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

DPs 23 - 32WEATHER FORECAsT

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

News can also be heard in “Bali Image” at Global Radio FM 96.5 from 9.30 until 10.00 am. Listen to Global Radio FM at http://globalfmbali.listen2myradio.com or live video streaming at http://radioglobalfmbali.com and http://ustream.tv/channel/global-fm-bali.

Myanmar house begins new session dominated by Suu Kyi party

Page 13

“No deal yet” on Britain’s EU renegotiation, leaders say

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Page 8

In-form Rooney seeks to keep heat off Van Gaal

LOS ANGELES - “The Birth of a Nation,” a drama about a 19th century slave revolt in Virginia, swept top prizes at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday.

The movie, acquired earlier this week by Fox Searchlight for a record-shattering $17.5 million, won the grand jury prize and the audience award at the prestigious festival held in Park City, Utah.

The dual awards mark a major victory for filmmaker Nate Parker, who wrote and directed the movie about Nat Turner, who led a slave rebellion in 1831.

It also comes at a time when

Hollywood is under fire for its lack of diversity in the list of actors and filmmakers nominated for Oscars this year.

“Thank you, Sundance, for cre-ating a platform for us to grow, in spite of what the rest of Hollywood is doing,” Parker, who is black, said as he accepted the grand jury prize for his film already being touted for a 2017 Oscar.

The US documentary grand jury prize was awarded to “Weiner,” a be-hind-the-scenes portrait of disgraced US politician Anthony Weiner as he attempts a comeback by running for mayor of New York.

The audience award in that cate-gory went to “Jim: The James Foley Story,” a documentary about the US journalist slain by the Islamic State group in 2014.

In the world cinema category, the grand jury prize for a drama went to “Sand Storm,” an Israeli film that follows the struggle of women in a Bedouin village, while the audience award went to “Between Sea and Land,” a Colombian movie about a man afflicted with an illness that confines him to his bed, and his mother who cares for him.

Both the audience and grand jury prizes for foreign documentary

went to “Sonita,” about an 18-year-old Afghan refugee illegally living in Tehran and who dreams of be-coming the next Rihanna.

The Sundance Film Festival founded by actor Robert Redford is considered a showcase for in-dependent and documentary films and festival winners often go on to receive critical acclaim and Hol-lywood awards season glory.

Last year, the crop of mov-ies shown at the festival yielded “Brooklyn,” which is up for three Oscars next month, including best picture and best actress for its Irish star Saoirse Ronan. (afp)

The DreamWorks Animation film cost a reported $145 million to make and earned a strong “A’’ CinemaScore from audiences — 70 percent of whom were families.

“It’s a bold move to take a fran-chise which has had great success in that summer corridor and move it into late January, which is gener-ally considered a very slow time,”

Rentrak’s senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian said. “It also filled a huge void in the marketplace.”

The first film opened to $60.2 mil-lion in 2008 and the second to $47.7 million in 2011.

For Fox, switching up the release was a no-brainer after seeing the successes of “The Lego Movie” and last year’s “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water” in this time frame.

“We know that when the market conditions are right, this business really is a 365-day-a-year business,” said Chris Aronson, Fox’s domestic distribution chief. “We saw an op-portunity and we grabbed it. We’re thrilled with the results.”

There are a number of winter holi-days coming up where kids will be out of school and “Zootopia,” 2016’s next big animated release, doesn’t open until March 4.

The animated sequel also fared much better than the weekend’s other new openers, like Disney’s Coast Guard adventure “The Finest Hours,” which debuted in fourth place with $10.3 million.

Based on a real life 1952 rescue mission, “The Finest Hours” stars Chris Pine, Casey Affleck and Ben Foster and cost around $80 million to make. Dergarabedian thinks that the nautical theme might have seemed too similar to the recently released “In the Heart of the Sea” for audiences.

The opening is similar to last year’s “McFarland, USA,” another fact-based drama from Disney, which opened with $11 million in late February and went on to earn $44.4 million.

The “Fifty Shades of Grey” parody “Fifty Shades of Black,” meanwhile, earned a modest $6.2 million, but it only cost a reported $5 million to produce. Marlon Wayans co-wrote, stars in and produced the R-rated takeoff.

“Spoof movies and parodies have a very mixed box office record,” Dergarabedian said. “The reviews are never good on these movies. You have to really hope you’re riding a wave of the popularity of the movie you’re spoofing.”

The Weinstein Company’s Nata-lie Portman-led Western “Jane Got

a Gun” misfired out of the gates, bringing in only $803,000 on a $25 million budget.

Overall, there wasn’t much space for newcomers with strong holdovers like “The Revenant” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which took second and third place with $12.4 million and $10.8 million, respec-tively. Both fell only 23 percent from last weekend.

Notably, Fox’s “The Revenant,” once considered a possible box of-fice disaster with its gritty subject matter and reported $135 million budget, has earned $138.2 million to date in six weeks in theaters thanks in part to its awards hot streak with multiple wins for star Leonardo DiCaprio and a host of high-profile Oscar nominations.

“It’s a marvelous thing for us, for the industry, for filmmaking in gen-eral. To have a hold like this is really heartening,” Aronson said. “This is a pretty good weekend. There’s a very balanced marketplace here. There’s something for everyone out there now, and I’ve always said that’s when this business is at its best.” (ap)

‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ tops box office; ‘Finest Hours’ flounders

LOS ANGELES — “Kung Fu Panda 3” kicked its way to the top of the North American box office with a respectable $41 million, according to Rentrak estimates Sunday.

DreamWorks Animation via AP

This image released by DreamWorks Animation shows characters Po, voiced by Jack Black, left, and his long-lost panda father Li, voiced by Bryan Cranston, in a scene from “Kung Fu Panda 3.”

‘The Birth of a Nation’ wins top prizes at Sundance

Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Nate Parker

DENPASAR - Several tourists from China who were scheduled to arrive in Bali aboard chartered flights have been forced to postpone their departure due to the recent Jakarta terror attack, according to a tour-ism official.

“Some tour operators reported that numerous Chinese tourists who use charter flights had post-poned their departure to Bali due to the impact of the bomb blasts at the Sarinah departmental store in Jakarta,” Chairman of the Indonesian Association of Travel Agencies (Asita) for Bali Ketut Ardana stated.

Ardana explained that despite making assurance that the distance between Jakarta and Bali was quite far and the security situation on the island of Bali was safe, the Chinese tourists nevertheless postponed their travel plans to spend the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays.

However, the arrival of tourists aboard regular flights from “the bamboo curtain” is ongoing, and there are no constraints.

Ardana further noted that the Lunar New Year is the time when several tourists from China visit Bali to spend their holidays using either regular or chartered flights.

He even mentioned that in previous years, the number of tourists from China saw an in-crease of 20 percent due to the Lunar New Year holidays. (ant)

KEROBOKAN cus-tomary village has been officially opposed to the Benoa Bay recla-mation plan since De-

cember 8, 2013. “The letter of statement was

signed by 50 hamlet chiefs, following a meeting on the matter,” said, chief of Kerobokan customary village, A.A.

Putu Sutarja.The official letter of opposition was

submitted to the EIA (environmental assess-ment team) of the Benoa Bay reclamation project during a public expose at Udayana University some time ago. Sutarja asserted that Kerobokan customary village has never been influenced by anyone else and that his village has already declared their opposition to the reclamation plan, dated December 8,

2013.A declaration of the statement of opposi-

tion was again made on Januray 31, 2016 at the wantilan hall of Petitenget Temple, Kerobokan, Badung before children and the customary village of Kerobokan (ANKER), ForBALI, LPMs from across Kerobokan village and all the hamlet chiefs. Before the declaration, related billboards were set up in six locations around the village: at Kancil

hamlet, Kerobokan, Gede hamlet, Muding Mekar, Pengubengan Kauh, Taman hamlet, and at Petitenget. After the declaration of opposition, the customary village plans to continue representing the demands of the people so that the reclamation plan can be put to a stop, said Sutarja.

Continue to page 2Reason ...

Kerobokan customary village has been opposed to reclamation since 2013

ANTARA FOTO/Wira Suryantala

Asian tourists spend time at Kuta Beach during their holiday in Bali Island on Monday. Several tourists from China who were scheduled to arrive in Bali aboard chartered flights have been forced to postpone their departure due to the recent Jakarta terror attack, according to a tourism official.

Chinese tourists postpone visit after Jakarta terror attack

The reason that the Kerobokan customary village opposes the Benoa Bay reclamation plan is because of the impact that other reclamation projects have had elsewhere - such as the abrasion at Petitenget Beach that has already affected Kerobokan. The rejection of the reclamation plan, affirmed Sutarja is the genuine opinion of the community of Kerobokan vil-lage. “This has nothing to do with personal interests but is, rather the intention of the community. There has been no influence from other people nor any indications of conspiracy. In no uncertain terms, Kerobaokan customary village staunchly opposes the Benoa Bay reclamation plan,” he said.

He hopes that the voice of the people will be heard. “We the people of Kerobokan want the Benoa Bay reclamation plan to be cancelled so that the people of Bali can be spared from the devastation of abrasion,” he said.

I Made Susila, initiator of Ker-obokan Children (ANKER) United emphasized that even before the EIA public expose, the customary village of Kerobokan was already opposed to reclamation out fear of the environmental impacts. “If there was a genuine intention to address the erosion of the coast, it would include coastal regions from Kran-gasem to Sanur, why is revitalization not addressing these eroded area? I am confident that if they really have a pure intention to revitalize Benoa Bay area, they heed to the aspirations of nearby communities,” concluded Sutarja. (may)

International2 15International Activities

Founder : K.Nadha, General Manager :Palgunadi Chief Editor: Diah Dewi Juniarti Editors: Gugiek Savindra, Daniel Fajry, Mawa, Sueca, Sugiartha, Yudi Winanto Denpasar: Dira Arsana, Giriana Saputra, Subrata, Sumatika, Asmara Putra. Bangli: Suasrina, Buleleng: Dewa kusuma, Gianyar: Manik Astajaya, Karangasem: Budana, Klungkung: Dewa Farendra. Jakarta: Nikson, Hardianto, Ade Irawan. NTB: Agus Talino, Izzul Khairi, Raka Akriyani. Surabaya: Bambang Wilianto. Office: Jalan Kepundung 67 A Denpasar 80232. Telephone (0361)225764, Facsimile: 227418, P.O.Box: 3010 Denpasar 80001. Bali Post Jakarta, Advertizing: Jl.Palmerah Barat 21F. Telp 021-5357602, Facsimile: 021-5357605 Jakarta Pusat. NTB: Jalam Bangau No. 15 Cakranegara Telp. (0370) 639543, Facsimile: (0370) 628257. Publisher: PT Bali Post

Tuesday, February 2, 2016Tuesday, February 2, 2016

EvEry Temple and Shrine has a special date for it an-nual Ceremony, or “ Odalan “, every 210 days according to Balinese calendar, including the smaller ancestral shrine which each family possesses. Because of this practically every few days a ceremony of festival of some kind takes place in some Village in Bali. There are also times when the entire island celebrated the same Holiday, such as at Galungan, Kuningan, Nyepi day, Saraswati day, Tumpek Landep day, Pagerwesi day, Tumpek Wayang day etc.

The dedication or inauguration day of a Temple is consid-ered its birth day and celebration always takes place on the same day if the wuku or 210 day calendar is used. When new moon is used then the celebration always happens on new moon or full moon. The day of course can differ the religious celebration of a temple lasts at least one full day with some temple celebrating for three days while the celebration of Besakih temple, the Mother Temple, is never less than 7 days and most of the time it lasts for 11 days, depending on the importance of the occasion.

The celebration is very colorful. The shrine are dressed with pieces of cloths and sometimes with brocade, sailings, decorations of carved wood and sometimes painted with gold and Chinese coins, very beautifully arranged, are hung in the four corners of the shrine. In front of shrine are placed red, white or black umbrellas depending which Gods are worshipped in the shrines.

In front of important shrine one sees, besides these umbrellas soars, tridents and other weapons, the “umbul-umbul”, long flags, all these are prerogatives or attributes of Holiness. In front of the Temple gate put up “Penjor”, long bamboo poles, decorated beautifully ornaments of young coconut leaves, rice and other products of the land. Most beautiful to see are the girls in their colorful attire, carry-ing offerings, arrangements of all kinds fruits and colored cakes, to the Temple. Every visitor admires the grace with which the carry their load on their heads.

Balinese Temple Ceremony

COVER STORYFrom page 1Reason ...

SEMINyAK - Sabeen Restaurant is a stylishly modest, friendly, cozy, and casual eatery. It is coated with an urban sheen, cour-tesy of some clever items that boast flashes of panache. The alfresco setting is delightful, set with dark brown dining tables covered in white table cloths, a warm wooden floor, a small pond in the far corner, green leaves hanging from the ceiling, and a few flower pots. There is a worldly ambience in the airy room – spacious enough that it never feels crowded. The room is luminously lit with the open view of the hustle bustle from the outside world.

Sabeen invites guests to welcome the Chi-nese New Year, a Year of the Monkey with Asian Journey Buffet and Dim Sum Festival accompanied by Live Band Entertainment.

The Year of Monkey festivity Sabeen Res-taurant will begin on 8 February 2016 from 7 PM till finish. With a dynamic and colorful Chinese decoration the main lobby, restaurant and hotel, our culinary team will serve you a sumptuous Asian Journey Buffet and Dim Sum Festival.

Celebrate Chinese New Year at Sabeen Restaurant

IBP/Courtesy of PHM

IBP/Courtesy of PHM

IBP/Courtesy of PHM

Many EIA expose partici-pants responded with boister-ous laughter. However, Kuta

community leader, Jro Mangku Made Suwedja, judged this state-ment to be religious defamation

and added that such statements are not appropriate for a formal meeting such as the EIA public expose.

“The statement he delivered inappropriate. I really do not know whether he does not un-derstand or if there is some other reason that his spoke thus. Such a statement can be considered as

defamation of religion,” said Jro Mangku Suwedja when contacted on Sunday (Jan. 31).

Suwedja went on to explain that there are four main refer-ence points for determining the sacredness of Benoa Bay, regardless of the innapriate com-ment made by the fishermen. These points of reference are: the bhisama or stipulation of the Central Hindu Dharma Council of Indonesia No.11/Kep/ I/ PH-DIP /1994 on Bhisama of Temple Sanctity, Bali Regional Bylaw No.16/2009-2029 on Bali Spa-tial Planning, Badung Regional Bylaw No. 26/2013 concerning with the Badung Spatial Plan-ning for 2013-2033 as well as Presidential Decree No. 45/2011 on Spatial Planning of Denpasar Urban Area.

“Referring to the Bhisama; mountains, lakes, confluences, beaches, seas and so on are be-lieved to have sacred value. Thus, it is clear that Benoa Bay quali-fies as a sacred area. Perhaps he does not see the bhisama?” he explained.

Suwedja asserted that the status of sacred cannot be deter-mined in terms of purely physical aspects. Also Hinduism views the sea as a place to eradicate or melt away all bad things. Ac-

cording to Jro Mangku Suwedja, the PHDI should immediately clarify the statement made, and remind people about the con-cepts of Hinduism. “The PHDI is the institution that should be addressing this,” he said.

Suwedja also criticized the seating arrangement of the sul-inggih (higher priests) during the the EIA public expose. The higher priests who were seated at the same level as other EIA par-ticipants, he explained should in fact have been seated higher. “Those who represent the Hindu Dharma Council should submit such tasks to walaka because as sulinggih they officiate over rituals and thus have a higher status. All of their words are philosophy (tattva) that should not be denied. If we look at their position like that, yes I am so sad. Maybe they are also debated,” he said.

Suwedja continued, saying that the higher priests should also pay more attention to the people expressing their aspira-tions through the customary vil-lages. All customary villages in the coastal areas of Benoa Bay have opposed the reclamation plan, so the reclamation is defi-nitely not feasible and should not be resumed. (rin)

IBP/Yudi Karnaedi

Kerobokan customary village opposes the Benoa Bay reclamation plan. A declaration of the statement of opposition was made on Januray 31, 2016 at the wantilan hall of Petitenget Temple, Kerobokan, Badung before children and the customary village of Kerobokan (ANKER), ForBALI, LPMs from across Kerobokan village and all the hamlet chiefs.

Sacredness of Benoa Bay doubted by fishermen

IBP/Wawan

People held demonstration opposes the Benoa Bay reclamation plan.

DUrING the environmental impact analysis (EIA) public expose for the Benoa Bay reclamation that took place on Janu-ary 29th, a statement emerged that seemed to put into doubt the sacredness of Benoa Bay. “Who says the Benoa Bay area is a sacred place. I believe it but when casting my net, it got caught on a pair of underwear”.

14 InternationalScienceTuesday, February 2, 2016 3International Bali News Tuesday, February 2, 2016

The findings in the US journal Science are based on an analysis of four ancient tablets that were written in Babylon between 350 and 50 BC.

Previously, historians believed this kind of sophisticated geometry was born in 14th century Europe.

“These tablets are the earliest known examples of using geometry to calculate positions in time-space and suggest that ancient Babylonian astronomers may have influenced the emergence of such techniques in Western science,” said the study led by Mathieu Ossendrijver of

Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany.

“These tablets redefine our his-tory books, revealing that European scholars in Oxford and Paris in the 14th century, who were previously credited with developing such cal-culations, were in fact centuries behind their ancient Babylonian counterparts.”

The tablets show Jupiter appear-ing along the horizon at two inter-

vals, noting the planet’s position at 60 and 120 days.

They also contain geometrical cal-culations based on a trapezoid’s area, and its “long” and “short” sides.

The study noted that it was pre-viously thought that Babylonian astronomers only used arithmetical concepts.

But the ancient astronomers were in fact able to use geometry in an abstract sense to compute the

time it took for Jupiter to travel, and its velocity.

Their methods “foreshadow the development of calculus,” said the study.

Historian John Steele of Brown University, who was not involved in the study, described it to Science magazine as “an extremely important contribution to the history of Babylo-nian astronomy, and more generally to the history of science.” (afp)

NEW YORK - Barbie, long the stereotypical blue-eyed blonde bombshell, has been given a make-over. The iconic doll will now be available in three new body types -- tall, petite and curvy.

The best-selling doll’s manu-facturer Mattel announced the new looks Thursday, ending a 56-year-old tradition of Barbie having just one physique: unrealistically perfect.

The new dolls join Barbie’s Fashionista line, which will now feature four body types. It will also have seven skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles -- an ac-knowledgement, belated for some, that women come in many sizes and shapes.

“Barbie reflects the world girls see around them. Her ability to evolve and grow with the times, while staying true to her spirit, is central to why Barbie is the num-ber one fashion doll in the world,” Mattel President and CEO Richard Dickson said in a statement.

“We believe we have a responsi-bility to girls and parents to reflect a broader view of beauty,” added Evelyn Mazzocco, senior vice president and global general man-ager of the Barbie brand.

Mattel is not the first doll maker to shatter the mold of what pretty means.

In late 2014, graphic artist Nick-olay Lamm introduced a doll named Lammily, which features what the

company calls standard human body proportions.

In 2002, Tonner Doll came out with one called Emme, after the plus-size model who went by that name.

The new Barbie looks should help Mattel boost declining sales of the doll -- down for three straight years and by 16 percent in the first half of 2015.

Last year, Mattel launched “Hel-lo Barbie”: a version that uses WiFi and voice recognition technology so kids can actually hold conversations with the toy.

This is not the first time Mattel has released Barbies with different looks, although the body types are new.

In 1980, Mattel marketed Black

Barbie, who had an afro-style hair-do.

Mattel’s failure to change Bar-bie’s body size had drawn a lot of criticism, but the company long defended the design.

“Barbie’s body was never de-signed to be realistic. She was de-signed for girls to easily dress and undress,” Kimberly Culmone, vice president of Barbie Global Creative, explained in 2014 in an interview with the website Fast Company.

Culmone challenged the notion that Barbie dolls could play a role in how little girls might perceive women’s bodies and their own.

“Clearly, the influences for girls on those types of issues, whether it’s body image or anything else, it’s

proven, it’s peers, moms, parents. It’s their social circles,” Culmone said.

However, a British study in 2006 of girls aged five to eight found that those exposed to Barbie had a less favorable view of their own bodies.

These girls ended up wanting a thinner body than did girls not exposed to the doll.

After the new Barbie body types were announced on Thursday, social media lit up with messages of praise.

The stock market greeted the move with cautious optimism. Shares in Mattel were up 0.65 percent to $27.15 at around 1830 GMT. (afp)

Reality check: Barbie now tall, curvy and petite too

R. Hurt/AP

This artistic rendering provided by California Institute of Technology shows the distant view from Planet Nine back towards the sun. People in ancient Babylon used geometry to calculate the position of Jupiter some 1,400 years earlier than previously thought, researchers said Friday.

Geometry helped ancient Babylonians track planets

MIAMI - People in ancient Babylon used geometry to cal-culate the position of Jupiter some 1,400 years earlier than previously thought, researchers said Friday.

“As many as six thousand tons of rice has just arrived at the port of Benoa in Denpasar to add to the

existing stock of 13 thousand tons, and the quantity is sufficient to meet the needs of local communities for

up to 10 months,” spokesman of the Regional Division of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) Mansur Siri said.

According to Siri, some of the rice that had just arrived in Bali was imported from Vietnam and Thai-land and was distributed through

East Java. Further, Siri added that the

average rice consumption in Bali ranged between 2.2 thousand tons and 2.6 thousand tons per month, and therefore, the total 19 thousand tons would more than suffice the needs of the

local communities and would not result in a spike in the price of rice.

He stated that the distribution of rice will be accelerated to avoid price hikes ahead of the Galungan, Kuningan, and Lunar New Year holidays. (ant)

SINGARAJA - Organic dragon fruit, grown by farmers in Kalisada village Gerokgak have started to attract the attention of suppliers around Bali who see a demand for pesticide free, high vitamin content fruit. Without any government help, farmers have been growing these sweet organic fruits for four years and public interest has been increasing.

Kadek Sudiartana, a 45 year old farmer grows these fruit indepen-

dently on 5,000 square meters of land. He originally founds the seeds for this fruit in Banyuwangi, East Java and planted them behind his house in Bali. He used techniques that he learned from the internet, books and training provided by the private sector to becem the first person to grow organic dragon fruit in Gerokgak.

The cultivation of these dragon fruit is the result of his perseverance and hard work and have grown pro-

lifically. “During the harvest I sell quite a lot of these fruits to people who use them for ritual oblations, for reselling or for making juice,” said Sudiartana.

Organic fertilizer made from manure and cow urine is used to promote the growth of his dragon fruit. Instead of the commonly used concrete post, Sudiartana prefers instead to use coconut wood to help hold up his plants as they grow. After just one year, his dragon fruit

plants bore fruit and had a sweet flavour. “I use natural fertilizers without chemicals and also do not use chemical pesticides but instead just use manure,” he said.

Sudiartana explained that ini-tially many people were pessimistic about the market potential of dragon fruit. However, he took care of his dragon fruit earnestly and they in return gave maximal results. Due to his success, he is now starting to sell dragon fruit seedlings to a

number of villages. Researchers and college lecturers

often share ideas with him. “At the time of planting, many people were pessimistic. But, because I cared for the plants properly, the results of the dragon fruit were very good in the end. Now, the dragon fruits need to be labelled as certified organic. Hopefully, the government can also help by providing training and by marketing organic products,” he added. (kmb34)

NOt far from the Gilimanuk Harbor sits a bay that retains its en-chanting beauty. Aside from having tranquil waves, the Gilimanuk Bay also known by the nickname Secret Bay, offers a wealth of natural un-derwater exoticism. The Western tip of the Island of Bali is home to a number of rare fish species such as frogfish, dragonet, stonefish and many others.

Apart from diving and snorkel-ing, there is also a cluster of unin-

habited islands that are pure gems, nearby.

Fishermen and tourist groups rent out boats that are lined up in the bay. During the trip over the water, visitors can enjoy the exotic natural scenery that includes a number of bird species and if one is lucky, the beautiful Bali stealing can be seen it’s natural habitat. This unspoiled area belongs to the conservation area of the West Bali National Park (TNBB).

While cruising around the bay, visitors can also relax in Karang-sewu.

Here, visitors can enjoy a vast expanse of pastures with a few scattered trees. A row of mangroves trees grow along the edge of the beach as part of the monsoon for-est. During the rainy season, scenic expanses of green grass blend in with the blue waters of the bay and the sky. During the dry season very exotic dry grass blends in with

verdant mangrove trees.Marine tourism group mem-

ber, 31 year old Ketut Wijaya, explained that Gilimanuk Bay is known by foreign travellers for its underwater scenery. Local visitors tend to limit their enjoyment to the above water scenic beauty of the area around the bay and the scenic bijou islands. “Generally foreign tourists visit between August and November and prefer to go snor-kelling or diving,” said Gilimanuk

resident Wijaya.The Gilimank Bay area has

recently had renovations done do its main entrance gate, parking lot, and various buildings that will be used as restaurants. A gar-den with a status of Lord Shiva is presently being built right next to the bay. A panoramic view of the Bay can now be enjoyed by visi-tors after they pass through the security checkpoint at Glimanuk harbour. (olo)

Rice stock sufficient to meet public needsDENPASAR - With the new arrival of six thousand tons of

rice, Bali has a stock totaling 19 thousand tons, which will be adequate to meet the needs of the local community for up to 10 months.

Secrets of Gilimanuk BayExotic allures at west end Bali

IBP/Surya Dharma

Not far from the Gilimanuk Harbor sits a bay that retains its enchanting beauty. Aside from having tranquil waves, the Gilimanuk Bay also known by the nick-name Secret Bay, offers a wealth of natural underwater exoticism.

Organic dragon fruit in North Bali on the rise

WASHINGTON — Fifteen years into the war that few Americans talk about any more, conditions in Afghan-istan are getting worse, preventing the clean ending that President Barack Obama hoped to impose before leav-ing office.

Violence is on the rise, the Taliban are staging new offensives, the Islamic State group is angling for a foothold

and peace prospects are dim.Afghanistan remains a danger

zone. It’s hobbled by a weak economy that’s sapping public confidence in the new government. Afghan police and soldiers are struggling to hold together the country 13 months after the U.S.-led military coalition culled its numbers by 90 percent.

The bottom line: For a second

time, Obama is rethinking his plan to drop U.S. troop levels from 9,800 to 5,500 before he leaves office in Janu-ary 2017.

“I don’t see any drawdowns” in the near future, said James Dobbins, Obama’s former special envoy for Af-ghanistan and Pakistan. He predicted that Obama would leave the decision to the next president.

“They are just hoping that things hold together and they won’t have to face a decision on whether to actually implement the force reduction they’re talking about until late summer, early fall, by which time the administra-tion will be on its last legs,” Dobbins said.

Top military officials, as well as Republicans and Democrats in Con-gress, think that trimming the force any more during Obama’s presidency is a bad idea. Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Thursday that Afghanistan was in a “crisis situation.”

Initially, Obama announced plans to reduce the force to 5,500 troops by the end of last year, and to 1,000 by the end of 2016. Last fall, Obama changed his mind, saying the situation

remained too fragile for the American military to leave. He announced plans to keep the current force of about 9,800 in place through most of 2016 to perform not in an offensive combat role but to continue counterterrorism missions and advise Afghans battling a resurgent Taliban. It’s been a tough year on the Afghan battlefield.

Afghan soldiers and policemen — bankrolled by $4.1 billion in U.S. taxpayer money — fought virtually on their own last year for the first time since the U.S. invasion in 2001. NATO officials have told The Associated Press that Afghan troops are display-ing prowess yet suffering sustained heavy casualties — 28 percent higher in 2015 than before the international combat mission ended in December 2014.

Lt. Gen. John “Mick” Nicholson, Obama’s pick to be the next top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said at his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday that the Afghan security forces have “more than held their own against the insurgency,” but are not yet “self-sustainable.”

Asked whether the U.S. effort in 2015 had resulted in gains or losses, Nicholson replied: “The Taliban came

at the Afghan security forces more intensely than perhaps we anticipated. Because of that, we did not make the advances we ... thought we would make.” When U.S. and other foreign troops left on an announced schedule, the Taliban pounced.

Last fall, they briefly seized Kun-duz, a city of 300,000 in northern Af-ghanistan. It marked the militants’ first capture of a major city since before the U.S.-led invasion and was marred by the mistaken U.S. strike on a char-ity hospital run by Doctors Without Borders, killing 42 people.

Hamdullah Mohib, Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United States, acknowledged that Kunduz was a setback. But he said it also reminded Afghans what life was like under the Taliban. “They don’t want to return to that,” he said.

In the south, Afghan army units have been engaged in fierce fights with the Taliban for months in Helmand province, where militants sow more than $3 billion a year in opium rev-enue. The Afghan army in Helmand has been plagued by incompetence and corruption. The Afghan military recently fired and replaced top Afghan army leaders there.(ap)

Bali News International4 Tuesday, February 2, 2016 13InternationalTuesday, February 2, 2016

The meeting was seen as vital to finding agreement on Cameron’s demands for measures to curb migra-tion into Britain -- the most difficult of four areas he wants to renegotiate before holding a referendum on EU membership by the end of 2017.

Both sides need to agree the main points of a deal before other EU leaders iron out the details at a summit on Feb. 18-19. If agreement is reached then, Cameron could hold the referendum as early as in June in a vote which will determine Britain’s future role in world trade and affairs, and also shape the EU. “No deal yet. Intensive work in next 24 (hours) crucial,” Tusk said on Twitter.

A source close to the talks said they had reached agreement only on one of the four areas, while a spokes-person for Cameron said Britain had won “a significant breakthrough” by persuading the EU to say that the British leader could trigger an “emer-gency brake” on welfare payments to migrants immediately.

“On welfare, the commission have

tabled a text making clear that the UK’s current circumstances meet the criteria for triggering the emergency brake,” the spokesperson said in a statement, adding that Britain was also keen to close “backdoor routes” into Britain.

The spokesperson said Tusk planned to circulate a draft text to all member states on Tuesday and that, before then, officials would meet in Brussels to “work through the day to resolve the outstanding issues”.

Finding a way to curb migration has proved to be the most trouble-some element of Cameron’s renego-tiation, which also seeks to address voter concerns over competitiveness and sovereignty.

Several EU leaders have said they will block any measure that discriminates against their citizens or undermines the core EU principle of free movement of people, while Cameron faces growing concern in Britain at high levels of migration.

Before the meeting, Cameron said the proposed “emergency brake”

to deny benefit payments to work-ing migrants needed “significant strengthening” and should be trig-gered immediately after Britain’s referendum.

Reuters reported on Thursday the

EU was offering the emergency brake for up to four years as an alternative to Cameron’s proposal to bar EU im-migrants from in-work benefits for at least their first four years in Britain.

The prime minister, who wants

Britain to stay in a reformed EU but has not ruled out campaigning for an exit if he doesn’t get what he wants, needs to win concessions to persuade voters that he has changed Britain’s relationship with the bloc.(rtr)

“No deal yet” on Britain’s EU renegotiation, leaders say

LONDON - Prime Minister David Cameron and European Council President Donald Tusk failed on Sunday to reach a deal on Britain’s EU renegotiation after talks in London, but agreed to another 24 hours of “crucial” discussions.

REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi

Jesuit Refugee Service personnel hand out food to refugees and migrants after they arrived aboard the passenger ferry Blue Star1 at the port of Piraeus, near Athens, Greece, January 31, 2016. Picture taken January 31, 2016.

Violence in Afghanistan forces Obama to rethink troop levels

AP Photos/Abdul Khaliq, File

FILE - In this Dec. 22, 2015 file photo, Afghan security forces patrol in Nad Ali district of Helmand province, Afghanistan. Conditions in Afghanistan are getting worse, 15 years into a war that few Americans talk about any more.

BANGLI - High market demand for crystal guava causes a number of residents at Tiga village, Susut, to compete in the cultivation of crystal guava in their respective land. Each kilogram is sold for IDR 15,000 to IDR 20,000.

A farmer of crystal guava at Tiga village, Kadek Budiartawan, said on Sunday (Jan. 31) that market de-mand for crystal guava is currently quite high. It does not only come from traditional markets but also from modern markets. This condi-tion is inseparable from the high public demand for fruit primarily for religious ceremonies.

He said the current price of crys-tal guava can reach IDR 15,000 to IDR 20,000 per kilogram. “For Bali,

the crystal guava remains exclusive because only few farmers cultivate this guava,” he explained.

This former headman revealed that cultivation of crystal guava is actually quite easy. Crystal guava is an adaptive plant that can grow in almost all regions. In the cul-tivation, it does not require high maintenance as treatment of other plants such as tangerine. Besides, the disease attacking the crystal guava is not too much. “The plant can be cultivated in all seasons,” he said.

He added that all this time he approximately cultivates 100 crys-tal guava trees and every day he can harvest almost 50 kilograms. (kmb40)

“Every Pelni ship or passengers anchor, with other stakeholders we always make a raid. No matter how many passengers there are we still perform the check,” said Chief of Benoa harbor police, Nyoman Gatra, Sunday (Jan. 31).

From the data compiled by harbor police, passenger ships mooring at Benoa Harbor consist of the KM Tilongkabila with 495 passengers, KM Awu with 1,541 passengers, KM Awu with 3 passengers, KM Kalimutu with 32 passengers, KM Tilongkabila with 495 passengers, KM Awu with 1,126 pas-sengers, KM Awu with 4 passengers, KM Willis with 94 and KM Tilongkabila with 477 passengers.

“Maybe passengers prefer the vessels be-cause they moor at Benoa Harbor located close to the city of Denpasar. Thousands of migrants are entering Bali within a month,” he said.

Of course the police chief along with his team does not want to be missed especially there are widespread terrorist threats. On that account, harbor police together with Indonesian Military (TNI) and other agencies aggressively make a raid to every passenger ship mooring at the harbor.

“Results of our check are 16 jerrycans

of honey and the case is being handled by Quarantine Office, two chickens handled by Quarantine Office and a machete secured at police station. Bearer of the machete was given a coaching,” he said.

Besides, his institution also intensively holds the creating condition operation target-ing migrants at Benoa Harbor. As a result, at total of 33 migrants without identity cards of Denpasar could be netted. “We are trying

to minimize the amount of residents without identity at Benoa. We want them to be obedi-ent and orderly to population administration. We continuously target ship crews,” said Gatra. (kmb36)

IBP/Suasrina

The crystal guava plant

Market demand highResidents of Tiga village cultivate crystal guava

Thousands of migrants anchor at Benoa Harbor

IBP/File

A ship set anchor in Benoa Harbor. Thousands of people enter Bali through this harbor

DENPASAR - Even though not as busy as the Gilimanuk and Padang-bai Harbor, the Benoa Harbor as the entrance into Bali cannot be underes-timated. Other than fishing boats and cruise ships, in this January there are around 4,267 migrants entered Bali. The security is extra tight so that many illicit goods are secured.

Bali News Tuesday, February 2, 2016 5InternationalTuesday, February 2, 201612 International

BUSINESS

WASHINGTON - Barclays and Credit Suisse will pay $154.3 million combined to settle charges that they violated federal securities laws over their so-called “dark pools,” the US Securities and Ex-change Commission said Sunday.

They agreed to record individual settlements for operating alternative trading systems, known as “dark pools,” the SEC said in a statement.

Barclays admitted wrongdoing and will pay a total of $70 million, while Credit Suisse will pay a total of $84.3 million.

Dark pools allow clients to trade large volumes of shares anonymously with prices posted only after the transaction is finished, avoiding the open reporting of ongoing bid and offer prices required on public exchanges.

“Dark pools have a significant role in today’s eq-uity marketplace and the firms that run these venues must ensure that they do not make misstatements to subscribers about their material operations,” said Andrew Ceresney, director of the SEC’s Enforce-ment Division.

“These largest-ever penalties imposed in SEC cases involving two of the largest ATSs show that firms pay a steep price when they mislead subscrib-ers.”

Regulators say more oversight is needed for trad-ing venues like dark pools, which have captured an increased share of overall share trading in recent years. (afp)

Shares in the trio -- Mitsubishi UFJ, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Mizuho Financial Group -- suffered a sell-off after the central bank on Friday unveiled plans to effectively charge lenders on some deposits.

The negative interest rate policy is intended to increase lending to people and businesses in order to kickstart the world’s number three economy and fend off deflation.

The idea is to give commercial banks an incentive not to park their cash at the central bank.

But the move threatens to weigh on bank profits, analysts said, as they battle to drive up lending at home. Some analysts saw the BoJ bid as a desperate move after three years of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s big-spending and monetary easing policy known as “Abenom-ics”. This had limited impact on the moribund economy.

“While banks potentially benefit along with the rest of the economy from Friday’s valiant attempt by the BoJ to rescue Abenomics, in the short and medium term the sec-

tor seems likely to face substantial downward earnings pressure,” Da-vid Threadgold, analyst at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, said in a com-mentary.

He added that the banking unit of Japan Post was most at risk owing to the size of its domestic business.

After markets closed Monday, Mitsubishi UFJ said its net profit for the nine months through December fell eight percent to 852.3 billion yen ($7.03 billion), as it saw lower gains on its vast debt holdings.

The bank’s shares tumbled 5.46 percent, while Sumitomo Mitsui dived 7.61 percent and Mizuho Financial Group dropped 5.87 percent.

Last week Sumitomo Mitsui said net profit dropped more than eight percent, but it added that it would still hit a 760 billion net profit for the fiscal year to March.

Mizuho’s profit edged down from a year earlier.

“The new (BoJ) policy is un-likely to dispel growing concerns about the efficacy of Abenomics,” said Tobias Harris, a vice president at US-based political risk firm Te-neo Intelligence.

“It could take significantly nega-tive rates to convince businesses and households to move out of cash into other assets.”

The three-tiered system applies negative interest rates to new re-serves parked at the central bank.

“The BoJ may be testing to see what effects a negative rate has on the behaviour of lenders, depositors and borrowers before committing fully to a negative interest rate policy,” Harris said.

Takashi Miura, an analyst at Credit Suisse in Tokyo, said the bank share sell-off may be over-done.

“Bank shares are being sold to-day on concerns of lower margins on loans and securities, as they were on Friday,” Miura told Bloomberg News.

“But in reality the megabanks have a high proportion of overseas lending, which will benefit from the weakening yen...I think the market may have gone too far.” (afp)

Japan megabank profits down as BoJ stimulus threatens bottom line

TOKYO - Japan’s biggest banks tumbled in Tokyo share trading Monday as a drop in their latest earnings was com-pounded by fears that the Bank of Japan’s new stimulus mea-sures would hit their bottom line.

Credit Suisse, Barclays to pay $154.3 mln over ‘dark pools’

AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File

A July 29, 2015 file photo shows the sign on a branch of Barclays Bank in London. The Securities and Exchange Commission said Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, that two major global banks, Barclays and Credit Suisse, will pay a combined $154.3 million to settle state and federal investigations that they misled clients about the safety of trading on their “dark pool” financial exchanges.

DENPASAR - Member of Commission III of the Denpasar House of Representatives, A.A. Susruta Ngurah Putra is calling for relevant agencies in the Municipality of Denpasar such as the Integrated Licensing Office, Spatial Plan and Housing Agency as well as municipal police to perform an audit of the LED TV screens that have been pooping up rampantly.

Within the past few years, a number of strategic locations have become venues for advertising agencies to set up LED screens that promote various products. Allegedly, they have not however obtained permits to do so. Such LED TV screens have been set up near Jalan Sudirman, Suci and Tohpati and other places.

Putra, who is also chairman of the Democratic Faction in the Denpasar House of Representatives, strongly suspects that some of the LED TVs that are displaying ads have been set up without a per-mit. Mayoral Regulations on Advertising dictate where LEd TV’s and other billboards are allowed

to be installed. “Currently Led TV’s are being installed rampantly. We need to find out whether permits have been obtained or not. The government needs to pay attention to this matter,” he said.

The Municipality of Denpasar is being scorned for they lack of action regarding the rampant installation of LED TV screens. Putra is therefor asking the Municipality of Denpasar - though relevant agencies such as the DTRP, Integrated Licensing Office and municipal police to investi-gate the situation. “Relevant authorities should im-mediately ensure that permits have been obtained for the LED TV’s and the Municipal Police needs to take appropriate action,” said Putra.

When Chief of the Denpasar Municipal Police, I.B. Alit Wiradana, was contacted regarding this matter, he said that he did not know for sure wheth-er the LED TV’s had been set up with or without permits. In the case of the LED TV’s having been set up without permits, he explained that police need to coordinate with the DTRP. (kmb12)

Assistant Manager of Tanah Lot, I Wayan Sudiana, explained that the new cost of admission for local visi-tors will go up to IDR 10,00 from its present IDR 7,500 for children while adults will now have to pay IDR 20,000 compared to the IDR 10,000

of the current ticket price. The cost of admission for foreign visitors will go up to IDR20,000 from the current IDR15,000 for children and the cost of admission for adults will be IDR 50,000 instead of the current IDR 20,000. “The increase is still being

drafted and can be applied if the Re-gional Bylaw No. 29/2011 is replaced with a new one,” he explained.

According to Regional Bylaw No.29/2011, the Tanah Lot tourist attraction is presently listed as a tourist attraction that is subject to managerial decisions made by the government. The new regulate will delist Tanah Lot thereby giving full authority to the site to manage its own affairs - including determining

their tariffs without the need for parliamentary approval.

Sudiana explained that the new regulation is still awaiting its reg-istration number from the Province of Bali. Once this number has been issued, the tariff increases that have been drafted by Tanah Lots manage-ment, can be applied immediately. “We have already proposed this draft to Tanah Lot’s governing body, but it still needs to be reviewed and

is not final,” he said.The tariff increase of over 75 per-

cent is being proposed based on the fact that admission tickets to Tanah Lot are still much cheap than many other tourist attractions in Bali and that Tanah’s Lot needs to make vari-ous repairs to facilities there in order to ensure the safety and comfort of visitors. “We’ll balance this tariff in-crease with facility improvements,” said Sudiana. (kmb24)

NEGARA - The bridge that connects Keladian to Dangin Tukadaya, that col-lapsed on Saturday Januray 23rd in Jem-brana, remains impassable. A temporary bridge has been set up put is not open to traffic yet. Bridge project supervisor Made Supriawan, from the National Road Agency for Region 8, explained that: “a bridge barrier has already been set up and we are just waiting for the asphalt to dry. Actually the bridge can already be used but we are afraid that people might do foolish things like stop to take photos on the bridge, which could be hardardous, so we are not opening the bridge to the public until all the finishings are done. It is expected that the bridge will be open to traffic from both directions on Monday or Tuesdays. Repairs to the collapsed deck asphalt of the original bridge will then begin”.

Supriawan added that the 3.5 meter

wide bridge is most suitable for mo-torcycles, cars, buses and trucks. “The maximum tonnage allowed is 5 tons, but must still be carefully controlled” he explained.

Chief of the Jembrana Police Traffic Affairs, Gede Sumadra Kerthiawan, said that they will announce when the bridge will be operational, once security is as-certained. “We are waiting for a decision from the public works, because it is their authority to decide such matters. Police are responsible for making sure that only vehicles under 5 tons pass over the bridge, so as to avoid any undesirable incidents from occurring” explained Kerthiawan.

Any vehicles, whose weigh exceeds the limit will be asked to unload their cargo and make multiple trips if need be “We hope everyone understands about the urgency of situation,” he said. (kmb)

Bridge barrier starts to be installed Questionable yet rampant: LED TV’s

The tourists are enjoying their time in

Tanah Lot

Tanah Lot attraction to increase price of admission

TABANAN - While waiting for new Regulation Bylaw (Per-da) No. 29/2011 governing the levys for recreation and sports venues to be announced, Tanah Lot’s Management has decided to raise their cost of admission by some 75 percent.

IBP/File

6 International

W RLDTuesday, February 2, 2016 11Tuesday, February 2, 2016International

Indonesia’s health ministry could not immediately comment on the report by the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology.

The mosquito-borne virus has sparked widespread alarm in parts of the Americas. It is suspected of causing grave brain damage in new-borns and has similar symptoms to dengue fever.

The institute said a 27-year-old man living in Jambi province on Sumatra island who had never travelled overseas had been found to be infected.

It said it stumbled on the case while studying a dengue outbreak in the province.

Researchers set aside specimens

which produced dengue symptoms such as rashes and fever but which tested negative for dengue, and researched them further.

“Out of the 103 (dengue-nega-tive) specimens that we checked, we found one positive for Zika,” the institute’s deputy director, Herawati Sudoyo, told AFP.

Zika is transmitted by the Ae-des aegypti mosquito, which also spreads dengue fever and the chi-kungunya virus. It produces flu-like symptoms including a low-grade fever, headaches, joint pain and rashes.

Sudoyo said the specimens were taken during a dengue outbreak in Jambi between December 2014

and April 2015. It was not known how and when the man, who never travelled overseas, contracted the virus.

“We concluded that the virus has been circulating in Indonesia for a while,” Sudoyo said.

The World Health Organization warned in the past week the virus is “spreading explosively” in the Americas, with three million to four million cases expected this year.

Hardest-hit so far has been Bra-zil, with more than 1.5 million cases since April.

Health authorities there are investigating the possible linkage between Zika and more than 3,400 suspected cases of microcephaly -- abnormally small skulls and brains -- in babies born to infected mothers. (afp)

AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim

Indonesian workers make toffee-like sweet cake called “dodol,” one of the traditional delicacies served during Chinese New Year celebrations, in Tangerang on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Ethnic Chinese communities in the world’s most populous Muslim country are preparing to celebrate the start of the year of the monkey.

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, held a bilateral meeting on Monday. During the meeting, they signed a number of Memorandum of Under-standing (MoU).

Jokowi said that there were several key sectors included in the cooperation between both countries. “We have just accomplished a very friendly and productive bilateral meeting. There were a number of matters discussed as well as coop-eration in several areas,” Jokowi said after the meeting.

Jokowi said that the priority sectors include water management of water supply projects in 34 sub-districts throughout Indone-sia, cooperation in the renewable energy project in Central Tapanuli, and cooperation in the information technology, digital economy and agriculture sector. “This is the focus that we will be working on and we expect to improve the cooperation of both countries,” said Jokowi.

Diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Hungary were estab-lished in 1955, and the Indonesian diplomatic representative office was opened in Budapest in 1962.

The total value of bilateral trade between the two countries in 2014 stood at US$ 149.29 million, com-prising US$86.87 million from exports and US$62.42 million from imports.

Previously, Hungarian Ambassa-dor to Indonesia Judit Nemeth-Pach stated that Prime Minister Orban will also lead a business delegation comprising 50 CEOs and other higher managerial level individuals representing Hungarian companies to meet their Indonesian counter-parts during a business forum to be held in Jakarta on February 1.

After visiting Jakarta, Prime Minister Orban will head to Yog-yakarta to present a general lecture at the University of Gadjah Mada on the theme of the importance of sovereignty in facing global chal-lenges. (ant)

JAKARTA - The Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) said that the Indonesian inflation in January was 0.51 percent attributable mainly to foodstuff price rise.

The prices of food products mainly chicken meat, eggs, red onion, garlic and beef rose in Janu-ary, BPS Chief Suryamin said on Monday.

Suryamin said the highest rise was recorded in the price of food products up 2.2 percent in January, followed by the prices of houses, drinking water, electricity, gas and fuel up by 0.53 percent.

Meanwhile decline was recorded in the costs of transport, commu-nications and financial services on falling prices of air transport and fuel prices.

Year-on-year the inflation in January was 4.14 percent.

Suryamin said though relatively high, inflation in January was still lower than the average since 2010, but higher than in January, 2015 when the country recorded a defla-tion of 0.24 percent.

“Deflation in 2015 was a result of a decline in oil fuel prices,” he said. (ant)

REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

Visiting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (C) introduces Indonesian President Joko Widodo (R) to members of his del-egation during a welcoming ceremony at the palace in Jakarta, Indonesia February 1, 2016.

Indonesian inflation 0.51 percent in January

Jokowi welcomes Hungarian PM

Researchers say Zika case found

in IndonesiaJAKARTA - An Indonesian research institute said Sunday it

had found one positive Zika case on Sumatra island, adding that the virus has been circulating in the country “for a while”.

Many legislators expressed hope that Monday marked the beginning of a new, brighter era following de-cades of military oppression, civil war and pervasive poverty.

“This is like a dream for me, “ said Khin Maung Myint, an NLD lawmaker before the largely cer-emonial two-hour session. “I never imagined that our party would be able to form the government. Even the public didn’t think we could have an NLD government. But now it is like a shock to us and to the world too.”

Legislators from the two main parties, smaller ethnic minority parties, and military-appointed rep-resentatives filed into the cavernous parliament for the lower house ses-sion and took a joint oath of office.

Most wore the traditional dress of the Burman majority or of the Shan, Karen, Kachin, Lisu and

other minorities who make up nearly 40 percent of the country’s 52 million people but in the past have been poorly represented in the central government.

The session marks a historic turnaround for the NLD, which for years was suppressed by the military. Generals ruled the country directly or indirectly after seizing power in 1962, and over the years jailed hundreds of NLD leaders, including Suu Kyi, while crushing overt political activity. The South-east Asian nation started moving away from dictatorship toward de-mocracy in 2011, when the military rulers agreed to hand over power to a nominally civilian government headed by President Thein Sein, a general-turned-reformist.

He will step down in late March or early April when an NLD presi-dent takes over. Suu Kyi is consti-

tutionally barred from taking the presidency because her sons and late husband are British citizens, and has vowed to rule from behind the scenes through a proxy. She has not announced who her party will nominate for president.

“We don’t know exactly when the presidential election will hap-pen. We cannot tell you anything about who will be nominated as the presidential candidates as well,” said Zayar Thaw, an NLD legislator.

Following two meetings be-tween Suu Kyi and armed forces commander Gen. Min Aung Hla-ing, rumors surfaced that she was pressing for the suspension of the constitutional clause that bars her from office.

But the speculation was quashed Monday by the army’s Myawaddy Daily newspaper, which wrote that “for the goodness of the mother country” the constitutional clause should not be changed. Despite its landslide victory, the NLD will have to share power with the military be-cause the constitution reserves 25 percent, or 166 of the 664 seats in the two houses of parliament, for military appointees. (ap)

SYDNEY — Seventeen kan-garoos have died after being de-liberately run down by a driver in Australia, an animal welfare group said Monday.

The carcasses of 16 kangaroos were found Monday along a 100-meter (300-foot) stretch of road in the eastern city of Brisbane, said Michael Beatty, a spokesman for the RSPCA in Queensland state.

Another kangaroo had to be eu-thanized because of its injuries. Many of the animals were young, Beatty said.

“They’ve definitely been delib-erately run over,” Beatty said. “You can quite clearly see the tire tracks where they’ve gone off the road to hit them.” The group has asked for any witnesses to come forward with information. (ap)

LONDON — A judge has sen-tenced a British woman to six years in prison for going to Syria to live under the rule of the Islamic State group.

Tareena Shakil was convicted last week of being a member of the group and encouraging acts of terrorism.

In October 2014 she and her 1-year-old son boarded a plane to Turkey and then traveled to Syria. After three months Shakil fled, tak-

ing a taxi to the Turkish border and returning to Britain.

Shakil denied the charges, claim-ing she wanted to live under strict Islamic law, not support terrorism.

But judge Melbourne Inman said Monday that the 26-year-old had been “well aware that the future which you had subjected your son to was very likely to be indoctrina-tion and thereafter life as a terrorist fighter.” (ap)

Michael Beatty/RSPCA via AP

This photo released the RSPCA in Queensland shows two people looking over dead kangaroos lying on the roadside in the outskirts of Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016.

Group: Australian driver deliberately

killed 17 kangaroos

British woman who took toddler to join IS jailed for 6 years

Myanmar house begins new

session dominated by Suu Kyi party

AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, center, walks along with other lawmakers of her National League for Democracy party as they leave after a regular session of the lower house of parliament Monday, Feb 1, 2016 in Naypyitaw, Myanmar.

NAYPYITAW — Myanmar’s parliament, led for the first time by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, began a historic session Monday that will install the country’s first democratically elected government in more than 50 years. The National League for Democracy won a landslide victory in Nov. 8 elections, taking about 80 percent of the seats at stake in the two houses of parliament to defeat the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016DestinationTuesday, February 2, 201610 InternationalInternational

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The 28-year-old world number one is currently dominating the men’s game like Roger Federer did a decade ago, but he is keen to ensure that he stays ahead of a ferocious chasing pack that includes the vanquished Murray.

“I heard a nice metaphor yester-day about the wolf running up the hill being much hungrier than the wolf standing on top of the hill,” he told reporters. “I believe that all the guys that are out there fighting each week to get to number one are very hungry to get to number one and I know that...

“I think you need to work twice as hard when you’re up there.” There is no doubt that on present form Djokovic is still safely ahead of his rivals.

After appearing in all four grand slam finals last year and winning three, the Serb was a heavy favourite before the tournament began to join Roy Emerson as a six-time winner in Australia.

After being pushed to five sets by Gilles Simon in the fourth round, he ramped up his performance-level in the second week, ending Federer’s tournament with a stunning attack in the opening two sets of their semi-final.

He was just as imperious in the opening set against Murray, racing

through it in 28 minutes before the Scot settled into a rhythm and pushed him hard for the last two sets.

Yet it was essentially Djokovic’s ability to seize his own opportunities and end Murray’s momentum that clinched the contest and allowed him to celebrate by kissing the blue hard court on Rod Laver Arena for a sixth time.

“He definitely made me work, there were a lot of long rallies, long exchanges and we were both breath-ing heavily towards the end of the second and third sets,” he said.

Djokovic said he had been spurred on by the opportunity to match Emer-son’s mark and draw level with Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg on 11 grand slams.

“I can’t lie and say I didn’t think about it,” he said. “Of course it was at the back of my mind. It served as a great motivation and I tried to use it as a positive.”

The Serb, who has appeared in the last five grand slam finals, winning four, acknowledged he is playing at a different level to his rivals but is keen not to rest on his laurels.

“I believe that I can win every match I play (and) I’m playing the tennis of my life in the last 15 months. The results are showing that,” he said. “But you can get a very big slap from karma. I don’t want that.”(rtr)

N E W Y O R K — G o l d e n State’s Klay Thompson woke up a slow-starting Warriors team by scoring 17 points in the second quarter, setting up a 116-95 win at New York on Sunday. Thomp-son finished with 34 points for the match as the NBA-leading Warriors recovered from a first quarter in which they scored just 18 points.

Golden State stayed 12 games clear atop the Pacific Division ahead of the Los Angeles Clip-pers, who recorded an impressive victory over Chicago.

Elsewhere, Miami beat Atlanta to leapfrog the Hawks and go top of the Southeast Division, and Or-lando ended a run of eight straight defeats by beating Boston. Golden State’s Draymond Green tied Tom

Gola’s franchise record with his ninth triple-double of the season. He made all his nine shots en route to 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Warriors (44-4) scored 64 points over the second and third quarters to make up for their poor opening and notch a seventh suc-cessive win. Carmelo Anthony had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who lost for the fifth time in six games.

Los Angeles’ Jamal Crawford scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, leading a dominant bench effort for the second straight game, and the Clippers defeated Chicago 120-93.

J.J. Redick added 21 points for the Clippers, who improved to 15-3 without Blake Griffin, who is out

for at least a month after break-ing his right hand while punching the team’s assistant equipment manager.

Jimmy Butler scored 23 points for the Bulls, who dropped to 10-11 on the road. Miami led from start to finish in beating divisional rival Atlanta 105-87.

Chris Bosh scored 18 points while Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng each had 17 points for the Heat, who brought up a fourth straight win for the first time since late in the 2013-14 season. Paul Millsap and Al Horford each scored 17 for Atlanta, which has lost three straight.

Orlando’s Evan Fournier scored 24 points as the Magic was reac-quainted with winning, downing Boston 119-114.(ap)

Djokovic fighting to keep hungry wolves at bay

REUTERS/Fiona Hamilton

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic poses with the men’s singles trophy in the locker room after win-ning his final match against Britain’s Andy Murray at the Australian Open tennis tournament at Melbourne Park, Australia, in this February 1, 2016 handout photo.

MELBOURNE - The battle to stay at the top of men’s tennis is like a fight to keep hungry wolves at bay, Novak Djokovic said on Sunday after clinching a record-equalling sixth Australian Open title with a 6-1 7-5 7-6(3) victory over Andy Murray.

Warriors shake off slow start to beat Knicks

Brad Penner-USA

Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) controls the ball against New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) and Knicks shooting guard Langston Galloway (2) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. The Warriors defeated the Knicks 116-95.

MANGUPURA - Have you ever made a visit to Bongkasa Pertiwi tour-ism village? Rafting lovers or ATV ride adventurers and cycling fans will surely be familiar with this village. Understandably, this beautiful village is chosen as the finish point of raft-ing adventure taking advantage of the challenging rapids of the Ayung River. Even, more than three rafting companies choose finish point at this village.

Bongkasa Pertiwi village is lo-cated in the Abiansemal subdistrict, Badung, which can be reached by car within about 30 minutes from Den-pasar. The trip to the village is really fun. On the right and left side of the road, you can still encounter paddy fields and moors remaining to be cul-tivated traditionally. Houses of local residents remain to look everlasting as they are made in accordance with

Balinese geomancy or better known as the Kosala Kosali.

In addition to having a wide and hot mix path, the village with cool environ-ment has friendly community. Foreign travelers are happy to make a visit to this village. On that account, after enjoying the rafting adventure they make their time to stroll around the village and visit traditional houses. Even, some travelers decide to stay at the village.

Bongkasa Village

IBP/File Photo

98 Tuesday, February 2, 2016 Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Sp rt

United forgot their league woes on Friday when they won 3-1 at Championship side Derby County in the FA Cup with Rooney’s su-perb curling shot taking his tally to six in six games and 243 for the club, six behind Charlton.

Van Gaal’s team return to league action for the first time since losing 1-0 at home to Southampton, lying fifth in the table on 37 points -- 10 adrift of leaders Leicester City and

five away from the top four.Leicester will continue their

unlikely push for a first-ever title when they face 18-times champi-ons Liverpool at the King Power. Second-placed Manchester City go to Sunderland, third-placed Arsenal host Southampton and fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur visit Norwich City.

The spotlight will be on Van Gaal, however, and Rooney is

hoping he can take the heat off his Dutch manager when they face a Stoke side managed by former United striker Mark Hughes.

Stoke have lost all seven Premier League matches they have played at Old Trafford and have not won there for almost 40 years.

CLUB RECORDRooney overtook Charlton’s

record of 49 goals for England this season and he told the United web-site (www.manutd.com) he could not help but have one eye on the club record now. “Of course, I’m well aware of it” he said.

“Like the England record, when

it was getting closer, it was coming up every week, so I’m sure it will now.” Rooney said it was unfair to lay all the blame for the team’s struggles on the manager.

“The players have to take a lot of responsibility for performances and results,” he said. “We have to stand up and take criticism when it’s there.”

Leicester have confounded expectations to move to top spot, losing only twice in the league all season.

Liverpool inflicted their last league defeat with a 1-0 win at Anfield on Boxing Day, but Leic-ester have maintained their form

since and sit three points clear of Manchester City and Arsenal after 23 matches.

Arsenal, without a win in their last three league games, face South-ampton at the Emirates and their long injury list is finally showing signs of shrinking with striker Alexis Sanchez scoring in the 2-1 FA Cup win over Burnley on Saturday.

City, with 13 goals in their last four league and Cup games face relegation-threatened Sunderland while Spurs, rounding out the top four on 42 points, will seek to extend their 10-match unbeaten league away run at Norwich. (rtr)

LONDON - Chelsea have left the door open for John Terry at Stamford Bridge despite the skipper announcing that he is leaving when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Terry, 35, has made almost 700 ap-pearances for Chelsea and is the most successful captain in club history, lead-ing the Blues to success in the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Europa League and Champions League.

But the central defender said after Sunday’s 5-1 FA Cup win over Milton Keynes Dons that there would not be a “fairytale ending” to his career as he was “not going to retire at Chelsea”.

The club, however, indicated that Terry’s impending departure was not set in stone and that he could be of-fered the chance to stay on at Stamford

Bridge in the coming months.“John requested a meeting with the

club the week before last,” a Chelsea spokesperson said in a statement re-leased by Talksport’s Ian Abrahams on Twitter.

“In that meeting he asked about the possibility of an extension to his existing contract.

“John was advised that while no new deal was currently on the table, that situation could change in the com-ing months.

“The club has the utmost respect for John and everything he has helped us to achieve to date. He is a fantastic servant of Chelsea Football Club and a superb captain and, as such, the club will keep the channels of dialogue open.” (rtr)

MILAN - Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini slammed what he described as a “disastrous” refereeing performance and ar-gued with a television presenter following their 3-0 loss to AC Milan on Sunday.

Mancini also confirmed he made a gesture with his finger to Milan fans who insulted him after he was sent to the stands for dissent during the game.

“I didn’t say anything offen-sive, but referees are like that nowadays, susceptible and with their own characteristics,” he said in an interview on Mediaset premium.

“There should have been a red card for Milan in the first half for a foul by the last man. Perhaps the referees don’t know the rules. The referees were the worst ones on the field, they were a disaster,” he said.

Inter, who led the table be-fore Christmas, have slumped to fourth place, nine points off the pace, after winning once in five Serie A outings since the New Year. “The results have not been positive, it’s all gone wrong for us and we can’t do anything except work hard,” said Mancini.

He added that Mauro Icardi’s penalty miss for Inter, when Milan were 1-0 ahead, was the turning point.

“We were in it until the pen-alty, then with that miss and their second goal it was over. If you don’t score a chance like that at such a delicate moment, the team will lose confidence.”

Mancini had publicly criti-cised Icardi over a missed chance last week and became angry when he was asked if his com-ments had dented the Argentine

player’s confidence. The Inter coach used offensive language in reply to the question and again when he took off his headset at the end of the interview.

He has also confirmed making a gesture to the Milan supporters. “Yes, I did it, they should not have been there. That’s the end of the conversations,” he said. In contrast, Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic was understandably jubilant.

“Tonight has been the happiest moment of my coaching career,” he said. “We have always had confidence in our abilities and step by step that is starting to show.”

“Everybody deserves a night like this. The president, the club, the players and the fans. A con-vincing win like this is a result of everyone playing well, all areas of the team.” (rtr)

KABUL - Barcelona star Lionel Messi will meet an Afghan boy who gained Internet fame after a touching series of photographs went viral, showing him playing in a shirt improvised from a plastic bag and bearing the name and playing num-ber of his hero.

Five year-old Murtaza, from a poor family in the Jaghori district

in the central province of Ghazni, became an unlikely Internet sensa-tion after the pictures were shared on Facebook and other social media sites.

Unable to get a real Messi shirt, Murtaza’s brother had rigged him up a plastic bag in the light blue and white colours of the Argentinian national team, with “Messi” and the number

“10” written on it in marker pen.The pictures were shared around

the world and the Afghan Football Federation said on its website on Monday it was in contact with rep-resentatives of Messi and would ar-range for Murtaza to meet the player soon. Last month, Messi won the Ballon d’Or award for the world’s best player for the fifth time. (rtr)

JOHANNESBURG — FIFA presidential candidate Tokyo Sexwale will meet with senior South African Football Associa-tion officials on Tuesday for an “update” amid reports that the

millionaire businessman’s home federation is frustrated over his lackluster campaign.

SAFA denies, however, that it will ask Sexwale to withdraw from the election. SAFA spokes-

man Dominic Chimhavi says Sexwale will meet with SAFA’s emergency committee and Tues-day’s meeting is only “to ask the FIFA candidate to give us an update.”

In a statement late Sunday, SAFA chief executive Dennis Mumble said the association’s request for a meeting was not questioning the “viability or otherwise of Mr. Sexwale’s can-

didacy.”Sexwale, the only African can-

didate in the five-man field, has not even been publicly backed by the African soccer confedera-tion. (ap)

AP Photo/Jon Super

Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney celebrates after scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, England, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016.

In-form Rooney seeks to keep heat off Van Gaal

Sexwale to meet South African federation over FIFA campaign

LONDON - Wayne Rooney can help ease the pressure on beleaguered Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal and move closer to Bobby Charlton’s club scoring record if he maintains his hot streak against Stoke City in the Premier League on Tuesday.

Chelsea leave door open for Terry at Stamford Bridge

AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth

Chelsea’s captain John Terry applauds the fans as he celebrates after the final whistle of the English FA Cup fourth round soccer match between Milton Keynes Dons and Chelsea at Stadium mk in Milton Keynes, England, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016.

Messi to meet young Afghan famed for shirt made from plastic bag

IBP/ist

Murtaza

REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo

Inter Milan’s coach Roberto Mancini (R) reacts after his expulsion during the match against AC Milan.

Inter’s Mancini slams officials, argues with TV presenter

98 Tuesday, February 2, 2016 Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Sp rt

United forgot their league woes on Friday when they won 3-1 at Championship side Derby County in the FA Cup with Rooney’s su-perb curling shot taking his tally to six in six games and 243 for the club, six behind Charlton.

Van Gaal’s team return to league action for the first time since losing 1-0 at home to Southampton, lying fifth in the table on 37 points -- 10 adrift of leaders Leicester City and

five away from the top four.Leicester will continue their

unlikely push for a first-ever title when they face 18-times champi-ons Liverpool at the King Power. Second-placed Manchester City go to Sunderland, third-placed Arsenal host Southampton and fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur visit Norwich City.

The spotlight will be on Van Gaal, however, and Rooney is

hoping he can take the heat off his Dutch manager when they face a Stoke side managed by former United striker Mark Hughes.

Stoke have lost all seven Premier League matches they have played at Old Trafford and have not won there for almost 40 years.

CLUB RECORDRooney overtook Charlton’s

record of 49 goals for England this season and he told the United web-site (www.manutd.com) he could not help but have one eye on the club record now. “Of course, I’m well aware of it” he said.

“Like the England record, when

it was getting closer, it was coming up every week, so I’m sure it will now.” Rooney said it was unfair to lay all the blame for the team’s struggles on the manager.

“The players have to take a lot of responsibility for performances and results,” he said. “We have to stand up and take criticism when it’s there.”

Leicester have confounded expectations to move to top spot, losing only twice in the league all season.

Liverpool inflicted their last league defeat with a 1-0 win at Anfield on Boxing Day, but Leic-ester have maintained their form

since and sit three points clear of Manchester City and Arsenal after 23 matches.

Arsenal, without a win in their last three league games, face South-ampton at the Emirates and their long injury list is finally showing signs of shrinking with striker Alexis Sanchez scoring in the 2-1 FA Cup win over Burnley on Saturday.

City, with 13 goals in their last four league and Cup games face relegation-threatened Sunderland while Spurs, rounding out the top four on 42 points, will seek to extend their 10-match unbeaten league away run at Norwich. (rtr)

LONDON - Chelsea have left the door open for John Terry at Stamford Bridge despite the skipper announcing that he is leaving when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Terry, 35, has made almost 700 ap-pearances for Chelsea and is the most successful captain in club history, lead-ing the Blues to success in the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Europa League and Champions League.

But the central defender said after Sunday’s 5-1 FA Cup win over Milton Keynes Dons that there would not be a “fairytale ending” to his career as he was “not going to retire at Chelsea”.

The club, however, indicated that Terry’s impending departure was not set in stone and that he could be of-fered the chance to stay on at Stamford

Bridge in the coming months.“John requested a meeting with the

club the week before last,” a Chelsea spokesperson said in a statement re-leased by Talksport’s Ian Abrahams on Twitter.

“In that meeting he asked about the possibility of an extension to his existing contract.

“John was advised that while no new deal was currently on the table, that situation could change in the com-ing months.

“The club has the utmost respect for John and everything he has helped us to achieve to date. He is a fantastic servant of Chelsea Football Club and a superb captain and, as such, the club will keep the channels of dialogue open.” (rtr)

MILAN - Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini slammed what he described as a “disastrous” refereeing performance and ar-gued with a television presenter following their 3-0 loss to AC Milan on Sunday.

Mancini also confirmed he made a gesture with his finger to Milan fans who insulted him after he was sent to the stands for dissent during the game.

“I didn’t say anything offen-sive, but referees are like that nowadays, susceptible and with their own characteristics,” he said in an interview on Mediaset premium.

“There should have been a red card for Milan in the first half for a foul by the last man. Perhaps the referees don’t know the rules. The referees were the worst ones on the field, they were a disaster,” he said.

Inter, who led the table be-fore Christmas, have slumped to fourth place, nine points off the pace, after winning once in five Serie A outings since the New Year. “The results have not been positive, it’s all gone wrong for us and we can’t do anything except work hard,” said Mancini.

He added that Mauro Icardi’s penalty miss for Inter, when Milan were 1-0 ahead, was the turning point.

“We were in it until the pen-alty, then with that miss and their second goal it was over. If you don’t score a chance like that at such a delicate moment, the team will lose confidence.”

Mancini had publicly criti-cised Icardi over a missed chance last week and became angry when he was asked if his com-ments had dented the Argentine

player’s confidence. The Inter coach used offensive language in reply to the question and again when he took off his headset at the end of the interview.

He has also confirmed making a gesture to the Milan supporters. “Yes, I did it, they should not have been there. That’s the end of the conversations,” he said. In contrast, Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic was understandably jubilant.

“Tonight has been the happiest moment of my coaching career,” he said. “We have always had confidence in our abilities and step by step that is starting to show.”

“Everybody deserves a night like this. The president, the club, the players and the fans. A con-vincing win like this is a result of everyone playing well, all areas of the team.” (rtr)

KABUL - Barcelona star Lionel Messi will meet an Afghan boy who gained Internet fame after a touching series of photographs went viral, showing him playing in a shirt improvised from a plastic bag and bearing the name and playing num-ber of his hero.

Five year-old Murtaza, from a poor family in the Jaghori district

in the central province of Ghazni, became an unlikely Internet sensa-tion after the pictures were shared on Facebook and other social media sites.

Unable to get a real Messi shirt, Murtaza’s brother had rigged him up a plastic bag in the light blue and white colours of the Argentinian national team, with “Messi” and the number

“10” written on it in marker pen.The pictures were shared around

the world and the Afghan Football Federation said on its website on Monday it was in contact with rep-resentatives of Messi and would ar-range for Murtaza to meet the player soon. Last month, Messi won the Ballon d’Or award for the world’s best player for the fifth time. (rtr)

JOHANNESBURG — FIFA presidential candidate Tokyo Sexwale will meet with senior South African Football Associa-tion officials on Tuesday for an “update” amid reports that the

millionaire businessman’s home federation is frustrated over his lackluster campaign.

SAFA denies, however, that it will ask Sexwale to withdraw from the election. SAFA spokes-

man Dominic Chimhavi says Sexwale will meet with SAFA’s emergency committee and Tues-day’s meeting is only “to ask the FIFA candidate to give us an update.”

In a statement late Sunday, SAFA chief executive Dennis Mumble said the association’s request for a meeting was not questioning the “viability or otherwise of Mr. Sexwale’s can-

didacy.”Sexwale, the only African can-

didate in the five-man field, has not even been publicly backed by the African soccer confedera-tion. (ap)

AP Photo/Jon Super

Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney celebrates after scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, England, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2016.

In-form Rooney seeks to keep heat off Van Gaal

Sexwale to meet South African federation over FIFA campaign

LONDON - Wayne Rooney can help ease the pressure on beleaguered Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal and move closer to Bobby Charlton’s club scoring record if he maintains his hot streak against Stoke City in the Premier League on Tuesday.

Chelsea leave door open for Terry at Stamford Bridge

AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth

Chelsea’s captain John Terry applauds the fans as he celebrates after the final whistle of the English FA Cup fourth round soccer match between Milton Keynes Dons and Chelsea at Stadium mk in Milton Keynes, England, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016.

Messi to meet young Afghan famed for shirt made from plastic bag

IBP/ist

Murtaza

REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo

Inter Milan’s coach Roberto Mancini (R) reacts after his expulsion during the match against AC Milan.

Inter’s Mancini slams officials, argues with TV presenter

Tuesday, February 2, 2016DestinationTuesday, February 2, 201610 InternationalInternational

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The 28-year-old world number one is currently dominating the men’s game like Roger Federer did a decade ago, but he is keen to ensure that he stays ahead of a ferocious chasing pack that includes the vanquished Murray.

“I heard a nice metaphor yester-day about the wolf running up the hill being much hungrier than the wolf standing on top of the hill,” he told reporters. “I believe that all the guys that are out there fighting each week to get to number one are very hungry to get to number one and I know that...

“I think you need to work twice as hard when you’re up there.” There is no doubt that on present form Djokovic is still safely ahead of his rivals.

After appearing in all four grand slam finals last year and winning three, the Serb was a heavy favourite before the tournament began to join Roy Emerson as a six-time winner in Australia.

After being pushed to five sets by Gilles Simon in the fourth round, he ramped up his performance-level in the second week, ending Federer’s tournament with a stunning attack in the opening two sets of their semi-final.

He was just as imperious in the opening set against Murray, racing

through it in 28 minutes before the Scot settled into a rhythm and pushed him hard for the last two sets.

Yet it was essentially Djokovic’s ability to seize his own opportunities and end Murray’s momentum that clinched the contest and allowed him to celebrate by kissing the blue hard court on Rod Laver Arena for a sixth time.

“He definitely made me work, there were a lot of long rallies, long exchanges and we were both breath-ing heavily towards the end of the second and third sets,” he said.

Djokovic said he had been spurred on by the opportunity to match Emer-son’s mark and draw level with Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg on 11 grand slams.

“I can’t lie and say I didn’t think about it,” he said. “Of course it was at the back of my mind. It served as a great motivation and I tried to use it as a positive.”

The Serb, who has appeared in the last five grand slam finals, winning four, acknowledged he is playing at a different level to his rivals but is keen not to rest on his laurels.

“I believe that I can win every match I play (and) I’m playing the tennis of my life in the last 15 months. The results are showing that,” he said. “But you can get a very big slap from karma. I don’t want that.”(rtr)

N E W Y O R K — G o l d e n State’s Klay Thompson woke up a slow-starting Warriors team by scoring 17 points in the second quarter, setting up a 116-95 win at New York on Sunday. Thomp-son finished with 34 points for the match as the NBA-leading Warriors recovered from a first quarter in which they scored just 18 points.

Golden State stayed 12 games clear atop the Pacific Division ahead of the Los Angeles Clip-pers, who recorded an impressive victory over Chicago.

Elsewhere, Miami beat Atlanta to leapfrog the Hawks and go top of the Southeast Division, and Or-lando ended a run of eight straight defeats by beating Boston. Golden State’s Draymond Green tied Tom

Gola’s franchise record with his ninth triple-double of the season. He made all his nine shots en route to 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Warriors (44-4) scored 64 points over the second and third quarters to make up for their poor opening and notch a seventh suc-cessive win. Carmelo Anthony had 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who lost for the fifth time in six games.

Los Angeles’ Jamal Crawford scored 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, leading a dominant bench effort for the second straight game, and the Clippers defeated Chicago 120-93.

J.J. Redick added 21 points for the Clippers, who improved to 15-3 without Blake Griffin, who is out

for at least a month after break-ing his right hand while punching the team’s assistant equipment manager.

Jimmy Butler scored 23 points for the Bulls, who dropped to 10-11 on the road. Miami led from start to finish in beating divisional rival Atlanta 105-87.

Chris Bosh scored 18 points while Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng each had 17 points for the Heat, who brought up a fourth straight win for the first time since late in the 2013-14 season. Paul Millsap and Al Horford each scored 17 for Atlanta, which has lost three straight.

Orlando’s Evan Fournier scored 24 points as the Magic was reac-quainted with winning, downing Boston 119-114.(ap)

Djokovic fighting to keep hungry wolves at bay

REUTERS/Fiona Hamilton

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic poses with the men’s singles trophy in the locker room after win-ning his final match against Britain’s Andy Murray at the Australian Open tennis tournament at Melbourne Park, Australia, in this February 1, 2016 handout photo.

MELBOURNE - The battle to stay at the top of men’s tennis is like a fight to keep hungry wolves at bay, Novak Djokovic said on Sunday after clinching a record-equalling sixth Australian Open title with a 6-1 7-5 7-6(3) victory over Andy Murray.

Warriors shake off slow start to beat Knicks

Brad Penner-USA

Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) controls the ball against New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) and Knicks shooting guard Langston Galloway (2) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. The Warriors defeated the Knicks 116-95.

MANGUPURA - Have you ever made a visit to Bongkasa Pertiwi tour-ism village? Rafting lovers or ATV ride adventurers and cycling fans will surely be familiar with this village. Understandably, this beautiful village is chosen as the finish point of raft-ing adventure taking advantage of the challenging rapids of the Ayung River. Even, more than three rafting companies choose finish point at this village.

Bongkasa Pertiwi village is lo-cated in the Abiansemal subdistrict, Badung, which can be reached by car within about 30 minutes from Den-pasar. The trip to the village is really fun. On the right and left side of the road, you can still encounter paddy fields and moors remaining to be cul-tivated traditionally. Houses of local residents remain to look everlasting as they are made in accordance with

Balinese geomancy or better known as the Kosala Kosali.

In addition to having a wide and hot mix path, the village with cool environ-ment has friendly community. Foreign travelers are happy to make a visit to this village. On that account, after enjoying the rafting adventure they make their time to stroll around the village and visit traditional houses. Even, some travelers decide to stay at the village.

Bongkasa Village

IBP/File Photo

6 International

W RLDTuesday, February 2, 2016 11Tuesday, February 2, 2016International

Indonesia’s health ministry could not immediately comment on the report by the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology.

The mosquito-borne virus has sparked widespread alarm in parts of the Americas. It is suspected of causing grave brain damage in new-borns and has similar symptoms to dengue fever.

The institute said a 27-year-old man living in Jambi province on Sumatra island who had never travelled overseas had been found to be infected.

It said it stumbled on the case while studying a dengue outbreak in the province.

Researchers set aside specimens

which produced dengue symptoms such as rashes and fever but which tested negative for dengue, and researched them further.

“Out of the 103 (dengue-nega-tive) specimens that we checked, we found one positive for Zika,” the institute’s deputy director, Herawati Sudoyo, told AFP.

Zika is transmitted by the Ae-des aegypti mosquito, which also spreads dengue fever and the chi-kungunya virus. It produces flu-like symptoms including a low-grade fever, headaches, joint pain and rashes.

Sudoyo said the specimens were taken during a dengue outbreak in Jambi between December 2014

and April 2015. It was not known how and when the man, who never travelled overseas, contracted the virus.

“We concluded that the virus has been circulating in Indonesia for a while,” Sudoyo said.

The World Health Organization warned in the past week the virus is “spreading explosively” in the Americas, with three million to four million cases expected this year.

Hardest-hit so far has been Bra-zil, with more than 1.5 million cases since April.

Health authorities there are investigating the possible linkage between Zika and more than 3,400 suspected cases of microcephaly -- abnormally small skulls and brains -- in babies born to infected mothers. (afp)

AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim

Indonesian workers make toffee-like sweet cake called “dodol,” one of the traditional delicacies served during Chinese New Year celebrations, in Tangerang on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Ethnic Chinese communities in the world’s most populous Muslim country are preparing to celebrate the start of the year of the monkey.

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, held a bilateral meeting on Monday. During the meeting, they signed a number of Memorandum of Under-standing (MoU).

Jokowi said that there were several key sectors included in the cooperation between both countries. “We have just accomplished a very friendly and productive bilateral meeting. There were a number of matters discussed as well as coop-eration in several areas,” Jokowi said after the meeting.

Jokowi said that the priority sectors include water management of water supply projects in 34 sub-districts throughout Indone-sia, cooperation in the renewable energy project in Central Tapanuli, and cooperation in the information technology, digital economy and agriculture sector. “This is the focus that we will be working on and we expect to improve the cooperation of both countries,” said Jokowi.

Diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Hungary were estab-lished in 1955, and the Indonesian diplomatic representative office was opened in Budapest in 1962.

The total value of bilateral trade between the two countries in 2014 stood at US$ 149.29 million, com-prising US$86.87 million from exports and US$62.42 million from imports.

Previously, Hungarian Ambassa-dor to Indonesia Judit Nemeth-Pach stated that Prime Minister Orban will also lead a business delegation comprising 50 CEOs and other higher managerial level individuals representing Hungarian companies to meet their Indonesian counter-parts during a business forum to be held in Jakarta on February 1.

After visiting Jakarta, Prime Minister Orban will head to Yog-yakarta to present a general lecture at the University of Gadjah Mada on the theme of the importance of sovereignty in facing global chal-lenges. (ant)

JAKARTA - The Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) said that the Indonesian inflation in January was 0.51 percent attributable mainly to foodstuff price rise.

The prices of food products mainly chicken meat, eggs, red onion, garlic and beef rose in Janu-ary, BPS Chief Suryamin said on Monday.

Suryamin said the highest rise was recorded in the price of food products up 2.2 percent in January, followed by the prices of houses, drinking water, electricity, gas and fuel up by 0.53 percent.

Meanwhile decline was recorded in the costs of transport, commu-nications and financial services on falling prices of air transport and fuel prices.

Year-on-year the inflation in January was 4.14 percent.

Suryamin said though relatively high, inflation in January was still lower than the average since 2010, but higher than in January, 2015 when the country recorded a defla-tion of 0.24 percent.

“Deflation in 2015 was a result of a decline in oil fuel prices,” he said. (ant)

REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

Visiting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (C) introduces Indonesian President Joko Widodo (R) to members of his del-egation during a welcoming ceremony at the palace in Jakarta, Indonesia February 1, 2016.

Indonesian inflation 0.51 percent in January

Jokowi welcomes Hungarian PM

Researchers say Zika case found

in IndonesiaJAKARTA - An Indonesian research institute said Sunday it

had found one positive Zika case on Sumatra island, adding that the virus has been circulating in the country “for a while”.

Many legislators expressed hope that Monday marked the beginning of a new, brighter era following de-cades of military oppression, civil war and pervasive poverty.

“This is like a dream for me, “ said Khin Maung Myint, an NLD lawmaker before the largely cer-emonial two-hour session. “I never imagined that our party would be able to form the government. Even the public didn’t think we could have an NLD government. But now it is like a shock to us and to the world too.”

Legislators from the two main parties, smaller ethnic minority parties, and military-appointed rep-resentatives filed into the cavernous parliament for the lower house ses-sion and took a joint oath of office.

Most wore the traditional dress of the Burman majority or of the Shan, Karen, Kachin, Lisu and

other minorities who make up nearly 40 percent of the country’s 52 million people but in the past have been poorly represented in the central government.

The session marks a historic turnaround for the NLD, which for years was suppressed by the military. Generals ruled the country directly or indirectly after seizing power in 1962, and over the years jailed hundreds of NLD leaders, including Suu Kyi, while crushing overt political activity. The South-east Asian nation started moving away from dictatorship toward de-mocracy in 2011, when the military rulers agreed to hand over power to a nominally civilian government headed by President Thein Sein, a general-turned-reformist.

He will step down in late March or early April when an NLD presi-dent takes over. Suu Kyi is consti-

tutionally barred from taking the presidency because her sons and late husband are British citizens, and has vowed to rule from behind the scenes through a proxy. She has not announced who her party will nominate for president.

“We don’t know exactly when the presidential election will hap-pen. We cannot tell you anything about who will be nominated as the presidential candidates as well,” said Zayar Thaw, an NLD legislator.

Following two meetings be-tween Suu Kyi and armed forces commander Gen. Min Aung Hla-ing, rumors surfaced that she was pressing for the suspension of the constitutional clause that bars her from office.

But the speculation was quashed Monday by the army’s Myawaddy Daily newspaper, which wrote that “for the goodness of the mother country” the constitutional clause should not be changed. Despite its landslide victory, the NLD will have to share power with the military be-cause the constitution reserves 25 percent, or 166 of the 664 seats in the two houses of parliament, for military appointees. (ap)

SYDNEY — Seventeen kan-garoos have died after being de-liberately run down by a driver in Australia, an animal welfare group said Monday.

The carcasses of 16 kangaroos were found Monday along a 100-meter (300-foot) stretch of road in the eastern city of Brisbane, said Michael Beatty, a spokesman for the RSPCA in Queensland state.

Another kangaroo had to be eu-thanized because of its injuries. Many of the animals were young, Beatty said.

“They’ve definitely been delib-erately run over,” Beatty said. “You can quite clearly see the tire tracks where they’ve gone off the road to hit them.” The group has asked for any witnesses to come forward with information. (ap)

LONDON — A judge has sen-tenced a British woman to six years in prison for going to Syria to live under the rule of the Islamic State group.

Tareena Shakil was convicted last week of being a member of the group and encouraging acts of terrorism.

In October 2014 she and her 1-year-old son boarded a plane to Turkey and then traveled to Syria. After three months Shakil fled, tak-

ing a taxi to the Turkish border and returning to Britain.

Shakil denied the charges, claim-ing she wanted to live under strict Islamic law, not support terrorism.

But judge Melbourne Inman said Monday that the 26-year-old had been “well aware that the future which you had subjected your son to was very likely to be indoctrina-tion and thereafter life as a terrorist fighter.” (ap)

Michael Beatty/RSPCA via AP

This photo released the RSPCA in Queensland shows two people looking over dead kangaroos lying on the roadside in the outskirts of Brisbane, Australia, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016.

Group: Australian driver deliberately

killed 17 kangaroos

British woman who took toddler to join IS jailed for 6 years

Myanmar house begins new

session dominated by Suu Kyi party

AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, center, walks along with other lawmakers of her National League for Democracy party as they leave after a regular session of the lower house of parliament Monday, Feb 1, 2016 in Naypyitaw, Myanmar.

NAYPYITAW — Myanmar’s parliament, led for the first time by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, began a historic session Monday that will install the country’s first democratically elected government in more than 50 years. The National League for Democracy won a landslide victory in Nov. 8 elections, taking about 80 percent of the seats at stake in the two houses of parliament to defeat the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party.

Bali News Tuesday, February 2, 2016 5InternationalTuesday, February 2, 201612 International

BUSINESS

WASHINGTON - Barclays and Credit Suisse will pay $154.3 million combined to settle charges that they violated federal securities laws over their so-called “dark pools,” the US Securities and Ex-change Commission said Sunday.

They agreed to record individual settlements for operating alternative trading systems, known as “dark pools,” the SEC said in a statement.

Barclays admitted wrongdoing and will pay a total of $70 million, while Credit Suisse will pay a total of $84.3 million.

Dark pools allow clients to trade large volumes of shares anonymously with prices posted only after the transaction is finished, avoiding the open reporting of ongoing bid and offer prices required on public exchanges.

“Dark pools have a significant role in today’s eq-uity marketplace and the firms that run these venues must ensure that they do not make misstatements to subscribers about their material operations,” said Andrew Ceresney, director of the SEC’s Enforce-ment Division.

“These largest-ever penalties imposed in SEC cases involving two of the largest ATSs show that firms pay a steep price when they mislead subscrib-ers.”

Regulators say more oversight is needed for trad-ing venues like dark pools, which have captured an increased share of overall share trading in recent years. (afp)

Shares in the trio -- Mitsubishi UFJ, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Mizuho Financial Group -- suffered a sell-off after the central bank on Friday unveiled plans to effectively charge lenders on some deposits.

The negative interest rate policy is intended to increase lending to people and businesses in order to kickstart the world’s number three economy and fend off deflation.

The idea is to give commercial banks an incentive not to park their cash at the central bank.

But the move threatens to weigh on bank profits, analysts said, as they battle to drive up lending at home. Some analysts saw the BoJ bid as a desperate move after three years of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s big-spending and monetary easing policy known as “Abenom-ics”. This had limited impact on the moribund economy.

“While banks potentially benefit along with the rest of the economy from Friday’s valiant attempt by the BoJ to rescue Abenomics, in the short and medium term the sec-

tor seems likely to face substantial downward earnings pressure,” Da-vid Threadgold, analyst at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, said in a com-mentary.

He added that the banking unit of Japan Post was most at risk owing to the size of its domestic business.

After markets closed Monday, Mitsubishi UFJ said its net profit for the nine months through December fell eight percent to 852.3 billion yen ($7.03 billion), as it saw lower gains on its vast debt holdings.

The bank’s shares tumbled 5.46 percent, while Sumitomo Mitsui dived 7.61 percent and Mizuho Financial Group dropped 5.87 percent.

Last week Sumitomo Mitsui said net profit dropped more than eight percent, but it added that it would still hit a 760 billion net profit for the fiscal year to March.

Mizuho’s profit edged down from a year earlier.

“The new (BoJ) policy is un-likely to dispel growing concerns about the efficacy of Abenomics,” said Tobias Harris, a vice president at US-based political risk firm Te-neo Intelligence.

“It could take significantly nega-tive rates to convince businesses and households to move out of cash into other assets.”

The three-tiered system applies negative interest rates to new re-serves parked at the central bank.

“The BoJ may be testing to see what effects a negative rate has on the behaviour of lenders, depositors and borrowers before committing fully to a negative interest rate policy,” Harris said.

Takashi Miura, an analyst at Credit Suisse in Tokyo, said the bank share sell-off may be over-done.

“Bank shares are being sold to-day on concerns of lower margins on loans and securities, as they were on Friday,” Miura told Bloomberg News.

“But in reality the megabanks have a high proportion of overseas lending, which will benefit from the weakening yen...I think the market may have gone too far.” (afp)

Japan megabank profits down as BoJ stimulus threatens bottom line

TOKYO - Japan’s biggest banks tumbled in Tokyo share trading Monday as a drop in their latest earnings was com-pounded by fears that the Bank of Japan’s new stimulus mea-sures would hit their bottom line.

Credit Suisse, Barclays to pay $154.3 mln over ‘dark pools’

AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File

A July 29, 2015 file photo shows the sign on a branch of Barclays Bank in London. The Securities and Exchange Commission said Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, that two major global banks, Barclays and Credit Suisse, will pay a combined $154.3 million to settle state and federal investigations that they misled clients about the safety of trading on their “dark pool” financial exchanges.

DENPASAR - Member of Commission III of the Denpasar House of Representatives, A.A. Susruta Ngurah Putra is calling for relevant agencies in the Municipality of Denpasar such as the Integrated Licensing Office, Spatial Plan and Housing Agency as well as municipal police to perform an audit of the LED TV screens that have been pooping up rampantly.

Within the past few years, a number of strategic locations have become venues for advertising agencies to set up LED screens that promote various products. Allegedly, they have not however obtained permits to do so. Such LED TV screens have been set up near Jalan Sudirman, Suci and Tohpati and other places.

Putra, who is also chairman of the Democratic Faction in the Denpasar House of Representatives, strongly suspects that some of the LED TVs that are displaying ads have been set up without a per-mit. Mayoral Regulations on Advertising dictate where LEd TV’s and other billboards are allowed

to be installed. “Currently Led TV’s are being installed rampantly. We need to find out whether permits have been obtained or not. The government needs to pay attention to this matter,” he said.

The Municipality of Denpasar is being scorned for they lack of action regarding the rampant installation of LED TV screens. Putra is therefor asking the Municipality of Denpasar - though relevant agencies such as the DTRP, Integrated Licensing Office and municipal police to investi-gate the situation. “Relevant authorities should im-mediately ensure that permits have been obtained for the LED TV’s and the Municipal Police needs to take appropriate action,” said Putra.

When Chief of the Denpasar Municipal Police, I.B. Alit Wiradana, was contacted regarding this matter, he said that he did not know for sure wheth-er the LED TV’s had been set up with or without permits. In the case of the LED TV’s having been set up without permits, he explained that police need to coordinate with the DTRP. (kmb12)

Assistant Manager of Tanah Lot, I Wayan Sudiana, explained that the new cost of admission for local visi-tors will go up to IDR 10,00 from its present IDR 7,500 for children while adults will now have to pay IDR 20,000 compared to the IDR 10,000

of the current ticket price. The cost of admission for foreign visitors will go up to IDR20,000 from the current IDR15,000 for children and the cost of admission for adults will be IDR 50,000 instead of the current IDR 20,000. “The increase is still being

drafted and can be applied if the Re-gional Bylaw No. 29/2011 is replaced with a new one,” he explained.

According to Regional Bylaw No.29/2011, the Tanah Lot tourist attraction is presently listed as a tourist attraction that is subject to managerial decisions made by the government. The new regulate will delist Tanah Lot thereby giving full authority to the site to manage its own affairs - including determining

their tariffs without the need for parliamentary approval.

Sudiana explained that the new regulation is still awaiting its reg-istration number from the Province of Bali. Once this number has been issued, the tariff increases that have been drafted by Tanah Lots manage-ment, can be applied immediately. “We have already proposed this draft to Tanah Lot’s governing body, but it still needs to be reviewed and

is not final,” he said.The tariff increase of over 75 per-

cent is being proposed based on the fact that admission tickets to Tanah Lot are still much cheap than many other tourist attractions in Bali and that Tanah’s Lot needs to make vari-ous repairs to facilities there in order to ensure the safety and comfort of visitors. “We’ll balance this tariff in-crease with facility improvements,” said Sudiana. (kmb24)

NEGARA - The bridge that connects Keladian to Dangin Tukadaya, that col-lapsed on Saturday Januray 23rd in Jem-brana, remains impassable. A temporary bridge has been set up put is not open to traffic yet. Bridge project supervisor Made Supriawan, from the National Road Agency for Region 8, explained that: “a bridge barrier has already been set up and we are just waiting for the asphalt to dry. Actually the bridge can already be used but we are afraid that people might do foolish things like stop to take photos on the bridge, which could be hardardous, so we are not opening the bridge to the public until all the finishings are done. It is expected that the bridge will be open to traffic from both directions on Monday or Tuesdays. Repairs to the collapsed deck asphalt of the original bridge will then begin”.

Supriawan added that the 3.5 meter

wide bridge is most suitable for mo-torcycles, cars, buses and trucks. “The maximum tonnage allowed is 5 tons, but must still be carefully controlled” he explained.

Chief of the Jembrana Police Traffic Affairs, Gede Sumadra Kerthiawan, said that they will announce when the bridge will be operational, once security is as-certained. “We are waiting for a decision from the public works, because it is their authority to decide such matters. Police are responsible for making sure that only vehicles under 5 tons pass over the bridge, so as to avoid any undesirable incidents from occurring” explained Kerthiawan.

Any vehicles, whose weigh exceeds the limit will be asked to unload their cargo and make multiple trips if need be “We hope everyone understands about the urgency of situation,” he said. (kmb)

Bridge barrier starts to be installed Questionable yet rampant: LED TV’s

The tourists are enjoying their time in

Tanah Lot

Tanah Lot attraction to increase price of admission

TABANAN - While waiting for new Regulation Bylaw (Per-da) No. 29/2011 governing the levys for recreation and sports venues to be announced, Tanah Lot’s Management has decided to raise their cost of admission by some 75 percent.

IBP/File

WASHINGTON — Fifteen years into the war that few Americans talk about any more, conditions in Afghan-istan are getting worse, preventing the clean ending that President Barack Obama hoped to impose before leav-ing office.

Violence is on the rise, the Taliban are staging new offensives, the Islamic State group is angling for a foothold

and peace prospects are dim.Afghanistan remains a danger

zone. It’s hobbled by a weak economy that’s sapping public confidence in the new government. Afghan police and soldiers are struggling to hold together the country 13 months after the U.S.-led military coalition culled its numbers by 90 percent.

The bottom line: For a second

time, Obama is rethinking his plan to drop U.S. troop levels from 9,800 to 5,500 before he leaves office in Janu-ary 2017.

“I don’t see any drawdowns” in the near future, said James Dobbins, Obama’s former special envoy for Af-ghanistan and Pakistan. He predicted that Obama would leave the decision to the next president.

“They are just hoping that things hold together and they won’t have to face a decision on whether to actually implement the force reduction they’re talking about until late summer, early fall, by which time the administra-tion will be on its last legs,” Dobbins said.

Top military officials, as well as Republicans and Democrats in Con-gress, think that trimming the force any more during Obama’s presidency is a bad idea. Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Thursday that Afghanistan was in a “crisis situation.”

Initially, Obama announced plans to reduce the force to 5,500 troops by the end of last year, and to 1,000 by the end of 2016. Last fall, Obama changed his mind, saying the situation

remained too fragile for the American military to leave. He announced plans to keep the current force of about 9,800 in place through most of 2016 to perform not in an offensive combat role but to continue counterterrorism missions and advise Afghans battling a resurgent Taliban. It’s been a tough year on the Afghan battlefield.

Afghan soldiers and policemen — bankrolled by $4.1 billion in U.S. taxpayer money — fought virtually on their own last year for the first time since the U.S. invasion in 2001. NATO officials have told The Associated Press that Afghan troops are display-ing prowess yet suffering sustained heavy casualties — 28 percent higher in 2015 than before the international combat mission ended in December 2014.

Lt. Gen. John “Mick” Nicholson, Obama’s pick to be the next top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said at his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday that the Afghan security forces have “more than held their own against the insurgency,” but are not yet “self-sustainable.”

Asked whether the U.S. effort in 2015 had resulted in gains or losses, Nicholson replied: “The Taliban came

at the Afghan security forces more intensely than perhaps we anticipated. Because of that, we did not make the advances we ... thought we would make.” When U.S. and other foreign troops left on an announced schedule, the Taliban pounced.

Last fall, they briefly seized Kun-duz, a city of 300,000 in northern Af-ghanistan. It marked the militants’ first capture of a major city since before the U.S.-led invasion and was marred by the mistaken U.S. strike on a char-ity hospital run by Doctors Without Borders, killing 42 people.

Hamdullah Mohib, Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United States, acknowledged that Kunduz was a setback. But he said it also reminded Afghans what life was like under the Taliban. “They don’t want to return to that,” he said.

In the south, Afghan army units have been engaged in fierce fights with the Taliban for months in Helmand province, where militants sow more than $3 billion a year in opium rev-enue. The Afghan army in Helmand has been plagued by incompetence and corruption. The Afghan military recently fired and replaced top Afghan army leaders there.(ap)

Bali News International4 Tuesday, February 2, 2016 13InternationalTuesday, February 2, 2016

The meeting was seen as vital to finding agreement on Cameron’s demands for measures to curb migra-tion into Britain -- the most difficult of four areas he wants to renegotiate before holding a referendum on EU membership by the end of 2017.

Both sides need to agree the main points of a deal before other EU leaders iron out the details at a summit on Feb. 18-19. If agreement is reached then, Cameron could hold the referendum as early as in June in a vote which will determine Britain’s future role in world trade and affairs, and also shape the EU. “No deal yet. Intensive work in next 24 (hours) crucial,” Tusk said on Twitter.

A source close to the talks said they had reached agreement only on one of the four areas, while a spokes-person for Cameron said Britain had won “a significant breakthrough” by persuading the EU to say that the British leader could trigger an “emer-gency brake” on welfare payments to migrants immediately.

“On welfare, the commission have

tabled a text making clear that the UK’s current circumstances meet the criteria for triggering the emergency brake,” the spokesperson said in a statement, adding that Britain was also keen to close “backdoor routes” into Britain.

The spokesperson said Tusk planned to circulate a draft text to all member states on Tuesday and that, before then, officials would meet in Brussels to “work through the day to resolve the outstanding issues”.

Finding a way to curb migration has proved to be the most trouble-some element of Cameron’s renego-tiation, which also seeks to address voter concerns over competitiveness and sovereignty.

Several EU leaders have said they will block any measure that discriminates against their citizens or undermines the core EU principle of free movement of people, while Cameron faces growing concern in Britain at high levels of migration.

Before the meeting, Cameron said the proposed “emergency brake”

to deny benefit payments to work-ing migrants needed “significant strengthening” and should be trig-gered immediately after Britain’s referendum.

Reuters reported on Thursday the

EU was offering the emergency brake for up to four years as an alternative to Cameron’s proposal to bar EU im-migrants from in-work benefits for at least their first four years in Britain.

The prime minister, who wants

Britain to stay in a reformed EU but has not ruled out campaigning for an exit if he doesn’t get what he wants, needs to win concessions to persuade voters that he has changed Britain’s relationship with the bloc.(rtr)

“No deal yet” on Britain’s EU renegotiation, leaders say

LONDON - Prime Minister David Cameron and European Council President Donald Tusk failed on Sunday to reach a deal on Britain’s EU renegotiation after talks in London, but agreed to another 24 hours of “crucial” discussions.

REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi

Jesuit Refugee Service personnel hand out food to refugees and migrants after they arrived aboard the passenger ferry Blue Star1 at the port of Piraeus, near Athens, Greece, January 31, 2016. Picture taken January 31, 2016.

Violence in Afghanistan forces Obama to rethink troop levels

AP Photos/Abdul Khaliq, File

FILE - In this Dec. 22, 2015 file photo, Afghan security forces patrol in Nad Ali district of Helmand province, Afghanistan. Conditions in Afghanistan are getting worse, 15 years into a war that few Americans talk about any more.

BANGLI - High market demand for crystal guava causes a number of residents at Tiga village, Susut, to compete in the cultivation of crystal guava in their respective land. Each kilogram is sold for IDR 15,000 to IDR 20,000.

A farmer of crystal guava at Tiga village, Kadek Budiartawan, said on Sunday (Jan. 31) that market de-mand for crystal guava is currently quite high. It does not only come from traditional markets but also from modern markets. This condi-tion is inseparable from the high public demand for fruit primarily for religious ceremonies.

He said the current price of crys-tal guava can reach IDR 15,000 to IDR 20,000 per kilogram. “For Bali,

the crystal guava remains exclusive because only few farmers cultivate this guava,” he explained.

This former headman revealed that cultivation of crystal guava is actually quite easy. Crystal guava is an adaptive plant that can grow in almost all regions. In the cul-tivation, it does not require high maintenance as treatment of other plants such as tangerine. Besides, the disease attacking the crystal guava is not too much. “The plant can be cultivated in all seasons,” he said.

He added that all this time he approximately cultivates 100 crys-tal guava trees and every day he can harvest almost 50 kilograms. (kmb40)

“Every Pelni ship or passengers anchor, with other stakeholders we always make a raid. No matter how many passengers there are we still perform the check,” said Chief of Benoa harbor police, Nyoman Gatra, Sunday (Jan. 31).

From the data compiled by harbor police, passenger ships mooring at Benoa Harbor consist of the KM Tilongkabila with 495 passengers, KM Awu with 1,541 passengers, KM Awu with 3 passengers, KM Kalimutu with 32 passengers, KM Tilongkabila with 495 passengers, KM Awu with 1,126 pas-sengers, KM Awu with 4 passengers, KM Willis with 94 and KM Tilongkabila with 477 passengers.

“Maybe passengers prefer the vessels be-cause they moor at Benoa Harbor located close to the city of Denpasar. Thousands of migrants are entering Bali within a month,” he said.

Of course the police chief along with his team does not want to be missed especially there are widespread terrorist threats. On that account, harbor police together with Indonesian Military (TNI) and other agencies aggressively make a raid to every passenger ship mooring at the harbor.

“Results of our check are 16 jerrycans

of honey and the case is being handled by Quarantine Office, two chickens handled by Quarantine Office and a machete secured at police station. Bearer of the machete was given a coaching,” he said.

Besides, his institution also intensively holds the creating condition operation target-ing migrants at Benoa Harbor. As a result, at total of 33 migrants without identity cards of Denpasar could be netted. “We are trying

to minimize the amount of residents without identity at Benoa. We want them to be obedi-ent and orderly to population administration. We continuously target ship crews,” said Gatra. (kmb36)

IBP/Suasrina

The crystal guava plant

Market demand highResidents of Tiga village cultivate crystal guava

Thousands of migrants anchor at Benoa Harbor

IBP/File

A ship set anchor in Benoa Harbor. Thousands of people enter Bali through this harbor

DENPASAR - Even though not as busy as the Gilimanuk and Padang-bai Harbor, the Benoa Harbor as the entrance into Bali cannot be underes-timated. Other than fishing boats and cruise ships, in this January there are around 4,267 migrants entered Bali. The security is extra tight so that many illicit goods are secured.

14 InternationalScienceTuesday, February 2, 2016 3International Bali News Tuesday, February 2, 2016

The findings in the US journal Science are based on an analysis of four ancient tablets that were written in Babylon between 350 and 50 BC.

Previously, historians believed this kind of sophisticated geometry was born in 14th century Europe.

“These tablets are the earliest known examples of using geometry to calculate positions in time-space and suggest that ancient Babylonian astronomers may have influenced the emergence of such techniques in Western science,” said the study led by Mathieu Ossendrijver of

Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany.

“These tablets redefine our his-tory books, revealing that European scholars in Oxford and Paris in the 14th century, who were previously credited with developing such cal-culations, were in fact centuries behind their ancient Babylonian counterparts.”

The tablets show Jupiter appear-ing along the horizon at two inter-

vals, noting the planet’s position at 60 and 120 days.

They also contain geometrical cal-culations based on a trapezoid’s area, and its “long” and “short” sides.

The study noted that it was pre-viously thought that Babylonian astronomers only used arithmetical concepts.

But the ancient astronomers were in fact able to use geometry in an abstract sense to compute the

time it took for Jupiter to travel, and its velocity.

Their methods “foreshadow the development of calculus,” said the study.

Historian John Steele of Brown University, who was not involved in the study, described it to Science magazine as “an extremely important contribution to the history of Babylo-nian astronomy, and more generally to the history of science.” (afp)

NEW YORK - Barbie, long the stereotypical blue-eyed blonde bombshell, has been given a make-over. The iconic doll will now be available in three new body types -- tall, petite and curvy.

The best-selling doll’s manu-facturer Mattel announced the new looks Thursday, ending a 56-year-old tradition of Barbie having just one physique: unrealistically perfect.

The new dolls join Barbie’s Fashionista line, which will now feature four body types. It will also have seven skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles -- an ac-knowledgement, belated for some, that women come in many sizes and shapes.

“Barbie reflects the world girls see around them. Her ability to evolve and grow with the times, while staying true to her spirit, is central to why Barbie is the num-ber one fashion doll in the world,” Mattel President and CEO Richard Dickson said in a statement.

“We believe we have a responsi-bility to girls and parents to reflect a broader view of beauty,” added Evelyn Mazzocco, senior vice president and global general man-ager of the Barbie brand.

Mattel is not the first doll maker to shatter the mold of what pretty means.

In late 2014, graphic artist Nick-olay Lamm introduced a doll named Lammily, which features what the

company calls standard human body proportions.

In 2002, Tonner Doll came out with one called Emme, after the plus-size model who went by that name.

The new Barbie looks should help Mattel boost declining sales of the doll -- down for three straight years and by 16 percent in the first half of 2015.

Last year, Mattel launched “Hel-lo Barbie”: a version that uses WiFi and voice recognition technology so kids can actually hold conversations with the toy.

This is not the first time Mattel has released Barbies with different looks, although the body types are new.

In 1980, Mattel marketed Black

Barbie, who had an afro-style hair-do.

Mattel’s failure to change Bar-bie’s body size had drawn a lot of criticism, but the company long defended the design.

“Barbie’s body was never de-signed to be realistic. She was de-signed for girls to easily dress and undress,” Kimberly Culmone, vice president of Barbie Global Creative, explained in 2014 in an interview with the website Fast Company.

Culmone challenged the notion that Barbie dolls could play a role in how little girls might perceive women’s bodies and their own.

“Clearly, the influences for girls on those types of issues, whether it’s body image or anything else, it’s

proven, it’s peers, moms, parents. It’s their social circles,” Culmone said.

However, a British study in 2006 of girls aged five to eight found that those exposed to Barbie had a less favorable view of their own bodies.

These girls ended up wanting a thinner body than did girls not exposed to the doll.

After the new Barbie body types were announced on Thursday, social media lit up with messages of praise.

The stock market greeted the move with cautious optimism. Shares in Mattel were up 0.65 percent to $27.15 at around 1830 GMT. (afp)

Reality check: Barbie now tall, curvy and petite too

R. Hurt/AP

This artistic rendering provided by California Institute of Technology shows the distant view from Planet Nine back towards the sun. People in ancient Babylon used geometry to calculate the position of Jupiter some 1,400 years earlier than previously thought, researchers said Friday.

Geometry helped ancient Babylonians track planets

MIAMI - People in ancient Babylon used geometry to cal-culate the position of Jupiter some 1,400 years earlier than previously thought, researchers said Friday.

“As many as six thousand tons of rice has just arrived at the port of Benoa in Denpasar to add to the

existing stock of 13 thousand tons, and the quantity is sufficient to meet the needs of local communities for

up to 10 months,” spokesman of the Regional Division of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) Mansur Siri said.

According to Siri, some of the rice that had just arrived in Bali was imported from Vietnam and Thai-land and was distributed through

East Java. Further, Siri added that the

average rice consumption in Bali ranged between 2.2 thousand tons and 2.6 thousand tons per month, and therefore, the total 19 thousand tons would more than suffice the needs of the

local communities and would not result in a spike in the price of rice.

He stated that the distribution of rice will be accelerated to avoid price hikes ahead of the Galungan, Kuningan, and Lunar New Year holidays. (ant)

SINGARAJA - Organic dragon fruit, grown by farmers in Kalisada village Gerokgak have started to attract the attention of suppliers around Bali who see a demand for pesticide free, high vitamin content fruit. Without any government help, farmers have been growing these sweet organic fruits for four years and public interest has been increasing.

Kadek Sudiartana, a 45 year old farmer grows these fruit indepen-

dently on 5,000 square meters of land. He originally founds the seeds for this fruit in Banyuwangi, East Java and planted them behind his house in Bali. He used techniques that he learned from the internet, books and training provided by the private sector to becem the first person to grow organic dragon fruit in Gerokgak.

The cultivation of these dragon fruit is the result of his perseverance and hard work and have grown pro-

lifically. “During the harvest I sell quite a lot of these fruits to people who use them for ritual oblations, for reselling or for making juice,” said Sudiartana.

Organic fertilizer made from manure and cow urine is used to promote the growth of his dragon fruit. Instead of the commonly used concrete post, Sudiartana prefers instead to use coconut wood to help hold up his plants as they grow. After just one year, his dragon fruit

plants bore fruit and had a sweet flavour. “I use natural fertilizers without chemicals and also do not use chemical pesticides but instead just use manure,” he said.

Sudiartana explained that ini-tially many people were pessimistic about the market potential of dragon fruit. However, he took care of his dragon fruit earnestly and they in return gave maximal results. Due to his success, he is now starting to sell dragon fruit seedlings to a

number of villages. Researchers and college lecturers

often share ideas with him. “At the time of planting, many people were pessimistic. But, because I cared for the plants properly, the results of the dragon fruit were very good in the end. Now, the dragon fruits need to be labelled as certified organic. Hopefully, the government can also help by providing training and by marketing organic products,” he added. (kmb34)

NOt far from the Gilimanuk Harbor sits a bay that retains its en-chanting beauty. Aside from having tranquil waves, the Gilimanuk Bay also known by the nickname Secret Bay, offers a wealth of natural un-derwater exoticism. The Western tip of the Island of Bali is home to a number of rare fish species such as frogfish, dragonet, stonefish and many others.

Apart from diving and snorkel-ing, there is also a cluster of unin-

habited islands that are pure gems, nearby.

Fishermen and tourist groups rent out boats that are lined up in the bay. During the trip over the water, visitors can enjoy the exotic natural scenery that includes a number of bird species and if one is lucky, the beautiful Bali stealing can be seen it’s natural habitat. This unspoiled area belongs to the conservation area of the West Bali National Park (TNBB).

While cruising around the bay, visitors can also relax in Karang-sewu.

Here, visitors can enjoy a vast expanse of pastures with a few scattered trees. A row of mangroves trees grow along the edge of the beach as part of the monsoon for-est. During the rainy season, scenic expanses of green grass blend in with the blue waters of the bay and the sky. During the dry season very exotic dry grass blends in with

verdant mangrove trees.Marine tourism group mem-

ber, 31 year old Ketut Wijaya, explained that Gilimanuk Bay is known by foreign travellers for its underwater scenery. Local visitors tend to limit their enjoyment to the above water scenic beauty of the area around the bay and the scenic bijou islands. “Generally foreign tourists visit between August and November and prefer to go snor-kelling or diving,” said Gilimanuk

resident Wijaya.The Gilimank Bay area has

recently had renovations done do its main entrance gate, parking lot, and various buildings that will be used as restaurants. A gar-den with a status of Lord Shiva is presently being built right next to the bay. A panoramic view of the Bay can now be enjoyed by visi-tors after they pass through the security checkpoint at Glimanuk harbour. (olo)

Rice stock sufficient to meet public needsDENPASAR - With the new arrival of six thousand tons of

rice, Bali has a stock totaling 19 thousand tons, which will be adequate to meet the needs of the local community for up to 10 months.

Secrets of Gilimanuk BayExotic allures at west end Bali

IBP/Surya Dharma

Not far from the Gilimanuk Harbor sits a bay that retains its enchanting beauty. Aside from having tranquil waves, the Gilimanuk Bay also known by the nick-name Secret Bay, offers a wealth of natural underwater exoticism.

Organic dragon fruit in North Bali on the rise

The reason that the Kerobokan customary village opposes the Benoa Bay reclamation plan is because of the impact that other reclamation projects have had elsewhere - such as the abrasion at Petitenget Beach that has already affected Kerobokan. The rejection of the reclamation plan, affirmed Sutarja is the genuine opinion of the community of Kerobokan vil-lage. “This has nothing to do with personal interests but is, rather the intention of the community. There has been no influence from other people nor any indications of conspiracy. In no uncertain terms, Kerobaokan customary village staunchly opposes the Benoa Bay reclamation plan,” he said.

He hopes that the voice of the people will be heard. “We the people of Kerobokan want the Benoa Bay reclamation plan to be cancelled so that the people of Bali can be spared from the devastation of abrasion,” he said.

I Made Susila, initiator of Ker-obokan Children (ANKER) United emphasized that even before the EIA public expose, the customary village of Kerobokan was already opposed to reclamation out fear of the environmental impacts. “If there was a genuine intention to address the erosion of the coast, it would include coastal regions from Kran-gasem to Sanur, why is revitalization not addressing these eroded area? I am confident that if they really have a pure intention to revitalize Benoa Bay area, they heed to the aspirations of nearby communities,” concluded Sutarja. (may)

International2 15International Activities

Founder : K.Nadha, General Manager :Palgunadi Chief Editor: Diah Dewi Juniarti Editors: Gugiek Savindra, Daniel Fajry, Mawa, Sueca, Sugiartha, Yudi Winanto Denpasar: Dira Arsana, Giriana Saputra, Subrata, Sumatika, Asmara Putra. Bangli: Suasrina, Buleleng: Dewa kusuma, Gianyar: Manik Astajaya, Karangasem: Budana, Klungkung: Dewa Farendra. Jakarta: Nikson, Hardianto, Ade Irawan. NTB: Agus Talino, Izzul Khairi, Raka Akriyani. Surabaya: Bambang Wilianto. Office: Jalan Kepundung 67 A Denpasar 80232. Telephone (0361)225764, Facsimile: 227418, P.O.Box: 3010 Denpasar 80001. Bali Post Jakarta, Advertizing: Jl.Palmerah Barat 21F. Telp 021-5357602, Facsimile: 021-5357605 Jakarta Pusat. NTB: Jalam Bangau No. 15 Cakranegara Telp. (0370) 639543, Facsimile: (0370) 628257. Publisher: PT Bali Post

Tuesday, February 2, 2016Tuesday, February 2, 2016

EvEry Temple and Shrine has a special date for it an-nual Ceremony, or “ Odalan “, every 210 days according to Balinese calendar, including the smaller ancestral shrine which each family possesses. Because of this practically every few days a ceremony of festival of some kind takes place in some Village in Bali. There are also times when the entire island celebrated the same Holiday, such as at Galungan, Kuningan, Nyepi day, Saraswati day, Tumpek Landep day, Pagerwesi day, Tumpek Wayang day etc.

The dedication or inauguration day of a Temple is consid-ered its birth day and celebration always takes place on the same day if the wuku or 210 day calendar is used. When new moon is used then the celebration always happens on new moon or full moon. The day of course can differ the religious celebration of a temple lasts at least one full day with some temple celebrating for three days while the celebration of Besakih temple, the Mother Temple, is never less than 7 days and most of the time it lasts for 11 days, depending on the importance of the occasion.

The celebration is very colorful. The shrine are dressed with pieces of cloths and sometimes with brocade, sailings, decorations of carved wood and sometimes painted with gold and Chinese coins, very beautifully arranged, are hung in the four corners of the shrine. In front of shrine are placed red, white or black umbrellas depending which Gods are worshipped in the shrines.

In front of important shrine one sees, besides these umbrellas soars, tridents and other weapons, the “umbul-umbul”, long flags, all these are prerogatives or attributes of Holiness. In front of the Temple gate put up “Penjor”, long bamboo poles, decorated beautifully ornaments of young coconut leaves, rice and other products of the land. Most beautiful to see are the girls in their colorful attire, carry-ing offerings, arrangements of all kinds fruits and colored cakes, to the Temple. Every visitor admires the grace with which the carry their load on their heads.

Balinese Temple Ceremony

COVER STORYFrom page 1Reason ...

SEMINyAK - Sabeen Restaurant is a stylishly modest, friendly, cozy, and casual eatery. It is coated with an urban sheen, cour-tesy of some clever items that boast flashes of panache. The alfresco setting is delightful, set with dark brown dining tables covered in white table cloths, a warm wooden floor, a small pond in the far corner, green leaves hanging from the ceiling, and a few flower pots. There is a worldly ambience in the airy room – spacious enough that it never feels crowded. The room is luminously lit with the open view of the hustle bustle from the outside world.

Sabeen invites guests to welcome the Chi-nese New Year, a Year of the Monkey with Asian Journey Buffet and Dim Sum Festival accompanied by Live Band Entertainment.

The Year of Monkey festivity Sabeen Res-taurant will begin on 8 February 2016 from 7 PM till finish. With a dynamic and colorful Chinese decoration the main lobby, restaurant and hotel, our culinary team will serve you a sumptuous Asian Journey Buffet and Dim Sum Festival.

Celebrate Chinese New Year at Sabeen Restaurant

IBP/Courtesy of PHM

IBP/Courtesy of PHM

IBP/Courtesy of PHM

Many EIA expose partici-pants responded with boister-ous laughter. However, Kuta

community leader, Jro Mangku Made Suwedja, judged this state-ment to be religious defamation

and added that such statements are not appropriate for a formal meeting such as the EIA public expose.

“The statement he delivered inappropriate. I really do not know whether he does not un-derstand or if there is some other reason that his spoke thus. Such a statement can be considered as

defamation of religion,” said Jro Mangku Suwedja when contacted on Sunday (Jan. 31).

Suwedja went on to explain that there are four main refer-ence points for determining the sacredness of Benoa Bay, regardless of the innapriate com-ment made by the fishermen. These points of reference are: the bhisama or stipulation of the Central Hindu Dharma Council of Indonesia No.11/Kep/ I/ PH-DIP /1994 on Bhisama of Temple Sanctity, Bali Regional Bylaw No.16/2009-2029 on Bali Spa-tial Planning, Badung Regional Bylaw No. 26/2013 concerning with the Badung Spatial Plan-ning for 2013-2033 as well as Presidential Decree No. 45/2011 on Spatial Planning of Denpasar Urban Area.

“Referring to the Bhisama; mountains, lakes, confluences, beaches, seas and so on are be-lieved to have sacred value. Thus, it is clear that Benoa Bay quali-fies as a sacred area. Perhaps he does not see the bhisama?” he explained.

Suwedja asserted that the status of sacred cannot be deter-mined in terms of purely physical aspects. Also Hinduism views the sea as a place to eradicate or melt away all bad things. Ac-

cording to Jro Mangku Suwedja, the PHDI should immediately clarify the statement made, and remind people about the con-cepts of Hinduism. “The PHDI is the institution that should be addressing this,” he said.

Suwedja also criticized the seating arrangement of the sul-inggih (higher priests) during the the EIA public expose. The higher priests who were seated at the same level as other EIA par-ticipants, he explained should in fact have been seated higher. “Those who represent the Hindu Dharma Council should submit such tasks to walaka because as sulinggih they officiate over rituals and thus have a higher status. All of their words are philosophy (tattva) that should not be denied. If we look at their position like that, yes I am so sad. Maybe they are also debated,” he said.

Suwedja continued, saying that the higher priests should also pay more attention to the people expressing their aspira-tions through the customary vil-lages. All customary villages in the coastal areas of Benoa Bay have opposed the reclamation plan, so the reclamation is defi-nitely not feasible and should not be resumed. (rin)

IBP/Yudi Karnaedi

Kerobokan customary village opposes the Benoa Bay reclamation plan. A declaration of the statement of opposition was made on Januray 31, 2016 at the wantilan hall of Petitenget Temple, Kerobokan, Badung before children and the customary village of Kerobokan (ANKER), ForBALI, LPMs from across Kerobokan village and all the hamlet chiefs.

Sacredness of Benoa Bay doubted by fishermen

IBP/Wawan

People held demonstration opposes the Benoa Bay reclamation plan.

DUrING the environmental impact analysis (EIA) public expose for the Benoa Bay reclamation that took place on Janu-ary 29th, a statement emerged that seemed to put into doubt the sacredness of Benoa Bay. “Who says the Benoa Bay area is a sacred place. I believe it but when casting my net, it got caught on a pair of underwear”.

Page 6

I N T E R N A T I O N A L 16 Pages Number 278th year

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Price: Rp 3.000,-

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

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Tuesday, February 2, 2016

News can also be heard in “Bali Image” at Global Radio FM 96.5 from 9.30 until 10.00 am. Listen to Global Radio FM at http://globalfmbali.listen2myradio.com or live video streaming at http://radioglobalfmbali.com and http://ustream.tv/channel/global-fm-bali.

Myanmar house begins new session dominated by Suu Kyi party

Page 13

“No deal yet” on Britain’s EU renegotiation, leaders say

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Page 8

In-form Rooney seeks to keep heat off Van Gaal

LOS ANGELES - “The Birth of a Nation,” a drama about a 19th century slave revolt in Virginia, swept top prizes at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday.

The movie, acquired earlier this week by Fox Searchlight for a record-shattering $17.5 million, won the grand jury prize and the audience award at the prestigious festival held in Park City, Utah.

The dual awards mark a major victory for filmmaker Nate Parker, who wrote and directed the movie about Nat Turner, who led a slave rebellion in 1831.

It also comes at a time when

Hollywood is under fire for its lack of diversity in the list of actors and filmmakers nominated for Oscars this year.

“Thank you, Sundance, for cre-ating a platform for us to grow, in spite of what the rest of Hollywood is doing,” Parker, who is black, said as he accepted the grand jury prize for his film already being touted for a 2017 Oscar.

The US documentary grand jury prize was awarded to “Weiner,” a be-hind-the-scenes portrait of disgraced US politician Anthony Weiner as he attempts a comeback by running for mayor of New York.

The audience award in that cate-gory went to “Jim: The James Foley Story,” a documentary about the US journalist slain by the Islamic State group in 2014.

In the world cinema category, the grand jury prize for a drama went to “Sand Storm,” an Israeli film that follows the struggle of women in a Bedouin village, while the audience award went to “Between Sea and Land,” a Colombian movie about a man afflicted with an illness that confines him to his bed, and his mother who cares for him.

Both the audience and grand jury prizes for foreign documentary

went to “Sonita,” about an 18-year-old Afghan refugee illegally living in Tehran and who dreams of be-coming the next Rihanna.

The Sundance Film Festival founded by actor Robert Redford is considered a showcase for in-dependent and documentary films and festival winners often go on to receive critical acclaim and Hol-lywood awards season glory.

Last year, the crop of mov-ies shown at the festival yielded “Brooklyn,” which is up for three Oscars next month, including best picture and best actress for its Irish star Saoirse Ronan. (afp)

The DreamWorks Animation film cost a reported $145 million to make and earned a strong “A’’ CinemaScore from audiences — 70 percent of whom were families.

“It’s a bold move to take a fran-chise which has had great success in that summer corridor and move it into late January, which is gener-ally considered a very slow time,”

Rentrak’s senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian said. “It also filled a huge void in the marketplace.”

The first film opened to $60.2 mil-lion in 2008 and the second to $47.7 million in 2011.

For Fox, switching up the release was a no-brainer after seeing the successes of “The Lego Movie” and last year’s “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water” in this time frame.

“We know that when the market conditions are right, this business really is a 365-day-a-year business,” said Chris Aronson, Fox’s domestic distribution chief. “We saw an op-portunity and we grabbed it. We’re thrilled with the results.”

There are a number of winter holi-days coming up where kids will be out of school and “Zootopia,” 2016’s next big animated release, doesn’t open until March 4.

The animated sequel also fared much better than the weekend’s other new openers, like Disney’s Coast Guard adventure “The Finest Hours,” which debuted in fourth place with $10.3 million.

Based on a real life 1952 rescue mission, “The Finest Hours” stars Chris Pine, Casey Affleck and Ben Foster and cost around $80 million to make. Dergarabedian thinks that the nautical theme might have seemed too similar to the recently released “In the Heart of the Sea” for audiences.

The opening is similar to last year’s “McFarland, USA,” another fact-based drama from Disney, which opened with $11 million in late February and went on to earn $44.4 million.

The “Fifty Shades of Grey” parody “Fifty Shades of Black,” meanwhile, earned a modest $6.2 million, but it only cost a reported $5 million to produce. Marlon Wayans co-wrote, stars in and produced the R-rated takeoff.

“Spoof movies and parodies have a very mixed box office record,” Dergarabedian said. “The reviews are never good on these movies. You have to really hope you’re riding a wave of the popularity of the movie you’re spoofing.”

The Weinstein Company’s Nata-lie Portman-led Western “Jane Got

a Gun” misfired out of the gates, bringing in only $803,000 on a $25 million budget.

Overall, there wasn’t much space for newcomers with strong holdovers like “The Revenant” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which took second and third place with $12.4 million and $10.8 million, respec-tively. Both fell only 23 percent from last weekend.

Notably, Fox’s “The Revenant,” once considered a possible box of-fice disaster with its gritty subject matter and reported $135 million budget, has earned $138.2 million to date in six weeks in theaters thanks in part to its awards hot streak with multiple wins for star Leonardo DiCaprio and a host of high-profile Oscar nominations.

“It’s a marvelous thing for us, for the industry, for filmmaking in gen-eral. To have a hold like this is really heartening,” Aronson said. “This is a pretty good weekend. There’s a very balanced marketplace here. There’s something for everyone out there now, and I’ve always said that’s when this business is at its best.” (ap)

‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ tops box office; ‘Finest Hours’ flounders

LOS ANGELES — “Kung Fu Panda 3” kicked its way to the top of the North American box office with a respectable $41 million, according to Rentrak estimates Sunday.

DreamWorks Animation via AP

This image released by DreamWorks Animation shows characters Po, voiced by Jack Black, left, and his long-lost panda father Li, voiced by Bryan Cranston, in a scene from “Kung Fu Panda 3.”

‘The Birth of a Nation’ wins top prizes at Sundance

Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Nate Parker

DENPASAR - Several tourists from China who were scheduled to arrive in Bali aboard chartered flights have been forced to postpone their departure due to the recent Jakarta terror attack, according to a tour-ism official.

“Some tour operators reported that numerous Chinese tourists who use charter flights had post-poned their departure to Bali due to the impact of the bomb blasts at the Sarinah departmental store in Jakarta,” Chairman of the Indonesian Association of Travel Agencies (Asita) for Bali Ketut Ardana stated.

Ardana explained that despite making assurance that the distance between Jakarta and Bali was quite far and the security situation on the island of Bali was safe, the Chinese tourists nevertheless postponed their travel plans to spend the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays.

However, the arrival of tourists aboard regular flights from “the bamboo curtain” is ongoing, and there are no constraints.

Ardana further noted that the Lunar New Year is the time when several tourists from China visit Bali to spend their holidays using either regular or chartered flights.

He even mentioned that in previous years, the number of tourists from China saw an in-crease of 20 percent due to the Lunar New Year holidays. (ant)

KEROBOKAN cus-tomary village has been officially opposed to the Benoa Bay recla-mation plan since De-

cember 8, 2013. “The letter of statement was

signed by 50 hamlet chiefs, following a meeting on the matter,” said, chief of Kerobokan customary village, A.A.

Putu Sutarja.The official letter of opposition was

submitted to the EIA (environmental assess-ment team) of the Benoa Bay reclamation project during a public expose at Udayana University some time ago. Sutarja asserted that Kerobokan customary village has never been influenced by anyone else and that his village has already declared their opposition to the reclamation plan, dated December 8,

2013.A declaration of the statement of opposi-

tion was again made on Januray 31, 2016 at the wantilan hall of Petitenget Temple, Kerobokan, Badung before children and the customary village of Kerobokan (ANKER), ForBALI, LPMs from across Kerobokan village and all the hamlet chiefs. Before the declaration, related billboards were set up in six locations around the village: at Kancil

hamlet, Kerobokan, Gede hamlet, Muding Mekar, Pengubengan Kauh, Taman hamlet, and at Petitenget. After the declaration of opposition, the customary village plans to continue representing the demands of the people so that the reclamation plan can be put to a stop, said Sutarja.

Continue to page 2Reason ...

Kerobokan customary village has been opposed to reclamation since 2013

ANTARA FOTO/Wira Suryantala

Asian tourists spend time at Kuta Beach during their holiday in Bali Island on Monday. Several tourists from China who were scheduled to arrive in Bali aboard chartered flights have been forced to postpone their departure due to the recent Jakarta terror attack, according to a tourism official.

Chinese tourists postpone visit after Jakarta terror attack