for college friends to remain connected as their lives grew apart. The suit accuses Facebook of betraying the woman by evolving into an open social network that now claims more than 250 million members worldwide. Other plaintiffs named in the suit are identified as a photographer and an actress who contend Facebook is wrongly sharing pictures posted on their profile pages. The remaining plaintiffs are young boys that the suit charges should not have been permitted by Facebook to join or post images or comments. Facebook requires members to be ages 13 or older, but there is no viable tool to confirm ages of those creating accounts. One plaintiff is an 11-year-old boy who joined Facebook and then posted that he had swine flu and uploaded pictures or video of “partially-clothed” children swimming, according to the lawsuit. Facebook has steadfastly maintained that its members own information they post to profile pages and control who gets to see it. Facebook has repeatedly revised its terms of service to appease privacy concerns of users while allowing for the technical side of running a social networking service. Last month, Facebook announced it is testing a tiered level of privacy options including “all of your friends, your friends and people in your school or work networks, and friends of friends.” There is also an option to publicly share with everyone on the Web in what is being seen as an effort by Facebook to compete with the hot micro-blogging service Twitter.
Agence France-Presse
LONDON- The private fears of kings, prime ministers and frightened children are going on show in a new British exhibition marking the lives touched by the 70th anniversary of the start of World War II.
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Outbreak 1939, which opens Thursday at the Imperial War Museum in London, explores the buildup to Britain’s September 3 declaration of war on Germany and tells the stories of those involved at the time. The museum hopes the exhibition will resonate with the British public, now consumed with the mounting death toll of the war in Afghanistan, which hit 200 on Saturday. “There are lessons to be learned,” said James Taylor, the museum’s head of research. “What we try to get in this exhibition is the effect on people,” he told AFP. “When we think of World War II and the numbers of deaths, it’s very easy to see that as just a statistic. Like the men and women who are giving their lives in Afghanistan today, these are people as well and it’s very often subsumed under huge numbers.” Among the items is prime minister Neville Chamberlain’s pocket diary, which contains a simple entry for September 3, 1939: “War declared”. Also on show is a letter to his sister Ida recounting the week. “I have had some dreadful anxieties especially during one sleepless
He said some oil had been spilt and that dozens of maritime officials and a total of 11 boats and two helicopters were battling the blaze. “The missing nine crew members are Chinese. There is some oil spill,” he said. Osman said the burning tanker was not a threat to other ships in the Strait and was not disrupting traffic. Accidents are rare in the narrow Malacca Strait, a vital artery for world trade. Rizal said a search was under way off the coast of Port Dickson, in Negeri Sembilan, south of Kuala Lumpur, for the missing crew members. “The bulk carrier slammed into the left side of the Taiwanese tanker that was coming from United Arab Emirates,” he said. Maritime officials said the bulk carrier was flying the Isle of Man flag. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said in a statement that the bulk carrier MV Ostende Max did not suffer serious damage and had been ordered to berth near Port Dickson for investigations. Rizal said the 16 crew members rescued had been admitted to hospital in Port Dickson. At least 94,000 ships sail the narrow strait each year, of which 20 percent are Japanese vessels, most of them large crude oil carriers. Last month a Japanese foundation warned of potential dangers in the Strait and urged ship owners to contribute to the Malacca Strait navigation safety fund to help maintain buoys and other navigational aids. “There is a potential for an accident to happen. If it involves crude oil tankers, there will be a major oil spill. This could disrupt international trade,” Nippon Foundation chairman Yohei Sasakawa told AFP. The Malacca Strait, one of the busiest waterways in the world, is vital to Japan’s national interests as more than 80 percent of its oil passes through it.
night,” he wrote. “Of course the difficulty is with Hitler himself. Until he disappears and his system collapses there can be no peace”. A copy of king George VI’s war diary reveals his sombre thoughts. “As 11 o’clock struck that fateful morning I had a certain feeling of relief that those 10 anxious days of intensive negotiations with Germany over Poland, which at moments looked favourable, with Mussolini working for peace as well, were over,” he wrote. “Hitler would not and could not have drawn back from the edge of the abyss to which he has led us.” With the weight of responsibility now on his shoulders, the shy king recalled being a simple 18-year-old midshipman onboard HMS Collingwood somewhere in the North Sea when World War I broke out. “Those of us who had been through the Great War never wanted another,” he wrote. Queen Elizabeth II has lent the exhibition the navy uniform jacket her father wore to make his 6:00pm broadcast to the British empire on September 3. The exhibition also includes the
letters and possessions of evacuated children, fleeing Poles who witnessed the invasion, young Jewish refugees and others whose lives were suddenly turned upside down. Among those evacuated was the artist Sir Peter Blake, who designed the famous cover of The Beatles’ “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album. Blake was seven when he was sent from his family in Dartford, on the edge of London, to the Essex countryside. He said the evacuation was a traumatic experience. A letter to his mother, a tiny toy tractor his father made for him and a belt he made with army badges on are in the exhibition. “It was an enormous change,” he told AFP. “When war was declared there was an enormous panic and we were evacuated the next day. “What was positive about it was that it introduced me to a rural life. I worked on the farm about the age of nine, riding on the big carthorses. “At seven it’s partly a game but there was a constant fear. You thought the Germans would invade at any moment so it was scary.” The free exhibition runs until September 5 next year.
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Oil back near 70 dollars in Asian trade Agence France-Presse
AFP PHOTO/ROSLAN RAHMAN
This photo taken on August 18, 2009 shows a night scene of Singapore’s financial district. Asia is outpacing the United States and Europe in the rebound from the global economic slump, thanks to multi-billion dollar stimulus packages and robust demand from China, analysts said.
Asian economies outpace US and Europe on growth track Agence France-Presse
SINGAPORE - Asia is outpacing the United States and Europe in the rebound from the global economic slump, thanks to multi-billion dollar stimulus packages and robust demand from China, analysts said. Second-quarter indicators showed the region’s recession-hit economies such as Singapore and Hong Kong have returned to the growth path despite sluggish demand from the US and European markets, their main export destinations. Countries with bigger domestic populations, including China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, the Philippines and Vietnam, have been growing during the global downturn although the pace has slowed. Japan, the world’s second largest economy, lumbered out of recession in the second quarter and Prime Minister Taro Aso credited the government’s stimulus package for the achievement. In contrast, US gross domestic product was estimated to have shrunk 1.0 percent in the second quarter, and the eurozone economy dipped a milder than expected 0.1 percent after Germany and France emerged from recession. US-based credit ratings firm Standard and Poor’s said that five
of the 14 Asia-Pacific economies it covers will post positive growth this year, with nine expected to report contractions. But by next year, all 14 should post year-on-year growth, led by China’s projected expansion of 8.0-8.5 percent. The US economy is forecast to contract by 2.9 percent this year and grow 1.5 percent in 2010, it added. Asian economies were hammered after a crisis in the US housing market sparked global financial and economic turmoil late last year. Some analysts said the impact on Asia showed that the region’s fortunes remain largely linked to the West and that there would be no recovery until after the industrialized economies had rebounded. But the speed and strength of the region’s recovery showed it is not entirely dependent on the US economy. “The pattern we’re seeing is that while the US remains a very
significant contributor to Asian growth, it has become less significant over time,” Subir Gokarn, Standard and Poor’s chief economist for the Asia Pacific, said at a recent media briefing in Singapore. Massive stimulus packages rolled out by Asian governments to perk up domestic demand played an important role in helping the region weather the downturn, Gokarn said. The packages totaled more than one trillion US dollars, according to a Standard and Poor’s tally, led by China’s staggering 585 billion dollars in spending. “Asian governments came into the crisis with a strong fiscal position and relatively low debt which allowed them to react rapidly and aggressively,” Mark Williams, an economist with consultancy Capital Economics, told AFP. Despite Asia’s rapid growth, the US economy will maintain its global economic dominance, Williams said.
SINGAPORE - Oil surged back near 70 dollars in Asian trade Wednesday on better retail sales in the United States and bargain-buying following recent price falls. New York’s main futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in September, was up 79 cents to 69.98 dollars a barrel in morning trade. Brent North Sea crude for October delivery gained 44 cents to 72.81 dollars. Crude prices rallied as traders returned to the market following a slump that saw oil dip well below the psychological 70-dollar level, analysts said. “It’s the same old story,” said Tony Nunan, an energy risk manager at Mitsubishi Corp in Tokyo. “When we have a large drop (in prices), it seems that people come in the next day (and buy) based on the
economic recovery story.” Nunan said better-than-expected performances posted by major US retailers such as DIY firm Home Depot Inc also helped boost prices as it was seen as a sign of improving US consumer confidence. Home Depot raised its forecast for fiscal 2009 after reporting a less-thanexpected 7.2 percent decrease in earnings in the second quarter compared to the same period last year. The company said it expected earnings per share of between zero to seven percent over last year. It previously forecast a loss of between zero and seven percent. However, Nunan warned that a large crude stockpile in the United States will continue to weigh down on prices amid weak energy demand. Consumption patterns in the United States can influence prices because the US economy is the world’s biggest energy user.
Global recovery requires US, Asia rebalancing Agence France-Presse
WASHINGTON - The global recovery from recession depends on a delicate rebalancing of economies — notably between the United States and Asia — to sustain it, the chief IMF economist said. “The recovery has started. Sustaining it will require delicate rebalancing acts, both within and across countries,” Olivier Blanchard said in an IMF article, released in advance of publication Wednesday. Blanchard cautioned that predictable models based on past recoveries from recessions would not apply to the worst global slump since World War II. “The world is not in a run-of-the mill recession. The turnaround will not be simple. The crisis has left deep scars, which will affect both supply and demand for many years to come,” he said. In its latest economic forecasts, the IMF estimated in July a global contraction of 1.4 percent in 2009, followed by sluggish growth of 2.5 percent in 2010. The United States, the epicenter of the crisis, “is central to any world recovery,” Blanchard said in the article titled “Sustaining a Global Recovery.” Blanchard said two rebalancing acts will have to come into play to sustain the global recovery: a switch from public to private spending and the rebalancing of international trade flows. The latter would require “a shift from domestic to foreign demand in
the United States and a reverse shift from foreign to domestic demand in the rest of the world, particularly in Asia,” he said. Pointing to a decline in American household consumption — which “represents 70 percent of total US demand” — and a rise in the personal saving rate that is expected to persist for some time, Blanchard estimated a 3.0 percentage point drop in the ratio of consumption to US gross domestic product, a broad measure of economic output. With the 3.0 percent drop unlikely to be made up by increased investment and the eventual phase-out of the massive fiscal stimulus, “US net exports must increase” for the US recovery to occur, he said. Key to the rebalancing act will be an increase in foreign demand for US goods, particularly in countries with large current account surpluses, notably in China and other Asian countries. “From the point of view of the United States, a decrease in China’s current account surplus would help increase demand, and sustain the US recovery. That would result in more US imports, which would help sustain world recovery,” the top economist at the 186-nation institution said. China may be willing to pursue that “because it may well be in its own interest,” said the economist, but other emerging market Asian countries that run large current account surpluses have weaker incentives than China to boost internal demand. Blanchard said that Asia appeared the best-placed to tip the trade balance.
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Australia’s Qantas profits nosedive 88 percent
Agence France-Presse
SYDNEY - Australian flag-carrier Qantas on Wednesday posted an 88 percent drop in annual net profit to 96.6 million US dollars and unveiled a massive cost-cutting plan to counter the financial beating. The carrier, which also recorded its first half-year loss in six years, blamed the worse-than-expected result on weaker domestic and international demand for travel during the global financial crisis. In response, the airline vowed to slash 1.24 billion US dollars of expenditure over the next three years in a bid to boost its ailing bottom line, but was unable to say whether it would remain profitable over the next year.
“There has never been a more volatile and challenging time for the world’s aviation industry,” Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said. Qantas posted a net profit after tax of 117 million Australian dollars (96.6 million US) for the year to June 30, down 88 percent from 969 million a year earlier. It lost 93 million dollars in the six months to June. The airline’s profit before tax dropped 87 percent to 181 million Australian dollars (149.5 million US)
from 1.41 billion a year earlier Investors reacted positively despite the poor headline figure, with Qantas shares closing up 3.5 percent at 2.69 dollars on a Sydney market that fell 0.18 percent overall. “While on the face of it an 88 percent decline in profits sounds terrible, Qantas is profitable which is more than a lot of airlines can say,” IG markets analyst Cameron Peacock said. “With a view that the industry’s most challenging times are behind it, Qantas is well leveraged to a rebound in economic activity.” Joyce said the financial year fell into two contrasting halves — the first showing a generally favourable
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operating environment and strong demand but the second marred by lower passenger numbers and capacity cuts. The airline said weakening demand for travel led to a 4.3 percent decline in yield and a 1.1 percent drop in passenger load, or seats filled, to 79.6 percent, forcing the group to cut capacity by 1.9 percent. The effects of the economic crisis were compounded by protracted industrial action by Qantas engineers, the swine flu epidemic and costs associated with the firm’s introduction of new Airbus A380 superjumbo aircraft. The airline said it would cut costs by 1.5 billion Australian dollars over
JAKARTA - A man believed to be from Saudi Arabia has been arrested on suspicion of smuggling money used to finance last month’s deadly Jakarta hotel attacks, Indonesian police said Wednesday.
the next three years, starting with a target of 500 million dollars in the year to June 2010. The cost-slashing exercise, dubbed “Q Future,” will target inefficiencies in sales, fuel conservation, aircraft use, scheduling and procurement, Joyce said. “We are also keeping a close watch on oil and fuel prices,” he said, adding they were volatile and tending to rise. The airline said that while passenger volumes appeared to have improved and yields had stabilized at the same level as in the first half of 2009, the economy remained very volatile, making it difficult to foresee future results.
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Police spokesman Nanan Soekarna said the man, identified only as Ali, had been arrested recently as part of the investigation into who funded the July 17 attacks on the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels that killed nine people. Another man identified only as Iwan also had been detained for questioning over his suspected links to the network of Malaysian Islamist extremist Noordin Mohammed Top, the alleged mastermind of the attack. “Ali and Iwan are still being questioned by our team to prove their links with another country and with the financing,” Soekarna told reporters. “Ali is believed to be a Saudi Arabian national.” Analysts have said that if the funding for the attacks came from abroad, a likely source would be AlQaeda. But police have not confirmed any connection between the hotel blasts and Saudi-born Osama bin Laden’s organisation. Al-Qaeda has allegedly financed previous suicide attacks in Indonesia including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, and Noordin’s first major operation, a
2003 truck bombing of the Jakarta Marriott that killed 12. Noordin, 41, leads a splinter group of the Jemaah Islamiyah terror network, which aims to create a regional Islamic caliphate. He is Indonesia’s most-wanted man and is blamed for a series of attacks against Westerners in the mainly Muslim country that have killed around 50 people and wounded hundreds. He has previously called himself the leader of “Al-Qaeda in the Malay Archipelago” but it is unclear whether there is any ongoing, direct contact between his group and AlQaeda. “The question is whether he only imitates it or whether he has some structural affiliation,” International Crisis Group expert Sidney Jones said in a report last week. DNA tests showed that a suspect killed in an August 8 raid on a militant hideout was not Noordin as initially reported, police said last week. Police also named four suspected senior members of Noordin’s network who are being hunted over the July 17 attacks, including one who was arrested in 2004 and released.
Truck crash kills 25 in Indonesia
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JAKARTA - Twenty-five people were killed when a truck packed with plantation workers and their families overturned in Indonesia, police said Wednesday. The truck was carrying about 60 people when it flipped after swerv-
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Armed Indonesian soldiers from the nuclear, biological and chemical warfare unit undergo decontamination during a military exercise at the office of the Jakarta city mayor on August 19, 2009. A man believed to be from Saudi Arabia has been arrested on suspicion of smuggling money used to finance the July 17 suicide bomb attacks on the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in the capital that killed nine people, Indonesian police said. G.1043-ibp
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Indonesia probes Saudi cash link to hotels attack
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Indonesian Police spokesman Nanan Soekarna (R) shows wanted leftlets of (pictured L to R) Ario Sudarso, Mohamad Syahrir, Bagus Budi Pranoto and Syaifudin Zuhri during a press conference in Jakarta on August 19, 2009 who are wanted for their possible involvement in the July 17 suicide attacks on the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels. Two suicide bombers believed to be part of Islamist fanatic Noordin Mohammed Top’s network killed seven people, mostly foreigners, at the two hotels in downtown Jakarta on July 17, the first attack of its kind in Indonesia since 2005.
President: Government to allocate Rp309.8 trillion for regions in 2010 Antara
JAKARTA - The government plans to allocate funds totaling Rp309.8 trillion for the regions in 2010 to sustain the implementation of fiscal decentralization. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made the statement in his state-of-the-nation address on national development in a regional perspective at a special plenary session of the Regional Representatives Council DPD) here on Wednesday. “Of the total amount of funds to be transferred to the regions, the equalization funds are envisaged to reach Rp293.0 trillion or an increase by Rp7.7 trillion, compared to the projected realization in 2009,” the president said. He added the budget was planned to be allocated in the form of Shared Funds (DBH) totaling Rp76.6 trillion, General Allocation Funds (DAU) to the tune of Rp195.8 trillion, and Special Allocation Funds (DAK) amounting to Rp20.6 trillion. The president also said Special Autonomy Funds (Otsus) allocated for the Provinces of Aceh, Papua and West Papua, were projected to reach Rp8.9 trillion.
“I hope that the Special Autonomy Funds can be spent optimally, in order to extricate the regions concerned from their disadvantaged position in providing services in health, education and infrastructure. However, I also request that a more effective monitoring of the use of Otsus Funds is applied,” the president said. The head of state said starting in 2010 changes would be made to the allotment of Shared Funds (DBH) from Excises on Tobacco Products, by including regions producing excises on tobacco and those producing tobacco. Moreover, the president said, the government would also allocate Geothermal DBH funds as part of the Natural Resources Shared Funds (DBH SDA). From the experience during the last four years, the president said prices of oil and gas, as well as coal, were expected to undergo persistent fluctuations, resulting in frequent changes in state revenue from the natural resource sector. “I should remind the regions relying on DBH SDA funds, to improve their anticipative ability as well as to manage the fluctuating prices of natural resources and the region’s revenue,” the president said.
Indonesia reports fourth swine flu death Agence France-Presse
JAKARTA - Indonesia’s death toll from swine flu has risen to four, the health ministry said Tuesday. “A boy aged below five years has been confirmed as the latest fatality from swine flu. He died several days ago from severe pneumonia,” director general
for disease control Tjandra Yoga Aditama told AFP. Indonesia had recorded 872 confirmed cases of the A(H1N1) influenza virus, which has killed over 1,000 people around the world since it was first detected in April in Mexico. The first cases appeared in Indonesia in June after a British tourist and an Indonesian pilot tested positive.
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Bali Today Hotels Association: hotels managements must be aware of terrorism act Antara
DENPASAR – Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (PHRI) stated that the hotels in Bali must keep alert on the act of terrorism. Perry Markus, the secretary of PHRI Bali, said “hotels owners and managers should keep in high alert in order to prevent any terrorists act from happening in Bali.” Currently, the tourism business in Bali is still stable as well as the hotel occupancy rate. “The world trust in Bali is still very high. It is proven by holding several international events such as the International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) which was held in Nusa Dua on August 9th through August 13th 2009,” he added. The safety condition is preserved by police, the army, and also the citizen of Bali. The high safety level is needed in order to attract more tourists visited Bali. Currently, the number of tourists visited Bali is higher than in Jakarta. The bomb blasts in Jakarta on July 17th 2009 which happened in Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott Hotels affected the number of tourists stayed in hotels throughout Jakarta. The tourists visited Jakarta de-
creased since the incident. Markus said “there is great hope that the condition can be maintained and it must be supported by a good security pattern.” Several hotels in Bali had increased their safety level by placing high tech security tools such as CCTV.
Two policemen with K-9 dog doing simulation act in front of hundreds of elementary students on Wednesday, August 19. Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (PHRI) stated that the hotels in Bali must keep alert on the act of terrorism. Perry Markus, the secretary of PHRI Bali, said “hotels owners and managers should keep in high alert in order to prevent any terrorists act from happening in Bali.”
Balinese Culture Hee Ah Lee, with four fingers entertains the world (1) Antara
NUSA DUA - Heroes in our society are regarded with our utmost admiration. They are those who persevere to achieve things against all odds and we praise them for their selflessness, courage, high spirits, and perseverance. Who could better represent these qualities than Hee Ah Lee, the Four Fingered Pianist? Hee Ah Lee was born on July 9th, 1985, in Seoul, South Korea, and he was born with severe disabilities, including only two fingers on each hand, no legs below his kneecaps, and mild brain damage. When she was seven, her mother started her on the piano to train her hands, which at that time couldn’t even hold a pencil. “However, as time went by, the piano became my source of inspiration and my best friend,” she recalls. Soon she diligently practiced piano for hours at a time trying really hard to improve. For example, she worked on one passage from Chopin’s Fantasia Impromptu for five years. She
wanted to quit many times but finally succeeded. “The piano has provided me with many benefits which are consolation; courage, gratitude, and compassion are just a few. It has also given me the added opportunity to meet many friends worldwide,” Hee told a journalist once. And now, in her effort to raising fund for The Check Out for Children Programme, Hee Ah Lee has enchanted people at The Westin with her very special performances in playing the piano and singing. Hee, a 24 woman pianist from South Korea, who was born with some physical deformities such as only two fingers on each hand and legs ended at her knees, played 10 piano compositions, in Nusa Dua Hall, Bali International Convention Centre, Nusa Dua, Bali, last Thursday night. The concert’s theme was “Dream the Impossible Dream” to inspire all people with physical deformities like Hee, who can make such monumental creation and moves like her. The “Dream the Impossible Dream”, also like the old song sang by Matt Monroe in
the sixties, that Hee sang at the end of the concert. She was very shy at first in the presence of two thousand spectators. But the situation immediately changed gradually as soon as she put all her four fingers on her specially designed piano. “It’s very inspiring and touching,” says a foreign spectator, Ike Christensen, from Denmark, who came with her husband and two kids. She, like the others, enjoyed Hee’s performances from second to second and likely didn’t believe that a woman with physical deformities like Hee could play the piano so lovely. Her mother, who also accompanied her on the special occasion on the stage, said, that Hee was born with the Down syndrome and some physical deformities. “I was very surprised seeing my little baby like that. The doctors at first thought that she will not survive because she was born very weak,” said her. Seeing the mother and daughter on the stage, merely like to hear and experience the story of a mother and daughter who have overcome the odds from the very beginning.
Taman Soekasada Ujung Ujung Water Palace, which is called Taman Soekasada Ujung by the local people, was built in 1919. However, the launching of this water palace complex was performed in 1912. The late King of Karangasem, I Gusti Bagus Jelantik who reigned in Karangasem between 1909 and 1945, constructed the water palace. Ujung Water Palace was majestically built to welcome and to serve important guests and Kings from neighboring countries, and for the pleasure of the King
FOTO ANTARA/Nyoman Budhiana
and his royal family.
Only few foreign Bali gained $179 tourists enter Bali million through through seaport foreign trade Antara
DENPASAR - Of the 1,070,595 foreign tourists arriving in Bali in the first semester of 2009, only 3,329 or 1.31 percent entered through the seaport, a regional statistics official said. Head of Bali’s Statistics Office (BPS) Ida Komang Wisnu said that about 98.69 percent or 1,067,266 foreign tourists arrived in Bali through Bali’s Ngurah Rai international airport. They flew directly from their countries to Bali, he said. Most of those arriving in Bali with excursions were Australians (806), followed by those coming from the United States (409), Britain (86), Germany (14), France (12), Japan (8) and China (1).
AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati
Thursday, August 20, 2009
A little foreign tourist and an Indonesian girl hold sea turtle babies before releasing them to the sea as part of Independence Day celebrations on Kuta beach, Bali, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 17, 2009. Of the 1,070,595 foreign tourists arriving in Bali in the first semester of 2009, only 3,329 or 1.31 percent entered through the seaport, a regional statistics official said.
Antara
DENPASAR – Bali gained $179.5 million from foreign trade during January through May 2009 period. Ronald L Toruan, the middle economics researcher in Indonesian Bank, said that the number of exports on those period was $228.1 million while the import only $48.6 million. Most of the exports were non-oil and gas products such as handicrafts. Bali mostly imported the raw materials for small industries which will be produced into other products for exports purpose. The import products were fabrics, yarn, and also machineries. Sugar which usually imported by Bali was not needed this year. In addition to handicraft, the export products were marine products, garments, and farming products such as coffee and clove. Bali’s handicraft products had entered 79 countries throughout the world which mostly sent to USA, Europe and other Asian countries. Based on the data by Indonesian Bank, the numbers of Bali’s exports keep increasing every year. In 2004, the number export was $375 million and increasing became $417 million in 2005. The number of exports in 2006 was $509 million while in 2007 became $552 million. The number increasing in 2008 and became $ 572 million. There is great hope that the number of exports will keep increasing.
Taman Soekasada Ujung lies at Tumbu village, Karangasem district. It is approximately 85 km from Ngurah Rai Airport, Denpasar and 5 km from Amlapura. Taman Soekasada Ujung has been announced as a cultural tourist object for it is noted as one of several cultural heritages existing in Karangasem regency. The complex of this water palace is the combination of Balinese and European architectures. There are 3 large ponds inside the area. In the middle of the main pond, there is a building that is connected to the edge of the pond by 2 bridges. On the highest level of this complex, there is a great statue of ‘warak’ (rhinoceros). Beneath the warak there is a Bull statue. From this high place a marvelous view of sea, hills with lush and green forest, the beauty of Mount Agung combined with the green terraced rice fields can be seen. The grand Ujung Water Palace was damaged by the explosion of Mount Agung in 1963 and suffered further destruction during the great earthquake in 1979. However, a reconstruction and revitalization project was performed for the recovery in an effort to bring back the glory of this water palace complex. Although it is not as great as it was, the amazing views of its past can still be seen here. (BTN)
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Bali Today Hotels Association: hotels managements must be aware of terrorism act Antara
DENPASAR – Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (PHRI) stated that the hotels in Bali must keep alert on the act of terrorism. Perry Markus, the secretary of PHRI Bali, said “hotels owners and managers should keep in high alert in order to prevent any terrorists act from happening in Bali.” Currently, the tourism business in Bali is still stable as well as the hotel occupancy rate. “The world trust in Bali is still very high. It is proven by holding several international events such as the International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) which was held in Nusa Dua on August 9th through August 13th 2009,” he added. The safety condition is preserved by police, the army, and also the citizen of Bali. The high safety level is needed in order to attract more tourists visited Bali. Currently, the number of tourists visited Bali is higher than in Jakarta. The bomb blasts in Jakarta on July 17th 2009 which happened in Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott Hotels affected the number of tourists stayed in hotels throughout Jakarta. The tourists visited Jakarta de-
creased since the incident. Markus said “there is great hope that the condition can be maintained and it must be supported by a good security pattern.” Several hotels in Bali had increased their safety level by placing high tech security tools such as CCTV.
Two policemen with K-9 dog doing simulation act in front of hundreds of elementary students on Wednesday, August 19. Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (PHRI) stated that the hotels in Bali must keep alert on the act of terrorism. Perry Markus, the secretary of PHRI Bali, said “hotels owners and managers should keep in high alert in order to prevent any terrorists act from happening in Bali.”
Balinese Culture Hee Ah Lee, with four fingers entertains the world (1) Antara
NUSA DUA - Heroes in our society are regarded with our utmost admiration. They are those who persevere to achieve things against all odds and we praise them for their selflessness, courage, high spirits, and perseverance. Who could better represent these qualities than Hee Ah Lee, the Four Fingered Pianist? Hee Ah Lee was born on July 9th, 1985, in Seoul, South Korea, and he was born with severe disabilities, including only two fingers on each hand, no legs below his kneecaps, and mild brain damage. When she was seven, her mother started her on the piano to train her hands, which at that time couldn’t even hold a pencil. “However, as time went by, the piano became my source of inspiration and my best friend,” she recalls. Soon she diligently practiced piano for hours at a time trying really hard to improve. For example, she worked on one passage from Chopin’s Fantasia Impromptu for five years. She
wanted to quit many times but finally succeeded. “The piano has provided me with many benefits which are consolation; courage, gratitude, and compassion are just a few. It has also given me the added opportunity to meet many friends worldwide,” Hee told a journalist once. And now, in her effort to raising fund for The Check Out for Children Programme, Hee Ah Lee has enchanted people at The Westin with her very special performances in playing the piano and singing. Hee, a 24 woman pianist from South Korea, who was born with some physical deformities such as only two fingers on each hand and legs ended at her knees, played 10 piano compositions, in Nusa Dua Hall, Bali International Convention Centre, Nusa Dua, Bali, last Thursday night. The concert’s theme was “Dream the Impossible Dream” to inspire all people with physical deformities like Hee, who can make such monumental creation and moves like her. The “Dream the Impossible Dream”, also like the old song sang by Matt Monroe in
the sixties, that Hee sang at the end of the concert. She was very shy at first in the presence of two thousand spectators. But the situation immediately changed gradually as soon as she put all her four fingers on her specially designed piano. “It’s very inspiring and touching,” says a foreign spectator, Ike Christensen, from Denmark, who came with her husband and two kids. She, like the others, enjoyed Hee’s performances from second to second and likely didn’t believe that a woman with physical deformities like Hee could play the piano so lovely. Her mother, who also accompanied her on the special occasion on the stage, said, that Hee was born with the Down syndrome and some physical deformities. “I was very surprised seeing my little baby like that. The doctors at first thought that she will not survive because she was born very weak,” said her. Seeing the mother and daughter on the stage, merely like to hear and experience the story of a mother and daughter who have overcome the odds from the very beginning.
Taman Soekasada Ujung Ujung Water Palace, which is called Taman Soekasada Ujung by the local people, was built in 1919. However, the launching of this water palace complex was performed in 1912. The late King of Karangasem, I Gusti Bagus Jelantik who reigned in Karangasem between 1909 and 1945, constructed the water palace. Ujung Water Palace was majestically built to welcome and to serve important guests and Kings from neighboring countries, and for the pleasure of the King
FOTO ANTARA/Nyoman Budhiana
and his royal family.
Only few foreign Bali gained $179 tourists enter Bali million through through seaport foreign trade Antara
DENPASAR - Of the 1,070,595 foreign tourists arriving in Bali in the first semester of 2009, only 3,329 or 1.31 percent entered through the seaport, a regional statistics official said. Head of Bali’s Statistics Office (BPS) Ida Komang Wisnu said that about 98.69 percent or 1,067,266 foreign tourists arrived in Bali through Bali’s Ngurah Rai international airport. They flew directly from their countries to Bali, he said. Most of those arriving in Bali with excursions were Australians (806), followed by those coming from the United States (409), Britain (86), Germany (14), France (12), Japan (8) and China (1).
AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati
Thursday, August 20, 2009
A little foreign tourist and an Indonesian girl hold sea turtle babies before releasing them to the sea as part of Independence Day celebrations on Kuta beach, Bali, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 17, 2009. Of the 1,070,595 foreign tourists arriving in Bali in the first semester of 2009, only 3,329 or 1.31 percent entered through the seaport, a regional statistics official said.
Antara
DENPASAR – Bali gained $179.5 million from foreign trade during January through May 2009 period. Ronald L Toruan, the middle economics researcher in Indonesian Bank, said that the number of exports on those period was $228.1 million while the import only $48.6 million. Most of the exports were non-oil and gas products such as handicrafts. Bali mostly imported the raw materials for small industries which will be produced into other products for exports purpose. The import products were fabrics, yarn, and also machineries. Sugar which usually imported by Bali was not needed this year. In addition to handicraft, the export products were marine products, garments, and farming products such as coffee and clove. Bali’s handicraft products had entered 79 countries throughout the world which mostly sent to USA, Europe and other Asian countries. Based on the data by Indonesian Bank, the numbers of Bali’s exports keep increasing every year. In 2004, the number export was $375 million and increasing became $417 million in 2005. The number of exports in 2006 was $509 million while in 2007 became $552 million. The number increasing in 2008 and became $ 572 million. There is great hope that the number of exports will keep increasing.
Taman Soekasada Ujung lies at Tumbu village, Karangasem district. It is approximately 85 km from Ngurah Rai Airport, Denpasar and 5 km from Amlapura. Taman Soekasada Ujung has been announced as a cultural tourist object for it is noted as one of several cultural heritages existing in Karangasem regency. The complex of this water palace is the combination of Balinese and European architectures. There are 3 large ponds inside the area. In the middle of the main pond, there is a building that is connected to the edge of the pond by 2 bridges. On the highest level of this complex, there is a great statue of ‘warak’ (rhinoceros). Beneath the warak there is a Bull statue. From this high place a marvelous view of sea, hills with lush and green forest, the beauty of Mount Agung combined with the green terraced rice fields can be seen. The grand Ujung Water Palace was damaged by the explosion of Mount Agung in 1963 and suffered further destruction during the great earthquake in 1979. However, a reconstruction and revitalization project was performed for the recovery in an effort to bring back the glory of this water palace complex. Although it is not as great as it was, the amazing views of its past can still be seen here. (BTN)
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Thursday, August 20, 2009
International
International
Australia’s Qantas profits nosedive 88 percent
Agence France-Presse
SYDNEY - Australian flag-carrier Qantas on Wednesday posted an 88 percent drop in annual net profit to 96.6 million US dollars and unveiled a massive cost-cutting plan to counter the financial beating. The carrier, which also recorded its first half-year loss in six years, blamed the worse-than-expected result on weaker domestic and international demand for travel during the global financial crisis. In response, the airline vowed to slash 1.24 billion US dollars of expenditure over the next three years in a bid to boost its ailing bottom line, but was unable to say whether it would remain profitable over the next year.
“There has never been a more volatile and challenging time for the world’s aviation industry,” Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said. Qantas posted a net profit after tax of 117 million Australian dollars (96.6 million US) for the year to June 30, down 88 percent from 969 million a year earlier. It lost 93 million dollars in the six months to June. The airline’s profit before tax dropped 87 percent to 181 million Australian dollars (149.5 million US)
from 1.41 billion a year earlier Investors reacted positively despite the poor headline figure, with Qantas shares closing up 3.5 percent at 2.69 dollars on a Sydney market that fell 0.18 percent overall. “While on the face of it an 88 percent decline in profits sounds terrible, Qantas is profitable which is more than a lot of airlines can say,” IG markets analyst Cameron Peacock said. “With a view that the industry’s most challenging times are behind it, Qantas is well leveraged to a rebound in economic activity.” Joyce said the financial year fell into two contrasting halves — the first showing a generally favourable
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operating environment and strong demand but the second marred by lower passenger numbers and capacity cuts. The airline said weakening demand for travel led to a 4.3 percent decline in yield and a 1.1 percent drop in passenger load, or seats filled, to 79.6 percent, forcing the group to cut capacity by 1.9 percent. The effects of the economic crisis were compounded by protracted industrial action by Qantas engineers, the swine flu epidemic and costs associated with the firm’s introduction of new Airbus A380 superjumbo aircraft. The airline said it would cut costs by 1.5 billion Australian dollars over
JAKARTA - A man believed to be from Saudi Arabia has been arrested on suspicion of smuggling money used to finance last month’s deadly Jakarta hotel attacks, Indonesian police said Wednesday.
the next three years, starting with a target of 500 million dollars in the year to June 2010. The cost-slashing exercise, dubbed “Q Future,” will target inefficiencies in sales, fuel conservation, aircraft use, scheduling and procurement, Joyce said. “We are also keeping a close watch on oil and fuel prices,” he said, adding they were volatile and tending to rise. The airline said that while passenger volumes appeared to have improved and yields had stabilized at the same level as in the first half of 2009, the economy remained very volatile, making it difficult to foresee future results.
Jl. Kepundung 67 A, e-mail: info_ibp@balipost.co.id Jl. Palmerah Barat 21 F
Police spokesman Nanan Soekarna said the man, identified only as Ali, had been arrested recently as part of the investigation into who funded the July 17 attacks on the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels that killed nine people. Another man identified only as Iwan also had been detained for questioning over his suspected links to the network of Malaysian Islamist extremist Noordin Mohammed Top, the alleged mastermind of the attack. “Ali and Iwan are still being questioned by our team to prove their links with another country and with the financing,” Soekarna told reporters. “Ali is believed to be a Saudi Arabian national.” Analysts have said that if the funding for the attacks came from abroad, a likely source would be AlQaeda. But police have not confirmed any connection between the hotel blasts and Saudi-born Osama bin Laden’s organisation. Al-Qaeda has allegedly financed previous suicide attacks in Indonesia including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, and Noordin’s first major operation, a
2003 truck bombing of the Jakarta Marriott that killed 12. Noordin, 41, leads a splinter group of the Jemaah Islamiyah terror network, which aims to create a regional Islamic caliphate. He is Indonesia’s most-wanted man and is blamed for a series of attacks against Westerners in the mainly Muslim country that have killed around 50 people and wounded hundreds. He has previously called himself the leader of “Al-Qaeda in the Malay Archipelago” but it is unclear whether there is any ongoing, direct contact between his group and AlQaeda. “The question is whether he only imitates it or whether he has some structural affiliation,” International Crisis Group expert Sidney Jones said in a report last week. DNA tests showed that a suspect killed in an August 8 raid on a militant hideout was not Noordin as initially reported, police said last week. Police also named four suspected senior members of Noordin’s network who are being hunted over the July 17 attacks, including one who was arrested in 2004 and released.
Truck crash kills 25 in Indonesia
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JAKARTA - Twenty-five people were killed when a truck packed with plantation workers and their families overturned in Indonesia, police said Wednesday. The truck was carrying about 60 people when it flipped after swerv-
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Armed Indonesian soldiers from the nuclear, biological and chemical warfare unit undergo decontamination during a military exercise at the office of the Jakarta city mayor on August 19, 2009. A man believed to be from Saudi Arabia has been arrested on suspicion of smuggling money used to finance the July 17 suicide bomb attacks on the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in the capital that killed nine people, Indonesian police said. G.1043-ibp
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Indonesian Police spokesman Nanan Soekarna (R) shows wanted leftlets of (pictured L to R) Ario Sudarso, Mohamad Syahrir, Bagus Budi Pranoto and Syaifudin Zuhri during a press conference in Jakarta on August 19, 2009 who are wanted for their possible involvement in the July 17 suicide attacks on the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels. Two suicide bombers believed to be part of Islamist fanatic Noordin Mohammed Top’s network killed seven people, mostly foreigners, at the two hotels in downtown Jakarta on July 17, the first attack of its kind in Indonesia since 2005.
President: Government to allocate Rp309.8 trillion for regions in 2010 Antara
JAKARTA - The government plans to allocate funds totaling Rp309.8 trillion for the regions in 2010 to sustain the implementation of fiscal decentralization. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made the statement in his state-of-the-nation address on national development in a regional perspective at a special plenary session of the Regional Representatives Council DPD) here on Wednesday. “Of the total amount of funds to be transferred to the regions, the equalization funds are envisaged to reach Rp293.0 trillion or an increase by Rp7.7 trillion, compared to the projected realization in 2009,” the president said. He added the budget was planned to be allocated in the form of Shared Funds (DBH) totaling Rp76.6 trillion, General Allocation Funds (DAU) to the tune of Rp195.8 trillion, and Special Allocation Funds (DAK) amounting to Rp20.6 trillion. The president also said Special Autonomy Funds (Otsus) allocated for the Provinces of Aceh, Papua and West Papua, were projected to reach Rp8.9 trillion.
“I hope that the Special Autonomy Funds can be spent optimally, in order to extricate the regions concerned from their disadvantaged position in providing services in health, education and infrastructure. However, I also request that a more effective monitoring of the use of Otsus Funds is applied,” the president said. The head of state said starting in 2010 changes would be made to the allotment of Shared Funds (DBH) from Excises on Tobacco Products, by including regions producing excises on tobacco and those producing tobacco. Moreover, the president said, the government would also allocate Geothermal DBH funds as part of the Natural Resources Shared Funds (DBH SDA). From the experience during the last four years, the president said prices of oil and gas, as well as coal, were expected to undergo persistent fluctuations, resulting in frequent changes in state revenue from the natural resource sector. “I should remind the regions relying on DBH SDA funds, to improve their anticipative ability as well as to manage the fluctuating prices of natural resources and the region’s revenue,” the president said.
Indonesia reports fourth swine flu death Agence France-Presse
JAKARTA - Indonesia’s death toll from swine flu has risen to four, the health ministry said Tuesday. “A boy aged below five years has been confirmed as the latest fatality from swine flu. He died several days ago from severe pneumonia,” director general
for disease control Tjandra Yoga Aditama told AFP. Indonesia had recorded 872 confirmed cases of the A(H1N1) influenza virus, which has killed over 1,000 people around the world since it was first detected in April in Mexico. The first cases appeared in Indonesia in June after a British tourist and an Indonesian pilot tested positive.
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Thursday, August 20, 2009
Five users sue Facebook for being too social a network
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BUSINESS
Agence France-Presse
AFP PHOTO/SHAUN CURRY
Historical material and personal memorabilia are displayed during the press view of the exhibition ‘Outbreak 1939’ at the Imperial War Museum in south London, on August 18, 2009. Seventy years after the announcement that signified the start of the Second World War the exhibition explores how being a nation at war shaped the lives of ordinary men and women as well as those who were actively involved in the political negotiations and their aftermath. The exhibition runs from August 20, 2009 to September 6, 2010.
British exhibition marks 70th anniversary of WWII outbreak
SAN FRANCISCO - Five Facebook users are suing the social network for doing what made it an online superstar — letting members share aspects of their lives on the Web. A lawsuit filed Monday in a southern California court accuses Facebook of being a data-mining operation that does not deliver on promises to give users strict control of data uploaded to profile pages. Facebook has dismissed the lawsuit as being without merit and promised a legal battle. The suit asks for unspecified cash damages. One of the parties to the suit is a woman who joined Facebook in an early phase when membership was limited to the college crowd. Then-Harvard University student Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook in 2004 as a way for college friends to remain connected as their lives grew apart. The suit accuses Facebook of betraying the woman by evolving into an open social network that now claims more than 250 million members worldwide. Other plaintiffs named in the suit are identified as a photographer and an actress who contend Facebook is wrongly sharing pictures posted on their profile pages. The remaining plaintiffs are young boys that the suit charges should not have been permitted by Facebook to join or post images or comments. Facebook requires members to be ages 13 or older, but there is no viable tool to confirm ages of those creating accounts. One plaintiff is an 11-year-old boy who joined Facebook and then posted that he had swine flu and uploaded pictures or video of “partially-clothed” children swimming, according to the lawsuit. Facebook has steadfastly maintained that its members own information they post to profile pages and control who gets to see it. Facebook has repeatedly revised its terms of service to appease privacy concerns of users while allowing for the technical side of running a social networking service. Last month, Facebook announced it is testing a tiered level of privacy options including “all of your friends, your friends and people in your school or work networks, and friends of friends.” There is also an option to publicly share with everyone on the Web in what is being seen as an effort by Facebook to compete with the hot micro-blogging service Twitter.
Agence France-Presse
LONDON- The private fears of kings, prime ministers and frightened children are going on show in a new British exhibition marking the lives touched by the 70th anniversary of the start of World War II.
Stricken Taiwan...
Outbreak 1939, which opens Thursday at the Imperial War Museum in London, explores the buildup to Britain’s September 3 declaration of war on Germany and tells the stories of those involved at the time. The museum hopes the exhibition will resonate with the British public, now consumed with the mounting death toll of the war in Afghanistan, which hit 200 on Saturday. “There are lessons to be learned,” said James Taylor, the museum’s head of research. “What we try to get in this exhibition is the effect on people,” he told AFP. “When we think of World War II and the numbers of deaths, it’s very easy to see that as just a statistic. Like the men and women who are giving their lives in Afghanistan today, these are people as well and it’s very often subsumed under huge numbers.” Among the items is prime minister Neville Chamberlain’s pocket diary, which contains a simple entry for September 3, 1939: “War declared”. Also on show is a letter to his sister Ida recounting the week. “I have had some dreadful anxieties especially during one sleepless
He said some oil had been spilt and that dozens of maritime officials and a total of 11 boats and two helicopters were battling the blaze. “The missing nine crew members are Chinese. There is some oil spill,” he said. Osman said the burning tanker was not a threat to other ships in the Strait and was not disrupting traffic. Accidents are rare in the narrow Malacca Strait, a vital artery for world trade. Rizal said a search was under way off the coast of Port Dickson, in Negeri Sembilan, south of Kuala Lumpur, for the missing crew members. “The bulk carrier slammed into the left side of the Taiwanese tanker that was coming from United Arab Emirates,” he said. Maritime officials said the bulk carrier was flying the Isle of Man flag. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said in a statement that the bulk carrier MV Ostende Max did not suffer serious damage and had been ordered to berth near Port Dickson for investigations. Rizal said the 16 crew members rescued had been admitted to hospital in Port Dickson. At least 94,000 ships sail the narrow strait each year, of which 20 percent are Japanese vessels, most of them large crude oil carriers. Last month a Japanese foundation warned of potential dangers in the Strait and urged ship owners to contribute to the Malacca Strait navigation safety fund to help maintain buoys and other navigational aids. “There is a potential for an accident to happen. If it involves crude oil tankers, there will be a major oil spill. This could disrupt international trade,” Nippon Foundation chairman Yohei Sasakawa told AFP. The Malacca Strait, one of the busiest waterways in the world, is vital to Japan’s national interests as more than 80 percent of its oil passes through it.
night,” he wrote. “Of course the difficulty is with Hitler himself. Until he disappears and his system collapses there can be no peace”. A copy of king George VI’s war diary reveals his sombre thoughts. “As 11 o’clock struck that fateful morning I had a certain feeling of relief that those 10 anxious days of intensive negotiations with Germany over Poland, which at moments looked favourable, with Mussolini working for peace as well, were over,” he wrote. “Hitler would not and could not have drawn back from the edge of the abyss to which he has led us.” With the weight of responsibility now on his shoulders, the shy king recalled being a simple 18-year-old midshipman onboard HMS Collingwood somewhere in the North Sea when World War I broke out. “Those of us who had been through the Great War never wanted another,” he wrote. Queen Elizabeth II has lent the exhibition the navy uniform jacket her father wore to make his 6:00pm broadcast to the British empire on September 3. The exhibition also includes the
letters and possessions of evacuated children, fleeing Poles who witnessed the invasion, young Jewish refugees and others whose lives were suddenly turned upside down. Among those evacuated was the artist Sir Peter Blake, who designed the famous cover of The Beatles’ “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album. Blake was seven when he was sent from his family in Dartford, on the edge of London, to the Essex countryside. He said the evacuation was a traumatic experience. A letter to his mother, a tiny toy tractor his father made for him and a belt he made with army badges on are in the exhibition. “It was an enormous change,” he told AFP. “When war was declared there was an enormous panic and we were evacuated the next day. “What was positive about it was that it introduced me to a rural life. I worked on the farm about the age of nine, riding on the big carthorses. “At seven it’s partly a game but there was a constant fear. You thought the Germans would invade at any moment so it was scary.” The free exhibition runs until September 5 next year.
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Oil back near 70 dollars in Asian trade Agence France-Presse
AFP PHOTO/ROSLAN RAHMAN
This photo taken on August 18, 2009 shows a night scene of Singapore’s financial district. Asia is outpacing the United States and Europe in the rebound from the global economic slump, thanks to multi-billion dollar stimulus packages and robust demand from China, analysts said.
Asian economies outpace US and Europe on growth track Agence France-Presse
SINGAPORE - Asia is outpacing the United States and Europe in the rebound from the global economic slump, thanks to multi-billion dollar stimulus packages and robust demand from China, analysts said. Second-quarter indicators showed the region’s recession-hit economies such as Singapore and Hong Kong have returned to the growth path despite sluggish demand from the US and European markets, their main export destinations. Countries with bigger domestic populations, including China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, the Philippines and Vietnam, have been growing during the global downturn although the pace has slowed. Japan, the world’s second largest economy, lumbered out of recession in the second quarter and Prime Minister Taro Aso credited the government’s stimulus package for the achievement. In contrast, US gross domestic product was estimated to have shrunk 1.0 percent in the second quarter, and the eurozone economy dipped a milder than expected 0.1 percent after Germany and France emerged from recession. US-based credit ratings firm Standard and Poor’s said that five
of the 14 Asia-Pacific economies it covers will post positive growth this year, with nine expected to report contractions. But by next year, all 14 should post year-on-year growth, led by China’s projected expansion of 8.0-8.5 percent. The US economy is forecast to contract by 2.9 percent this year and grow 1.5 percent in 2010, it added. Asian economies were hammered after a crisis in the US housing market sparked global financial and economic turmoil late last year. Some analysts said the impact on Asia showed that the region’s fortunes remain largely linked to the West and that there would be no recovery until after the industrialized economies had rebounded. But the speed and strength of the region’s recovery showed it is not entirely dependent on the US economy. “The pattern we’re seeing is that while the US remains a very
significant contributor to Asian growth, it has become less significant over time,” Subir Gokarn, Standard and Poor’s chief economist for the Asia Pacific, said at a recent media briefing in Singapore. Massive stimulus packages rolled out by Asian governments to perk up domestic demand played an important role in helping the region weather the downturn, Gokarn said. The packages totaled more than one trillion US dollars, according to a Standard and Poor’s tally, led by China’s staggering 585 billion dollars in spending. “Asian governments came into the crisis with a strong fiscal position and relatively low debt which allowed them to react rapidly and aggressively,” Mark Williams, an economist with consultancy Capital Economics, told AFP. Despite Asia’s rapid growth, the US economy will maintain its global economic dominance, Williams said.
SINGAPORE - Oil surged back near 70 dollars in Asian trade Wednesday on better retail sales in the United States and bargain-buying following recent price falls. New York’s main futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in September, was up 79 cents to 69.98 dollars a barrel in morning trade. Brent North Sea crude for October delivery gained 44 cents to 72.81 dollars. Crude prices rallied as traders returned to the market following a slump that saw oil dip well below the psychological 70-dollar level, analysts said. “It’s the same old story,” said Tony Nunan, an energy risk manager at Mitsubishi Corp in Tokyo. “When we have a large drop (in prices), it seems that people come in the next day (and buy) based on the
economic recovery story.” Nunan said better-than-expected performances posted by major US retailers such as DIY firm Home Depot Inc also helped boost prices as it was seen as a sign of improving US consumer confidence. Home Depot raised its forecast for fiscal 2009 after reporting a less-thanexpected 7.2 percent decrease in earnings in the second quarter compared to the same period last year. The company said it expected earnings per share of between zero to seven percent over last year. It previously forecast a loss of between zero and seven percent. However, Nunan warned that a large crude stockpile in the United States will continue to weigh down on prices amid weak energy demand. Consumption patterns in the United States can influence prices because the US economy is the world’s biggest energy user.
Global recovery requires US, Asia rebalancing Agence France-Presse
WASHINGTON - The global recovery from recession depends on a delicate rebalancing of economies — notably between the United States and Asia — to sustain it, the chief IMF economist said. “The recovery has started. Sustaining it will require delicate rebalancing acts, both within and across countries,” Olivier Blanchard said in an IMF article, released in advance of publication Wednesday. Blanchard cautioned that predictable models based on past recoveries from recessions would not apply to the worst global slump since World War II. “The world is not in a run-of-the mill recession. The turnaround will not be simple. The crisis has left deep scars, which will affect both supply and demand for many years to come,” he said. In its latest economic forecasts, the IMF estimated in July a global contraction of 1.4 percent in 2009, followed by sluggish growth of 2.5 percent in 2010. The United States, the epicenter of the crisis, “is central to any world recovery,” Blanchard said in the article titled “Sustaining a Global Recovery.” Blanchard said two rebalancing acts will have to come into play to sustain the global recovery: a switch from public to private spending and the rebalancing of international trade flows. The latter would require “a shift from domestic to foreign demand in
the United States and a reverse shift from foreign to domestic demand in the rest of the world, particularly in Asia,” he said. Pointing to a decline in American household consumption — which “represents 70 percent of total US demand” — and a rise in the personal saving rate that is expected to persist for some time, Blanchard estimated a 3.0 percentage point drop in the ratio of consumption to US gross domestic product, a broad measure of economic output. With the 3.0 percent drop unlikely to be made up by increased investment and the eventual phase-out of the massive fiscal stimulus, “US net exports must increase” for the US recovery to occur, he said. Key to the rebalancing act will be an increase in foreign demand for US goods, particularly in countries with large current account surpluses, notably in China and other Asian countries. “From the point of view of the United States, a decrease in China’s current account surplus would help increase demand, and sustain the US recovery. That would result in more US imports, which would help sustain world recovery,” the top economist at the 186-nation institution said. China may be willing to pursue that “because it may well be in its own interest,” said the economist, but other emerging market Asian countries that run large current account surpluses have weaker incentives than China to boost internal demand. Blanchard said that Asia appeared the best-placed to tip the trade balance.
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Mozart may have died from strep throat: study Agence France Presse
WASHINGTON - A Dutch study published Tuesday concludes that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose death at 35 has long been the subject of speculation, may have been a victim of complications stemming from strep throat.
BP/ist
The picture of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Theories about the prolific composer’s untimely death have ranged from poisoning to kidney failure to trichinosis, a parasitic disease that comes from eating raw or undercooked pork. But Richard Zegers of the University of Amsterdam concluded that the legendary composer fell victim to a “minor epidemic” of strep throat infection in Vienna, where Mozart died in December 1791. Zegers and his colleagues based their study, which was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, on
data from death records in the Austrian capital ranging between November 1791 and January 1972. According to his death certificate, Mozart died from “hitziges Frieselfieber,” a kind of fever that is accompanied by a rash. But the researchers said the diagnosis was more likely a description of symptoms than of a disease. Witness accounts also said Mozart, who composed more than 600 works during his short life, fell ill of an “inflammatory fever,” which the study noted was consistent with strep throat.
He eventually developed severe swelling, cramps, fever and a rash, also consistent with a strep throat infection leading to glomerulonephritis, an acute kidney inflammation. The swelling was so severe, his sister-in-law Sophie Haibel recalled three decades later, that Mozart could not turn in bed but was conscious and in sound mental condition until his dying breath. Mozart may also have died from scarlet fever, the researchers said, while noting this was “a less likely possibility.” The illness was short-lived, lasting only two weeks. The last months of his life were brimming with productivity, and saw Mozart complete the score of the opera “The Magic Flute,” conduct its premiere, visit a spa town, compose his clarinet concerto and begin writing his never completed “Requiem.”
France’s Annaud to direct Redford to direct Lincoln assassination film ‘Wolf Totem’ in China Agence France Presse
Agence France Presse
BEIJING - French director Jean-Jacques Annaud on Tuesday unveiled his plans to film the screen adaptation of the award-winning best-seller “Wolf Totem” in China, his first project in the giant Asian nation. Annaud, best known for films such as “Two Brothers”, “The Bear”, “The Lover” and “The Name of the Rose”, just returned from Inner Mongolia and Mongolia proper, where he scouted film sites with the book’s author Jiang Rong. “Wolf Totem”, which won the Asian equivalent of the Booker Prize in 2007, is a fictional account of life in the 1970s in the remote China-Mongolia border region, and the struggle between tradition and modernity. “My interest in the relationship between humans and animals is magnificently described by this book,” Annaud told reporters. “It’s the story of a young man who discovers a civilisation — that has been the theme in many of my films.” The novel has been a massive hit in China, with more than 2.6 million official copies — and more than 17 million pirated copies — sold since 2004. The book has been translated into several foreign languages including English. Jiang Rong is a pseudonym, as the author is a former Chinese political prisoner jailed for taking part in the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy protests. Annaud said he was approached by a Chinese production house, Beijing Forbidden City Corp, to work on the project. He has just begun writing the script and said he hopes to begin filming in 2011. “It’s a difficult script to write, I’ll need at least six months,” he said. The French filmmaker said he was looking forward to working in China, and said the criticism he received from authorities over “Seven Years in Tibet”, which offered a sympathetic portrayal of the Dalai Lama, was in the past. “I told them right away that I had done that film, but they told me that the situation had changed, that mentalities had evolved, that it was in the past,” he said.
AFP PHOTO/LIU Jin
French film director JeanJacques Annaud simulates the sound of wolf howling as he holds a poster of the film “Wolf Totem” at a press conference in Beijing on August 18, 2009. Annaud will direct the film version of the Chinese novel.
BP/ist
Robert Redford
LOS ANGELES - Hollywood legend Robert Redford has signed up to direct a historical drama about the assassination of US president Abraham Lincoln, The Hollywood Reporter said Tuesday. Lincoln, whose presidential tenure took place during the 1861-1865 US civil war, emancipated slaves and was mortally shot by a southern sympathizer in Washington as he was watching a play just weeks after the fighting ended. Redford’s “The Conspirator” plans to focus on the role of Mary Surratt, a Washington tavern owner who sympathized with the Confederacy in the south and was allegedly
linked to the assassination plot. The script was written by James Solomon, known for penning the TV series “The Bronx is Burning,” while actor James McAvoy is being considered for one of the lead roles, the Reporter said. Surratt allegedly supplied Lincoln’s killer, John Wilkes Booth, and accomplice David Herold, with weapons. She was convicted and hanged for her role in the plot despite doubts over her guilt, the Reporter said. The status of two other movies about Lincoln — a biography to be directed by Steven Spielberg, and a story on the chase for Lincoln’s killers that was to star Harrison Ford — remains uncertain.
Canadian singer Celine Dion pregnant with second child Agence France Presse
OTTAWA - Canadian singer Celine Dion, 41, is pregnant with her second child, her spokeswoman told AFP Tuesday. Dion and her husband Rene Angelil, director of the French-language reality-television show “Star Academie,” are “both very happy,” the spokeswoman added. According to the French-language daily Le Journal de Montreal, which was first to report the story, the singer resorted to medical help to conceive. Dion, who is from Quebec, is expected to give birth in May 2010. In March, Dion announced an 18-month career hiatus in order to spend time with her family and have a second child. Married almost 15 years, Dion currently has one son, Rene-Charles, born on January 25, 2001. He is to start his first day of school on Tuesday in Florida, Dion’s spokeswoman said.
(FILES) Photo dated May 22, 2008 shows Canadian singer Celine Dion arriving at the Elysee Palace in Paris to be made Knight in the order of The Legion of Honour by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
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Malaysian model accepts punishment for drinking beer Agence France-Presse
AP Photo/Andy Wong
Children affected by lead poisoning from the Dongling Lead and Zinc Smelting Co. plant receive medical treatment at a hospital in Fengxiang county, West of Xi’an, China, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. Dozens of police and plainclothes officers guarded the Chinese smelting plant in central Shaanxi on Wednesday, days after hundreds of villagers stormed the factory because more than 600 children from two nearby villages had been sickened by lead poisoning.
China factory under guard after lead poisoning Associated Press Writer
CHANGQING - Dozens of police and plainclothes officers guarded a Chinese smelting plant in central Shaanxi on Wednesday, days after hundreds of villagers stormed the factory because more than 600 children from two nearby villages had been sickened by lead poisoning. The roads leading to the plant were lined with a heavy security presence. On one stretch, 75 to 100 officers patrolled the streets as small groups of parents gathered. However, when parents tried to talk to visiting journalists about their concerns over health, the security officers tried to break up the interviews. At least 615 of 731 children in two villages near the Dongling Lead and Zinc Smelting Co. plant in Shaanxi province’s Changqing
town have tested positive for lead poisoning. Some had lead levels 10 times the level China considers safe. At the nearby Fengxiang County Hospital, 80 children had been admitted as of Wednesday for observation and treatment of lead poisoning. Zha Xiaofang, 41, from Madaokou village, said her 8-yearold daughter has lead levels considered mid- to high-level poisoning. Her daughter has had abdominal pain and memory problems for some
time. “We are anxious because we don’t know what will happen next and we don’t have any guarantees for the future,” she said, standing just outside the children’s ward where her daughter was being treated. Children could be seen lying on hospital beds with their parents hovering nearby, many of them on IV drips. Police and plainclothes officers in the hospital followed journalists around and tried to prevent them from conducting interviews. The other village affected is Sunjianantou. Parents of a few hundred children were waiting for the results of tests Tuesday for lead poisoning in a third village, Luobosi.
Suspect ordered to trial in death of porn model Associated Press Writer
AFP PHOTO/FILES/Patrick HERTZOG
Thursday, August 20, 2009
EL DORADO - A man accused of killing a Kansas college student who led a secret life as an Internet pornography model pleaded not guilty to her murder Tuesday. The attorney for Israel Mireles, 26, entered the plea after Judge David Ricke ruled that prosecutors had enough evidence to try him on charges of capital murder, rape and aggravated criminal sodomy in the death of 18year-old Emily Sander. The trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 2. Ricke’s ruling followed a daylong preliminary hearing in Butler County District Court in which prosecutors laid out their case
against Mireles, portraying a night of underage drinking that ended with Sander’s brutal slaying. Kansas Attorney General Steve Six told the judge the capital murder charge was justified because the testimony showed she was alive while she was being tortured, raped and sodomized. His defense attorney, Melanie Freeman-Johnson, probed details of witness testimony but offered no hint of her trial strategy and presented no witnesses. She declined to comment after the hearing. Evidence presented by prosecutors included testimony from friends and witnesses who said they saw Sander leave a southeast Kansas bar
with the suspect the night of Nov. 23, 2007. Her battered, nude body was found six days later off a highway about 50 miles (80 kilometers) away. She died after being repeatedly stabbed, strangled and beaten, according to testimony. Investigators recovered the knife they believe was used in the crime from a trash bin in Baxter Springs where Mireles picked up his pregnant girlfriend before fleeing to Mexico, according to testimony. The trash bin also contained bloodstained clothing, including a pair of boxer shorts that had both her blood and his semen, investigators said. His semen was also found on her body, according to testimony.
KUALA LUMPUR - A Muslim model sentenced to six strokes of the cane for drinking beer will be the first woman in Malaysia to be caned under Islamic law, her lawyer said Wednesday. Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 32, was sentenced to a caning and a fine of 5,000 ringgit (1,414 dollars) last month after she pleaded guilty to drinking alcohol at a hotel nightclub in the eastern state of Pahang last year. The Malaysian mother of two, who lives in Singapore, told AFP that she was willing to receive the punishment after the Sharia High Court in Pahang on Tuesday issued a warrant for her arrest. “I received a message from my dad yesterday. So I come back to Perak (from Singapore),” she said. “I accept the punishment. I am not afraid because because I was ready to be punished from day one. They (authorities) hope to use my case as a way to educate the Muslims. So go ahead. I want to move
on with my life. “I am not worried at all nor do I want to avoid the punishment because I accept the punishment,” she added. Kartika’s lawyer, Mohamad Zuki Che Muhamad Ghani, said his client would be jailed on August 24 for one week before the caning. “The warrant of arrest was issued to facilitate the caning,” he told AFP. “She has to be jailed first and undergo health check-up to determine whether she is fit to be caned. She will be the first woman in the country to be caned under the religious laws,” Mohamad added. Kartika’s father, Shukarno Mutalib, told AFP that the family accepted the court’s decision. “We are not feeling sad. We are Muslims and I agree she has to be caned. She has already pleaded guilty. We will follow the rules,” Shukarno said.Mohamad said Kartika had lived in Singapore for 15 years after marrying a citizen of the city state. Malaysia, which has large Chinese and Indian minorities, has a dualtracked legal system. Sharia courts can try Muslims for religious offences.
At stricken Russian dam, relatives vent fury over missing Agence France-Presse
CHERYOMUSHKY - “Why is there so little information? There can’t just be 12 dead!” screamed a voice. “Why has no-one else been found in the last 20 hours?” shouted another. Many loved ones of those still missing say they have yet to be told the whole truth by the authorities about the accident this week at Russia’s biggest hydroelectric power station. Sixty-two employees of the Sayano-Shushenskaya plant in southern Siberia are still missing, over two days after a tragedy that is already confirmed to have killed 12 people. But rescuers have insisted they have not given up hope of finding them alive in the flooded wreckage of the turbine hall that was shattered after being engulfed by a flood of water.
Dozens of relatives met with officials from the emergencies ministry at a nearby cultural centre, in an encounter marked by anger, frustration and fears that there may no longer be reason to hope. “We don’t want secrets! If my son is dead then fine, tell me. I went to the morgue last night and they wouldn’t tell me anything,” said a man who gave his name as Viktor. “I know my husband is still alive. There is a cushion of air there where he could be. Why haven’t you drained the water there?” demanded Lena Petrovna, wife of one of the missing at the plant. Alexander Kresan, head of the ministry of emergency sitiuations search teams for Siberia, sought to explain that all would be done for as long as there was a chance of finding anyone alive.
AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER NEMENOV
Relatives of people who died in an accident at the SayanoShushenskaya hydroelectric power station cry at a funeral in the nearby village of Maina on August 19, 2009.
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Thursday, August 20, 2009
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International
Taiwan minister resigns as typhoon political storm grows
AFP PHOTO / Sam YEH
Taiwan Defence Minister Chen Chao-min Agence France-Presse
TAIPEI - Taiwan’s political storm surrounding Typhoon Morakot gained force Wednesday as the defence minister and cabinet secretary offered to resign over the government’s slow emergency response. A new poll suggested 46 percent of people had no confidence in the government’s ability to handle reconstruction efforts as President Ma Ying-jeou’s approval rating dropped to a near record low of 29 percent. The number of confirmed dead meanwhile rose to 136, but Ma has warned the death toll could climb to more than 500, with 380 people feared buried by mudslides in the southern village of Hsiaolin alone. Angry survivors surrounded the president during a visit Wednesday to Hsiaolin. Ma burned incense sticks and bowed before a muddy plain that 12 days earlier was a tidy village. “President, you’ve come way too late,” a woman shouted at Ma in footage broadcast on cable news
channels. He tried to comfort a woman in a traditional Taiwanese funeral robe, who was performing a Taoist ritual to summon the spirits of her relatives whose bodies have yet to be found. Defence Minister Chen Chaomin and Cabinet Secretary General Hsueh Hsiang-chuan, in charge of coordination between ministries, offered to step down, a cabinet official said on condition of anonymity. The first political casualty was vice-foreign minister Andrew Hsia Li-yan, who tendered his resignation on Tuesday — for refusing overseas aid. Premier Liu Chao-shiuan has received their resignations and was considering them, the official said. Lin Hou-wang, a Ma adviser and National Taiwan University philosophy professor, said the prime minister and others should also consider resigning. “The cabinet needs an overall reshuffle for letting the society down,” Lin told AFP. The cabinet secretary faced personal criticism after angrily justifying himself for dining with his family at a five-star hotel on August 8, the day Morakot struck, saying it was Father’s Day in Taiwan and “not out of line”. The defense ministry has been under fire for deploying too few troops during the initial rescue operation, with only 2,100 sent on August 9 before the number was dramatically increased to 43,300 five days later. Ma and senior officials began a news conference on Tuesday by bowing in a symbolic apology to the Taiwanese people for not recognising the magnitude of the disaster fast enough. He promised an investigation into mistakes made after the typhoon and vowed to punish officials found to have been negligent, once the probe’s results are published next month.
Srilanka to maintain defence budget despite rebel defeat Agence France-Presse
COLOMBO - The Sri Lankan government plans to keep up record defence spending despite its recent victory over Tamil rebels that ended nearly four decades of fighting, a senior official said. Defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said the military needed to be modernised and payments made on hardware bought on credit. Sri Lanka raised its defence budget to a record 1.6 billion dollars in 2009, and finally crushed the Tamil Tigers separatists in May after months of intense battles. “I don’t see an immediate need to reduce the defence spending next year,” Rajapakse told AFP on the sidelines of a meeting on Tuesday.
“We have cut down on our ammunition purchases. But we need to bring in new technology to upgrade our military capacity.” Sri Lanka relied heavily on mortar bombs and ammunition purchased from China and Pakistan during the ethnic conflict. After routing the Tamil Tigers, the government scrapped a 200million dollar ammunition order from China. Rajapakse added that nearly 30,000 government forces were killed and 10,000 disabled in the decades of fighting, with 6,000 killed in the last three months of warfare. The Sri Lankan army intends to recruit tens of thousands of new troops to be deployed in areas previously under rebel control.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
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New Products A new PlayStation 3 is on display at a news conference in Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. Sony Corp. has cut the price in Japan for PlayStation 3 to 29,980 yen ($317). It said Wednesday that the remodeled version of PlayStation 3 will go on sale in Japan on Sept. 3.
AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye TOPSHOTS AFP PHOTO/PEDRO UGARTE
An Afghan policeman aims his weapon at photojournalists Paula Bronstein (2L) and Kevin Frayer (L) as he prevents them from approaching the area where three gunmen stormed a bank in Kabul on August 19, 2009. The Afghan government came under severe criticism for attempting to ban media coverage of escalating Taliban violence in case it deters people from voting in Thursday’s elections.
Kabul attacks escalate on Afghan election eve Agence France-Presse
KABUL - Fresh attacks hit Kabul as Taliban gunmen stormed a bank building and fought pitched battles with police Wednesday on the eve of Afghanistan’s second presidential election. Security forces fanned out on high alert in a bid to protect the capital from a spike in Taliban violence that has unleashed two suicide attacks and rocket strikes on the relatively peaceful city just days before the vote. The Taliban said Wednesday’s siege was part of a series of attacks planned
for the eve of elections after the insurgent militia threatened to accelerate its bid to derail the polls that bolster Western-backed moves to democracy. Armed police forced their way into the bank after the building was stormed by at least three gunmen. Loud bursts of gunfire echoed as
dozens of security forces and intelligence agents gathered outside, said an AFP reporter. “We have killed three of the attackers inside the bank,” Kabul criminal investigation police chief Sayed Abdul Ghafar Sayedzada told AFP. “They were Taliban,” he said. The attack was likely to increase the fears of Afghans about it being safe to go out to vote despite reassurances from authorities and after US and allied forces have stepped up their anti-insurgency offensive.
South Korea postpones rocket launch minutes before blast-off Agence France-Presse
SEOUL - South Korea Wednesday postponed the launch of its first space rocket just eight minutes before the scheduled blast-off, due to an unspecified technical fault. Mission controllers suspended the launch at 4.52 pm (0752 GMT) and began dumping fuel, the science ministry said. It was the seventh time since 2002 that the project, operated in partnership with Russia, has been delayed. The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1, which was due to put a satellite into orbit, was reattached to the launch pad. “There was a problem in the automatic launch sequence that caused the
launch to be called off,” said Korea Aerospace Research Institute head Lee Joo-Jin, without giving details. He told Yonhap news agency a new date would be set after consultation with experts from Russia, which manufactured the rocket’s first stage. A successful launch would make South Korea the tenth country to put a satellite into orbit using its own rocket. Seoul has invested 502.5 billion won (419 million dollars) and much national pride in the 33-metre (108foot) rocket, whose second stage was built by local engineers. Seoul also built the 100-kilogram (220-pound) scientific research satellite atop the rocket at the Naro Space Centre at Goheung, 475
kilometres (300 miles) south of Seoul. North Korea, smarting over UN Security Council censure of its own rocket launch in April, had said it would watch closely to see whether world powers also refer the South Korean launch to the Council. Pyongyang insists it was unfairly punished for its April 5 launch, saying it merely put a peaceful communications satellite into orbit. Washington and its allies say no satellite was detected in orbit and the North’s launch was a disguised test of a Taepodong-2 missile. Seoul has bristled at any comparisons with its neighbour’s operation, insisting its own launch is purely for scientific purposes.
AFP PHOTO/TANG CHHIN SOTHY
Cambodian hip hop trainer Tuy Sobil (L) trains a girl in hip hop dance at his club in Phnom Penh on June 12, 2009. Established a few years ago by the former US gang member deported after being convicted of armed robbery, the Tiny Toones centre also teaches disc jockey skills and rapping to nearly 400 children. Besides helping bring hip hop culture to Cambodia, Tiny Toones and its founder Tuy Sobil, better known as Kay Kay, have won accolades for helping drug addicts and poor street kids transform their lives.
Rejected US Cambodian brings hip hop home Agence France Presse
PHNOM PENH - A slim boy with curly hair spins on his head to hip hop music at a house down a crowded and dusty road in the Cambodian capital. The dancer, 11-year-old Soeurn Nhanh, says he had a hopeless existence as a shoeshine boy until he discovered Cambodia’s first and only breakdancing and hip hop school. “When I grow up, I want to be a breakdancing teacher and earn money to support myself and my family,” he says, grinning. Established a few years ago by a former US gang member deported after being convicted of armed robbery, the Tiny Toones centre also teaches disc jockey skills and rapping to nearly 400 children. Besides helping bring hip hop culture to Cambodia, Tiny Toones and its founder Tuy Sobil, better known as Kay Kay, have won accolades for helping drug addicts and poor street kids transform their lives. “Our [centre] doesn’t judge where the kids come from. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the rich, poor, or orphans, sex workers or drug kids...we just make everybody equal here,” Kay Kay says. “I’m happy to tell them that one day they will get better,” he adds. The centre now also teaches English, Khmer and computers. Kay Kay, 32, brings lessons from his own life to the job. He is one of some 200 Cambodi-
ans ejected from the United States over the past several years under a law which deports felons who do not have American citizenship. Kay Kay had never been back to Cambodia, which he left as a baby when his family emigrated to the US. His parents neglected to complete US citizenship documents when they arrived in California and after being jailed for armed robbery at 18 he was deported, leaving his family and young son behind. “For Kay Kay, deportation is a very sensitive thing to talk about,” says Ho Lisa, Tiny Toones’ administration director. When he arrived in Cambodia, Kay Kay seemed to leave his old life far behind, working as a counsellor for drug addicts. But in almost every way, Kay Kay is American. He named his centre “Tiny Toones” for the classic US children’s cartoon programmes, and although his students mimic his baggy trousers and colourful over-sized t-shirts, he still draws attention around Phnom Penh. “With tied-up long hair and a heavily-tattooed body, I get a bad impression from people. I might look like I’m very violent but I’m not,” Kay Kay says.
Many Cambodians fear or find it hard to accept deportees like Kay Kay, who were initially expected to bring a crime wave with them to the country. “Depending on their jobs, some of them (deportees) still face stigma,” says Ong Klung, head of the Returnee Integration Support Program. “Some find it hard to function.” Taing Phoeuk, director of Korsang, an HIV education organisation which is staffed by many deportees, says the vast majority are not involved in any criminal behaviour. “Many work in non-governmental organisations, companies or have gone to live with their families throughout Cambodia. But a few others are still abusing drugs,” says Taing Phoeuk, a deportee himself. For his part, Kay Kay says his students inspire him to live well, although there is also irony in the attention he has had from founding Tiny Toones. When he gave a performance at a Clinton Global Initiative meeting in Hong Kong last year, Kay Kay danced in front of former US president Bill Clinton — the man who passed the law which banished him. He also could not accompany his students as they went on a performance tour of the US early this year. Kay Kay says he is slowly being accepted into Cambodian society now and hopes he will be completely welcome someday.
The Hope Diamond is placed on a mirror at the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum in Washington. Starting in September 2009 the diamond will be exhibited as a standalone gem with no setting while a new setting is designed by New York jeweler Harry Winston.
AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File
AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, file
FILE - In this April 8, 2009 file photo, Jim Press, deputy CEO of Chrysler, introduces a Fiat 500 at the 2009 New York International Auto Show in New York. Chrysler Group LLC is planning to build the Fiat 500 small car at a plant in Mexico, according to a report published Monday, Aug. 17, 2009.
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Thursday, August 20, 2009
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International
International
Dibaba deals Ethiopia medal blow, Robles struggles
Agence France-Presse
BERLIN - Ethiopian world medal hopes were dealt a further blow Wednesday when Olympic champion and world recorder holder Tirunesh Dibaba pulled out of the women’s 5000m here. mates - Sentayeju Ejigu, Meselech Melkamu and Genzebe Dibaba. Kenyans Vivian Cheruiyot, Sylvia Kibet and Iness Chenonge all also looked comfortable while progressing at a sun-baked Olympic Stadium. There looked like being an upset brewing in the 110m hurdles when Robles found himself in sixth place at the halfway mark of his heat. Robles, sporting a bandaged left thigh under his singlet, fairly laboured over the first five hurdles with his lead left leg failing to snap out over the hurdle. But he somehow managed to find the reserves to pull through the field and sneak into third in 13.67sec. “I feel pain in my left thigh,” Robles admitted. “I don’t know what’s going on. I thought it was only a small problem but now I know that I really have a problem. “I cannot say that I’ll continue to run or not. I’ll talk with the physiotherapist and doctor, and we’ll see. “I promised Fidel Castro to bring home the gold medal for him and I want to keep my promise. I am a warrior and I will fight.” There was also not a good start to the day for Robles’ fellow Cuban
Leonel Suarez in the decathlon. The Olympic bronze medallist and firm favourite for the 10-sport, two-day event in the absence of American Olympic champion Bryan Clay, only managed 11.13sec in the 100m and 7.24m in the long jump, ranking 23rd out of the 38 starting competitors. American Trey Hardee ran a very decent 10.45sec and jumped a best of 7.80m to lead the overall standings after two events. There was also heartbreak for reigning world silver medallist Maurice Smith of Jamaica who pulled up during the 100m with what looked like a hamstring injury. In qualification for the women’s discus throw, Olympic champion Stephanie Brown Trafton failed to hit the minimum standard of 61.50m, managing a best of 61.23m but progressing as one of the top 12 finishers. “This will hopefully stimulate me to my best in the final because I consider myself as an underdog,” the American said. The opening heats of the women’s 200m were cancelled because of the low number of entrants and those entered will now go straight into the quarter-finals in the evening session later Wednesday.
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
President Barack Obama leans in to talk with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2009, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.
AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus
Cuba’s Dayron Robles competes in a Men’s 110m Hurdles first round heat during the World Athletics Championships in Berlin on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009.
Seeds Venus, Kuznetsova ousted in Canada Raptors send Delfino to Bucks in NBA deal Agence France Presse
TORONTO - Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine upset third-ranked Venus Williams 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the second round of a two million-dollar WTA hardcourt tournament here on Tuesday. Williams, who enjoyed a first-round bye, roared to a quick victory in the opening set but by the finish had fallen to 0-3 all-time in the Canadian WTA event, the final major tuneup for many players ahead of the US Open. “I was definitely expecting to play well and to go very far in the tournament,” Williams said. “It’s disappointing.” Williams was not the only seed sent packing.
AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn
Venus Williams of the United States, reacts during her 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 loss to Kateryna Bondarenko of the Ukraine during the Rogers Cup tennis tournament in Toronto on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2009.
Australian Samantha Stosur defeated Russian sixth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-3. The Aussie will next face either France’s Virginie Razzano or Italy’s Flavia Pennetta. Williams saw a silver lining in the loss, knowing she had almost two weeks to rest before the year’s final Grand Slam event starts at Flushing Meadows. “I have to take it as a positive,” Williams said. “Now it’ll give me a chance to rest. It has been a really busy summer for me.” Bondarenko, ranked 64th, will face either Hungary’s Agnes Szavay or Poland’s Agnieska Radwanska in the third round. “It’s big because it was against Venus,” Bondarenko said. “I was playing really good. The first set, I didn’t know what to do with her power. The rest of the time, I just tried to keep the ball in play.” Serbian standout Ana Ivanovic advanced to the second round by rallying to defeat Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. Ivanovic, the 21-year-old world number 11 still seeking her first WTA title of the year, made seven double faults but outlasted her 47th-ranked rival. “My movement, my shots, everything was working well, but I was trying to play a little too safe,” Ivanovic said. “She’s a good player and she was playing really aggressive and dominant.” Ivanovic’s next opponent will be Czech Lucie Safarova, who defeated Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi 6-4, 7-6 (7/3). China’s Zheng Jie ousted Russia’s Elena Vesnina 6-3, 62, and could face Kim Cljisters, making a comeback after taking a two-year break to start a family, in a second-round match. Israel’s Shahar Peer took more than 2 1/2 hours but finally advanced past Romania’s Monica Niculescu 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4).
Agence France Presse
TORONTO - Carlos Delfino, a guard from Argentina who spent last season playing in Russia, was traded Tuesday by the Toronto Raptors to the Milwaukee Bucks in a four-player NBA deal. The Raptors obtained forward Amir Johnson and swingman Sonny Weems while the Bucks received Delfino and Croatian guard Roko Ukic. “Carlos made it clear he would prefer to play elsewhere if he were to return to the NBA,” Raptors president Bryan Colangelo said. “There were limited sign and trade scenarios available, but acquiring Amir Johnson in this deal gives us another long, talented young big man whose best basketball is ahead of him.” Delfino averaged 9.0 points and 4.4 rebounds for Toronto in the 2007-2008 season while Ukic, who played six seasons in Europe before reaching the NBA last season, averaged 4.2 points, 2.1 assists and 12.4 minutes in 72 games. Johnson, who played four sea-
Mubarak firm on final status push in Obama talks
Agence France-Presse
WASHINGTON - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told US President Barack Obama Tuesday that final status talks and not a “temporary solution” suggested by Israel represented the sole route to Middle East peace.
sons for Detroit before being traded to the Bucks in June, led the Pistons with a 59.5 percent shooting accuracy rate while averaging 3.5 points and 3.7 rebounds. Weems played in 14 games as a rookie with Denver last season.
BP/doc
Carlos Delfino
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Honduras regime breaks ties with Argentina
Agence France Presse
Cuba’s Olympic champion and world record holder Dayron Robles was also left uncertain for the semifinals of the 110m hurdles after battling through his heat with an injured left lead leg to eventually clock the slowest time of all qualifiers. Dibaba, a two-time world champion over the 5000m (2003 and 2005) who is also the Olympic 10,000m champion, had already pulled out of the longer race last weekend after suffering from an ankle injury all season. Turkey’s Ethiopian-born double Olympic silver medallist Elvan Abeylegesse, who pulled up during the 10,000m race, also failed to start the 5000m. It was instead Dibaba’s arch-rival and compatriot Meseret Defar, the reigning world champion, who set the fastest qualifying time, winning her heat in 15min 15.45sec. “I pushed the pace because I’ve been a little bit sick and I wanted to see how my body would respond,” said Defar. “I feel okay. I’m pleased I qualified because I really want to win the final.” She will be accompanied in Saturday’s final by a trio of team-
Thursday, August 20, 2009
But Obama praised Israel for curtailing new tenders for settlements in the West Bank and urged Arab states and Palestinians to join the Jewish state in taking “risks” to pull the stalled peace process out of a rut. Mubarak, in his first presidential summit in the United States in five years, argued that rows over issues like settlements and proposals for piecemeal Arab concessions to Israel were bogging the process down. “We need to move to the final status solution and level,” Mubarak told reporters as he sat with Obama in the Oval Office. “I have contacted the Israelis and they said ‘perhaps we can talk about a temporary solution,’ but I told them ‘No’, I told them ‘forget about the temporary solution, forget about temporary borders.’” Final status talks would tackle the most intractable issues in the Middle East, including the status of Jerusalem in perpetuity, the borders of a final Palestinian state and the right of return for Palestinian refugees. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told US lawmakers last week that pushing for a fast-track deal over the next year would not work and proposed concentrating on security and Palestinian economic conditions. Obama, throwing himself deeper into
the mire of Middle East peacemaking which has confounded his predecessors, was optimistic, despite little progress so far for his peace effort. “If all sides are willing to move off of the rut that we’re in currently, then I think there is an extraordinary opportunity to make real progress, but we are not there yet.” The US president also praised the Israeli government for deciding not to issue new tenders for settlement construction in the occupied West Bank until early 2010. “There has been movement in the right direction,” Obama said, saying the Israeli government was taking its talks with Washington seriously amid a rare public showdown between the two allies. “My hope is that we are going to see not just movement from the Israelis, but also from the Palestinians around issues of incitement and security, from Arab states that show their willingness to engage Israel.” But Palestinians and other critics dismissed the Israeli move as insignificant, pointing out that construction continues on the ground in a number of settlements in Palestinian territory. Obama has been pushing Arab states to make small concessions to Israel to unlock stalled peace moves and has called on the Jewish state to halt settlement expansion.
But Mubarak told Obama he would not offer concessions until Israel took its own “concrete steps,” his spokesman Soliman Awaad said, adding that Arab states believed Netanyahu deliberately slowed peace efforts during his first spell as Israeli leader. “It’s like an egg and chicken situation,” Awaad said. “He told him it won’t fly. He reminded him that this was a deja vu situation.” Awaad also told reporters the US president hoped to unveil a comprehensive Middle East peace plan at around the time of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) next month. “Today, Mr. Obama said that hopefully after (Obama’s Middle East peace envoy George) Mitchell and Netanyahu meet next week, the peace blueprint should be there in the course of next month, in September,” Awaad said. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs denied any knowledge of such a plan, though he said the UNGA would be an important chance to forge progress. The US State Department confirmed plans for Mitchell to meet Netanyahu before the end of the month. During his first White House talks with Obama, Mubarak poured praise on the US president over his historic address to the Muslim world in Cairo in June.
TEGUCIGALPA - Interim leaders in Honduras who backed the June 28 ouster of President Manuel Zelaya on Tuesday broke off diplomatic ties with Argentina, which has made a strong push to return the deposed leader. The de facto leaders said they were breaking off relations on the basis of “strict reciprocity” after Argentina last week expelled the Honduran ambassador over her support for the military coup. Diplomatic relations would now pass through the Israeli embassy in Argentina, they said in a statement. Argentina’s diplomatic chief responded in Mexico that his country’s diplomats had no plans to leave their embassy in Honduras. “Argentina’s diplomatic staff is in Tegucigalpa and they don’t have a (leaving) date at all,” Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana said. The interim Honduran leadership headed by Roberto Micheletti has already told Venezuela’s envoys to leave, but they have refused. Argentina last Thursday expelled the Honduran ambassador to Buenos Aires, Carmen Eleonora Ortez Williams, and President Cristina Kirchner has been among the staunchest defenders of Zelaya’s right to return to power. Taiana — part of a delegation from the Organization of American States (OAS) due to travel shortly to Honduras — earlier told AFP that other countries should do more to help resolve the political crisis in the impoverished Central American country. Dozens of Hondurans meanwhile met with members of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, who are on a mission to investigate alleged rights violations by the interim government.
US Catholic bishops in Cuba seeking improved ties
Agence France-Presse
HAVANA - A delegation of senior US Roman Catholic clergy called here Tuesday for closer ties between Washington and Havana following moves by President Barack Obama to improve ties with the communist island. Ties between the Cold-War foes have thawed since Obama became president in January, with US nationals of Cuban descent now more easily travelling and sending money to Cuba. However there are no signs yet that the US trade embargo on the island, in place since 1962, could be lifted. “The important thing is not to lose the opportunity of increased closeness and understanding between our two governments,” said Thomas Wenski, the bishop of Orlando, Florida. “I believe that the church, here and there, should advocate for this,” said Wenski, speaking in Spanish at a Havana press conference Tuesday. Wenski is part of a delegation of bishops that began a fourday visit to the island on Monday. The delegation includes Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley and the auxiliary bishop of San Antonio, Texas, Oscar Cantu. Wenski said that the Obama administration has been reviewing Washington’s policy towards Cuba “step by step, which may be a slow process.” Senior Cuban and US clergy “are trying to influence the polices” of both governments, said Wenski, who spoke after a meeting with Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega. “We should encourage them for there to be freedom of travel as well as a lifting of the embargo,” Wenski said. O’Malley, who said he has visited Cuba several times over the past 20 years, said there has been a “notable improvement” of ties between Havana and the church since Pope John Paul II’s visit in January 1998. The head of the Cuban Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Dionisio Garcia, told AFP that the visit of US clergy is part of the pope’s appeal to increase Cuba’s openness to the world. In April, Obama acknowledged that Washington’s policies toward Cuba, including a decades-old embargo, had failed, but said that issues such as political prisoners, freedom of speech and democracy in Cuba could not be brushed aside in any new approach toward the country.
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International
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Sport
International
News WORLD NEWS
Agence France Presse
SUNDERLAND - Carlo Ancelotti believes Chelsea’s 3-1 win at Sunderland gave an indication that his stars are determined to fight for the Premier League title.
LONDON - As if being the only British matador did not make him enough of an unlikely figure in the Spanish bullring, former butcher Frank Evans is returning to fight again at the age of 67.
NEW YORK - In 2005, an Israeli man flew to New York to give up a kidney to save an American businessman. Nick Rosen says he was paid $20,000, which appeared in a brown envelope on his hospital bed after the operation. The case gives resonance to claims that a black market for kidneys has thrived in the U.S.
Salvador Allende RIO DE JANEIRO The daughter of overthrown Chilean President Salvador Allende requests via Twitter that Brazil open any secret archives that could shed light on any role it played in the 1973 coup that killed her father.
Hildegard Behrens TOKYO - Soprano Hildegard Behrens, one of the finest Wagnerian performers of her generation, has died while traveling in Japan. She was 72
Source: ap
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Ancelotti impressed by resilient Chelsea Lone British bullfighter still risking life and limb at 67 Agence France-Presse
Black market kidneys
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Evans made made his farewell appearance in 2005 in the southern Spanish coastal town of Benalmadena, a serious knee injury from his early days playing rugby having caught up with him. But after reconstructive surgery — not to mention a quadruple heart bypass — “El Ingles”, who turned 67 on Tuesday, is ready to do battle again and makes his official comeback on August 30 in Benalmadena. “Inside, I am 25,” joked the man stepping back into an arena now dominated by glamorous, athletic young bullfighters. “I keep myself very fit and as long as I can cope with it I’m going to carry on,” he told AFP. The matador, who lives in Marbella, near Benalmadena, is not fazed by being an Englishman in the deeply Hispanic culture of bullfighting. “The bull doesn’t ask to see my birth certificate, so it’s the same for all of us,” he said during a trip back to his homeland. Evans reckons his unusual origins may have even helped him in his unlikely choice of career. “People maybe would buy a ticket just to see what I can do, because they can’t imagine what an Englishman can do with a muleta in his hand,” he said, referring to the matador’s cape. Just how did a man from Salford in Manchester, northwest England, end up
in a Spanish bullring? Evans recounts his remarkable journey in “The Last British Bullfighter”, his autobiography which hit the shelves this month. His fascination with bullfighting was triggered by a trip to Spain in 1963. But it was reading the 1950s autobiography of Vincent Hitchcock, the first British bullfighter, which inspired him to give it a go himself. “It suddenly occurred to me that it was possible for an Englishman to become a matador. It began to dawn on me that, if he could do it, then so could I”, Evans wrote in his memoirs. At the age of 22, Evans left Manchester and work in his father’s butcher’s shop to start on his quest in Spain. However, becoming a fullyfledged matador would be a long and difficult adventure. After two years in a bullfighting school in Valencia, he made his debut in 1966 in Montpellier in southern France. “It was a success. I killed the bull quickly,” he said. Despite his promising start, a shortage of money, equipment and honest promoters caused Evans to throw in the towel at the end of the 1960s. He returned to England to find work and settled down with his wife Margaret and their two children. But becoming a successful business-
AFP PHOTO
This handout picture obtained on August 14, 2009 shows British matador Frank Evans. As if being the only British matador did not make him enough of an unlikely figure in the Spanish bullring, former butcher Frank Evans is returning to fight again at the age of 67. Evans made made his farewell appearance in 2005 in the southern Spanish coastal town of Benalmadena, a serious knee injury from his early days playing rugby having caught up with him. man did not dampen his passion for bullfighting, so in 1979 he returned to Spain and seized every opportunity to get into the bullring. “I’m not a bullfighter for financial purposes,” he explained. “I do it because I have a vocation for it. I love doing it, the people involved in it, I love all the travelling you do, the training; I just love the whole thing.” His efforts finally paid off in 1991, when, at the age of 49, he took the “alternativa” — earning the right to fight mature bulls as a fully-fledged matador.
After his “alternativa”, Evans spent another 10 hard years struggling to make his name, until he received a call from a promoter who offered him a contract in Benalmadena. Although he was well into his fifties, it was the springboard for his career, with fights in Spain, France and Mexico. “Most people would have stopped fighting by then, and all of a sudden I was given my opportunity and after 40 years I became an overnight success,” he said, adding that he reached a career-high ranking of 63 in 2003.
Just as they did against Hull on Saturday, Chelsea showed admirable resilience on Tuesday to recover after Sunderland poured forward in the opening 45 minutes at the Stadium of Light and took a surprise lead through Darren Bent. Ancelotti insisted that he was not worried at any stage of the first half, although his gestures on the touchline occasionally suggested otherwise. But, eventually, Chelsea proved that class usually comes out on top in Premier League as goals from Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard and Deco sealed the points. Ancelotti said: “I am very happy. I thought we played very well in the second half. I know we went behind, but we had control of the match and good possession. “There wasn’t a lot of shooting from us, but we had control of them. Sunderland were strong in defence in the first half and applied pressure. “They ran a lot and they were tired, which made it more difficult for them to control us.” Chelsea have now gone behind in all three of their matches this season, including the Community Shield against Manchester United, but
Ancelotti said: “I am not concerned about coming from behind. “It can happen in football and what’s important is to show a good reaction and not be afraid when you do go behind. “We have been behind in three matches, but still showed good control.” There was much to admire in the way Sunderland played, but Sunderland boss Steve Bruce reserved most of his praise for the west London club who are certain to be challenging for the title again. Bruce said: “Sometimes you just have to admit you’ve been well beaten by a very good team. It seemed at times that we’d had a man sent off. “We gave everything we could give, but couldn’t cope with the way they moved the ball. It was a very difficult evening for us. “We all aspire to be the best but when you see a performance like that you can see why they will be there or thereabouts in every competition.” Chelsea took control of the second half and Ballack equalised before Lampard’s penalty and Deco’s strike erased the memory of their first half difficulties. “Darren got a wonderful goal and
we were very pleased at half time,” said Bruce. “But Chelsea were terrific and played to their maximum. They’re the real deal and that’s why they are top of the tree. Anybody who beats them will win the league.” Ancelotti made four changes to the
team that beat Hull and the former AC Milan coach added: “I changed it because I have very good quality players and I want to use them because we have a lot of matches. I want to keep them fresh and in good condition.” He also ruled out any chance of
selling Deco, who was outstanding. “He doesn’t want to change and we don’t want him to change,” Ancelotti said. “Deco is working very well now. This is a very important year for him before the World Cup. He played very well - for himself and for the team.”
Champions League play-off round here on Tuesday. The Italians will now be favourites to progress to the competition group stage following
next week’s second leg in Florence. The visitors took an early lead when Juan Vargas lashed home a low shot from outside the area.
Alberto Gilardino had crossed from the right and the Peruvian took the ball on his chest, bundled through a weak tackle and sent home a strike on six minutes that Rui Patricio got a hand to but couldn’t keep out. Fiorentina were lucky not to have a man sent off, though, when Alessandro Gamberini tangled with Sporting’s Brazilian forward Liedson. Gamberini appeared to lash out with his hand in Liedson’s neck but was only shown a yellow card, as was Sporting’s Montenegro striker Simon Vukcevic, who shoved the Italian in the chest following the original fracas. That was followed by a spell of home dominance with Everton target Joao Moutinho forcing French goalkeeper Sebastien Frey into a sprawling low save. Former Tottenham forward Helder Postiga went close again in first half stoppage time but curled his effort just past the upright. The Portuguese predictably came out firing at the start of the second period and deservedly drew level on 58 minutes when
Vukcevic pounced on a kind deflection in the box to slide home past Frey. However, the Montenegran then stupidly removed his shirt in celebration and was promptly shown a second yellow card and sent to the stands. Even so, the hosts extended their lead on 66 minutes as Miguel Veloso thrashed home an unstoppable shot into the top corner from outside the box. That opened up the game with Fiorentina pushing forward for an equaliser and Sporting looking to hit them on the counter. Riccardo Montolivo came close to restoring parity as he ran through two tackles but then shot too close to Patricio. However he then fashioned La Viola’s stunning leveller as Gilardino took his chip into the box on his chest before prodding home a volley with the outside of his right boot. Substitute Stevan Jovetic almost snatched a winner for the visitors three minutes from time but after leaving two men on the seat of their pants in the box, he shot straight at Patricio.
AP Photo/Scott Heppell
Chelsea’s Frank Lampard, right, has a shot toward’s goal past Sunderland’s Phil Bardsley, left, during their English Premier League soccer match at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland, England, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2009.
Ten-man Sporting hold Fiorentina
Agence France Presse
LISBON - Fiorentina earned a vital 2-2 draw away from home at 10-man Sporting Lisbon in the
Hurricane Bill strengthens to Category Three status Agence France-Presse
MIAMI - Hurricane Bill, the first of the Atlantic storm season, strengthened late Tuesday to a major Category Three status with wind speeds near 125 miles (205 kilometers) per hour, the National Hurricane Center said. The hurricane was moving in a north-westerly direction, and on its current track is projected to turn north and largely miss the US coastline. An Air Force reserve hurricane hunter plane that flew into the Atlantic storm indicated “that Bill has strengthened and maximum sus-
tained winds have increased to near 125 MPH,” the center said in an interim advisory. That made Bill “a Category 3 Hurricane on the (five-level) Saffir/ Simpson hurricane scale,” it said in a brief statement. The Miami-based Hurricane Center said earlier that at 2100 GMT Tuesday, the hurricane was located about 635 miles (1,025 kilometers) east of the Leeward Islands and heading westnorthwestward toward the US mainland at nearly 16 mph (26 kph). “West-northwest motion is expected to continue for tonight followed by a turn toward the northwest on Wednes-
day,” forecasters said. The hurricane’s projected track is in the Atlantic, “well to the northeast” of the Caribbean’s Leeward Islands. The Hurricane Center’s extended forecast puts the far northeastern US coastline on the eastern edge of Bill’s broad “cone of uncertainty” by Sunday. Tropical Storm Claudette, which blew up in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday and lashed Florida resorts with strong winds and heavy rain, weakened Monday to a tropical depression as it moved across the southern United States. Tropical Storm Ana, the first named storm of the season, also lost
its punch as it moved quickly at maximum winds of 34 mph (55 kph) across the Caribbean, with all tropical storm watches discontinued in the region. In the Pacific, Tropical Storm Guillermo was moving northwest at about 20 mph (33 kph) at 0200 GMT Wednesday. A day after weakening rapidly from a hurricane, the storm was 570 miles (917 km) northeast of Hilo, Hawaii, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. The Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and ends on November 30.
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Fiorentina’s Alberto Gilardino (L) kicks the ball to score 2-2 against Sporting during their first-leg Champions League play-off football match at Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon on August 18, 2009.
AFP PHOTO/ FRANCISCO LEONG
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Thursday, August 20, 2009
Honda boosted by test progress Brno- Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso declared themselves pleased with the progress the team made during Monday’s test day at Brno. Pedrosa finished the day third fastest, behind Yamaha riders Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi, while Dovizioso was fifth behind Loris Capirossi’s Suzuki. Despite the day’s meaningful running being liminted by rain in the afternoon, the pair sampled several new parts and expect the developments to help them make a push to catch Yamaha in the remaining races this year. “It was a useful test session today, even though the rain tried to mess with our plans, and I hope that what we’ve learnt can help us for the next races,” said Pedrosa. “In the morning we worked on some set-up improvements from the race weekend and we were able to find some more speed. After lunch we were set to try some new suspension components, which we managed to do when the track
dried after the rain. “Of course it takes time to perfect the set-up when you try new things, but our pace was quite good and the feeling was promising. Overall, this was a worthwhile test.” Dovizioso was encouraged after testing development suspension parts for the first time and was also happy with the gains. “It was good to get some testing time today because the new rules mean any extra track time is very valuable,” he said. “It was an interesting day because we tried quite a few set-up options including some different suspension parts, and this was a first for me. “Because of the limited time, we couldn’t evaluate their full potential, but the initial feedback was positive. We also continued to work with the set-up for the new swingarm we used this weekend and managed to improve our speed. “Honda is working very hard for the remaining races and also for next year, and the team is fully committed.”
AUTOSPORT understands that Kovalainen’s option for next year with McLaren has now lapsed, although the team has not ruled out retaining the Finn. Team principal Martin Whitmarsh has made it clear however that Kovalainen needs to deliver more in the next few races than he has shown so far this season - and the Finn was informed of the situation during a factory visit on Wednesday. “Heikki is doing, as a team player, a fantastic job in this team,” Whitmarsh said in a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes ‘Phone-In’ media call. “On his own evaluation he has not raced as well as he would have liked and we would have liked him to this year.
“I was frankly just talking to him on the subject a few minutes before this call. He is working hard... “A lot of us want to see Heikki get some good results this year, and that will ensure that he remains with us. That is certainly our wish. His goal going into Valencia this weekend is to win - and he is capable of winning the race this weekend. “He has been a good qualifier, he has done some good qualifying times, and he is capable of qualifying well and winning this race. So that is what he is going to focus on, and I’ve just had that conversation with him. Then on Sunday evening he will start thinking about Spa, and that is what we want
16 Pages Number 439 1st Year
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Hotels Association: hotels managements must be aware of terrorism act PAGE 8
AP Photo/Eckehard Schulz
Spain’s Dani Pedrosa rides his Honda during the MotoGP test session at the Brno circuit in Brno, Czech Republic, on Monday, Aug. 17, 2009.
Kovalainen told to raise his game Germany - Heikki Kovalainen has been told that he needs to raise his game over the remainder of the season if he is to have any chance of keeping hold of his seat at McLaren in 2010.
British exhibition marks 70th anniversary of WWII outbreak
him to focus on - not all the speculation.” In a boost to Kovalainen’s situation, McLaren is adamant it has not begun discussions with any other driver yet about a seat in 2010, despite fresh rumours linking Nico Rosberg with the outfit now that the German’s previous likely destination BMW Sauber is out of F1. “Speculation is normal,” said Whitmarsh. “We are not commenting on it, but I can confirm that contrary to some of the speculation we are not in discussions with any other drivers outside this team at the moment.” And, denying any talk that McLaren was under pressure to take a German driver to appease engine partner Mercedes-Benz, Whitmarsh said: “In terms of nationality, obviously some nationalities from a marketing perspective are more convenient.
AFP PHOTO/HO/MALAYSIAN POLICE DEPARTMENT
Mozart may have died from strep throat: study
In a picture released by the Malaysian Police department Malaysian firefighter vessel sprays water onto a burning oil tanker, MT Formosa Product Brick, near the coast of Port Dickson, 50km south of Kuala Lumpur, on August 19, 2009, after it collided with another vessel. Fire crews on August 19 battled a blaze aboard a Taiwanese oil tanker carrying 58,000 tonnes of naphtha fuel in the Malacca Strait after it collided with another ship, Malaysian police said. Nine Chinese crew members were missing after the tanker collided with a Greek-managed bulk carrier vessel on the vital Asian shipping route.
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Stricken Taiwan tanker ablaze in Malacca Strait: police Agence France Presse
KUALA LUMPUR - Fire crews on Wednesday battled a blaze aboard a Taiwanese oil tanker carrying 58,000 tonnes of naphtha fuel in the Malacca Strait after it collided with another ship, Malaysian police said.
WEATHER FORECAST CITY
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Nine Chinese crew members were missing after the tanker collided with a Greek-managed bulk carrier vessel on the vital Asian shipping route.
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Rizal Ramli told AFP. “The collision happened last night in clear weather off Port Dickson. We have rescued 16 crew
Continued on page 6
Warhol portrait of Michael Jackson auctioned for ‘millions’ Agence France-Presse
RAIN
HOTLINE
“The MT Formosa Product Brick is on fire and is now listing on its left side. We fear it may sink,” local marine police chief
members, mainly of Chinese nationality,” he said, adding that two of the rescued crew were Taiwanese. The police chief of the southern state of Negeri Sembilan, Osman Saleh, told AFP the ship was loaded with 58,000 tonnes of naphtha and was heading for South Korea via Singapore.
AFP PHOTO/VARED GALLERY/HANDOUT
This handout image courtesy of Vared Gallery in NewYork shows a 1984 synthetic 30-inch by 26inch polymer painting of Michael Jackson by Andy Warhol.
NEW YORK - A 1984 Michael Jackson portrait by iconoclastic US artist Andy Warhol was auctioned for “millions” of dollars in New York on Tuesday, less than two months after the pop icon’s tragic death. “The auction was quite successful,” Janet Lehr, owner of Long Island’s Vered Art Gallery, told AFP. “We can’t talk about price. We don’t report price. It’s in the range of millions.”
The gallery earlier estimated that the portrait, which measures 30 by 26 inches (76.2 by 66 centimeters), could fetch 10 million dollars. The deal, Lehr said, was a good one for both the buyer and the seller. “A speculator outdid the art collectors,” she said, without revealing the buyer’s identity. “He took advantage of the situation.” The portrait was purchased for 278,500 dollars in May at the Sotheby’s auction house, and the buyer decided to sell it after
Jackson’s sudden death on June 25 shocked the world and sparked renewed interest in the tragic life of the “King of Pop.” The auction was to conclude on July 12, but Vered Art stopped the sale after receiving a massive amount of inquiries. The gallery had received offers online and by telephone. In recent years, other Warhol portraits of Jackson have found no buyers, including one put on the auction block in London in 2008.